This time in four weeks, the Scobi clan will be awake, arisen, showered, and filled with a certain amount of tension, as we prepare to be picked up at around 9am by the taxi, which will then go to our friends' house to pick them up, before taking us up to Gatwick. There, we will likely have the usual EasyJet scrum to check-in, and where the accuracy of our bathroom scales will be tested - we want to be taking our bags to within a gram of 20Kg each, or actually we can also do a total of 40Kg across the two bags, as long as any one bag does not exceed 35Kg. Confused yet? If not, then hand luggage is worth a mention. Its dimensions must not exceed 56 x 45 x 25 cms and its weight must not exceed 5Kg.
Once we are checked in, we will have all bags, belts and body cavities checked by security, before we are then free to explore the relative bountifulness of the departure lounge. After one to two planned hours, and any additional hours air-traffic control or other external factors wish to add on to our waiting, we will board the flight, I think to booked seats, for a further couple of hours of reading and listening to music.
On arrival at Mallorca, we will pickup our hire car from the rental company that was at the cheaper end of the scale, so may be troublesome. It is at least in the airport itself, not a transfer bus away, so how bad can it get. No doubt I will tell you after the holiday.
We will then drive to our first night's accommodation, an ex-monastery atop a hill, with, if their website can be believed, views across the valley to the sea that are out of this world. We travelled on a Friday to save money on the flights, since even with the hotel to pay for, we are saving plenty of hundreds of pounds. I know, forced to have an extra day of holiday, how very dare they?
At that point, our holiday has started. We will eat, we will drink, we will rest and we will admire the view.
The next day, we can take a leisurely drive to our villa for the fortnight, which is less than a kilometre away. We may go via the supermarket, if our small cars have capacity, to do the initial shop, and thus save wasting any lying-by-the-pool time.
In the meantime of course, I have some working to do and some football to watch. Work is going well. I am now on an account helping out for a bit, and to do so have had to submit to a bunch more security vetting procedures. Tales of what can happen if you get it wrong give great incentive to get it right.
At home, Maggot 2 has a football tournament tomorrow, which uses the field belonging to his school, so we can walk to it. Once it is over, we are off to Brad and Angelina's to celebrate their own Maggot 1's sixteenth birthday. Should be a good weekend.
Have a great one yourself, and speak next week.
Saturday, 25 June 2016
Who hid the blog?
I had a rare day in the office yesterday, getting all officialled up for the piece of work I am doing that will probably run until my holiday and beyond. It is interesting, I think, and will be a good distraction from all the football.
Brad is at Glastonbury with his own Maggot 1, and I am getting daily updates from him on text or Whatsapp. His journey down started Wednesday afternoon, and he got in to the ground at 6am Thursday morning. His campervan was diverted to a local show ground to clear them off the congested entrance, but they were woken at around 4am to be told that now was the time to get in, and a good thing coz within 2 hours the entry was closed again due to another batch of congestion.
He has got a bit wet, but with a van to retire to for chilli and dry clothes, he is doing good and having a fantastic time. Were it not for the mud, the rain, and the requirement to stay away after 10pm, I think I would rather fancy it myself.
We have a clear weekend, with only sport on the horizon. Cricket match last night, which we lost dramatically, football training today and a match tomorrow. Otherwise, I need to crack on with some DIY bits, mow the lawn, and get an afternoon kip.
Maggot 2 has been getting headaches, indeed he had 2 days off this week, so we took him off to the doctor again, and this time he has been referred to a consultant, which happens in 3 weeks, so that is good. We are keeping a headache diary in case, and hopefully we might be taking the first tentative steps to getting some kind of diagnosis, if indeed there is anything other than "he gets headaches sometimes" to diagnose. The doctor seemed to rule out migraine, brain tumor and diabetes, so let's see what the consultant says.
Brad is at Glastonbury with his own Maggot 1, and I am getting daily updates from him on text or Whatsapp. His journey down started Wednesday afternoon, and he got in to the ground at 6am Thursday morning. His campervan was diverted to a local show ground to clear them off the congested entrance, but they were woken at around 4am to be told that now was the time to get in, and a good thing coz within 2 hours the entry was closed again due to another batch of congestion.
He has got a bit wet, but with a van to retire to for chilli and dry clothes, he is doing good and having a fantastic time. Were it not for the mud, the rain, and the requirement to stay away after 10pm, I think I would rather fancy it myself.
We have a clear weekend, with only sport on the horizon. Cricket match last night, which we lost dramatically, football training today and a match tomorrow. Otherwise, I need to crack on with some DIY bits, mow the lawn, and get an afternoon kip.
Maggot 2 has been getting headaches, indeed he had 2 days off this week, so we took him off to the doctor again, and this time he has been referred to a consultant, which happens in 3 weeks, so that is good. We are keeping a headache diary in case, and hopefully we might be taking the first tentative steps to getting some kind of diagnosis, if indeed there is anything other than "he gets headaches sometimes" to diagnose. The doctor seemed to rule out migraine, brain tumor and diabetes, so let's see what the consultant says.
Monday, 20 June 2016
EU or not EU?
I was at Brad's birthday party on Saturday and Sunday, and during the evening, an impish person (might have been me, who's asking?) said "EU" and stood back to watch the fireworks.
It was, not surprisingly, a hotly debated topic. Most people had entrenched to what I would have guessed to be their decision. The only person whose stance was not as I guessed it, someone whose view I would also consider fully, was Brad. He was Brexit, when I thought he would ultimately choose Remain. His argument is sound, or as sound as anyone's argument can be when based on all that has gone on over the last few months, on both sides, so I was comfortable that it was a rounded, well-considered view*.
It was therefore a great surprise when he sent me this link, saying he had changed his mind. It must indeed be powerful stuff, and I am listening to it now as I type this.
Since I know some reading this are also considering the arguments, I wanted to offer it up for your consideration, at least if you have any more capacity, energy or enthusiasm for doing so.
===========================
* and without wanting to be accused of taking pot-shots at the defenceless, I would judge it to be infinitely better considered than those who read The Daily Mail or The Express. What I struggle with is the idea that a story about "a legal immigrant who has managed to milk the benefits system" equates to a good reason to opt for Brexit.
It was, not surprisingly, a hotly debated topic. Most people had entrenched to what I would have guessed to be their decision. The only person whose stance was not as I guessed it, someone whose view I would also consider fully, was Brad. He was Brexit, when I thought he would ultimately choose Remain. His argument is sound, or as sound as anyone's argument can be when based on all that has gone on over the last few months, on both sides, so I was comfortable that it was a rounded, well-considered view*.
It was therefore a great surprise when he sent me this link, saying he had changed his mind. It must indeed be powerful stuff, and I am listening to it now as I type this.
Since I know some reading this are also considering the arguments, I wanted to offer it up for your consideration, at least if you have any more capacity, energy or enthusiasm for doing so.
===========================
* and without wanting to be accused of taking pot-shots at the defenceless, I would judge it to be infinitely better considered than those who read The Daily Mail or The Express. What I struggle with is the idea that a story about "a legal immigrant who has managed to milk the benefits system" equates to a good reason to opt for Brexit.
Friday, 17 June 2016
Two one
Not my degree, but rather the score of England vs Wales. It was a nervy affair, and while we have been undone by freak goals before, more than once, overall I think we were dominant, and certainly from an English perspective, were good for the win. Our performance was not perfect - hoping Kane and Sterling find an extra gear for next game - but it was encouraging. I note that previous tournament winners have often started modestly, and have grown in to the tournament as the competition progresses, so hoping England can follow that path.
Monday evening will be a much more comfortable event now we have four points on the board; we just need to maintain our energy and performance to see us over the line to the knockout stages.
On other news, we had a great weekend away in Riverside Lakes. It was as we remembered it, only more so. I caught a six-pound hybrid carp and lost a three to four-pound bream, and in between Brad and I indulged in a little bit of tiddler bashing, going shallow with maggot after little greedy perch, which was fun.
We also had an afternoon of camp Olympics, including a three-legged race (which we would havfe won had Maggot 1 not sabotaged us) and other activities. Brad and Angelina also brought their giant bubble maker (two sticks with some string) and their "patented recipe" for bubble mix, with which we produced some amazing bubbles, as you can see below.
Work is going well. I had a contact from three ex-colleagues at Starfleet in the week. Two were affected by a TUPE situation where they may well end up working in the same company as me, so were after advice on my thoughts and experiences. The other was my padawan at Starfleet who has now definitely grown up, flown the nest and doing great things. He is interested potentially in a move to nn, so I have facilitated a contact for him. Fingers crossed he gets what he is looking for.
This weekend we are at Brad and Angelina's for Brad's birthday celebration. There are a host of attendees, some sleeping over at B&A's house, some choosing a local hotel. Unfortunately we will have to leave early for a Maggot 1 cricket match, so will miss the extended breakfast planned. It will be a fun weekend and we are very much looking forward to it.
There is no football for Maggot 2, he having to make a big decision in dropping out of the tournament planned for Saturday because there were too many boys wanting to play, and we can only take eight. This means he will play in the last two tournaments for sure, with others likely having to drop out from those to keep numbers down. It was not easy for him, but in the end the decision was made easier because his mate had also volunteered to drop out, so knowing it was not "just him" made the decision a simpler one.
I hope you have a great weekend, and speak next week.
Monday evening will be a much more comfortable event now we have four points on the board; we just need to maintain our energy and performance to see us over the line to the knockout stages.
On other news, we had a great weekend away in Riverside Lakes. It was as we remembered it, only more so. I caught a six-pound hybrid carp and lost a three to four-pound bream, and in between Brad and I indulged in a little bit of tiddler bashing, going shallow with maggot after little greedy perch, which was fun.
We also had an afternoon of camp Olympics, including a three-legged race (which we would havfe won had Maggot 1 not sabotaged us) and other activities. Brad and Angelina also brought their giant bubble maker (two sticks with some string) and their "patented recipe" for bubble mix, with which we produced some amazing bubbles, as you can see below.
Work is going well. I had a contact from three ex-colleagues at Starfleet in the week. Two were affected by a TUPE situation where they may well end up working in the same company as me, so were after advice on my thoughts and experiences. The other was my padawan at Starfleet who has now definitely grown up, flown the nest and doing great things. He is interested potentially in a move to nn, so I have facilitated a contact for him. Fingers crossed he gets what he is looking for.
This weekend we are at Brad and Angelina's for Brad's birthday celebration. There are a host of attendees, some sleeping over at B&A's house, some choosing a local hotel. Unfortunately we will have to leave early for a Maggot 1 cricket match, so will miss the extended breakfast planned. It will be a fun weekend and we are very much looking forward to it.
There is no football for Maggot 2, he having to make a big decision in dropping out of the tournament planned for Saturday because there were too many boys wanting to play, and we can only take eight. This means he will play in the last two tournaments for sure, with others likely having to drop out from those to keep numbers down. It was not easy for him, but in the end the decision was made easier because his mate had also volunteered to drop out, so knowing it was not "just him" made the decision a simpler one.
I hope you have a great weekend, and speak next week.
Tuesday, 7 June 2016
Results
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.
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.
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