I have to confess that it’s not completely fixed and I think a trip back to see the Doc and perhaps the Lady with the Hose is in order.

For the most part today was a success. A mix of meetings, document reviews and mail catchups with a Chinese buffet throw into the middle.

Sorting travel on this other project seems to be a nightmare. Every process in this company seems ill defined and documented and relys on you knowing who to talk to about what.

This evening I was looking at some pictures I’d taken and trying to get rid of the noise you seem to get with digital cameras and available light on anything over 50 ASA (I hate flash photography). I’ve settled in the end on Noise Ninja from Picturecode which seems to do a very good job at cleaning up pictures. Now I just need to clear the backlog of things I have to process…

Posted by Mark at 10:42 PM | Permalink

Well, after the aural issues I have been suffering with at last I got to see the doctor. It seems I have an infection and a blocked ear and I was sent along to sit outside the treatment room and wait for Nurse.

I have to admit to being a little apprehensive about anything medical (a condition I blame on a nurse who insisted I have an injection in my backside rather than an arm when I was about four) and the last time I was here for shots before I travelled I even insisted on the lolly afterwards.

I was tempted to point out what nurses do to the four year old ahead of me in the queue but as his Mum seemed to have brought sweets I decided against it.

At first glance ear syringing seems to be in the 21st Century. An impressive piece of equipment came out, complete with foot control and water tank. A new, hygienic end was fitted and then the whole procedure slid downhill as an old, beaten up aluminum jug was produced. “You need to hold this under your ear”, I was told, as Nurse proceeded to push the pipe into my ear, turn on the water and drench us both. “I think you have the wrong type of ear”, she shouted, soaking us again.

In the end we sorted it with a lot of pushing, head twisting and water spraying. Now I have bat like hearing in one ear and the other seems dull and muffled….

Posted by Mark at 8:12 PM | Permalink

Some dogs bark all the time at every noise. Others ignore everything and you get the feeling that even if they were dog napped they wouldn’t make a noise. Striking a sensible balance is hard thing to do in the dog world.

I knew they were in the moment I knocked on the door. The kind of barking which means “gerrout”. Luckily it didn’t last that long and as soon as they saw who it was the barking changed to happy mauling.

L’s folks and the boys are down south for a while just to check out how soft us southerners really are. It was really nice to see them all again and get a little time together, even if Bob did think I needed that wash and clean up …

Posted by Mark at 11:50 PM | Permalink

It seems ages since I picked up a camera and tried to take more than “snaps”.

With a clear blue sky and brilliant light it seemed too good an opportunity to turn down and so I headed into central London to take some pictures and visit some galleries. Chinatown was all dressed up for the New Year tomorrow and the galleries I wanted to visit were relatively uncrowded.

One of my favorite walks in London is along the south bank of the Thames from Hungerford Bridge to Borough Court. It seems that there is always something going on in this part of the city. From people jogging or walking to fairs, beach parties or food festivals. Even on a quiet day you can wander along and watch the river.

I guess I like this area as it was always the gateway into London for me when I was child and brought here by my parents. In those days Hungerford Bridge was a narrow, dirty walkway strapped to the side of Charing Cross railway bridge. All of the drains were blocked along it which meant you often had to wade through puddles but I loved it. I used to walk along and watch the riverboats hoping one day I could work on the river. In later life I walked into the city for meetings over the bridge past the young juggler who couldn’t manage beanbags but now has gravitated to firebrands and also moved upmarket with a pitch outside the Tate Modern.

I remember one of the last times I walked over the old bridge. By this time it was even more depressing, clad in shuttering to hide the emergence of the new bridge to one side of it. Halfway along the bridge were some flowers and a note remembering where someone’s loved one took their life.

Now there are two new walkways on either side of the railway bridge. Clean, shiny and bright metal they are wide, well drained and welcoming. In all the construction the private shrine to a loved one lost had been brushed away.

I still love the walk and the view. Even more so as at the end of it is Borough Court and not just because of the food at Brindisa….

Posted by Mark at 11:25 PM | Permalink

Today was an odd one. Partly due to work partly around here.

I’m begining to wish the Indian Ear Cleaner from Anjuna beach lived a little close than Goa. Being deaf in one ear is not conducive to good presentations or good meetings. You tend either to miss all those asides your colleagues are whispering about or shouting at people because you have no idea how loud you are talking. I’ve also noticed my balance is going : and that it bleeds, which isn’t the best thing to wake up to on a morning.

On the plus side I saw an old friend who seems to have followed me from company to company as a supplier from various firms. A long but productive meeting and one with a good few laughs which helpled the morning go more easily.

The car also passed it’s MOT despite a bad school report from the last service and some petulant behaviour in the fast lane of the motorway. Now I just need to work out a budget and what sort of replacement I’d like.

This evening, as I was here, Martin and Richard came round for beer, prawn crackers and music. Martin was all for a trip to A and E but I’m sure my ear will last until Monday and the doctor’s appointment.

Besides I’m kind of used to the noise of the sea in it, it’s soothing when I sleep.

Posted by Mark at 11:57 PM | Permalink

Blog Tips at ProBlogger

There’s an interesting article reposted from Evan Schaeffers Legal Underground blog which I perhaps need to read and apply to make this a little fresher….

• Resolution 1: Mix It Up
• Resolution 2: Prove You Have a Personality
• Resolution 3: Be a Better Writer
• Resolution 4: Write for the Computer Screen
• Resolution 5: Use Photos
• Resolution 6: Don’t Be Obscure
• Resolution 7: Build a Community
• Resolution 8: Experiment with New Weblogging Ideas
• Resolution 9: Don’t Let Your Weblog Make You Crazy
• Resolution 10: Learn from Other Weblogs

Posted by Mark at 6:08 PM | Permalink

Well with the aid of some MDF and No More Nails I got the door hung back on the frame and capable of closing.

I seem to have a car full of DIY projects tonight as I need to dog proof the front garden tomorrow ready for the weekend, block up a vent and sort out some drawers.

Posted by Mark at 7:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Working in a global organisation you meet and talk to all sorts of people from many different countries.

Being English means you can be lazy and just accept the fact that everyone will speak the same language that you do; sometimes they speak it better.

Today I got a mail about The Project and some order we placed on it. Our purchasing is all done from Hungary and mostly it’s done online via one of our systems but occasionally you get a mail. The one I got today had a non-commital comment on money spent and reading the rest of the mail seemed the easiest way to put it into context.

Only the rest of the mail was in Hungarian. I was left scrolling past words like ‘endusernek’ (end user ?), ‘csoportnak’ (an East European fotball team ?) and ‘hibazenetet’ (a good score in Monopoly).

It’s time to pick up the phone and try the other English communication method : shouting and waving my arms about.

Posted by Mark at 3:34 PM | Permalink

I finally got around to looking at the broken hinge today.

Like most old doors the screws were buried under layers of paint which needed scratching back to get to the heads. Luckily the wood seemed sound and the screws came out easily. What I hadn’t forseen was the fact that the old hinges were deeper than the new ones and that one of the old ones had snapped at some stage and been fixed with a metal brace attached to the back.

The upshot of this is that the door’s back on the hinges but it doesn’t close. I suppose at least it’s not going to fall on anyone as it’s no longer propped up but it does need to be taken down again and the hinges packed.

Posted by Mark at 11:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I think it’s time to look at the terms of the private health insurance.

The headaches are back and the deafness (which I hoped was down to lengthy and often pointless conferance calls) seems to be getting worse.

All I want to do today is laze, sleep and try to recover…..

Posted by Mark at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sometime you want something so much you end up striving too hard for it. Perhaps you need to be told to create a little space and just hope things work out.

Lets hope they do.

Posted by Mark at 11:44 PM | Permalink

Another session refining the demo. Basically the technical side of it works now all we need to do is add in the “suit speak” which papers over the parts where nothing exciting is happening (something which to the technical eye happens a lot with this product despite all the excitement from management about leading edge glossiness).

I just know getting the right template, using the right font size and not overdoing the transitions is going to be more of a challenge than keeping the product up and running.

Posted by Mark at 8:58 PM | Permalink

I’ve just sat on a two hour conference call the gist of which was simple plain common sense.

With a second major project with my name on it I wonder now how many more of these calls I’ll have to sit through.

Posted by Mark at 4:04 PM | Permalink

I’m sitting at work trying to make sense of something at a desk I’m borrowing for the day.

Out of the window the most amazing sunset is slowly stretching it’s way across the sky. Blues, purples, oranges and reds are mixing and clashing as the clouds blow away.

Walking outside the night’s cold and the sky is high.

It feels time to travel soon.

Posted by Mark at 6:01 PM | Permalink

The problem with older houses is the upkeep. Both mine and the Ice Box (which since the boiler surgery really needs to be renamed) take a lot of TLC to keep them going but despite that they can still surprise you and throw up some unexpected job to do.

Today all I did was push open the bedroom door and hear the quiet click as the hinge snapped and the top of the door dropped away from me into the room. Trying to stop a large, solid wooden door from doing a ballroom dancing style dip at an early hour isn’t my idea of fun …

Posted by Mark at 10:29 PM | Permalink

The idea was to have “posh kebabs” which is why we went back to a place we’d eaten before. We even had the same meal, despite the advice of the waiter who seemed to be pushing us to a more costly dish.

Waking up this morning we realized perhaps why that was. I’ll save you all the details but all we managed to do today was spend time sleeping; watching TV; online Sudoku and some Internet shopping for watercolour brushes, a book on photography and the beginnings of a holiday.

Next time we’ll listen to the waiter or go for the cheap kebab !

Posted by Mark at 5:10 PM | Permalink

A rather lazy morning meant we were still at home when the plumber appeared armed with a load of new parts for the boiler.

After a few cups of coffee, some open boiler surgery and a panic about firing delays it was declared fixed and working. I think we are both sceptical as we’ve been here before.

One of the things about being with someone new is that you end up doing all sorts of different things and going to new shops is one of them. It made a nice change from my normal round of shops even though we sneaked into Liberty’s for L to lust at the handbags.

After a late lunch at the Maison Touaregue we headed home to a house that was hot. Perhaps at last it’s fixed ?

Posted by Mark at 10:49 PM | Permalink

With both of us working at home today this seems already like a long weekend.

Today was spent sorting things in Excel, working out bills of materials and getting ready for a New Project. Despite this being a new year there seems to be a general malaise about working for a large company and having little or no say over one’s destiny at work both inside the company and with suppliers.

I feel a little like this. It’s a necessary evil to work here at the moment. It provides money and some security but little job satisfaction. Maybe I need to find a new direction.

At least for now I can work from home and we have some furniture at the Ice Box.

Posted by Mark at 8:46 PM | Permalink

We actually managed to demo what we have done and it worked ! I’m amazed and even more relieved.

It’s 60 days today and this month we’re together to celebrate.

Catch you all later.

Posted by Mark at 8:22 PM | Permalink

It’s a night in for me. Actually I’m waiting in the Ice Box for L to come back from an evening out so I can pick her up from the station.

Life recently has been so busy that its not often I get to sit down, put my feet up and watch the TV. I’m really lucky that I have two places I feel so at home in. Ok one is warmer than the other but this place feels very comfortable to be around in. I hope the reverse is true for L.

There’s a retrospective on Patrick Litchfield on the TV tonight which reminds me I need to complete the photography course I started and take more pictures and less snaps.

Always something to do.

Posted by Mark at 9:30 PM | Permalink

It’s that Bloggies time of year and the nominations are open for your favourite weblogs so make sure that you head along nominate and vote !

Posted by Mark at 7:29 PM | Permalink

I’m not one for resolutions but it is nice to have some goals in life.

That said the list I did last year remains mostly untouched. Priorities shift and change and other things come along taking time and finances. The few medium term goals I have remain the same so it should be a simple matter to pick them up from where I left them. Longer term there’s some goals which I’m still trying to nuture.

There’s some hints on making a fresh start via Lifehacker.

Posted by Mark at 10:59 AM | Permalink

Well the air pressure switch works. The place is now too hot.

No snow today, just rain but I still managed to get the gutterings cleared. The downside of that is now we have more water coming off the roof to the full hole in the ground.

Today’s shopping was for an electric extension cable but ended up including a new lightshade for the hall, a dimmer switch and a roast beef supper.

With the aid of a high tech tea towel we managed to move the TV into the corner of the room in record time, then took hours to re-adjust all the delicate cables so we got the sound and pictures back.

It’s been a really good weekend. We wanted to make some impact on the Ice Box and we have. We just need to turn the heating down now…

Posted by Mark at 10:38 PM | Permalink

The plan this weekend was to make some impact on the Ice Box and work started early despite the snow.

I thought it would be an easy job to lift the grate, find the blockage and clear it with the drain rods but after digging out 5 buckets of sludge, a dead rat and a whole lot of clay I was begining to look like something from Mayhew’s London.

I had better luck cleaning the oven and a very late brunch meant we were still in the house when the plumber arrived with the air pressure switch to fix one of the issues with the boiler.

Wth that fitted we headed out to find L some lounge furniture; suffer a bananna flavoured coffee (I’d asked for vanilla but they used the wrong bottle and tried to fix it by adding vanilla to my bananna latte) and to get the makings for a roast dinner.

Guess what : the heating was on when we got home…

Posted by Mark at 11:54 PM | Permalink

I have spent all day papering over International Relations.

The spotlight seems to be on us over the work we are doing and our American cousins are gettimg more ansey over some aspects of the work. Whilst we don’t have any formal backing for this work the expectation seems to be that we should be able to delivery ontime and in budget.. When we don’t it’s open season on butt kicking.

At least tonight I’m in the Ice Box cooking for us and planning a weekend of chores.

Posted by Mark at 11:26 PM | Permalink

One of the things hanging over me from last year was some work in Scandinavia and so I headed up to Buckinghamshire to meet with the country manager and find out what it was all about.

The weather seemed colder here then further North at Christmas. I’d remembered to raid the jar in the kitchen for coins to feed the parking meter and even found a free office to work in (albeit a frozen portaloo sized one).

Something I have always admired as I travelled in Europe was the general sense of style and standard of dress of the European. Certainly Stockholm had it’s fair share of well dressed couples walking and window shopping. I guess I was expecting that from this meeting so the pink leather jacket was a little surprising and put me on my back foot a little.

I should have tried for the very cool and trendy “Tja !” as an opening line but instead went old and stuffy with “God mórgon” which didn’t fit at all well with the jacket.

As usual the whole meeting was more bluster than fact and when things were investigated it turned out that the whole matter could have been discussed on the phone with the same cautious conclusion. I tried to recover a little linguistic grace with a nonchalent goodbye of “Vis ses” or “we’ll be in touch” and headed back to the car trying to remember not to throw the ticket but to add it to the pile of expenses I have to do.

Posted by Mark at 11:05 PM | Permalink

I can’t help but think we need an air pressure switch.

It was the first thing the manufacturers suggested when I called them but we seem to have tried everything but that to date. Anyhow, the plumber was back today : prodded, poked and tested it and said we need an air pressure switch and he’d be back on Saturday to fit it.

Posted by Mark at 8:54 PM | Permalink

This holiday was enjoyable in part for being such a long break. One of the longest times away from work for me in a long while. The problem is that it makes the return all the more hard.

I have a mountain of mail to climb; a backlog of blogging and what seems like thousands of todos alarming away in Outlook.

The problem is that most of this I’m not that interested in doing. My mind’s elsewhere and with other people. Picking up the pieces of projects from last year and updating all the admin from last week just isn’t where my head is at right now.

At least after the concern of what we’d walk back into at work we both had a good night at the Ice Box with a little wine, a good meal and heating which seemed to want to stay on for once.

Posted by Mark at 10:08 PM | Permalink

Well, the plane ride back was a lot more crowded but the taxi arrived promptly and the driver didn’t try to kill us.

The Ice Box was cold as we predicted but at least with the vents blocked it doesn’t take so long to warm up.

I had the nicest of Christmases. Relaxed, cared for, with a lot of laughs and fun.

Thank you.

Posted by Mark at 7:46 PM | Permalink

We were all in recovery mode today.

Some of us made it up to discover the bottle of champagne still in the freezer. Some braved the cooked breakfast. Some decided to stay in bed and sleep.

A few of us made it out to the countryside for a long walk with the boys. We were nearly mown down by quad bikes on a treasure hunt, almost snowed on but the view at the end of the walk and the nip of Scottish mead from the hip flask made it all worthwhile.

Posted by Mark at 10:24 PM | Permalink