Trance-Elbows World

Best Christmas Present Ever

2011-12-19T09:18:00.001Z

My Brother-in-Law's Girlfriend (Chunkette) did a wonderful thing today. She delivered a healthy baby girl to the world. Mother & baby are doing well. I am so over welmed with joy, you'd think she was my baby. I'm so looking forward to meeting her, hopefully later today.

She has come at a great time and she offers such hope for the future. My wife's family have suffered great loss over the past few years, with the loss of both their parents, a sister and an elder Brother (Dopy) who is trying to drink himself to an early grave. The new arrival has provided a huge injection of hope into our hearts and I feel it is our way of fighting back. A way to rebalance to family.

I am on such a high right now that nothing could bring me down today. It takes me back to the day my Son arrived and the amazing joy he gave me. That was the best day of my life and I doubt that anything will ever beat that feeling.

My best wishes, love & hope go to the three of them.

posted from Bloggeroid

Winter is Upon Us Once More

2011-12-08T15:00:00.000Z

Over the last week, the temperatures have dropped a few degrees announcing that Winter is now upon us. The winds are now starting to bite, the days are getting noticeably shorter and the year is drawing to a close. This dark, dank weather will probably be with us until the end of February next year, by which time we will all be sick of it.Regards

I always look forward to the first signs of the Daffodils poking through the ground. This is the sign that the days will soon be warmer and the weather better. The first opening of those bright yellow trumpets chasing away the greys and browns of winter, lifts my heart and brings hope for the coming year.

In the mean time I will just have to put up with dismal days, low temperatures and gloom.

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And Another Week Begins

2011-10-24T09:25:00.001+01:00

It's Monday morning once more and the week begins as ever with a train journey to work. The train is only slightly delayed, which is not an uncommon occurrence. It's one of those things that you get used to. Today there is a seat with name on it, which is always a welcome discovery.

The sun is also with me this fine morning. This is also a well sight as all to soon the weather will deteriorate into the dark, damp gloom of winter. The days will be short and the air cold. Darkness will consume the country for what seems like a lifetime. All the time longing for the appearance of the Daffodils which announce the arrival of spring to lift out spirits.

posted from Bloggeroid

London By Train

2011-09-28T09:01:00.000+01:00

I caught an early train today, so I could be on-site ready to start work at 7am. As I started my journey it was dark and I quickly fell asleep on the train. When I woke up the warming autumn sun was just rising above the horizon and I recognized the various buildings as we passed by. There was the recycling centre, Millwall FC's ground (The New Den) and various other buildings, both new and old. As we approached London Bridge we passed the signal box that I know so well. Over the years I have spent many days and nights working there. At one time it felt like my second home. The new Shard at the station is almost complete now and when it's finished it will be the tallest building in the UK. When it was half finished it reminded me of the cooling towers at the ill fated Chernobyl nuclear power station. I will probably always remember it that way too.

Continuing north from there I remember that my Grand Father, whom I never knew, was born on Blackfriars Bridge Road in the latter part of the 19th century. The building in which his parents lived has long since gone, but somehow it's seems important to remember where my ancestors came from. My Father, another Londoner was born slightly further south in Kennington, Lambeth.

The next station we pass is Blackfriars, which is currently being rebuilt and only the through platforms are currently open. It doesn't feel very welcoming at all, but hopefully this will improve once the building work is complete.

Next we stop at City Thameslink, formerly know as St. Pauls Thameslink. It's a strange subterrarium station which always feels cold and uninviting. The white walls seem so drab and dull. For some reason it has a very long platform, which has two signal sections and can probably accommodated two 12 car trains at once.

We then visit my favourite station on this line, Farringdon. I love the warm sandstone coloured bricks and the beautiful light that comes in through the high glazed roof. It somehow feels as if I have travelled into the Victoria age and all that is missing are the steam trains. When I used to work at Euston I would changed onto the tube here, which meant I could avoid the huge crowds at London Bridge or Victoria. I used to hate trying to get on the Northern or Victoria tube lines in the mornings as there was always such an oppressive amount of commuters trying to do the same. At Farringdon it's a short trip across the bridge to the other platform and the tube trains were never crowded.

St. Pancras Domestic is the next stop, which takes you directly into the beautifully refurbished St. Pancras station. The designers and engineering have done a wonderful restoration job on the train shed roof. It lets in such a lot of soft light. That is truly the best station in the world bar none. The subterranean Thameslink platforms however are all concrete and stainless steel. It is very unwelcoming and for me, lets down the rest of what is a quite amazing station.

I final get to West Hampstead Thameslink station at 7:09, which is where my journey ends today. This station is also being rebuilt, with new over bridges and station entrance. It is due for completion later this year and should improve the passenger experience. I wonder when I will get a chance to see the finished product?

In 12 hours time I will be reliving the whole journey in reverse order. By which time it will be almost dark once more.

Regards

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On Loan

2011-09-28T08:55:00.012+01:00

This week I am working in West Hampstead London. My previous employer, the one who made me redundant 19 months ago, don't have enough qualified engineers to fulfill their requirements to their main customer. My ex Boss called me a few weeks ago to ask if I would mind helping out for a while. I of course said yes as my current position is currently far from exciting and I jumped at the chance to feel useful once more. Emails were exchanged, numbers were crunched and a contract was signed between our two companies and here I am on temporary loan.

As soon as I arrived on site I was greeted by numerous familiar faces and was warmly welcomed back into the old gang. Within minutes I had solved a minor problem and it was as if I had never left. I felt at home and at ease.

That was a night shift last Friday night and two more followed in quick succession. By the early hours of Monday morning collectively we completely replaced one Signalling control system, provided one new system and up dated two more. I personnel had over seen one of these upgrades, thoroughly tested it and brought it into use. If you have travelled anywhere between West Hampstead Thameslink and Blackfrairs stations since 4am on Monday morning, I have helped your journey go as smoothly as possible. If you have experienced any details, they were not of my doing as the equipment I have worked on has behaved itself beautifully.

This week I am working days monitoring all these new and upgraded systems. So far I've been very bored, sitting around just in case something goes wrong. Of course I hope nothing does fail, but if it does at least I'd have something to do.

While I sit here writing this I suddenly feel quite sad that I was made redundant from a job I loved. I did however walk straight into another job with a company which treats it's staff very well indeed and I suppose I should be grateful that I have a job at all in the current economical climate. The fact remains that after 19 months, I still feel like an outsider. A round peg in a square hole. I feel that my current employer is wasting their money by not using me and my skills to their full potential. I want to shine and excel, but I cannot. It could of course be my own fault for not speaking up. Maybe I should stop feeling sorry for myself and push myself forward.

The fact remains that I have enjoyed this last weekends work and I would be keen to do more if asked. Being a "hands on" engineer is far more rewarding than driving a desk all week.

Regards

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Tuesday Morning

2011-08-30T08:27:00.001+01:00

Today is Tuesday, the day after the August Bank Holiday. As I walk to the station I see numberous people putting out their rubbish for collection. There's a middle aged women in her pajamas who just nipped out to put her bags by the kerb. A little further on I see a council worker attending to a fault on his ride-on mower, before he continues on his way leaving a trail of grass cuttings behind him.

I then spot a Man in a freshly ironed shirt adding recycling to his Red Top bin. As I draw nearer I notice that he's not wearing any trousers. Just an unflattering pair of white Y-fronts with black piping. Rather than dashing out, placing his rubbish quickly in the bin and dashing in again, he loiters far longer than required. It's as if he saying to the world, "Look at me, I have no shame". I wonder if he regularly treats his neighbours to this display?

As I hurry on, my mind returns to my day ahead. My heart sinks as I think of the tight deadlines I have to meet.

posted from Bloggeroid

Norwegian Tragedy

2011-07-25T09:29:00.000+01:00

On Friday 22nd July 2011 a Norwegian Man set off a huge bomb in Oslo and then proceeded to murder numerous people at a youth camp on a nearby coastal island. So far about 95 people have been confirmed died at the hands of this deranged being.

My heart goes out to all those who have lost loved ones and the Norwegian people. The Norwegian people in general are a peace loving nation. I found them to be very nice people when I visited Norway in my youth. It is a truly beautiful county and the events of last Friday have saddened me greatly.

I cannot even begin to understand what drives seeming ordinary people to do such despicable things to their fellow humans. It is just beyond all reason and goes completely against the morals of right minded people anywhere. I don't care what his reasoning was behind this horrible crime, because there is just no way that what he did could possibly be justified. I refuse to even mention his name. That would be far more than he ever deserves.

My thoughts and prayers are for those innocent people & their families who have had their lives destroyed in such an unspeakable way by this hideous man.

Regards

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New Shoe Direct to the Door

2011-07-13T18:20:00.001+01:00

I don't often buy shoes, but when I do I like to get good ones. I've found that Clarks shoe, although at little pricey, last far better than any other high street brand I've tried. The trip is to wait for a sale and then get them half price. Typicaly I pay around £40 for an £80 pair.
My current pair have lasted me somewhere between 3 or 4 years, but are looking quite tired now. The insoles are almost non-existant, which makes them quite uncomfortable to wear if walk any great distance. I can't really complain as I walk between 7 and 10 miles a day Monday to Friday. According to my pedometer that is. I feel I've had my moneys worth.

On Sunday I popped into Clarks as i noticed they were having a sale. They had the usual types of formal shoes I like, but none were quite right. However, they did have a very nice pair in a size 9 that I rather liked, but they were a but narrow and they had no 9 1/2's left. I was surprised to learn that i could order them in 9 1/2 and have them delivered direct to my door at no extra charge, while still paying the sale price. I was concerned there might be a problem if they didn't fit, but they told me to just bring them back. That's what I call service. Top marks Clarks. A lot of other retailers could learn a lot from them.

They arrived today and so far they're a great fit and I am a very satisfied customer. I think ill drop them an email to say thanks. 8-)

posted from Bloggeroid

What's That Smell?

2011-07-05T17:46:00.003+01:00

I'm a fan of smelly cheese, as my wife like to call it. My favourite has to be good old English Stilton. My wife however is not a fan and the best she can manage is Medium Cheddar. It's a shame as she's missing out on huge amounts of flavour and enjoyment.

It does mean that there's more for me I suppose, so there is an up side LOL.

Sent from my HTC Sensation

posted from Bloggeroid

A Dull & Ordinary Week

2011-06-15T16:57:00.001+01:00

This week, although only partially complete, has been rather dull & unexciting. Even the weather can't decide which way to turn. It started the week a little damp, warm up a bit & now it's overcast, with the threat of rain.

Work has been slow and moanful too. Last week I was busy, but now that has past. Tomorrow however promises to be much more exciting. It's the divisions annual Cricket match in Dorridge. Personally I'm not a fan of Cricket and I won't be playing, but it's a day off work, with free food & drink. On top of that, it's a chance to "Network" and catch up with people I rarely have a chance to meet. Many of my colleagues are voices on the phone or words in an email. It's time to meet face-to-face at long last.

The only downside is the early start to get there and the fact that I have a terrible memory for names. I have a photographic memory and never forget a face. Perhaps we should all wear name badges tomorrow. Lol

Regards
Chris
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Anonymous Commuters

2011-05-17T07:59:00.001+01:00

I commute to work daily. Today however is a little different as I'm heading to London for a meeting. I've caught a train an hour earlier than normal and it's packed.

As I stand wedged in a corner I realise that I spend an awful lot of my time with people I don't know. There's a woman to whom I gave the last seat, reading an A4 document with all the Important bits marked with yellow highlighter. There are two women drinking hot liquids from stainless steal flasks. Many of us are listening to our favourite sounds through headphones. Most are small in-ear ones, but 3 of us have larger over the ear types, myself included. I find they shut out the noise far better and allow for lower volumes to be used. Loonies tend to leave me be too.

There are various mobile phones, Blackberry's, iPhones and one iPad in a fetching shade of white. There are suit wearer, tie wearers and 2 wearer of jeans.

All of a sudden we arrive at our destination, London Bridge. I'm surprised at the lack of urgency displayed by my fellow commuters to get off the train. But once off it was on with the mad dash to the Tube. I did this journey for two years in the early 2000's and I don't miss it one bit. The Tube from London Bridge is a nightmare of delays and Sardines. Not a nice experience and I'm in no hurry to repeat it daily. Once in a while is plenty for me.

I caught the Jubilee Line to Canada Water expecting it to be fairly lightly loaded. How wrong I was. It was obvious that this section of the tube is now just as packed in the rush hour as every other section.

From at Canada Water I caught the recently reopened East London line. I actually designed the control & indication system that controls the signalling for this line, but this was my first trip on it. I am happy to report that my design worked perfectly well today 8-)

I was surprised that so many people could fit on these trains. I thought they would never stop getting of the thing. Eventually they did stop and the reason why so many could squeeze on became clear. Very few seats. Most of the area was designed to allow maximum people to stand. It seems to work quite well to.

I arrived early for my meeting, which was all over by 10:15 and then it was time for the return journey.

Regards
Chris
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Pedestrian Warning: Please Look Where You're Going in Croydon!

2011-04-28T12:59:00.002+01:00

There have be three pedestrians seriously injured in George Street, Croydon over the past couple of months and they have all been Women. This does actually surprise me, as statistically Men are more prone to risk taking than Men.

The first, a pregnant woman in her 20's was hit by a Double Decker bus while crossing the road outside East Croydon station. She was also rushed to St George's Hospital in Tooting, suffering a fractured skull and her unborn child had to be delivered early. I understand that both mother and baby are doing well.

The second was about a fortnight ago, where a women in her 40's running for a Tram tripped in front of it and was carried about 10 yards into the Tram stop outside East Croydon station. She was also rushed to St George's in Tooting. I haven't heard anymore about her injuries, but I understand that they were described as "Life Changing" at the time.

Today slightly further down the road, opposite Boots, another Woman in her 20's was hit by a Tram. Apparently she was seen to be looking down at her mobile phone and just stepped out in front of it. She was also given a fast lift to St. George's.

The Trams in Croydon are big, bright green and come at regular intervals. They are very hard not to see as are the bright red Double Decker buses. So why are so many people not seeing them? Could it be a case of complacency breeding contempt?

Whatever the cause of these Women's ill attention and misjudged sense of immortality, I would like to appeal to all my readers (male, female or undecided) and the wider public to please pay attention to the world around you. It could just save your life!

Regards

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Remembering old friends

2011-04-15T12:33:00.001+01:00

I met John about 20 years ago, just after I joined the Railway. At first glance you'd think he was just a grumpy bloke, but I got to know him better during a training course he ran at a Hotel in Derby. I learnt an awful lot from him over the course of the next fortnight. Information which I still use on an almost daily basis today.

He retired about 8 years ago and sadly passed away soon afterwards. Today would have been his 70th birthday. Many friends & colleagues of his will be travelling to London to attend a get together in his honour this afternoon. Not only will we be remembering John, but it will be a wonderful opportunity to catch up with old friends. Those whom my path has crossed over the years. After all, the railway industry is a close knit community and it seems to breed some very interesting characters.

As I've traveled through life I've learnt that the people you meet on the way often leave footprints on your soul. Some of those prints are huge and will stay with you forever.

Regards
Chris
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Spain: Train fares cut to save energy

2011-04-15T10:06:00.000+01:00

This is an interesting concept which I would welcome here, especially if it reduces the cost of my daily commute. Here ia an outline of the Spanish Govt plans, as published by Railway Gazette,

SPAIN: Under a national energy-saving plan approved by the cabinet last month, fares on RENFE suburban and medium-distance services are to be cut by 5% to encourage greater use of public transport.

The Ministry of Development expects this to result in 22 million fewer car journeys into major cities over four months.

Along with a package of measures including a reduction in the motorway speed limit from 120 to 110 km/h, the plan aims to save 286 million barrels of oil and €23bn a year, cutting annual CO₂ emissions by 125 million tonnes.

I do however think their figures are slightly over estimated and a 5% cut is not an enormous amount. On my annual season ticket I would only save £100. Over the course of 12 months that equates to a saving of only £8.33 per month. I doubt that will change the world very much. A good idea? Yes, but could do better!

Original article - Railway Gazette: Train fares cut to save energy
Regards

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Strange Annoucements

2011-04-14T08:32:00.002+01:00

I recently noticed an interesting announcement at my home railway station. It goes something like this,

"Please stand clear of the train at platform 2. It is ready to leave"

Not an unreasonable request you might think. However, it is very often used before the arriving train has even stopped. How exactly are we supposed to get on this service? Perhaps we are supposed to jump onto the outside and hang there like they do in India. That way Southern Railway can cram on even more people without spending any more money and still claim a capacity increase. Now there a bit of Blue-sky thinking for you.

Personally it's the poor ticket inspectors I feel sorry for. They will not doubt be expected to check the tickets of the hangers on. That'll be fun in the winter and I'm absolutely certain that Bob Crow will have something very loud to say on the subject.

Regards
Chris
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The Rise & Rise of Crawley Town FC

2011-04-13T11:09:00.001+01:00

What a season it's been. The FA Cup took us to Old Trafford where 9,000 of us made more noise than the 67,000 Manchester United fans put together. When I watched the TV coverage the following day, I couldn't believe the volume of our chanting. It was simply an amazing experience. A shame they beat us 1-0, but they are one of the best teams in the world. There's always next season 8-)

From there we just kept going up the Blue Square Premiership, trading places at the top with (the Real) Wimbledon. Not that shower who All the time keeping an eye out for Luton Town, Wrexham & Kidderminster Harriers. Last Saturday we beat Tamworth away 3-0, which sealed our promotion to the Football League.

Last night we played Luton Town at the Broadfield. It would have been a sell out crowd if not for Luton not being able to sell their allocation of 600 tickets. Only about 200 of them turned up. The theory is that because we'd already qualified they didn't want to give us any more money for no reason. Sounds like sour grapes to me, but at least they should get the chance to go up via the play offs. Personally I'd like to see AFC Wimbledon come up with us, but Chunky prefers Kidderminster for some reason. It's all in the lap of the Gods now I suppose.

There was a great party atmosphere, despite the fact that we drew 1-1 against Luton. We all stayed on after the game as we were presented with our Champions Cup. There was Champagne, lots of jumping around and singing. Despite the chill in the air, there was great hope for next season in 3000 hearts.

Chanting,
"We are the Champions, We are the Champions.
No time for losers, cause we are the Champions.
Of the League."
(repeat until you are horse)

Life long fan & joint owner of the club, Bruce Winfield, sadly died just before we achieved the title. It was largley due to his support and financial management that we were able to reach the heady hights of the Football League. He would have been so proud.

Thank you Bruce, we won't forget you!

How we became a 2 cat family again

2011-04-12T11:06:00.001+01:00

When we first bought our house, number one on our shopping list was a cat. In fact we ended up with two. They grew up together and we didn't have the heart to separate them. One jet black and the other black & white with a white question mark on her back.

Unfortunately the black one, who was the most inquisitive of the pair, met an untimely end due to some form of road vehicle. We were inconsolable at our loss. It was like loosing a close family member, perhaps a child. We made the decision not to replace her for fear of upsetting the remaining cat. That was over 14 years ago.

About 5 years ago my Father-in-Law moved from a 2 bedroom house with his youngest son, Chunky, to a 1 bedroom flat on his own. It soon became apparent that he was lonely living on his own, so we encouraged him to get a cat. After a call to the Cat Protection League and a home visit to check his suitability, he had a new house mate. He was a very friendly black male cat who was about a year old.

When my Father-in-Law passed on last June, his cat went in live with my elder Brother-in-Law, Dopey. That was the logical choice at the time as we were worried about the affect of introducing a new cat to our now elderly moggie. Chunky & Chunkette already had 2 cats of their own and didn't want another.

Dopey has been having a few personnel problems of late. Due to his inappropriate relationship with alcohol he has in the last few years lost his second wife and job. Despite much support from his immediate family he has failed to change his ways. He favours making incomprehensible phone calls at stupid O'clock in the morning, which hasn't won him any friends. Quite the opposite in fact. My wife is about the only person who will talk to him, but never after about 8pm as he will be drunk and just talk utter rubbish.

In one of his now famous phone calls one Saturday in January, he told his Brother Chunky that he couldn't afford to feed the cat. He suggested that he had phoned the RSPCA and they would collect the cat from him the following day. Chunky saw red, dashed round to Dopey's house and repossessed his late Dad's cat. Since then he has been living with us.

Over the past couple of months he has been spoiled rotten, gained weight and discovered our garden, which he really enjoys. As it happens we need not have worried about the effect on our elderly feline. She is not particularly happy about his presence, but grumpily puts up with him. He stays out of her way and can run faster than her when she throws one of her a hissy fits. The only problem we have had is that he occasionally likes to wake me at 2am for a tummy rub. The word "Sucker" springs to mind.

Regards
Chris
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Forgetful, Disorganised & Late

2011-04-11T09:06:00.001+01:00

Those three innocuous words pretty much describe how I bumble through life. This morning was no exception either.

I climbed out of the shower with just 12 minutes to catch my train. It's a 15 minute walk to the station. Having decided that although it was a nice warm morning, getting dressed before dashing out would be a wise idea. The train would just have to manage without me today. Besides, there'll be another along 20 minutes later.

It gave me time to collect daily accessories together. These include my wallet, season ticket, lunch, headphones and keys. After a frantic search I realised that my key refused to be uncovered. It was then that I remembered forgetting to bring home a bag from my Mums after a visit yesterday. They must be in that very bag 8-( I'll just have to wing it today, in the hope that I'm not the first home tonight.

Mrs T-E kindly asked me to put the bins out ready for collection later. Today being the fortnightly recycling collection, I though I'd better empty the kitchen recycler on my way out. When I got to the front door, with no keys, I decided to put the recycler tray on the stairs while I hunted a spare key. CRASH! The hall was now full of various recyclable waste as the tray kindly over balanced. I found a key, unlocked the door, picked up the lose detritus from the floor, deposited it the recycling bin and dashed off to work.

Having plugged myself into the latest Above & Beyond Trance-cast on my iPhone, I realised that in my rush to leave I had completely forgotten to put either of the bins out. A quick call to Mrs T-E solved that, but I could tell from her lack of surprise that she is used to my ineptitude.

As I ended the call, I noticed that I had only 4 minutes to catch my late train. Luckily for me they hadn't quite closed the doors and I ran breathlessly onto the platform.

And now on with the rest of my poorly planned day 8-)

BTW - There is nothing unusual about this morning. It's often my lunch that I forget. Such is (my) life. LoL

Regards
Chris
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Spring Has Sprung

2011-03-31T10:00:00.000+01:00

The Daffodils have opened up their bright yellow trumpets, announcing to the world that Spring is at last upon us. The blast of yellow is always welcome and cheers my soul enormously.

Over the last couple of weeks the weather has been very mild. Unseasonably so the Met Office tell us. I think it's about time I got my motorbike her first MOT so I can get out and lift my spirits further still. I do love the sense of freedom and personal space I get from riding. Man & machine in perfect harmony on the open road. There's no need to stress about roads clogged with traffic. That's not an issue as I breeze past those imprisoned in their metal boxes. Undisturbed by mobile phones, I just drink in the elation of freedom, solitude and power. For a few hours I am King of my World. All too briefly it's over and I have to return to my reality, but with me I take a reinvigorated heart & soul.

Regards
Chris
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Music: Howard Jones

2011-02-17T20:32:00.000Z

My parents are from a Classical music background and "Top of The Pops" wasn't their thing. As a consequence I didn't really discover pop music until the early 1980's. It was of course an era of electronic music and I was hooked to the great sound of synthesizers.

Howard Jones was (and still is) one of the great keyboard wizards. I have followed his career ever since. Unfortunately, he no longer gets radio airplay.

Here is his first hit release on 17th September 1983 - "New Song"

I enjoyed that so much that I thought I'd post another of my favourites from 1984 - "Pearl in Shell"

And to end this blog I just had to add this master piece. It was released in March 1986 and reached No.16 in the UK charts, but I understand it made No.1 in the USA. It remains today one of my favourite songs.
"No One Is To Blame". Enjoy.

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Music: A Passion of Mine

2011-02-17T19:32:00.005Z

I come from a musical family and you could say it's in my DNA. My tastes are many and varied, but there are some genres I just can't stand. I'm not a big Opera fan, despite my heritage. I just don't get all that warbling in Italian or German. Having said that I did take my Mum to the Royal Opera house to see Rigoletto for her 70 Birthday. Don't tell anyone, but it was rather good.

Other styles I dislike include Country & Western, Boy Bands (sic) and (C)Rap. In my youth I used to listen to BBC Radio 1 most of the day, but I became increasing bored with it's constant round of nonsensical chart music. I realised that I was listening to BBC Radio 2 and enjoying. That must mean I'm getting old I suppose.

For some time I've been thinking about writing a series of blogs about the music I love, complete with links to videos. I thought about calling it "100 Favourite Songs" or "100 Favourite Artists", but that would just limit my options. Therefore I shall just call the series just simply "Music:". The only problem is knowing where to start!

While I'm writing this in the corner of my dining room, I'm listening to "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin and I'm sure it will be revisited again soon 8-)

Regards

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David vs Goliath

2011-02-16T20:22:00.005Z

As I think I mentioned in an earlier blog, I've never really been a big football fan. This was mainly due to me not being very sporty in my youth and all the thuggery at football matches. The final straw for me was the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985, after which I became a Rugby fan and technology geek.

Many years later my Brother-in-Law Chunky moved in with us and being a football fan himself, got me interested again. I started watching Match of the Day with him and my Son, and eventually I started joining them at Crawley Town FC's home games.

After a few turbulent seasons, Crawley started to do quite well in the Blue Square Premiership, which is one level below Football League Two. Last year the club managed to pay off it's crippling debt and this season a new sponsor has enabled the team to buy some top players. At present it looks likely that we my win the league this year and gain promotion to League Two, where we can play with the big boys.

On top of this we have done surprisingly well in the FA, beating Swindon Town (League One), Derby County (Championship) and finally Torquay United (League Two). This meant that we were the first non-league team for years to get through to the 5th round. On Sunday 30th January this year we were drawn against one of the biggest clubs in the world. The Mighty Manchester United in an away fixture at Old Trafford.

Since then it seems that the whole Town has gone completely football mad. Our little town seems to be constantly in the local and national news. The Sun newspaper (sic) is a sudden sponsor. Even the Steve Boyce Band have written a tune to celebrate.

So this coming Saturday about 9,000 of us, myself, Junior and Chunky included, are travelling to Manchester to watch to game and you never now. We might even win! Wish us luck 8-)

COME ON YOU REDS!!!!

Regards

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Season Ticket Failure

2011-01-27T16:42:00.001Z

Last Tuesday I renewed my annual railway season ticket. Because on the the state of our economy and the fact that the Westminster Muppet Show have loosened controls on the fares train operators can charge, my ticket has broken the £2000 barrier for the first time. This equates to a 7.7% increase from last year, which is more than 2% above inflation. I'd like to point out that my salary is extremely unlikely to keep pace.

Southern Trains have over the last couple of years been fitting automated ticket barriers and my home station received them early last year. This shouldn't be a problem if you have a valid ticket to insert into the machine. However, mine stopped operating the barriers in just over a month last year. This meant that everyday I had to queue up at the manual side barrier four times each day. Mostly this was fine, but on a couple of occasions the speed of the queue ment I missed my train.

I was so please when last Tuesday my new ticket let me through the barriers without any delay. Unfortunately I seem to have set a new record as this morning it failed to work. I made that just seven days of un-impeded travel. I have two choices, visit the ticket office & ask for a replacement or spend the next 12 months queuing up 4 times a day!

Regards
Chris
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January Blues

2011-01-06T15:29:00.000Z

I was going to write about all the things that have been getting me down this week. In fact I wrote over 200 words on the subject, but that just made me feel even more feed up and I was sounding like a “Super Grumpy Old Man”. So I stopped my moaning and got on with my day instead. By lunchtime I was snowed under with work and started to feel useful once more. The final therapy came at 3pm when I received the weekly gentle reminder from my calendar to fill in my timesheet. This of course signals that the weekend is now insight. A fact which always cheers my heart.

Then I cheered myself up further by writing this little song.

I woke up this morning,
And crawled out of bed.
Outside was dark & wet,
Indoors was just cold.
I moaned to myself,
like I always do,
I just can’t get out of these, January Blues

It sounded much better when I sang it to myself in the kichen. Honest it did!

Perhaps January isn’t all bad 8-)

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Baa-Humbug to the snow

2010-12-24T09:57:00.001Z

As a child I used to love the snow. I didn't care that it was cold, wet & it gave hypothermic fingers & toes. The first time I really remember snow I was about 9. It looked so magical glistening under the evening street light and I seem to remember that my school had to shut for a week as the heating oil ran out. After that it didn't really snow in any great quantity for a further 10 years.

Then in the early 1990's we suddenly had lots of the stuff and I was a pain the drive in. Back then I had a Ford Cortina that was of course rear wheel drive. Completely useless in snow and I twice remember having to abandon her and walk.

The crowning glory though was the legendary "Wrong Type of Snow" in 1991. I had just joined the railway and spent 5 hours getting to work after the first snow. It's only a journey of 21 miles and normally took 20 minutes. When i finally got to work few of my colleagues had bothered. The big boss personally thanked me for my effort and suggested I head back home again. The trains continued to be a mess for a good week after that and I spent more than one journey crushed tightly into the Guards Van.

Last December it snowed about a week or so before Christmas and my Sons school was closed, but I didn't care as I was between jobs and didn't have to venture out if I didn't feel like it. The snow came again in January this year and once again I stayed at home, but made up the work time later.

In all of those incidents I seem to remember that the snow never stayed for more than a few days and then was gone. It provided a nice break from the norm and looked rather beautiful at the same time.

This winter has bought something very different indeed. It hasn't properly snowed since last Saturday, but the blasted stuff is still with us. No longer is it beautiful and soft. It's now just solid ice stuck the every road and pavement and this morning it was lethally slippery. The journey to the station today took quite a lot of nerve, concentration and most of my amazing balancing skills.

Thank goodness I no longer have to do that walk for a couple of weeks. Perhaps by then it will have gone. Fingers crossed.

Regards
Chris
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Twelve into Nine does not go!

2010-12-16T09:46:00.001Z

If you are a regular reader, you will probably know that my daily commute to work has become a constant source of annoyance to me and regular provides me with blogging material. This week has been no exception either.

Christmas, which is an expensive time of year, is fast approaching. January is always a hard month financially, post Christmas blues, above inflation season ticket increases and the extra bonus of an increase in VAT. And did I mention that my wife has been unable to find a permanent job? Her current role ends on New Years day! 2011 promises to be a fun year all round.

For the last twelve months I have really enjoyed paying £1980 to Southern Railway for the pleasure of travelling on increasingly over crowd trains. This week sees an improvement in services, so we ate told. All I have seen so far this week in a reduction in the length of my regular morning service from 12 to 9 carriages. How exactly is this an improvement?

Have I imagined it or have I finally graduated into a Grumpy Old Man?

Regards
Chris
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Illiterate Graffiti Artist

2010-12-14T08:34:00.001Z

On my way to the station this morning I passed some fresh, but amusing graffiti. It read, "Pear dos will pay".

What exactly a Pear will do or what it will pay for was unclear, but it was sprayed on a fence opposite a primary school. Perhaps the artist was commenting on the education he had received there.

Regards
Chris
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Improved timetable?

2010-12-13T08:35:00.004Z

On the radio this morning there was an avert from Southern Railway. It was telling listeners how a new timetable to be introduced this week, will improve journey time & increase train lengths. Oh good, I thought. That will mean a greater chance of getting a seat in the morning 8-)

This morning my train was only a couple of minutes late and 3 carriages short. I managed to get in the door by about 2 steps and was wedged there. This ment that I was at least 1 person away from any sides or hand rail. Being only 5"8', this was a problem because as the train bounced and lurched it way along I could support myself. I had no choice but to use the poor chap behind me as a battering ramp on at least 3 occasions. I'd like to apologise if that was you.

Welcome to Southend Railway excellent new timetable.... NOT!

Regards
Chris
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Oooo, I could crush a grape!

2010-11-16T09:18:00.001Z

This morning is a bright crispy one and the temperature is at freezing point. I love days like this, but it tends to have an adverse affect on my daily commute. Today is no exception and the trains into London are in complete chaos. Even my iPhone timetable app has thrown in the towel.

I have however managed to squeeze myself onto a stopping service to London Bridge, which is no longer stopping as often. I was lucky as I've managed to push myself out of the vestibule, just. I found a bearable piece of floor on which to stand next to the first table from the entrance.

However, it's those poor souls who boarded at Gatwick that I felt most sorry for. The vestibule between the doors had turned into a wine press. Fortunately many of them exploded onto the platform at Redhill when the pressure was released by the doors. I too have managed to move into the train a few steps further and now have a seat handle to grab as the train slowly lurches towards the Capital.

Welcome to Britan, one of the richest countries in the world and the most over crowded in Europe.

Regards
Chris
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And back to Derby I go

2010-11-15T20:18:00.001Z

As I expected, last week was tough one. There was a lot of information to take on board, admittedly, mostly common sense stuff. I diligently made notes of what I felt to be important information.

Sometimes on a course the trainer will ask the class questions to check that the students have understood and are still awake. If you're not sure of the required reply, it's usually possible to keep silent and let someone else answer. However, there were only two of us on this course and I soon discovered that it's impossible to hide. Especially if neither of you know the answer. It certainly keeps you focused on what's going on, I can tell you.

The teaching finished on Thursday and I was able to return home. However, I have today returned to Derby to have my newly learnt skills fully tested. After at silly-o-clock start from home, I arrived without the drama of last Mondays travel woes. I took the precaution of catching an earlier train and very carefully checking which train I was actually boarding.

All that planning gave me far more time to worrying about the assessment itself. By the time I arrived at the training centre I had whipped myself up into a frenzy of panic. 8 hours 30 minutes later and I had proved that I have what it takes to pass the course. What a relief 8-)

Regards
Chris
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I love trains ... Most of the time

2010-11-08T09:16:00.001Z

I'm on my way to Derby for a training course, which my previous employer refused to send me on. It'll be a tough week with lots to take in, but very worthwhile. For me this is an important step forward.

I got up bright & early, with a spring in my step. Even the horrid dark blustery weather on my walk to the station didn't dampen my spirits. Unfortunately, my mood changed a little when I discovered that all the trains to London were delayed due to the seasons leaf fall. My chosen services was 10 minutes late and didn't make my connection at St. Pancras. The next train was due to leave at 8:25. I found the correct platform and bounded what I thought was the Sheffield service and made myself comfortable.

Shortly after there was an announcement, "Welcome to the East Midlands Trains 8:30 service to Nottingham". It took a moment for the penny to drop and asking a follow passenger if I'd heard correctly, confirmed my mistake. Apparently my train was at the other end of the platform. Dashing off the train, I stood on the platform and watched the Sheffield service leave without me. I gave it a little wave, with a clenched fist.

AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!

I am now on the 8:55 train to Derby, a mire hour later than I had expected. I hope my day improves from here!

Regards
Chris
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My iPhone made me late for work

2010-11-02T08:21:00.002Z

As I'm sure you are all aware, the clocks went back an hour last Sunday to mark the end of British Summer Time (BST). Yesterday morning (monday) I woke up late for some unknown inexplicable reason and as a consequence I was late for work.

This morning the alarm on my iPhone went off at 7:15am instead of the usual 6:15am, which confused me as it was quite clearly set for 6:15! Weird, I thought.

The answer became abundantly clear when I came across an article about the problem in the Daily Telegraphs iPhone app. Apparently exactly the same thing happened right across Europe too. iOS 4.1 has a bug that affects how the alarm clock works when the clocks go back. The alarm seems to ignore the automated change in the time.

Apple are aware of the problem and plan to fix it in it next iOS update. In the meantime the only cure is to delete all your alarms and set new ones. Just adjusting the existing alarms doesn't cure it.

Daily Telegraph Article

Regards
Chris
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Is this the Governments Quango review or the Twilight Zone?

2010-10-21T12:11:00.001+01:00

For those of you who don't know, Quango is an acronym which stands for "quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation". These are non elected bodies that have been set up by the Government to undertake various tasks, which they deem as useful. Such organisations include Network Rail, Offcom, Offpost, etc. However, there are currently 1,162 of these Quangos out there and most seem to be completely pointless. Some of them are completely unfathomable, even after researching them. My favourite so far has to be,

"Commission for the Compact"

Who, what, where and why? These are all valid questions and, to be quite honest, I'm struggling to answer any of them. I went to their website, http://www.thecompact.org.uk/ , and that just seems to be full of daft phrases that swallow up words, but mean nothing at all. This is what the website says about them,

This website explores the Compact, the longstanding agreement that sets out shared principles and guidelines for effective partnership working between government and the third sector in England.

What? The third sector? Give me a clue here please! Is it just me or does that sound like an extract of a Dr. Who script? Is this just a vehicle for people with Philosophy degrees to gain employment? Who knows as I don't have a clue!

The list of Quangos seems endless and many of them appear to be doing the same things over & over again. Some are to be merged, which seems sensible, but many are not. There are quite a few which deal with gambling in different sports. Why not bring those all together to reduce cost?

This governing game that gets played out by the "Westminster Muppet Show" drives me nuts. Why make it so complicated? Is it just an excuse to claim as much in public money as possible in an effort to line their own pockets? I think that is more than likely and I wish these people would stop pretending that they are doing all this money wasting for the public good. I truly believe the average "Man in the Street" is far smarter than these clowns give us credit for.

Regards

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There but for the grace of God I go

2010-10-12T08:42:00.001+01:00

A much respected colleague of mine, Peter Scott, died recently. I worked with him directly for 15 years, during which time he taught me an awful lot. You could say he was a Railway Signalling guru. For many years he rang training courses in his spare time, thus passing on his significant knowledge to others.

He always remained single, a loner but wonderful man who was married to his work I suppose. He always thought of others. In fact he sent flowers to a sick mutual friend just days before his sudden death.

Today is his funeral. He was so popular that I wouldn't be surprised if the church overflows. From our office alone we've hired a 16 seater minibus to get us all there.

Peter - So many people miss you. The world is a poorer place without you.

Regards
Chris
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2 Shows, 22 Years Apart

2010-10-11T16:29:00.001+01:00

In October 1988 two school friends and I queued up for over 8 hours in the rain in London's docklands to see a French man play some electronic music. The French man in question was the very talented Jean Micheal Jarre and the concert was Destination Docklands. It was a truly amazing experience and was one of the main reason I started to play the keyboard. I bought a T-shirt that day that still lives in my bottom draw, but I've long since lost touch with those two friends.

Fast forward 22 year and last night the talented Frenchman returned too the Docklands, but this time on the other side of the Thames at the O2. Once more I was in the audience with my good friend Pablos. Mr Jarre remembered his last visit. He said "Last time I was here it rained. This time there is a roof to protect me". His comment bought a lump to my throat and made me reflect on the intervening years.

It was another excellent concert, complete with his signature wild graphics and laser displays. I was positively drooling at his impressive collection of classic analogue synthesisers. Wall to wall Moogs and the like. Electronic porn heaven 8-)

I took quite a few photos of the event, but only with my iPhone. If any of them are useable I'll sick them on my next blog.

Regards
Chris
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Vote Electric

2010-09-28T00:16:00.003+01:00

Is it just me, or does Ed Miliband (new leader of the Labour Party) remind you of Frank the Tortoise?

You decide.

Ed Milliband

Frank the Tortoise

Regards
Chris
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Badger cull plans for England being unveiled

2010-09-15T12:35:00.002+01:00

The Westminster Muppet Show once again have excelled themselves. The country is going to pot with National Debt running at it's highest ever level and they seem to think that a Badger cull will solve all our problems!

Apparently they believe that these wonderful creatures are spreading TB to cattle, which in turn is costing the country £100 million a year. Badgers are protected under UK and European law, but that doesn't seem to bother the loonies that weald the power in Westminster. Their plan is to issue licences to "selected" farmer to allow them to shoot Badgers, thus preventing the spread of TB amongst cattle.

I believe that this view that Badgers are the problem is flawed and the scientific evidence seems to back up my view. I can't remember the exact details, by the was a wide spread Badger cull in Ireland (I think) a few years ago and the result to cases of cattle TB was absolutely zero. The Badgers were almost completely wiped out and the TB problem still existed. Did this not tell the Govt' that their plan is seriously flawed? Obviously not, it would seem!

I have a different idea, which may be quite poplar if put to a public vote. Our government bodies and Quango's are full of un-elected, over paid people who seem to just swallow up public money with no obvious benefit to society. They cost us vastly more than the £100 million per year that bovine TB does. Perhaps the Westminster Muppet Show should consider issuing licenses to allow farmers to shot them instead. This would probably solve the National Debt problem and unemployment in record time and the Badgers can live in peace in our green and pleasant land.

Before I have the Security Forces breaking down my door and hauling off for a "Chat", I would like to point out that this is only an idol suggestion and I have no plans to actually threaten the safety of any of the parasites whom sponge of my taxes. I would also suggest that anyone reading this also apply a little common sense to the what I have written.

Original Article from BBC News Website - Badger cull plans for England being unveiled

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(79/365) All my own work

2010-09-14T21:52:00.001+01:00

Day 79

This years Crawley Camera Club Annual Exhibition is currently on at The Hawth Theatre in Crawley. I have two prints in the exhibition. One of which you can see in the photo above. It's called "Lonely Beach" and can see the full version here.

Please come along and have a look. There are 66 prints in all, it's free and will be on until Friday 24th September.

14th September 2010
(50D-1748-R)

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(78/365) And I still haven't found what I'm looking for

2010-09-13T12:42:00.001+01:00

Day 78

At Camera Club this evening, we were treated to a very interesting presentation of underwater photography by a guest.

During the half time tea break I had a look through the clubs library in search of inspiration. As yet, I haven't found it.

13th September 2010
(iPhone)

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(77/365) Gone, but not forgotten

2010-09-12T12:46:00.000+01:00

Day 77

Today was another day of remembering. In celebration of my Grandparents Wedding Anniversary, we had a family outing to their graves. Grandpa died in 1982 & Grandma in 2000.

We then all stopped off at the Beehive Public in Woodhatch, Reigate on the way home and had an expensive meal, which was OK at best with appalling service thrown in for good measure. It always used to be very good there, but the world moves on I suppose. I doubt we will stop off there again.

Then it was on to visit my Wife's parents grave, before going home to ~~sleep through~~ watch the Italian Grandprix.

12th September 2010
(50D-1730-R)
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sleep through

(76/365) A day to remember for lots of reasons

2010-09-11T12:53:00.001+01:00

Day 76

Today Chunky, my Son & I visited the rather impressive Madejski Stadium, home of Reading FC. We were there courtesy of the Sun newspaper football ticket offer. We choose to go to Reading as they are quite a good team, having briefly played in the Premiership a few years back and it's not too far from home.

I myself have only been to one top football ground before, the old Wembley about 15 years ago, and Crawley Towns ground is hardly to best. The Madejski Stadium is about 12 years old and very impressive it is too. It holds around 20,000 people. There were 17,921 the day we visited. The atmosphere was truly amazing compered to the usual quiet 1,500 people at Crawley.

While I was there, I took some time to remember Mital Petal. She was an American I met in Ibiza in 2000. She was fun and bubbly and used to work in the personnel department of Cantor-Fitzgerald in the WTC, New York. We used to keep in touch via email.

On the 11th September 2001 she was at work as usual when an aircraft came through her office window. The rest is history and she was never seen again.

God bless you Mital xxxx

11th September 2010
(iPhone)

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(10-365) Some days I feel as if I'm banging my head on a wall

2010-09-10T12:07:00.000+01:00

Day 10

It was one of those days at work today 8-(

7th July 2010
(iPhone)

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(9-365) My name is Chris and I'm a Systems Engineer

2010-09-10T12:06:00.002+01:00

Day 9

I was asked to do a technical presentation to my colleagues about my unique skill set. My bosses are encouraging me to pass on my knowledge to our junior members of staff. I put together a Power Point slide show which I expected to last about 20 minutes. It actually took me 1 hour 25 minutes to deliver. Fortunately no one died of boredom during the experience.

Those Eagle Eyed amongst you may have spotted that there is no one else in the room. I took the photo after everyone had safely escaped my clutches. LOL

6th July 2010
(50D-0904-R)

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(8-365) I've Seen The Light

2010-09-10T12:05:00.002+01:00

Day 8

Today I attended a company briefing at a local hotel. It included a 3 course lunch and 2 sessions of corporate figures and statistics. All very interesting, but I wanted a photo of me sitting amongst the crowds. In the end I didn't have the nerve to look that daft, so I took this one while I sitting down instead.

5th July 2010
(iPhone)

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(7-365) Feet of a Gardener

2010-09-10T12:04:00.002+01:00

Wow, I've actually managed a whole week with my 365. Only another 51 weeks to go 8-)
Today I weeded the front garden and cut the grass. My Brother-in-Law "Dopey" cut the back lawn for me. The least said about that the better!

4th July 2010
(iPhone)

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(6-365) My, What Big Feet You Have!

2010-09-10T12:03:00.000+01:00

It was the annual Summer Fair at my Sons school today. They had the usual stalls selling brick-a-brac, cakes, the tombola and various other activities. They also have this interesting mirror in the play ground. It's a shame it was so dirty though.

3rd July 2010
(iPhone)
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(5-365) Grande Cappuccino with Caramel

2010-09-10T12:02:00.002+01:00

Courtesy of Starbucks

My wife met me from work and took me out for a lunch time coffee. In hindsight it was a mistake to sit inside to drink it as it was very hot in the shopping centre. All too quickly it was time to return to work, but my wife met me after work and we travelled home together.

Did I mention that it's "Dress Down Friday"?

2nd July 2010
(iPhone)

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(4-365) Standing Room Only ... Again

2010-09-10T12:01:00.001+01:00

Today my morning train was short of a few carriages, which meant that it was rather full and there were no seats. At least we didn't have to play Sardines.

Those hectic evenings and late night organising my Father-in-Laws funeral are catching up with me. I could have done with a little snooze on the train. Hay ho, such is life.

1st July 2010
(iPhone)
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(3-365) Time For Tea

2010-09-10T12:00:00.001+01:00

I did have a great idea for today's photo, but unfortunately everyday life got in the way. That idea will have to wait for another day. The idea for this photo came to me while making tea at work this morning, but I felt a bit daft trying to take it with all my colleagues around. In the end I did this at home. As a big tea drinker, I'm sure this will be a recurring theme in my 365.

It's been a busy old day. I managed to catch up with most of my work backlog today. I'm still behind, but not as much as yesterday. A step in the right direction I think.

30th June 2010
(iPhone)

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(2-365) Return To Work

2010-09-10T11:46:00.000+01:00

My Father-in-Law died last Thursday and things have been completely manic since then and I took some time off work at short notice. I have today returned to work and the work has piled up in my absence 8-(

29th June 2010
(iPhone)

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(1-365) Life Begins at 40

2010-09-10T11:43:00.000+01:00

This is the start of my journey into my 40th year and it seems like a good time to start my 365. Will I gain enlightenment or will it make me self-obsessed? Only time will tell.

28th June 2010
(iPhone)

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Flickr 365 Group

2010-09-10T10:33:00.002+01:00

To celebrate my 40th year, I started a 365 project on Flickr.com

The idea behind the project is to take a self portrait of yourself everyday for a year. The rules are quite simple.

• At least some part of you must be in the photo

• You must take the photo yourself or if this is not practical, you can ask someone else to fire the shutter for you, provided you set up the scene yourself.

It’s quite simple really and I use mine to tell the world what I’ve been upto. I plan to copy the posts here to my blog as well for no better reason then to promote myself and my photography. You never know, it my even encourage me to blog about other stuff more often too 8-)

To view the project so far, click Here

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Ada-ware Ate My Hard Drive

2010-08-11T08:47:00.001+01:00

I was running some PC admin software on my computer last night and noticed that it seemed very interested in the contents of one particular directory. The directory in question was:

Documents and Setting/user/local files/temp

The program, CC Cleaner, failed to do anything with the directory. I chose to look at it myself in more detail. What I found nearly knocked me of my chair. There were over 65,000 .tmp files in there, totalling just over 17GB of space 8-s

Being .tmp file I knew I could just blow them away, which would free up all that waisted space. However, Windows XP couldn't cope with deleting 65k files in one hit and promptly threw it's legs in the air. I ended up clearing them out in batches on 2000 at a time. Took me ages it did.

But what had caused it? I googled the file name "adannnn.tmp", nnnn was a unique number for each file. It turns out that it was caused by Ada-ware, an anti spyware program I use. Every time MS Outlook (my email program) downloads emails, an Ada-ware plugin scans them & produces lots of .tmp files. It should delete these files when it's done, but quite obviously it isn't!

I tested it, and in a 20 sec period it produced over 1000 of these .tmp files.

The solution was simple. Disable the plugin, which I did and all is now well 8-)

I just hope it stays that way!

Regards
Chris
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Life Goes On

2010-07-30T10:39:00.002+01:00

I had great plans for 2010. A new job with new opportunities, I joined my local camera club to improve my skills and the rest was a blank page. After last years downs I was determined to get my life straight and move forward.

However, my Father-in-Laws (Weezy) lung condition worsened as the year progressed. He spent quite a lot of time in hospital. He came home in late May only to return to hospital three days later. A few weeks later he was once again back home, but refused to eat and wouldn't get out of bad.

My elder Brother-in-Law (Dopey) cared for him 24/7, but he still wasn't improving so the Family Doctor was called. He invited the family to his surgery for a chat, where he broke the news that Weezy was getting worse. He gave him just two weeks to live.

Three days later, on 24th June, Weezy passed away in his sleep, with Dopey at his side.

Although we all knew it was coming, it didn't make it any easier.

That's when the real drama began to unfold and since his passing all our lives have been a nightmare. But more of that later.

Regards
Chris
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Life Begins At 40 ...

2010-06-29T08:40:00.000+01:00

... or so we're told.

Yesterday I turned 40. It's nice to know that I have successfully lasted this long without any major mishaps or serious problems. I do however have the odd ache here & there. I've also noticed that my eyesight is not quite what it once was. But it could be far worse I suppose.

The question is, can I manage to bumble along for another 40 to 60 years? I suppose I'll just have to wait & see. That does rather assume that my eyesight doesn't get too bad in the intervening years. LOL.

Regards
Chris
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John 1941-2010

2010-06-29T08:16:00.000+01:00

My Father-in-Law sadly passed away in his sleep on Thursday 24th June 2010.

Rest in peace John.

I took this photo of him back in the summer of 2006. Happier times.

Regards
Chris
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Wot, no seat?

2010-05-25T08:30:00.001+01:00

With the exception of about four years, I've been comuting to work by train twenty years. Over take time I've seen many changes and who can forget "The Wrong Type of Snow".

Today we have comfy new air conditioned trains, which are generally very reliable. But one thing that always remains constant is the lack of seats.

Since I started my new job in January I've been paying £190 a month to stand on a doorway. However, about a month or so ago things improved and most mornings since I've managed to sit. For some inexplicible reason this week is different and I've had to stand for three of the four journeys. Why? Could it be that all those new MPs at the "West Minster Muppet Show" are trying to make a good impression? If so I expect that they are traveling standard class, not wanting to have their expenses claims embarress them publicly. It didn't to worry the last batch!

If this is the case, hopefully they'll soon get bored of the House of Muppets and stay at home. That why I can rest my legs more often. This does of course asume that the impending public cuts doesn't remove the whole train from the route or worse, kill off my new job.

PS - Just to be clear, I do not work directly for the Govnt any more. I was privatised many years ago. However, my current employer is very heavily involved with the UKs infrustructure. So I still may feel the pain of cuts.

Regards
Chris
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It's Official - I'm an Idiot!

2010-05-22T09:33:00.000+01:00

Last Thursday I attended a company induction course in a rather leafy corner of Surrey. It felt more like a College campus than a large company's headquarters. Generally I had a great day out and made some important new contacts. One very nice chap I met at lunch turned out to be a divisional director and the afternoons keynote speaker. The thing that struck me most was that everyone was very enthusiastic about working for this great corperation. I have to agree too. I've felt the love since day one and I'm extremely please to be working with such enthusiastic people. It's definately starting to rub off on me.

After all the excitment and corperate gifts I was piled high with, I caught the train home. I had to change at Clapham Junction, but there was no direct train home. I decided the best plan was to change at Gatwick Airport. I left the train with my large bag of goodies, decided which platform I needed next and set off. Just as I got onto the down escalator to the next platform, released that my right shoulder was lighter than normal. I'd left my briefcase on the train.

AAAARRRRGGGHHHHH!

I instantly turned and ran back the way I'd come. Very quickly it dawned on me that I was now trying to run up a down escalator and wasn't making a great deal of progress. Panic told me the answer was to run even faster! Not my best logic, but I did eventually make to the top. I arrived back on the other platform just in time to see the tail lights of the train leaving the end of the station!

I reported my loss to the Network Rail staff at Gatwick & Southern Railways Lost Property office. Both were really helpful and I can't fault them for the care they offered.

On Friday afternoon I had a call from a nice lady at Littlehampton staton ticket office. My bag had turned up safely and intact. On Saturday we had a nice family day out at the seaside & retrieved my bag.

Note to self: In future pay more attention when getting off of trains.

Regards
Chris
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And The Winner Is ....

2010-05-07T08:39:00.001+01:00

One of the things that has annoyed me enormously over recent years is the way our Govt have completely ignored public opinion and do what they like. Today politicians of all flavours are waking up to the realisation that no one party had overall control of the country. We now have what is called a "Balanced Paraliment".

In my view this has sent them all a very strong message that they will listen to Joe Public. Therefore the winner in the 2010 General Election is ...

The People 8-)

Regards
Chris
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Has The Old Chris Returned?

2010-04-23T16:40:00.001+01:00

I've had a really good week for the first time in ages. I was given & completed lots of interresting & challenging tasks. I finally feel that my career is once more moving forward after what I would describe as a 5 year period of downward spirals. This has hardly helped my personal life either.

The question is, has the old Chris remerged from the darkness? The jury is still out on that one, but I would say that it's definately a big step in the right direction!

My phrase of the week has to be,

"Bring it on!"

Regards
Chris
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Wife for Sale - Slightly Soiled

2010-04-04T19:16:00.002+01:00

Everyday I receive a nice little email from that famous font of all knowledge that is Wikipedia. A couple of days ago I received a particularly interesting one and being one for traditional values, I thought I'd give it a try. This is an extract from that very informative email.

Wife selling was a traditional English practice for ending an unsatisfactory marriage. Instead of dealing with an expensive and dragged-out divorce, a husband would take his wife to market and parade her with a halter around her neck, arm, or waist, before publicly auctioning her to the highest bidder. Any children from the marriage might also be sold along with their mother. Prices paid for wives varied considerably, from a high of £100 (plus £25 each for her two children), to a low of a glass of ale, or even free.

The Duke of Chandos bought his second wife at one such sale in Newbury in about 1744. Along with other English customs, wife selling was exported to England's American colonies, where one man sold his wife for "two dollars and half [a] dozen bowls of grogg". Husbands were sometimes sold by their wives in a similar manner, but much less frequently. Wife selling persisted in some form into the early 20th century, as general
attitudes began to shift to the benefit of divorce lawyers.

Strangely, Mrs. TE seems less keen on the whole idea. I can't imagine why?

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Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-03-21T16:04:00.000Z

In the last two weeks I've gone from spending my evenings slumped on the sofa to having a busy social life. Why? My thirteen year old son has fanally managed to get back into a council run club (he was asked to leave last summer) and I have joined the local camera club. On top of all this, I'm on a training course which runs quite late.

As a consequence this week has been manic and I'm already quite exhausted.

Monday nights are the worst. I (usualy) get in at about 5pm from work. Mrs. TE goes to Bingo at 6:15, Junior goes to his club at 6:30 and the camera club is at 7:45pm. The problems really start when it's time to come home. Junior finishes at 8:30, Mrs. TE at 9:30 and me at 10. All I can say is thank goodness for Grand Parents, as Grandma is the only one available to collect Junior.

The rest of the week is less hectic though.

Regards
Chris
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The Biker Rides Again 8-)

2010-03-21T15:57:00.001Z

Up until about 18 months ago I was a daily biker, riding to work no matter what the weather. I have even riden in the snow, but that was rather fool hardy and not an experience I want to repeat. Two years ago I bought a brand new bike and to keep the warrentee I had to have main dealer services. These were costing me a fortune, so I splashed out on a rail season ticket in stead. As a consequence I didn't ride anywhere near as much. In fact I have only riden 600 miles since last June and not at all since I lost my job last December.

Today however, I dusted my bike down, check everything was working and took her out for a spin..... Twice 8-) The first was a shake down to make sure everything was safe and the second was with Junior on the back. We both loved it.

I was worried I would struggle after such a long break, but it was just like riding a bike. Lol. The one thing that surprised me though was the acceleration. It's so much quicker than my new car. Which isn't really surprising when you consider it's 0 to 60 time is under 4 seconds!

What I'm really looking foward to is next Saturdays ride with Pablos. We're going on a 300 miles round trip to visit his Mum. I can't wait, but will the weather behave itself?

Regards
Chris
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Key To People In My Blog

2010-03-19T12:36:00.000Z

In my blog I chose not to use peoples real names to protect them from public ridicule and after all, they didn’t have a choice in the matter. Instead I have made up descriptive nick names that I feel accurately describe these people. I have listed them all here in an attempt to add context to my blog.

Mrs. TE = My wife, if you hadn't already guessed.
Junior = My teenage Son.
Pablos = A good friend & biker. Unfortuantly, he's extremely unlucky.
Cookie = She's an old school friend of mine & married to Pablos.
Chunky = My youngest Brother-in-Law. His mates chose the name, not me.
Chunkette = Chunkys' Girlfriend.
Dopey = My oldest Brother-in-Law.

I think that's everyone, but if not I'll add them later.

Regards

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Leftover: Boris to Cool Tube

2010-03-19T12:22:00.000Z

This is a previously unpublished blog, which got forgotten about. Not wishing to deprive the world of my thoughtful insight I thought I'd post and be damned. LOL.
--------------------------------

BBC NEWS | England | London | 'Cool' underground train unveiled

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What To Do With The Leftovers?

2010-03-19T12:12:00.000Z

I have been blogging sporadically for a few years now and I often start writing something, which I never finish. These “Leftovers” start off as good ideas, but invariably turn into either uncontrolled rants or end up as tedious rubbish which would bore any self respecting insomniac. Here are the titles of some of those,

- Boris to Cool Tube
- Key To People In My Blog
- I’ve Rediscovered Radio
- Busy, Busy, Busy
- I’m Artistic Don’t You Know!

The last three are quite resent and started off life on my new Apple iPhone, but the others are much older. I may just publish them and be damned. Lol.

While researching for this article, I noticed a rather worrying statistic. Since I started blogging in May 2006, I have written 183 entries and received only 44 comments. Does that mean that no one reads this waffle? Surely that cannot be correct!

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There are days you just want to scream!

2010-03-18T11:27:00.000Z

And today is one of those very days!

My eldest Brother-in-Law or Dopey as I call him, has a "relationship" with alcohol. Over the last few years this "relationship" has seem off two wives, four children, one grandchild and most recently the job he had since leaving school. It's not a pretty story.

At 11:15pm last night we had a phone call from Dopey's lodger. He had drunken himself into a stuper and was complaining of sever pain just about everywhere. So off we went on the 5 mile journey in the fog to check him out.

When the Paramedic arrived, his story kept changing & the pain moved about somewhat. None of us were convinced that his condition was anything but drink induced. The paramedic took him to the hospital & we returned home, rather tired.

This morning I rose later than normal, feeling not at all fresh. While I munched on my Cornflakes the hospital called to comfirm that Dopey was in fact still alive. As we all expected, his moving pains were all drink related after all. I was halfway to the station before I noticed that in my rush to leave, I had inadvertently put my trainers on instead of my work shoes.

When I did get to the station I was just in time to see my train leaving without me. The next one was, as luck would have it, an "Extra Sardine" service.

Thankfully everyday is not quite that bad. Such is life.

Regards
Chris
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Greenpeace Visit Nestle Tower in Croydon

2010-03-17T14:03:00.002Z

I was walking allow George Street in Croydon this lunchtime and spotted this temporary banner hung over the usual advertising hoarding.

A little further down the road, outside Croydon College I spotted two more.

Nestle have their UK Headquarters, Nestle Tower, on the Wellesley Road in Croydon. I thought I'd pop down there to see if anything was going on.

Just about the banner are two protesters wearing climbing gear and one more either side of the canopy. In front of the building there are a number of protesters dressed as monkey and of course the Police were also there to keep an eye on things. There was no trouble and everyone seemed to be having a good and friendly time while making their point.

Their point, being a valid one (in my opinion at least) is that farmers wanting to make palm oil for Nestle are causing deforestation. This practice is destroying the habits of various species, including Primates.

What give us to right to vandalise vast parts of the world so we can maintain or comfy life style here in the West? You can't say it's not my fault, because we are all guilty of apathy as these things are done in our name!

Food for thought I think.

Read More Here - greenpeace.org.uk

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Woman Blindy Follows SATNAV

2010-02-26T09:17:00.001Z

A woman from Berkshire drove her car into a 5' deep ford, because her SATNAV told her too. With all the recent rain we've had it was a recipe for disater. As you have probably allready guessed, it didn't end well. Because the car filled with water none of the cars electrics worked and she became trapped. She came very close to winning a Darwin award. For those who don't know, they are awarded to people who manage to kill themselves because of thier own stupidity. This woman was lucky and was rescued by the Fire Brigade.

Her excuse was that her SATNAV told her it was the thing to do! Mine once told me to drive down a bridleway, by I correctly identified that the SAVNAV was wrong, applied some common sense and took a more sensible route.

She told the paper that next time she'll use a map. What, the authourities have allowed her to keep her driving license?!!!

I just hope that she doesn't use to same insurance company as me. My premiums are bad enough without stupid people making it worse.

Link to Original Article

Regards
Chris
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A Word to the Wise

2010-02-22T08:23:00.000Z

I have recently rediscovered the joys of reading on the train. Often there are sections of a book that I particularly enjoy and I feel the need to share these with the world. This is the first of many installments.

My current book is "Nostradamous Ate My Hamster" by the quite brillient Robert Rankin.

A Word to the Wise

"This book contains certain passages that some readers might find deeply disturbing. Due to the questionable sanity of the authuor and the convoluted nature of the plot, it is advised that it be read at a single sitting and then hidden away on a high shelf."

Nostradamous Ate My Hamster
by Robert Rankin.

Regards
Chris
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I Got On The Radio

2010-02-10T20:31:00.001Z

I'm an avid listener of LBC, which is a London based talk radio station. Tonight they are having a live debate in front of an audience.

The question they are asking is, "Do we get the politics we deserve?"

I sent this little message in and Pertie Hoskin read it out on air!

"I suspect that we do get the politics we deserve, because only about 45% of the electorate bother to vote in elections. The whole feel of "The Westminster Muppet Show" could be very different if far more people bothered to vote !"

She even laughed at my "Westminster Mupet Show". Fame at last 8-)

Regards
Chris
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A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

2010-02-02T13:41:00.000Z

Where we live there are quite a few elderly neighbours, who we like to look out for. Our two direct neighbours who we keep a particularly close eye on. On the right there's Auntie Dott and on the left Mr Ron (think Captain Scarlet). LOL.

Auntie Dott is in her 80's and is often on the phone with requests for help. Over the years I've helped her out with many plumbing and electrical problems. Mrs P often pops round the chemist to pickup her prescriptions. She is a regular customer and often supplies us with apple pies from the ones off our tree which fall her side of the fence.

Mr Ron is a less common customer of our services, but at 92 he is a very funny and interesting chap. Oh he does love a good chat and once you've been caught, you can't escape for hours. He lives on his own now and I hate to be rude by rushing off as he doesn't see many people. I hope that when I'm his grand old age, people will have time for me.

I had a phone call from Mr Ron the other night. He had a blown nightlight that he couldn't fix and could I help? I duly popped next door to afford a quick fix, but alas, it was not to be. Although he had managed to change the bulb before I arrived but this hadn’t helped at all. The unit itself was at fault and would have to be replaced. A great time to afford an escape, but alas, this was not to be.

He kept me hanging on with several of his life stories, some of which I had heard many times before. There were some new ones though. Apparently he had worked as a manager in a munitions factory during the war. He told me how the factory was built in a sand pit in North Kent. They dug out the sand, built the factory and then replaced the sand over the top to hide it from the air. Very cleaver I thought. He went on to tell me how he was taught to dance by the Ladies on the night shift at the factory. He told me about how he played football for Millwall, Cricket for Surrey and repaired clocks and watches in his spare time. Even today he collects clocks and watches from a local charity shop. Replaces them and then takes them back. In fact, while I was there I watched him, quick as a flash open up a digital watch and change it battery. I have to say that I was mighty impressed at his speed and accuracy considering his advancing years. Even I’d struggle to keep up with his level of speed and skill.

I eventually escaped 2.5 hours after turning up to change a lamp for him. Such is life!

Regards

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Children & Sleep

2010-02-01T11:45:00.001Z

We have a newly teenage Son who at times can be the archetypal "Kevin". By which I mean he can behave like the Harry Enfield character of the
same name. He can go from ridiculous highs to massive lows in the blinking of an eye. I suppose it hormones.

The other thing I notice is his sleep patterns. Of an evening he is very reluctant to go to bed. In the mornings he won't get out of bed without the aid of high explosives.

But come the weekend it's a completely different story. At the crack of damn his up & about, generally disturbing the peace for all. A "lay in"
I hear you say, there's fat chance of that.

I suspect if I asked my Mum, she'd recognise this trait from my teenage days. It's all part of the joy of being a parent I imagine.

Regards
Chris
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London to Ashford in a flash

2010-01-26T18:11:00.001Z

Today I when from St. Panceras International station in London to Ashford in Kent on the new Javelin high speed train. It took just 38 minutes platform to platform and was very smooth & comfy indeed. That's how modern train travel should be.

It might not sound all that amazing, but believe me it is. If you compare the journey time with the regular service from Ashford to London Victoria, on a good day it saves you about an hour.

From where I live the train into London takes about an hour and it's far nearer than Ashford. Perhaps I should move to Kent!

Regards
Chris
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11 Speed Cameras per mile on A13 in East London?

2010-01-22T15:13:00.000Z

I found this article at pocketgpsworld.com. Yet more pain for the easily targeted road user.

Drivers of a 7.5-mile stretch of road in east London are bracing themselves for the installation of 84 average speed cameras. However, there is some good news for those in a hurry - when the cameras become operational next summer, the speed limit will be raised from 40mph to 50mph on a section of the route.

Situated between Canning Town and the Goresbrook interchange, the cameras will be spread out along multiple entrance and exit points of the A13.

Average speed cameras appear to be proving more acceptable to drivers than fixed speed cameras, but they still have their detractors. Speed camera zones that are introduced with a higher speed limit should go some way to bring many round.

It will be interesting to discover just how much of the A13 route's speed limit will in fact be increased. It will also be interesting how motorists gauge their average speed over two speed limits. Will there be zones within zones? Will more accidents be caused by speedo gazing?

Original article

Regards
Chris
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AAARRGGHH!!!! I Hate Salesmen!!

2010-01-20T07:30:00.000Z

Last night I had a phone call from a national home improvement company who did some work for us a few years ago. They regularly ring up trying to sell us something or other. Usually I'd just make a polite excuse and hangup. Yesterday however they caught me off guard with an "Existing Customer" discount. I was assured that the man, who was "currently in the area", would not be a salesman. That was my big mistake.

He arrived half an hour late, having driven 60 miles from 2 counties away, just before we were going to sit down for dinner. Mmm, not working round the corner then! I showed him what we wanted (new guttering & facias), so he could workout his price while we ate. I even told him the measurements. He sat there and waited instead.

After dinner he showed me sample, told me how good their finance deal was and even showed me a DVD of how the work is done. All very nice, but HOW MUCH?

"Just need to measure up" said he.

Then he kindly explained that he needed to call his boss to find out what my banding would be. I think he waited on the phone 15 mins. And the price? That'll be £5945. For 15 metres of gutting! You have got to be joking!

That's where the "Existing Customer" discount comes in. I'll give you a discount for this, that and the other. That brings the cost down to £3900. I informed him that that was also far too much and I never sign on the day as I wish to get other quotes first.

"I need to let my boss know that you won't sign and he can put your discount back in the pot for others to use". Whatever, said I. "I'll packup your gear while you do that then!".

His call went along the lines of , "Oh. I see. That's interesting. Really?". I half expected to be asked to speak to his boss. Fortunatly I wasn't. He hung up, scribbled something on his pad and told me that they had had "a poor night" and could offer me a one off, never to be repeated price of £2600. It was a bargain, apparently!

By this time he'd been with us for 2 hours to do something that would have taken a builder about 10 minutes. In fact, after I'd showed him the door, I made a call to a builder I know who, made a few calculations and said it should be under about £2000. That took him about 5 minutes. I should have called him first.

When will I learn not to let these people over my door step?

Regards
Chris
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Free music for your iPhone

2010-01-19T21:57:00.000Z

Although I must admit to not being a big fan of iTunes, I have discovered one redeeming feature. Pod Casts.

For those of you who are not familar with Pod Cast, they are audio download that are provided by various publishers. They can be on virtually any subjects from news to technical talks. But my particular favourites are the music mixes from Internet radio stations. I typed "Trance" into the search bar and WHOOSH!!!!

My iPhone is now full of fresh new tunes, of my favourite flavour, which course is free. 8-)

Regards
Chris
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I kan't speel and neighther kan me iPhone

2010-01-15T18:15:00.001Z

When blogging from my PC I always use a spell checker and get Mrs P to proof read my posts before inflecting them upon the world. Now I blog with my iPhone, often on the train, I've noticed how bad my spelling really is. My sexy little mobile device makes a good attempt at guess the words, but it just can't correct them all. Such is life I suppose. I'll just have to learn to spell or download a dictionary app.

Regards
Chris
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Is It Art?

2010-01-15T08:57:00.002Z

These rather curious looking things are the hand basins at work. I was rather taken by their curious design. They do the job for which they were intended perfectly well, but do rather remind me of urinals or animal drinking troughs.

What do you think?

Regards
Chris
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I've Made The Paper 8-)

2010-01-14T00:00:00.005Z

Last Wednesday I couldn't get to work due to the snow, so I met my Wife from work and spotted the Police fencing off the front of M&S in Queensway Crawley Town Centre. On closer inspection it appeared that a few of the coping stones on the roof had fallen off.

When I got home I emailed the photo and details to a local paper. This week they published this photo and here's the article.

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More Lovely Snow

2010-01-13T08:04:00.001Z

Just when I thought last weeks snow was showing signs of melting away, it snows some more. This when I'd just got used the walking on all that ice which still covers the pavements.

It wasn't too bad really as we only had about half an inch here in West Sussex. I hear it was far worse to the west of London.

Unlike last time it appears that few schools or trains are affected.

Fingers crossed that Juniors school bus arrives this morning. Yesterday it went AWOL, causing huge problems.

Enjoy the snow peeps 8-)

UPDATE

I spoke to soon. Juniors school is now not opening today. Another difficult day all round 8-(

I got to Croydon without drama and my colleagues managed to travel far further. What is it with teachers?

Did you know that the teachers get paid if they can't get in. The school kicthen staff don't and neither do Mrs P & I. Maybe that's the problem!!

Regards
Chris
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Three Reported Missing After Animal Rights Activists Take "War on Leather" to Motorcycle Gang Rally.

2010-01-12T18:51:00.003Z

I saw this news article in an email from Motorcycle News. It's a hoax, but I'm surprised that it hasn't yet happened in this mad world of ours. It's simply brillient 8-)

The full story is here,

Regards
Chris
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BlogPress for iPhone

2010-01-10T23:35:00.001Z

I've spent the last week testing out various blogging apps on my iPhone. The one I've settled on is BlogPress.

I tried the free version "BlogPress Lite" which ticked all the boxes. It allows you to post blogs which contain photos direct from your iPhone, while also storing them to your Picasa account. I did need to set up a Picasa account, but because I was already a google user this was very easy. The free version will only work with Blogger & Blogspot blogs, but the paid one works with far more.

The feature that made me upgrade to the paid version is that it automatically posts a Twitter Tweet linking to my blog post. At last I've found a use for Twitter 8-)

Regards
Chris
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A Garden Visitor

2010-01-09T11:32:00.002Z

I'm sure you'll all be glad to know that we didn't waste our time while snowed in on Wednesday 8-)

I must admit that my head is now a little cold as he's wearing my hat. But there really is no need for sympathy as I have a spare.

Regards
Chris
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Posted from my iPhone

Have we turned soft down south?

2010-01-08T10:50:00.001Z

On Tuesday evening it started to snow. By 6:30 Wednesday morning it was 4" deep and 2 hours later, 6" deep. This raised several questions for us at home.

1 - Would my son's school be open?

2 - Would I get a train to work?

3 - Who would look after Junior if his school was closed?

The first question was answered quite quickly by the local radio station. Question 2 looking like a definate no, which made the 3rd one easy to. It would be yours truly and Mrs P could walk to work. That wasn't a popular decision apparently, but a practical one none the less.

By Wednesday evening it was clear that Juniors school would be closed again on Thursday. This time Mrs P was to stay at home & I would try the train. To my surprise I had very little trouble getting to work and I even got a seat!!

Today (Friday) the school was still closed. Unable to get any child care, we decided to both go to work and trust Junior to stay at home on his own. After all he is now 13, he had everyone's phone numbers to hand and it was only for 4 hours. It all went very well and when I phoned him, he was sick of people checking up on him.

All this brings me to my main point.

Q- Are we so soft now that the powers that be won't let our little darlings into school because it's a bit slippery and they might fall over?

Q- Or are the schools worried that they'll get sued if one of their charges takes a tumble?

What kind of example is this setting for our youngsters? At this rate they'll grow up thinking it's ok to stay off work because it's a little nippy out!

Regards
Chris
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Posted from my iPhone

London Fox in the Snow

2010-01-06T14:29:00.003Z

I found this quite amazing photo on the LBC Website. I wish I'd taken it, but sadly not.

From the LBC Website

Our friends at Bread and Shutter Photography sent us this magnificent photo of a fox in the London snow.

Uploaded on 6 Jan 10

Regards
Chris
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Sent from my iPhone

New Year, New Job

2010-01-04T08:46:00.001Z

After a somewhat turbulent 2009, I am now looking forward to 2010 with renewed hope. The main reason for this positive outlook is that today I start a new job, having been made redundant from my old one in December.

That was a first for me, which makes me lucky I suppose. There are many others who are nowhere near as lucky. In fact I had secured a new position before I had even left.

Anyway, I'm now waffling.

Happy New Year to all in the blogging world.

Regards
Chris

Have I Sold Out?

2009-12-12T15:05:00.001Z

As a geeky lover on technology, I do love a good gadget. There are people who are obsessed with all things Apple, but I wasn't one of them. Until now that is.

I was recently working with quite a few of these obsesive types and some of it seems to have rubbed off. On Wednesday, after much careful consideration, I bought myself an iPhone 3GS. It wasn't cheap, but I'm extremely impressed and haven't put it down since. In fact I'm writing this blog on it now.

How sad and I? LOL

Regards
Chris
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Sent from my iPhone

For Geeks Of A Certain Age

2009-10-01T19:25:00.001+01:00

I stumbled on this on Youtube and I had to share it. lol.

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The Camden Triangle

2009-07-01T19:00:00.002+01:00

A colleague and I are currently working night shift on an LUL Signalling project in London. We must have really annoyed some one in the company, as we are on permanent nights for the whole of the summer. In fact we haven’t been to our Croydon Office since February this year. Although we haven’t actually been anywhere near Coventry, we both feel as if that’s where we’ve been sent. However, in the current economic climate at least we can say we still have our jobs where many thousands of others don’t. Of that I’m very grateful indeed.

One thing that we have noticed while in London is that my colleagues TomTom Go700 SatNav keeps drawing us into the one way systems round Camden and refuses to let us out again. The SatNav constantly tries to send us the wrong way down one-way streets, making it very difficult to get out of the area. On our first visit we managed to drive round Mornington Crescent tube station at least five times!!!!

I can only assume that the road directions in Camden have been changed since he last updated his maps about two years ago. We have since avoided the area at all costs.

The moral of this story is –

Don’t forget to regularly update your SatNav’s mapping information.

You have been warned.

Regards

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We're On A Road To Nowhere

2009-05-04T15:17:00.005+01:00

After months of not being able to ride my bike due to lack of time, work commitments and financial constraints, I’ve finally got my beloved CBF1000 back on the road. In fact since November 2008 I’ve gone from being an everyday hairy arsed biker type covering 12,000 miles a year to a virtual non-rider. In that period from November to May I think I’ve ridden no more than 200 miles.

However, just before Easter I had my bike serviced and hoped to get out that weekend. The trouble was that the service showed up a rear brake problem. The pads where right on the limit and needed changing immediately, but unfortuantly I was unable to get replacements in time. I finally managed to hunt down the required pads last Friday and I fitted them on Saturday.

On Sunday morning, Pablos and I set off at last for our much anticipated trip. The plan was to ride to Bury Hill, hoping to meet up with like minded members of the World famous Bury Hill Bikers. We had travelled about 8 miles from my place, when Pablos pulled into a layby. One of his rear indicators had stopped working, so we set about fixing it at the road side. It didn’t take too long to cure, but that’s when the real fun started.

His bike failed to start and refused all attempts to persuade it into life. Even the usual push start wasn’t working this time around. We spent the next hour and a half sitting at the side of the road watching the world go by, until his Wife arrived by car with jump leads and more tools.

It took under a minute to get his bike fired up and there was just enough time left for a quick dash to his place for tea before I made the short journey home.

It wasn’t how either of us had intended to spend our Sunday morning and I felt really bad for him as he was probably blaming himself for messing up the ride. I tried my best to put him at ease and after all, we did get out and have a laugh. Missing out on our now customary “Bikers Breakfast” probably won’t do us any harm either.

Next time I’ll make sure he’s packed jump leads before we set off 8-)

Regards

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Women Pays £50 to Call Off Contract on Husband

2009-02-13T11:08:00.006Z

A Turkish Cypriot Woman from Tottenham North London was depressed and fed-up with her Husband, she decided to have an affair. While chatting to a fellow Mum at her child's school, the other women suggested that she have her husband murdered. The disgruntled Wife though it was a good idea and arranged to pay the other woman and her friend £800 to carryout the deadly deed.

The following day, the Wife was feeling a bit guilty and decided to tell her husband about her affair and the contract she took took out on him. I get the impression that he was a little miffed about it and asked his Wife to cancel the contract, which she duly did. The really funny part is that her friend demanded a cancellation fee of £50.

The woman was given an a 10 month sentence suspended for 2 years, but her friend and the hired murderer got off Scott free. They claimed that they never intended to carryout the murder and were "Just testing her resolve". Fleecing a very stupid women more like!!!!

If there is anyone reading this who is in a similar situation, may I suggest divorce as any less risky alternative.

Original Article from BBC News - Life lessons for death plot wife

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Proof That It Does Snow in Sussex

2009-02-02T14:35:00.005Z

Yesterday it started snowing here and it has continued since then. This morning the Schools are closed, the roads are blocked and the Railway is at a stand still. No chance of getting to work today. Therefore I have used my time productively and completed something I have wanted to do for the passed 12 years.

I’ve finally built my Son a Snowman 8-)

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Are We To Become a Communist State?

2009-01-19T18:36:00.005Z

Over the last few months the British Government have spent insane amounts of money trying to bail out the banking system here. Only today the "Westminster Muppet Show" have decided to cover the losses of the Royal Bank of Scotland to the tune of £20bn. I have no idea how many zeros that is.

This means that the "WMS" now owns about 70% of the RBoS. This includes mortgages, loans, credit card debit, the lot. As we all know, this situation is repeated at many more of our banks. Therefore, this means that the Government now owns much of the countries assets.

Communism anyone?

Regards

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Saxophone - Brass or Woodwind?

2009-01-04T11:08:00.004Z

My Son today asked me to describe Jazz Music. Not being an expert or fan of Jazz, I described it as music predominantly comprising of piano and brass instruments.

This got me thinking about whether a Saxophone was a brass or woodwind instrument. My logic told me that despite being made of brass, it uses a reed to produce the sound. Therefore it must be woodwind. My wife disagreed (as wives often do) saying that it's a brass instrument.

The solution was to ask that fountain of all knowledge - Wikipedia. This is what it said,

The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical-bored transposing musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax in 1841, and patented in 1846 in two groups of seven instruments each. Each series consisted of instruments of various sizes in alternating transposition. The series pitched in B♭ and E♭, designed for military bands, has proved extremely popular and most saxophones encountered today are from this series. A few saxophones remain from the less popular orchestral series pitched in C and F.

This just goes to prove just how good my logic is. Either that or my mind is full of useless information. I know which my Wife thinks!

Wikipedia Link - Saxophone

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Welcome to 2009

2009-01-04T10:26:00.003Z

Where did 2008 go? A quick "WHOOSH" and it was gone before I knew it!

It was an rather turbulent year for me. I start the New Year with renewed confidence in my heart and I'm determined not to let life get the better of me anymore.

All I have to do now is get my finger out and embrace the coming year with renew vigour.

Time will tell if I manage it 8-)

However, something never change and my spelling remain as awful as ever. Thank goodness for spell checkers!

Regards

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Man's arm trapped in train toilet

2008-10-27T18:33:00.004Z

According to the BBC News Website, a Frenchman managed to get his hand stuck fast in the toilet bowl of a TGV train yesterday.

Apparently this unfortunate traveller dropped his mobile phone into the train on board loo. When he put his hand in to retrieve it, his arm was sucked all the way in.

A train toilet is not somewhere I'd fancy fishing about in. I was on a First Great Western service from Chippenham to London Paddington last week and I know just how foul train toilets can be. You couldn't pay me enough to stick my digits down one of those!!!!

Full Story - Man's arm trapped in train toilet

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The Credit Crunch

2008-10-17T00:55:00.001+01:00

Are you feeling it yet? This bloke certainly is !

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Getting Laid Before Christmas?

2008-09-16T19:24:00.000+01:00

As some of you my know (assuming anyone actually reads the rubbish I write) I commute to work each day on my bike. It’s a fun experience, scything through all that jammed up rush hour and school run traffic. I’ve always enjoyed the way that I rarely get stuck, laughing at the frustrated drivers as I wiz passed them in their nearly stationary boxes. It’s true that in times of bad weather and the cold, dark winter it can be a little less fun. But it always makes me feel like an intrepid explorer trekking into the urban wilderness. That and I always carry a spare pair of socks in case the weather decides to climb inside my boots, as it often does.

When I arrive at the office in Croydon, I park my bike next to all the others under a very handy canopy near the entrance. There she keeps dry for the most part, which (hopefully) means she will last longer than if she were fully exposed to the elements.

Since Monday of last week however, we have been asked not to park there due to the car park being resurfaced. For this purpose, three car parking bays were allocated. This worked fine for the first three days, but on the Thursday morning two of the bays had cars in them when I arrived. One of the regular bikers had parked in another bay so I decided to join him there. It was about this time that the car park resurfacing contractors were starting the process of planeing the surface of the tarmac off by where we usually park our bikes. The building manager was in the car park, so I asked him where I should park my bike. He said that using the parking bays was only a temporary measure for the first three days and that I should now park under the canopy as before. The problem was that while I was chatting with him, the contractors had fenced of the canopy area, which would have made access difficult what out the use of some very advanced shunt riding. The building manager looked more than a little confused & stressed about the whole car park situation, so I decided to leave my bike in the bay.

The workman appeared to make very good progress with their surface removal during Thursday. At their disposal they had a very impressive array of machinery. A large planer, which ground the surface off and deposited it into a large tipper truck and two more trucks waiting in the wings. They also had a JCB style digger, a “One Man” surface grinder and a large road sweeper lorry. There was an awful lot of activity, some of which the Heath & Safety Executive would have had a fit about!

Friday was a completely different day. After Thursdays hive of activity and impressive amounts of industrial plant & machinery, Friday was a total contrast. They were reduced to the “One Man” surface grinder, two shovels and a wheel barrow. I kid you not, it was like watching a “Laurel & Hardy” silent movie. It was taking them absolutely ages to get anything done and by 2:30pm they’d packed up and gone home for the weekend. If they were to continue at that pace for the remainder of the car park, they’ll be at it until next March.

Monday was a better day. Tarmac was delivered by very large lorry and spread quite thickly and evenly over about half of the area that they had prepared. On Tuesday morning when I arrived, I was surprised to see them attaching the freshly laid tarmac with a pneumatic drill. I can only assume that they were creating a straight line from which to start afresh today. Either that or Fridays “Laurel & Hardy” team have returned for our entertainment!

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Being Handy Can Be A Curse

2008-09-13T00:52:00.003+01:00

I live in a row of 5 terrace houses. Most of my neighbours fall firmly within the category of Senior Citizens. I like to keep an eye out for them. There is one old lady in particular who has no family living locally and I keep a particular eye on her. I’ve often helped her out with little jobs around the house and we keep a key for her, just in case she needs us in an emergency. Here I shall call her “Aunty D”.

Over the years I’ve fixed her plumbing, change light bulbs and the like. Earlier this year her freezer broke down, so we offered her space in ours until she got it sorted out. I don’t mind helping her out as I realise that it would cost her a fortune to call trades people out to fix items I could do in a jiffy.

There are also two quite elderly Gents who are quite good friends. They have both lost their wives within the last 2 years. The first, our direct neighbour, is 92 years old and still just about gets about on his own. He generally keeps himself to himself and is quite up beat and comical. But if he catches you, you’ll be stuck chatting for hours. I’ll call him “Uncle R”. The other old duffer, in his mid 80’s appears quite frail, but still drives. He has been known to be quite a miserable old bugger and we rarely chat. Him I’ll call “Miserygutts” for artistic purposes.

This afternoon we had a particularly heavy down pour. When I say particularly heavy, think flash floods. I know this because I got caught in it on my bike. It was like riding down a river while someone threw stones at me. This rain was accompanied by a very short lived thunder storm. One flash/bang and it was all over. However, that one lightening bolt obviously hit something of importance as the power momentarily blipped. It scared the willies out of Junior who was using my PC at the time. Fortunately there was no permanent damage and it quickly rebooted itself.

About 10 minutes later there was a knock at the door. It’s was Uncle R. Apparently Miserygutts had phoned him to say he had no power and could I pop round to take a look. The lightening strike had obviously tripped out his main RCD and it was simply a case of resetting it for him. He flicked a light switch in his hall and announced that it wasn’t working, but from where I was standing I could see that the landing light was on. I told him this, but he couldn’t hear me. So I quickly located the hall switch, which surprised him. What worried me was that he was unable to find a light switch in his own house. This from a man who holds a driving licence and regularly drives.

Note To Self:- Stay off the road when Misergutts gets his car out of the garage!!!!

Problem sorted, off home I went. When I got there Auntie D was ringing our doorbell. The lightening bolt has upset her phone, so I popped round to reset it for her. It’s not the first time her phone has done that either. I think it’s probably on it’s last legs.

This time I managed to get as far as my kitchen before the now familiar “tap, tap, tap” of Uncle R on the front door could be heard once more. Miserygutts had no power again. So off to the rescue yet again was I. Again, the RCD had tripped which made me think that there could be another fault to find. RCDs are design to trip when there is a fault between either Live or Neutral and Earth is detected. They are very sensitive for a good reason and only require a very small fault current to trip out. This is typically in the realms of mA’s. It is usually the sign of a direct short or a heating element in which the insulation is just beginning to break down. He had put his kettle on since I was last there so I made a beeline for his kitchen. When switch on, the kettle was making a rather worrying fizzing sound. I quickly turned it of and discovered that he had managed to get the socket where the main cable plugs in, very wet. I dried it off and normal safe service was resumed.

Thankfully that was at about 5:45pm this evening and so far I haven’t heard a peep out of any of them.

To be honest I don’t mind helping out where I can. After all these people are on their own and don’t get to speak to many people during the day. My time costs nothing and mostly I’m glad to help out. One day I’ll be old too.

Sometimes it doesn’t pay to be too helpful, but at least I’ll go to heaven when my time comes. Lol.

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