My Online Diary

20/12/07

I have to say, this has been one of the worst weeks that I can remember in recent times. Not only am I in the midst of quite a nasty cold at the moment, but it looks like I won't be finishing my 2007 work this week. This means I will have to go into work on Christmas Eve, and that means I lose three days of the Yorkshire holiday. I could probably thrash through the work and get it done by the end of tomorrow, but feeling under the weather means that I don't have the energy to do so, and so at the moment, the best option seems to be to take it easy and get stuff done on Monday.

14/12/07

The end of a week that has been, in some ways, rather unsatisfactory. For one thing, we have failed in our attempts to complete a piece of work by Monday (or we will fail, even though Monday is still a few days away). Second, we had an annoyed subcontractor who threatened to stop working for us if he didn't get paid quickly! Fair point, since he had been waiting months to be paid. I'm glad Christmas is just a few days away - though I will have to think about buying presents soon!

07/12/07

Very busy week this week, and there could be more of the same next week. Had a very peculiar dream last night. I dreamt I was back at the house where I grew up, and there was to be a road race that would start at our house. I of course decided I was going to film it, but as all the nice cars arrived, I found that someone or something was blocking my view through the camera, so I never got any shots of the nice cars. Then the dream switched to me watching an interview of a man with a balloon for a head, with eyes, ears and nose stuck onto the balloon! the funny thing was, Mr Balloon-Head was saying amusing things, and I was laughing in my sleep! Very bizarre.

03/12/07

Not the greatest of days today, and I'm expecting some fireworks tomorrow! At least I managed to avoid any encounters with the police, which made a nice change. One of my colleagues at work told me that he had been stopped for something similar, which suggests one of two things. Either not using lights is more common than I might have thought, or all scientists are equally absent-minded! Had a fleeting thought about putting a profile back onto some penpal websites, but will leave that for another time, I think.

30/11/07

An interesting week with plenty of highs, and just a few lows along the way. The highs include getting plenty of work done, and also managing to figure out how to put embedded content onto my website. watch out for more of the same! The major low point of the week was being stopped by the police for not having my lights on! You have to see the funny side of these things, but I do get concerned by how forgetful I am becoming these days!

23/11/07

As usual, I'm glad that the week is over and I have two days in which to relax. I believe that we have my brother Rob coming to visit this weekend, and I also think he took his driving test this week, so I should find out how he got on. If he drives down, I must remember to park somewhere well out of the way! (Sorry Rob!). Looks like I might be quite busy next week - to my annoyance I was dragged into a meeting this morning, with no warning, and then the boss was looking to me to volunteer to help prepare a work proposal related to it. I owe Dave quite a lot, so I will do what I can to help.

21/11/07

A sorry day for English football, as we lost 3-2 to Croatia in our final qualifier for the European Championships next year. So we're out of the tournament. The problem is that this country doesn't breed fighters any more. Children grow up pampered by a nanny state that discourages them from taking any risks, and as a result they don't know how to fight and scrap any more. The first of this new breed are now starting to show up in the England football team. Not to mention the fact that the England players are paid phenomenal sums of money by their club sides, and I wonder if they really care about playing for the national team. Never mind, there are worse things going on in the world, and life will go on here in England!

18/11/07

A pleasant weekend, in spite of the awful weather. On Saturday evening, we went to a concert in Shipston to see the Ynysowen male voice choir. I didn't think it would be my scene, but it turned out to be very good indeed. Another interesting aspect of the weekend was that I finally got to try out the windscreen wipers on my Astra. Funny how men get excited by such things as using the windscreen wipers on their new car. It's my brother Rob's birthday tomorrow, so happy birthday Rob!

15/11/07

The end of a rather odd day. I didn't seem to work too hard today, but I did get plenty of stuff done. I am starting to lose patience with the Serco financial system though. It seems the system is incapable of paying invoices to people who have done work for us, and I am on the verge of wanting to make a formal complaint to the people who run it. One of our nicer contractors is starting to get pissed off about an invoice that has not been paid yet - after four months - and it seems that I am powerless to do anything about it! The "financial system" reigns supreme, and if "it" doesn't want to pay - for whatever reason - then I seem to be stuck with that decision!

11/11/07

Remembrance Sunday today, a time of course to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can all be free. Apart from that, the weekend was a chance for me to recover form what was quite a busy and hectic week last week. I have no idea if this week will be any better, but I will keep my fingers crossed for an easier time than the end of last week!.

05/11/07

Guy Fawkes day today, so lots of fireworks going off all over the place this evening. It seems that winter is slowly making its appearance now, as the last few days here in England have been quite cool, with fog and frost in the early morning. Still, the days brighten up nicely and make you want to be outside, rather than inside working.

31/10/07

Got my new car today, and she's an absolute beauty! I was slightly sorry to see the back of the Vectra, after all it had been a very good car for three years. But getting the Astra has made up for that. On another note, I had only one lot of kids call round tonight for Halloween. Surprising, and the significance of Halloween seems to be diminishing in this country.

28/10/07

An interesting day today, as the NFL played a "regular" game at Wembley Stadium here in England. The game was between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants, and I watched part of it. "Grid-iron" would be a good and enjoyable game for us Brits, if it were just a bit more continuous, without all the annoying breaks between plays!

26/10/07

The end of a very busy, but satisfying week. Going back to the start of the week, commiserations to the England rugby team. You did your best in the world cup final, but lost out on a bad refereeing decision and probably were beaten by the better side. Never mind, we'll win it next time around! Next, lots of hard work for me this week, but I pushed on some of the projects that needed it, so I'm happy about that. Finally, I bought a new car this afternoon, a Vauxhall Astra diesel that drove beautifully, and I got a good deal for it too. (Tip: the best time to buy a car is at the end of the month, when the salespeople have end-of-month targets to meet). I think that Astra and I will have a very happy few years together.

20/10/07

A very big day today, England play South Africa in the rugby world cup final. It's a miracle we got there in some ways, after being beaten so heavily (by South Africa) in our first game, but we made it and now we play the Boks again. Just so long as we give it our best shot at winning, that's what counts. On other matters, the weather is just gorgeous here in England at the moment, perfect autumnal conditions with blue skies and lots of sunshine, but cool. Makes me want to go on holiday, maybe to the Lake District for a few days.

18/10/07

Not much to report for this week, except to say that I have more work to do now than I thought would be the case at the start of the week, owing to a colleague of mine becoming indisposed. Also, happy birthday to Marion! I hope you get lots of nice cards and presents, sweetie!

16/10/07

A few weeks ago we had the sadness of Marion's mother passing away. Well now we have some good news to celebrate. Congratulations to Melanie for becoming a mother, and of course congratulations to Connie for becoming a grandmother!

12/10/07

Wow, just exactly how much time has elapsed between this and the last diary entry? Ages. The major thing that has happened in the last three weeks was my trip to Washington DC, for two days of meetings and two days of sightseeing. The meeting days went very well, and my presentation was very well received by the Nevada lawyers and the other scientists who were there. Friday morning was interesting as I got to attend a Congressional briefing, which was fascinating as the Nevada representatives asked questions of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff. The sightseeing was very good too, and in a day and a half I think I managed to cover most of the sights of interest - though my feet have only just recovered after all that walking! I think the highlight of the visit was seeing Arlington Cemetery - a very moving place to visit and a testament to the bad side of war. Strolling the Mall on Saturday afternoon was cool too, though perhaps "cool" is the wrong word as it was very hot and humid - but worth it!

21/09/07

Time for me to start planning for my trip to Washington in a few days time. I will basically have two free days looking around the Capital city, and I will do what I did when I went to London a few months back, namely try and do a rapid tour of everything, rather than see just a few things in detail. On another matter, good luck to England in the rugby this weekend - if we lose the game on Saturday then we are out of the rugby world cup ...

14/09/07

The end of a fairly satisfying week, albeit a somewhat busy one. It does finally seem as though I'll soon be getting rid of a report that has been causing me considerable headaches for the last few months or so, which is good. I still haven't finished my new musing about embarrassing moments, so I will try to do that this weekend. The problem is trying to find 10 genuinely embarrassing things that have happened to me in the last 39 years. Perhaps I'll include a few of my brother's worst moments, to spice things up a bit!

11/09/07

A sad anniversary today, of course, and my sympathy goes out to all those who were influenced and affected by what happened six years ago from today. Not too much happening right now, except that I am tired since I didn't sleep well last night. I'm working on a new musing, all about my most embarrassing moments in life, and do check out my music videos page, since all the videos can be downloaded once again.

07/09/07

The end of quite a busy week for me, especially towards the end, so I'm very glad that the weekend is now here. Number one priority this weekend, of course, is to get a book on Washington DC! Otherwise, not much else to report, except that the weather here in Didcot has been quite hot and steamy over the last few days. Maybe summer has finally arrived!

04/09/07

Very little to report from here, hence the lack of diary entries over the last couple of weeks or so. I have been doing some "soul-searching" in the last few days or so, in order to convince myself that I have a much better life than I think I do. I decided to come up with some "rules" to adhere to, in order to try and get myself out of the rut that I described in the entries below. Some good news is that I am going to be in Washington DC from October 2nd to October 6th. I have to attend a meeting on the 3rd and 4th, but will be staying over to do a couple of days of sightseeing. On the negative side, sympathy to Marion, whose mother died last Thursday, and also to Sara, whose house (along with others) suffered a serious fire last week.

20/08/07

A much easier day for me today, though it did start off badly as I had to submit a work proposal by 12 pm,. and that came as a shock first thing on a Monday morning. The other "shock" is that the weather is so cool right now that I am sitting here wearing a sweater - on 20th August! August is usually the hot month in the UK, and a few months ago some idiot connected with weather forecasting said that we were going to have a very hot summer this year. Weather forecasting seems to be something that the authorities find very difficult in this country.

17/08/07

A very busy Thursday and Friday for me, as I had to get a report finished by the end of today, which I'm very pleased to say I was able to manage - though I feel as though I am about to collapse right now! Still, my boss was very helpful with a problem that arose at work earlier in the week, so I owed it to him to help him out before he went on holiday. I intend to relax and do absolutely nothing this weekend, except perhaps I might reflect on a job well done over the last couple of days.

13/08/07

Wow, nearly a week without a diary entry - just goes to show that there isn't much going on right now. Had a chat with my boss today about my work and where I'm going with my future. As ever, Dave was helpful and concerned, which is one of the reasons why he is such a good manager. I was thinking about resigning and going for something completely different, but I'll see what he and I can come up with between us. This Saturday was the start of the football season here in the UK, and I had a few bets, just to make life more interesting.

07/08/07

I had a lovely weekend - my parents and I went to an old favourite restaurant for Sunday lunch, and it was just as good as it ever was. What was even more surprising is that the price has barely changed - still less than £14 for a three-course meal. We were blessed with a lovely sunny day and Winslow was just as nice as it was when my parents lived there. Finally for this entry, a big thank you to Connie, Sharon, Sara and Gwen for the birthday cards, and a special thank you to Marion for the lovely birthday presents that you sent! I think I will make myself "photo of the week" to show off my presents!

03/08/07

At last the weekend is here, and we still have some lovely sunshine here in England. The big thing for me this weekend will be my "birthday lunch", this Sunday. We're going to a restaurant called The Bell in Winslow, which certainly serves the best food that I have ever tasted, and hopefully has not changed too much in the 10 years since I was last there! Winslow is the place where my parents lived before thy moved to Shipston. Some more news on my upcoming trip to Washington DC - it looks as though this will be in October. There was some talk that it might have been held in Las Vegas, but it has been confirmed as Washington. I don't' care where it is - a trip is a trip and anywhere will do!

01/08/07

Happy birthday to me! Just one year away from the big 40 now, though I have to say I don't feel like it. I fell no different from when I was 16, at least mentally. When I was 16, being 40 seemed very old indeed and a very long way away. Now it's just one year away, it doesn't feel that old at all.

31/07/07

Got lots of work done today, which is good as tomorrow is my birthday and I don't intend to work too hard tomorrow! A few new features to the website too, including a guestbook and a quiz (or rather, some brain teasers to keep you amused). More sunshine today, in fact the weather could not have been better if you had got down on your knees and prayed for good weather.

30/07/07

A very rare sight in Oxfordshire today, namely some sunshine! It doesn't feel like summer though, it feels rather autumnal, as though it were a sunny day in mid-October, rather than the end of July. The other good thing is that I managed to finish off a report that has been on my desk for about six weeks now, so that's a relief - it means I can get on with all the other things that have built up in the mean time! I intend this evening to finish off some new features for the website, including a guestbook, a new tunes page and a quiz.

26/07/07

Finally, it seems that the flood conditions are getting slightly better, as the waters start to recede and give people some relief. We're still nowhere near summer though. Here in England, the temperature should be in the high 70's and early 80's, but it feels right now like an autumn or early spring evening. I even had to wear a sweater last night, it was that cold! Cider is keeping me warm this evening, so no need for jumpers or anything like that, even though it is a cool evening this evening. New musing put online, too.

23/07/07

The floods and conditions in the UK seem to be getting worse. River surges tend to come a while after the rain has fallen, and national TV crews are in the town of Abingdon at the moment, which is about 5 miles away from Didcot and which is expected to be suffering soon because of the Thames overflowing. Supermarkets in the worst-affected areas are running out of bottled water, as the water supplies in the affected areas are cut off. The power is out in some areas too, and some areas can't be reached except by helicopter. Looters are stealing from abandoned cars and houses. I hope those who feel they have to do that sort of thing die a painful death.

22/07/07

The news here is still dominated by the severe flooding that has afflicted the UK, including where my parents live. Didcot (or at least my part) has got away relatively unscathed. It seems that there is no relief in sight, at least for the time being. Views are mixed on whether we will get some summer weather in the near future. The "experts" thought we might get some relief from the rain in August, but now they are not so sure. Still, forecasting the weather is a difficult job and I don't envy that work.

20/07/07

About the most interesting thing today has been the appalling weather that we have had. It rained all day, and it was so hard when I was driving home that the traffic very nearly ground to a total halt. The whole country was given a severe weather warning, and for once they got it right! Otherwise, not much to report. I still haven't finished my report at work, which is rather annoying, though it won't take much longer - hopefully!

18/07/07

Had the afternoon off today so as to take a breather from report writing. Have been doing this for about four weeks now, and it can get very tedious. The solution for me is to "mix it up" a bit, and work at different times and during the evenings. In that way, I can build up leave and then take it when I feel I need it. Otherwise, not much happening here right now. The sun is shining for the first time in a long time, and I now feel much better after being laid low on Monday.

13/07/07

So far, nothing terrible has happened to me on this Friday 13th! In fact I've had a rather nice day, as I took this afternoon off through "time off in lieu", and went for a guided tour of the Diamond Light facility (a synchrotron) that has recently been built at the Harwell site. It kind of reminded me of how much fund doing fundamental science can be, though as a colleague reminded me, there are different sorts of political tensions in jobs like that, and not to under-estimate the style of working that we have at Serco. He's right, too.

12/07/07

Not too much to report this week, as I've spent much of it writing a report that is supposed to be delivered this Friday, but I won't make it as it needs more work. Luckily they're cool about it at work. One good thing is that the weather in England has turned into something like what we expect from summer, with some sunshine and reasonably warm temperatures.

09/07/07

Hmm, it has been quite a while since we last had a new diary entry! The last week or so has seen some adventures when travelling to London last Tuesday in the midst of the terrorist threats here in the UK, and also the difficulty of getting my Vectra repaired in a reasonable time! The upside of being without my Vectra for a few days is that I was given - for free - a nice rental car that was absolutely brand new and that I enjoyed driving for a few days. I have the Vectra back now and that's a relief, as the Corsa rental car was a bit underpowered. The fun in London stemmed from the fact that they kept suspending and then re-opening lines on the tube, because a number of suspect packages were found at various locations. Never mind, I made it there and back, safe and sound! Also added a new Musing entry today, too.

01/07/07

Well the last few days of this week have been good and bad in equal measure. First the good. It looks virtually certain that I will be getting a business trip to Washington DC in the not-too-distant future, for a week. I will stay on for a few days of course to look around properly and take photos. Now for the bad - my Vectra failed its MOT on Thursday and I might be looking at an expensive repair bill. It might just be getting close to the time to think about replacing it, before it gets too unreliable and expensive! Plus the weather is still totally appalling here in England right now. Surely summer can't be too far away?

27/06/07

Had the afternoon off today to get the new version of my website up and running. OK, well it's not totally new, but there about 40 new pages on London and North Carolina, and also a new menu layout on the left. I will probably have to make up a bit of time this week with work commitments, but it is worth it to make some progress on the website. Added a new Musing too, since those have been languishing for a bit.

26/06/07

I'm delighted to say that my new web pages are very nearly done, and I hope to have them online in the next day or two. At long last, the rain seems to have stopped in my part of England, though other parts have suffered severe flooding. Otherwise, not much happening here right now. But that's not necessarily a bad thing - no news is good news, as some people say.

24/06/07

Well the trip to Manchester wasn't the best trip that I've ever been on, the hotel wasn't up to much (though it was cheap) and I think I might have been located in a not-very-good part of town. It's been raining non-stop for the last few days here, and it is supposed to do so for the next few days. I like things cool, but i can do without the rain!

19/06/07

Just time for a quick diary entry as there is a big thunderstorm approaching, and the thunder is shaking the house already! I discovered to my annoyance that I have to go to Manchester for a meeting on Thursday, which means travelling on Wednesday afternoon. It's an important meeting - the aim is to identify how the UK regulations on radioactive waste disposal should be updated - but irritating nonetheless. On the up side, I might get some nice photos of Manchester. It's been some years since I was last in Manchester, so it will be nice to be back for a day.

17/06/07

Well I ended up going to London on Thursday and Friday, and had a fantastic time! The weather forecast was lousy, but in fact the weather wasn't too bad at all, and certainly no rain. This was in stark contrast to the rest of England, which suffered flooding and all sorts during the last couple of days. It was a bit humid in London, which made walking around hard work. I got to see loads of sights, and have a ton of photos of various different parts of London, from the Tower through to Bond Street and Regents Park. It was a memorable two days and a real change to be in the hustle and bustle of the city, rather than the peace and quiet of the countryside. I could get to like the city, but I was amused that the receptionist in the hotel told me that she would prefer to live in the countryside rather than London! I intend to put up some new web pages of the sights in London, in the next week or two.

12/06/07

Hmm, the weather forecast for London is very variable for Thursday and Friday, so I am in two minds about whether to postpone the trip or not. The BBC website forecast for Friday has changed overnight - from rain all day to sunny all day - so I'm not sure the weather authorities have any idea at all about what the weather will be like! I might just chance it and go anyway, I think. If it rains then I'll get a bit wet. Big deal.

10/06/07

I booked my two-day stay in London earlier this evening, and yesterday I prepared a list of places to visit. I'm really looking forward to this visit, and it will be so nice to see some more of my capital city. I'm a country boy at heart, but seeing the city for a few days is exciting too. Was also pleased to see that my father is looking much better now, after his heart troubles over the last few weeks. Coming off morphine has been the best thing to happen to him, and I hope he continues to make good progress.

08/06/07

The end of the week at last, and I'm pleased to say that I got a report finished by lunch time today, so that I was able to "toil" this afternoon. Have decided that I need another trip to London to take some more photos, and have Friday next week set aside for this. I really feel that I should spend more time in my own capital city! Had a strange thought at work today, which was about how depressing it would be to spend an entire lifetime working in the consultancy business. It left me wondering if the urge for a career change is looming on the horizon.

06/06/07

Did I say last time that warm weather has arrived? Well, it's been and gone and it's really quite cold here right now. Plenty of work for me this week, preparing safety case documentation for a radioactive waste repository in the south of England. Had a minor accident last night - tried to switch off my CD player with my foot and accidentally ended up pushing the on-off switch inside the player itself. Yes, that's about as exciting as it gets here right now!

03/06/07

Wow, so we're into June and summer is just a couple of weeks away. Warm weather has finally arrived here in the UK, and with it so have the barbecues and other evening activities for families. I'm pleased to say that my father was looking much better this weekend, though he did forget to put the potatoes on to cook today and got told off by my mother for it! Not much happening for me this weekend, though my hayfever has now arrived and I am sneezing away merrily as a result.

31/05/07

Well the weather has relented slightly here in England, but I'm still wearing a jumper to keep out the cold! Making good progress with my first major task at work since returning from holiday, good enough in fact to be able to "toil" this afternoon and do some website work. I'm thinking about having another day out in London, to add some more photos to that section of the website. Finally, I have come to the decision that I need to buy an electric mower, as my front garden is like a jungle and I think I will give myself a hernia if I try and push my manual mower through all that grass ...

30/05/07

Very miserable day today as the weather seems determined to keep things cold and damp here in Didcot. Sad day today, as I learned that our business administrator, Sally, is moving onto new pastures in July. I'll miss her as she was one of the nicer people in the department, and I wrote and told her so, which she seemed to appreciate. Good luck to you too, Marion, should you ever read this in the future.

26/05/07

Long weekend this weekend, as Monday is a holiday in the UK. The weather has turned full circle now and it is cold and raining as I'm typing this - just like a winter's day. I'm up visiting my parents, but will probably return back to Didcot early tomorrow. I loved every second of my holiday in NC, but in some ways it is rather nice to be back home and among my familiar surroundings. The one thing I do miss is the friendliness of the North Carolinians - Brits have the ability to look through you, as though you're not there, but Americans don't seem to have that feature in the personalities.

24/05/07

First day back at work after the holiday, and no major issues, emergencies or crises to deal with. I also was informed that I am being awarded quite a nice pay rise, which was good. It did occur to me, while I was sitting there, that it felt as though I had never been away. However, I have lots of lovely photos and snippets of video to remind me that the opposite is true. I couldn't help noticing that the weather in the UK - hot and humid - is much less pleasant than the cool but sunny weather that we had during the holiday.

21/05/07

Well today is the day to come home, and so after saying goodbye to Connie I went through security at Asheville and waited for the 2:30 pm flight - which eventually took off at 3:30 pm. Luckily (or so I thought when I got to Atlanta) the flight back to Gatwick was also delayed. That flight eventually took off at 7:30 pm. So I got back to England (without sleeping on the plane) at about 8:30 pm. At Gatwick train station I met an interesting lady who was a journalist for various national publications - and since she was a fellow smoker we were able to pass the time waiting for the train. It turned out that she lived in the town where I was born - small world. I eventually got back to Moreton-in-Marsh train station at about 1:00 pm UK time, and so the holiday was well and truly over. And I was knackered! I was delighted that Connie took the time to call to see that I got back home OK.

19/05/07

I decided that after a number of leisurely days, what I really needed was some exercise, so I took the hike to Bridal Veil Falls. This is only a 4.5-mile round hike, but there a few gradients and the day was hot. Still, it was worth the effort as the falls are breathtaking and I got some great photos. Was amused to see that my coffee cup had the helpful advice "be careful - this may be hot" written on the side of it.

18/05/07

Today was the first day that I began to realise that my holiday is coming to an end, as my mind started to wander onto what would be waiting for me when I got back to work. Also this was the last full day with Connie, so we repeated what we did on Wednesday, i.e. a nice walk followed by a leisurely lunch. More beer and music in the evening!

16/05/07

Very pleasant day today as Connie and I went for a walk in the Dupont State Forest and then on to Hendersonville for lunch. We went back to our old-style diner, and the waitress there was trying out her English accent again. I think part of the reason she's so glad to see us is that we have been quite good tippers on the previous occasions that we've been there! Nice evening of beer and music for me, once Connie had gone home.

15/05/07

I decided that today was the day for me to have a dip in the hotel pool, and was gratified to discover that I could still swim! Connie commandeered my camera and took lots of photos of me in the pool - to my embarrassment! Later on I had a sit by the pool and watched (discretely!) two teenagers do everything except have full-on sex while they larked around in the pool.

13/05/07

No Connie today, so I did a tour of waterfalls and other notable local sites, and took loads of photos.

12/05/07

Graduation day, and a very early start to get to the college on time. Luckily the ceremony doesn't last for too long, and we are away in time for lunch. I noted that the ceremony was very formal - including singing of the national anthem - and I couldn't help contrasting this with the nature of graduation ceremonies in the UK. Sometimes these are "let's get it over and done with" in style, whereas here the day is arranged so that the students have something to remember and be proud of.

11/05/07

Tomorrow is Connie's graduation day from college, and I am going to attend with her, since none of her family can be bothered to attend and watch. Today there is a rehearsal scheduled, and luckily the organisers realise that it is hot and humid so they keep the rehearsal as short as possible. Connie and I had dinner at Applebee's restaurant, which is kind of our own personal celebration of her graduation after three years in college.

09/05/07

Two of the last three days have been spent in Connie's company, and those have included days out to Hendersonville and Waynesville. In Hendersonville we have found a nice old-style diner with friendly service and food that is OK, without being anything to write home about. The waitress who served us spotted my English accent and found that very cute - taking the opportunity to practice her English accent on me! It's a good job the rental car has satellite navigation, otherwise me might never have got to Waynesville!

06/05/07

Spent most of the first weekend without Connie, and so took the opportunity to get out and take some photos of the various local sites, such as the mountains and waterfalls.

04/05/07

Was up bright and early for the flight to Atlanta - and thence to Asheville - this morning. To my surprise, the security at Gatwick didn't seem to be any worse than it has been before, though flying to the USA always entails extra checks. The flights themselves were uneventful. I was sat next to a girl on the flight to Atlanta who was also going to visit someone she'd met online, and was just as excited as I was. The flight to Asheville was fun, as it always is with the good-natured North Carolinians on board. Connie was there to meet me, which was nice.

03/05/07

The first day of my major holiday of the year, to see Connie in North Carolina. I stayed in a hotel in London prior to flying the next day, and needless to say the train to the hotel and Gatwick Airport was running 30 minutes late. I frequently tell people that public transport in the UK is fine - except when I choose to use it. Managed to spend £51 on dinner at the hotel this evening, which was almost enough to make me feel ill when I saw the bill. Never mind, it's only one a year.

So I lied in that last entry - the diary is back!

16/03/07

Well folks, this is the last ever diary entry - unless I decide to resurrect it again in the future - but I will put a link to this page as it stands now for those who find the historical aspects of my life interesting. At this point in time, I have come back from trips to Romania and Belgium, and am going back to Romania next week and to Brussels the week after. In the mean time, look out for some new London web pages, to appear in the next few days. Some new photo pages coming, too.

12/03/07

I'm back from my trip to Belgium, and now I have my trip to Romania to look forward to on the 14th and 15th. The trip to Belgium was good - Brussels is a nice and very European city - and I also had a really good Sunday afternoon as I spent a few hours walking around London and photographing some of the sights. I think there will be a new section on this website coming soon! It was a beautiful afternoon and one that will stick in my memory for a while to come. Also got, on the way back from Belgium, some cool videos of the Eurostar train running at full speed too (nearly 190 mph). I hope the trip to Romania is as pleasant!

07/03/07

Well, I should be sitting here contemplating a very successful trip to Romania. Instead, I'm wondering if the meeting will be held next week instead, as it got postponed and the next dates they're considering now are the 14th and 15th. I hope the meeting is actually held - even though some people don't fancy going to Eastern Europe, I was rather looking forward to my excursion out to Romania. Never mind, if it doesn't happen it will be disappointing, but no big deal.

04/03/07

Interesting weekend as we had a lunar eclipse on Saturday night and I got some good photos! Chatted with my brother Rob on the phone and I was reminded of the BBC comedy "Keeping Up Appearances", with Hyacinth Bucket and Onslow, which was filmed very close to where we grew up (Kenilworth). One episode on TV this week was filmed at the Chesford Grange hotel, and Rob reminded me that he once got barred from there - along with others - for fighting! So if or when you see that episode, think of me and my family! LOL

28/02/07

Wasn't very well today, so decided to have the day off. I learned that I may well be going to Romania early next week, so there is plenty of travelling coming up in the next few months. It's a bit like the British buses - you wait ages for one to come along (I haven't been anywhere for 18 months) and then all of a sudden all the buses come at once. That's Romania, Belgium and North Carolina, all coming up in quick succession!

26/02/07

Gee, is it really two weeks since I last wrote a diary entry? Probably because there isn't much going on over here right now - or at least nothing of any great interest. Plenty of hard work has been the order of the day, and if we win a work proposal that we submitted a few days ago, then I will be spending lots of time in Romania over the next 12 months or so. Lots of travelling in prospect for the next few months - quite apart from going to NC in May, I will be spending a fair amount of time in Belgium on business, too. I'm also trying to ponder how to expand this website, and am not having much luck coming up with ideas. If you have any, do drop me a line!

14/02/07

The week is building up to a bit of a crescendo as I have some proposal preparation work to finish by the end of Friday, which is going to keep me out of mischief for a while. Ned to make a doctor's appointment tomorrow though - I think my ears need to be syringed as my hearing is deteriorating rapidly! I don't think it's old age ... Finally, noting the date, happy Valentine's Day to all of my buddies, and I hope you all got loads of cards!

12/02/07

Much quieter here today, now that all work problems (for the time being) have been sorted out. I hope it stays this way for a few weeks!

11/02/07

A nice quiet weekend for me, in order to recover from the excesses of last week - and I'm not talking cider here! Had to spend much of Friday and some of today sorting out a report that the customer wasn't happy with. He was probably right in the comments that he made, but of course nobody likes to be told that they've done a bad job. The other good news is that I have my Vectra back after a few weeks being repaired - I was quite sorry to see my little Ka go back to the rental place, but it is good to have the Vectra back, though.

07/02/07

Work, work and more work at the moment for me at the moment. Apologies to all my buddies who are waiting to hear from me!

06/02/07

The main item in the news today is a video of American pilots shooting at a British convoy in Iraq, resulting in the death of a British soldier. Dramatic footage, that we had to fight long and hard to get shown in public. I love Americans and America, but they've got to stop shooting at our boys and killing them!! I know the pilots are under pressure, but those at the top need to be more accountable! There's been too many incidents of this type now, and the USA will tell us nothing about what's been going on, unless severely pressed. I sometimes wonder why we continue to support the USA when the relationship is so biased in the USA's favour.

04/02/07

Well I'm pleased to say that my Vectra is back up and running once again, thanks very to Pettipher's Garage in Shipston. It wasn't too expensive, either. Great excitement in Shipston this Saturday, as the Warwickshire air ambulance (a helicopter) had to make an emergency landing in the middle of the street where my parents live! It brought everyone out of their houses to watch while they collected the patient (an elderly gentleman, who I hope is OK), and of course was a paradise for a keen photographer like me!

02/02/07

It seems like ages since I last wrote a diary entry, and that's mainly down to lots of hard work this week and trying to get my car sorted out at the start of the week. Unfortunately it let me down big time when the suspension under the driver's side front wheel collapsed. I had to limp home and the car is still waiting to be fixed. I wonder how much this little lot is going to cost? I had this afternoon off and took the chance earlier to produce some new web pages - which I had intended to have done at the start of this week, but other things had to take priority ...

26/01/07

The snow has disappeared and we are back to cold and gloomy winter weather here. I'm glad it's the weekend coming up, as this week has been fairly challenging at work. Not so much the difficulty of the work, more the sheer amount of it that has to be done. Oh well, that's what they pay me for, of course! Have some ideas for some new web pages, which I will try and do this weekend. I want to tidy up some of the existing ones too.

24/01/07

Woke up this morning to see a covering of white - it had snowed overnight. Not very much, but it has been a long time since we have had snow in this part of England, and the countryside looked very pretty on my drive into work this morning. Perhaps even more surprising was that the traffic was moving freely, as snow tends to cause havoc on the crowded English roads. Didn't have too bad a day at work, either.

22/01/07

Good luck to my father who has to go to a cardio-vascular specialist tomorrow to see if he requires heart surgery or not. Otherwise, not much happening here right now. Had a new starter at work today, and I have to find her something to do when she has gone through her induction, etc.

19/01/07

A very pleasant change in the weather today. After two days of rain, flooding and high winds, everything calmed down and we had some sunshine! Talking of things calming down, I rediscovered the joys of camomile tea tonight. A very nice drink that chills you out and helps you relax. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the weekend, though I will have to do some work after getting totally "stuck" on a mathematical problem at work today. Clearly my brain isn't as sharp as it once was!

16/01/07

Had an amusing email at work today, from management. It said "please try to avoid treading on the grass as you come in to work, to minimise the amount of mud that we tread into the building". So what do we employ cleaners for? Minor chaos reigns here in Oxfordshire right now because of road works on the A34 main road. Only in England could (a) they decide to repair a road that doesn't need repairing, and (b) manage to cause so much disruption in the process.

14/01/07

A nice quiet weekend for me, and just what I needed to recover from Saturday's sore head. I went to visit my parents and we had a rather late exchange of Xmas presents - they gave me a freezer unit for my house, and I gave them a DVD player. My mother is quite keen on that as she likes films and has loads that she wants to rent out now, not so sure about my father, but time will tell, I guess!

13/01/07

Well here I am on early Saturday morning, with a sore head from hell! That's the result of drinking too much cider and having too much fun last night! Never mind, it's worth it every now and again, and it has been quite a hard week with a tricky visit to Berkeley on Thursday, so I felt I was entitled to it. Might try and get out to take some photos a bit later on today.

07/01/07

It's longer than I thought since I last wrote an entry here! The trip to Berkeley went very well, though of course led to loads more work that needs to be done. Had quite a relaxing weekend, but the weather here in England is appalling at the moment, so not much chance to get out and do anything.

03/01/07

Well today was my first day back at work, and I was surprised at how many people wanted to come and ask about various things. In fact, I don't think I achieved anything at all today, other than answer other people's questions. I suppose it's nice to think that people have such faith in me that I know all the answers, but it was a bit annoying while I was trying to prepare for my meeting at Berkeley tomorrow.

02/01/07

Happy New Year to you all! I hope you all had a great Xmas break and that Santa brought you all the presents you could possibly want! I'm back from my expedition to Yorkshire for the holidays, and I had a lovely time with my family. Rob and Wendy did a great Xmas lunch, and they came to visit on the Friday last week. My head has never been so sore as it was on Saturday morning - but that's the price you have to pay for having some boozy fun! Had a minor revamp of the website, and added some more pages during the holidays.