A Blog every Sunday

Purrfecting the catnap

2012-02-19T21:28:00.000Z

It's been another long weekend, trying to mark student assessments and finishing company contracts. We're both been very tired, and I've had some long spells of dizziness over the last couple of days, so I'll be giving up cycling for a few days and trying to rest up.

On Valentine's day we were joined by Mr and Mrs Bear

They were most welcome

Misty has had another long and productive weekend aiming to perfect her catnap

The most noteworthy event of the week has to be the annual arrival of the Frogs at Frog End!

Daily bread

2012-02-12T19:58:00.001Z

The weekend is a good time for making fresh bread and homemade soup for the week's lunches.

It takes a while chop up everything to go into the salad!

It's been another busy weekend of catching up with contracts, but at least good food is made for tomorrow...

A change of pace

2012-02-05T20:28:00.001Z

I'm currently on a two month contract with the University working in the Molecular Ecology & Evolution Group. I have to admit that I am quite enjoying myself, but there has been quite a large change of pace from working at home. With extra cycling, showering, clothes washing and making food. The evenings have been quite busy getting ready for the next day and the weekends used to work on other contracts for our company.

Like most Universities, Exeter is currently undergoing massive expansion and building works. But there is one place it seems they are not interested in building on - The 'Nature Reserve' is a small section of hillside with a 50 to 60 degree slope that you'd have trouble walking up or down. This areas has kindly been left to wildlife.

Misty is settling in well, although she has a lot of crazy moods and rushes around the house chasing imaginary foes.

Last Friday was my 15th blood donation.

Kindling

2012-01-29T16:20:00.000Z

A couple of weeks ago, we bough a reconditioned Kindle from Amazon Warehouse Deals. Basically, if someone buys something and sends it straight back, then the warehouse checks it over, and certifies it for release. I find this particularly pleasing, not only because it cost £70 less than the brand new alternative, but also because it fulfils the key environmental principals of reduce, reuse, recycle.

As I'm still working my way though my Christmas books at the moment, I've only read one book on the kindle so far, but I've been very impressed with the usability, readability of the e-ink display, and also the fact that I have a number of books open and it knows where I am in each book.

The other key advantages are that books are searchable, and that you can highlights sections that interest you. I now find myself wanting to highlight sections in the paper backs I'm reading!

The end, and the beginning...

2012-01-22T16:04:00.001Z

In the first week of January we picked up this 1.6 kg bag of sprouts at a very reduced price from Tesco.

This weekend marks the end of the sprouts! but we still have Christmas foods in the house, including a tin of biscuits and a Christmas pudding from Grandad, boxes of tea from Gary and Dewi and a year's supply of jams from Bryony and Mark (oh, and approximately a million hazelnuts that we collected last autumn for Christmas - despite daily shelling the nut bowl does not seem to have reduced at all!)

Our company is still ticking over quite happily and just about pays the bills each month, but like the sprouts, January also marks the official end of our meagre savings - so I've been applying for full time jobs again (don't worry if you gave us money toward our honeymoon - that is still safely ring fenced!)

Despite receiving very positive noises from my first choice of employer, things are moving along very slowly indeed. So I've decided to take an interim research post back at the University for the next couple of months. Tomorrow morning I'll be back in the rat race.

Farmer's market

2011-09-22T16:49:00.000+01:00

On Thursdays we like to make a quick trip into town at lunch time to go to the weekly Farmer's Market. The produce is all locally grown and is often cheaper than at the supermarkets.

The grape fast

2011-09-21T12:03:00.000+01:00

Although Helen and I often have quite healthy eating habits, over time our diets tend to become less healthy (biscuits, cakes, coke, and I ate a lot of whipped cream when we were away last week...). When this happens for a prolonged period of time we've been breaking the trend with a 2-3 day restorative grape fast. Day one was quite painful, but by day three my cravings have biscuits and cake have gone.

Gifts

2011-09-20T12:13:00.002+01:00

Yesterday we had a lot of fun in Marks and Spencer spending one of the wedding gift cards. I even got a new pair of slippers for the winter!

Cheated

2011-09-19T11:11:00.001+01:00

This Walkers crisp packet had three measly crisps inside

A new friend

2011-09-18T10:18:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday we met Jack the Kestrel at Tamar Otters. I'm looking forward to seeing Jack next March and hopefully getting some video of him in flight.

Windfall

2011-09-17T16:20:00.001+01:00

We may not have won any money recently, but we have certainly been experiencing a windfall this Autumn, with many blackberries, elderberries and hazel nuts collected on our daily walks

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun

2011-09-16T13:45:00.000+01:00

William's ashes returned home today, we may scatter them on the garden in the future, but for now his tiny coffin will be in one of his favourite places.

2011-09-15T20:37:00.001+01:00

2011-09-14T08:00:00.000+01:00

2011-09-13T22:23:00.000+01:00

2011-09-12T22:23:00.002+01:00

2011-09-11T10:33:00.000+01:00

2011-09-10T18:10:00.001+01:00

2011-09-09T12:26:00.001+01:00

2011-09-08T08:30:00.000+01:00

2011-09-07T09:13:00.004+01:00

Mr Edward

2011-08-29T01:12:00.000+01:00

When we got married, Helen and I decided that we wanted to share the same surname. I reasoned that this was also a good oportunity to lose my middle name (which I have never been fond of), and also to have a surname that no one could possibly mispell as I have become tired over the years of everyone missing off the final 't' of Elliott and/or being creative with the l's

So I wasn't amused when the doctor's surgery didn't read the Deed Poll correctly, and changed my name to Ian Alvin Edward - keeping both my old middle name and also missing off the final 's' of Edwards. I took the deep poll in again and they said 'just leave it with us'. So I feel pretty sure they still won't have gotten it right.

The bank ignored the details too and reissued all my cards, paying in books and cheque books in the name 'Ian Alvin Edwards'.

The vets also missed off the final 's'. Is Edwards commonly misspelt as Edward?

This week the vet advised us that it is time to have William put down. He has been suffering for the past couple of years with a form of skin cancer, and now he has a large open wound on his face. We have to go back in on Monday the 5th of September.

He is such a big part of our lives, I can't imagine what it will be like next week without him.

Retro gaming

2011-08-21T14:26:00.005+01:00

Recently I've been revisiting a few old computer games that I played when I was between the ages of 5 and 10 at primary school.

'Snake' is the type of game that you find on a mobile phone these days, but back in the 80s it was cutting edge, and I would play for hours, until the body was coiled all around the screen.

You only have three lives, and it seems there is no 'end' to the game. Eventually there is not enough room left on the screen to move and at that point it is game over (if you haven't died before!)

These days I have trouble getting into games that require a lot of time investment - I still prefer the old and simple classics.

I'll blog about some of the old games as I complete them.

I consider that I have completed Snake... the snake became so long that the program could not keep all the previous information about the body in memory and the snake actually split into two pieces.

2011 - A Royal Wedding

2011-08-14T21:48:00.000+01:00

Happy Easter Everybunny!

2011-04-24T11:01:00.000+01:00

Improving health

2011-04-10T13:11:00.008+01:00

Over the past three months I've been monitoring my calorie intake.

I used to eat a lot of snacks, cakes and biscuits. But recently I've found that you have to 'cut out the junk to make space for the good stuff'.

My main aim has been to maintain a caloric density of around 1.0, and limit my total calorie consumption to around 2000 calories a day (after exercise).

Over the past three months I've lost around 1 stone in weight and I am feeling a lot healthier. The top line shows my weight decrease between 1st January 2011 and 2nd April 2011.

My body mass index has decreased along with body fat (measured by bathroom scales with electrodes).

When we moved to Frog End in August 2007, I was at point 'a' on the BMI chart below. In January 2011 I was right in the centre of the 'OK' band at point 'b'. Now I have moved to point 'c'.

The reduction of body fat has been very fast, now I am aiming to increase my weight again by adding more muscle mass to replace the lost fat. To achieve this I'm monitoring protein in take and exercise.

Comfort zones

2011-04-03T21:16:00.001+01:00

This week I was intending to blog about 'comfort zones', and how I seem to have spent a lot of time outside of mine recently... My theory has always been that you have to push your boundaries, otherwise the amount of difficultly you can tolerate recedes over time. However, this week turned into a painful reminder not to push too far, having spent the last couple of weeks lecturing, marking assessments and then out on the street in a futile canvassing effort for the Green Party - all of which were (in this case) voluntary activities. I find all three activities difficult, and it just became too much.

Yesterday and today I've returned back to basics, washing and sorting clothes and tidying up around the house.

Different sets of 'day of the week' socks over the past 10 years..!

This weekend we are due to celebrate the successes of March - and also the end of the first quarter of 2011 (We're just passing into the second quarter, 91.25 days into the year).

Conservation science

2011-03-27T08:04:00.000+01:00

Last week I was fortunate to be invited to Cambridge to give a couple of lectures to students attending the annual conference for conservation science. I spent four days in the Department of Zoology and accommodation was provided in St. Catharine's college. Apparently Gandalf went to St. Catharine's.

Overall it was an inspiring trip, even if the future prospects for the environment and biodiversity are extremely grim. I certainly enjoyed teaching an audience who are engaged in real conservation efforts.

I'll be going back next year, and hopefully also an advanced workshop as well as the introductions that I did this year.

Back from Brisbane

2011-03-20T13:37:00.001Z

You may remember that last year I claimed I was going to be living and working in Australia (and regularly travelling back and forward to England). The plan wasn't very well thought out, but it was in motion - to the extent that I obtained an Australian working VISA, and shipped a large bag of belongings to Brisbane.

Why did I decide I was going to Australia? For a pay raise, to finish my PhD and to train at one of the best Aikido dojos in the world.

My bag departed for Australia on 22 March 2010... and it arrived back home a year later on 11 March 2011!

It contained mostly scuba diving gear, books and clothes, and seems to have made it's trip around the world journey without incident!

Why did I decide not to go? Helen was staying in Exeter, I never enjoyed working for my boss, and I couldn't face the environmental implications of 'commuting' back and forth!

To be honest, my main motivation for doing a PhD was as a safety net to feel good about myself, i.e. "I must be smart - I have a PhD". I thought that this effect would be further amplified by transferring from an average university (Exeter) to one that was internationally recognised (Queensland).

Another aspect of my old job and the PhD that I welcomed was the feeling of - "this is what I am doing... for now". I've always found it quite comforting the idea that a job is just temporary and that I could delay working out what I am really all about until somewhere further down the line.

Now it feels like I have reached "further down the line", my ego has no safety net, and it is time to do more living.

Pillar!

2011-03-13T13:40:00.012Z

For me, no birthday is complete without a caterpillar birthday cake! The tradition started way back in 2006, when Helen bought me a chocolate caterpillar cake from the supermarket. In 2007-08 I had similar cakes, but as my diet began to change (towards being a bit more healthy), 'Pillar' (as he became know) also evolved...

These days, Pillar is made from stuffed peppers with a swede face and sprout feet. Whereas the chocolate pillar used to be around for a couple of days (getting shorter and shorter), stuffed-pepper pillar tends to get finished off in one sitting!

Last year's pillar: http://hje-at-home.blogspot.com/2010/03/quite-day.html

Thank you all for the cards, books, vouchers and birthday wishes. I had a fabulous day!

Baba Marta (Grandmother March)

2011-03-06T15:24:00.008Z

I don't like winter much. All the plants die down, trees lose their green, and we retreat further and further into the inner warmth of the house. In the early spring and summer I feel like everything breathes a sigh of relief. The back door to the house stays mostly open and the air is refreshingly clear and warm.

For me, the beginning of March is a very special time. On March 1st, I take out my beloved collection of martenitsa, all of which were sent to me from my dear friend Ivan who lives in Bulgaria.

Martenitsa are a traditional Bulgarian gift that people wear from the 1st of March until they see the first signs of new life. This could be the first buds on the trees, or the first stork flying overhead!

For me, I celebrate the start of new life on my Birthday (7th March), and hang martenitsa from the trees in our garden.

Martenitsa on Google (1st March 2011)

This month I am starting a new website, and one of my first posts will be on my trip to Bulgaria in 2000. More details soon...!

Disrespect

2011-02-27T20:20:00.000Z

I know the laptop is warm- but this kind of behaviour can not be encouraged!

Feeling insecure

2011-02-20T08:00:00.000Z

Back in the 90's I was pretty sure that there was no way I would ever shop on the internet.

According to my Amazon order history (which goes back all the way...), I made my first online transaction in January 2003. At the time I thought it was a bit risky! In the past 7 years, I've ordered from Amazon 63 times, although over half of those were gifts for other people.

For the past decade I've been avoiding Password Managers for a similar reason - the idea that one piece of software would have access to all that information just freaked me out. But this lead to a more dangerous problem - reusing the same low security password over and over for multiple web sites.

With the start up of our company I've been swamped with new passwords, mostly for server administration both for our company and for clients.

I'm now using KeePass Password Safe, and I have to admit, there's no way I'll go back to managing passwords myself. I now actually think it is safer using the password manager than to reuse the same, low security, passwords all over the place.

(I fuzzed out the details)

I use KeePass on Windows as part of Portable Apps...

You can download portable apps onto a memory stick (or anywhere else on your machine) and you can use all the applications (like KeePass) without ever actually installing them into windows.

This allows you to try all sorts of useful applications without the worry of clogging up and slowing down your computer - and you can just plug in the USB to any machine and use the software you need.

Apologies for the 'technical' blog this week - if you want to read something more interesting then check out our frogs... Garden is alive with sound of croaking

Healthy chips

2011-02-13T16:50:00.006Z

Today I thought I'd share my sweet potato chips recipe. It's a very simple process.

1. Peel a sweet potato and cut into chips

2. Cook for the same amount of time as you would oven chips

3. Enjoy with your meal!

As with all changes to diet it takes a while to get used to new foods (I used to dislike sweet potatoes, tofu, ... even sprouts!) but now, after a few months, I actually prefer the sweet potato.

Nutritionally potatoes are quite devoid, but sweet potatoes are a star food belonging to the orange group. They are high in alpha- and beta-carotenes.

Sweet potato vs regular oven chips (per 100g)

Calories (kcal): 87 / 180
Fat (g): 0.3 / 6.7
Salt (g): 0 / 0.1

P.S. I now cook the sweet potato on a wire rack - this way they cook nicely without needing to be turned half way through.

Celebrating January

2011-02-05T13:49:00.009Z

On Monday evening we had our first monthly celebration of 2011 on 'new month's eve'. Although we've had a reasonably slow start to the year with work contracts, January was a very positive month, with lots of long term goals being met.

Since the beginning of the year we've been practicing regular Chi Kung: a form of exercise, but with no movement! Ideal for practicing in front of the telly. Gary and I were introduced to Chi Kung back in the early 90's and it is something that has stuck as it really does have positive health benefits.

I currently practice Chi Kung for around 45 minutes a day.

It was a week for celebrations, with our 5 year anniversary - I got a wonderful card from Helen with photos of the things we have done over the past 5 years.

The Grandad Call

2011-01-30T08:45:00.000Z

Wednesday night is 'The Grandad Call'. I used to find that talking on the phone took a big chunk of time out of the evening, and you can't get much done during a phone call. Right?

Wrong!!

The Grandad call routine has become quite elaborate over the past year and a half.
(1) I do my weekly clothes wash on Saturdays so that it is dry in time for Wednesday
(2) Instead of washing up throughout the day on Wednesday, all pots and pans are left until the end of the day
(3) Wednesday afternoon is ideal for baking and generally making a mess in the kitchen.
(4) One cordless phone and a handsfree ear piece, and the call begins some time after 6pm...

Gary often asks Grandad what I've been getting up to over the past week, and Grandad's answer is always the same "he's been washing up..."!

Busy week and an environmently-minded weekend

2011-01-22T21:54:00.006Z

More teaching at the University this last week - but I finished on Friday and I'm looking forward to things getting back to normal. At the moment my next teaching commitment is not until the end of March.

On Saturday I helped run a meeting called an 'open space' for a local environmental initiative that I'm involved with called Transition Exeter. The meetings look a lot like 'AA' to begin with, but all the furniture soon gets moved around.

Open space meetings have no preconceived agenda and are surprisingly effective at finding projects that the attendees are really motivated to get involved with.

At the moment I manage the website (which is in desperate need of updates), respond to all the emails and edit the monthly newsletter. But long term my interest is in developing web tools that will help all transition initiatives (internationally) through a projected call Transition Drupal.

Today we've been out and about town and stocked up with a large collection of library books (mostly for cooking!). I also did some jobs around the house including my weekly wash...

These days I'm using ecoballs - they seem to do a great job at 30 degrees, and the wash only takes half an hour with no need for a rinse cycle. The ecoball can be used for 150 washes before needing a refill.

The normal wash cycle on our machine takes 1 hours 30 minutes - imagine hand washing your clothes vigorously for that long - after using the ecoball and not being able to tell any difference, I'm wondering if it is really necessary.

The Loft

2011-01-16T16:00:00.000Z

My time this week has mostly been consumed with lecturing and preparing for lecturing. I've been teaching masters students at the University each January for the past four years. This year I've taken on teaching some of the Ph.D. students as well.

On Saturday we had a major organisation in the loft, and recycled a large number of old boxes that were just taking up space.

The packing boxes that we have kept are now all flattened and stacked neatly.

The majority of items in the loft are now boxed and labelled in crates, or in an appropriate section with similar items (furniture / household etc).

We're finally reaching the stage where both the house and loft are tidy. Hopefully we can empty the loft completely, finish boarding the floor and then decide how we'd like to use the space in the long term.

2011-01-09T08:45:00.001Z

Winter seems to be over in the south. We took down the Christmas decorations on the 6th of January

We knew we'd missed William's plate (but it is the only one he has to eat from at the moment!)

All the decorations were snuggly back in the loft when Helen discovered a rogue bauble hidden in the corner under the sockets.

Yesterday we realised we'd also missed the backdoor mat.

Just in time for Easter - Sainsbury's have also cleared out after Christmas and are now pushing hot cross buns on the way in.

The main selling point seems to be that they are 'New'. Perhaps the rancid ones are towards the back of the store?

I've just realised I'm not the only one pondering fresh bread this week...

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T12:49:00.005Z

Happy New Year everyone! Has anyone made any interesting resolutions? Any resolutions broken yet?!

Last year Helen and I both gave up meat, and we're been vegetarians for a whole year now. I also gave up chocolate... and 365 days later I still haven't eaten any! Exactly how this is possible I do not know, but it has changed my understanding of the universe. So, this year I have resolved to quit biting my nails (!) and also to see in each new month with mini celebrations.

We saw in the new year with a budget bottle of bucks fizz. It was very nice indeed.

William barely made it into the kitchen before starting to eat his New Year's Day meal (his favorite pâté).

Helen and I had a wonderful Christmas. Helped along no doubt by the generous amount of snow this year. Helen is busy blogging photos from Christmas.

Today I promised GB I'd resume my weekly blogs... Let's see if I can manage the full 52 this year...(?)

Otters on Ice

2010-12-05T22:00:00.000Z

England vs Slovenia

2010-06-27T16:55:00.000+01:00

We were enjoying the Devon summer at Brixham Cove

and ...
Murray vs Simon

It's not just football we're missing during this wonderful summer.
During the Murray match on Saturday we put in the final decking posts.

I missed most of the England vs Germany match today working on the front garden, but I did catch the last 15 minutes.

William missed all the sports

England vs Algeria

2010-06-20T17:51:00.002+01:00

England vs USA

2010-06-15T23:06:00.006+01:00

It's been quite a long time since my last blog. I'm definitely due to write an update, not least because I was supposed to be living and working in Australia now. Well, I'm very happy to say that I've decided to stay in the UK - and since making this decision I have been feeling a lot happier.

It has been a very busy time over the past couple of months. As a way back into blogging I've decided to do a number of snapshots along the theme of "Where were you when Kennedy was shot?". Only in this case it will be: "Where were you during the England world cup matches?"... Interesting, the answer is most likely not "I was in front of the telly"

Where's Wally? (0:51)

http://transitionculture.org/2010/06/14/day-one-of-the-transition-network-conference-2010/

During the football match I was recovering from a long day at the Transition Network conference. Transition takes a very positive response to climate change and peak oil, but on Saturday evening those of us not enjoying the football were dealing with our emotions after a dire talk on economics. I was in a dorm room with Author Shaun Chamberlin, who wrote a blog post on the subject.

More from xkcd...

2010-04-06T12:32:00.001+01:00

I thought this was worth sharing for all you active bloggers! In my case the event-to-blog time is somewhat slower!

There will however be a major shake-up of the blog in July when I'll be posting regular news from Brisbane.

More b'day pics

2010-03-14T18:44:00.005Z

Last Sunday we did in a lot of things on my birthday. Here are a couple more photos- first of the orange tree that Helen bought me (repotted this afternoon), it looks splended, hopefully it will be in a whole orangery sometime in the future.

Here's my 30th b'day card from Helen- with a few of my major events from the past 30 years!

Don't play with your food!

2010-03-07T23:25:00.010Z

I was somewhat apprehensive about my 30th birthday...

(card from Gary and Dewi)

I had a notion in my mind that a person's habits, lifestyle etc, must be pretty much fixed by this stage in the game, and if there are any problems/inadequacies/vices that I am capable of fixing then I would have fixed them in 30 years, right?

There is also pressure to have fun on the day, and not let enjoyable events pass you by. We had no real plans in place, but after a spontaneous birthday I feel very upbeat and happy.

See Helen's blog for details of the day, including the use of my new entrance pass (which accompanied my otter adoption) from Bryony and Mark...!

Over the last year, Helen and I have made huge steps forward on our health. This time last year (2009) I said no to getting the caterpillar birthday cake that has become a tradition since 2006- I was quite confused at the time about my eating habits.

2006

2007

2008

Over the last year I've lost my sweet tooth, and I am easily getting my 5-a-day. This year's 'pillar' was made with stuffed peppers, and it was absolutely amazing.

2010

Thank you all for the thoughtful cards and well wishes!

Prison break

2010-02-14T16:07:00.003Z

Last weekend the water pipe went under the lounge floor...

Today I finished digging the 'prison break' - a section of tunnel from the front garden to the house wall (it wasn't easy ;P)

Next I have to make sure the whole trench is deeper than 2 ft (with a sand base) and then both ends of the pipe will need connecting!

2010-01-31T04:00:00.001Z

This weekend we travelled up to Preston to visit Gary and Dewi. Unlike most of our trips North we didn't have a busy agenda- so on Saturday we decided to take a mini-vactation to Blackpool.

It was cold on the sea front, but we soon warmed up in my favorite pub: The Buccaneer.

The wind was a bit icy, so G&D didn't join us on our trip to Blackpool zoo. While at the zoo we saw a "squotter"...

Barry: The Squirrel-otter

Welcome to 2010 (eventually!)

2010-01-24T06:00:00.000Z

Firstly an apology that it's been so long without an update from me! It has been a busy start to the new decade with research, teaching, presentations and the usual ups and downs at frog end. The lab is gearing up for the move to Australia this year, and people are beginning to leave already. Thank you all for your best wishes for our engagement, I still haven't written to all my family, but I will in the next week or so!

On Friday, the builder finally finished the last part of the last job we ask him to do. His tools and mess are also finally gone from the dining room. It feels like the end of an era just managing to get him finished and out. Okay, so the window handle is gold (we asked for white), the bottom edge is oak (we asked for white!) and he removed the old cover over the wall cavity (and didn't make good). All of these minor issues are dwarfed by the fact that we got what we really wanted - him finished and gone!

White Christmas

2009-12-27T14:16:00.003Z

Helen and I where lucky to experience snow in Cumbria on Christmas day this year.

There was also snow at Helen's mum's in Formby, and a beautiful covering at my parent's grave in Preston

Out of steam

2009-12-21T13:30:00.003Z

Well, I've pretty much ran out of steam. We have been doing jobs on the house, like assembling the new kitchen, nailing down the dining room floor and generally tidying up after the builder.

We'll be travelling north soon to see family. Internet connectivity will be limited to dial up for most of the journey, although there will be an oasis of wireless at Helen's dad's.

I'm planning to return to blogging once a week, and I think it will take the form of a project 52! (52 blogs of photos from each week).

Only 350 nails to go!

It's all change

2009-12-17T09:19:00.003Z

The builder had another busy day yesterday as we told him we wanted him out by Friday!

The old back door and door frame were removed leaving a gaping hole into the garden that had to be filled by sundown.

The floor and back step were damp proofed, and a cavity was created, then the bricking up began. Finally the window was put it. The windows still have their protective tape on, they will be oak brown when the tape is removed.

We were very proud of William last night. He had a disturbing experience when he first went to use his cat flap, but already he is happily using the new tunnel. Ah, they grow up so fast.

Nearly there

2009-12-16T11:17:00.003Z

Everything has been a bit slow over the past few days. I've had a stomach bug (I think because I didn't wash my hands properly after digging in the garden). The builder spent most of last week just pottering about and he didn't show up on Monday at all. But yesterday saw a resurgence in the building works. The dining room window was ripped from the wall...

The brickwork removed, and the new doors installed. All in one day.

A giant leap for puss-kind

2009-12-12T18:08:00.004Z

It's an ugly photo as everything in the house is currently covered in brick dust...

William's new cat ~~flap~~ tunnel!

The old back door is being removed, along with William's cat flap. The replacement flap is going through the house wall, and because of the thickness of the wall it has a 30 cm tunnel section. A rodent would love it, but we'll have to see how William does given that he already has trouble getting all of himself through the current flap! He usually leaves his tail trapped in the flap door for about 30 seconds before he walks off and wonders why the flap has finally shut behind him.

Black Jack

2009-12-12T16:50:00.001Z

When the kitchen and pantry walls were removed, the old damp proof course was damaged. We've had a bit of a miscommunication with our builder about who is responsible for 'making good' after the works, and also everything is taking so long, so I decided I'd better get on with repairing the floor this weekend so that we can install the new kitchen units as soon as possible.

I've painted in a damp proof membrane (black jack) and when it dries I'll add mortar on top to make the floor level again. The new 'oiled walnut' floor planks arrived this morning but we'll have to get the builder out before we can start on the floor. Unfortunately we haven't been able to start assembling the kitchen units (which arrived on Thurs) because of the holes in the floor! We're really hoping the builder will finish next week. He seems to be in no hurry because he has no other jobs booked before Christmas.

It'll be easy!

2009-12-11T17:41:00.004Z

When we designed the layout of the new fitted cupboards for the bedroom we didn't quite have enough space to fit in the final large cupboard.

I decided it would be easy to modify it, so we bought it anyway and for the past couple of months it has been partly assembled without the doors on.

After a day of measuring, sawing, drilling, screwing and even planing! the final bedroom cupboard is now completed. I'm still unsure why it took so long, but I'm quite happy with the result.

The majority of the cupboard is actually 2 ft (60 cm) deep and there is now an extra, small extension to the cupboard on the right-hand side in front of the chimney breast, with both doors offset to the right so that they can both open completely.

Mud, mud, mud

2009-12-10T14:56:00.003Z

It's about 11 metres from the house to the street. The first trench that I dug unearthed some old foundations. It wasn't worth trying to go through them, so I had to start again and go around. We've been luckier the second time. I still have to deepen the trench to 2ft (60 cm) and at the house end I have to dig a tunnel (similar to a prison break) under the concrete path to the house wall.

The Ikea kitchen units arrived this morning, so we will be busy assembling them over the weekend. Then it will be time to start thinking seriously about the kitchen and bathroom plumbing.

Blast off - Frog End goes Space Age

2009-12-07T10:40:00.004Z

Yesterday we finally completed the underfloor insulation in the dining room and replaced the floor boards. Just in time before the builder returns today.

Before

After

Both the kitchen and the hall have solid floors which will heat up and cool down very slowly. The dining room and living room floors however are suspended over a large air gap that is the same temperature as the outside air. Having the insulation is already making a huge difference by stopping the drafts that were coming up from under the floor. Here's a photo of the other side of the room looking towards the hall.

The new water pipe is now in the living room, so at some stage that floor will have to be lifted too to route the pipe through the outside wall. We can also insulate under the living room floor at the same time.

2009-12-05T11:26:00.007Z

Yesterday we finished taking up the floor in the dining room and I managed to find a route diagonally through to the lounge for the new water pipe. It wasn't possible to coil it under the lounge floor, so for the time being it's hung on the wall! It's funny to think that all of our water will come through that pipe. Stage 1 on the journey to the street is complete- it can only get harder from here on..!

Today, Helen and I started on the underfloor insulation, and we are half way through laying the insulation boards and sealing the edges with a low yield foam, more pictures tomorrow. We're very glad that the floor will be going back down tomorrow. Hopefully with the floor back down there won't be as much dust in the house.

Dust masks, before and after!

William is hoping that things will get back to normal soon. He hasn't liked being without a floor in the dining room. But before the floor was taken up he wasn't too bothered.

Business as usual

This morning we took part in the first stage of the decadal Exeter otter survey for Devon Mammal Group. In February we will be surveying the watercourses in Pinhoe for signs of otters.

A good nights sleep

2009-12-04T17:10:00.005Z

We were both feeling unwell yesterday. There has been a lot of dust in the house, and a lot of extra noise. Fortunately the builder is busy today, so we have a long weekend on our own, and after 12+ hours sleep some of the worst symptoms of a cold that I had yesterday have past.

What's under your floor?

I finally finished taking up the dining room floor this afternoon, so it will be a lot quieter over the weekend as we are only cutting the insulation and fitting it between the floor joist. I've nailed some battens across the underside of the joist to support the insulation board.

Here is the first bit of insulation, and also the new HEP water pipe.

Living the dream

2009-12-02T18:48:00.006Z

It's turning out to be a fantastic holiday. Our builder Ashley seems quite happy to oversee the various jobs that I am undertaking at the moment. He advises on better ways to do things, and he's always offering me the use of his tools to get on with things around the house.

One of the jobs I've been hoping to do for a while now is the replacement of the current lead water pipe supplying the property with a new plastic pipe. It's quite a big job which involves digging a two foot deep trench from the road to the house. The trench has to go underneath the existing concrete path by the house, through the house wall, and remain two feet under for some distance into the living room before entering the new kitchen under the floor.

Since we'll soon be laying a new wooden new floor, this is our last chance to do any major works under the floor boards. So this evening I've lifting the first half of the dining room floor boards and tomorrow the new water pipe will start it's long journey to the street! We're taking up all of the floor so that I can put down underfloor insulation as well... All this talk about climate change- it's time we start to really get serious at home.

Before

After

Adiós pantry

2009-12-01T19:51:00.003Z

Day two, and the pantry was next to receive Ashley's special attention.

Before                     After

This evening, the tiled floor has also been removed.

Where's the ballcock??

2009-12-01T11:49:00.004Z

Late last night disaster struck - the toilet wouldn't stop filling and there wasn't much that we could do except turn the water off!

Toilet internals have changed a lot in recent years. I used to be quite confident about replacing parts in the cistern, but until today I had no idea what was going on with the new, low volume, push-button flush systems.

It turns out that there are two major components in the new compact tank, the float valve (left) and the flush valve (right).

The float valve is a compact alternative to the familiar old ballcock. Ours has mysteriously broken internally and we've bought a replacement. However, the button on the our flush valve was also constantly getting stuck causing the flush to free flow, so we decided to take the opportunity to replace both parts.

Fortunately we now have a Screwfix store in Exeter which makes shopping for plumbing and building products as easy as a trip to Argos. The parts were £8 and £12 respectively and fitting was relatively straight forward.

Reminiscing the old days...

2009-11-30T20:31:00.004Z

Professional Help

2009-11-30T16:32:00.010Z

We spent the weekend gutting the kitchen and dining room ready for the builder today. Both rooms are now completely devoid of useful furnishings, and the old disused pipework has been removed.

The builder arrived this morning and made light work of the non-load bearing wall between the kitchen and dining room. I was slightly dismayed that he had all the big fun, but it was worth it for the knowledge that he knew what to do if there were any complications. He's also agreed to get me started on a couple of jobs that I will do after he's gone including underfloor insulation and a new water pipe to the property to replace the current lead water pipe.

Before    After

Mind the live wires! There's no turning back now!

More than we can chew?

2009-11-29T21:49:00.000Z

Over the past couple of years it has been hard to find enough time to work on renovating the house amongst the commitments to work, the part-time Ph.D. and recently the company. It can be a bit overwhelming, and sometimes it feels like we've bitten off more than we can chew.

All that is about to change, as I am taking my remaining 19 days holiday time + Christmas closure time which puts me on holiday from today until the 4th of January.

Blog every Sunday will be going into overdrive as I take a 'month of Sundays' working on the house, and I'll be posting a lot more details on what we're doing at home. So far we have ordered our new kitchen, to arrive on Thursday, and chosen the worktops and flooring. We have a builder starting tomorrow to remove some internal walls and cut an opening for french doors.

Roll on Christmas

2009-11-22T15:37:00.008Z

Today I sat down for the first time this year to calculate my holiday entitlement and I came to the realisation that I could legitimately take holiday from today until the 4th of January! We did have a five day break in May, but I was going to meetings and giving talks the following week in Washington and The Bahamas and we both ended up working for at least two of the days we were away - Mental note: always take holiday after big work events and not before.

I took some time working 'out of the office' around April when my Nana was ill, and for the funeral. I was still receiving calls and working during the day, but I wasn't very effective, so I subtracted another week from the universities generous holiday entitlement and now I'm left with 30th November - 5th January!

So I've emailed work with the suggestion and we'll see how it goes. If I can take the whole of December as holiday leave then it means that we'll be able to make a lot of progress on the house, including installing the new kitchen, finishing the bedroom and bathroom and hopefully starting the decking.

Update:

HOLIDAY TIME APPROVED!

Closure!

2009-11-15T19:22:00.003Z

It's been a busy weekend, travelling to see family and we had a great time playing Wii, eating out, and getting little jobs done with Grandad, Gary and Dewi.

We just arrive home to the news that Helen has succeed in getting our paper published (four years in the making):

Incorporating Ontogenetic Dispersal, Ecological Processes and Conservation Zoning into Reserve Design

Otterless

2009-11-07T17:51:00.005Z

Thought for the week

This weekend was supposed to be the second decadal Exeter otter survey which we have been excited about for sometime. Otter reintroductions to the wild have ceased as the population is beginning to recover. We've known for sometime that there were otters in Exeter because of the photo in the Devon Wildlife Trust's newsletter about an otter break in Cricklepit mill:

(click to see the full DWT video)

The survey is postponed until the first weekend in December, which will allow time for the water level to subside in the river Exe and hopefully we'll have a few days free of rain. Yesterday we went on our own otter hunt to the Seaton marshes (see Helen's post), where otters have been sited recently, but alas we did not see any signs.

The week's best(s)

1. Peaceful moments waiting for the rain to stop

2. Positive news from CJ that he'll have surgery soon; we'll be able to take him to the zoo some time in the new year.

3. We received news this week that our builder is nearly finished on his current job (restoration of a old cottage) and will be with us within a week. This weekend we've been emptying the kitchen and dining room in anticipation.

The week's worst(s)

Jedward. Although I do find it comforting that I can honestly say I could have given an equal performance.

Reading

I finished Bernard Cornwell's The Burning Land, his fifth novel in the Alfred series, and it another riveting read. I'm actually considering rereading the series at some stage which is something that I rarely do.

Next weeks aims

Next week I'm going to finish working on the paper we started over a year and a half ago. I have to admit it's looking a lot better than it did, although I'm still dubious about it being submitted to Science. But, it will finally be submitted and I can get back to working on my PhD.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

2009-11-01T19:42:00.008Z

Halloween is one of my favourite times of the year. Here are a few photos from this year's carving, for more photos see Scriptor's family and Helen at Home.

OOoops!

2009-10-26T10:29:00.005Z

Thought for the week

When I started this blog back in August, I hadn't considered that their might come a week then I was late with my blog! We were away over the weekend and my blogging commitments have completely slipped my mind. We had a wonderful weekend and Helen's Dad's 60th birthday, see pictures here.

Having been launched straight into a busy week I'm not doing a full blog post today. For some of the details of last week see my carbon neutral blog.

HappY BirThday WilliaM !

2009-10-18T18:00:00.001+01:00

Thought for the week

After a blissful summer that has been devoid of supervision at work I was subjected to a 3+ hour Ph.D. supervision meeting this week where we went over an over an issue without finding a resolution. I'm hoping that's now me done for the rest of the year - next week is a reprieve as my supervisor is away again, and beyond that he seems to be pretty busy with teaching commitments.

Helen and I have made an early start thinking about and buying Christmas presents. We've found that we enjoy the whole of Christmas more if we're organised, and these days most of the present shopping is completed by the beginning of November usually with one or two items left that will arrive before the beginning of December

This coming week

Today is the first day of my 'No Impact Experiment', a public version of the one year project undertaken by Colin Beavan and his family in the heart of New York City. The aim of the project was to see if it was possible for people who live in urban areas to not make a negative impact on the environment. Colin's book "No Impact Man" makes for interesting reading whilst also causing you to question why you do many things in the way that you do. I enjoy the idea of shaking things up a bit, and during the No Impact Week you can follow our progress and also find our more about what is going on over at the experiment group page: http://experiment.noimpactproject.org/profile/IanElliott

The week's best(s)

I've been taking 'campus walks' at lunch times more frequently; some of the trees and plants on Exeter campus are exceptionally beautiful at this time of year. My mediocre photographs don't really capture the wonder of the the Virginia creeper on the side of the Queens building. I'll add more photos from my 'campus walks' next week.

Today is William's birthday, see more at Helen's blog.

The week's worst(s)

Sadly, our European otter friend, Hamish, died last week at Dartmoor Otters in Buckfastleigh. The centre will be finding a new companion for Imogen who survives him, and hopefully may have more success in the future with breeding. I'll let you know when we meet the new otter!

Week's favorite blog(s)

Trying to soak up GB's advice from his blog this week. Playing the Glad game, and seizing the moment by trying new things.

Reading

Finished 'The Poet of Lochness', now I've now started Bernard Cornwell latest Alfred novel.

A Guest Blog

2009-10-11T13:11:00.003+01:00

This week is a little different, I've agreed to give a Guest Blog on Rambles from my Chair as part of 2009's Blog Action Day.

Look out for my guest blog at http://scriptorsenex.blogspot.com/ on Thursday 15th October.

In the meantime, find out some of the things that have been happing over at Helen's blog, and see my latest climate post.

Otters in the news!

2009-10-04T16:58:00.001+01:00

Thought for the week

Helen found some important otter stories in the news this week, including an artical about Manoki and Panambi at the Chestnut Centre, and Lottie the new character being introduced to Winnie the Pooh. Winnie the Pooh is veritably a quote feast so I have chosen Pooh as my October blog theme.

The week's best(s)

It's been another busy week for work and we needed a bit of relaxing entertainment in the evenings. So we bought Lost series 4 from the supermarket. You'd definitely need to have seen all three previous series to enjoy it, but it was riveting entertainment. We finished watching the 14 episodes in about three evenings. If anyone would like to borrow it, let us know. We also have Angels and Demons on DVD it any one wants to see it.

The week's worst(s)

Next door persevered (continuing in a course of action without regard to discouragement, opposition or previous failure), the term bludgeoning comes to mind. Two weeks to destroy the swimming pool wall by making it into dust.

Week's favorite blog(s)

Dewi created a new blog about the Garden at Dodney house, we're looking forward to lots more photos!

Favourite website(s)
I found the ebay outlet this week, it seems that this is where all the old stock from high street chains gets sold off quite cheaply.

Act now! :D

2009-10-01T10:41:00.002+01:00

See the new post on my climate blog:

http://carbonneutralme.blogspot.com/2009/10/friend-of-earth.html

Relaxing Sunday

2009-09-27T18:25:00.001+01:00

Thought for the week

I've moved my weekly blog posting time to Sunday evenings to capture the events of Sunday as well as the rest of the week. Today, Sunday events included: Shopping (for the week), cooking (roast tomato and chilli soup, beetroot soup and cherry chocolate cake), decorating (more unit assembly and finally getting all the floorboards screwed back down), gardening (weeds in the front, and feeding the pumpkins and water melon), cutting the grass (strimming, mowing, raking), oh, and blogging Helen is still in the kitchen, making dinner now! This evening I'll be talking to Grandad on the phone while washing up and making lunch for work tomorrow. He's gotten used to me clanging pots and putting out the rubbish while we talk via my cordless headset with the call routed through skype!

I blogged last week about our move to renewable energy. If you want to switch then I can recommend you as a friend. You'll receive £25 extra off your first bill, and we'll receive £25 which we'll donate to charity. Let me know if you want more details!

I'll be summarising my reading about climate change on my new blog Carbon Neutral me (with an explanation of the title in a few days time).

The week's best

1. Calling Gordon Brown on Monday!

2. Growing (and eating!) my first water melon. It was so tasty, and I think one of my proudest moments!
3. Finishing wiring up the electrics in the bedroom. This is my third weekend on the job (along with the painting and assembling units we've been doing). We now have 2x two gang sockets, and the light switch and cables are now all correctly recessed into the wall. Previously they ran up the outside of the wall in plastic trunking. Very ugly.

The week's worst

1. Imagine you have a thick block wall that you want to remove. What would be your tool of choice? Our neighbour has opted to use a drill, and for the past four days (including 9am on Sunday morning) has been out there removing the wall by repeatedly drilling into it at the top. I could understand if he weakened the walls at the bottom, but to remove fragments of dust from the top ... could someone else supply the word I'm looking for? He's no where near finished yet.

2. Assembling the double wardrobe in the bedroom. It was too tall to assemble on the ground and then tip up, so the heavy top and side had to been fixed in situ whilst standing on the step ladder.

3. My sciatic troubles started up again on Friday. I was hoping it was over with now

Week's favorite blog(s)

Another heavy week of blog reading. I've clocked up over 538 post reads since last Sunday. I'm not sure having google reader is a good thing! Fortunately the work related blogs seem to tail off a bit at the weekends. Most of the blogs I read are GIS and environmentally related, but also there are a few cooking blogs and all the family ones.

Next Week

Next week we'll be in October and I'll be changing to a new blog theme! Goodbye Kungfu Panda! (make sure you watch it if you haven't already it! we have it on DVD if you'd like to borrow it).

Sunday mornings

2009-09-27T04:00:00.000+01:00

Blog Admin

Past blogs have all been scheduled for Sunday mornings, but this is a bit inconvenient for including events that happen on Sundays!

I'll be posting at the end of Sunday from now on.

Until this evening... check out my new blog on Climate Change and living a carbon neutral life over at http://carbonneutralme.blogspot.com/

2009-09-20T04:00:00.000+01:00

Thought for the week
Helen and I made the switch to Good Energy this week. 100% of our electricity is now being supplied from renewable sources: making no negative impact on the environment.

The Best Bit(s)
1. Helen and I are nearing completion on our second company project. This time there is no pay cheque, but we are hopeful it will lead to our next contract.
2. We finished painting the bedroom ceiling, and I finished the necessary brickwork. Next we're plastering, papering, painting and putting assembling the fitted cupboards. Helen succeeded in assembling the first of the five new cupboards.

The Worst Bit(s)
1. A medium size tree from the council playing fields behind our house has fallen on our back fence! Fortunately, the back fence is a good construction...!

2. It's been a very busy week, and the house is still cluttered from us being a room down during decorating.

Week's favorite blog(s)
According to google reader (which I started using at the end of last week to keep up with blogs), I've read 334 blog entries this week alone! (most of those are related to computing and geographic information systems GIS). I feel like I've forgotten about most of the blogs I read earlier in the week. I did agree with GB's Never Hate Anything.

Favorite website(s)
What was New York like before it was a city?

Reading
Reading has been slow recently, with everything that is going on, but I'm aiming to read a chapter a day of my current library book: The Poet of Loch Ness

Sunday the thirteenth

2009-09-13T04:00:00.001+01:00

Thought for the week

Blog day again! already! I don't know how all you daily bloggers manage it! Although, I am now managing to keep up with reading all your blogs with the help of google reader (which shows me which blog entries I haven't read yet)

Getting Involved

If you want to get involved in pressuring our leaders to act on Climate Change before the climate talks in Copenhagen this year, then have a look at the events being organised on 21st September, find an event near you and let me know how it goes - or get together and organise your own event and register it on the map!

The Best Bit(s)

1. Last month I blogged about William's first word. Yesterday was his first time watching TV... he sat on the remote and changed the channel from ITV (X Factor) to BBC2! They grow up so fast.

2. When we moved to frog-end, and got a plumber in to fit the bathroom I was really upset that he cut a big hole in our garden table which he used as a bench when cutting with a circular saw. However, yesterday I picked up a new version of the same table from B&Q for £25 (it was £144 originally)

The Worst Bit(s)

Well, the house has been a bomb site as we decorate the bedroom and get ready for the builders. It's also been an insanely busy week with the successful completion of our first contract. All in all it's been a pretty good week

Week's favorite blog(s)

1. Happy Mondays continued with another excellent entry
2. This entry about living for a year without making an negative impact on the environment was interesting and inspiring

Favorite website(s)

1. The wealth of content of Scribd.com is amazing, I really suggest you check it out (although you'll need an account to view it). People publish content there that is free to read and download, and there are some real gems.

Health and well-being

I've finally started exercising again by cycling to and from work every day. 21 miles this week!

Coming to fruition

2009-09-06T04:00:00.003+01:00

Another successful year for window sill melon growing. I love it when a crop comes to fruition! The sweet heart melon (left) was just as tasty as last year's, and I would highly recommend it to fellow melon growers. This year I'm also growing a water melon (right). Unfortunately this summer has been a bit disappointing (too unreliable for growing things!). I wonder how big it will get by the annual harvest, perhaps I can enter it at a local show

Thought for the week

Continuing to push green issues this week, and still on the topic of Avaaz and their efforts alongside the TckTckTck campaign to ensure real results in Copenhagen in 92 days time

Avaaz will be staging a massive network of global events on 21st September to give a clear message to politicians. I'll blog about the outcome of their work as things begin to happen. Usually all the support that is required is the occasional signing of online partitions. But if, like me, you'd like to donate to support this climate 'Wake up call', then just follow the link below.

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/fund_the_wake_up_call/

Here is an example of the events that they make happen.

Avaaz Burma Petition Delivery from pascal vollenweider on Vimeo.

The Best Bit(s)

1. Our company completed it's first contract: to provide dynamic maps of the marine area around Belize (see the Maps tab, top right). Now we just have to send an invoice!

2. Helen found our first slow worm of the year. It was a relief for me, I was beginning to worry since we had seen no signs of them yet this summer, but we think that they just have a lot more cover this year as the garden has come on a long way.

3. We received some nice post from family this week: a get well soon card from Gary and Dewi and a postcard from Bryony and Mark on holiday in Scotland.

The Worst Bit(s)

I felt disappointed and duped this week after reading a book from the Library: "The Tibetan Art of Living", which is an inspiring text with excellent reviews. However, a google search on the author reveals many concerns not only with the content of the book, but also the actions of its author. I think I will probably finish the book, which I am now calling The ~~Tibetan~~ Art of Lying. But I am confused that such an inspiring, well-meaning book could be written by someone with such questionable moral conduct and I'm also disappointed that the editors at Atria Books didn't to a proper job of checking out the claims of the author.

Week's favorite blog(s)

1. This week's 'Friday My Town Shoot-out' was excellent.

2. I also liked the idea of Happy Mondays, hopefully they'll be another installment tomorrow!

3. Dewi and Gary are working hard in the garden

...

4. This is an old blog on computer science, but I enjoyed reading it: The Law of Leaky Abstractions

Health and well-being

I've been resting up for the last couple of weeks and the problems with my sciatic nerve have become more infrequent. I went for a short walk on Friday evening without any problems, but the tingling returned again on Saturday.

Reading

After the disappointment of The ~~Tibetan~~ Art of Lying... (See 'The worst bit(s)' above)

I started reading a book I already have on Buddhism, and found it very interesting. A well researched book and by a reputable author.

Are you a frog?

2009-08-30T04:00:00.000+01:00

Thought for the week

Concerned about Climate Change, but not sure what you can do?

This week we passed an important milestone: 100 days until the Climate talks in Copenhagen. Many feel that this is our last chance to set legally binding targets to address climate change. Others still question whether climate change is really happening. I'll be talking more about what we can all do over the next few weeks, and Helen and I will be taking some big steps to do our part.

The problem with climate change is that it is difficult to see that anything is changing, especially amidst natural variation, until the consequences are very serious... so life goes on, business as usual. The problem reminds me a lot the anecdote of a frog being slowly boiled in a pan, not realising anything is wrong.

One of the biggest problems is knowing how to take action. Fortunately there are solutions. For exampleI will be donating £20 a month for the next five months for someone to demonstrate on my behalf for a day each month up until the climate talks. Take a look: Avaaz.org, a organisation that I have come to believe in over the past few years.

The Best Bit(s)

1. I wrote my first review for a book on Amazon. I was mainly driven by the fact that I feel very lost if there are no reviews for the books that I am interested in, and this is a book that I know very well. Hopefully my clumsy words will guide some people in their purchase.

2. M5 reopens after bridge incident. Although we missed going to Cumbria this weekend to see Gary, Dewi and Grandad (see below) it looks like we wouldn't have made it anyway due to traffic getting stuck on the M5 for seven hours. Unfortunately the incident ended with the man jumping from the bridge.

The Worst Bit(s)

This week I've continued to suffer from tingling, buzzing and weakness in the legs which can get quite intense at times. The doctor I saw on Friday believes that I've stretched my sciatic nerve and that in a few weeks it should repair.

Holiday week!

2009-08-23T04:00:00.002+01:00

Blog update: themes

I'll be creating monthly themes to brighten up the blog. From now until the end of September I'm celebrating Kung Fu Panda with weekly quotes from the film! Enjoy ;)

Thought for the week

In the last six months I've cycled over 560 miles on my new bike, mostly travelling to work and back. That's equivalent to cycling from Exeter to Aberdeen!

The Best Bit(s)

* Bicton

* Slimbridge (now with otters!)

* We finally visited the rock pools at Sidmouth!

The Worst Bit(s)

Last weekend I was supposed to be going scuba diving with friends from work. The day was a bit of a fiasco and we couldn't dive because the centre supplying the air was closed. I foolishly spent about an hour in the sea (16-18°C) without my wet suit despite it being incredibly cold when I first got in. The next day I had some worrying consequences, mostly with weak legs, but after a lot of rest this week the side effects seem to have passed.

The phone line went dead last weekend. Of course my first thought was that the line had been cut and that we were under attack. Then I remembered that I was not in an action movie, and convinced myself of our safety by the fact that the power and lights were still on. It took the engineer until Friday to come out and fix it.

Week's favorite blog(s)

(1) GB's post on his community and the local bank
(2) Enjoyed the signs on CJ's rambles.

(3) Excellant photos from our visit to Slimbridge

Health and well-being

I started this blog four weeks ago with the aim of being more consistant, but after the health scare of last weekend I've taken a break from physical activity, and done no exercise at all. I'll be resuming moderate exercise next week.

Too much biscuit

2009-08-16T04:00:00.008+01:00

William's a bit worried about his weight due to a) stuffing too much buscuit, and b) sleeping most of the day despite the nice weather. He is getting some exercise however, engaging in the sport of 'extreme shredding', his original scratch post was a gift from Gary and Dewi, but now we've had to buy him a new one...

The Best Bit

1. Butterflies dancing around the garden, especially around all the buddleias.

2. Having a very tidy house, ready for Helen's mum's visit.

The Worst Bit

Remember that scene from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets where Harry and Ron "follow the spiders"?! Well, that is what our car was like on Friday night after we loaded in a whole buddleia and half a hydrangea to take to the recycling centre. The following morning I found a spider driving the car, suspended over the driver's seat with the web attached to the steering wheel.

Week's favorite blog(s)

(1) I think it is the cute little drawing of GB holding his mallet that made this post from last Sunday one of the best
(2) Compiling!
(3) Two very thin snacks from Helen.

Favorite website(s)

I thought some of these T-Shirts at Snorg were really funny.

Next weeks aims

Holiday week! Keep an eye on Helen's blog for details.

Vultures!

2009-08-02T19:38:00.014+01:00

Thought for the week

Security at the University is low, very low. One particular concern for me is bicycle security. The university security office claim that cycle thefts are quite low. Actually what they mean is - reported thefts are relatively low. They are aware (because we have made them aware) that there is a large number of unreported thefts as well, but it really doesn't seem to concern them and certainly they take no action to try and kerb the number of thefts.

Here's a typical cycle that has been left over night on campus:

Only the frame and back tyre remain - since those are D-locked to the stand - EVEN the spokes have been removed from the wheel! It looks like the thieves had clippers and thought they could get the tyre since it wasn't directly locked, but since the D-lock passes through the centre it was still impossible to remove. They did get the gears and the chain.

Surely to strip down a bicycle like this would take quite some time and make some noise? The handle bars aren't quick release for example. Vultures!

The Best Bits

1. At 7.38pm last Sunday William typed his first 'word': "km" whilst stepping on Helen's keyboard. We were very impressed, but on reflection I recalled the old adage: "If you give enough monkeys enough typewriters, and enough time, they will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare"

2. I received an invitation in the post to visit the gardens at Highgrove in September. Apparently there is no general access to the gardens.

3. Our blueberry bush is fruiting

4. I've been on a diet for the past 3 weeks (my first ever diet), I think I was eating way too much dairy and not exercising very much. Yesterday I had my first indulgence, a slice of an 80p coconut cake from the supermarket. It was heaven.

The Worst Bits

1. My bike got another flat tyre early in the week. It can be a real pain to sort out especially when it's the back wheel
2. The B&Q debacle - which involved not having my credit card in my wallet when we reached the checkout, then setting off home on my own to get the credit card without the house key...

3. A couple of 'night stallions', where I thought something was trying to come in through the window, nasty.

Weeks favorite blog

Those Hypothetical Questions

Health and well-being

The diet is still going strong, it seems I average around 2250 calories per day. This week I increase my exercise and over the week completed 1.5x an Olympic triathlon, it is a lot of fun!

Next weeks aims

Helen's mum will visit us next weekend, so I'll be making an effort to finish off the bathroom (which has been in progress for a couple of years now). Also I'll be pushing for the full 37.5 hours at work and trying to make real progress with my papers.

A blog a week?

2009-08-02T04:00:00.000+01:00

Blogs. Certainly they are a great way of keeping in touch and finding out what is going on in people's lives, but it can be very time consuming posting entries and keeping up to date with other people's blogs. I've started this blog with the simple idea of making a single entry once a week on Sunday mornings: A snapshot of my week. I'll also check in on other people's blogs once a week (see the handy blogroll on the right).

Thought for the week

Being consistent -- I'm making changes to be more consistent in my behaviour. Currently I am very inconsistent in almost every aspect of my life, so in order to improve this I will have specific aims and challenges that I will decide upon in advance and I'll be reporting my progress through this blog.

The Best Bit

Has to be last Saturday's visit to The New Forest Otters and Owls Centre. It was a very spontaneous trip, we woke up on Saturday morning to the nicest weather of the week and decided to make a big trip out (the New Forest is 100 miles from Exeter). Strictly that was last week, so I think Yesterday's trip up to Bristol where we decided on a style of fitted cupboards for the bedroom was definitley a highlight of the week. Also I saw a fairy ring for the first time yesterday :D

The Worst Bit

Being ran off the road on a duel carridgeway by a break down lorry that was going too fast and changed lanes without looking or signalling. Ooo, and cutting my finger on the new food processor blade, auch.

Week's favorite blog(s)

(1) Dewi, Gary and Grandad at Cumbria's Steam Gathering

(2) The Mulberry tree at the New Forest, it really was amazing

Health and well-being

I realised early this week that the amount of exercise I am currently doing (in a good week) is equivalent to an olympic triathlon. I complete 1.5 km of swimming by doing 20 lengths three times a week, 40km of cycling just getting myself to work and back over 5 days, and now I'm adding the 10 km of running on our jogging machine at home. I'm also recording my food intake to ensure I'm getting enough calories and we're eating plenty of fruit and vegetables.

Reading

I read my first Sharpe novel last week, Sharpe's Riffles. It was a rivoting read, and interesting for the fact that I have seen the TV series (I wonder if any of Bernard Cornwell's other books will ever be filmed). I've now started Sharpe's Tiger which is set chronologically before the first novel as we don't currently have the next book in the series. Hopefully I can pick that up next week from the library.

Next weeks aims

Definitely going to keep up the exercise, I'm going to aim for an O2 (double Olympic distance). Also I'll be reporting my calorie intake over the entire weak.