Tuesday 20 August 2019
Monday 19 August 2019
Hoping
One of the great things about having a blog that has been running for over ten years, and with over 1,300 posts in it (even if they can be seriously sporadic at times), is that I can dip in, select a date at random, and see what I was writing about way back when.
The best ones are about family.
Some of the best stuff is about J, partly because I may have included a little detail about what he was up to on a particular day, and his life has changed rather a lot since 2007.
Today (and tomorrow for a different reason) is another one of those days for J.
So, he missed one of his exams back in May. Well, actually he had to come out of it after only 30 mins or so due to a bad headache. I so desperately hope he doesn't turn into a migraine sufferer. Of all the characteristics to pass on to your son, that's not the one to hope for. Anyway, today's the day to have another go at it, and as I type this, he'll be on his way to London for the 3-hour challenge. I know he's been working hard over the last few weeks, and I know that he has the ability and the knowledge to do well in this exam (yesterday evening he took great pleasure in explaining to me a particular question and his elegant solution). I only hope that the exam its conditions provide him with an opportunity to give the best of himself.
I hope he comes out happy, I hope he gets all the things that he deserves, and I hope that he thrives in his continuing studies when the new term comes around.
I hope so many things for my wonderful boy.
The best ones are about family.
Some of the best stuff is about J, partly because I may have included a little detail about what he was up to on a particular day, and his life has changed rather a lot since 2007.
Today (and tomorrow for a different reason) is another one of those days for J.
So, he missed one of his exams back in May. Well, actually he had to come out of it after only 30 mins or so due to a bad headache. I so desperately hope he doesn't turn into a migraine sufferer. Of all the characteristics to pass on to your son, that's not the one to hope for. Anyway, today's the day to have another go at it, and as I type this, he'll be on his way to London for the 3-hour challenge. I know he's been working hard over the last few weeks, and I know that he has the ability and the knowledge to do well in this exam (yesterday evening he took great pleasure in explaining to me a particular question and his elegant solution). I only hope that the exam its conditions provide him with an opportunity to give the best of himself.
I hope he comes out happy, I hope he gets all the things that he deserves, and I hope that he thrives in his continuing studies when the new term comes around.
I hope so many things for my wonderful boy.
Sunday 18 August 2019
Gifts
What punishments of God are not gifts?
Remarkable, to be able to see life in this way. What a thought-provoking interview, and I'm glad I found this conversation between Stephen Colbert and Anderson Cooper.
Remarkable, to be able to see life in this way. What a thought-provoking interview, and I'm glad I found this conversation between Stephen Colbert and Anderson Cooper.
Saturday 17 August 2019
Friday 16 August 2019
Witchwood
Having done a quick check on Goodreads, I see that I read 'The Last King of Osten Ard' in May 2017, designed to be a warm up to a return to the world of Osten Ard, and to get us all in the mood for another trilogy along Dragonbone Chair lines.
Well, after a meandering and very long read, I have recently finished 'The Witchwood Crown'. And how was it? Well, I'm not really sure. I think I am pretty out of practice at the whole epic fantasy fiction genre. Certainly it was long, and there was a very large cast of characters to get to grips with. For fairly large chunks of the book, not a whole lot happened - people trudged about, talked to each other, had the occasional skirmish, and so on. I suspect that the same may well have been true for the Dragonbone Chair as well - I think that Simon may well have been stuck in a forest for a few hundred pages towards the beginning. I have no intention of re-reading it right now to check. It's been about 25 years since I read it, and I have plenty of unread books on the shelves right now.
However, Tad Williams does draw you in, I do enjoy his writing style, and if I remember anything from his first Osten Ard trilogy, I seem to recall that he lays a pretty solid foundation, and things start to warm up nicely as the tale unfolds. I suppose as the ultimate seal of approval, I've bought book 2 (Empire of Grass), and I understand that he's busy writing book 3 (The Navigator's Children).
Well, after a meandering and very long read, I have recently finished 'The Witchwood Crown'. And how was it? Well, I'm not really sure. I think I am pretty out of practice at the whole epic fantasy fiction genre. Certainly it was long, and there was a very large cast of characters to get to grips with. For fairly large chunks of the book, not a whole lot happened - people trudged about, talked to each other, had the occasional skirmish, and so on. I suspect that the same may well have been true for the Dragonbone Chair as well - I think that Simon may well have been stuck in a forest for a few hundred pages towards the beginning. I have no intention of re-reading it right now to check. It's been about 25 years since I read it, and I have plenty of unread books on the shelves right now.
However, Tad Williams does draw you in, I do enjoy his writing style, and if I remember anything from his first Osten Ard trilogy, I seem to recall that he lays a pretty solid foundation, and things start to warm up nicely as the tale unfolds. I suppose as the ultimate seal of approval, I've bought book 2 (Empire of Grass), and I understand that he's busy writing book 3 (The Navigator's Children).
Thursday 15 August 2019
What3
Read this very interesting article on the BBC website today.
What3words looks like a brilliant idea.
What3words looks like a brilliant idea.
Wednesday 14 August 2019
Hazards
The hazards of life without parents can be daunting at times. I seem to live in a state of heightened emotion, at risk of going over the edge at the slighted provocation.
Four examples, all from the last few days, mostly from TV programmes!
1. Watching 'Who do you think you are' the other evening with Kate Winslet. Seeing her trying to explain in a matter-of-fact way at the start of the programme that it had been nearly two years since losing her Mum to cancer, and not quite managing to get through the sentence.
2. 24 hours in A&E on Channel 4 last night. One of the stories was about a girl who'd broken her thumb. However, that wasn't really the story, it was the interview with her Dad. He was sharing the story of how much he loved his own Dad, how special he had been, how much he'd influenced the way he wanted to be as a parent, and how he was obviously trying so hard to celebrate a wonderful man through the pain of losing him.
3. Walking into the lounge and finding Nicky watching a programme about a maternity unit, and finding myself watching a new birth. Realising that we're both holding our breath as the midwife unwraps the cord from around the baby's neck, and then that my eyes seem to be watering, again, when baby starts to cry.
4. Listening to the radio on the way to work this morning and hearing 'Castle on the hill' and for some bizarre unknown reason being reminded of stories about the house in the clouds.
Four examples, all from the last few days, mostly from TV programmes!
1. Watching 'Who do you think you are' the other evening with Kate Winslet. Seeing her trying to explain in a matter-of-fact way at the start of the programme that it had been nearly two years since losing her Mum to cancer, and not quite managing to get through the sentence.
2. 24 hours in A&E on Channel 4 last night. One of the stories was about a girl who'd broken her thumb. However, that wasn't really the story, it was the interview with her Dad. He was sharing the story of how much he loved his own Dad, how special he had been, how much he'd influenced the way he wanted to be as a parent, and how he was obviously trying so hard to celebrate a wonderful man through the pain of losing him.
3. Walking into the lounge and finding Nicky watching a programme about a maternity unit, and finding myself watching a new birth. Realising that we're both holding our breath as the midwife unwraps the cord from around the baby's neck, and then that my eyes seem to be watering, again, when baby starts to cry.
4. Listening to the radio on the way to work this morning and hearing 'Castle on the hill' and for some bizarre unknown reason being reminded of stories about the house in the clouds.
Tuesday 13 August 2019
League tables
For the record, on the way to London on Friday, before a ball had been kicked in the new season, Jake and I both made our Premier League predictions for the end of the season, and this is how they look:
| Me | Jake | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | Man City |
| 2 | Spurs | Liverpool |
| 3 | Liverpool | Spurs |
| 4 | Chelsea | Chelsea |
| 5 | Man Utd | Arsenal |
| 6 | Arsenal | Man Utd |
| 7 | Everton | Everton |
| 8 | Leicester | Wolves |
| 9 | West Ham | Leicester |
| 10 | Wolves | West Ham |
| 11 | Watford | Newcastle |
| 12 | Southampton | Bournemouth |
| 13 | Burnley | Watford |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | Crystal Palace |
| 15 | Aston Villa | Aston Villa |
| 16 | Bournemouth | Burnley |
| 17 | Norwich | Southampton |
| 18 | Sheffield Utd | Brighton |
| 19 | Brighton | Norwich |
| 20 | Newcastle | Sheffield Utd |
Interesting to note some of the consistencies between our predictions. We have 5 teams in the same place, 7 within one of each other, and 4 within two, leaving only 4 further apart (Southampton, Burnley, Bournemouth and Newcastle). It should be noted that I have a downer on Newcastle, but I do think that Jake has been a little optimistic on their behalf putting them in 11th. Also I've optimistically put Spurs in 2nd, as well as having Norwich stay up. Jake obviously doesn't fancy either of these chances.
We will have to check in against these predictions as the season progresses!
Monday 12 August 2019
Sunday
Sunday news being posted on Monday, but hey, at least I'm catching up.
Sue and Martin came over yesterday. Official reason was to collect cushions to go with the chairs that we had delivered some time ago (and that Nicky and Jake had hunted for in the storage unit). We had sandwiches and scones, and it was good to catch up.
The afternoon was spent at the Volvo and LandRover dealerships. Interestingly the XC90 seems to be making a bid against the Disco. Things are getting serious, and test drives have been booked in both for next weekend.
Roast beef for dinner!
Sue and Martin came over yesterday. Official reason was to collect cushions to go with the chairs that we had delivered some time ago (and that Nicky and Jake had hunted for in the storage unit). We had sandwiches and scones, and it was good to catch up.
The afternoon was spent at the Volvo and LandRover dealerships. Interestingly the XC90 seems to be making a bid against the Disco. Things are getting serious, and test drives have been booked in both for next weekend.
Roast beef for dinner!
Sunday 11 August 2019
Weekend
First of all to catch up with Friday's news, we headed up to London mid afternoon, and cabbed it to the Ivy Brasserie in Soho where we had a table booked for an early pre-show dinner. Food was good, and we were pleased to be inside as we watched the rain lash down, and people huddle under the restaurant awning. Timing was good, and we were able to make the transfer from restaurant to theatre in the dry.
Show was excellent. Genie lots of fun. We definitely had the 'proper' genie, but we think that a number of the other parts were being taken by understudies (almost certainly Aladdin and Jasmine). Didn't detract from the show - perhaps they were just being given a run at the main roles before the show closes in a couple of weeks.
Thankfully the show wasn't even adversely effected by noisy people in the theatre. A combination of what seemed to be people coming to see the show for whom English wasn't their first language, and young children who were no doubt Disney fans, but perhaps not old enough to sit through West End show.
The whole enterprise was Nicky's treat, and as a very small token of thanks, Nicky is now the proud owner of a genie teddy!
A brief moment of concern that our return travel was going to be difficult, as there had been an enormous power cut and trains and other travel had been disrupted, but we got away with it, and our Ebbsfleet line was fine.
As for Saturday, Nicky went to London for the day with Carolyn, and champagne and cocktail-ed it around the city. Jake and I played tennis at his new club. I considered it a significant achievement to take five games from him over the course of two sets.
Show was excellent. Genie lots of fun. We definitely had the 'proper' genie, but we think that a number of the other parts were being taken by understudies (almost certainly Aladdin and Jasmine). Didn't detract from the show - perhaps they were just being given a run at the main roles before the show closes in a couple of weeks.
Thankfully the show wasn't even adversely effected by noisy people in the theatre. A combination of what seemed to be people coming to see the show for whom English wasn't their first language, and young children who were no doubt Disney fans, but perhaps not old enough to sit through West End show.
The whole enterprise was Nicky's treat, and as a very small token of thanks, Nicky is now the proud owner of a genie teddy!
A brief moment of concern that our return travel was going to be difficult, as there had been an enormous power cut and trains and other travel had been disrupted, but we got away with it, and our Ebbsfleet line was fine.
As for Saturday, Nicky went to London for the day with Carolyn, and champagne and cocktail-ed it around the city. Jake and I played tennis at his new club. I considered it a significant achievement to take five games from him over the course of two sets.
Friday 9 August 2019
Thursday 8 August 2019
Toe
A trip to see a man about a toe today. Don't know if it will make any difference. Will have to wait and see.
Wednesday 7 August 2019
Cafe
Lunch with Nicky in Tunbridge Wells today - bonus for a workday! We had a relaxing and long lunch at the café over the road. Definitely something we should do more often. Nicky left Jake at home, and he went to play tennis with some of his friends.
I failed to mention yesterday that Nicky had taken Barley to the vets for some osteopathy and acupuncture! Apparently it all went very well, Barley was very relaxed, and didn't seem to mind at all having needles stuck in her. She is having four sessions in all, and they took a video of her walking before the first treatment to compare with after the last one to see if they can see any change.
In other pet news, Willow didn't want to leave the woods today in case the squirrels came down from the trees, and Coco was having a very chilled out day.
I failed to mention yesterday that Nicky had taken Barley to the vets for some osteopathy and acupuncture! Apparently it all went very well, Barley was very relaxed, and didn't seem to mind at all having needles stuck in her. She is having four sessions in all, and they took a video of her walking before the first treatment to compare with after the last one to see if they can see any change.
In other pet news, Willow didn't want to leave the woods today in case the squirrels came down from the trees, and Coco was having a very chilled out day.
Tuesday 6 August 2019
Uploading
I have logged on to flickr on the Surface. I have even changed the way to log on to flickr, partly so that Nicky doesn't get some sort of alert on her phone every time I try to log on, and then has to send me a PIN number to type in. I think also it may be that flickr is keen to distance themselves from Yahoo now that they are under new ownership.
Anyway, I am back in, and even though it may be a never-ending task, I have decided to start uploading again. Starting with my phone, as phones are where most photos get taken these days (and Nicky's photos get shared to my phone as well). The amazing thing is that in recent years we've started to use photos for all sorts of other things as well as actually taking "photos". There's pictures of all sorts of nonsense in our photo-stream. There's screen shots of things from the web, things that people have sent us, tickets, reminders, lists, etc etc, and then from time to time there are actually photos that are worth saving. Unlike before, when it was a case of uploading pretty much everything and not worrying about getting the occasional dud, now you get to be a lot more choosy.
In any case, here are a couple from recently.
Anyway, I am back in, and even though it may be a never-ending task, I have decided to start uploading again. Starting with my phone, as phones are where most photos get taken these days (and Nicky's photos get shared to my phone as well). The amazing thing is that in recent years we've started to use photos for all sorts of other things as well as actually taking "photos". There's pictures of all sorts of nonsense in our photo-stream. There's screen shots of things from the web, things that people have sent us, tickets, reminders, lists, etc etc, and then from time to time there are actually photos that are worth saving. Unlike before, when it was a case of uploading pretty much everything and not worrying about getting the occasional dud, now you get to be a lot more choosy.
In any case, here are a couple from recently.
Monday 5 August 2019
Minimalism
Is it weird that just after the arrival of my new Surface I've downloaded a new book from my library app that I had on the waitlist - the title of the book is Digital Minimalism: on living better with less technology?!
Sunday 4 August 2019
Tea
A very quick post to record a visit to Coulsdon for afternoon tea (thanks Bec) and a chance to catch up with Sue and Martin. Hopefully will see them again in a few weeks.
Saturday 3 August 2019
Surface
The Surface has arrived, and so, like a message from about seven and a half years ago, that time sent from Florida, this is my first blog post from a new computer. So far so good, although I can't really claim to have done very much with it just yet or to have set it up properly.
Following up on yesterday's post, Hove cricket went ok, although Kent lost! Fairly limited showing of former colleagues as well, but still good to catch up with a few old faces.
Nicky and I are just back from supper at The Cheese Room, my first visit there, and very pleasant it was too.
Following up on yesterday's post, Hove cricket went ok, although Kent lost! Fairly limited showing of former colleagues as well, but still good to catch up with a few old faces.
Nicky and I are just back from supper at The Cheese Room, my first visit there, and very pleasant it was too.
Friday 2 August 2019
Ashes
First test is underway. Jake and I have a little prediction competition going for the first couple of days. I lost day 1, having said that England would win the toss, and that there would be 7 wickets falling in the day. Not too sure how my day 2 predictions are going to work out either, seeing as I said that Roy would top score, and he's already out before lunch for 10!
Off to Hove later on for the cricket (entertaining to do a blog search for Hove - mentions of going to the cricket there in 2011, 2014 and 2015, and that's not a complete list as I'm sure I've been since changing jobs as well).
Hopefully will be able to blog from my new 'Surface' tomorrow - ordered from Amazon yesterday evening.
Off to Hove later on for the cricket (entertaining to do a blog search for Hove - mentions of going to the cricket there in 2011, 2014 and 2015, and that's not a complete list as I'm sure I've been since changing jobs as well).
Hopefully will be able to blog from my new 'Surface' tomorrow - ordered from Amazon yesterday evening.
Wednesday 6 February 2019
Saratoga catch up
Time for a mid-week blog catch up!
Having posted on Sunday morning, and generally had a slow start to the day, we went out for a drive, ending up at our (my) favourite bookshop, Barnes & Noble. After a good browse, we both found a book, but then found it rather harder to find somewhere to go for Sunday brunch. We had a look at the development on the opposite side of Sand Lake Road to B&N, but it was too early for them to be open for brunch, and nothing looked appealing, so we headed further north to Windermere. Either we haven't found the centre of Windermere yet, or it is a bit strange and doesn't really have restaurants. In the end we came back down SR535 almost to WDW, tried to get into iHOP but it was jammed with a Sunday crowd, and so walked over to Denny's and had their regular fare.
We had afternoon fast passes at Animal Kingdom, and headed in with enough time to spare to do a wander through the animal trail in Africa before going on the Safari. We did pretty well with animal sightings (giraffe, elephants, rhino, cheetah, and even the lions), and then we were over to Pandora for our flight. It was excellent, as before, although interestingly we were right in the very bottom left corner of the screen, which didn't make for the best view (three tiers, two sets of sixteen seats, for a total of 96 riders per show).
Afterwards we tracked down another of the recommended snacks of the world - the Pongo Lumpia - a pineapple cream cheese spring roll - might sound a bit odd, but well worth tracking down.
Next stop was the Nomad Lounge, on the way out of Pandora - excellent spot and not too busy - we got comfy on a sofa outside and had drinks and snacks (satay and truffle poutine). In fact it was just so comfy that we decided that we couldn't be bothered to trek over to the other side of the park for our fast passes to the Rivers of Light show, and made do with watching a little bit of it on Youtube instead!!
Monday started with shopping trips, firstly to Mall at Millenia, where one or two gifts were purchased. This was followed by Old Navy (which is kind of in the car park of the mall) and lunch at Panera Bread, before going a couple of stops down I-4 to the outlets (Belz as we still insist on calling it) including important stops at Coach (for handbag consideration, but we were in there for so long that I ended up getting tempted by an outrageously expensive leather jacket), and the usual regulars - Hilfiger, Adidas, etc.
We had evening plans at Epcot, albeit we skipped our fast passes for Spaceship Earth in favour of a leisurely stroll around World Showcase checking out the festival stalls. We may well have to go back to sample some of the festival food. Dinner was at Via Napoli in Italy where the food was pleasant, the atmosphere was chaotic, and the service was typically rapid leaving us feeling like we'd been rushed through. Jake will at least be pleased to hear that we enjoyed the arancini balls.
We stopped in at the America Gardens theatre for the 8 o'clock show, and the singers were impressive - both from Broadway Disney productions, and then walked around to our spot for Illuminations (fast pass reserved in front of the walkway from Future World). View was good from there, but there were a decent number of open spots in other areas around the World.
Tuesday morning we headed in to the Studios, and our appointed time for the Slinky Dog coaster, which was great fun - the best thing about the new Toy Story land (given that Toy Story Mania was already there). We did join the queue for Toy Story Mania, which said 65 mins when we joined it, but gave up after about 20 mins as it was moving very slowly, and sure enough when we came out it had changed to 120 mins, and the fast pass line was very long as well. Next stop was another of the recommended snacks - the key lime pie on a stick. Nicky had that, and I had a monster choc chip cookie (and tried the key lime pie).
At this point we were pretty much content with our trip to the Studios, and headed back to Saratoga, and enjoyed some time by the pool in the splendid sunshine, taking it easy before our Membership Magic evening at the Magic Kingdom. We headed in on the bus at about 7pm, collected our wristbands and vouchers, and were there just in time to catch the Happily Ever After Fireworks. Amusingly, we watched from about half way down Main Street in a big crowd, and when they had finished, we wanted to go deeper into the park, whilst several thousand people wanted to leave, and so it was quite a challenge to move in our chosen direction, but with determination we made it through eventually.
First stop dinner, and we went to Pinocchio's Village Haus. As far as we can recall, the last time we were there was on Jake's 4th birthday, when he was serenaded by the band as we were having lunch. This time we got a table by the interior windows and watched the Small World boats go by.
During the evening we did a great job of getting on rides (Small World, Buzz, Astro Orbiter, Little Mermaid, Tea Cups, Dumbo), watching the fireworks, and talking to the DVC executives - it will be interesting to see if they get back to us about our comments this time.
And that brings us to today. Late start after a late night, and another trip to the pool to relax in the sunshine, and we are just planning a trip to Springs, hoping that we might go to the new Wolfgang Puck restaurant to try it out.
(Aim for a version of this with pictures later on.)
Having posted on Sunday morning, and generally had a slow start to the day, we went out for a drive, ending up at our (my) favourite bookshop, Barnes & Noble. After a good browse, we both found a book, but then found it rather harder to find somewhere to go for Sunday brunch. We had a look at the development on the opposite side of Sand Lake Road to B&N, but it was too early for them to be open for brunch, and nothing looked appealing, so we headed further north to Windermere. Either we haven't found the centre of Windermere yet, or it is a bit strange and doesn't really have restaurants. In the end we came back down SR535 almost to WDW, tried to get into iHOP but it was jammed with a Sunday crowd, and so walked over to Denny's and had their regular fare.
We had afternoon fast passes at Animal Kingdom, and headed in with enough time to spare to do a wander through the animal trail in Africa before going on the Safari. We did pretty well with animal sightings (giraffe, elephants, rhino, cheetah, and even the lions), and then we were over to Pandora for our flight. It was excellent, as before, although interestingly we were right in the very bottom left corner of the screen, which didn't make for the best view (three tiers, two sets of sixteen seats, for a total of 96 riders per show).
Afterwards we tracked down another of the recommended snacks of the world - the Pongo Lumpia - a pineapple cream cheese spring roll - might sound a bit odd, but well worth tracking down.
Next stop was the Nomad Lounge, on the way out of Pandora - excellent spot and not too busy - we got comfy on a sofa outside and had drinks and snacks (satay and truffle poutine). In fact it was just so comfy that we decided that we couldn't be bothered to trek over to the other side of the park for our fast passes to the Rivers of Light show, and made do with watching a little bit of it on Youtube instead!!
Monday started with shopping trips, firstly to Mall at Millenia, where one or two gifts were purchased. This was followed by Old Navy (which is kind of in the car park of the mall) and lunch at Panera Bread, before going a couple of stops down I-4 to the outlets (Belz as we still insist on calling it) including important stops at Coach (for handbag consideration, but we were in there for so long that I ended up getting tempted by an outrageously expensive leather jacket), and the usual regulars - Hilfiger, Adidas, etc.
We had evening plans at Epcot, albeit we skipped our fast passes for Spaceship Earth in favour of a leisurely stroll around World Showcase checking out the festival stalls. We may well have to go back to sample some of the festival food. Dinner was at Via Napoli in Italy where the food was pleasant, the atmosphere was chaotic, and the service was typically rapid leaving us feeling like we'd been rushed through. Jake will at least be pleased to hear that we enjoyed the arancini balls.
We stopped in at the America Gardens theatre for the 8 o'clock show, and the singers were impressive - both from Broadway Disney productions, and then walked around to our spot for Illuminations (fast pass reserved in front of the walkway from Future World). View was good from there, but there were a decent number of open spots in other areas around the World.
Tuesday morning we headed in to the Studios, and our appointed time for the Slinky Dog coaster, which was great fun - the best thing about the new Toy Story land (given that Toy Story Mania was already there). We did join the queue for Toy Story Mania, which said 65 mins when we joined it, but gave up after about 20 mins as it was moving very slowly, and sure enough when we came out it had changed to 120 mins, and the fast pass line was very long as well. Next stop was another of the recommended snacks - the key lime pie on a stick. Nicky had that, and I had a monster choc chip cookie (and tried the key lime pie).
At this point we were pretty much content with our trip to the Studios, and headed back to Saratoga, and enjoyed some time by the pool in the splendid sunshine, taking it easy before our Membership Magic evening at the Magic Kingdom. We headed in on the bus at about 7pm, collected our wristbands and vouchers, and were there just in time to catch the Happily Ever After Fireworks. Amusingly, we watched from about half way down Main Street in a big crowd, and when they had finished, we wanted to go deeper into the park, whilst several thousand people wanted to leave, and so it was quite a challenge to move in our chosen direction, but with determination we made it through eventually.
First stop dinner, and we went to Pinocchio's Village Haus. As far as we can recall, the last time we were there was on Jake's 4th birthday, when he was serenaded by the band as we were having lunch. This time we got a table by the interior windows and watched the Small World boats go by.
During the evening we did a great job of getting on rides (Small World, Buzz, Astro Orbiter, Little Mermaid, Tea Cups, Dumbo), watching the fireworks, and talking to the DVC executives - it will be interesting to see if they get back to us about our comments this time.
And that brings us to today. Late start after a late night, and another trip to the pool to relax in the sunshine, and we are just planning a trip to Springs, hoping that we might go to the new Wolfgang Puck restaurant to try it out.
(Aim for a version of this with pictures later on.)
Sunday 3 February 2019
Saratoga
Here we are at Saratoga Springs, with an overdue first holiday blog from Sunday morning.
Going back to Thursday, we were up and away at about 7am, with little evidence of any snow left around at home (but wow how that seems to have changed in Walderslade since we left!). Airport + parking + check-in + security was all very smooth and we were having breakfast at the Grain Store in Gatwick South before we knew it.
BA flight to Tampa was fine. We appreciated the extra legroom of the premium seats, and food was ok. No sign of any children on the flight - looked mostly like older couples (not young couples like us, obviously) going for their winter break. Tampa immigration was better, but not massively better, than MCO. There were still lots more immigration desks than immigration staff, which is always frustrating. Our overall wait time was about 45 mins, but once we were through the rest of the airport process was very efficient - picked up our bags straight away, then a couple of shuttle trains to the car centre to pick up our car (no queue for the car desk as we could use a kiosk to get the paperwork, and then straight to collect the car). Car journey from Tampa to WDW was 90 mins, but very straightforward - a little slow past downtown Tampa, but then straight up I-4.
By the time we got to the hotel it was about 8.30pm, so it was a case of check-in, collect a few provisions, unpack and bed.
Friday morning we had our Keys to the Kingdom tour, so it was straight up and away to MK on the bus, but we were there in time for a quick stop at the Main Street bakery for provisions before meeting our tour guide (Justin) at City Hall, where we made our lunch orders for later on (Pecos Bill) and collected our earphones. The tour was lots of walking and talking, with Disney history and trivia, and the route was down Main Street (windows), into Adventureland (Jungle Cruise), into Frontierland (backstage to see the production area, floats and the water tanks for Splash), lunch stop, Liberty Square (Haunted Mansion), Fantasyland, into the utilidors and under Main Street to reappear near City Hall for the end of the tour.
One thing we learnt on the tour was the 'Four Keys' to a great guest experience at WDW. They are (in this order): safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency, and are guiding principles for cast members when they are interacting with guests. Very interesting, and worthy of a longer discussion than a holiday blog warrants.
Once our tour was done we headed out of the park. Our plan had been to get the bus to the Springs, but for some reason buses didn't start to Springs until 4pm, so we got the bus back to the hotel, and took a break back here before walking over to Springs a little later. We ended up having an early dinner at Chef Art Smith's, sat outside watching the world go by (shared the devilled egg started, Nicky had fried chicken, and I had the pulled pork with mac 'n' cheese). Food was excellent. Servings were huge - should have shared a main course.
We had a little wander around the rest of the Springs (including a enjoyable trip to Sugarboo) before coming back to the hotel. After a break here we steeled ourselves for a final trip out of the day to the supermarket to stock up with provisions.
Saturday morning we were up in time so we decided to stick with the plan and use our fast passes, so we went back to MK and rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - always fun, and then went over to Gaston's Tavern to share one of their mighty cinnamon rolls. Next up were trips on the carousel and Philharmagic before our next fast pass on the Winnie the Pooh ride! It had been some time since we'd been on that one - probably because Jake had refused to go for at least the last ten years. I think they'd even changed the 'honey pots' since last time. Then we even had time for a trip on the Carousel of Progress - always brilliant, although I find in fascinating that the first three scenes are 1900s, 1920s and 1940s, and then the last one is a big jump to an attempt to be approximately up to date. Presumably this reflects a commitment to keeping the first three scenes consistent with the original show from the 1960s Worlds Fair, whilst keeping it in some way 'relevant'. A tricky balance.
After the show we headed out of the park and took the boat to the Grand Floridian and had lunch at the Gasparilla Grill, before getting the bus to the Springs, where we did some shopping (Sephora) before coming back to our room for a relax. Dinner was at Perkins at the Crossroads, and that brings us about up to date.
Going back to Thursday, we were up and away at about 7am, with little evidence of any snow left around at home (but wow how that seems to have changed in Walderslade since we left!). Airport + parking + check-in + security was all very smooth and we were having breakfast at the Grain Store in Gatwick South before we knew it.
BA flight to Tampa was fine. We appreciated the extra legroom of the premium seats, and food was ok. No sign of any children on the flight - looked mostly like older couples (not young couples like us, obviously) going for their winter break. Tampa immigration was better, but not massively better, than MCO. There were still lots more immigration desks than immigration staff, which is always frustrating. Our overall wait time was about 45 mins, but once we were through the rest of the airport process was very efficient - picked up our bags straight away, then a couple of shuttle trains to the car centre to pick up our car (no queue for the car desk as we could use a kiosk to get the paperwork, and then straight to collect the car). Car journey from Tampa to WDW was 90 mins, but very straightforward - a little slow past downtown Tampa, but then straight up I-4.
By the time we got to the hotel it was about 8.30pm, so it was a case of check-in, collect a few provisions, unpack and bed.
Friday morning we had our Keys to the Kingdom tour, so it was straight up and away to MK on the bus, but we were there in time for a quick stop at the Main Street bakery for provisions before meeting our tour guide (Justin) at City Hall, where we made our lunch orders for later on (Pecos Bill) and collected our earphones. The tour was lots of walking and talking, with Disney history and trivia, and the route was down Main Street (windows), into Adventureland (Jungle Cruise), into Frontierland (backstage to see the production area, floats and the water tanks for Splash), lunch stop, Liberty Square (Haunted Mansion), Fantasyland, into the utilidors and under Main Street to reappear near City Hall for the end of the tour.
One thing we learnt on the tour was the 'Four Keys' to a great guest experience at WDW. They are (in this order): safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency, and are guiding principles for cast members when they are interacting with guests. Very interesting, and worthy of a longer discussion than a holiday blog warrants.
Once our tour was done we headed out of the park. Our plan had been to get the bus to the Springs, but for some reason buses didn't start to Springs until 4pm, so we got the bus back to the hotel, and took a break back here before walking over to Springs a little later. We ended up having an early dinner at Chef Art Smith's, sat outside watching the world go by (shared the devilled egg started, Nicky had fried chicken, and I had the pulled pork with mac 'n' cheese). Food was excellent. Servings were huge - should have shared a main course.
We had a little wander around the rest of the Springs (including a enjoyable trip to Sugarboo) before coming back to the hotel. After a break here we steeled ourselves for a final trip out of the day to the supermarket to stock up with provisions.
Saturday morning we were up in time so we decided to stick with the plan and use our fast passes, so we went back to MK and rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - always fun, and then went over to Gaston's Tavern to share one of their mighty cinnamon rolls. Next up were trips on the carousel and Philharmagic before our next fast pass on the Winnie the Pooh ride! It had been some time since we'd been on that one - probably because Jake had refused to go for at least the last ten years. I think they'd even changed the 'honey pots' since last time. Then we even had time for a trip on the Carousel of Progress - always brilliant, although I find in fascinating that the first three scenes are 1900s, 1920s and 1940s, and then the last one is a big jump to an attempt to be approximately up to date. Presumably this reflects a commitment to keeping the first three scenes consistent with the original show from the 1960s Worlds Fair, whilst keeping it in some way 'relevant'. A tricky balance.
After the show we headed out of the park and took the boat to the Grand Floridian and had lunch at the Gasparilla Grill, before getting the bus to the Springs, where we did some shopping (Sephora) before coming back to our room for a relax. Dinner was at Perkins at the Crossroads, and that brings us about up to date.
Tuesday 15 January 2019
Singapore
Hello from the Fullerton.
I am typing this on the laptop in the lobby, having had a Fullerton breakfast on the terrace, and just spent a little while catching up on some emails. We will be heading out for a lunch meeting soon, followed by a couple more meetings this afternoon, and then tomorrow we are off to Kalimantan.
First night was a typical jet-lag broken sleep effort - read, sleep for a while, read some more, and so on. I finished my first book - Anthony Horowitz's 'The Word is Murder', which was quite an amusing read. In a break with tradition, I've brought an actual, physical, book with me on this trip, and have made a start on it this morning. I've finally bought a copy of Matthew Walker's 'Why we sleep', which already looks very interesting - even if it was a little close to home dealing with the problems of jet-lag already!
Well it is just about time to head off for lunch. Lunch looks like being a short walk from the hotel, but then our next meeting is a little further away so we will probably take the MRT. Jake would be impressed to know that I have even brought my MRT card from our previous visit with me - although I have no idea how much credit I have left on it ...
I am typing this on the laptop in the lobby, having had a Fullerton breakfast on the terrace, and just spent a little while catching up on some emails. We will be heading out for a lunch meeting soon, followed by a couple more meetings this afternoon, and then tomorrow we are off to Kalimantan.
First night was a typical jet-lag broken sleep effort - read, sleep for a while, read some more, and so on. I finished my first book - Anthony Horowitz's 'The Word is Murder', which was quite an amusing read. In a break with tradition, I've brought an actual, physical, book with me on this trip, and have made a start on it this morning. I've finally bought a copy of Matthew Walker's 'Why we sleep', which already looks very interesting - even if it was a little close to home dealing with the problems of jet-lag already!
Well it is just about time to head off for lunch. Lunch looks like being a short walk from the hotel, but then our next meeting is a little further away so we will probably take the MRT. Jake would be impressed to know that I have even brought my MRT card from our previous visit with me - although I have no idea how much credit I have left on it ...
Tuesday 8 January 2019
Fifth Risk
I don't know much about the workings of government: not our own, and certainly not that of the United States. For any democratically elected government, one of the biggest problems seems to be that it requires long-term thinking. It is asked to take on some very long-term projects to develop the country, and to take some long-term decisions about how best to look after its population. However, politics keeps getting in the way. No sooner have the elected officials managed to get their head round the challenge that they face, the electorate have booted them out and given the job to someone else.
This is where, putting politics aside for a minute, a good handover becomes absolutely critical. As I say, my knowledge in these matters is seriously lacking, but I presume that the British civil service gets to provide the continuity and a large amount of the knowledge transfer here. I get the impression that the number of new political appointments made when an administration changes in the UK may be fewer than are made when things change in the US, and if this is the case, having an orderly and structured handover in the US becomes even more important.
This is where Michael Lewis' fascinating book 'The Fifth Risk' comes in. As he explains, during the Obama administration, new legislation had been passed specifically requiring the outgoing teams in all government departments to prepare for the arrival of their successors. So, in their final year, each Obama department invested heavily in this task, drafting thousands of pages of useful documentation, and preparing presentations to give to the new teams.
Then Trump won the election.
And the outgoing teams waited for the Trump transition teams to come in.
And no-one showed up.
The Fifth Risk explains just some of the important, and largely unnoticed, work that a big government does on behalf of its citizens. It focuses on three departments: Energy, Commerce, and Agriculture. These departments (amongst many other things) help to make sure that the population are safe from nuclear weapons, that people get fed, and that people get as much warning as possible from natural disasters.
Unfortunately it was left up to the new president to decide who the right people would be to hold some of the most responsible and important jobs in the country. And it took him a long time to decide, and a transition didn't really happen. In the end, it seemed like the US ended up with the Department of Energy being run by someone who had previously forgotten about it and suggested it should be abolished, the Department of Commerce being run by someone who thought is was all about business (which it isn't) and then not being very interested in what it does do, and the NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) being run by someone who owns a private weather company - spot the massive conflict of interest.
Overall a fascinating read, and should be considered necessary reading to avoid voting for a president (certainly for a second time) without appreciating the consequences.
This is where, putting politics aside for a minute, a good handover becomes absolutely critical. As I say, my knowledge in these matters is seriously lacking, but I presume that the British civil service gets to provide the continuity and a large amount of the knowledge transfer here. I get the impression that the number of new political appointments made when an administration changes in the UK may be fewer than are made when things change in the US, and if this is the case, having an orderly and structured handover in the US becomes even more important.
This is where Michael Lewis' fascinating book 'The Fifth Risk' comes in. As he explains, during the Obama administration, new legislation had been passed specifically requiring the outgoing teams in all government departments to prepare for the arrival of their successors. So, in their final year, each Obama department invested heavily in this task, drafting thousands of pages of useful documentation, and preparing presentations to give to the new teams.
Then Trump won the election.
And the outgoing teams waited for the Trump transition teams to come in.
And no-one showed up.
The Fifth Risk explains just some of the important, and largely unnoticed, work that a big government does on behalf of its citizens. It focuses on three departments: Energy, Commerce, and Agriculture. These departments (amongst many other things) help to make sure that the population are safe from nuclear weapons, that people get fed, and that people get as much warning as possible from natural disasters.
Unfortunately it was left up to the new president to decide who the right people would be to hold some of the most responsible and important jobs in the country. And it took him a long time to decide, and a transition didn't really happen. In the end, it seemed like the US ended up with the Department of Energy being run by someone who had previously forgotten about it and suggested it should be abolished, the Department of Commerce being run by someone who thought is was all about business (which it isn't) and then not being very interested in what it does do, and the NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) being run by someone who owns a private weather company - spot the massive conflict of interest.
Overall a fascinating read, and should be considered necessary reading to avoid voting for a president (certainly for a second time) without appreciating the consequences.
Sunday 6 January 2019
New beginning
Epiphany today, and I got to do the 'Visitors from the east' reading at church from Matthew 2 - all the way up to the wise men being warned in a dream, and going back to their own country by another route.
Jake has returned to London today to start term 2 - he has exams tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday (yes, the same young man as the one featured in the picture in this post is at university now - still getting used to that!). However, he'll be back after his exam on Thursday to collect some more of his stuff.
Rummaging around online this evening, I came across a preview on the Guardian website of books due to be published this year. A very interesting and exciting selection, with quite a few things I didn't know about. Of particular note there is going to be a new Jackson Brodie novel by Kate Atkinson coming out in June. Having failed to go to a signing of Transcription, I may have to try harder to track down an opportunity in June.
And the other news of today, I have sold the Cayman. Still here right now, but due to be collected in the next day or two.
Jake has returned to London today to start term 2 - he has exams tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday (yes, the same young man as the one featured in the picture in this post is at university now - still getting used to that!). However, he'll be back after his exam on Thursday to collect some more of his stuff.
Rummaging around online this evening, I came across a preview on the Guardian website of books due to be published this year. A very interesting and exciting selection, with quite a few things I didn't know about. Of particular note there is going to be a new Jackson Brodie novel by Kate Atkinson coming out in June. Having failed to go to a signing of Transcription, I may have to try harder to track down an opportunity in June.
And the other news of today, I have sold the Cayman. Still here right now, but due to be collected in the next day or two.
Saturday 5 January 2019
Magic
Ah the magic of the FA Cup. Last night went with form, and Spurs gave a footballing lesson to Tranmere, beating them 7-0. Today, however, when the majority of games have been played, the first to be shown on MOTD came from Priestfield Stadium, where Cardiff were visiting Gillingham. Sure enough the Cup magic appeared in full force, and the Gills won 1-0. Love it - will be interesting to see who they get in the 4th round draw on Monday.
Thursday 3 January 2019
Kitchen prep
Maybe the end of the road is now in sight. The cheque from the insurance company arrived today, and that in itself is a major milestone. Nicky has been starting to buy a few nice things for our new kitchen. The electrician was round today, and met with Nicky's approval. The kitchen fitter is coming tomorrow to make sure that a plan is in place for the work coming up. We should be able to order our floor tiles once Nicky has confirmed with the fitter. All heading in the right direction.
Wednesday 2 January 2019
Tapas
First day back at work today, and judging by the traffic, I was in the minority. Either that or the schools really do make that much difference. Nicky had a visit at home from one of the car-buying services, and they gave us an offer for the Cayman - for us to ponder for the next few days.
This evening Nicky took Jake and Owen to Bluey so they could go for a meal and to see a film, and so I met her there, and we enjoyed some tapas together. I had a sneaky trip to Waterstones with my book token (Christmas gift from Margaret), and found the latest John Niven at half price in the sale. I'd already been to the T Wells branch at lunchtime and snagged the latest Michael Lewis (The Fifth Risk), also at half price in the sale, and Stephen King's Gwendy's Button Box, not in the sale this time as it came out in 2017, when I somehow managed to miss it, and only became aware of it because there was an excerpt at the end of Elevation. Still £20 left to enjoy on my token.
Tuesday 1 January 2019
Saving Christmas
Christmas holidays just about done, and back to work tomorrow, and spot the New Year's resolution! Looking back at last year I see that I managed 14 posts in January before things fell apart, so it'll be interesting to see how I get on this year ...
My last read of 2018 was Matt Haig's 'The Girl Who Saved Christmas', and as always with his books, even if written for a younger audience, in amongst a lovely story, he doesn't shy away from more difficult topics, even the most difficult of all.
Here's Father Christmas talking to the girl who saved Christmas:
"The love of a person never disappears," he said softly. "Even if they might. We have memories, you see, Amelia. Love never dies. We love someone and they love us back and that love is stored and it protects us. It is bigger than life and it doesn't end with life. It stays inside us. They stay inside us. Inside our hearts."
Amelia said nothing. She thought she might burst into tears if she spoke. So she was quiet for a while. And it helped.
My last read of 2018 was Matt Haig's 'The Girl Who Saved Christmas', and as always with his books, even if written for a younger audience, in amongst a lovely story, he doesn't shy away from more difficult topics, even the most difficult of all.
Here's Father Christmas talking to the girl who saved Christmas:
"The love of a person never disappears," he said softly. "Even if they might. We have memories, you see, Amelia. Love never dies. We love someone and they love us back and that love is stored and it protects us. It is bigger than life and it doesn't end with life. It stays inside us. They stay inside us. Inside our hearts."
Amelia said nothing. She thought she might burst into tears if she spoke. So she was quiet for a while. And it helped.
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