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Friday 20 January 2017

Cold and busy

That is, respectively, the weather (cold) and work (busy).  Really getting stuck in to my two main threads of work, and likely that one is going to encroach on the other from time to time.  Keeping both humming along correctly is probably why I am paid the big bucks - if it was easy, anyone could do it.

So what has happened of note this week.  Probably nothing really.  The wider world is full of Trump and May, the new power-brokers of world politics.  With the desire to avoid politics as much as possible, I think it is fair, and balanced, to say that we are in for some changes over the next few years.  Some of it maybe I will support, some of it I will not.

We have a wine tasting evening tonight.  It is at a local independant wine merchants, and I will be falling off my Dry January waggon for just tonight, since it seems to me to be a great waste to even consider spitting the wine out.  I suspect, having not had a drink for twenty days now, it will go straight to my head.  Should make for an interesting evening.

Otherwise, we have the usual Maggot sporting endeavours,  Maggot 1 off to be assistant tennis coach and Maggot 2 to play more football.  He has practice on both Tuesday and Wednesday in the week now, so his fitness should be improving, shaking off the lazy Christmas break, which itself was preceeded by a week or so of illness.

Otherwise, not much else on, which is just how I want it for this weekend.

I hope you all have a great weekend, and speak next week.

Friday 13 January 2017

Things are hotting up

This week work has really started to pick up.  I have travelled (three hour round trip) three times this week, and a number of my deals are actually going somewhere.  In fact, I have even had to attend one of those "I cannot do all this" calls with various interested parties.  This makes a difference from just before Christmas, and while my "get a lot of stuff done" muscles need a little working, it is good to be busy, and I now just need to ensure that I am also effective.

Our home life is extra busy as a result.  This is OK, but it does mean that certain things are not getting done.  Nothing life-threatening, but things like not putting out the rubbish last week, which was extra full from Christmas.  Luckily, my parents, who did visit the UK over Christmas, had an empty bin, so it was a simple case of transferring the bags from our bin to theirs.  Of course, when I say "simple", I mean messy and smelly and just a little bit squidgy, however the deed is done, the bin is empty (enough) and equilibrium has been re-established.

My dry January is continuing without any risk of failure, though we are at a party this Saturday.  My intention is to drive and not drink, and that combination should be enough to ensure I succeed.  I will probably drink G&T without the G, which should get me through the evening.  It will be an interesting experience being the only sober person in the room.

On the home front, we have a football fiesta this weekend; the usual Maggot 2 practice Saturday and game Sunday, plus us three lads are off to the (soon to be) mighty Fratton Park for another dose of first class* football.  Hopefully it will be third time lucky, and we win this game.  It is going to be between four and six degrees, so we will be wrapping up warm, and my long johns may also get an airing, but don't tell anyone.

On that note, I would like to wish you a great weekend, and speak next week.


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* ahem, FIRST class???

Friday 6 January 2017

Well, that was fun

I am back at work, and the last few weeks are already feeling like a slightly hazy dream.  Having said that, we did have a lot of fun, the Maggots really enjoyed the time off, and while we did a lot of events, we also had a couple of days to do nothing, collectively.  This is an exercise that, on reflection, is very much more enjoying on reflection, than when actually in the doing.  What I mean to say is that it just felt like another day when we were doing it, but looking back it was wonderful to get up when we wanted, have a massive brunch, then watch a film, taking in a bit of remixing, or just dozing, if the feeling took us.  Lovely.

Oh well, no point griping, we have to pay for it all now, both financially and health-wise.  I am doing another dry January, though will probably pause it half way through since we are invited to a wine tasting evening, and while I really enjoy the learning part of the event, it would be churlish of me not to mention that I am also not averse to the tasting part either.

We are also on diets, though this is as much about eating healthier, though as part of that also to eat less, both volume and calaries.

So, by the end of the month I should be practically perfect in every way.  I even have a new smile, courtesy of a chain of events that started with a Christmas toffee, and ended with a trip to the dentist to replace a filling that was "painted" on one of my front incisers to replace some bad discolouration.  This is actually either the second or third time the filling has been replaced, so I suspect that this new one will eventually fall off, but for now, I am beautiful* again, and my teeth are, if anything, straighter than ever**.

That is enough for now.  I hope you all had a great break, and are back in the saddle, ready to either:

  • find a new job
  • carry on being retired
  • keep on keeping on.

Have a great weekend, and speak next week.

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* notwithstanding the raw materials at my disposal
** lest this give the wrong impression, they are not very straight, for reasons unknown, though probably due to braces not being invented when I were a lad