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23 August 2008

What a Day to loss.....

Sorry, I mean data loss. So there's another high profile news item about data loss. We've had Nationwide losing a laptop containing details of their mortagees, child benefit claimants data going missing, and now details of convicted crimnials have gone over the wall.

All I can say is, finally - one we're not worried about!

14 July 2008

Baby's first...Christening

It had to happen, I don't recall having discussed religion before but here we have it. It had to happen some time, the boy has been to a Christening. In a church, no less.

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16 June 2008

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

Over 20 years since I was last in Blackpool, I'd tried to get MOTS and the boy to go last year but didn't manage it with other things on around the time of the illuminations. We're just back from a couple of days there, after finding a cracking hotel.

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31 May 2008

The family is extending!

Our family is in the process of becoming larger! I'm so chuffed!

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29 March 2008

T5: Return of the flights

As the chaos at Heathrow hits day 3 this morning, I can say I was one of those caught up in it all yesterday on the way home. The longest I'd been away from my boy since he arrived, and I was desperate to get home. So how did T5 and BA do?

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07 September 2007

Holestone Moor Barns

We had our first family holiday at Holestone Moor Barns, with the Bowes family kindly coming along to help keep us on the straight and narrow.

So where did we go, and how was it? Was it suitable for us? With two young children in tow? And one of those just on his feet?

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Baby's first...Holiday

The first family holiday has been booked for quite a while, and we'd invited the Bowes along for good measure, sanity, and a sneak peek into the life and times of a two-and-a-half year old. So what did we get up to, and more importantly did the little 'un enjoy it?

First holiday, first night away from home, first steps just before going, first time leaving the house without enough food packed to see us through 'til we get home. Surely it was a disaster?

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Time off work? Let me get back for a break, please.

It's been a funny old couple of weeks, what with being off work but actually going back for a rest. There's been lots going on, and no doubt I'll lose plenty along the way, but here we go anyway. First up, the unique horror that was the first birthday party.

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10 February 2007

** PLUG ** Race for Life sponsorship

An unashamed plug, nothing to do with the normal topics of the blog, but dear to the family nonetheless.

MOTS is doing the Race for Life this year, so has set up online sponsorship. Not bad considering she wasn't going to get sponsorship at all, but I persuaded her as every little helps. Please excuse the use of a corporate tagline of one of the main event sponsors.

To help MOTS raise money for Cancer Reaserch UK, please donate here.

09 October 2006

Christmas is coming

So the inevitable is happening, Christmas is coming around (AGAIN). And here's what I think to it all - FOR CHRIST'S SAKE GET IT OVER WITH.

As the years go by I get more and more of a Humbug, and with good reason. Christmas is sod all to do with the religious festival of the birth of Christ but a huge and extending period of time when it's OK to pay through the nose for everything "because it's Christmas".

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04 September 2006

Virgin Timewarp

I said in a previous post somewhere along the lines I would explain the Virgin Timewarp. First off I'll state that Virgin Trains are under pressure to deliver x million passenger miles for travel to its customers each year with the minimum of funding from HM Government and do a brilliant job with it. And now I can remove my tongue from my cheek I can get on with the puzzle that is known as "The Virgin Timewarp".

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03 September 2006

Rant: Ingnorance, pure ignorance

We've had our first shopping trip out today with Junior, and it's amazing to see from the other side how ignorant some people really are.

I've always considered myself to at least try and be considerate towards others, and feel bad when I've made a bit of a faux par. But some others just seem to relish in their own indulgent egotistical sense of self importance.

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10 August 2006

New HCC record!

Orange Wednesdays? Pah, we have Hormonal Wednesdays now. Last night saw a new HCC record of 4 (four) in one night!

So what brought on the tears? A mixture of dead animals and birth - talk about opposite ends of the spectrum of life!

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24 July 2006

Is it just me or is everything...

...shit?

The Encyclopedia of Modern Life, by Steve Lowe & Alan McArthur, bought by Richard for my birthday earlier this year.

I would argue against the title straight away on the following grounds. Now I am travelling cattle class on the train I have no conversation in a morning or on the way home, so I get two lots of twenty-five minutes to sit and read, so in that respect life's good.

This is sometimes funny as, sometimes dull, sometimes a "whoo-there, big fella, calm yersel", sometimes "oh shit, that's ME!".

Thanks, Rich, I'm sure that was the intention! No review, just thanks!

19 July 2006

Smoking ban OK to flout in stations?

I’ve had two run-ins with people over the smoking ban in Scotland this afternoon, at exactly the same place.

I have yet to see anyone break the law in a pub, but Edinburgh’s Waverley station is frequently the scene of smokers lighting up in a prohibited area.

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13 July 2006

Seat Rage

I’m sure 100% of regular train travellers have witnessed seat rage at some point, whether in cattle class or in First Class, but tonight’s episode just made me chuckle. Not least as the rage was over where I was sitting but I had absolutely no involvement in it at all. So how did I just sit there with an argument over the seat I was in without being involved?

The argument was between a young woman who I had sat next to and an elderly man (I refrain from using the word gentleman) sat opposite, who shall hereonin be known as “Mr Grumpy”

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07 July 2006

Rising energy prices

Well we're all fed up with rising energy costs, but have we actually looked at how much the rises cost when they are compounded?

It's like the good old compound interest rates, paying interest on interest. So how does a rising cost equate, exactly? What on earth am I talking about?

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MCP Welcome Kit

I got my MCP certification at the end of March, about time I got some certificates. For the non-technical that's the Microsoft Certified Professional qualification.

Well, when I say qualification, I'm sceptical about the whole thing.

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06 July 2006

Is the teaching of basic manners dead?

Yesterday I had my first chest-puffing experience as a protective dad.

Just to set the background, The Fat Lady is still travelling First Class on the train, whereas I'm not sure of my base yet, so I'm slumming it. Last night on the way home The Fat Lady decided to keep me company in the ghetto, considering Virgin Trains have no real First Class service. So, there we are at the platform 20 minutes before departure, with the train in at the platform and the doors locked awaiting crew.

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27 June 2006

Nagging over...

Well, after months of nagging from Richard I've finally got a test Blog up and running.

So far it's on a server that is up and down like a whore's drawers, but then it's only for me to play around with at the moment. Depending on how things go I might create a whole new blog somewhere else, export this one over, or there again I might just give it up. But I've had plenty of encouragement (aka nagging) from Rich, so I might just have a bash.

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