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In a day we seem to have unpicked all that hard work of the last three days.
With unclear remits, petty arguments and senseless decisions we have turned from a slowly gelling team to a group of individuals intent on self destruction.
By the end of the day I just gave up and went to Martin’s to witness the inaugural barbecue and try to calm down.
Sitting in the Manchester BA lounge seemed to be the longest time we had been still in days. Neither of us wanted to get up when the call for the flight came.
When we did get motivated it turned out that it was the final call and when we arrived at the gate it was a more personal call with our names being broadcast in an attempt to shame us to the gate.
From then on it went downhill. A 20 minute delay before we left the stand, 15 minutes in the holding pattern then one of the worst landings I�d had at Heathrow.
Despite the still air and clear blue sky we hit a really bad spot of turbulent air pushing the plane side to side at what seemed to be only feet above the ground.
I stood in the business parking next to the runway and watched the planes come out of the sunset to land very grateful to have both feet firmly on the ground.
Up until now we’ve been working hard but for the most art working alone. Today we got a chance to meet some of the project people and work with them.
It’s still a spin of meetings, trying to find our way in the project and hard work but tonight we all got some time off to socialise and eat curry.
Mr Kandhoka’s restaurant offers Halal food, many specialist meals and the finest ingredients including a vegetable described on the menu as being “like suede”.
I’m of That Certain Age which remembers suede as a material for suits and the inside of Cavaliers so instead I opted for something else personally recommended by Mr Kandhoka which was less adventurous but just as nice.
Even early on the BA lounge was full.
Like the public lounge outside people were on the phone, checking mails on Blackberrys or working on laptops but in here others, like me, were trying to wake up with the aid of the free, fresh coffee and Danish.
We’re flying up this time which makes a nice change, especially after the long journey home last Friday.
Three days working in the Gothic splendour of Agatha’s old house hopefully without any murders.
All day long I have been trying to catch up both at work and at home.
I’m away for a few days in Manchester so today has been spent clearing up bits and pieces at work, trying to get things handed over from people who are going on holiday, ironing, packing and all the usual jobs you need to do before closing the door and going on the road.
Finally, I have the case closed and the boarding pass printed out …
It’s not everyday you are pursued around a strange garden by a gay barman with what seems to be a glass of blue toilet disinfectant garnished with a parasol.
It is of course my own fault as I fell prey to his ways when he made me a Mai Tai (with a parasol of a complimenting colour) just before I went to meet a load of people I had never seen before.
I should have opted for a more manly drink to impress these people but I think a mid evening change to white wine caused a little recovery in their view of me before I was tracked down to a candlelit table in the gloom by Dave, anxious that I try his latest concoction.
Hopefully that won’t be their lasting impression of me.
It’s always when you need to be somewhere on time that it goes horribly wrong.
My normal one hour journey home took two and a half hours due to a horse box scattered all over the motorway. The plan to do The Big Present at Martin’s before we all left for Anne’s fell through and I had what felt like 5 minutes to change, carry The Big Present to Martin’s, walk to the shops, get some flowers for Anne and then walk up to her house.
Sitting out we ate pizza, drank a little champagne and gave presents. Later, with Paul back from a trip to Prague, we listened to Miles Davies, plotted trips to listen to jazz musicians and relaxed after a very long week.
After the office came a quick tour of the local garages.
I really need to change my car so this evening was spent visiting a few of the local garages. Rather ironically at one I bumped into a chap who did the rebid on the large project I’m now working on.
The last time I bought I bought from new, this time I’m looking at second hand and due to the dodgy nature of the electrics in mine at the moment it’s a matter of getting one sooner rather than later. It’s all very different from the first time I went to a garage with a brand new driving licence and bought myself a little Sunbeam.
I’m off to the Alfa owners website to ask a few questions….
It’s working, cold and restocked. I’m so excited I’m off to cook …
I came back last night to a flooded kitchen. The freezer finally gave out and ice and food melted.
Fortunately both Martin and I had taken today off to go to the seaside so I was around and he was here to help. We must have looked odd, two chaps wandering around Currys and Comet comparing the various merits of the models on display.
The problem with these sheds of white goods is the attitude of the sales people. In one shop the salesman was less than interested and told me to go look on the Internet at all the models they didn’t. That attitude and the fact that I needed a replacement today and not in 10 days time sent us out to a local store.
After a lot more door opening, discussions about the size and placement of the doors and shelves we narrowed it down to a few and then to one. “Any chance of a little more off ?”, asked Martin, indulging in his favourite sport of taking money off sales people. “I doubt it”, she said but in the end we got another £9.99 off ontop of the discount for the sales.
“I’m happy now”, said Martin, as we drove away.
After a struggle to get the old unit out to the back alley and the new one through the door, cleaning up from the sweat and dirt we were both coated in we headed off for a late European lunch of Tapas.
Back home I stood and admired the new freezer, plugged it in and pushed it back to it’s final resting place and tried to open the door. It only opened a crack. It was fouling on the work top….
An hour later Martin and I had taken it apart, moved the hinges and handles around and finally, finally it was sorted.
We were woken up way too early. Firstly by Richard and then by Joanne. I guess that’s what you get for not agreeing on a time and a plan the night before.
Mind you it turned out that I couldn’t remember much of the night before. I don’t remember getting the candles for the table nor do I remember pouring the Limoncello.
I do remember Fhai saying the weather would be bad on Monday and we should go to the beach on Sunday instead and that’s how I came to be rushing out of the house with a patio full of glasses, bottles and wax and a kitchen full of left over salad and pizza.
We’d planned a trip to the sea for Richard to try his new snorkel and he was all setup up with flippers and mask from the moment we got out of the car.
By the time we got to the sea he wasn’t that sure. This wasn’t the local pool. Colder and with nothing to hold onto he waded in ankle deep peered through a steamed up mask and set off up the beach to make sandcastles instead.
I snorkeled around for a while before walking back to the car to find Fhai starting on the barbecue. As Martin said we were all out of sorts. Tired from a long day yesterday and phased from the rush down to the sea. Added to that we were stuffed from all the food and settled down to sleep. To be honest I needed a rest but was a little shocked to wake up next to Martin to find that Fhai and the kids had left us alone and headed off to find crabs in the rock pools.
In the end Martin and I wandered off to explore a new part of the beach.
Me : “I need a DJ for next week, it’s a formal party”
Him : “That doesn’t seem very fair”
Me : “It’s OK all I have to do is find one”
Him : “Well, not being funny isn’t that a lot of money”
Me : “No, should be able to find a DJ somewhere”
Him : “What a disc jockey’s cheap ? Still doesn’t seem fair”
Me : “No, a dinner jacket”
As he said, out of sorts.
I
It was supposed to be a calming summer party after a nice relaxed day…
I was up early to clean up the garden and get the shopping in then out with Richard to sort some errands. I dashed into the town to have my hair cut and came back to cook and discovered the fridge freezer rapidly warming up.
I turned it off and back on and still the temperature rose. All I could do was call Martin and save some of the food in the freezer and steal all the spare place in his fridge to chill the salads and food for later…
Luckily the drink remained cold and the sun was hot and we all sat out until late eating, talking and enjoying a great summer party.
No one was really up to much today. A long day at work, more stress, Richard tired and Martin feeling ill.
All I could manage was to sit on the patio, watch the poppies with the sun light behind them and read
I will do this ….
It rained today, but luckily I was in the office.
As we sat working I watched someone looking at some of my pictures that I have as a screensaver on my laptop. I need to take more and I need to travel again.
Recently I have been looking at how I process pictures once they are taken. I used to just rotate and crop. The I moved onto altering colour balance and sharpening. After that came removing noise. Now I’m trying to use Photoshop in different ways. The last few pictures posted here have been processed in Photoshop. One a a “straight” image and one to try to make it look more like a picture taken years ago with a film camera.
Whilst it’s fun to experiment it does take more time, especially when you are learning. In the meantime have a look at some proper snaps taken at the Travel Photographer of the Year website.
Well it was sunny today ….
In the summer we all live outside. On an evening you can hear Ram in his garden and Martin in his.
We eat out, read books and papers and watch the stars.
Today lunch was at Martin’s. Fhai cooked spaghetti (or as Joanne calls it Masgetti) and we sat out trying to decide what to do with the rest of the as we’d all had a late start due to swimming and shopping.
In spite of the lure of festivals on the South Bank and the idea of a trip to the sea we decided on a trip to a local village, some bike riding, football and the odd beer.
Back home Martin came up for a meal outside and we sat with salad and chicken cooked in Moroccan spices drinking beer and watching the bats.
The idea had been to go to a summer party on a newly laid lawn admiring a new conservatory. The problem was there was a large dusty hole where the garden should be.
I know Wendy through Karen, one of Karen’s many friends in the village she lives in and with whose children Elizabeth and Alex play. She was recently back from her holiday and had hoped to return to a new garden. Until, that is, the bloke who was doing it went AWOL after deciding he needed Wendy to confirm the plans again.
So, instead we went to the local pub, bumping into the builder in question who ignored us all. When it was dark enough not to see the hole in the garden we went back to Wendy’s for pizza and nibbles and to plot revenges…
There’s a quotation attributed to Winston Churchill which I like and which sums up work at the moment :
“If you are going through hell, keep going.”.
Rather than keeping going I decided to take a day out today and get away from it all.
Amanda and I had planned some days out and when she mentioned where we were going today it turned out that Dawn and Drew were heading there as well. Luckily we all fitted into Amanda’s jeep and managed to avoid the miles of traffic jams on the M25 today due to a lorry fire.
Chartwell is a lovely house and it still feels like a home. The rooms are comfortable and airy, the terraces bathed in sun. The views of the Kent Weald are simply stunning.
We took turns to stay with Ben as the others wandered the house before we headed to the picnic ground to sit in the sun, share food, Pimms and wine and catch up with everyone’s news.
Back at Amanda’s there was some patio furniture to unpack before heading home. It was a nice, simple day. As Winston said :
“It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.”
He was called The Fifth Beatle. He was the only person to have his name included in the label credits of “Let It Be” and “Abbey Road” albums as well as the landmark “White Album”. His splashy organ playing was featured on “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and he played Sgt. Pepper in the film.
As a writer of music he penned “You are So Beautiful” and a host of other songs. Miles Davis named a tune after him.
Billy Preston was a seminal musician of the 60’s and 70’s.
Farewell Billy.
Thing aren’t going well at work. There’s enough stress and hassle outside of the team in the wider project without having it within the team as well.
At least the sun’s out and I can go sleep on the patio with the radio on.
Catch you later…
“And if you want a baby you have to get together and cuddle”, explained Richard.
“Then the tadpoles swim to the egg”, he continued before going back to munching on a beef kebab, avoiding any awkward questions about the tadpoles in my pond. 
It’s been another glorious day and the evening is hot and sunny. After a day sitting in my back room all I wanted to do was get back outside and Joanne’s knock at the door after school was my invite to a barbecue.
Unlike Sunday today we had Thai food. Pork and beef kebabs and the most amazing baked pineapple, stuffed with rice, prawns and other things.
After cleaning up and taking the kids to bed Martin and I sat out to watch the Swifts and Martins sweep low over the gardens.
It’s not often I stay down into St James’s in London but then again it’s not often I go out for a meal with Alan Hansen.
With the World Cup starting this week I’ve been invited out to meal at Quaglino’s hosted by a supplier.
Quaglino’s is a :
“dazzling restaurant, bar and private room was built on the site of the old Quaglino’s, the most famous of London’s “society restaurants”. Today the restaurant retains the spirit and glamour of its famous past, with a buzzing restaurant, busy bar with live music and an elegant private room.”
Seated at the bar was Hansen, talking freely with supplier and customer. In the background was music supplied by a couple of chaps working their way steadily through the Bossa song book and currently in the middle of “The Girl from Ipanema”.
After introductions and a few glasses of champagne we were off to the private dining room for a very enjoyable meal, some wine and an evening of stories and insight from the world of football.
Lifehacker has a really interesting piece on carrying your world around on a thumb drive.
I still have my Ipaq, despite it’s dodgy battery, but more and more I tend to move browsing, files and a whole lot more around on a thumb drive.
I wonder how long it will be before everything is web enabled like Writely from Google.
Sunday lunch outside with Martin, Fhai, Richard and Joanne and Martin’s Mum..
Portabello Road was full of people wandering in the sun, drifting between the stalls and cooling themselves in the shops.
On the South Bank the London Planes were offering shade to people waiting for an outdoor seat at the riverside cafes.
Lunch was at Gabriel’s Wharf, sitting outside at the Riviera.
Back home it was Pimms on the patio and watching the sunset.
Summer, at last, is here….
After the picnic bench which always seemed to creak and groan and eventually rotted I swore I’d never get wooden patio furniture.
What I have now isn’t all wood but the wooden slats need an annual clean, sand and to be coated with teak oil. For now the table’s done, I just need to make a start on the chairs. But not tonight.
This week has been long and far more stressy than I’d like. More and more it’s like working in a circus. Juggling several sets of balls and spinning half a dozen plates as we try to set the foundations for this new project whilst working out what requirements are, how we store all this information, formatting it into a new and confusing Quality Management System and getting all the basics of IT which may or may not exist.
I used to be able to sit out when I worked at home but today was a blur of calls, work and a snatched sandwich. At least it was hot today so Martin and I sat out with some wine and watched the swallow swooping over the gardens.
A few days after the event it’s Karen’s birthday. Elizabeth is proudly showing off her new lipstick and Alex has a new cricket bat and ball.
Despite the recent weather summer seems to be here with Elizabeth’s new clothes. Soon I’ll need some style tips from her. Can it really be that she’s left childhood behind ?
After their Dad picked them up I was left with Sky while Karen got ready. Way too many channels for me (just how many TV programs are devoted to wine ??) but I did see the Ronan Keating / Kate Rusby promotional video twice.
The plan had been tapas but as it was later we wandered around to the Crooked Billet. I think the last time I’d been here was in the 80’s when we were all married and it was a late, hot sunny Autumn day with spiders making webs on the warm air. Today it was dark when we got there and we sat inside eating some reasonable pub grub and catching up on news
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