Day 1132 (31/01/2013)

Yesterday I had a really interesting meeting in the morning with an old friend & colleague and soon to be business partner.

I know they say that you should never going into business with friends but to be perfectly honest that's what he should be told as he has most of the ideas and want to do most of the work, I'm just helping out on what could be something very good & long term.

Then my mum came around for some birthday cake & a cup of tea.

Doing work and busy getting ready for next weeks course in London.

Day 1131 (30/01/2013)

Had a lovely meal last night.

Kelly is going through a couple of vegetarian cook books and cooking us a meal once a week and so far both have been very nice.

I have a meeting this morning then seeing my mum later to wish her happy birthday.

Day 1130 (29/01/2013)

Day two of the tidy up but I doubt much will be done today as the cleaner will be here. The house always looks so much better on a Tuesday, as it's not only clean but more in order.

Hopefully in a couple of weeks the house will be tidy every day. OK I dreaming but don't spoil it.

Today I got the latest bill from my lawyers. So that's £10k I've spent just to annoy some people using legal terms rather than my using my usual light hearted threatening tones which are of course free and much more fun. Hopefully I may have someone willing to help on a more no win no fee basis but whatever I doubt this will be resolved anytime soon. Even then I doubt I will recover every penny spent.

Day 1129 (28/01/2013)

Start of the week, where we may tidy the house a bit and get rid of some rubbish.

I did the first trip to the tip & recycling centre, where I may have appeared to be an alcoholic with the number of empty bottles. If only they had known that they had all been out of date and emptied down the sink only an hour before hand.

I can't take any f the credit for the tidying up as my wife did it all but I suppose its only fair as if it was down to me we wouldn't have most of this stuff anyway.

Day 1127 & 1128 (26 & 27/01/2013)

Relaxing weekend with awful weather, so I made a lovely (Jamie 30 minute meal) tomato soup, again.

I don't care what anyone else says I think its great.

Day 1126 (25/01/2013)

Still cold but no more snow in Taunton.

Healthy breakfast and going to the gym later.

I had an interesting meeting on Wednesday which could provide some profitable & interesting work but it's likely to be a change of style for me. Not so laid back & funny during the training but more business like & serious. Also I feel I will have to buy some suits, which may be more of a pain than trying to be serious.

Day 1125 (24/01/2013)

I gave my talk today but it didn't start too well as I has found someone to use as a great example of someone who you could easily identify as working for this organisation and then identify his whole family and address within 5 minutes but he didn't want me too.

Oh well, it still went OK and they gave me a nice plaque thing as a present.

After that I had a never ending journey home. I didn't need the blanket or entrenching tool but I did drink the tea in the flask, but not whilst driving.

I got home in time to have dinner, made by Kelly and very nice it was too.

Day 1124 (23/01/2013)

Well it carried on snowing well into the night but I think it must have warmed up a bit this morning as its not so bad out now.

My presentation / adventure is still on, so I have got a few supplies for the car just in case;

blanket - check
flask of hot green tea with lemon - check
pack of biscuits - check
spade / entrenching tool - check
gloves & hat - check
set of Richard Herring dvd's - check

Obviously the dvd's are in case I end up spending hours in some sort of refugee centre.

Day 1123 (22/01/2013)

The snow is really coming down now and starting to settle or as I say stick (the photo doesn't show it but trust me there is lots of snow coming down).

It was not until we had been married for about 10 years did I hear my wife refer to snow settling or sticking as pitching. I presume this is a Bristol term as I've never heard anyone else say pitching when clearly the snow is sticking.

They still haven't cancelled the event in East Anglia so I have got my entrenching tool out of the garden shed to put in my car just in case.   

If things are really bad I might make a snow hole rather than walking for it, as I have seen Ray Mears make one and I think I could knock one up in less than an hour. I shall also be taking a blanket, a small flask and some food just in case but I don;'t think I will bother if it gets that bad.

Quick update, in the 15 minutes since I took the top photo and started writing this the snow has definitely got worse.

I might take a camping stove and my Jamie 15 minute meal book just in case.

Day 1122 (21/01/2013)

Had my haircut first thing this morning, which always makes me feel better. I really hate having long hair and when I mean long hair I mean if it is touching my ears or could be combed then its too long.

It would be true to say that Thomas is not like me at all. He last had a haircut before going to Europe, back in August and now looks as if he is wearing a hat or fluffy bear on his head.

Went to the gym today for another 30 minute swim, but will actually be going upstairs and back on the exercise machines & weights tomorrow.

As much as I want Thursday's event in East Anglia to be cancelled, I have arranged to drop something off on the way and to meet someone whilst over there, so really I need it to go ahead but just need all the snow to have gone by lunchtime Wednesday and for it to be about 8 degrees warmer.

Day 1120 & 1121 (19 & 20/01/2013)

Snow, ice & cold times, it's winter, what utter fun. I'm due to be in East Anglia next week, so given the weather it may be cancelled.

Doing things in the office and trying to spend time with the family. Made a nice dinner on Saturday night, with Kelly having Linda McCartney Fish Free Scampi.

Very nice they were too. There seems to be a much wider choice of Vegi food nowadays.

I was going to do a nice starter on Sunday, with rocket salad, parma ham, fresh figs, haloumi cheese with a balsamic vinegar dressing but once again no fresh figs at Tesco's.

Oh when will this recession be over, how can we live like this. Surely fresh figs in the midst of a British winter is the least we can expect. How can we cope.

Day 1119 (18/01/2013)

Well we woke up to snow in Taunton but heroically I made it to work without any problem.

OK it is only about 14 foot between my bedroom and my office. The gnome's in the garden seem OK with it and even if they weren't they are not coming inside.

I offered to drive my wife to work and she accepted, what a cheek. I refused to change out of my shorts and into trousers, as really that's just admitting that I might have to get out of the car or walk back and that wasn't going to happen, although it could easily have.  

Anyway, like some Victorian explorer I managed to make the 6 mile journey to Asda and back. It is still snowing a bit and if it freezes it will be horrible to go out in, but whatever its like I will still try to pick my wife up after she finishes work.

Day 1118 (17/01/2013)

It looks like snow will be arriving tonight, other places already have it. Hopefully it will be clear next week as I have a bit of a long drive to the other side of the country to give a talk. I could do without it but it might help sell a few courses.

Quite enjoying Spies of Warsaw on the BBC at the moment.

That's two French hero based stories in two days and I'm not exactly a fan of French things.

Day 1117 (16/01/2013)

Getting colder, snow on the way.

We went to see Les Miserables at the cinema last night with my wife and my mum & dad, courtesy of Kelly (our Christmas present).

It was a great film, with a few stand out performances but I loved Russel Crowe (surely the true hero of the film) and Daniel Huttlestone.

However given the choice I prefer the show in theatre to the cinema as each song deserved a round of applause if not a standing ovation and that just isn't done at a cinema.

I will have to see it again, several times.

Day 1116 (15/01/2013)

Woke up this morning to a deep frost on the car.

We didn't have any snow although other parts of Taunton did, "Winter Draws On" as they say.

This morning I went to the new £8.25 million Heritage Centre to go through some old copies of the local regional newspaper as I need a copy of an article for my course.

I had gone to the library yesterday to see them but was told they used to have them but that they had now all been moved to the new Heritage Centre, which I could only go to if I made an appointment. I phoned the Heritage Centre explained what I wanted and made the appointment.

So what joy when I went there this morning only to be told that they don't have that newspaper and I would need to go to Bristol to see it.

Apparently my over-confident nature when making the appointment made them think that they did have the newspaper, even though they knew they didn't. I did say my over-confident nature may have been due to the fact that the library told me that they used to have it but it had been moved there.

Oh well, luckily I'm a patient & tolerant man, as otherwise I would have written in their visitors book that it was crap and ripped up the membership card & thrown it on the desk as I left.  

Years ago we used to buy the kids Easter eggs that came with egg cups or mugs, how things change over the years.

Day 1115 (14/01/2013)

We appear to have missed the dusting of snow that the rest of the country woke up to. I went into town to buy some broadband dongles and it was very very cold, I should of had gloves on.

Busy doing things.

Day 1113 & 1114 (12 & 13/01/2013)

I drove Kelly to some training day she was attending in Taunton in the morning in her somewhat dirty car, as I thought I would put it through a car wash for her (despite the fact that it had rained non stop for over 24hrs the car was still quite dirty). The car wash I normally use uses "tri-coloured soaps & bubble gum scented rinse".

Well today it was the most bubble gum scented it has ever been and immediately I was thinking "Bazooka Joe's" in a 1970's flash back.

I'm not a real fan of bubble gum, partly due to never really being able to blow any bubbles with it. It was one of the many things that did attract me to my wife, as being much more inner city than me she was able to blow these bubble gum bubbles with (near) ease.

In no way am I turning into Victor Meldrew (that probably happened about 20yrs ago) but packaging on stuff really annoys me.

My new toothpaste (bought for me by my wife as I have developed a bit of a sensitive tooth or two) was in a sealed box with a secure cap on. That's fine, so why do they then feel the need to put a plastic seal onto the end of the toothpaste, which needs to be cut off with a knife.

I'm in the bathroom getting ready for bed (or getting up from being in bed) and the bathroom does not have many sharp bladed instruments in it as its a bathroom and not a kitchen. Why am I not carrying my multi-tool with me just in case of these type of emergencies, what a fool.

So once again I have to use the other tooth paste, not meant for sensitive teeth. I've had this tooth paste for a week now and can never get into it.

This morning I thought I would mention it in my blog, so killing two birds with one stone I brought it into my office to take a photograph of it and used my multi-tool to cut off the top. Now I must remember to take it back into the bathroom.

"I Don't Believe It" now having wrote this and handled the toothpaste again I see that there is an area on the cap you are supposed to use to twist this plastic seal off, but how am I supposed to know this, who reads the instructions for a tube of toothpaste.

Day 1112 (11/01/2013)

A cold start today, so had to scrape the ice from my wife's car this morning before she drove off to work. One of the problems with her car is that it's so big and my arms are so short that I can only clear about half the windscreen.

Aiming to go for a swim again later and then will start doing all of the gym work again next week.

Update - 17:00 - I went swimming earlier and it was reminiscent of swimming in the sea during the summer, deceptively cold, as apparently their water heater was on the blink. Also there were a couple of people swimming either side of me who appeared to be trying out for an Olympic trial so were making quite a few waves.

All that was missing were a few sea-gulls & the smell of suntan lotion.

Day 1111 (10/01/2013)

After doing the reports that needed doing I went out to see a friend who has moved to a new place and to buy some new polo shirts for my courses.

It was nice to see my friend Simon & his house was lovely (and his wife Claire but she was out walking the dogs for most of my visit). It is a timber framed barn conversion overlooking the countryside. Everything is electric and computer controlled. The house came with about 4 books of instructions, so I think if I lived there I would have to get the kids to stay at home forever, as the Sky+ box is still beyond me.

One thing that I had never seen in a house before was a wine cupboard which was split into two, one half chilled for white and one side insulated for red.

Awful weather today, wet & foggy.

Day 1110 (09/01/2013)

Today I was busy but I had two main thoughts.

The first was with regard to the size of toilet rolls.  My wife had been shopping and bought the usual multi pack of very nice toilet rolls from Asda, so I was restocking the basket in the on-suite. When I first bought this basket about 14years ago it was about an inch higher than two rolls of toilet paper, now it as about 3 inches higher.

So either the metal basket has grown, which seems unlikely or toilet rolls are being made narrower, meaning that the manufacturer can get more toilet rolls from each batch of paper, so more money for them. That seems more likely.

In around 1985 whilst on duty one night walking round Bridgwater I visited either a McDonalds or KFC as we often got some free chips if there were any left over at the end of the night. The manager then explained that whatever chain he was linked to had just changed from serving its fries (chips to us in the UK) in paper to bags to cardboard bags, which stood-up slightly and was cut in a way to show off loads of chips. He had worked out that by changing from one bag to another they were getting between 1 and 2 more servings out of each large catering bags of uncooked fries.

It was only when he explained how many packets of fries that an average branch sells do you realise how these these extra pennies soon add up to many of thousands of £'s.

My other thought for the day is how much I really enjoy listening to Max Boyce. Despite not have many great memories of living in Wales I have always loved Max Boyce. My favourite joke of all time is one of his, about Gareth Edwards, which unless you are sporty and at least in your mid to late 40's will mean nothing to you.

Finding the link for Max Boyce to put on here has shown me that his is on tour and in Yeovil in a couple of months, so I may go along with my Dad.

Day 1109 (08/01/2013)

All the Christmas stuff is now put away and our cleaner will be here soon after quite a long gap for the Bank Holiday. The house always looks better on a Tuesday after Ann has been cleaning, not just because she has hovered but because my wife feels the need to tidy all of the other crap away.

Thankfully in a couple of months the house will be tidier anyway, and I have started by throwing away half the contents of one of the cupboards in the kitchen.

I had possibly the most expensive 40 minute telephone call of my life this morning, with three highly paid lawyers. I doubt it cost less than £1,000 but was not completely negative.

Hopefully I might be popping to London this week for a brief meeting to help clear the air. Well when I say clear the air, I mean throw a lot of smelly stuff and hope that it sticks.

Day 1108 (07/01/2013)

Seeing as I got a Jamie 15 Meal book for Christmas I decided to spend about 80 minutes making one of his meals for Sunday dinner.

It was mustard lamb with a cider & mint gravy with a watercress, celery & apple salad. It was quite nice and I might use elements of it again. Then we finished off with a chocolate fondue but had to use some bubble chocolate which doesn't melt properly, so it was not a great success.

  

Then on Monday my fight with the naughty people who used my copyrighted material took a not too unexpected turn, which then did become an unexpected twist. Scary to now realise how many resources are being deployed against me, when all they had to say in the first place was sorry.

Hopefully they will back off and act sensibly but it won't surprise me if things take a nasty turn within the next month. I hope they don't but sometimes this people act in a somewhat stupid manner when annoyed.

Of course I could back down but I'm in the right and so can not, I never have before & I see no reason to now.

Day 1106 & 1107 (05 & 06/01/2013)

The weekend is here and I have stuff to do.

Today I received a reply from one of my many ongoing complaints. Their letter had a couple of surprising admissions;

Firstly, apparently it doesn't count as breaching someones copyright if you only intend to share it with a limited group of around 150,000 people in the UK. I hope some dvd or music pirates try that when being arrested by the police for copyright theft.

Secondly it was nice to be part of the official Olympic police & security training programme. What a shame I was never asked or credited.

I have sent it to my solicitor so hopefully she can point out a few legal errors in their "well it doesn't really count" approach to the law.

Day 1105 (04/01/2013)

I seem to be busy at work for some reason but I'm not complaining.

Went to the gym and did another 30+ lengths in the pool, which isn't as good as it sounds as its a small pool not an Olympic sized one.

Still plenty of chocolate & cake in the house.

Day 1104 (03/01/2013)

I went to the gym today but decided I should ease myself back in gently, so just went for a swim. Now knackered after doing just over 30 lengths.

I am determined that this year I will definitely get fit and shed lots of weight. Obviously that would be easier if I cut down on what I was eating but we have enough chocolate in the house to open a branch of Thornton's.

Now time for work.

Day 1103 (02/01/2013)

We had a very realxing day yesterday but it was a bit ruined as I finished my cheese & biscuits wine.

It really was a fantastic wine, much nicer than Port but at £20 a for a small bottle I don't think it will be my regular tipple until I'm a lottery winner.

Back to work but trying to take it a bit easy.

Day 1102 (01/01/2013)

Made a lovely roast pork yesterday,

 it seemed to be well received.

OK I might not have made the afters.

Fairly quiet night in, watching the telly.

Chilling out today but back to work tomorrow and with the usually New Years Resolutions, I will probably be going to the gym as well and booking a skip for next week.