Arggh That Hurts _ !Really!

So I was at a weekend away for the GB medical team.

It was good; met up with some people I hadn't seen for a while, drank played games, chatted etc.

Part of this event was to make up mock caz scenarios; I was pretending to have a broken leg/entrapment type thing going on.

Anyway that isn't important. What is important is that while I was lying under the table pretending to have a broken leg a little bit of grit fell in my eye. So I ended up actually having a scratched eyeball!

So I provided a bit of training for my colleagues, which is nice.

Fine now. BTW.

Don't do disks!

Don't do disks!
Originally uploaded by stewils.

New Bike Stuff

As pointed out by everyone on the Easter holiday I had worn down my brake pads so far you couldn't see that there had ever been grooves or even pads nearly. Which isn't considered to be a good thing.

This meant the installation of new pads (after I got back from hols and had risked life and limb whilst there), which was carried out by Mr Smith, who rightly commented on how shit and hard to set up my brakes were. And that my levers didn't seem to work too good. This is all very true - the lever bit being at least in part from when I rode straight into the the corner of my garden wall having forgotten to do up the brakes one day. The brunt of the impact was taken by the lever body deforming it not a little and preventing the lever clicking back far enough and the brake disengaging properly.

Anyway, it was decided (and vetted by the boss) that I must have new brakes, levers etc. etc. I now have these. And they are lovely. They are a pair of Avid Arch Rivals with SD7 levers, and they stop you very quickly, if that's what you want. They also stop you very slowly if need be - you just have to remember that you don't need to squeeze the bejesus out of the levers anymore.

I'm telling you 1. cause I can't think of anything better to tell you at the mo' and 2. because when Mr Smith renewed the brakes on his bike (and generally tweaked them) and Ste subsequently borrowed the bike Ste managed to do a kinda evil Knievel somersault over the handlebars, whilst moving at slow speed on a clear piece of freshly tarmaced road. Apparently he gently squeezed the brakes and the front wheel locked up. Muppit.

So Ste, consider yourself warned.

Still Poorly

So, as previously mentioned I have a cold, and still I have a cold. Which I think it is unfair as I first started with the thing on Monday last. Admittedly, I can now just about function like a human being, but a coughing spluttering one.

Whining aside, Did speak to the chimney engineer dude. Very helpful, but still no closer to having a chimney that works really. We need someone to nod their head and say "yes, do it" officially, as it were. Takes a long time to get a nod on occasion. In other house related news; well there isn't any really. Architect got back in touch just as I was about to phone her and say 'erm, hows things going you haven't emigrated or died of the plague or anything have you' (this is no comment on the current architect, or her level of communication; merely a general distrust profession). And the wiring continues to grow down the walls of my house like some kinda grey trailing ivy whose roots appear and curl up into little loops every now and then.

And my nephew (edit for getting the relationship right) has chicken pox - which means my sons will no doubt have the pox in a couple of weeks also. So that's something to look forward to ain't it.

Speaking of the smallest; went to visit my dad at the weekend on his boat. Didn't go anywhere stayed moored. But my tiny son still managed to fall backwards head first into the canal between the boat and the pontoon. Given that he is only 2 it was more than a little scary. Luckily my dad managed to grab his ankle and haul him out of the canal before there were any great ill effects. But it made the rest of the visit more than a little stressful for everyone as they kept a constant watch on him; he not being one to learn form his mistakes.

Well I guess that'll do for now. I've gotta get dressed and go and see Horrible Histories at the theatre. More later.

It's over a month..

..Since I last posted - as pointed out by Ste. Sorry I have been more than a little tardy in my updating but this has been confounded by two factors

1. Been doing lots of sorting stuff out with Newhouse. And as a portion of this seems to involve me 'researching' stuff on the web I have ample distraction when I could be blogging.

2. They've got better at filling my time when I'm at work/I haven't done any nights in ages. So no stretches of time in which I keep all you lovely people up to date with what is happening in my life.

So the house - Well, we've had the roof done (quite some time ago, may have made reference to that already) It is now sporting some very large pieces of wood, which'll help stop it all falling in on its self (hopefully). We've removed the bath from the bathroom so it can be better utilised as a bedroom. Cleared out most of the furniture that was hanging around in the Kitchen. It's now hanging around in the kitchen of S&G's new house along with all their stuff. A very expensive furniture store it is indeed.

Hmmm, what else. Well the sparkies are in - they are re-wiring the house. Replacing all the cables that have been crushed and what have you. So that's cool.

And we have yet another architect on the job. But she seems pretty good, coming form a conservation point of view that is pretty much with us.

The other main thing I've been doing is, as Mr Smith has most dutifully pointed out, indulging in a bit of porn'. Don't get too excited, this is stove porn' (still not as interesting as your fetid little mind thinks Ste). Yep, been doing some heavy research into pellet stoves. They are cool.

Have look here if you really want to and here - it's a google map I made. I'm relatively proud of it. The kaboodle site doesn't have all the places/models we are looking at on it - but I think the map does. If anyone ahs any other suggestions that's be great.

Actually if I haven't blogged for a while then kaboodle is always a good place to see what I'm up to - I'm increasingly using snip stuff out the inter-tangle.

Anyway, I need to sign of as we are due to meet a chimney engineer - more on that later, at Newhouse. What a surprise.

TTFN

Red Dwarf Strikes Again

I would appear that Holly from Red Dwarf has been moonlighting doing spoken word instructions for a chimney lining company!

Click on the link and then press the play button and you'll see what I mean.

Just like him init? Same really-very-interested tone of voice and everything.

Back again

(forgot to post this when I shoudl have sorry).

Okay, I have indeed been tardy in my upkeep of the blog of late. But I wish to make up. Since easter (as per piccy) I have mainly been on holiday in Devon. Which is nice. We were their for a week in a lovely, lovely house. Did a few things like..

went to Castle Drogo which is the last castle to have been built in Britian and was built in the early C20th by some geezer who was cheesed his family didn't have an ancestral pile for him to inherit.

Went to a miniture pony centre where they had what seemed to me to be the worlds smallest, roundest horses (and some other things)

Went to Cockington which is a little presereved in time type village just outside of Torquay (for the sole purpose of having cream teas, yeah).

And did various other things that I can't really recall now, as I apparantly didn't psot this post at the time. So here you go. Oh, went to a widllife park near some burnt lettuce.

Easte Egg Hunt

Yeah For the Easter bunny

Wrong, wrong, wrong

So they Gang up On me HUH!

Well theya re wrong, so so wrong. And millions(ish) of photobloggers agree with me - Here's a couple picked at random by way of evidence (something I notice they are a little scant on, nah :})

http://www.knootchyblog.com/
http://www.manyhighways.com/photoblog/

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Sandwitch

Sandwitch
Originally uploaded by tatespa.

Another "guess what I shot". The gauntlet has been laid down on this one thuogh. The guy who posts it reckons it's hust tooo tough. We don't think so. Give and good guess!

Newhouse

As regards work on Newhouse - bought a stove today - yippee.

Admitedly it will be some time before we are in a position to fit it. But it's what we need and it was cheap.

It's one of these - Wamsler 148 CL

Eclipse

Moon Phases
Originally uploaded by seanhepburn2006.

Managed to see the lunar eclipse on Last Night - but only just.
We caught the end of it - when it was just very red. Look impressive none the less. I didn't manage to get any pictures of it at all though!

However, Sean did much better.

Hmmmm

Wonder if you can fore-date post's and as such keep them semi-peminantly at the top of the blog?

Let's see shall we?

Slackers Gift

I've not been able to post for a few days. But that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking of you all.

In fact I have been posting to my blog - in my head.

Okay I admit this does mean that I haven't actually posted. But as they say - it's the thought that counts.

Anyway - I've made amends now. So as result there has a been a bit of a blossoming of post. And due to Bloggers amazing new functionality I can now back date posts to when I think of them. So it's always worth checking you've read everything. There may be more than you thought.

And now - you've haven't gone mad. It probably wasn't there when you checked yesterday.

Magna

P3023143
Originally uploaded by Mr. Dtb.

Went to Magna today. It was very cool. A lot cooler than you might think form their PR. It's built in the Shed (not sure if that's the right phrase) of an old steel recycling plant in Rotherham. And it's HUGE. The shed that is. They left a lot of the old pant in and then added walkways and little pods (which they call pavilions) which house the exhibits - these are all interactive science type stuff. The result is really raw and atmospheric and still feels like you are in a steel mill. It's dark noisy and dirty. But it's also kind cross cut with modern, bright structures. It's well worth the visit just to wander around the walkways from pavillion to pavillion. At first visit it's just so - strange. They had a couple of very cool exhibits.

My favourite had to be the fire tornado. In this they set fire to kerosene and vented it through a cyclone. I'm sure you'll have seen it done in other museums - with dry ice!




They also had a absolutely amazing play park outside, it was just huge and had climbing frames for ages from about 4 till 15 (well that's the published age, when it comes to it 15 is pretty much adult)

Oh. And they've got the Bison that used to sit overlooking the M1 from the edge of the steel plant. If you know what I'm talking about.

Just Testing

"Yes you certainly are" - there I've said it - you needn't touch the add comment button.

The Much Trailed Snowman.

P2092974
Originally uploaded by Mr. Dtb.

Riding a Plough.

They Got It

The house - my in-laws.

Didn't ask them for any ID though.

Glad that wasn't a wasted journey then!

Naughty, Naughty Greggy

So my Lovely Bro-in-Law is trying to buy a house (not that he doesn't own two already) - actually I guess what they are trying to do is build an extension with out the hassle of all the building bit. He's got the two centre cottages of a terrace (they only count as one in the above reckoning up BTW) and they're after the end one, in order to make an UberHouse. You can get the general idea if you look here. It's everything from the fairly obvious change in roof slates/ second long window from the right, heading left. A reasonable property I guess.

Anyway, it's going up by auction this is fairly hair-raising in itself. And requires, in order the bid be completed, that you provide a certain amount of photo id, utility statements etc. Bro-in-Law very sensibly put these in the boot of his car so as not to forget to bring them from Oxford (location of first house).

They then travelled in Sister-in-law's car. DOH.

This meant he had to drive to Oxford again - at about 8.00pm ish, yesterday. And then straight back again. Ouch. I being the gallant soul I am agreed to assist in the driving and genrally be company for him. Yep I'm nice. And modest too.

All was going swimmigly - we'd had quite a large and late luch, so decided to push off and get a service station burger along the way. Sweet.

So decide to stop around nine. All OK. Siddle up to BK's and order 2 veggie burgers (he's also kinda veggie). Nope says the greasy burger-wallah. Okay 2 Bean burgers then. Again nope. So we wander on, foraging for more appealing food stuffs - all the rest of the chow looks particularly grim, and we really fancy something hot and not a wilting sarnie so we decided to push on to the next service station. When we get there it has a Wimpy (a think Yeah to myself as I quite enjoy Wimpy in a retro kinda way). But it's shut. Also shut is the canteen type thing. So on we go. When we get to the next place ditto. Wimpy shut, canteen shut, little shop thing - Not even any veggie sarnies. Lucky for Greg they had some paninis in the coffee shop - or else I may have given up vegetarianisms early.

And taken up cannibalism instead.