17 January 2010 (Monday) - Last Time at the Chokey

It would seem I stuffed up yesterday – whilst there had been talk of carrying on decorating at the seaside for some time, because I was due to be working in the morning I’d said that if others were to make a start, I’d come along later. Because no one said anything, everything to do with decorating rather slipped my mind. Woops – my bad!

There’s always next weekend, or weekends following….

‘er indoors ^TM had advertised the old telly on FreeCycle last night and we had six people wanting it in as many minutes. I’ve moaned about FreeCycle in the past. I suppose that it serves a purpose in being a useful way of not wasting stuff, but the thing strikes me as little more than a cheapskate’s charter. Perhaps I’m just getting old and cynical?

Up early, and off to Hythe to deliver the old telly to its new home. As luck would have it, an old friend was after a new telly and so it didn’t go through FreeCycle after all. On the way there, I had a major disagreement with the scrat nav. I decided to take the way I thought was quicker. And I maintain my way would have been faster if Hospital Hill was where I thought it was, rather than where it actually is.

Yesterday I mentioned about going to Tottenham Court Road to get a DVD player. It was suggested I tried Richer Sounds. By one of life’s many co-incidences, there is a branch of Richer Sounds only five minutes away from the chokey. We were going visiting today, so we popped into the shop whilst passing. I wish I’d gone there ages ago. Whilst their tellys weren’t any cheaper than Comet or Curry’s, the chap behind the counter was so friendly and helpful. I got my multi-region DVD player, and I shall go back there whenever I need anything else.

And then to the chokey for prison visit #10. Something of a bittersweet visit, bearing in mind this was my last trip to the place. (I hope!!) “Norman Stanley” looked well and I gave him the details of the final version of my never-fail patented escape plan. I’ve been working on this plan for a year, and this week it comes to fruition. If he keeps his trap shut and his nose clean and his head down, he might get a neck ache, but on Friday they will let him out.

It’s been suggested that I shouldn’t blog about his release as there are (so I’m told) those that may use any snippets I write against him. Whilst this could possibly be true, I’m going to hope for the best in humanity and take the line that those who don’t know him will hopefully feel that any mate of mine is a mate of theirs (albeit vicariously). After all, would anyone seriously be reading my blog just on the off-chance of me being dumb enough to write something nasty or incriminating about the bloke?

And then home to plumb in my new DVD player. I think it’s fair to say it plumbed in a lot easier than the telly did. It doesn’t use a scart lead, instead it’s got an HDMI cable. This apparently can take double the amount of whatever it is that scart leads take. I asked the man in Richer Sounds if perhaps I need to get one for my Sky Plus box, but apparently I need to upgrade to Sky HD for that.

I expect that will be more money, and will be the subject of a blog entry for another time…

16 January 2010 (Saturday) - New Telly

To the post office to collect a parcel. Again I nearly crashed on the way down Tannery Lane. What is it with that road? There was a big sign saying that people collecting parcels cannot park in the Post Office staff car park any more. The customers of Kent Wool Growers had parked all over the place, utterly ignoring the markings for parking bays, making parking in there impossible. I took a gamble that there would be no traffic wardens about, and pulled up outside the collection office on the yellow lines.

The chap behind the counter wanted to see identification before he would give me my parcel. I showed him my passport. He studied it intently, but never once looked at me. I wonder how that served to prove my bona fido? Bearing in mind the total lack of any parking in the area, I asked him where we were supposed to park. He described the location of three public car parks, all within twenty minutes walk. That was helpful of him.

Still, I’ve got my sledge. All I need now is more snow. Or then again, perhaps not. I’ll quite happily wait until next winter.

Yesterday I mentioned that I went looking at DVD players. I had another look again today. Currys again totally ignored me. Which turned out to be their loss. So we went back to Comet. Multi-region DVDs don’t seem to be their thing, but they were doing a deal on their tellys. A rather fit sales bird spouted drivel about plasma LEDs and hertzes and refresh rates. I looked on in bewilderment as she demonstrated the difference between auto focus and hands free, blu-ray and HD, cheese & onion and salt & vinegar. They all looked the same to me. There was absolutely no difference whatsoever between the Sony Megapixel or the Satsuma Castanet that I could see. They all looked good.

I had saved up some money to put some iron railings in the front garden. But I don’t want them really. It will be much easier to load and unload the car for camping trips without a fence in the way. So I squandered the money I’d put aside on a new telly. It’s got… well, I could copy what it says in the manual, but were I to do so, then people might start talking technical at me. Let’s just say that it’s forty inches across and the numbers 1080 appear in the specifications which I am told is a good thing.

Plumbing the thing in was quite a laugh. Being somewhat taller than the old telly we needed to move the Sky Plus box and the existing DVD players all up a shelf. And then the new telly flatly refused to find the signal from any of the peripheral devices (technical term!!). And just as I was swearing *really* badly, SpongeBob appeared on the screen, and all was fine.

Now to fight the children to be allowed to watch the thing.

However the original problem remains – we don’t have a multi-region DVD that works easily. Having misplaced the handset for the DVD player that can do region one DVDs (woops!). I think we’ll carry on pressing the “skip” button until I’m on holiday in a few weeks time, then I’ll go to Tottenham Court Road.

15 January 2010 (Friday) - Old Jumpers, Flat Batteries, Sushi

For many years me and a certain blue and white striped rugby shirt were inseparable. Yesterday I threatened the return of my favourite jumper. Disaster – I can’t find the thing anywhere. The last time I can remember wearing it was on a particularly memorable booze up in Folkestone where it attracted the unwanted advances of a rather fit bird. It’s possible that I chucked the thing out, but I doubt it somehow. It’s my favourite jummy, even if I haven’t worn it for years.

During my search for it I found two other jumpers from the same era, two pairs of jeans (jeans!! – I haven’t worn jeans for over ten years!), five sets of pyjamas I never knew I had, and more pairs of shorts than I could count (i.e. over seven). I found half a dozen sets of flashing luminous rabbit ears, and I unearthed Stevey’s NeverWinter Nights player’s guide (I said it was somewhere safe!). The family all say they haven’t seen my jummy for years either.

I loved that jumper. I wonder what happened to it? I might just have to get a new one, but ebay has let me down, having nothing remotely similar for sale.

“My Boy ^TM ” ‘s car had a flat battery, so could he jump start from my car? Of course he could. Whilst trying to get out of the house, the door bounced back and hit me full in the face. Just where I’d had that tooth out. Oh, it did hurt. And carried on hurting all day.

So I have made a new house rule. Something rather obvious, really. Doors in the house must be openable. I couldn’t believe the amount of rubbish we had blocking up all the doors. I filled two bin bags of clutter. If anything valuable has gone well, quite frankly, I don’t care.

There was a minor hold up in the jump starting whilst we struggled to get the bonnet of my car open, and I did wonder if my car would start afterwards, but in the end all was well. Thank heavens!

I left home rather earlier than usual on a late shift to have a look at DVD players. The staff in Curry’s ignored me totally. I gave them fifteen minutes then walked out. Pissy World weren’t much better. But “Dave” in Comet was quite helpful. I forgot to ask about multi-region DVD players though. I’ll go back tomorrow – if they don’t have multi-region ones I’ll go to Tottenham Court Road. They will have.

Earlier in the week the burning issue at work was chicken sushi. Yes – I know – sushi isn’t chicken, it’s fish. I thought that too, but Wikipedia says that sushi is traditionally (but not exclusively) fish. Before I joined the vocal majority in declaring chicken sushi to be lame, I thought I’d better try the stuff.

I have tasted worse. If any of my loyal readers are tempted by the thought off chicken sushi, you can buy it in Tesco for two quid. *You* can buy it. I won’t be doing so again…

14 January 2010 (Thursday) - Photos, Clay Heads, Guinea Pigs

I have obtained a photograph of the fragments of the clay head mentioned in yesterday’s blog. The thing does look somewhat beyond repair. Who’d be an art student?

It has been suggested that yesterday’s photo was taken in Ramsgate. “My Boy ^TM ” was about that size when we had a family day out to Ramsgate. I remember the day vividly; he used to get travel sick, and on the way home from Ramsgate he absolutely filled his grandfather’s new car with wall-to-wall vomiting. At the time his digestive system was akin to Doctor Who’s tardis – he could (and often did) generate several times his own body volume in vom. Happy days.

I don’t remember his auntie being along on that day though, and it was from her that I got the photo. Another of her photos from the late eighties has come to light. Me on the beach at Mersea Island. The photo features my famous blue & white rugby shirt; a garment which (over twenty years later) is still perfectly serviceable, and which still comes out on holidays and high days. If any of my loyal readers have photos of me in that shirt, please email them to me – I feel a Facebook album coming up.

Meanwhile back on the ranch, it’s been just another day. Half the night wide awake, half the day falling asleep. Some things never change. I slipped out of work early to go to the dentist. As he was rooting about inside my cake hole, the dentist was reminiscing about the horrific wisdom tooth extraction I’d had a month or so ago. Having regaled his dental nurse with the tale of how traumatic the extraction was, he then turned to me and asked if I remembered the episode. Funnily enough, I did recall something about having a wisdom tooth out. I wonder how many people find that such a trivial event slips their mind.

Then I checked my emails. Over five hundred spam, including sixty four purporting to be from HM revenue & customs. I suppose enough people must fall for these scams to make it worth the crooks’ while to send them out.

And the guinea pigs would seem to be scrapping. “Daddies Little Angel ^TM ” has identified one as being the bullying, troublemaking guinea pig. However her theory fell at the first hurdle when I noticed that the alleged protagonist had a lump bitten out of its chuff. I’ve consulted the source of all knowledge, and the Internet says that guinea pigs do this. If we give them separate food bowls and separate places to hide, then chances are they will stop scrapping. Apparently the family’s guinea pigs are at the teenage stage.

We’ve been there before…

13 January 2010 (Wednesday) - More Stuff

Last night saw the launch of the second series of “Survivors”. Regular readers may recall I’ve mentioned this program in the past. I loved the original series made thirty years ago, but wasn’t overly impressed with the first season of the modern remake. Last February I blogged “I hear there’s a second season being made – I shall see what that pans out like before I dismiss it out of hand”. Well, I’ve seen the first episode of the second season, and I honestly think I’m ready to dismiss it out of hand. I won’t give the plot away (yet) in case any of any of my loyal readers are yet to see the episode. I suppose I will watch the next one, but after last night’s drivel, I won’t be too concerned if I miss it.

Our DVD players are playing up. The one which records stuff off of the Sky Plus box would seem to have a stuffed up menu screen, and the one which is multi-region only opens up occasionally. I was planning to have had a look in Comet and Curry’s tonight after work, if we hadn’t been snow-bound. Normally the staff in there look at me as though I’m something the cat dragged in, but if I go in my work clothes (shirt & tie) they generally can’t kiss my butt quick enough. Whilst I can get a cheapo bog-standard DVD cheaply enough, I’m after something that records, does multi regions… I wonder if a trip to Tottenham Court Road might be a good idea.

And then something to power the thing with. As we freeze in a climate totally stuffed by over-use of fossil fuels, salvation is at hand. The problems of nuclear fusion have been solved. Within ten years we’ll have cheap clean energy. Let’s hope so.

Whilst I’m on the subject of scientific breakthroughs, science has announced that having a fat ass is good for you. One lives and learns.

“Daddies Little Angel ^TM ” ‘s clay head exploded today. The kiln was to blame, but we are reliably informed that it wasn’t personal. Fragments have been salvaged, and a repair operation is underway. I wonder what the National Gallery do when this happens.

Today’s photo is one that has recently appeared on Facebook. I have no idea where the photo was taken. I originally thought Hastings, but the background doesn’t look quite right. The more I stare at it, the more I can see a passenger ferry behind me. So it might be Folkestone. As to when – I’m guessing 1988.

The first fruit of my loin was much more manageable in those days.

12 January 2010 (Tuesday) - Stuff

The year’s diary dates for the astro club were published last night, so this prompted me to have a look at the Kite Calendar. I’ve updated my diary dates accordingly. I see the local branch of CAMRA has also put up the dates of local beer festivals, but I had most of those already. There is a beer festival in Wittersham on Sunday 21 February (there’s something familiar about that date?). A shame Wittersham isn’t the easiest of places to get to, and I had rather planned to go on a pub crawl on Monday 22 February. I’ll see which of “the usual suspects” are available on which of those two dates and make a decision later.

It still seems odd not going to cubs on a Tuesday. For the thirteen years from late 1995 to September 2008, every Tuesday would have seen me at the scout hut. It’s now over a year since I packed up with the cubs, and yesterday I had a chat with the leader at my old pack. I’m glad I jacked it all in when I did. The place has had one or two problems recently. The scout leader has gone, leaving the same few people doing everything, and the place nearly closed toward the end of last year. Because of one nasty little child.

I can distinctly remember “Dennis”. I can remember looking at his surly expression and recognising trouble. Last year he had been deliberately awkward for several months, and after one evening when he had physically assaulted half the children in the cub pack, the leaders decided that they had put up with him for long enough. And they told this nasty brat’s parents that the child would be excluded from all cub activities for a month. “Dennis”’s parents weren’t happy, and formally complained through official channels.

Head Office instigated a formal investigation which found there were faults on all sides (apparently). Whilst his victims had suffered rather nasty assaults, “Dennis” had suffered the threat of missing a month’s scouting activities.

And what no one had realised was that those children who had been bitten, kicked and generally attacked had suffered nothing when compared to the threat of being banned from cubs for a month for being a naughty boy. Furthermore, (somehow) those children who had been assaulted were in some way responsible for the little darling’s potential exclusion.

The suggestion of the appointed investigator was one which was intended to be fair to all parties. He suggested the cub pack be shut down, and after a while re-opened to all who wanted to join. Including “Dennis” and his victims.

“Dennis”’s parents were horrified at this suggestion and immediately withdrew their complaint. Not out of any sense of common decency, but because there was a pack holiday coming up, and the reason they didn’t want the place closed was because they wanted to send their uncontrollable brat on a very cheap weekend away. Suddenly these people realised just what cheap babysitting they were getting from the unpaid volunteers.

He stayed excluded for that month, but he’s back there now, as disagreeable as ever. But the saddest part of the whole sorry tale is that those people who run scouting on a national basis wonder why people like me don’t want to volunteer to help any more...

11 January 2010 (Monday) - Enough of the Snow, Now !!!

After four days of snow, yesterday I decided that I’d had enough of the stuff. So I personally have stopped the snow. Yes – me. I did it. I ordered a sledge from eBay last night, and since I clicked on the “Buy It Now”, not a single flake of snow has fallen.

Mind you, it’s still rather icy outside. Icy on the pavements – the roads are now pretty much clear. Or, that is the middle of the roads are clear. I skidded a bit whilst parking this evening, and so decided to go out with a shovel and break up the ice I’ve parked on. After all, there’s quite a river of water running down the guttering. I’ve smashed up the ice around my car, and if the flow of meltwater continues, in the morning, driving off should be a tad easier than parking was.

I was tempted to have a go at shifting the ice on the pavement outside my house, but in the end the spectre of liability put me off doing so. I contented myself with breaking up the ice on the front garden path leading to the front door. Apparently under the Occupiers Liability Act 1984 I am obliged to attempt to keep my property free of ice. There are those who would argue that it is shame that the council doesn’t meet their legal obligations in shifting the ice, but there’s so much of it, and only so many council operatives.

And as the snow recedes into slush, so the arguing starts. Reading the news, I see that there are those who didn’t get to their various places of work last week for all sorts of reasons. Some really couldn’t get to work as buses and trains were cancelled. Some really couldn’t get to work as roads were impassable. And some saw the snow as being reason enough to stay at home. (After all, that’s about the only thing many people would seem to have learned from their time at school.)

And what penalties are there for who didn’t turn up at work? It would seem that employment law forbids them being deducted a day’s leave or a day’s wages. So effectively they’ve acquired extra leave. Hmm…. One of our people was snow-bound for three days last week. I think I should be given three days extra holiday….