Parking in the Street

It is still pretty busy out in our street. The replacement of "London's Victorian Water Mains" continues along Littleheath (as well as numerous other places in the Borough) and the traffic control continues to be located just past the end of our street. This continues the interdiction for parking along large parts of Littleheath as well as the continued use of the end of our street for site compound and welfare facilities (and associated disabling of parking bays).

Last year Greenwich Council balloted residents about the extension of the Greenwich Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ). The CPZ used to operate in this area when I first moved here (it was a 'function' of the operation of the Millennium Dome). It didn't particularly bother me as our house is blessed with off-street parking. Once the Dome packed up so did the CPZ in this area... although it continues to operate across large swathes of the Borough. When the forms came round last year I voted for it back. The parking in this street and others is chaotic, and I felt could do with some control. In minority it seems as this area remains free from the CPZ. More is the pity.

The suspension of several bays in the street along with the extra traffic generated from the suspension of parking on the main road means that space in our street is beyond premium. This all meant that when I wanted to pop out to the shops yesterday afternoon I was blocked into my driveway (not for the first time in recent weeks). Usually I go out to the offending vehicle and leave a note under the windscreen asking them not to park across my drive. Usually I don't want to immediately drive out of my driveway.

Rich pointed out that the car probably belonged to someone visiting our next-door neighbour. I responded that I didn't care and moreover didn't have time to shuffle up and down the street ringing doorbells (clearly I wasn't having a good afternoon). So I rather inexcusably got into my car and sounded the horn until the driver of the car appeared to move the offending (offensive) vehicle. The story doesn't end here though. I happily drove off to go and buy my 'Glowhite' and get the car washed. Apparently the miscreant then returned the car to its previous location across my driveway! Why would you do that? Rich at this point went and knocked on the door and asked them if they would mind awfully moving the car from across our driveway as obviously the car and I would be coming home again!

Back to my favourite theme. The problem with the world... nobody has any manners any more, because that was just plain rude!

Technobimbo

Sometimes things are just too darned simple for me to work out! So absolutely obvious that I manage to confuse the whole process with issues that just aren't.

Case in point. My iPod.

The library is finally back to where it should be. All the songs have album art (yep, my strange little obsession). But that wasn't it. I wanted Podcasts!

Travelling with bags and sticks is chaotic and disorganised. Reading books and papers with one hand on a a bag and the other on a stick is virtually impossible. So when one travels one would like to be amused by the spoken word. Podcasts seemed just the ticket. So... I dully visited the iStore and subscribed to a a few Podcasts. Hurrah.

I plugged in my iPod. The library synched. No podcasts. Strange.

I tried the iStore helpdesk. Update your software. Check. Is your computer authorised check.

Still no Podcasts!

This went on for days (since Saturday actually). The mystery remained... and pages of 'stereo instructions' awaited.

Then I noticed something. When I plugged my iPod in and looked at iTunes the page that came up with my iPod details wasn't alone. There were a whole list of tabs along the top. Tabs that corresponded to the missing items... movies, TV shows and yes, you guessed it, Podcasts. The iPod doesn't know to download them to itself unless you tell it to! Oh, so simple!

Now I can lie back and relax with Podcasts!

Bagless Society?

I am interested in saving the planet. Aren't we all? It's not weird to be green anymore. It is barely worth commenting on. I like Marks and Spencer's view on it. They have their "Plan A"... because there is no Plan B.

So having said. We all went to have a world to live in tomorrow (so to speak). There are little things that we can all do. Little ways that we can do our bit. Most of them aren't hard. Some cost a few more pence, but that isn't much to pay (literally) to secure our future. You'd think so, wouldn't you.

I have noticed increasingly that people just don't seem to be bothered though. Two observations today.

1) I was on my way to my Physio appointment, which necessitated me changing buses at the Royal Standard. As I was waiting I noticed that the bins were out waiting for collection (as a large number are on a Thursday, it being bin day for a good large part of the Borough). Greenwich Borough's new refuse scheme is well documented by me and by others. It's been a few weeks now, enough time for people to work out what they do and how they do it. You'd have though, wouldn't you? Apparently not.

Are people lazy or just selfish. It really is very simple. There are even stickers on the bins to help you. Blue is for recycled dry goods... the other bin (with the red sticker which helpfully says "food waste only") is for compsibles. Simple? What happens if you don't follow the rules. Well, I think the bin doesn't get collected. At the Standard (and this is not an isolated incident) I saw a food waste bin overflowing with black bags, I could see a broken baby bottle and child's toy in amongst the other 'food waste' waiting for compost. Is sorting rubbish to much of a chore? Is it that hard to put things in the right bin? I sincerely hope that persistent offenders get some sort of note from the Council to alert them to the error of their ways!

2) Carrier bags. Pet peeve of mine this one. I own a lot of alternatives to carrier bags. I have little folding shopping bags from Sainsbury's (75p each, these are a must) - these fold up to a few inches and spring open when you need them. Very roomy. I have an 'organic' bag (also Sainsbury's) which is a bit smaller, and smells a bit - but easy to stack shopping in. I have some giant shoppers (M&S, Sainsbury's and oddly the Dogs Trust)... and I have a huge collection of 'bags for life' (various stores). Bags for Life are great - if you haven't tried them... you pay a nominal fee (I think it is 10p) and when the bag falls to bits you take it back to the store where you bought it and they replace is like for like. Much bigger than regular carrier bags. Now with all this choice... why would you want a carrier bag. Why? They are smaller than they used to be, so you need more. They are now mostly some sort of 'degradable' plastic which means they aren't as strong as they were, and another draw back to this is that they are pretty much see through so everyone can see your shopping (well I don't like that!).

With all this choice, why do we need any stores giving away carrier bags. If they must be used. Sell them! I've got it all worked out. Those little racks they hang off. Simply put a counter onto them, whenever anyone pulls one off it adds 5p to the shopping bill. They would soon go out of fashion. I was horrified to see the trolleys in the supermarkets today pulling away from the checkouts simply overflowing with these bags. Come on people... let's make a difference. Always say no to bags, always carry a shopping bag with you. Bye-bye to bags!

Art of Letter Writing

Often my thoughts turn to technology and how the rapid rise of computers, internet and mobile phones has changed the world around us in a very short period of time.

I have been thinking about this again a lot recently. Being in bed the only people I see are the rest of my household (my nearly-mother-in-law, Rich and the cat). The rest of my interaction must rely on email and telephones.

This week however it was time to go old fashioned. I know a lot of people with birthdays in February (happy birthday to all those reading!). This is not an exaggeration. In the next five days I know a person whose birthday falls on every single day. So... the old fashioned way; a visit to the card shop (well in advance, back in January) and purchase of stamps. Addressing cards and posting them all in good time. Who needs e-cards?!

At the same time when I was on my birthday card buying spree I had one of those Royal Mail moments. Remember those adverts, when something strange would get sent to just the right person with the tag line "I saw this and though of you". Well, I had one of those moments. On the front was a perplexed looking cartoon of a computer... the caption said "Hello, this is your computer. You have no idea what you are doing, do you?". I decided that I just had to send it to my Mum (whose computer frequently perplexes her).

The point of this is that I haven't really lived with my parents for about a dozen years now (well, not full time anyway). And we often used to communicate by greetings cards. Cute little cards that would catch the eye... sometimes with a little message saying "Smile" or similar... sometimes there were themes (the gorgeous foil fish collection will never be forgotten)... it was something to look forward to in the post, and the the little notes inside were always there to brighten the day.

But now we have email. You can just as quickly type an email as write a card or note. It just isn't the same though. Not so lasting and somehow not so personal either.

Winter and traffic in SE7

Despite the odd spring-like moments it would appear to be definitely still winter in SE7. The fog (mist?) never really lifted yesterday and you could hardly see the houses across the way from my bedroom window. Even the ladybugs seem to have pretty much gone back to sleep!

Bit of a quiet day again. My poorly chest is making me feel quite lethargic, no bad thing as it makes it easier to stay in bed which is where I am supposed to be!

One of the amusing points of the day was probably traffic related. Molly the Cat had to go back to the vet again today to have a check up on her stitches etc. The vet is very pleased with her (Molly not so much to be dragged all the way down there in the basket, but such is life). This had to be done around 5pm. Charlton/Woolwich rush hour. Excellent. They are still 'replacing London's Victorian Water Mains' along the top road, causing chaos and confusing (and missing bus stops) to all users. None of the side roads off the main road are signalled controlled. As you can imagine this leads to the most terrible traffic manners! Add to this the chaos in our street, which has parking bays on the end at both sides still being used as site compounds/welfare facilities etc. It is hard to turn in, it is hard to turn out. It is hard to cut across the traffic whether it is coming through the lights or queueing for the lights. Coming home we successfully navigated the signal control, only to blocked from entering our street by queuing traffic. When I sounded my horn for somebody to move, instead of making space for me to pass the car pulled forward and blocked the street. I wouldn't have minded so much if the signals had been green and they could have moved... but still red people!!! Ah well. The speed the rolling roadblock of roadworks is going they will soon be off down the hill!

The other amusing traffic related incident was the man in the transit. He decided to park in one of the few remaining bays towards the end of the street. I could see he wasn't going to make it into the gap (he would have had to have parallel parked), Rich could see he wasn't going to make it into the gap, the assorted pedestrians in the road could see he wasn't going to make it into the gap. He dived in forwards and stopped at a pretty much 30 degree angle to the kerb. And then got out the van to have a look, presumably to see if he could leave the van like that (!). He then proceeded to stand and scratch his head, as if wondering what had gone wrong! Van too big... gap too small.

Leave well enough alone!

So. You know when you are lying in bed feeling under the weather, and you can't really be bothered to do anything at all... you doze (a bit) and mostly do nothing. Or in the 21st Century you have your trusty laptop glued permanently to your side. But what to do when there's nothing to do? Oh dear. You potter. You tidy. You re-organise. You forget how you have carefully put everything together... and you destroy!

Yesterday I decided to move stuff I don't regularly need form my laptop hard drive to my external hard drive. Not too much like hard work... can lie and do that. Ha! If only I had remembered that all the icons were being used in various places and that would break all the links. D'oh! If only I had realised that moving the iTunes stuff off of the C: drive would completely wipe the iTunes library.

No bother I thought. I'll just add the folder from the G: drive back on, that will be sorted. No!!! For some reason, despite iTunes claims of self organisation (self aggrandisement more like) there didn't appear to be any degree of logic being employed whatsoever. Many songs appeared in several places in the iTunes folder and therefore added themselves back on four or even five times! Stuff that I had previously deleted I had only taken out of the library not to the Recycle Bin, so that all added itself back to. About 2,ooo additional tracks were where they ought not be. That'll teach me to mess with things that don't need messing with!

Bug time again

Regular readers may remember my observations of dozens of ladybugs sunbathing on the rear elevation of my house in the autumn sunshine last year, and my subsequent concern at the amount of ladybugs moving into my bedroom for their annual hibernation spree.

The recent mild weather, or possibly my being confined to bed and having the heating on quite a lot seems to have woken them all up. There now appear to be around a dozen ladybugs in the room, all trying to get out of the closed window. This is an approximate guess, as they do like to fly around a lot (wow, is that an annoying sound). I did for a while try opening the window and tipping them out, but they seem to be exceptionally reluctant to actually leave (maybe because it is cold outside). It sill concerns me what they are going to eat whilst they are stuck in my bedroom though!

Ladybug uses the computer!



Collection of ladybugs trying to find the way out!


One lone explorer!


More bugs trying to get out!

Ugh, Steroids.

Time had somehow wiped from my mind the most unpleasant parts of taking a course of steroids. Of course I remembered the vile taste of Methylprednisolone (those are the blue ones)... who couldn't. I even remembered the peach juice trick which helps to mask the taste. What I forgot was how heinously they mess with your sleep patterns... insomnia are us. I seem to manage no more than about three hours at a stretch... when I do eventually fall asleep. It drives me crazy! I love to sleep (as I think I have previously mentioned). Off to see the Doctor tomorrow to get a note for work, so may ask for some sleeping tablets to help balance things out at the same time!

Even more annoying is a side effect that I haven't had before (although apparently Rich did have this when he took steroids last year) is the nasty tight feeling in my chest, as though I'm getting a chest infection. Very wearing.

All these side effects, I hope that they are going to do some good this time. History is not on their side, however!

Valley Afternoon

So today was my big afternoon out watching Charlton v. Watford. Despite my poorly legs and rubbish balance I made it down to the Valley in time to enjoy a beer on the North Stand Concourse before the game. Enjoy indeed. The beer hasn't improved any but the new smoke-free atmosphere (first time I've been to the Valley since July 1st when the ban came into force) was an absolutely delight.

I was very pleased on arrival at the ground to be spared the trauma of the turnstiles as the kindly stewards called me and my stick through the main gate. I dread to think the chaos that might have ensued tangling us up in the turnstiles!!!

The first half of the game was pretty good. Especially the highly amusing own goal towards the end of the half. Oh how we laughed. Too soon it turns out.

More poor beer followed at half time (the beer has gone up 5p since last I was there too!)... the general organisation of the beer queue hasn't improved any either. Back in the day (before the North Stand covered concourse was built) when beer was served from Portakabins the good ladies who tended bar used to have stacks and stacks of beer waiting. The early birds could just queue up and collect pretty much. Now you have to wait and wait... as though the advent of half time catches the concessions stands by surprise! Funny, it happens every game.

The second half of the game was poor. I was inclined to mutter "Plus ca change". To early goals in the second half left us with a 2-2 draw... which was pretty disappointing. The team were booed off at the end (which I approved of) as was the referee (which I didn't approve of). Poor he may or may not have been... but Charlton weren't up to much either.

All in all I'm not regretting the demise of my season ticket based on that performance!

Back in Bed (Day 2)

Already bored of being in bed. The problem is that you don't really feel up to doing anything. So end up lying around watching daytime TV (oh no!). Or wandering aimlessly on the internet (seriously, when I was a student, how did I spend so much time doing that - the internet was smaller then as well!). Or reading... or most importantly, sleeping. I had forgotten the worst side effect of steroids (for me, anyway). They totally mess with your sleep patterns. Bah.

We were allowed to bring our cat home from the vet today. Poor Molly. She had to have a tumour taken off her liver. She'd been throwing up for no reason (and we'd accused her of being bulimic) but had seemed OK apart from that. We took her to the vet, who did some tests and then operated. She is VERY happy to be home... and seems pretty spry for a mature cat who has just had major surgery! So we'll be helping each other recuperate then!

In amongst the napping I played some of my other new Xbox 360 game to today. The incomparable Lego Starwars Complete saga. Many people would ask why. I have played both parts of the trilogy (to completion) on the PS2 and I have played the Complete Saga on the DS. Answer. New levels (etc.) in the Trilogy... which by the nature of the DS are different on the platform to a big screen platform... and also AMAZING graphics. Wow. I really would love to play the Xbox360 on an HD TV. It must be something else!

St Valentine's Day and Phsyio

The first thing I had to do today was get up and take the vile blue steroids. For anyone who has never had to take them the horrible taste cannot be understated. Drinking peach juice before during and after does help some (although the peach juice I got this time doesn't seem as strong as the stuff I had before) as I can still taste the horrid metallic/chemical taste six hours later!

Rich and I exchanged cards and gifts, today being February 14th. With great self sacrifice Rich had bought be the appropriately soppy 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' on DVD. Also a rather cute 'Tatty Teddy' holding a rose (ah, bless) and much to my delight the update of one of my favourite games ever (Fable) for PC. Hope my laptop will play!

Next it was off to Physio. Gruelling. My Physio was late arriving as there had been an accident on the A2 (which will cripple the entire Greenwich area when it happens). I was amused by the antics of the medical centre staff who appeared to be trying to get the fire alarm serviced, but had lost the key for the room in which the control panel was located (or so I assumed). There was suggestion of crawling through the ceiling void, and an attempt to dismantle the door before it was decided to call a locksmith.

Phsyio itself was gruelling. After re-aligning my rotated something or other in my pelvis (which seemed like more than enough effort for one day) I was introduced to a delightful exercise to tilt my pelvic something-or-other-else and thus improve my core stability. Apparently my middle section is generally missing from the equation which is why when I lose my balance I find it so hard not to topple over. This exercise requires me to lie on my back and tilt my pelvis to the floor - thus discovering a whole heap of muscles which I never knew I had, and only know I have now because they are very sore. This must be done ten times a day for a count of ten. Ouch!

Back home, back to bed. Interspersed with a hot bath to try and soothe the aching muscles! Got Fable installed on the computer. Was given a message saying that my graphics card isn't up to it - happily followed by the option to ignore, which I did. Hurrah. Fable is back. And although better graphics etc. the map is the same as the Xbox, which means that reassuringly I know exactly where I am going all the time! Joy!

Day of Waiting

So. My health hasn't been so good the last week and a half or so. My legs have become weak and wobbly again and my balance has become totally shot (also again). All evidence points to another MS relapse. I spoke to my Nurse on Friday. Friday when I woke up with excruciating pain in my back and due to the lack of balance couldn't really walk (or therefore go to work). My Nurse said take some serious rest over the weekend (which I did) and see how you feel on Monday. Answer, well the pain in my back was gone, but nothing much else was better. So I rang my Nurse again - who suggested that I come in and see her and my Neuro today.

Due to the last minute nature of the appointment (and the fact that Neurology generally book appointments at least three months in advance) I had to turn up and wait (quite a while). I got to see the Nurse, who asked a few questions, and then called the Neuro. He did a few basic tests, and came to the conclusion that I was pretty much back where I was last October. So. Another course of steroids is prescribed (for a month). Another course of Phsyio is prescribed. And the suggestion that I change my Meds (yet again) is made. This time the Neuro recommends Tysabri. MS medication is prescribed under various schemes monitored by NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) as it costs so much money there are certain criteria which you must meet. Apparently I now meet those for Tysabri. After the Neuro left the Nurse recommended not making any quick decisions re: drugs but gave me some literature to take away and examine and told me to get back to her with my decision. Then I went to see the Pysio (who is handily in the next room). He did a few basic exams and then made me an appointment for tomorrow.

The final part of waiting (there was much waiting interspersed with all the above) was at the Pharmacy, who are rivalling blood tests for their waiting times (thank goodness I didn't have to do that too today!). It was an hour and a half queueing at the pharmacy. The worst thing was I couldn't even go and have lunch as the cash machine in the foyer was out of order... the pharmacy are having to bill me for goodness sake! So set up with a months worth of steroids. Hurrah. Five a day for five days, then onto a different 'breed' and 12 a day for seven days, 6 a day for seven days and finally three a day for seven days. I'm going to rattle!

Finally left the hospital in the early afternoon, several hours after I had arrived. Decided that I needed to go into the office to talk to my boss, the recommendation having once again been made for bed rest and no work. This of course made me nervous. We are really busy at work (as evidenced by the recent spate of ten and twelve hour days) and I don't like to let them down. Equally the wobbly legs and lack of balance are being joined by the dizziness, which makes me want to lie down in bed and stay there!

My boss was, as could probably been predicted, fine. My company are fantastic employers. I apologised for the poor timing, but he was understanding. He asked if the long hours had caused the relapse. I told him, by themselves, no - but they certainly don't help! So. Here I am, back off to bed again. What a disappointment!

Making Lists!

Do you ever have those sorts of days. You have so much to do that you write a list (I do that most days due to my increasing propensity to forgetfulness) and you spend the entire day crossing things off the list in a most satisfactory manner, as you have written everything you can think of to do on the list (even making phone calls and writing emails). The fact that it wasted nearly an hour writing the list in the first place is neither here nor there. The satisfaction of ticking items off can't be beaten! And, it really makes you feel like you have achieved something during the day (whether or not, on a significant basis) you really have!

It has to be done, it is the modern way - after all.

Jubilee Line Deserted

I got the Jubilee Line this morning at the same time I normally do. Strangely deserted. I am wondering if all the problems last week have led to despondency from regular users and their feeling that there must be a better way to travel to work. I certainly can't remember the last time that I saw so many empty seats at this time of day except the week straight after Christmas!

More Assassins

The excellently enjoyable thing about the new game Assassins Creed which came with my Xbox 360 is that even though it is an RPG it is not too limited in the manner in which it can be played. Most of my other experience of this kind of genre is from the Tomb Raider series (excellent games, don't get me wrong), but extremely linear in the gameplay. A series of quest/problems/challenges which must be solved in a certain order.

Not so Assassins Creed. The game play provides choices, and seemingly you are free to roam pretty much anywhere accessible whenever you want. The challenges are set out to be solved, but there are a limited number of tasks which MUST be completed with further optional taks. There are also absolutely dozens of 'sub-quests' to keep you going.

The amazing graphics continue to impress me - as does the Xbox 360s superb processing power which keeps the game ticking over at a good speed!

Consoles, consoles and more consoles

Surfing the internet this morning I stumbled across an advert for a new video game. The game 'Lost' based on the TV show, finally arriving in a store near you on the 29th February. Much anticipated, much awaited. One fly in the ointment. Only available on three platforms. PC - not sure that my laptop is up to that, PS3 or Xbox360. Oh dear. And me with a collection of consoles but not either of those.

First of all I bought a PlayStation. I'd been playing Final Fantasy VII on somebody else's PlayStation and just had to finish the game (I never did by the way!). Next came PlayStation 2 when it became impossible to buy games for the PlayStation. So then there were two...

Then came the release of several Sonic the Hedgehog games. Only on the GameCube. Happy memories from past acquaintance with the Sega Megadrive. And the necessity to buy a GameCube to continue this happy association.

The original PlayStation is now retired... so there are still two.

The next game that I just had to play was the much advertised 'Fable'. Curse their excellent advertising campaign. Fable, only available on the Xbox. So then there were three. It was worth it though, as Fable remains one of only two games that I've ever finished (the other being Tomb Raider Legend).

The Xbox has been my favourite of the three. Best graphics, best processing power.

Of course the march of consoles never stops. There was the NES, the SNES, the MegaDrive... practically before Sony and Microsoft had even a twinkle in their eye. It was inevitable that the PS2 would be followed by the PS3. And definitely inevitable that Nintendo who had been concentrating on the hand-held market would have to re-join the console race. Enter the Wii (looks too much like hard work to me all that action). So also inevitable was the Xbox 360.

So, continuing the trend I decided that I must be ready for the advent of the Lost game, and that I should spend my savings on another new console. Welcome Xbox360.

Fantastic. Beautiful graphics (oh, I do need an HD TV), fantastic processing (not too long in the loading sections). The console came with an excellent game 'Assasins Creed' which I had seen advertised on TV. The footage was so amazing it was hard to believe it was a game, and that is true to the game. Absolutely awesome. And as Rich pointed out, during the several hours game play yesterday afternoon, no swearing at the game... so not too hard then!

So. Despite my fervent belief that my console buying days were over (well, that was never really going to happen was it) welcome to console number 5!

Power Outage

Just after I wrote yesterday's post our office suddenly disconnected for the internet. We tried all th usual solutions of re-booting the router and the firewall in turn. Nothing. I rang the IT guy to see if they were doing anything from outside the office. No. Unusual. I rang our DSL provider. A power outage in the exchange I was told. No idea how long it will last.

It lasted all afternoon! What we didn't find out until later was the dramatic events that had taken place. An exploratory dig for the Crossrail project had hit an HV cable (that's high voltage). The workman was seriously injured and the power was out over several blocks in Mayfair for several hours. No internet was all that happened to our office... one of our clients who are further north and east lost power to their offices. Goodness knows what we would do without power, no computers... no work!

No more cold baths

The replacement boiler and associated works have finally been completed. I forgot to mention this lovely fact yesterday during my rant against the Jubilee Line. I walked into the house last night and for the first time in weeks it was warmer inside than outside! Delightful.

I had a much anticipated hot bath, with water that gushed from taps instead of trickling from a kettle. And my word, the water is hot!

More trouble on the Jubilee Line

There will soon be very little point in attempting to travel on the Jubilee Line. I again missed chaos this morning by arriving at work before seven - half an hour later various parts of the line became suspended. Today's reason - power failure. This caused a train of people to be evacuated (eventually) through the tunnel during the rush hour. The knock-on effects lasted all day. Just before I left the office in the evening I checked the status of the line. Hurrah a 'good service' was being reported. In the five/ten minutes it takes to get from my office to Green Park the line broke again. By the time I reached Green Park there was no service eastbound and the line was suspended between Green Park and Stratford.

How else to get to North Greenwich? Orphaned as it is on the Jubilee Line. I opted in the end for a 188 via Docklands. Probably should have got the 53 down the Old Kent Road. The bus was heaving. The driver kept up a stream of public service announements "keep all you bags and wallets close, pick pockets may operate" and called all the stops (amazing how many people have no idea of the geography of London above ground!). His cheery demeanour eventually faded and by the time we got to Greenwich he was refusing to move the bus until passengers ceased standing on the upper deck. A reasonable request given the huge red sign on the staircase stating this interdiction (no excuse that "It must be ten years since I've been on a bus"). Two hours after I left work I arrived home. I might have well as worked late!

Hole in the road and other traffic chaos

Somebody (who would be Thames Water) has dug a large hole almost in the middle of the road outside our office. Fairly fortunately it is a one way street, so only one line of traffic is affected. Not so fortunately it is only a few feet up from a t-junction. Queue chaos. A large flat bed truck came round the corner earlier... the hole in the road was right in the way of his turning circle. Not being articulated he got fairly wedged. Instant cacophany of car horns etc. Sadly for those of us watching from the window with anticipatory schadenfreude the driver deftly reversed and righted his arc and off he went.

The hole is fairly well advanced and looks like it may be there for a while, so more traffic chaos may yet ensue!

Talking of bad traffic, I picked my nearly-mother-in-law up from work last night. We were coming home along through the Village, possibly going a bit slow but certainly only just below the 30 mile an hour speed limit. A gas-guzzler (4x4) came screeching up behind me and proceeded to tail-gate me for a couple of minutes. I was not to be shaken from my adherence to the speed limit. The 4x4 decided to pass me (who cares that we were only a matter of yards from a traffic island). The 4x4 passed me, and the traffic island on the wrong carriageway. Just another few seconds away from the site of the fatal accident on New Year's Day. The worst thing is... in an accident it won't be that idiot and his gas guzzler who come of worst... it will be the unfortunate who he hits.

Boilers and Kitchens and Rubbish... oh my!

Today our house is a hive of activity (unfortunate for my day off and planned R&R). The workman has arrived to fix our boiler (hurrah) and in a matter of days the house will be a haven of heat and hot water again! I've been reasonably impressed so far. The materials came in advance of the works starting (about half eight on Saturday morning with a crash as some (hopefully not vital) piece of equipment was dropped). They turned up this morning (not as early as promised/threatened) and the chap has been busy working away ever since. Again with the loud crashes at unreasonable hours, but in the name of hot water it can be overlooked!

Yesterday afternoon, for reasons best known to myself, I decided to tidy the kitchen. The urge takes me every so often, but I never get very far. Our kitchen is very small, and completely lacking in storage space. It will be even worse in a few months when the broken down dresser is scrapped and replaced by a new fridge-freezer, but I guess we'll worry about that when the time comes. The broken dresser is a state. All the drawers are falling to bits, so stuff spills out of the bottom. The shelves are a mixture of food (herbs, spices and onions), the bread bin, the coffee machine and more cook books than anyone could need (although a fraction of my father's impressive library!). The state of this dresser has infected the surrounding area where the compost type bags have been abandoned on the floor next to the kick-stool which itself is a home for several different pairs of gardening gloves. Getting the picture? Chaos. Guess why this is. The kitchen is my responsibility. The living room (Rich's domain) is a haven of order and tidiness (it also has more storage). My attempt at organisation spread through the cupboard where the tins and packets are kept (mince pies in February!) and carried on to the fridge.

The fridge has recently had an upset. The thermostat got knocked (somehow) and froze everything at the extremities. Not good for vegetables. Many interesting jars were unearthed from the back... most of which were possibly considering experiments in the rise of new civilisations(!). Once upon a time these would have been tossed unceremoniously into the rubbish. Not under Greenwich Borough Council's new rubbish rules. These rules were clearly conceived by somebody who lives in Bexley or Lewisham and was therefore safe in the knowledge that they would never have to work with these systems.

Don't get me wrong. I'm as much for saving the planet as the next person. More than quite a lot of people actually. I have a huge collection of various re-usable shopping bags (most not even those lifetime plastic ones), I have been gradually switching to low energy bulbs, I always turn off the tap when I brush my teeth and try to only boil enough water for one cup... you get the picture. I also frequent a number of sites dedicated to changing attitudes and giving ideas for more sustainable living: We are What We Do, The Big Green Switch, I Count and Planetary Actions to name just four (and trust me, there are more!). These sites all work on the basis that many people making small changes will make a big difference, we can but try.

At some point though, common sense needs to prevail. And this "Blue, Green, Black" scheme the Council has foisted upon us appears ill-conceived. The amount of effort that needs to be put in to correctly separate rubbish is not insignificant. Take my fridge cleaning. Items which needed to be thrown away as they had passed their use by dates included: a lump of cheese encased in was, a box of microwavable sausages, three pairs wrapped in plastic in a cardboard box, a pot of jam, a pot of pesto, a tube of cheese, a tube of chilli... you get the picture. Formerly these items would have been buzzed into the bin in-situ. New rules mean that the contents must be emptied into a compostable bag (or straight to the bin) and the containers rinsed and put into the blue-top bin. I ended up with a vile compost bag full of food remnants and a hefty dose of washing up. A less enthusiastic person would have given up. The smell of the food waste nearly made me! It has to be done though. Improperly separated rubbish is not collected, as other local residents have noted.

I guess (hope) over time we will get used to it... maybe it will become second nature. I'm not sure that I'll ever get used to the smell though!

This given Sunday...

...well right here it is the early hours of Monday morning... but who is counting?!

The last few hours have been amazing. The Giants and the Patriots playing Superbowl 42 out in Arizona. Nobody was giving the Giants a chance. Everyone was expecting that the Patriots would be finishing off the perfect season and going 19-0. The Giants were coming in after an amazing run... winning their three post season games on the road. Eli Manning who has been much maligned and often compared (usually unfavourably) with his big brother Peyton.

I had faith the Giants could do it. I even bought a wee bottle of champagne, ready to celebrate.

It wasn't a high scoring game... the Giants took the lead first (which historically hasn't been that good for my teams)... they looked pretty much in control for most of the game. Right into the fourth quarter it was looking good... until the Patriots got a touch down and went three points up. The clock was running down... I was beginning to doubt the Giants would do it. But then the moment that everyone was waiting for... a mighty throw from Eli to the ever excellent Plaxico Burress for a touchdown! Touchdown Giants!!! It all got a bit confusing at this point. The Patriots somehow fitted in four downs and the Giants got the ball back. The play clock went to zero and the celebrations started, the pitch filled up - but then two seconds went back on the clock. The game wasn't quite over. All that needed to happen was the pitch to clear and Eli to take the knee... after several seconds of chaos this eventually was accomplished. And there it was, official... the Giants win! Superbowl Champions!

Shopping Saturday

I went out to do a bit of shopping this afternoon. First stop PC World and Halfords. PC World to see about a new printer for the desktop computer... having recently got a nice new one for the laptop. The reason that the desktop needs a new printer? Overflowing ink waste on the current one. Apparently it has to be sent away to Canon to get fixed. On a £20 printer? I don't think so! Add to this the fact that if an all in one printer/scanner could be found the problem of no scanner at the desktop would be solved. The last scanner doesn't yet have a Vista compatible driver. Problem was, couldn't find a printer that would fit in the gap available! Have to keep on looking I guess.

Next stop Halfords. Requirement - new rear view mirror. My current one is hanging by a thread. Literally. The helpful chap who directed me to the glue told me that these were only quick fixes and that really I needed to get it heat bonded to fix it for good. Ho hum.

Next stop Sainsbury's for a few extra supplies. I haven't been there enough since they re-opened after their re-fit to be able to find everything yet. So, the whole experience is still slightly annoying as I struggle to find what I'm looking for. Saturday afternoon isn't a good time to try, I've never seen it so busy.

Last stop B&Q for some energy saving lightbulbs. I also bought a set of socket remote controls. Amazing stuff. You plug in your appliances (lamps in my case) leave them on and then switch the sockets off by remote control. Twenty quid for three sockets, not bad at all.

Not bad afternoon shopping. Still haven't got around to actually fitting the mirror yet though!

NFL in the UK

NFL is coming back to the UK. We already knew that. NFL is coming back to London. We didn't know that!

The choices (we saw on a TV interview a while back) were Wembley, Cardiff and Hampden. Rich and I were pretty convinced that it wouldn't be London again... just to spread it around. But it is.

Hopefully we'll be able to get tickets again, and hopefully we'll be able to go again. Not any of our teams playing - but NFL is one of the few sports that I can happily watch whoever is playing, so that doesn't matter.

On the subject of NFL - it's Super Bowl weekend! I've got Monday off, so I'll really be able to enjoy the whole thing.

Driver announcement

On the way home on the tube tonight we suddenly came to a juddering halt just outside Bermondsey. This in itself is not unusual. Bermondsey for some reason seems a place of frequent delay (I've no idea why, I never see anyone getting on or off there!).

Eventually we moved into the station, where we had another long delay (so annoying when you are so nearly home). Eventually the driver came over the PA system.

"Sorry for the delay. This was caused by somebody deciding to pull the passenger alarm..." (pause) "...presumably to see what it does. It stops the train... and causes a delay."

I think maybe the driver had finished a long day and was on his way home (just like me). He certainly sounded tired!

Meetings make minutes...

...and waste hours. I don't know who said that, but days like today I feel it could not be more true!

The day pretty much started with a meeting (although having gotten into work extra early I found a few hours for knocking things off my to do list first). The first meeting went on until nearly lunch time, and then the next meeting started straight after lunch. The only saving grace was that both meetings were in my own office so at least I didn't have to travel. Even so, it's no wonder I never get anything done!

Danger overhead!

As I was walking back to my office at lunchtime after a brief stroll to the bank I walked past a construction site. Not unusual in London. The outside of the building was clad in scaffolding, some of which was being struck (taken down). What concerned me was the manner in which this was happening. There was a flat bed truck parked in the street. In the back of the truck was an operative (without a hard hat) and on the scaffold was another operative (also without a hard hat). They were taking down scaffold poles and putting them in the truck. The method by which they were doing this. The guy on the scaffold was dropping these poles (steel or similar about 6ft long) and the guy in the truck was catching them. Again, no hard hats, no gloves. I just had to stop and stare... and wonder why?!

It's all rubbish...

Despite many and varied complaints regarding the new waste collection arrangements in the Borough of Greenwich my journey to work this morning was hampered (as is usual for a Monday) by the refuse cart performing a rolling roadblock down Charlton Church Lane.

The new arrangements are beginning to fall into place, it would seem. The long awaited compost/caddy bags were finally delivered last week (although apparently abandoned in the porch rather than actually 'delivered'). Our food rubbish was collected (eventually) last Thursday (sometime after 5pm) and other bloggers in the area have also seen their rubbish collected.

Regarding the new 'green waste' arrangements, apart from the need to rinse out containers which previously we would have thrown away (which being washing up falls into Rich's domain rather than mine!) I've not noticed a great deal of difference... apart from the fact that when we've previously tried compost caddies they've only ever lasted a few weeks and this time it needs to stick!

Sunday, freezing Sunday

Everyday is freezing in our house. The boiler is still broken. There is still no central heating and still not hot water. The wireless internet and I are sitting on the landing waiting for kettles to boil in order to fill the bath tub with hot water. Question: how many times do you need to boil a 1.7 litre kettle to take a bath. Answer: too many!

Here's another interesting fact. Boiling two kettles and heating a steam iron off the same extension lead, bad idea. Blows the fuse in the extension lead. This proves the veracity of the concerns of the Portable Appliance testing man who came to our office last year, and expressed concern that the toaster, kettle and microwave all came from the same extension point. I had to put up a 'public service' notice warning people to have only one of the listed appliances plugged in at any one time.

The two kettles prove an interesting point. One belonged to my nearly-mother-in-law, reasonably expensive, flat element, 'fast boil'. The other belonged to us, exposed element and cost £9.99. Proof that you get what you pay for as the flat element kettle is about 50% faster. We've been able to donate our second kettle to the bathroom cause. We have had the hot water heater in the kitchen replaced. In a very old fashioned manner our kitchen has no hot tap, but an electric heater on the wall which heats water. This was probably as old as the defunct boiler (and our gas cooker) and broke down a few years back. Initially we weren't sure if you could even replace such an appliance; and then we found out that you could... well it just never happened. Our plumber (who is possibly the best plumber in the world) came on Friday (several days early) and fitted it. And gave Rich a crash course in basic maintenance (even though it would have paid him not to, so we'd have to call him out). The man is a gem. He's even in my address book. I've recommended him to all my friends and family who live nearby!

I also popped into the garden for a little post-winter maintenance. Pulled the netting on the fish pond out of the water (I even saw Jaws and some of his little friends lurking about). Picked up all the bits on the patio that had fallen over and untangled the beaded curtain on the door (which after about three years definitely needs replacing).

Oh, and I ironed all the clothes that were clean - ready for another week. The only problem is that the clothes that aren't clean can't be washed until the boiler is fixed as there is nowhere in this ice-box that is our house to dry them. C'est la vie. If I run out of shirts I'll just do what I do when I can't be bothered to iron... pop out and buy some more!

Sims Castaway

I have spent most of the day today tucked up in bed (keeping warm) and playing Sims 2 Castaway on the PS2. For anyone who is a fan of the Sims this is a great game. I first met Sim City many years ago on the PC and progressed through various versions of the Sims on various platforms.

This is much better than previous versions, not so much opportunity for interior design, but the Sims themselves, being stranded on a desert island, don't go out to work (and vanish for half the day) and they seemn to need much less sleep too. This means there is more time to actually interact with game. All good.

The whole 'castaway' theme is great fun too. Finding treasure, salvaging stuff, building huts and making clothes... and making friends with the monkeys!

Completely addictive, but highly recommended!

Finally Friday

After a very busy week I am particularly glad that it is finally Friday, and therefore nearly the weekend.

I had a short day in the office today as I had to be home in time for the nurse to visit. Today she taught me to use the auto-inject so that I can increase my choice of injection sites to include my arms. This is very necessary as my skin as been really irritated since I started the new treatments. Hopefully the auto-inject will help me get it 'just right' and my skin will calm down a bit!

You can't go further east...

...without falling into the North sea. Yesterday I took a 260 mile round trip (four hours each way) to Lowestoft. A trip partly round the M25 and up the A12. It would be better if the A12 didn't turn into a B-road equivalent after Ipswich which necessitates driving at 30 miles and hour through various villages!

I do wish that I had digital radio in my car. I like to listen to 'talk' radio whilst driving and that is usually BBC Radio London... until one gets out of range. I then had to do with Radio 4 for the rest of the day. Radio 4 isn't quite my cup of tea... I'd much rather listen to phone-ins than discussions about plate tectonics, political commentary, serialised books, plays, and of course - the Archers!

I go home to find that internet grocery shopping had reached new lows. The 2-4pm time slot had already been exceeded by 40 minutes. Eventually they turned up at 7:45pm. Failing to meet even their own low standards!

Miracles of modern technology

Today I was working from home. A hospital appointment late morning, combined with a queue of over an hour for blood tests made it impractical to go into the office. However, I discovered (to my frustration) I was without one thing in my little home office I really needed. A printer. There is a printer downstairs which my laptop is supposed to connect - but last time I tried it took an age and forever to not print a single page... I didn't want to experiment with multiple pages!!! So. I whipped out to PC World to buy the cheapest available printer which needed the cheapest available ink. I really fancied a wireless printer, but they were all a bit more than I wanted to spend. I brought home a compact little HP (to match the scanner). All installed without a hitch, and printing was finally mine! This meant I could print of the document I needed to edit. Mark it up, and send it back via a colour scan. Just as good as being in the office!

Strange advertising

I saw this advert on the back of a bus stop near my house this morning. It is advertising cut price bus fares for people on income support. On the left hand side at the bottom is the logo of the Mayor of London. Fair enough. On the right hand side is the logo for Transport for London. Fair enough again. In the middle is the logo for the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela. Why?!

Champs!

Last night it was time for the Conference Championships. First up (and disappointing for me as it was already a late game) were the Chargers taking on the Patriots. As one of the pundits said in a game break, the good thing about dynasties is that people love them or hate them. Too true. I hate New England, for no good reason other than their resounding successes. I really hoped San Diego might have another shock and win through, it wasn't to be though. I didn't even make it to the end of that game, so I had no hope of being awake come the late night match-up of the Giants at Green Bay. On the road again. They call Dallas "America's Team" I reckon they should call the Giant's "America's Road Team".

Rich thoughtfully taped the last two and a half minutes for me again. It was quite exciting (and scary) to see the score tied at 20 apiece. The Giants have the ball and the clock is running down. There is only one thing for it, a 36 yard field goal attempt. Rich tells me that Tynes has already missed one tonight. The snap is high, and you can tell immediately that it will be no good. Here we go to overtime.

The Giants get to make the call. Tails is called, heads it is. Tynes kicks the ball down the field and Green Bay have the ball. In my head I'm writing a script, Green Bay throw an interception and the Giants run the ball in for a touch down. First and ten on the 26, a gain of two yards, second and eight... then the unbelievable happens. They've been reading my script! The Packers throw an interception! Sadly the Giants haven't been reading the same script as they don't run it in for a touchdown. First and ten, second and six, third and five... time for a field goal attempt. I can hardly bear to look at the screen. The 47 yard field goal attempt looks to be a very, very long way. Can Tynes make it when he missed the last at only 36 yards? The ball sails through the air, and appears to go through the posts. I hold of my celebration, waiting to see the two umpires make their signal. They raise their arms, the kick is good!!! Giants win, Giants win!

Conference Champions... all the way on the road. And we're the official road team in the Superbowl... I take that as a good omen. To quote Warren Beattie in 'Heaven Can Wait' - "I think we're going to the Superbowl, and I think we're going to win".

Victorian bathtime

So. What do you do when the boiler breaks down and you have no heating or hot water? Apart from wearing as many layers as you can find and sleeping under two duvets (to be fair, I do that anyway), more importantly- how to bathe?

Option 1 - make like a man and take a cold shower (yep, my other half actually did that!)
Option 2 - make like a girl (and the Victorians) and fill the tub with boiled water. I think maybe it was easier using a tin bath in front of a fire, but using two kettles in a freezing bathroom was an exercise in futility and frustration!

Of course, anything that can't be tumble dried also can't be washed as trying to heat a Victorian house (oh, those high ceilings) with only a few convection heaters and a gas fire doesn't really work, and wet laundry would never dry. How on earth did anyone ever get anything done before boilers and radiators?!

Boiler blues

The man from British Gas came this morning to see our boiler. After he got over his shock at the sheer age of the boiler he got down to seeing what was wrong with it. He turned it on and off a bit and it made alarming noises. Faulty pump. Probably going to need replacing he told us. He went to have a look at the hot water tank. Ancient valve he told us. Probably going to need replacing. Might get away with a few months still. Then he went outside to have a look at the flue. He held up his little meter to it and it started beeping madly. Oh dear. He went back inside to the boiler. Ah. The boiler had gone out, maybe that is why the reading was so high? It does that sometimes, we told him. He lit the boiler (again) and went back outside to check the reading again. Nope. Still beeping. Have to turn off the boiler, he told us. Have to disconnect the boiler, he told us. The boiler is condemned. Turns out the reason that the pilot light kept going out wasn't the wind but an enormous great hole in the heat exchange. The boiler can't be repaired on account of being thirty years old and not being able to get parts. So. Only solution, new boiler.

So, no boiler, no heat, no hot water. Bathing is either a cold shower or by filling the bath with a kettle. Living the old fashioned way!

Must be Friday

I was having breakfast this morning and watching BBC Breakfast on the TV when I was startled by an alarming banging. An alarming banging and rattling noise. I thought maybe somebody somewhere was demolishing something, it was that loud. Turns out it was the boiler and the boiler is sick. British Gas are coming tomorrow to tend to it.

Partners were away today, so it is quiet(er) in our office. Although now we have two new staff members and we are back to our full complement of eight (when we are all there). It was definitely 'one of those days'. Too many phone calls, and I had to answer the phone the whole day as the new chaps are too new, young guy and girl were at meetings and youngest guy had fallen of his motorbike the night before and wasn't in. Even more annoyingly, most of the calls were for me. How can you have people take a message when you are too busy to take a phone call if you are answering the phone yourself?!

Oh yes, and the Jubilee Line is still misbehaving. They've got engineering works on the line this weekend, so hopefully it will feel better next week!

Thoroughly modern travel

Today I had to go to Birmingham. I had to get up at 5:30am in order to get a train at 7:40am from Euston (ouch). Because I wanted to leave before 9:30 or 10:00 or whatever the cut-off time is the fare outwards was £61. Coming back was only £38. It worked out cheaper (as they often warn you) to buy two single tickets. Still totally horrified that it costs three figures to go to Birmingham and back which isn't even that far away! Anyway.

I hadn't travelled on a Virgin train before. Can't think why as they supply so much of the rest of my life (landline, cable TV, broadband... if I only had my mobile phone contract with them I'd be 4 for 4!). The trains were nice and modern looking... although I was a bit miffed that I had to race down the platform (quite a feat with a walking stick) to get to standard class as half the train was designated first class, and of course it was the half nearest the concourse. Found a carriage, found a seat that wasn't reserved (bit of a squeeze but that's life) and tried to work on the tip up table with piles of paper (and wished I had taken my laptop). I was impressed by the lighting with switches for each seat, as though you were on an airplane, and also some sort of digital control in the seat (air conditioning? I only noticed it as I stood up to get off!). As I was getting of I noticed a sticker next to the armrest of a a seat by the window "laptops and mobile phones only". I had no time to investigate further, so I just wondered what about laptops and mobile phones?!

Off I went to my meeting, where it was wet and windy... and very long (with no lunch!!!). Finally got back to Birmingham New Street in time to catch the 4:30 train back to London. I got on the train and sat down (with relief, I was tired after three lengthy trips around site). I had checked when I got on for those evil little white cards tucked in the back of the seat indicating a reservation and found none. Relief. Not so much. Virgin trains have a little digital display over every pair of seats. This is where it tells you if the seat is reserved or not (how could you know this if you have never travelled on these trains before - they are TINY!). I wouldn't have known but for the small boy who kept asking his mother "Can we sit here" and his mother kept responding that "No, these are reserved". I suddenly realised that my seat might not be my seat. Indeed. The whole carriage not taken was reserved. I ended up sitting on a flip up seat in the corridor. Better than nothing, I suppose. I think the seats were designed for children as they were tiny, and I spent the whole journey worrying that I might be about to fall off. It was also very drafty in the corridor. The only thing to recommend the whole experience was the state of the art toilet and the atmospheric blue lighting.

Not the ideal travel experience, you certainly can't work in your lap! Next time I'll take a flier on what time a meeting is going to finish and reserve myself a seat!

Service not included

There was a time when tipping (leaving gratuities) was considered discretionary. If you took a cab ride and the driver took a good route and got you there fast you gave him at tip. If you got a really good haircut that felt like a million dollars you left your hairdresser a tip. If you ate out and got friendly, discreet, courteous and prompt service you left you waiter/waitress a small consideration as you left. You never felt obliged to leave money for a sub-standard service and you certainly did not have it added to your bill as a matter of course. This leads us to the pernicious 'service charge'.

Presumably the rise of payment by electronic means made it more difficult for the satisfied customer to leave a tip. But it is very unusual these days to dine out and not find at the bottom of your bill "12.5% service charge". Apart from the fact that I was brought up to believe that 10% was an acceptable amount to tip (where did that extra 2.5% come from?) there is the additional consideration that I very rarely believe that I receive service which is worthy of a tip.

Tonight a friend and I went to a bar just off Piccadilly Circus. Very 'theme' bar in a smart sort of way. On each table was a sign advertising the fact there was 'table service only'. So we sat and waited (and waited) and waited for a waiter or waitress to come and take our order. About 15 minutes. In the end my friend walked off towards the bar at which point a girl finally appeared to take our drinks order. A while later we wanted some snacks. Eventually we snagged a guy passing dressed in the bar's uniform... but he was apparently only employed in cleaning tables, not serving drinks. More drinks orders and food followed, and each time the same difficulty; including even trying to pay the bill. When the bill came my friend decided (quite rightly) that the 12.5% service charge was not warranted. She called over the waitress and told her we weren't happy to pay the service charge, when asked why she told the waitress that we hadn't received any service!

I cannot make an argument for compulsory service charge. If the staff need to supplement their wages then the establishment need to pay more. If the establishment need it to pay the staff (which not only happens, but is legal) then they should charge higher prices. This price increase by stealth should stop!

Mayor of London

The London Mayoral race is beginning to hot up. Not quite in the league of the US Presidential race yet, although apparently there was a televised debate the other week, I missed that. I'm still waiting for any of the candidates to impress me by offering to fix any of the things that matter to me. I'm in the forgotten demographic, I'm not a pensioner yet and I don't have any children. All policies seem aimed at the over 60s or those with a 2.4 average family - which is great if you are in those categories, but it isn't going to swing my vote.

I've visited all the websites of the three main candidates (Conservative, Lib Dem and Labour). On the basis of my first brief foray into the three websites I actually couldn't find Ken Livingstone (the incumbent)'s website. All I found was a page urging me to donate my time and/or money. I did find a blog which was giving support... surely he has an official site though?!

This left me with Brian Paddick (Lib Dem) or Boris Johnson (Conservative).

Brian Paddick's page tells me he is 'serious about London'. He is also serious about connecting with the 'yoof' as the links to Facebook and Twitter attest, as do the multitude of buttons across the bottom of the page! Some policy direction, although more about Brian himself and again prominent buttons urging me to donate time and money.

Lastly I visited Boris Johnson's page. I've always liked Boris whenever I've seen him on television, which is a start I suppose. This site impressed me the most. I had a good look around and there was only a small link urging me to get involved, and even then it didn't ask for money. Another favourable point. The site appears well designed and laid out, and I particularly like the countdown ticker to the election. Although generally philosophies are laid out the finer details of who these aims will be accomplished aren't really developed.

Early days I suppose, but for me Boris is the front runner at the moment. I take the politics of London far more seriously than any other sort. The decisions made here actually do affect my day to day life. I shall continue to watch the campaigns between now and May with interest!

A good Monday

Delightfully, and unbelievably, the Giants beat the Cowboys last night in the Divisional Play-offs. Absolutely superb. Unfortunately (yet again) I didn't manage to stay awake until the end of the game... but Rich thoughtfully taped the last two minutes for me, so I got to see the heart-stopping moment when Dallas threw for a touchdown but it was intercepted by the Giants. What drama! So I finish the Divisional weekend with a team still in the post-season, just not the team I expected!

The week got off to a good start this morning when the Jubilee Line decided to take me to work without any delays (sadly this evening it isn't doing so well). Even the weather wasn't too bad, although damp and drizzling it wasn't the threatened downpour.

The office email is finally working again... which is delightful - although a lot of mail seems to have been lost forever during the down-time. The good thing is that a lot of people haven't realised that its working again, so it is still very quiet... lots off work done today as a consequence.

Managed to get two projects crossed off my list today. They have both been hanging around since before Christmas and it is good to boot them off my desk. Only left with actual live (or nearly live) projects now. Unprecedented!

Two new chaps are starting in our office this week. This is good from the 'many hands make light work' theory. The computers are set up for them, it is all ready to go. Again, unprecedented.

All in all it is a fantastically positive start to the week. Sadly, I suppose it can only go down hill. Meeting every day from now until Friday... the Jubilee Line... the weather - ah well, forewarned is forearmed!

Divisional Play-offs

So. Totally unprecedented. Two out of the three teams (yes, I'm greedy - three teams) that I follow made it to the post season this year. Only the Jets let the side down (boy, and they really were rubbish this year). Not only to the post season, but they both made it through the wild card play-0ff weekend. I was so sure that the Jaguars were going to the Superbowl this year. Until they lost to the Patriots last night. I actually didn't make it through to the end of the game, and well asleep before the fourth quarter. There were some superb moments though. My favourite one was David Garrard throwing for a touchdown whilst he was being sacked, it looked like he was throwing the ball away - but nope, he found his man in the endzone and TOUCHDOWN! Some moment.

The whole game was really close, with equal scoring in each quarter, except for unfortunately the third where the Patriots got 11 points more. So, that was the AFC - on to the NFC tonight. Go Giants!

Good football (at last)

My phone was going mad this afternoon! I have a text alert service which lets me know when anything 'exciting' happens during a football match involving Charlton Athletic. Exiciting defined as goals, yellow cards and red cards.

It's been a bit quiet recently. Charlton hadn't won in five matches; the first being a 4-2 defeat to West Brom follwed by three 1-1 draws and and a 2-1 defeat to Colchester. It was beginning to look like Charlton's annual December/January nightmare. Until today, when Charlton managed to put four past Blackpool and only concede one. Not bad at all!

Until this season I had a season ticket at the Valley and used to go the games every week. The pressures of work and the rubbish football last season meant that I didn't renew my ticket. Given the comments on the games from the rest of my family who do go I don't generally seem to have missed much. I did feel I missed out yesterday, and have been inspired to go to a game before the end of the season. I'd have liked to go to the Palace game (rivalry always makes for a good game) but unfortunately that game has been moved to a Friday night, and I've never been a fan of evening games - especially not on a Friday which is always the worst day of the week at work. I'll be really interested to experience half time, as I've not been to the Valley since last July when the smoking ban came in. There used to be a fog over the concourse at half-time (which got worse after they banned smoking in the stands). It had got to the point that it was practically unbearable, and quite hard to breathe - so I'm looking forward to the new smoke-free half-time.

What a week!!!

So, the first full week back after the Christmas break is finally done with. It has been very tiring. Work has been monster busy, and that combined with the email system for the entire company being down for 72 hours (yep, three whole days) - well things haven't been going too well.

London Underground hasn't been helping. The Jubilee Line has been having a total nightmare... not working more often than working. I was quite delighted to get home in good time tonight.

I'm looking forward to the weekend. Time to kick back and do as little as possible. I've a few errands to run but apart from that I fully intend to totally relax - before another crazy week.

Probably the most interesting news story of this week is the Government's new initiative with regards to nuclear power. Supposedly the idea is to reduce reliance on oil and gas from other countries, and obviously to help reach emission reduction targets. Whilst this all does make sense it has to be said that nuclear power isn't truly "sustainable". Sustainability should be defined as meeting the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Nuclear power technically doesn't do this, not until a strategy for effectively disposing of/treating waste is formulated. Admitting that alternate energy is needed is a good start though.

Meltdown underground

People who live and work in London complain about transport. A lot. You can't get anywhere without it, but yet it never seems to work. I don't have much to compare with as I've not utilised the public transit in enough other cities; but overseas visitors are always telling me how great our network is. I suppose it is fairly well integrated... it would just be so much better if it wasn't always breaking down!

Today is an example of how it all goes wrong. I arrived at the Jubilee Line at 8am (only half an hour after a left home). I got down to the platform and was delighted to find a train on platform two. These are trains from central London that terminate early and go back again! Nice and empty, which meant a seat for me. We sat there for a while and then came an announcement "All trains to central London are being held at this station due to signalling difficulties in the Green Park area". So we sat and sat and sat (a good 15 or 20 minutes). Then the announcement changed "The Jubilee Line is suspended between Finchley Road and Waterloo in both directions due to a signal failure at Green Park". Oh dear. Not a disaster though as evasive action can be taken pretty easily from Waterloo. The train at platform left and our driver assured us we would be next. Another train came and went. Our train was taken out of service (bah). All the time suggesting that we might like to get the train to Stratford and try the Central Line (as if). Eventually I got on a train heading into London. We crawled to Canary Wharf. We waited (some more). We did the same to Canada Water and to Bermondsey. Enough I thought. I can pick up the Northern Line at London Bridge. Without a map though I didn't realise that at London Bridge I'm on the wrong branch of the Northern Line. London Bridge was chaos. The platforms were being closed and they weren't allowing people into the Underground. I gave up and went overground, and after a train and two more buses I eventually arrived at the office - 2 hours after I left home.

You've got no mail

I didn't notice for ages as I was in meetings all morning. But come lunchtime I noticed that my inbox was empty. Strange (and unusual). Where is all the mail? Stuck somewhere on the Exchange server it turns out.

The Exchange server lives at head office. They have evidently some problem with their internet as we have no mail but still have internet (as do all the other offices). This is reinforced by the fact that you can't even get webmail.

Normally I'm quite happy for the email to not work. It means that nobody can ask me to do anything or chase me for things or any of the other one hundred and one things that email annoys me with every day. Today, of course, I'm waiting for things. Things that I know have been sent. Things that are sitting locked away waiting for the Exchange server to work. How very frustrating!

Torrential Tuesday

I met a friend for drinks tonight at Tiger Tiger in Haymarket. There was a moment on confusion as I walked down the street and thought to myself "I'm sure that Tiger Tiger isn't this far from Piccadilly Circus". I then realised that instead of being in Haymarket I was in Lower Regents Street. Oh dear.

It was a nice evening. I hadn't been to Tiger Tiger in aeons. It hasn't changed much. Still the scary tiger statue in the ladies toilets which makes you jump the first time you see it as you assume you are about to bump into someone. Still the moody lighting and the expensive drinks. Good bar snacks though! At the end of the evening I ended up walking all the way to Westminster to catch the Jubilee Line as there didn't seem to be in any buses about. Rather damp and windy on the way down Whitehall. Much worse was to come though.

By the time I back to South East London I was starving, so I decided to see if the fake-KFC just down the road was still open. It was. By now, though it was really raining. Sheets and sheets of water coming from the sky. I was soaked in the five minute walk home. Oh dear.

Watery Monday

As soon as I realise I have to go out and post a letter it starts to rain. Luckily I'm only going to the post office. The queue in the Post Office is huge, and I spend 15 minutes standing in line. I decide to reward myself with a hot-wrap from Pret a Manger. Very nice!

Not much in the news when I picked up my Metro this morning. It was alarmingly pink (for a newspaper that isn't the Financial Times). Seems that Evian were sponsoring it this morning. Gordon Brown has an excellent idea for having 'health screening' for all. To be administered it would seem from GPs Surgeries. That will work really well in London where they are already so busy and oversubscribed that sometimes it is hard to find a practice to register with! And not to think that the NHS might find better ways of spending its funds... keeping hospitals clean and banishing MRSA, ending the postcode lottery - to think of only two!

I was so enraged by my travel troubles the other morning that it totally slipped my mind to mention the number 9 bus. The number 9 is an odd route, as during the day it still runs Routemasters (as a heritage route). However the normal looking bus that I got on Friday morning was nothing like an old Routemaster. It was a talking bus! There was an information ticker, similar to the ones you find on the tube - but it also kept talking too! Telling you where you were, and as you left the stop telling you that you were on the number 9! About time too. I remember being in New York about 10 years ago where the buses spoke, and I thought it was a fantastic idea, especially for a city that prides itself on attracting tourists!

Wild Card Weekend Part 2

So. Two games yesterday. Redskins (unfortunately for Rich) lost to Seattle. I didn't see all the game as I was having a nap in order to stay awake for the whole of the late night Jaguars game.

The Jaguars game was quite something. Although the Steelers scored first the Jaguars came right back and got a touchdown to level the score. And after that shaky start the Jaguars were pretty much in control, until the fourth quarter. Suddenly the Steelers got three touch downs and the whole thing was looking scary. Even worse one of the touchdown's came with an two-point conversion. So instead of it all being tied up the Jaguars were losing! I had to go and not watch for a while. Fortunately a field goal right at the end meant that final score was 31-29. Hurrah for the Jags!

I've just finished watching the Giants at Tampa. Another shaky start for my team. Everyone admits that there are two Eli Mannings... the good one and the not so good one. For a bit I thought that it was the wrong Eli turned up today. But he stepped up (along with rest of the team) and played the game, and then some. Excellent game, which pretty much by half time looked to be in the bag. Final score 24-14. Go Giants!

Today was also Twelfth Night. This meant that after two months the Christmas decorations had to come down. Sigh. The room looks extremely bare without them - and much larger! It seems that we have actually managed to take down every scrap of tinsel, bauble and sparkle. We usually forget something, but haven't noticed anything still there so far! Ah well. Only 10 months until they can go back up again!

Wild Card Weekend

So, it's the big weekend for NFL this weekend. The wild card games. Rich and I have three teams between us fighting it out. Redskins and Jaguars tonight and the Giants tomorrow. I fancy our chances for getting at least one team on to next weekend!

It was also the FA Cup this weekend on this side of the pond. Charlton managed a 1-1 draw with the Baggies, which considering that they lost to them in the League a few weeks back isn't too bad. Off to a replay which considering Charlton's recent away form might work in their favour.

I've been playing my new game I bought the other day the Sims 2 Castaway. Absolutely excellent fun. The Sims were good, but the trouble was between going to work and sleeping there was a lot of wasted time in the games. Recent versions have developed a bit, and this is the best yet. Stranded on a desert island you have to survive. You make your own clothes, furniture and accommodation and forage for food. Absolutely addictive. Good old EA Games!

Plus ca change

Back to work after the holidays today. Got up nice and early and headed off to get the Jubilee Line at North Greenwich. Only to find that the Jubilee Line suspended between Stratford and Stanmore. For those who aren't familiar with the Jubilee Line, that is the entire line. Superb. Faulty communications equipment it would seem. The escalators to the ticket hall are all roped off and I have to ask the station staff if the ticket office is in fact open as I have no money or ticket on my Oyster. Fortunately it is. So, I join the rest of the commuters trying to find an alternate route out of North Greenwich. Always tricky as there is only one tube line and no mainline or DLR out of there. Everyone piled onto buses. I got on the 188 which goes all the way to Central London. I was sitting on the bus heading to Canada Water thinking to myself "I could get off here and pick up the Jubilee Line" before I remembered that the Jubilee Line wasn't working which was the whole reason that I was sitting on the bus in the first place! D'oh.

The office appeared to be in the usual state of post-Christmas disarray. Exacerbated by the fact that no cleaning appeared to have been carried out at all. Cups and glasses everywhere, bins not emptied. I recollected that the note left for the cleaners requested them to come back on 4th January. Now, it may be that the writer intended to intimate the week ending 4th January, but that wasn't what was written. It didn't strike me at the time as I wasn't coming back to work myself until that date, so I didn't connect that everyone else would be back to days earlier and making a mess!

Having had one member of staff leave before Christmas we somehow managed to lose another one over Christmas. Back to down to the 'hardcore'. So much work, so few people to do it. Not an excellent start to 2008!

Fortunately by evening and time for the return journey the Jubilee Line was working again, which made life a bit easier!

Short legs, long body

I'm the first to admit that I'm not a tall person. Neither do I consider myself particularly short either. Five foot four (five foot two by Rich's reckoning, but hard to tell from his lofty heights). I'd have said that was about average for this country (kind of like if I was size 12 that would be about average). I will admit that I'm a little larger than a size 12, but even so, there are plenty of people my size and larger. This being the case, why is it so hard for me to buy trousers?

Trouble number one. Oddly of me I like my trousers to fit. Can't think why. I like them to fit at the hips and the waist. That rules out half the stores that sell women's clothing. Far too many just increase the dimensions of a size 8 proportionally. Doesn't work for me.

Trouble number two. Most significant trouble. People who make trousers assume that everyone has long legs! Why?! But half the time when I try for the 'short' length they are too short. There is no happy medium.

This has led to my wardrobe currently containing no less than three pairs of trousers with the hems down and two pairs of trousers which are too long and need taking up or wearing with heels. I'd fix them all myself but the sewing machine I bought for the purpose had its needle buckle the first time I tried to use it. Bah.

All of this led to me shopping for new trousers in the January sales. Shopping full stop, in fact. Only two pairs of serviceable trousers left in my wardrobe I was beyond desperate.

So. I risked the shops between Christmas and New Year. Something I wouldn't normally do.

It took several attempts and a good few versions of Marks and Spencers and Evans. I was that desperate that I was even looking at trousers I didn't particularly like. And still I couldn't find anything that would fit me. Every pair of trousers in my size was standard length - about 2 inches below the bottom of my feet. ARGH!

So Rich and I ended up in Bluewater (much against Rich's better judgement!). For those who don't know Bluewater was (and for all I know possibly still is) the biggest shopping mall in Europe. Huge Marks and Spencers (my favourite choice for trousers). And I wasn't disappointed. A much larger range than any store visited previously, and even some trousers in my size in short length. Hurrah!

Went to town a bit and ended up buying two shirts and a jacket (well, I have a lot of jackets, but not one in black). And that came to over a £100. Oh well, thank goodness for my Christmas bonus!

Two point oh

In my last post I was writing about Beanies 2.0. This has led me to thinking about all things 2.0.

What is 2.0. Well, it is a shorthand for things that are upgraded. More than that, really. Upgraded to include an element of interactivity. The start of this 'trend' was the advent of Web 2.0. The 2.0 implies a new version, although it is not so much the internet has changed but the way that the internet interacts with its users. Web 2.0 is the advent of all the sites like Netvibes, Pageflakes, iGoogle, MySpace, Facebook etc. etc. To read more about Web 2.0 check out the Wikipedia article.

When the web first started there wasn't much interactivity. You came, you read and you went away again. Some people authored sites. Academia used ftp servers to download documents and some anoraks (of which I was one) used telnet to interact with each other. Although technology allowed the internet to become more sophisticated and ISPs encouraged users to use their free webspace the internet was still pretty much one way traffic.

Then we met 'widgets'. You know, those useful little bits of script that do - well, just about anything! And communities began to flourish which relied on user input. There are dozens and dozens of them out there now. If you feel so inclined you can spend your entire day wandering around and interacting with friends, or indeed perfect strangers!

This is now becoming the norm. The boundaries of media are blurring. Everything is pretty much expected to cross all platforms these days. I believe, for example, that Beanies 2.0 will have a strong element of internet interactivity.

The most interesting cross-media usage I have come across this week has to be Maximum Ride. Although intended as a young people's books I am a huge fan of this series, and was given book three for Christmas. Having just finished reading it I decided to check out the web address. Not just a promotional page, but so much more - deeply entwining with the books and going beyond. I guess this is Literature 2.0?!

Bye Bye Beanie?!

I have always been the sort of person who likes to collect things. Ever since I can remember I've been collecting something. As a child I went through a number of collections. Stamps, coins, pin badges, erasers and all the other things that kids collect. In my teens I went more for paper. Collecting things more personal to myself... schoolwork, artwork, diaries, letters etc. I also started collecting teddy bears. I can't even remember how it started - I think maybe I collected them from places that I visited on holiday and so forth. I had amassed over 100 by the time I left home and all but a few moved to my parents' loft. This didn't stop me adding to the collection though. And sometime in the mid-nineties I added several small, colourful bean bag toys to the collection. Beanie Babies. I didn't realise that there was a whole world of Beanies (and indeed other products by Ty Inc.) for some years. It was pure fortune that I kept the tags attached (removing the tags from Beanies reduces their value) - I think I liked the poems written inside! Eventually collecting the bears from Beanie Babies progressed to collecting cats, dogs and pretty much anything that took my fancy. I've well over 600 of them today!

Last year my collecting began to slip. The website that I'd been running for five years had to take a back seat as my work life took up more time than I had to give. As the website slipped so did my ability to keep up with the news. I no longer had any idea what was happening in the Beanie world. I only bought about a dozen Beanies in the whole of 2007. Most of the Beanies on display at home went into storage and the whole thing pretty much ground to a halt. I was quite relieved to hear the news recently that the whole Beanie Babies range is being retired in anticipation of Beanie Babies 2.0. This gives me an ideal moment to call a halt to my collection and close that chapter of my life.

Happy New Year!

So last night we ushered in 2008. We didn't go out to any overpriced venue, preferring instead to stay at home and do our own thing. We watched the 'Big Fat Quiz of the Year' which we had previously recorded... I was surprised to find that most of what I know about the year seems to have come from other clip-shows watched over the Christmas period! I'm a huge fan of those clip shows. We watched the AFI's top 100 films the other night. I was shamed to have only seen 23% of them whilst Rich managed a huge 91%. Ah well.

As Big Ben (on the TV) chimed in 2008 I opened the front door to let out the old year. A few neighbours were also in the street, and they came over to wish us a Happy New Year. How very un-London of them! We were treated to some excellent fireworks displays from all sorts of directions, the most stunning of which seemed to be coming from the bottom of the street, actually in the middle of the road! Nothing of course compared to the huge display on the banks of the Thames, but pretty impressive anyhow.

Charlton was in the news for all the wrong reasons today. A fatal car crash occurred early this morning on the main road from Charlton to Woolwich and Blackheath. This has caused the closure of Littleheath. It seems that a bendy bus collided with a car, just on the extremely dangerous bend. Perhaps this will finally encourage the council to take some sort of traffic calming measures?