Day 520 (31/05/2011)

Well we had a nice few hours out at Sidmouth yesterday.

Admittedly most of it was spent in a nice restaurant, but we were still out on the Bank Holiday and by the beach.

But it was a nice meal.

Things to do today then driving up to Preston (again) for a talk tomorrow morning.

Update - 08:50 - Damn just had a call asking where I was as I was due to give a talk in Preston at 9.00am, AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH.

I have a slight excuse as the person who usually books me told me to cancel Tuesday & do Wednesday but they were talking about another course which I hadn't been booked for anyway. Damn Damn Damn I hate letting people down.

Day 519 (30/05/2011)

Time for a quick bit of work, then hopefully having the Bank Holiday with the family.

Haven't quite decided what to do yet but will try to have a nice day out.

Update - 3:30pm - We might not of had a full family day out as its gone 3pm and we are not all ready yet. I am determined to leave this house and have fun at some time today.

Day 517 & 518 (28 & 29/05/2011)

Up fairly early and had some nice waffles & fruit for breakfast. Not as healthy as it sounds as I obviously had to have loads of Maple Syrup.

Trying to get as much work done today as I can as the family are off this week and it would be nice to spend some time with them.

I see that Take That have started their tour. Feeling gutted that we didn't get our tickets :-(

Day 516 (27/05/2011)

Kelly's car off to the car doctors or mechanics as you might call them, as the electrics are playing up and I know nothing about cars.

Phoned the Chief Executive of my local hospital today. Her PA told me she is currently away from work in hospital receiving treatment but didn't think it was very funny when I said "hope she gets better treated than my father". What a tough audience.

I will contact her again, just to make sure that she looks into this and does forget me. I'm sure she wont do that, it wouldn't be good for anyone.

Lovely weather at the moment. Off to see a friend for a few hours then back to work.

Day 515 (26/05/2011)

Up north today where I gave a talk this morning. I left in the afternoon and thought I should be home before 6pm but oh what joy the M5 was closed at Birmingham and I had to drive around Birmingham on a 40mile 1 hour detour so was not home till just after 7pm. What a pain in the arse.

Feeling sorry for my parents as my dads legs are causing him lots of problems. Why do some people in the NHS show a complete lack of care. It seems the only way to get the service you require & deserve is to make a fuss.

So time to say Hello to Mr Fuss. Lets hope a few of them see that now is the time to act and not to let things lips further.

Day 514 (25/05/2011)

Good news, I have booked myself a place on course in California for September. I have done the course a couple of times before but not for a few years, so it is chance to learn a few new things & see some people I know.

I'm really looking forward to it.

Not really looking forward to a day sat in a plane and going thru American Customs but a week in California should be fun.

When I am there I will try to get a day shooting a variety of guns (at targets not animals) as this will be useful for my book, which I must start writing soon. I already have the outline for the next two stories in the series.

I just need to write the damn things, get them published, sell loads of copies, then sell the plots to be made into films and then I should have made enough money so I don't have to do things I don't want to. Easy then.

Off to Preston later.

Update - 12:45 - I know I have a strange and at times rather lucky job. At other times, oh to work for someone else and take the week off sick without caring about the company.

Day 513 (24/05/2011)

Finally started tidying up the office, how many laptop bags does one man need?

I think that you really need no more than the number of laptops that you have but it seem that I have quite a few, some unused.

I also have 2 laptops that I don't use, 3 spare mobile phones and about 8,000 computer cables, that are only spares of the other 1,000 that I have packed away.

I reckon I could get rid of more than half of my office and not miss any of it.

Day 512 (23/05/2011)

I have cleaned two cars in two days, neither of them mine.

Have I became a car cleaner and not been told. Why haven't I been paid for this manual work?

Relaxing day in the office :-)

Day 510 & 511 (21 & 22/05/2011)

The weekend is here and I have just about completed all of my reports, just one more to go, then no doubt more stuff will flood in next week.

I just have a few emails to reply to, quoting for some presentations, then I can start tidying up my office.

I even managed to cut the grass. I must do a drawing of how I want the garden to look then I can get the gardener round to sort it out, as it needs quite a bit of work doing to it.

Update - Sun 19:30 - Not done as much as I wanted to do today, but then we had a nice dinner.

Day 509 (20/05/2011)

Well I must say that Lee Evans was fantastic last night. I'm not a fan but he was good and it was just a practice run, with him still trying out material and was reading some of it.

Today I have been catching up with my work, or it might be that I have pissed off a few clients who are not sending me any more work until I stick to the time limits.

Oh well, I'm sure everything will be fine, but I'm not going to work myself to death, now trying to be a bit more relaxed.

Will cut the grass this weekend.

Day 508 (19/05/2011)

Been catching up on my work today but still got loads to do. In fact its 2:30pm and I haven't even had breakfast or lunch.

Seeing Lee Evans tonight. I don't actually like him but he usually plays massive venues like the O2, so I just had to see him, just in case.

Day 507 (18/05/2011)

Nice lie-in and breakfast then a drive down south.

Got home had a sleep and then just for a change had Italian for dinner.

Busy couple of days to catch up on my work now.

Day 506 (17/05/2011)

The course went well, even allowing for the language difficulty, I managed even without the aid of an interpreter.

Looking forward to getting home, even though I have loads of work to catch up on.

Day 505 (16/05/2011)

The first day of the course went OK, despite being told off by the lady working at the training centre, for sending the class out too early for a tea break and then for making a mess with the coffee machine. I tried to be nice and point out I don't drink coffee so it was a bit wasted telling me off for the mess.

I appreciate she may not enjoy her job but a little smile may encourage a more positive reaction.

I wonder if she was perhaps the basis of a character on Taget, she would have fitted in.

Jamie's was nice again, though I was tempted to have more than 1 glass of wine.

I hate being away from home, I have quite a bit of work to do of an evening but just can't get motivated when I am away. I sit watching crap telly and half heartedly looking at incomplete reports. Looking forward to Wednesday & being back home.

Day 503 & 504 (14 & 15/05/2011)

Mad mad busy busy day today, getting ready for the course on Monday and spending all of tomorrow driving up to Glasgow.

Was looking forward to a bit of a lie-in and a nice breakfast with my wife but the girls have gone out for the day.

Update - Sun 21:20 - Well i'm up in Glasgow and 400+ miles wasn't that bad, it's a straight road.

The hotel looked really nice on the website but not quite as nice in real life inside.

Had dinner at Jamie Oliver's, very nice.

Day 502 (13/05/2011)

Well annoying this site was down yesterday so I couldn't do my blog as usual.

It was my wife's Birthday, so I am once again younger than her. We all went out for Afternoon Tea at Mr Miles, which was lovely (but not quite as piggy as the one we had in Dublin).

Then I got dragged along to see Barry & Stuart, two Scottish magicians, which was absolutely fantastic.

Day 501 (12/05/2011)

Before the talk in London we went for a cup of tea, where they had the cutest little milk bottles.

The talk seemed to go quite well.

Eventually there were around 60+ people, so it was quite a good turnout but a long day. Worst of all by the time I got back to Paddington Yo-Sushi was closed.

Suddenly have loads of work to catch up on and the my course to prepare for.

I have opted to drive up to Glasgow. I know its mad but by the time you hang around the airport and pay for taxis I think it might be just as easier to drive up.

Day 500 (11/05/2011)

Day 500 of my blog.

It seems strange that I do this blog & it might actually not be worth it but when we were out the other day we wondered where we spent our last anniversary and it was nice to be able to look back and see & read about what we did. River Cottage if you were wondering.

Sometimes, especially when you get older, your memory isn't as good as it used to be and this is quite handy, even if most of the entries relate to meals I've had, doing laminates and having too much work.

Anyway off to London later, looking forward to Yo-Sushi & Krispy Kreme later, damn just remembered new diet, just Yo-Sushi then, but no wine as I am driving back from the train station.

Update - 13:00 - On the train, enjoying the benefits of first class travel. I am giving a talk in London for a charity so am not getting paid for today but still nervous in case everyone says I'm crap. It's is a constant fear of being found out. It is always nice and reassuring when you realise that you actually are much better than most other people in the same field.

I didn't realise that there were still train spotters but I saw one at Westbury Station so took a picture to try out my webcam.

Honestly I'm not bored, I'm working hard.

Day 499 (10/05/2011)

Well The Adobe Hotel in Exeter was again fantastic and the food was unbelievable.

And it goes without saying that breakfast was as good.

Home after one day away and loads of emails & work to catch upon before going to London tomorrow to give a talk to 90+ journalists & students. Hoping it goes OK and its not all stuff they know.

Day 498 (09/05/2011)

Have a few work things to do this morning then off for the evening to spoil ourselves on our anniversary.

Day 496 & 497 (07 & 08/05/2011)

Busy family weekend, Dad's Birthday today.

Update - Sun 20:30 - It was nice to all get together for my Dads Birthday yesterday.

Having a nice day away tomorrow with my wife for our anniversary. It seems hard to believe that it's 24 yrs since we married, of course if she had been on time we would have been married for 45 minutes longer but she's never changed.

Day 495 (06/05/2011)

Can't believe that I have actually done all of my work. Nice to have time to go over my course material and stuff.

Busy family time over the next few days.

Day 494 (05/05/2011)

Well its Local Election & Referendum day.

Obviously it goes without saying that you have to vote for AV, if you don't know why then you shouldn't have the right to vote.

Then there is the Local Election but which party to vote for;

The War Criminal & Corrupt Scummy Party

or

The I Don't Care About You & Corrupt Scummy Party

or

The I Would Sell My Mother To Get Power Scummy Party

I think that only me or Billy Bragg should be in-charge of anything and neither of us were standing.

Day 493 (04/05/2011)

Saw Richard Herring last night, though its hard to tell in the photo.

It was a good night and very funny that when he signed my programe he didn't need to ask my name as he already knew it.

Looking forward to seeing his new material next month.

Busy family time coming up.

Day 492 (03/05/2011)

Bristol Zoo was very nice, apart from it was quite busy.

I always find it very sad to see the Gorillas, they are just so human. They should not be mistreated or kept locked up even.

In years to come I dare say we will see our mistreatment of many of these animals the same as we do when we look back on the Holocaust, which is in no way meant to belittle what was a sickening event in our history.

We saw Justin Lee Collins at the Zoo with his son. He is very easy to spot and hear.

I am glad I am not famous as it must be very hard to go anywhere and just have a normal time with your family. People staring, pointing & taking photo's, a bit like a human exhibit at the zoo. Most odd.

Then we had dinner at Jamie Oliver's new restaurant in Bristol, which was very nice.

Now doing some work before Richard Herring in Bristol tonight.

Also decided must definitely lose weight. Will start cutting down from today & hopefully get the bike out soon. I haven't said that before have I?

Day 491 (02/05/2011)

Come on sing along, we're all going to the zoo tomorrow, the zoo tomorrow, the zoo tomorrow.

OK we're all going to Bristol Zoo today but there isn't a song for that, or for we're all going to Jamie Oliver's for dinner later (hopefully).

Well thats our Bank Holiday Monday sorted, bet Kate & Wills are jealous.

Then back to normality tomorrow with work, followed by, you guessed it, Richard Herring in the evening.