A word with several meanings. The meaning of mine are NNN's half year (aka H1) results broadcast. They are good. As with all these, there is a bit of "good here, could do better there" about it, but definitely upbeat and a promising start for the new organisation.
We also had a result at the weekend for Maggot 2, whose 6-a-side team won the Under 10 Felpham cup. We even played Felpham in the final. It was a well-fought victory, and while there were moments where we were lucky, and moments where the other team was lucky, we did make some of our own luck, and the ball seemed to mostly bounce in our favour. A great victory, and hopefully we can extend that, now we have the winning feeling, to the remaining three tournaments.
Of these three, Maggot 2 has had to volunteer to drop out of the first, since we can only take eight boys, and nine put their names forward. This took much discussion with Maggot 2, to which I could easily relate, mostly revolving around the idea of "why do I have to miss it, when everyone else will be playing, all my friends". This was interrupted by a text from our coach saying that T had volunteered to drop out of the first, which is our own tournament. Immediately, Maggot 2's decision changed and HE wanted to dip out of that same tournament, mostly I think because he could see that if T can do it, then so can he. A quick call to the manager hopefully sorted it.
This does make life easier in that we are due to Brad's birthday celebrations on that day, so do not now need to arrive late. We will have a match Sunday, but that is easier to manage.
Otherwise, I am really getting back in to this working thing, getting some deals moving, and generally trying to generate my own workload. I know, I am one-hundred percent sure, that it will get busy, sometimes very busy, but right now it feels a bit strange that I am not daily chasing forty open deals.
We are away this weekend, with Brad and Angelina, and associated Maggots, at our favourite campsite, Riverside Lakes. Having just checked that link, I have to say it does look a bit hippyish, but what it really is is a very relaxed site, with restricted pitches so it never feels anything near to busy, that allows open fires, has masses of land, water, grass and woods for the Maggots to explore, plus a couple of fishing lakes, for Brad and yours truly. I have had to read up on bream tactics, since that seems to be the fish I catch most there. The lake does have carp and silver fish also, however about five years ago the stocks were somewhat decimated by otters. It has recovered a bit, but it is fair to say that it is not a bountiful fishing experience, but it is there, it is free, and it is good enough. Hopefully we can get a bit in on the first night, and my natural early waking means I will also get a few hours done first thing, before the rest of the clan are awake. I cannot wait.
Also, this will be the first outing, with us at least, for Brad and Angelina's new (to them) campervan. They have been threatening to buy one for a couple of years, but what they want is not so easy to find. As Brad explained, there are broadly two types of seller conversations; the first ends with the line "...if you can meet me at the services on the M4 with the cash...", and the other start with the line "sorry, it is already sold."
The one they finally found really was fate. Brad arrived early at the dealership, gave his requirements, to which the salesman said "you are standing right next to it, and I must tell you that I have sold this van twice already." The original buyers had the same surname as Brad - fate writ large - who had it for many happy years before part-exchanging it with the same dealer for a newer model. The next couple bought it and sold it back again within a couple of years, since they did not get on with it. And then Brad appeared, stage left, camera tracking his walk towards the van, to buy it. We are all very excited here to see their new purchase, and I am sure they are even more excited to use it in anger for the first time, at our most favourite site.
It may be this is my weekly blog, so have a great weekend when it comes, and speak next week.
Wednesday, 1 June 2016
Time off
The story this week has really been about time off. We had a Bank Holiday Monday, which coincided with the first day of half term for the rest of the Scobi clan, and I personally have Thursday and Friday off this week, meaning I have a two day week this week. Still two days more than GF, but a welcome thing nonetheless.
On a work front, that is fine, since I am basically between deals, and I am still getting used to the deal cycle, since my previous role was about large quantities of everything, so the business was about volumes, and rare dipped. Being somewhere near the top of my game definitely helped with that I am sure. With my new role, similar I think to Bad Man (and Golfy come to think of it), the deals are larger and longer, and will be, once I am in the swing, a cyclic thing with moments of hard work and intensity, leading up to submission, and moments of slack, in-between deals.
The fact that my deals are also a little slow means that I am not busy enough. This will change I know.
During the long weekend, we had some sport; a football tournament for Maggot 2 on Saturday, where we did quite well, but faded in the knockout stage, and were definitely hampered by the lack of a goalie. I now realise this could shape the whole of next season if not solved. See next comment for possible news on this.
On Sunday, Maggot 1 was playing a cricket match at a local, well-to-do village. The scene was idyllic, the match well played by both sides, and the weather was balmy. We lost, but only just, and having put up a pretty good batting performance, something that has been lacking in previous games. It was a very pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.
At this match, a young lad approached Maggot 2 asking if he played for the Trojans and if he know the coaches. Maggot 2 is never one to be overly effusive to anyone he has not known for at least a year, so did not say too much, but I picked up the mantle and managed to discover that this lad was, let's call him Charlie, and someone Maggot 1 had mentioned a while back as "joining your team" but who, when I enquired, no-one on our side knew about. It transpires that one of our less frequently used coaches DID know about him, and was meant to be passing on his details, but has yet to do so. I was therefore asked to make contact.
Making contact was to be done by asking Maggot 1 to send a message (on social media) to his mate, who is the older brother of Charlie. Having been informed during many a high-volume discussion that all his mates are allowed on their phones whenever they want, and he hates us, Maggot 1 did throw in that this particular mate was not allowed on his phone much. It took two days for him to acknowledge Maggot 1's message, and goodness knows how long to actually get Charlie's parents to ring me so we can arrange for Charlie to come to a practice. Note to self not to ever rely on a teenager for any kind of urgent communications. And I thought this social media thing made everything instant.
Anyhow, when I was chatting with Charlie, I asked him if he knew a keeper, to be told that "Alan" was also looking to join and he was a good keeper, so once I have made the first contact, I then need to try and make a second one with Alan to see if we cannot bag ourselves a keeper. Now that really would be a result.
It is fair to say that the Premiership has nothing on local U11 football.
On our time off, we are off the Windsor for two days and one night, staying in an ubiquitous Travelodge hotel. We plan to see the castle, maybe Eton if we can get there, and generally see the sites. It will be fun and we are all looking for it.
Before I sign off, just wanted to give an update on the floor. It is two thirds done, with the utility and study area done last week, and the front half of the main room now also done. The trickiest bit, around the cooking and eating area, was cleaned last night, and has been left for the required twenty-four hours to dry out. I plan to seal it today, first coat at lunch and the other two either side of football practice tonight. We have opted for a gloss finish, as I may have said before, it is not particularly in favour at this time judging by the low stock levels at our supplier, but for us it is just what we wanted. Having moved from satin back to gloss for our woodwork (part of this work started with a redecoration of the utility area, with the walls freshened up with a new coat of emulsion, and the doors all now glossed) it was the natural next step to do the floor also. It is lovely, better than we hoped, and not surprisingly it really does bring out the colours in the slate, as well as making the rooms feel brighter.
On that note, I wish you a happy rest of the week and weekend. Speak again next week.
On a work front, that is fine, since I am basically between deals, and I am still getting used to the deal cycle, since my previous role was about large quantities of everything, so the business was about volumes, and rare dipped. Being somewhere near the top of my game definitely helped with that I am sure. With my new role, similar I think to Bad Man (and Golfy come to think of it), the deals are larger and longer, and will be, once I am in the swing, a cyclic thing with moments of hard work and intensity, leading up to submission, and moments of slack, in-between deals.
The fact that my deals are also a little slow means that I am not busy enough. This will change I know.
During the long weekend, we had some sport; a football tournament for Maggot 2 on Saturday, where we did quite well, but faded in the knockout stage, and were definitely hampered by the lack of a goalie. I now realise this could shape the whole of next season if not solved. See next comment for possible news on this.
On Sunday, Maggot 1 was playing a cricket match at a local, well-to-do village. The scene was idyllic, the match well played by both sides, and the weather was balmy. We lost, but only just, and having put up a pretty good batting performance, something that has been lacking in previous games. It was a very pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.
At this match, a young lad approached Maggot 2 asking if he played for the Trojans and if he know the coaches. Maggot 2 is never one to be overly effusive to anyone he has not known for at least a year, so did not say too much, but I picked up the mantle and managed to discover that this lad was, let's call him Charlie, and someone Maggot 1 had mentioned a while back as "joining your team" but who, when I enquired, no-one on our side knew about. It transpires that one of our less frequently used coaches DID know about him, and was meant to be passing on his details, but has yet to do so. I was therefore asked to make contact.
Making contact was to be done by asking Maggot 1 to send a message (on social media) to his mate, who is the older brother of Charlie. Having been informed during many a high-volume discussion that all his mates are allowed on their phones whenever they want, and he hates us, Maggot 1 did throw in that this particular mate was not allowed on his phone much. It took two days for him to acknowledge Maggot 1's message, and goodness knows how long to actually get Charlie's parents to ring me so we can arrange for Charlie to come to a practice. Note to self not to ever rely on a teenager for any kind of urgent communications. And I thought this social media thing made everything instant.
Anyhow, when I was chatting with Charlie, I asked him if he knew a keeper, to be told that "Alan" was also looking to join and he was a good keeper, so once I have made the first contact, I then need to try and make a second one with Alan to see if we cannot bag ourselves a keeper. Now that really would be a result.
It is fair to say that the Premiership has nothing on local U11 football.
On our time off, we are off the Windsor for two days and one night, staying in an ubiquitous Travelodge hotel. We plan to see the castle, maybe Eton if we can get there, and generally see the sites. It will be fun and we are all looking for it.
Before I sign off, just wanted to give an update on the floor. It is two thirds done, with the utility and study area done last week, and the front half of the main room now also done. The trickiest bit, around the cooking and eating area, was cleaned last night, and has been left for the required twenty-four hours to dry out. I plan to seal it today, first coat at lunch and the other two either side of football practice tonight. We have opted for a gloss finish, as I may have said before, it is not particularly in favour at this time judging by the low stock levels at our supplier, but for us it is just what we wanted. Having moved from satin back to gloss for our woodwork (part of this work started with a redecoration of the utility area, with the walls freshened up with a new coat of emulsion, and the doors all now glossed) it was the natural next step to do the floor also. It is lovely, better than we hoped, and not surprisingly it really does bring out the colours in the slate, as well as making the rooms feel brighter.
On that note, I wish you a happy rest of the week and weekend. Speak again next week.
Friday, 27 May 2016
DIY
When we had our new extension done, about three years ago now, it included a slate floor. This was, and is, beautiful, and we really love it. The Maggots complain that it is not as soft as Nanny's carpet, but that's the kids of today for you, way too soft and don't know they're born.
One of the "features" of real stone flooring is that, from time to time, you need to re-seal it. That time appears to be now.
The art of re-sealing can be learnt on the internet, since it is not particularly complicated. You need the right treatments, and the right tools, of course, but mostly you just need to apply some back-breaking elbow grease*.
Step one is to fully and thoroughly clean it. For this, I am using LTP Grimex. This is a strong-smelling ammonia-based fluid, that you dilute down (the dirtier the floor, the more concentrated the mix) and apply with a scrubbing pad, leave for five minutes or so, agitate once more, then mop it off, before then using a wet 'n' dry hoover jobbie, ours is called George, to fully remove all trace of the Grimex.
You then leave it to dry for at least half a day, before you apply the sealer, which is step two.
This time we are going for a gloss finish, which is not the finish of choice for the majority, if the stocking level of our local supplier are any sign. This gloss finish looks like diluted milk** that you sponge on, remove any excess bits so that you have applied a nice, even and thin layer of the sealant, and then you wait for about an hour before repeating the operation, for a total of three layers.
You can buy long handles with velcro pads on the bottom, to which you can attach the large brillo-like pads, but that seemed awfully expensive, and I was a bit concerned that being that far from the floor, you would not see what you had missed. And so it is that I have done all this on my knees. My back has been better, but no pain no gain, so onward and upward.
I am splitting the floor in to sections, and was up at 4.30am today to finish the study, utility and downstairs toilet area. This is now done and looking fantastic.
Next phase is more tricky, since it is the main kitchen and living area. We have David and Samantha over Saturday evening so I will leave things until Sunday at the earliest, but whatever I do, and whenever I do it, there will be inconvenience for the family. I suspect this will mean doing it is a number of sections, so that the not-being-done sections can be used to store the table and sofa, and to give the Maggots and other wild beasts space to roam freely.
We also have a weekend of sport. Tomorrow we have a football tournament, and on Sunday a cricket match. The weather is looking fair to middling, so hopefully it will be as fun to watch as it is to play.
I hope you have a great weekend, speak next week.
========================================
* Never has a metaphor been more mangled
** Some people call this skimmed milk (and that is from a skimmed milk lover)
One of the "features" of real stone flooring is that, from time to time, you need to re-seal it. That time appears to be now.
The art of re-sealing can be learnt on the internet, since it is not particularly complicated. You need the right treatments, and the right tools, of course, but mostly you just need to apply some back-breaking elbow grease*.
Step one is to fully and thoroughly clean it. For this, I am using LTP Grimex. This is a strong-smelling ammonia-based fluid, that you dilute down (the dirtier the floor, the more concentrated the mix) and apply with a scrubbing pad, leave for five minutes or so, agitate once more, then mop it off, before then using a wet 'n' dry hoover jobbie, ours is called George, to fully remove all trace of the Grimex.
You then leave it to dry for at least half a day, before you apply the sealer, which is step two.
This time we are going for a gloss finish, which is not the finish of choice for the majority, if the stocking level of our local supplier are any sign. This gloss finish looks like diluted milk** that you sponge on, remove any excess bits so that you have applied a nice, even and thin layer of the sealant, and then you wait for about an hour before repeating the operation, for a total of three layers.
You can buy long handles with velcro pads on the bottom, to which you can attach the large brillo-like pads, but that seemed awfully expensive, and I was a bit concerned that being that far from the floor, you would not see what you had missed. And so it is that I have done all this on my knees. My back has been better, but no pain no gain, so onward and upward.
I am splitting the floor in to sections, and was up at 4.30am today to finish the study, utility and downstairs toilet area. This is now done and looking fantastic.
Next phase is more tricky, since it is the main kitchen and living area. We have David and Samantha over Saturday evening so I will leave things until Sunday at the earliest, but whatever I do, and whenever I do it, there will be inconvenience for the family. I suspect this will mean doing it is a number of sections, so that the not-being-done sections can be used to store the table and sofa, and to give the Maggots and other wild beasts space to roam freely.
We also have a weekend of sport. Tomorrow we have a football tournament, and on Sunday a cricket match. The weather is looking fair to middling, so hopefully it will be as fun to watch as it is to play.
I hope you have a great weekend, speak next week.
========================================
* Never has a metaphor been more mangled
** Some people call this skimmed milk (and that is from a skimmed milk lover)
Thursday, 26 May 2016
EU
Anyone who knows me at all, know that I like a website called Lifehacker.com. It has lots of tech and life advice, and today it had this:
http://www.lifehacker.co.uk/2016/05/26/should-the-uk-leave-the-eu-the-best-arguments-for-and-against-brexit
One of the more balanced (high-level) discussions on the pros and cons of the upcoming EU "leave or remain" referendum.
I wonder how you guys are doing with your thinking on this vote? I read GF, who said that every time he hears an argument for "remain", he leans towards "leave" and vice versa. I can relate to that.
My overall observations are:
There was an interesting item on the radio this morning which gave an unusual angle on rights to work. An Indian restaurant owner was talking about the fact that his chefs were Romanian, because they can move freely through the EU, whereas their preferred Bangladeshi or Indian chefs cannot get a visa to work here.
Another interesting thing that came across my desk recently was an email from my employer's senior management in the UK. The tone of it, paraphrased, was "it is your decision, and whatever your personal decision, we do urge you to vote. Some have asked what our advice would be, and it would be to remain".
I also saw a video of our US-based CEO who was being interviewed on a morning finance show about our Q2 results, and she was asked about the EU vote, and her view was that the UK is better in Europe. So there you go.
http://www.lifehacker.co.uk/2016/05/26/should-the-uk-leave-the-eu-the-best-arguments-for-and-against-brexit
One of the more balanced (high-level) discussions on the pros and cons of the upcoming EU "leave or remain" referendum.
I wonder how you guys are doing with your thinking on this vote? I read GF, who said that every time he hears an argument for "remain", he leans towards "leave" and vice versa. I can relate to that.
My overall observations are:
- the remain camp have a bigger budget, and more "specialists" at their disposal than the leave camp, so are coming up with some high-powered and seemingly "respectable" sources for their remain arguments
- It is a lot easier to argue the remain argument of "things ain't so bad, and they could be a lot worse" than the leave arguments, which seem to revolve around "we think if we make this big change, stuff will be better" and also "that last thing the remain camp said was bunkum"
- I guess in essence it is hard to argue a negative
- I am not overly convinced by anything that I have heard to date.
There was an interesting item on the radio this morning which gave an unusual angle on rights to work. An Indian restaurant owner was talking about the fact that his chefs were Romanian, because they can move freely through the EU, whereas their preferred Bangladeshi or Indian chefs cannot get a visa to work here.
Another interesting thing that came across my desk recently was an email from my employer's senior management in the UK. The tone of it, paraphrased, was "it is your decision, and whatever your personal decision, we do urge you to vote. Some have asked what our advice would be, and it would be to remain".
I also saw a video of our US-based CEO who was being interviewed on a morning finance show about our Q2 results, and she was asked about the EU vote, and her view was that the UK is better in Europe. So there you go.
Friday, 20 May 2016
The memories of a working man
A quick report on last weekend. We had a football tournament in Worthing, starting at 2pm. We all went. The weather seemed quite warm when we left, but was just a little cooler at the destination*, though still warm enough when the sun was out, but not so when behind a cloud.
This was a tournament that falls under the category of "least said, soonest forgotten". We were in a league of five teams, with only the top team going through to the semi-finals. This meant we played four games. We lost all four, and did not score a single goal. We were trying out our new keeper, who is probably "a lovely bloke***", but is not likely to be our keeper next year (so our search goes on). To be fair, we did not play badly, but neither did we play well, and we lost three of the four games to sucker punch chip and rush goals, which tend to be the modus operandi for such tournaments, not that we ourselves take advantage of the tactic. This chip and rush tactic makes them dull and frustrating games to watch and play. It has made me hanker for proper nine-a-side games, thirty minutes each half. i.e. next season.
On the Sunday, we had another tournament, this one more of a fun day, since it was the Barnham Trojans prize giving day, which incorporates a fun tournament, mixing years and players up in to a bunch of teams.
Maggot 2's year mixed in with the Under Nines, and I ended up managing a team, Swansea to be precise. I had a couple of good players, and plenty of bad players. We had no keeper, though luckily we had three, count them, one, two, three, players who "regularly play in goal". Hmm. Let's just say that they were also "lovely blokes" and also unlikely to be filling our missing keeper position. We did not do terribly, but did not progress to the semi-finals. Maggot 2's team did, and won on penalties, only to lose in the final.
It was a good fun day, with fairly good weather. I had a go on the "how hard can you kick the ball" game, which has a speed camera type device at the end of the inflatable net cage, and I managed to score 64 which was the fastest of the day, until "Darren" (damn him) beat me with a 65. What was most gratifying was that A and S, our two coaches, were unable to get near my 64. The old fella still has it.
This weekend, we have a tournament Saturday afternoon (with rain threatened), and nothing Sunday, so we should be having the outlaws over for Sunday lunch, which is always fun.
On that note, I hope you have a great weekend, and speak next week.
P.S. Good luck to Bad Man on his search for a new role, looks like it is going well.
--------------------------------------------------------
* As we all know, Scobi Towers sits in a perfect micro-climate that is, most of the time, similar to the South of France**
** OK, that is a slight exaggeration
*** An old story, for those who do not recall it, that an ex-colleague, also my mentor in my early years in Starfleet, used that phrase to describe people where were lovely, but useless, and it has stuck with me
This was a tournament that falls under the category of "least said, soonest forgotten". We were in a league of five teams, with only the top team going through to the semi-finals. This meant we played four games. We lost all four, and did not score a single goal. We were trying out our new keeper, who is probably "a lovely bloke***", but is not likely to be our keeper next year (so our search goes on). To be fair, we did not play badly, but neither did we play well, and we lost three of the four games to sucker punch chip and rush goals, which tend to be the modus operandi for such tournaments, not that we ourselves take advantage of the tactic. This chip and rush tactic makes them dull and frustrating games to watch and play. It has made me hanker for proper nine-a-side games, thirty minutes each half. i.e. next season.
On the Sunday, we had another tournament, this one more of a fun day, since it was the Barnham Trojans prize giving day, which incorporates a fun tournament, mixing years and players up in to a bunch of teams.
Maggot 2's year mixed in with the Under Nines, and I ended up managing a team, Swansea to be precise. I had a couple of good players, and plenty of bad players. We had no keeper, though luckily we had three, count them, one, two, three, players who "regularly play in goal". Hmm. Let's just say that they were also "lovely blokes" and also unlikely to be filling our missing keeper position. We did not do terribly, but did not progress to the semi-finals. Maggot 2's team did, and won on penalties, only to lose in the final.
It was a good fun day, with fairly good weather. I had a go on the "how hard can you kick the ball" game, which has a speed camera type device at the end of the inflatable net cage, and I managed to score 64 which was the fastest of the day, until "Darren" (damn him) beat me with a 65. What was most gratifying was that A and S, our two coaches, were unable to get near my 64. The old fella still has it.
This weekend, we have a tournament Saturday afternoon (with rain threatened), and nothing Sunday, so we should be having the outlaws over for Sunday lunch, which is always fun.
On that note, I hope you have a great weekend, and speak next week.
P.S. Good luck to Bad Man on his search for a new role, looks like it is going well.
--------------------------------------------------------
* As we all know, Scobi Towers sits in a perfect micro-climate that is, most of the time, similar to the South of France**
** OK, that is a slight exaggeration
*** An old story, for those who do not recall it, that an ex-colleague, also my mentor in my early years in Starfleet, used that phrase to describe people where were lovely, but useless, and it has stuck with me
Friday, 13 May 2016
Football
There is a lot of football in my life at the moment. As it is the closed season for Maggot 2, we have, instead of weekly league games, weekly tournaments. In terms of time, a league game runs four around an hour, whereas a tournament can be all day. So it is that this weekend we will be at two, yes, count them, two tournaments. Saturday is in Worthing, 2pm to 6pm, and on Sunday it is at our own ground, registration at 8.30am, and likely to last all day, because it is combing a tournament and prize giving.
As if that is not enough, my chosen football team, once the biggest South Coast team, these days not so much, had its first play off match last night. Two legs of football, the winner overall going to Wembley for the final. Last night we drew 2-2 at home, which is not the best result, but is an improvement on our previous game at home to our opponents. As it happens, both us and them have a better away record, in general, and specifically against each other, so the second leg on Sunday should be a humdinger of a game.
If we were to win, or rather when we win, and we are therefore in the final, I plan to try and get tickets. It is not every day, nor even every year, that you have the chance to see your local team playing at Wembley, so I hope to go, just so I can tell my grandchildren about it (in nauseating detail if my memory will allow).
On other news, I am not sure I have mentioned yet that Brad and Angelina have joined the hallowed ranks of mobile home owners. They have just bought a campervan, in time for our yearly trip to Riverside Lakes, a most magnificent natural site which allows open fires, and has three lakes, all fishable, and a multitude of wooded and long-grass areas. They have been threatening to buy one for a wee while, and have now been and gone and done it. I cannot wait to see it.
Finally, it is with great happiness that I can announce that Bad Man is back in the blogging business. He has presumably overcome his challenges, and is back behind the keyboard. It has made me realise quite how I have missed knowing the intimate details of his lawnmower regimen. And before you write in to complain about my sarcasm, please be aware that BM himself was the first to poke fun at himself. It is great to have him back, and I see he has added bees to his small-holding.
As if that is not enough, my chosen football team, once the biggest South Coast team, these days not so much, had its first play off match last night. Two legs of football, the winner overall going to Wembley for the final. Last night we drew 2-2 at home, which is not the best result, but is an improvement on our previous game at home to our opponents. As it happens, both us and them have a better away record, in general, and specifically against each other, so the second leg on Sunday should be a humdinger of a game.
If we were to win, or rather when we win, and we are therefore in the final, I plan to try and get tickets. It is not every day, nor even every year, that you have the chance to see your local team playing at Wembley, so I hope to go, just so I can tell my grandchildren about it (in nauseating detail if my memory will allow).
On other news, I am not sure I have mentioned yet that Brad and Angelina have joined the hallowed ranks of mobile home owners. They have just bought a campervan, in time for our yearly trip to Riverside Lakes, a most magnificent natural site which allows open fires, and has three lakes, all fishable, and a multitude of wooded and long-grass areas. They have been threatening to buy one for a wee while, and have now been and gone and done it. I cannot wait to see it.
Finally, it is with great happiness that I can announce that Bad Man is back in the blogging business. He has presumably overcome his challenges, and is back behind the keyboard. It has made me realise quite how I have missed knowing the intimate details of his lawnmower regimen. And before you write in to complain about my sarcasm, please be aware that BM himself was the first to poke fun at himself. It is great to have him back, and I see he has added bees to his small-holding.
Friday, 6 May 2016
That was quick
I love Bank Holiday Mondays (I know GF, every day is a BH for you), because what follows is a four-day week. And so I get to Friday much quicker than usual.
This week has been fairly steady at work. Down to one deal for now, and some system testing for a major new system being implemented for my clan. For some this may be seen as another change to something that works okay, but as a newbie, it is all very exciting. I actually think there are some profound and well-crafted changes afoot that will make the role more fun, and less drudge, and I say hooray to that.
At home, we have a busy weekend ahead of us. Maggot 1 has his first cricket match (and only after his second cricket practice tonight) on Sunday at West Chiltington, and I am taking him to that. Maggot 2 has a football tournament over in Shoreham, and LO is taking him to that. Once the cricket is over, I plan to head over to the football to see the second half of their games. Depending on how well they do, it may be even more than that. It is a five-a-side tournament and we have only five players, one having dropped out because "we don't have a proper keeper". It is true that we are looking for a new keeping, the old one, who was the best in the league, deciding that he (or is it his parents doing the deciding) does not want to play in goal any more, but on pitch, ideally as a striker. Unfortunately he is not currently up with the pace; he is petulant, he does not track back and he is prone to histrionics if he feels he has been impeded unfairly. None of this sits well with the rest of us, and he may find he is the main sub going forward, since at the moment his standard is not high enough.
Anyway, enough of our goalie problem, we also have a player problem, as already mentioned, in that they are refusing to play because of our lack of goalie (Maggot 1's friend, let's call him Limpy, has a bad foot so is going to play in goal, and he is OK), which is not endearing him to the other parents.
To be honest, the dad has a bit of history of this, having previously tried to start a new team around his son, with the hope of attracting away the best players from our team. Luckily, the other players were not that keen, and the FA closed him down too, so that went nowhere.
What I am learning from all this is that there is a lot of politics in children's football, and memories tend to be long. Luckily, I am slow and too dumb to notice, so can enjoy my football watching without any interference.
Have a great weekend, and speak next week.
This week has been fairly steady at work. Down to one deal for now, and some system testing for a major new system being implemented for my clan. For some this may be seen as another change to something that works okay, but as a newbie, it is all very exciting. I actually think there are some profound and well-crafted changes afoot that will make the role more fun, and less drudge, and I say hooray to that.
At home, we have a busy weekend ahead of us. Maggot 1 has his first cricket match (and only after his second cricket practice tonight) on Sunday at West Chiltington, and I am taking him to that. Maggot 2 has a football tournament over in Shoreham, and LO is taking him to that. Once the cricket is over, I plan to head over to the football to see the second half of their games. Depending on how well they do, it may be even more than that. It is a five-a-side tournament and we have only five players, one having dropped out because "we don't have a proper keeper". It is true that we are looking for a new keeping, the old one, who was the best in the league, deciding that he (or is it his parents doing the deciding) does not want to play in goal any more, but on pitch, ideally as a striker. Unfortunately he is not currently up with the pace; he is petulant, he does not track back and he is prone to histrionics if he feels he has been impeded unfairly. None of this sits well with the rest of us, and he may find he is the main sub going forward, since at the moment his standard is not high enough.
Anyway, enough of our goalie problem, we also have a player problem, as already mentioned, in that they are refusing to play because of our lack of goalie (Maggot 1's friend, let's call him Limpy, has a bad foot so is going to play in goal, and he is OK), which is not endearing him to the other parents.
To be honest, the dad has a bit of history of this, having previously tried to start a new team around his son, with the hope of attracting away the best players from our team. Luckily, the other players were not that keen, and the FA closed him down too, so that went nowhere.
What I am learning from all this is that there is a lot of politics in children's football, and memories tend to be long. Luckily, I am slow and too dumb to notice, so can enjoy my football watching without any interference.
Have a great weekend, and speak next week.
Saturday, 30 April 2016
Quick one
- first half of deal going well - one down, one to go
- Caravaner of the Year, hideously addictive, crack cocaine for the middle classes
- Looking forward to a long weekend
- Enjoy yours
Thursday, 21 April 2016
Outage
Our internet and phone line has been down all today. I have therefore had to tether off my phone to get any kind of connection, and it is slow. In a sense, it is a walk down memory lane, to the days when the main broadband was this slow.
I had to Google the likely speeds for my 3G, and to be honest it is faster than I thought at 6-7Mbps. I was not sure if that was a real bandwidth possibility or just pie in the sky, so I loaded a Speedtest app, and can confirm that it is actually delivering me 5.46Mbps just at the moment, which I have to say is pretty amazing considering. It certainly blows out the water my first broadband, which ran at the nose-bleeding speed of 0.5Mbps but which was, nevertheless, awesome compared to the 64Kbps of my dial-up modem (younger readers may need to ask an oldie about this).
I have been able to get on with bits and pieces, but all at a much slower speed than normal.
Tomorrow I am on my travels to near Bath to visit my client, a one and a half hour meeting that will basically take me all day, with a two and a half hour drive each way. I am therefore unlikely to blog, but I will be able to get through a shed-load of podcasts.
LO is away Saturday night at a fiftieth girlie night away, so it is just us lads for most of the weekend. Maggot 2 has a match Saturday and Sunday, and Maggot 1 wants to go over to Pompey to a five-a-side football place with his mates Saturday afternoon, so Sunday evening is likely to be lazy time, as we all get to know each other again.
Have a great weekend, and speak next week.
I had to Google the likely speeds for my 3G, and to be honest it is faster than I thought at 6-7Mbps. I was not sure if that was a real bandwidth possibility or just pie in the sky, so I loaded a Speedtest app, and can confirm that it is actually delivering me 5.46Mbps just at the moment, which I have to say is pretty amazing considering. It certainly blows out the water my first broadband, which ran at the nose-bleeding speed of 0.5Mbps but which was, nevertheless, awesome compared to the 64Kbps of my dial-up modem (younger readers may need to ask an oldie about this).
I have been able to get on with bits and pieces, but all at a much slower speed than normal.
Tomorrow I am on my travels to near Bath to visit my client, a one and a half hour meeting that will basically take me all day, with a two and a half hour drive each way. I am therefore unlikely to blog, but I will be able to get through a shed-load of podcasts.
LO is away Saturday night at a fiftieth girlie night away, so it is just us lads for most of the weekend. Maggot 2 has a match Saturday and Sunday, and Maggot 1 wants to go over to Pompey to a five-a-side football place with his mates Saturday afternoon, so Sunday evening is likely to be lazy time, as we all get to know each other again.
Have a great weekend, and speak next week.
Saturday, 16 April 2016
Busy week.
Been on a two-day conference with my practice, which was fun, interesting, alcohol-laden on the night inbetween, and a great chance to meet more of my colleagues. I am starting to build, if not quite a network yet, then at least a mesh of acquaintances with whom the next interaction will be the easier for us knowing each other.
First two days I was up at Head Office, helping two new starters with their early induction. One was ex Starfleet, and the other ex the "phone place" where Brad used to work.
I am now back to the day job, with a client visit in the offing. For this, I will need to be on my best behaviour and top performance, since I am representing the technical aspects of our unsolicited bid. It will be fun, and all part of the ever-steeper learning curve.
I had a text and an email from two Starfleet colleagues who are likely to be in line for redundancy. Both excellent people, good at their jobs, and I would say an asset to the company, but I fear they both suffer from two fatal flaws:
Enough analogies I think.
Normal weekend for us. Football was this morning, we lost something like 13-3 to the team in the year above. Some good points, and some things we can work on, so a good workout, a good test, and only by playing better teams can we really see where we need to improve.
We are at David and Samantha's this evening, which will be nice.
I hope you have a great weekend, speak next week.
First two days I was up at Head Office, helping two new starters with their early induction. One was ex Starfleet, and the other ex the "phone place" where Brad used to work.
I am now back to the day job, with a client visit in the offing. For this, I will need to be on my best behaviour and top performance, since I am representing the technical aspects of our unsolicited bid. It will be fun, and all part of the ever-steeper learning curve.
I had a text and an email from two Starfleet colleagues who are likely to be in line for redundancy. Both excellent people, good at their jobs, and I would say an asset to the company, but I fear they both suffer from two fatal flaws:
- they are UK based, never a good thing is this new global marketplace
- they are the "good workers but don't shout about it" variety, and that breed of animal is often overlooked, their good bits not fully visible to the spreadsheet-poring managers looking for heads to cull.
Enough analogies I think.
Normal weekend for us. Football was this morning, we lost something like 13-3 to the team in the year above. Some good points, and some things we can work on, so a good workout, a good test, and only by playing better teams can we really see where we need to improve.
We are at David and Samantha's this evening, which will be nice.
I hope you have a great weekend, speak next week.
Friday, 8 April 2016
That is a bit better
It was inevitable, but never the less it is rather pleasing that it is coming to pass.
After another week, I am starting to feel like I am starting, just starting, to start on the journey to starting to get it.
That is a lot of starts I know, but for good reason. I am still regularly being side-swiped by acronyms, ffs, and also with impenetrable process and baffling colleagues. But* at least I am saying words, and they mostly make sense. Even my "I know this is probably a dumb question"** questions are hitting the mark.
I have been working from home ever since my training. I nearly went to head office on Tuesday, as part of a deal I was loosely supporting, but in the end it sorted itself out so I was not needed. I think things on my main deal will start to build now, with client meetings planned for a week or two's time, but so far my main fear that I would be putting too many miles on the lease car has not come to pass. I suspect they are savings now that will need to be spent later, but that is fine. It may also mean that I can fit in a European tour within the upper limit as well.
Last night, we had ten teenagers on a sleep over for Maggot 1's fourteenth birthday bash. They are a good crowd, but that does not take away from the fact that they are ten basically fully-grown, testosterone-oozing*** lads, like overgrown puppies after one too many Red Bulls, intent on "pulling an all-nighter" and mostly succeeding. Mind you, they were not so clever at 8.30am this morning as I made the commute from bedroom to study. Ha!
This weekend we have the usual sport, and also lunch at my parents with my sister and her family, to celebrate my mum's birthday.
For the rest of the weekend, I hope to do not much, though I now have a DIY booklet, not list, booklet, with all the stuff I need to do, and I will probably try and knock some of that off. To be honest, a Saturday afternoon painting Maggot 1's bedroom (some residual and historical damp patches that my filling and painting the year before has sorted, but it takes a year sometimes for it all to dry out once the exterior is actually water-tight) with the football on the radio is not a bad way to spend a few hours. I continue to be happy doing anything, if it can be uninterrupted, since that is the complete opposite of a normal working day.
Anyhow, enough from me. I hope you have a great weekend, at least for those that know when the weekend starts and ends, and speak next week.
==============================
* I know you, dear reader, like things to be correct, so I did just Google whether starting a sentence with a "But" was acceptable, and apparently it is, for some people. I just hope you are part of those "some people"
** A technique taken from the same stable as "you are probably going to kill me dad . . . " and "I could have bought a £500 pair of shoes, but instead . . . "
*** I have missed using my stars! Teenage boys stink, if not of body odour (Lynx and the ladies seem to keep that to a minimum) then of testosterone. I mentioned this to my hairdresser, let's call him Paul Weller, and he told me the day that forty-one rugby players were in for a sponsored head shave. They had a 2m x 2m bag 15cm deep with hair after the cut, and the whole salon stank of "eau d'homme"
After another week, I am starting to feel like I am starting, just starting, to start on the journey to starting to get it.
That is a lot of starts I know, but for good reason. I am still regularly being side-swiped by acronyms, ffs, and also with impenetrable process and baffling colleagues. But* at least I am saying words, and they mostly make sense. Even my "I know this is probably a dumb question"** questions are hitting the mark.
I have been working from home ever since my training. I nearly went to head office on Tuesday, as part of a deal I was loosely supporting, but in the end it sorted itself out so I was not needed. I think things on my main deal will start to build now, with client meetings planned for a week or two's time, but so far my main fear that I would be putting too many miles on the lease car has not come to pass. I suspect they are savings now that will need to be spent later, but that is fine. It may also mean that I can fit in a European tour within the upper limit as well.
Last night, we had ten teenagers on a sleep over for Maggot 1's fourteenth birthday bash. They are a good crowd, but that does not take away from the fact that they are ten basically fully-grown, testosterone-oozing*** lads, like overgrown puppies after one too many Red Bulls, intent on "pulling an all-nighter" and mostly succeeding. Mind you, they were not so clever at 8.30am this morning as I made the commute from bedroom to study. Ha!
This weekend we have the usual sport, and also lunch at my parents with my sister and her family, to celebrate my mum's birthday.
For the rest of the weekend, I hope to do not much, though I now have a DIY booklet, not list, booklet, with all the stuff I need to do, and I will probably try and knock some of that off. To be honest, a Saturday afternoon painting Maggot 1's bedroom (some residual and historical damp patches that my filling and painting the year before has sorted, but it takes a year sometimes for it all to dry out once the exterior is actually water-tight) with the football on the radio is not a bad way to spend a few hours. I continue to be happy doing anything, if it can be uninterrupted, since that is the complete opposite of a normal working day.
Anyhow, enough from me. I hope you have a great weekend, at least for those that know when the weekend starts and ends, and speak next week.
==============================
* I know you, dear reader, like things to be correct, so I did just Google whether starting a sentence with a "But" was acceptable, and apparently it is, for some people. I just hope you are part of those "some people"
** A technique taken from the same stable as "you are probably going to kill me dad . . . " and "I could have bought a £500 pair of shoes, but instead . . . "
*** I have missed using my stars! Teenage boys stink, if not of body odour (Lynx and the ladies seem to keep that to a minimum) then of testosterone. I mentioned this to my hairdresser, let's call him Paul Weller, and he told me the day that forty-one rugby players were in for a sponsored head shave. They had a 2m x 2m bag 15cm deep with hair after the cut, and the whole salon stank of "eau d'homme"
Friday, 1 April 2016
Ahhh
I could get used to these four-day weeks. As I write those words, I can hear Gorse Fox muttering something about zero-day weeks, but I shall choose to ignore that.
I am now officially working. I have two deals and a side project on my plate. This is still not really working me fully but it is getting there. It is a very frustrating experience being in the position of needing to do stuff with not enough idea as to how to do it. Everything is different (as I expected); department names, department responsibilities, the client's departments, divisions, groups and systems, and most of it is described with either three or four letters. I have a little list going at the back of my notebook as I find out the meaning of each one, but what I am finding is that people do not seem to want to slow down too much on the local jargon, expecting me to be able to just pick it up.
Anyhow, it is Friday, the rest of the clan have had the week off, and we head in to a weekend of fun. We are seeing David and Samantha tonight, and Brad and Angelina on Sunday. It will be good to catch up with everyone.
We are also blessed with no football at all this weekend. That means lay-ins, but also a need to do something physical to stop the wild animals from crawling up the wall. On the subject of football, I have shown Maggot 2 the John Smith's "av' it" advert with Peter Kay, and he now introduces "av' it" in to any appropriate situation.
It has been nearly two months now since I made the leap, and I feel the need to ponder, briefly*, how it has gone. I have done well to get all the required training completed and passed, which will put me in good stead for the future (indeed, I got an award from my boss for doing so), and I have started to build a network.
The bit that concerns me is simply that I need to be doing a job, and I don't really know how to yet. I have observed in me the fact that I do like to know all aspects of a role before I feel I can really do it, to understand the ins and outs of a cat's behind, and this may hold me back, so I need to constantly remind myself to deal with what I can with what I know and keep pushing forward. The trouble is when faced with an issue for which I do not have a clue, I feel so impotent not knowing how to handle it. Oh well, that is all part of the package, so I just need to grit my teeth, gird my loins and clench my buttocks, and settle in for the ride of my life.
On that note, I wish you a fantastic weekend, and speak next week.
======================================
* thank goodness for that. Ed.
I am now officially working. I have two deals and a side project on my plate. This is still not really working me fully but it is getting there. It is a very frustrating experience being in the position of needing to do stuff with not enough idea as to how to do it. Everything is different (as I expected); department names, department responsibilities, the client's departments, divisions, groups and systems, and most of it is described with either three or four letters. I have a little list going at the back of my notebook as I find out the meaning of each one, but what I am finding is that people do not seem to want to slow down too much on the local jargon, expecting me to be able to just pick it up.
Anyhow, it is Friday, the rest of the clan have had the week off, and we head in to a weekend of fun. We are seeing David and Samantha tonight, and Brad and Angelina on Sunday. It will be good to catch up with everyone.
We are also blessed with no football at all this weekend. That means lay-ins, but also a need to do something physical to stop the wild animals from crawling up the wall. On the subject of football, I have shown Maggot 2 the John Smith's "av' it" advert with Peter Kay, and he now introduces "av' it" in to any appropriate situation.
It has been nearly two months now since I made the leap, and I feel the need to ponder, briefly*, how it has gone. I have done well to get all the required training completed and passed, which will put me in good stead for the future (indeed, I got an award from my boss for doing so), and I have started to build a network.
The bit that concerns me is simply that I need to be doing a job, and I don't really know how to yet. I have observed in me the fact that I do like to know all aspects of a role before I feel I can really do it, to understand the ins and outs of a cat's behind, and this may hold me back, so I need to constantly remind myself to deal with what I can with what I know and keep pushing forward. The trouble is when faced with an issue for which I do not have a clue, I feel so impotent not knowing how to handle it. Oh well, that is all part of the package, so I just need to grit my teeth, gird my loins and clench my buttocks, and settle in for the ride of my life.
On that note, I wish you a fantastic weekend, and speak next week.
======================================
* thank goodness for that. Ed.
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