Thinks

The End (well, onto a new chapter anyway)

2006-03-05T12:00:00.000Z

From today my new blog is up and running at: www.mrselsmore.com . RSS feed for new blog available at: http://www.mrselsmore.com/hosted/te/blog.nsf/stories.rss

Thanks to all that have read here - if you enjoy then please follow me over onto the new blog.

T

'Angel Standing By' - by Cindly Lee Jones

2006-03-03T17:53:00.000Z

Was tag searching for angels on flickr. You guys know I have a thing for angels right? ;) And I found an amazingly beautiful picutre: Angel Standing By. (It is copyright to her so the image is not here on the blog, but follow the link and you'll see it.)

I followed a couple of links and ended up on the artist's, Cindy Lee Jones, website. Her work is interesting for its variety both in terms of topic and technique. I recommend you take a look.

She has a section called '33 things': I hope she won't mind if I borrow one that I particularly like for a wee while:

How we greet the day and the people in it is up to us. When we leave this place, others will remember us not by what we did but by how we made them feel when they were with us...

Still here & life is good; really, really good: Socks, new blog, LS memories and more

2006-03-03T15:41:00.000Z

Well being "vowe'd" yesterday made me think I should come out of my little 'nesting' hiddy-hole and say hello to the blogsphere again! Sorry for the quietness, but - I hope understandably- things have been a bit busy since we got back from the 6 week honeymoon that was the 'Elsmore World Tour'. We have been happy at home, just poddeling and doing stuff really. Libby reminded me it is called nesting and reassures me that it is quite natural for newly weds ;)

Anyhoo, after freeing Dobby from his evil Master, I feel I should continue my work and so I offer a green i-pod sock and an orange i-pod sock to any other unhappily-owned House Elves out there I know - all in the spirit of Hermione and S.P.E.W. of course ;) .

In other news:

New Blog:
I am now the proud owner of my own li'l piece of internet real estate: www.mrselsmore.com At the moment that url will redirect to this blog, so don't go trying to find it just yet, but you can update your links to reflect the change. RSS feed: at the button on the right hand sidebar (sorry, not sure of the url for the feed yet - note to self: need husband to come home and help out with a few minor IT bits and bobs ;) - so you'll just have to come to the site when it launches to grab the feed. Now as for the launch: Sunday 5th March 2006 seems as good a date as any; and it means I can call on Warren's expertise tomorrow to put some tweaks in place :) So from Sunday please follow me over onto www.mrelsemore.com - and my thanks to the Blogsphere team for their template.

LS '06 memories:
I know it was over a month ago, and this is darned late to be posting any sort of LS '06 review, but darn it I have been busy so here goes:

Let me start by saying that I HAD A BALL, AN ABSOLUTE BLAST. As soon as we arrived on the Friday night we found kindred spirits and old friends propping up the Dolphin Bar and things just continued from there, non-stop till we left on the following Saturday.

Personal highlights:
(Please take it as read that all caveats are in place about not meaning to forget anyone or anything - there's just so much and so many people I'm almost bound to forget someone or something - my apologies in advance. Oh and the whole 'In no particular order' set of caveats apply too.)

Meeting so many people who I had spent the year reading and wishing to meet: Ben Poole, Captain Oblivious, Damien, Duffbert, Greyhawk, Jess & Matt, and The Lion King. You are all stars and I'm so glad to have been able to spend time with you.
Meeting up with all those who I knew before we got there. Too numerous to list, but here goes: Alan, Bill, Bruce & Gayle, Declan, Devin, Ed, Pants, Paul, Richard, Terri, Turtle, Volker, Wes and Wouter & Coon.
Meeting people I had not had on the radar at all:

My incredibly special and dear friend Libby. Sometimes there are people you just click with. I think it took Libby and I about an hour of booze and Kimonos after the Opening Party and we were set to be life-long friends. You are an incredibly special person hon, and I can't wait to see you in Ireland in the summer.
Kevin - basically you rock and boy were you good on that bungee thing at Sea World!

Getting to indulge my split-personality trait and play at being, in turns: Duffbert, Greyhawk, Terri, Paul, Libby and anyone else I have forgotten. Thank to you all for your, umm, help in my enjoyment off all aspects of LS ;) And getting to the stage when people were questioning why I wasn't in a particular session.
Thanks to Volker for making a specific effort to ensure I had a ticket for the Wednesday night party and to Libby's friend for her help in that too. Thanks also to Pants for preventing me from falling out of the minibus on our arrival at Sea World (due to missing the step I will add for all those sniggerng that I was drunk before we arrived ;))
Hearing Bill welcome 'Warren and Libby - who have just got married and are spending their honeymmon at Lotusphere' to one of his and Paul's Worst Practice session! Good one Bill.
Paul: I'm proud of you - and you know why.
Seeing some of the Inter-Navy swan 'race' and thinking it almost worthwhile opening a book on how long it would take Buchan to capsize ;)
Taking my hadsl dominos and playing them with Libby by the Dolphin's pool.
Listening to one of the funniest comedians I have ever had the pleasure to hear live - my eyes were streaming and my sides aching by the time he finished.
Belting out 'American Pie' - the LONG version with Libby in Kimonos and having all our friends singing along. And generally the whole of Sunday night in Kimonos - kudos to all who sang.

Oh jeez, think I had better stop there - just too much fun. It was madder than the first week of the new year of each of the three of my years are Uni and a hundred times more fun and happier. Thank you all for making it so great and see you next year I hope.

Life is good; really, really good:
Since we have been back in Edinburgh I have been remembering why I love this City so much. My friend Wendy, who is currently staying here, was saying this morning that there was some theroy that for each of us there are 7 places in the world where we feel immediately and completely at home. Edinburgh is definitely the top of my list. I feel such a sense of belonging when I walk down its streets. I feel so at ease and at home in it - it constantly amazes me quite how at home I feel - I feel it everyday and everytime I step out of my door.

I am generally so happy and so content in my life at the moment - really deep-seated and deep-rooted contentment - that I'm likely to be encompassed within it and neglect the blog. I know there are those out there who read and wish I would post more. But to be honest my blog is a pretty accurate reflection of me and as such it is not a rapid-fire commentary on life, that is churning out the latest thoughts (I have this picture in my head of the constantly stuttering printers in the 'news-collation room' in 'Good Morning Vietnam'), but an outlet of the distillation of thoughts which occasionally run round my head (as well as the random and general 'other' stuff that rolls around it too). It's reflective of the fact that fact that I generally consider what I am going to say before I say it; that I don't jump straight into conversations I listen and watch before speaking up.

----
Right onto finishing getting our honeymoon pics up on flickr!

Be 'Monarch of the Glen' (well for a weekend anyway). Oh, and get to help a worthy cause at the same time.

2006-02-13T19:03:00.000Z

Well it has been a while and I have a load to catch up on, not least my Lotusphere roundup, but first and formost, most importantly, I beg your attention for a few minutes.

Scotland is keen to embrace alternative energies. Normally a good thing I grant you, however they are slightly misguided on the specifics of some proposed Wind Turbine Schemes in Perthshire. I will not get into the details of why these are a bad plan, the website does that far more eloquently and comprehensively that I can, please take it that we are not objecting to green engergies in general just the specifics of these schemes.

The Locals have banded together and have won a substantial victory - a Public Enquiry has been called to look into the Planning of these schemes. However, with victory comes a price and in this case it is funding a QC (Queen's Councillor for those across the pond or elsewhere) to work on ASWAG's behalf during the public enquiry. They don't come cheap I'm afraid :( . Hence, a competition to help raise funds.

You and 18 of your friends, get to play Monarch of the Glen for a weekend. The prize is truly amazing and definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity.

You get to stay in a huge hunting lodge Dallick House; go quad biking or clay pigeon shooting; have lunch at Kennacoil House; visit Blair Castle and the House of Bruar; be guests of honour at a ceilidh at Murthly Castle and have a tour of some of the most beautiful scenary in Perthshire with a trained mountain guide.

For all this all you have to do is buy a ticket, £10 each - £10 for all that, just think of the prize value - answer a couple of questions and complete a tie-breaker sentence. All details are available on the ASWAG website along with details of the organisation's work.

I'm sorry to use the blog as a fundraising forum, and I wouldn't except that this a cause close to my heart and I hope you won't mind too much.

Temporary transfer to elsmore.net

2005-12-19T10:28:00.000Z

We lay low for a day in Edinburgh yesterday and are now just finishing off our packing ready to start the 'Elsmore World Tour'. We head down to London Heathrow this afternoon and fly out to Hong Kong this evening.

For the duration we figured it made sense to blog in one place and we are going to do that on Warren's blog. So from now until the beginning of February there will be no posts on here. However, you can keep up with all our travels on www.elsmore.net

Blogging etc may be patchy as we are not sure what access to the web we will have, but what goes up will be on there.

Do come back here to www.thinks.blogspot.com in February when things will hoepfully get back to normal and you can chart my search for a new job and hopefully my new course too.

So this is Thinks signing off from here for the moment. See you in 5 weeks or so!!!!!

I'm Mrs Elsmore! Yay!

2005-12-19T10:24:00.000Z

Well it all went off beautifully and according to plan (except for a few very minor glitches). I'll do a longer 'wedding day' post at some stage, but currently suffice to say that I am happy as a clam or a Pooh Bear who has found his honey stash :D

You know you have done one too many early morning airport drop-offs when...

2005-12-13T08:36:00.000Z

... once you get home you point the car remote at the house and wonder why the door doesn't open!

5 days to go

2005-12-12T22:36:00.000Z

Warren seems to have been covering most things over on him, but I get to beat him to the punch on this one :)

Our 'pre-wedding' photos are now up on Nigel Lumsden's site. So feel free to browse y'all if you feel so inclined. This is where our wedding photos will end up too, but not for a wee while yet!

10 days to go...

2005-12-07T18:23:00.000Z

Well the countdown to the wedding has started in earnest.

The dress is complete.
The placement for dinner is in its infancy (balance between waiting for final replies and people having to change plans at the last minute :) ).
The helium balloons are organised.
The photo we are having for everyone to sign at the wedding is on its way.
The spare bed is covered in piles of stuff to get packed for the honeymoon.
Think we are almost at the stage of 'if it hasn't been done by now, it is not going to get done'.
We are definitely at the stage of starting to over-engineer the wedding ;) .

Probably not many more posts till the honeymoon.

I'm dreaming of an orange christmas

2005-12-07T18:17:00.000Z

Well, just in case we ran out of Jaffa Cakes between now and the wedding I thought I'd stock up... it is a full, five boxes long :)

For Sale | Palm Pilot and DVD writer ;)

2005-11-28T07:20:00.000Z

A friend of mine is selling a Palm Pilot and DVD writer that are both in good condition if anyone is interested.

Palm Pilot £50.

DVD Writer £45.

(With thanks to Lesley).

UPDATED | St Theresa's prayer, Wales & pebbles

2005-11-25T14:06:00.000Z

UPDATE: Have now posted the rest of the Wales photos - really lots of the fabulous sunset we had but one or two others too.

A great friend of mine sent me this prayer from my namesake (well, without the 'h' anyway). I just thought I'd post it up for anyone who is feeling frazzled or uncertain at the moment...

May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you....May you be content knowing you are a child of God.... Let this presence settle into yourbones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

Being in Wales, as Warren posted, allowed us 'to stop the world as we wanted to get off' for a few days. It was fabulous. Just a couple of shots for you of the view from our cottage: Morning and sunset...

I have always had a thing for 'interesting' pebbles - those with striations particularly. I just think they are so beautiful, I am a nature girl at heart really I suppose. Anyhoo, we thought it would be nice to use pebbles as the placecards for the dinner at our wedding reception. So, a happy couple of hours collecting pebbles on the beach later we had a (VERY heavy) rucksack (bet not many Lotusphere 2005 rucksacks have done that!), with about a 100 pebbles which we dragged back to the collage. On the beach and, after much scrubbing, drying out...

[question] Does it spoil the magic to say that Warren spent the evening up to his elbows in the last dops from the pink domestos bottle we found under the wonderful kitchen sink, scrubbing the last vetiges of 'sea' off them? [/question].

Probably ;).

Hen Night

2005-11-25T12:11:00.000Z

Well the photos from this momentous occassion are finally up on flickr. A great night was had by all and it all went swimmingly. My greatest thanks to Cara for organising exactly what I wanted - a nice, long boozy dinner for which no-one had to shop, cook or wash up!

SNOW!

2005-11-25T11:08:00.000Z

Ok, not much of it and it is certainly not the first anywhere this year, but it is the first in Edinburgh. This is the view from our flat this morning

Admittedly it is now more rainy/slushy than snowy, but I am not going to venture outside today if I can help it, it being bitterly cold and all ;)

Congratulations

2005-11-23T15:10:00.000Z

There seem tobe a few of these I have not caught up on so here is a round up:

Lewis Anderson & Sarah Gibson are engaged to be married. Hopefully May 06 for the date.
Heidi & Tony are proud parents for the first time - Jasmine.
Thomas & Kate SF are proud parents for the second time - James Alexander.

Our congratualations and best wishes to you all.

Yoga - Scottish and 'pukka'

2005-11-23T13:18:00.000Z

and

Ahh, what would we do without Tennets Special? ;)

On heavy rotation

2005-11-23T13:16:00.000Z

and

Wedding update

2005-11-15T14:06:00.000Z

SPOILER alert!! Those attending, if you don't want to know all about things happening or what things are going to look like, or what I'll be wearing then DON'T READ THIS POST :)

It is also going to be quite long, so settle in with a good cuppa and a biscuit, maybe a jaffa cake, (of course you can only get real jaffa cakes from jaffacake.com, .net or .org NOT from jaffacake.co.uk, well until they land on 'go to jail' anyhoo ;) ).

As you can imagine with the big day less than 5 weeks away now things are really hotting up. Add to that the general 'running one's life' concept and you get the why I haven't blogged very much lately. SO today your RSS readers should be full on my posts, catching up on the events of several weeks, in no particular order! For once, in recent times, I seem to be in a post-writing mood, so I'm taking advantage of that and so should you, if you're interested in my little life, ;)

Flowers:
I have now had the site visit for the flower ladies. Jeanette and Anita have both been brilliant and have grand ideas on how to make my wishes come true and also for things I hadn't decided on yet. We recently had to change the table layout for dinner, from ovals to long thin trestles, to fit everyone in and so we needed to redesign the table decorations, which was interesting. So we are now having a central 'runner' of flowers down each long (24') table which is also going to have fairy lights running through it. There will also be some very oversize martini glasses with floating candles in them as well as the helium balloons.

The chapel is going to look gorgeous with some pew-ends, and the altar flowers. We are also having a couple of Christmas trees to flank the altar and block the bottom half of the view into the Mortuary end of the chapel. The roof is beautifully decorated and people will still be able to see that, but as no-one will be sitting in that end and we are using it for signing the register we thought it best to create some sort of 'screen' - the trees. We had planned on trees anyway, as those of you will remember from the great bauble buy in the January sales so this was just a different place to put them. We have also sorted the candles to go on the window sills to be surrounded with misletoe wreaths and some pine cones - so pretty. The chapel porch is going to have a couple of large storm lantern with equally large church candles in them and a third christmas tree so both the view of chapel porch as you enter and as you leave will be decorated.

The reception rooms are going to have balls of flowers hanging off each shutter handle as we are pushed for floor space and they will be above everyone's heads when we sit for dinner. And a couple of large, overmantle flower displays above the fireplaces.

Wardrobe:
My bodice is all but finished, we had a fitting a couple of weeks ago. What I am slightly biting my nails over is that the silk for my skirt is still in transit from India. Warren & I have continual nightmares over whether we are exploiting someone in India to bead all the silk or if we are in fact helping their economy, anyhow it is apparently on its way and should be at my Aunt's by the end of this week... fingers crossed please.

Hence my skirt is currently non-existent. Well it would certainly be a wedding to remember if it never arrives ;)

I have just ordered up the velvet for my cloak which should be here next week so that is now all in train ('scuse the unintentional pun - there really isnt much train to my dress at all!).

The guys' waistcoats are in progress and I have just found the purple silk for my brother's one. I'm sure Muma will find it 'too bright, darling', but then she doesn't have to wear it.

Muma has just returned from London and is now in possession of her completed outfit from Aunt Hannah. I'm not sure if her hat is finished yet, but knowing my Mother she will have insisted on bringing it home from this trip.

Photography:
Well, we have had our 'pre-wedding shoot' with Nigel. Been taught how to stand in photos and been through the running order for the day. Our 'engagment' photos should be up on Nigel's site pretty quickly and will let you all know when they go up. I hope to be proved wrong and that I can look OK in photos!

Decorations:
Well, mine and Warren's an*l-ness has finally come fully to the fore. For those, quietly, or loudly shocked by my turn of phrase, I agree with you. I have for years tried to come up with a less blunt description of my obsessiveness with details for events, but I just can't find one that does the job so well.

Anyhoo, our spare bedroom is currently covered in boxes. (Sorry, but we can't put anyone up between now and the wedding!)

Boxes filled with the non-live parts of the flower decorations - oasis, trays, twine etc and the silk flowers, floating candles, storm lanterns etc - we bought last week. (We only await the order for more oasis and the overszie martini glasses to come in and we are complete.)
Boxes filled with the wreaths and garlands (all with integral fairy lights), their attendant cables and hanging accourtrements.
Boxes filled with the lights and baubles for the decoration of the christmas trees and their attendnant cables.

Each box comtains a complete kit for whatever bit of decoration it is and are makred up with sheets stating: contents, plan for putting them up (thanks MS Visio) and plan for where they are to go when they are taken down! Sad I know, but it means we can dish then out to those helping with the setting up and be pretty sure that we won't get too many questions on what needs doing. It is also the BEST way to check we have everything we need and are not running around like blue-arsed flies on the day because we have forgotten some vital component. Believe me in rural Perthshire, in December that could be fatal!

Now aside from the continual job of smoothing feathers which seems the fundamental role of anyone getting married - we'll just gloss over whose wedding it is or I am likely to get red and agitated - we really do seem to be getting there.

Now off to phone the caterer and finalise details with him; talk to Warren's Father about the printing of the Order of Service and then maybe I'll have time to plan the rest of our honeymoon...

UPS drivers who have learnt to read...

2005-11-15T13:02:00.000Z

...and how we helped with that.

(Trying to) take delivery of a box of electical bits and bobs to sort some of our wedding decorations (see later post) was an interested concept last week.

Now, granted we live on the top floor of our block of flats and it is 66 steps from the street to our door, however delivery drivers are paid to deliver, not try to weasel out of delivering.

Day one: I went downstairs towards the end of the afternoon to grab some milk or somesuch from our corner shop across the street, to find a UPS 'we tried to deliver your parcel slip' stuck in the pipework. (That is the stairwell's unofficial place to put things so people see them rather than walking over them if they were left on the floor as we have nothing to put mail on in the stairwell as it is meant to be put through each flat's letter box on their doors). Now since I had been in all day and had not had anyone buzz the doorbell, I thought this was a little weird but left it at that. The slip has a section entitled something like 'we will try to deliver again on ...(day) at ...(time)'. Well, nothing was noted so I patiently waited in the following day...

Day two: I went downstairs, again late afternoon, to go grab the ingredients for a full-on fruit cake, complete with marzipan and royal icing, to make for Warren's birthday, from our fabulous 'Real Foods' just two doors up the street from the flat. On my return to the flat, whilst digging out my keys, I noticed a slip of familiar looking paper on the pavement outside the street door of the flat. I picked it up and sure enough it was another 'we tried to deliver your parcel' slip. Strange as yet again, the time noted on the slip was an hour or so before I had ventured out to the shop and I had been in all day until them and there had been no doorbell buzz. Again the 'we will try to deliver again' section was not completed...

Day three (they 'try to deliver' three times before leaving it at the depot for you to go and collect): We decided to call the depot to make sure it was out for delivery again that day and to let them know that we would be in all day and could the driver please ring the doorbell to let us know he was there. They told us that as the driver was already out on his rounds they couldn't contact him to make sure it was delivered. So we also put up a notice on the street door highlighting which doorbell was ours and that we were in all day, so please go ahead and buzz us.

This time, no note, nothing except that when we checked the tracking number on-line it said it had tried to be delivered three times and that we now needed to go collect it from the depot.

We called UPS and put in an official complaint that the delivery driver had failed to buzz the doorbell on three consecutive days and that we had been in on all those days. The woman said she would take that on, deal with it and get back to us. An hour or so later she rang back: 'We asked the driver if he rang the doorbell. He says he did." "And that is the end of the internal complaints procedure. Sir." Great complaints procedure UPS - he wouldn't have any reason to lie or anything, now would he?

Warren & I reckoned that the box might be heavy so we both went to the depot to collect it. It was so light I picked it up like a feather (despite the desk clerk's note 'Be careful, it is heavy.').

Anyhoo, we had cause to order up some more electrical bits and bobs and waited with interest to see if the doorbell would buzz. Sure enough on day one of the second delivery it buzzed and the guy brought the box up to the flat door. (Now I have no proof that they driver of the first and second deliveries was the same guy, but it is a reasonable assumption.) Maybe just being asked if he had in fact buzzed the doorbell was enough to make sure he did on the second delivery.

Konevets Quartet

2005-11-15T00:25:00.000Z

These guys have performed at several of my Mother's charity events and I love them. They are a Russian quartet who sing, unaccompanied, the most beautiful sacred and secular music. They tend to do renditions of the Russian Orthodox church music in the first half of their concerts, and behove the audience not to clap between pieces as befits the sacred music. It is beautiful, but I personally prefer the second half where they delve into the rich history of Russian secular music - military songs, peasant songs and anything rustic and folk-y. I am sitting here attempting to type up Muma's accounts for the Estate for the last financial year (an annual daughterly duty), and find myself swept up in the stunning renditions the guys produce.

I have always had a leaning towards the more minor keys in music and indeed find that, to me at any rate, the minor keys induce my more long-lasting musical favourties than the upbeat frivolity of the major keys (but that is just MHO). Thus these hauntingly melacholic and atmospheric strains just melt my heart. If you are into beautifully sung, sometimes maudlin music I highly recommend their Russian Folk Songs cd. (It is only available on amazon.com not amazon.co.uk I'm afraid, though the Sacred music cds are available on both).

There are some more lighthearted ones thrown in too, some 'military' and 'we-like-busty-wenches' types which have their own charms and show the humorous side of the guys. In all a wonderful cd which is one of my all time favourites and will be 'on heavy rotation' whilst I am in the house alone and won't disturb Warren's work ethic ;)

The guys have been to stay with us after several of these concerts and they continually put me to shame with their 'apologetic-lack-of-english' which in fact means we can carry on a pretty-good conversation on lost of topics. In fact the last time there were here, a few weeks ago, I had an amazing conversation with Igor on car and house & contents insurance and mortgages! The topic was nothing special as you can see, but we managed to explain the systems in our respective countries to each other with sufficient understanding to be useful and educational.

Now I can't say 'hello, how are you in Russian?', let alone be able to discuss the finer points of mortgages. What always floors me is their frequent apologies for their English not being good. The arrogance of the British that everyone speaks their language so they don't need to learn anyone elses continues to amaze me.

I freely admit that I know only un petit peu of French picked up at school and parum Latin from school and science and fall into the category that hopes that the other side speaks english. I don't assume they should, but I really hope they do.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WARREN!

2005-11-09T13:44:00.000Z

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Warren!!! 29 years young today.

Thinks

2005-11-08T10:10:00.000Z

Seems like there is a lot that I have not blogged about so I hope to catch up on some of that today, but there is also so much else to do! It is Warren's birthday tomorrow so I am about to head off and make a big fruit cake for him. I also have to head off this afternoon to ferry a dear friend to M&S for the food shopping for tomorrow night's 'lingerie shower'! Oh and we have the rest of the garlands (for the chapel) to re-wire...

The wellies have arrived!! (oh and so have the umbrellas...)

2005-11-04T13:44:00.000Z

Title says it all really - the wellies have arrived and are everybit as funky and cool and I had hoped they could be - roll on December! Realised I forgot to add the link to where I found these lovelies to hte previous post. This is where you can find them in all their glory and it is worth checking out the rest of their catalogue too.

I also took delivery today of 25 umbrellas won on ebay. Why? I hear you ask. Well I don't want out guests to run the risk of getting wet walking from the car park to the chapel, from the chapel to the reception or from the reception back to their cars. And despite the fact that it is December and it is Scotland you can bet your bottom dollar that the level of rain that day will be inversley proportional to the number of guests who remember their brollies. So brolly provision it is then.

Our regular postman is a sweetheart, but he was overjoyed that I offered to come down the three floors of stairs and carry my parcel up the the flat - 25 golf sized brollies weigh more than you might think! I have yet to tell him that there might be another similar size and weight parcel arriving in a few days if I win the other auction too...

CPU | Words vs pictures

2005-11-04T10:53:00.000Z

Found this article on Creating Passionate Users today (yeah, alright I am a few days behind!). It really struck a chord with me that reminded me of my old job. One of the reasons one of my bosses & I worked so well together especially when producing documentation was that they worked in words and I worked in visuals. They didn't 'get' the flowchart, whilst I found it so much easier to follow the flowchart rather than try to gather the process through the text.

I guess that when it comes down to it, it is linked, at least in part, to the concept of different types of learners from those who are 'active' to those who are 'reflective' or whichever particular set of descriptors you have used / come across. It is also linked to how you think. That may sound painfully obvious, but what I mean is that if you think in 'processes / systems' (which I do) then a flowchart or other visual is going to mean far more to you than a section of prose describing the process. I find I can check a process works by following through the flowchart; I can pick up areas where there are gaps, where there is a loose end that needs tying up, and where all the pieces of the puzzle end up. This was especially useful when creating systems for a trackable, and ultimately auditable, paper-based process such as who had signed off when a report that loads of different people had to see in a specific order etc.

I found it challenging to present that process visually in a clear manner where the lines don't cross, but I found it very difficult to put that process into words, (but I could do it with some effort). I would find myself typing bulleted & indented paragraphs, with numbers and cross references in an effort to make the text more easily navigable. In short I didn't want to leave the text as text (paragraphs and syntax being the only discernible structure), I wanted to mould the text into something I could more easily take away with me in my head as a visual.

Conversely my boss wrote the text, they were good at it. To them it made perfect sense, they could get the process straight from the text, with no visual pointers. BUT they couldn't 'read' the visual - to them it didn't convey the necessary meaning.

If we accept that people learn in different ways, which to me at least is self evident, then we should automatically have whatever we are presenting available in different formats or, at the very least, ensure that the two most prevalent forms (words AND pictures) are both present in our material. We must not make the mistake of thinking that words are more 'adult' and pictures more 'child', but accept them both as equally valid and equally prevalent methods of learning.

At the risk of banging an already beaten drum, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the CPU site - there is so much you can learn from it, techie-text-book-writer/publisher or no.

Wellies

2005-10-27T09:21:00.000+01:00

I wanted a fun pair of wellies for a particular bit of our wedding day and I have finally found them!

Naturally I am being driven right to the door of the Chapel on my arrival and can therefore wear my very impractical, strappy, high-heeled sandals with no concerns about what I need to walk over.

However when we leave the Chapel it is a few hundred yards walk to the Reception and I can't guarantee that it will be dry underfoot, that there will not be any snow and that it may not be downright miserable weather. I am also placing my bouquet on my Father's grave, which is just outside the Chapel in a grassed graveyard which will inevitably be wet.

Hence the need for wellies (and the need for, thankfully willing, bridesmaids to hold up my skirts and swap my sandals for my wellies in the Chapel porch).

Thought you might like to see them:

Yes, yes they're the ones with the hearts on!

An Englishman, Irishman and Scotsman...

2005-10-27T08:48:00.000+01:00

...and a few others of the 'Celtic Users (of) Notes Troupe' or 'Celtic Lotus Information Team' ;) met up last night for a few beers in The Dome here in Edinburgh. Good fun was had by all and and good beer too, though a little expensive - oh yes, this is the Dome, that'll be why ;)

The Dome was all kitted out for Christmas and I mean ALL KITTED OUT! Like so many bars on George Street it is in one of the old Banking Houses. It is pretty amazing inside with a huge dome in the central ceiling, supported by pillars and porches with lavish plasterwork and fine detailing. To add to this, already impressive, decor were innumerable christmas decorations: swags, garlands, wreaths, christmas trees, all covered in wrapped 'presents', red bows, baubles, walnuts and fairy lights. To finish off the mood the room's lighting had been dimmed to highlight the fairy lights and we all sat around in a slighty strange orangey glow that meant there was no need for fake tan and that we were left the distinct impression that we were in a room full of of possible jaundice sufferers. However, it was very christmassy and they had a wonderful cinnamon smell being piped through which was gorgeous and I may need to find some of it for the wedding.

We were chatting away and Paul Mooney said he didn't care if I was busy, I had to post more to the blog, so I am going to try, but I really can't promise anything :) However, I think our plans for today have changed from transit-van-delivery-drivers to stay-at-home-wedding-planners / project-workers so I will have some time to do some updates.

We were going to be loading up a van with furniture we don't currently need now all of Warren's things are here and now the new bed has arrived and taking it to the 'great store' in Perthshire (Muma's) and collecting our new dining table from her, which has so kindly and generously been given to us for our wedding present by my Aunt Joan. But, with four potential calls yesterday we didn't know if Warren was to be here or somewhere else in the UK today and now we know he is to be here we can't find a van that is free today, so...

At least it means we don't need Mr Buchan's porterage services he so kindly offered in payment for his last-minute 'decision' to take bed and breakfast off us! His 'decision' was prompted by a missed train, naturally ;)

Aircraft humour - not for those nervous of flying ;)

2005-10-25T17:06:00.000+01:00

A little humour for a Tuesday...

Remember it takes a college degree to fly a plane but only a high school diploma to fix one. Reassurance for those of us who fly routinely...

After every flight, Qantas pilots fill out a form, called a "gripe sheet," which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humour. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by Qantas' pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers. By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never had an accident.

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what they're for.

P: IFF inoperative.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.

I particularly like the bugs and cat ones!

Thanks to those who dropped comments to me and Warren on our honeymoon question - really helpful. Apologies for not getting back to you yet, will do very shortly!

Honeymoon extension - help please

2005-10-18T11:23:00.000+01:00

As has been posted before, we have a very impressive honeymoon lined up already. Hong Kong, New Zealand, San Francisco, Orlando and New York. However, with my now not having to count my holiday days with no job we have got to thinking that we might (just possibly might if all the gods are smiling and things work out and it doesn't push the bill up too much) extend our stay in the States by a week or two.

It makes sense in that we are there already and so only have to add what we do to our existing bill and not flights to and from the UK too. See we're economically and environmentally friendly really ;)

I have always wanted to go to Boston and I would like to see Washington DC so we reckon instead of flying to New York from Orlando we go to Washington instead and to New York from there and then onto Boston.

Now if we were really going for it a prospective plan would be to split the first extra week between Washington and New York and spend the second week in Boston and the surrounding areas. If, instead, we do week then it will be a flying visit to all three cities.

So anyone with any ideas on things we should see /do in Boston and Washington we would be most grateful if you could drop them in as a comment on here. Those well-travelled of our readers, any suggestions on travel between cities would be really great. I don't want to drive between them, but suggestions of useful trains or planes would be grand.

Thanks all.

[note to self] tick 'Ask about ideas on blog' off 'to do' list [/note to self] ;)

Film | Serenity

2005-10-18T11:12:00.000+01:00

Saw this twice last week. I LOVED the Firefly series. It was one of those rare TV experiences where you find something instantly compelling. I loved the characters, their humour and their normalness. They're not heros, just regular guys trying to scratch a living and thumbing their noses at the powers that be - how much we can all relate to that.

I was itching for the film to come out. I organised a bunch of friends and, thanks to our kind friends at Orange, we made an 'Orange Wednesday' out of it and half a dozen of us headed to see it in its Opening Week.

I left the cinema feeling battered. I really wasn't sure I liked it when I left. The charm and pace of the series was gone, but I guess that is inevitable. (This all sounds very negative, but if you hang on for the rest of the post, it gets better :) ).

I went to see it again the following morning with a friend who hadn't been able to make it on the Wednesday. This time, armed with fore-knowledge of the 'reever flashes', I was able to concentrate on the characters and the story. I liked it so much better - and yes I will be buying it and advocating it.

I hope it gains a new tranch of fans and that Joss Whedon gets to make more, series or films, preferably both! Please, please...

Fair warning

2005-10-18T10:41:00.000+01:00

Well it seems that life is as busy as ever. Having been away from the world of work for three weeks I honestly have no idea how I managed to fit a job into my schedule. I seem to be just as busy now as I was them, although I do get more of a choice about when I do certain things, but they all still need to be done.

I am running the organisation of this wedding and honeymoon fairly single-handedly with Warren being so busy with his huge projects (which make my crazy, for which read 'expensive' :), ideas possible and allowed me to leave my former employer without another job to go to, both of which I am eternally grateful for), which I don't mind - it just means a lot to do.

So this is a fair warning really that, despite the fact I thought it might, I'm not sure the blog is going to get that much attention between now and the wedding. I will be posting, but don't expect them any more often than they have been over the past couple of weeks and there are unlikely to be any thinkpieces. I do have a couple running round my head, but it will take time and space for them to gather themselve properly.

I think my honeymoon could be productive in a blog sense though. With 5 weeks already planned and a possible extension (on which a post-with-a-plea in a moment) if I don't write things up more-or-less as they happen there is no way I will ever catch up on it when we are back in dear ol' Blighty.

UPDATE | Congratulations | Patrick and Zanna (and the attack of the bug)

2005-10-17T08:38:00.000+01:00

UPDATE: The official photos from Patrick and Zanna's wedding are now up on the photographer's site.

Many congratulations to Patrick and Suzanna Steuart Fothringham on their wedding on Saturday. It was a fabulous wedding with lovely music during the ceremony (although they beat me to it by having 'Panis Angelicus' sung - oh well, need to choose something else now!) and great hymns too. Dinner too was great and, in a brilliant and unusual move, they dropped the honour of 'carver of the joint of lamb' on a member of each table at dinner! After the starter we were all instructed to reach under our seats and see if there was an envelope taped there - it contained an apron and chef's hat and they all trooped to the kitchen where the chef attempted to give them 'Carving 101' in 2 minutes (to which I understand no-one listened to a word) before presenting them with their joint to take back to the table. It was a great evening and much fun was had by all really - it finished with a grand firework display which was lovely and luckily the weather held!

Sadly the cartoon below neatly sums up how I felt over the weekend. Amazing what a short bout of something distinctly dodgy in the gastric area can do!

After an interesting night on Friday which involved way too little sleep and way too much knowledge of the plumbing in the bathroom I spent Saturday feeling as if I had been hit by a ten-ton truck / steam-roller / train (take your pick!). My legs had no structural integrity at all which was a pain as it meant I couldn't dance at the wedding reception (sorry to Rory for ducking out of our Duke of Perth :)) and even though no-one was moving at speed, everytime someone came to talk to me I had to hold myself straight and smile and pretend I was feeling fine, whilst really not being convinced my legs weren't going to turn to jelly. My huge thanks to Nigel, the photographer for both us and Patrick & Zanna, for not minding me pinching his step-stool to sit on during the speeches - much appreciated and my undying gratitude to my darling Warren for looking after me all day and evening. Life seems fairly back to normal today, but I'm still taking things gently and not eating much.

Round up

2005-10-10T13:04:00.000+01:00

Sorry for week's silence, but we have been on the road the whole week!

Warren was working in Oxford on Tuesday & Wednesday so we drove Edinburgh to Oxford on Monday. We caught up with one of our ushers, Si, on Tuesday evening which was lovely as we hadn't seen him for ages. Talked wedding things ineveitably, but work and life too.

Tuesday afternoon I took the car and sat in Sonning, a beautiful village a little south of Henley-on-Thames, in a little carpark overlooking a very pretty river, read my book a dozed before heading back to Oxford to collect Warren from work.

We then drove to Hatfield to stay with our Best Man, Mike and his fiance Ruth and did more catching up and wedding planning. I think they have now booked Warren's Stag Party event which sounds so cool that I want to go! They are spending the day driving a series of different vehicles from small dirt bikes, through hovercraft and finishing up with off-road 17 tonne trucks! Don't think I'd be welcome though would I ;)

Thursday morning (early) we drove to Kent for Warren's business meeting with his Father and Colin - again lovely to catch up and we got a chance to say Hi to Pat too which was great as we thought we would have been off before she got back from work.

Stayed Thursday night with Warren's Mum, a little down the road, and went out for curry with her and her other half. Great to cath up with her and Bill too. Now those that know me, know I don't do curry. I have to admit to being very pleasantly surprised and to liking my Chicken Korma! A first for me I can assure you.

Friday we went to Blue Water and tried not to spend any money - like that was going to work! Anyhoo stocked up on a few pieces of clothing so have an outfit for both my hen night and for the next family wedding - this weekend coming! Blimey that must mean it is almost exactly two months to mine! No wonder the 'to do' list seems endless at the moment, and there was me thinking I was going to be a 'lady of leisure' after giving up my job - I never had any idea of what organising your wedding took and just how much there is to do.

Then we headed up to Nottingham to stay with Warren's sister Alice for the weekend. Grand to catch up with her and spend some 'quality time' as it were. We bought some childhood favourite games at John Lewis, Buckaroo and Mouse Trap and played to our hearts content on Saturday night whilt watching the X Factor and eating fish and chips - perfect. We did some DIY in Alice's house on Sunday before heading home.

So we made it back last night and I am now back to tackling the 'to do' list - onwards, onwards...

The Art of Care | Kotuzow & Lanscape 3

2005-10-06T10:35:00.000+01:00

Well, the on-line auction turned out to be our battle-ground and we are now the proud owners of Phil McGuinnesses 'K0tuzow' and are just awaiting delivery :)

We also bought, from the fixed-price options on the night, this little gem - Diane Thornton 'Landscape 3'

It puts me in mind of so many things. I can't decide if it is a stunning sunset, the lava flowing from a volcano or indeed the fire-y sides of Mount Doom - the notations mark it as North Yorks, but imagination is a powerful thing ;). Whatever it is the colours are just amazing and really seem to be living and moving - just wonderful.

I am going to get it framed to match the one above so we can have them as a set and they will be a lasting reminder that we need to give to those less fortunate than ourselves.

On that note a future post, but not quite yet - dust needs to settle a bit first if you understand me.

If your name's not down, you're not coming in

2005-10-06T10:32:00.000+01:00

Well the comment spam has started. Not masses of it, but 7 in as many days on old posts and I can't be a*sed to delete them so I have turned on blogger's 'word verification' function. So sorry guys, but a little extra step is now necessary before your comment will be published. Cheers.

The Art of Care

2005-10-02T14:15:00.000+01:00

As Warren blogged we went to a rather special auction on Friday night. It was in aid of CARE International UK and was organised by an amazingly determined 21-year-old called Daisy. Her uncle, Robin Needham, was an incredibly well known international aid and development worker who was the founding director of the UK branch of CARE International and the son of a great friend of me and my Mother.

Most recently Robin was working for CARE Nepal and to take a well-earned break he went to Thailand with is family for Christmas. He died in the Boxing Day tsunami. As Daisy has said

"It is ironic that he was taken from us in the worldÂs biggest natural disaster when he would have been in his element helping."

Daisy had a crazy idea: to get well known artists, musicians and celebrities to donate, for auction, an original artwork - the size of a postcard. She, by sheer determination and tenacity, managed to gather in an incredibly 248 submissions from, among many others, Sir Paul McCartney, David Hockney, Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Nigel Havers, Charlotte Church, Loyd Grossman, The Kings of Leon, David Linley, Gail Porter, Mario Testino, Theo Fennell, Antony Gormley RA, Norman Ackroyd RA, Professor Chris Orr RA, Dr Elizabeth Blackadder RA, The Chapman Brothers and Graham Rust. Not bad for a 21-year-old student.

Friday night saw the Opening Auction for 66 of the postcards. Christie's were in charge of dragging our monies from our wallets, but it truth it took little dragging. Most postcards started at £200 and just went on up from there. I was stunned at people's generosity - the non-hirst/emin/hockney ones went for between £300 and £1000, give or take an oz. The stars went for considerably more. I must admit to particularly liking The Chapman Brother's one:

- the slogan, though perhaps a little blunt, really hits the button for the irony of Robin's death - the price tag? A cool £4,800 (from memory, it could have been £5k, but who's counting). The culmination of the evening - the David Hockney; untitled, ink (sorry no pic available) - £7,000.

Warren & I were interested in 'There was an old man of Nepal...'

and "Standing Figure"

neither of which will grace our walls I'm afraid as they went way above our price range. For which I am truly glad. I think our friends at MasterCard say it best:

'Buying a wonderful depiction of a favourite childhood limerick? £380.
Owning a beautiful, colourful photograph? £440.
Knowing CARE made more money that we could afford to give? Priceless.

However, the story does not stop there. Oh no, not by half. The remaining postcards are currently up for on-line auction on QXL (you have to register, but it only takes a sec - International bidders most welcome BTW ;)). The auction closes at 12 noon on Monday 3rd October, GMT for most of these. A couple, most notably Sir Ian McKellan's 'Gandaff', are on for an extra couple of hours.

Again, the story does not stop there. The outpouring of charity and aid that swept the UK in the wake of the tsumani was incredible - billion of pounds went to those in need. BUT, as our opening speaker from Friday night reminded us all "The time for blanket and food aid is over, the emergency finished a while ago, but the need now is for aid to rebuild homes, hospitals, schools and towns. To rebuild livlihoods. To rebuild lives."

CARE is open for donations. If you bid and win you get a postcard to show for it. If you bid and lose you will have made somone else pay more for their postcard than they may have originally intended and CARE will thank you for the extra money.

NOTE: Sorry for the re-posting, blogger did something weird when this post published and various words got scrambled - so have unscrambled them :)

Cartoon of the day | Very naughty rabbit

2005-09-29T16:00:00.000+01:00

Well what with the new bed 'n all ;)

"It's My Life"

2005-09-28T12:51:00.000+01:00

Ed Brill had a post recently 'Carpe Diem'. It was strangely telepathic to the heart of the reason why I have given up my job. I recently re-discovered this song, the lyrics of which sum up quite a lot of how I feel at the moment, in a thumultous, anthem type way ;)

This ain't a song for the broken-hearted
No silent prayer for the faith-departed
I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd
You're gonna hear my voice
When I shout it out loud

[Chorus:]
It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just wanna live while I'm alive
It's my life

This is for the ones who stood their ground
For Tommy and Gina who never backed down
Tomorrow's getting harder make no mistake
Luck ain't even lucky
Got to make your own breaks.

Better stand tall when they're calling you out
Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down.

[Chorus:]
It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just wanna live while I'm alive
It's my life

Cartoon of the day | MS for Blondes 1.0

2005-09-28T12:16:00.000+01:00

One for my techie friends:

Congratulations | David

2005-09-27T13:44:00.000+01:00

Also belated, but less so. Congratulations to my brother David on getting into his Access Course at Stevenson College, Edinburgh with a view to studying Japanese at Uni afterward (for those unfamiliar with UK qualifications an Access Course is one that eases people who have been out of formal education for a bit back in and gives you the necessary entry requirements to go to Uni).

Have fun with the student life bro, it is great and there is so much ahead of you.

Congratulations | Lionel & Elizabeth

2005-09-27T13:40:00.000+01:00

VERY, VERY belated Congratulations to Lionel and Elizabeth on their wedding at the beginning of last month. We had a lovely time in Cambridge (despite the hellish journey to get there, which was I admit all my fault) and it was so lovely to see you looking so happy and to welcome Elizabeth to the SF clan.

All our wishes for many long and happy years together and we'll see you at the next hitching, next month. Then all that is left if for you all to make it to ours in December!

Cartoon of the day | Igloo contractors

2005-09-27T13:33:00.000+01:00

This tickled me today. I have a run of these now, just have to stop myself posting them all at once and running out of them!

Wrapit | Somone has bought you a wedding present

2005-09-26T17:30:00.000+01:00

Never did I think I could get so excited about an e-mail! But I did a little dance when this one hit the inbox yesterday morning ;) So first prize goes to Clare & Andy for starting off our on-line guest list. Many thanks guys.

I have to give full marks to Wrapit for being the most simple and fabulous wedding list site. We had a great time at their showroom in London where we got to handle the things we short-listed. I'm so glad we took advantage of that option as the crystal glasses we thought we liked the look of on-line left a lot to be desired in real life.

They operate mainly on-line, but for those without access to the web they will give advice and do sales over the phone or arrange to send a full-colour printed list out.

When you are bought a gift they send you an e-mail with the personal message left by your friends and their contact details all stored in a 'Thank-you Card Manager' so you can not only keep on top of the thank-you letters instead of coming home to them all after your honeymoon, but can keep track of who you have thanked and who you still need to get your pen and paper out for - marvellous.

Sleep well

2005-09-26T11:24:00.000+01:00

Took delivery of the new bed this week. It is fabulous, phemonemally comfortable and, I think, quite beautiful. Chose a tempur mattress and pillows and have to agree with a quote of a friend of mine who also went for tempur "I felt like I was being cuddled all night and didn't have to put out." ;)

It is all thanks to my incredibly generous Uncle/Godfather Robert - thanks Prickles. (Has to be some way to get the "Take it to the mattress" quote from the Godfather in there somewhere!)

It is done!

2005-09-26T10:47:00.000+01:00

FREEDOM!!

I have now left my former employers. There will be no mention of my previous employers on here. Any of you reading for that reason can stop now. No seriously, I mean it, go away.

Dublin & Newgrange | Photos now on Flickr

2005-08-30T22:44:00.000+01:00

As promised our photos from the weekend in Dublin and at Newgrange are now on-line here. Thanks to Paul for organising a great event on Friday and it was great to see Ed, Bill, Declan, Mrs Doyle and to meet Ben 'the jaffa cake addict' Rose and Sandi.

Amsterdam | Photos now on Flickr.com

2005-08-29T22:33:00.000+01:00

Sorry it has taken so long, but the photos of our trip to Amsterdam are now all uploaded here onto flickr.

Dublin/Newgrange ones to come tomorrow night!

Amsterdam | The Singel

2005-08-13T23:27:00.000+01:00

Singel – This was my favourite of all the canals. It was slightly off the beaten track, being outside of the three main ones, which form a horseshoe in the very centre of the city. The Singel had a feeling of being totally at home with itself and less bothered about is tourist-friendly appearance. It was definitely ‘real’ central Amsterdam – we shared our walks along it with residents heading for work, couples heading out for dinner and friends sharing bicycle rides to the next place to be. It felt comfortable and unassuming and yet was very beautiful and had every right to feel proud of itself.

Amsterdam | Begijnhof

2005-08-13T23:18:00.000+01:00

Begijnhof – this is a hidden, cloister-esque, square behind what is now the Historical Museum. It used to be home to those women who were very pious, but did not wish to, or could not, enter holy orders. It had strict rules about visiting hours and behaviour of men. It is still restricted to female inhabitants of a religious persuasion, but is less strict that it used to be. It had such an aura of calm and serenity and was beautifully cared for by its residents. ‘Group’ tours are banned from visiting and photography is definitely frowned-upon, both of which have helped preserve its sense of peace and tranquillity. If I had not felt I would be intruding it would have made a perfect place to lie out on the grass with a book and lose oneself in the sun and spirit of the place.

Amsterdam | Historical Museum

2005-08-13T23:08:00.000+01:00

Amsterdam Historical Museum – This was very interesting – gave such a good overview from the days of a few houses among the swamp that was the beginnings of Amsterdam, through the rise and fall of the Dutch East India Company, to the Second World War and on to the present day. It contained paintings, sculpture, model ships, and dioramas, examples of trade goods, glassware, silverware, jewellery, clothes and loads more – it is a very comprehensive history of the town. The museum is huge and deserves far more time that we gave it, but I especially liked the section with some of the original bells from one of the carillion towers which you could play. A museum that welcomed noise – as long as it was at least attempting to be musical noise!

Amsterdam | The Amstelkring

2005-08-13T23:02:00.000+01:00

Amstelkring – amazing – three houses that joined their upper floors together to form a hidden catholic church, during the times where Catholicism was still technically banned, but as long as it was hidden away and not obvious; the authorities turned a blind eye.

It really gave me an idea of how narrow most of the canal houses were – the first floor was two, smallish rooms and then you walked up a second flight of stairs and found your self beside the organ pipes of the church. It could probably seat 80 or so, in numerous, short rows in the main body and there was also a gallery above for another 30 or so. Apparently there was an ingenious movable pulpit which expanded out of one of the pillars surrounding the altar, but it is now too fragile to be shown. The altar was complete with beautiful altarpiece and in fact there were four of these originally, depicting different seasons of the calendar. Three of these are still on show in the priest’s rooms and the confessional which are behind the church.

Amsterdam | The Supper Club

2005-08-08T22:16:00.000+01:00

I found mention of this in the inveitable guide book provided in our hotel room. Upon inspection our guidebook mentioned it too with the instruction: “Wear clean socks.” Well our interest was naturally piqued and we sent off a e-mail booking for the Wednesday night of our stay in Amsterdam.

Upon arrival, having had to reconfirm our attendance earlier in the day, we were buzzed into an unremarkable door on an unremarkable side street near the main shopping precinct. We were greeted by an amazing hostess dressed in a black and pink catsuit and escorted down to the Red Bar: a womb-like enclosure with red velvet covered walls and very subdued lighting. I have to admit to wondering if I was trendy enough to be there, but a couple of drinks soon put us in the mood and we realised that a lot of the clientele were British, or at least English-speaking, and that it seemed to be the place to entertain clients who you wanted to impress a bit with something different to the norm.

After a while our raven-haired, slim-jim, cat-suited hostess reappeared and escorted us back upstairs to the restaurant. She opened the doors with a flourish and there was a deserved pause in Warren & I’s step as we took in the dining room laid out before us. A very large, totally white room, whose side-walls were each lined with a single romanesque day-bed, neatly made up with white sheets and plenty of huge pillows. The rows of beds had little coffee tables at their feet and we all slipped off our shoes and clambered up on our dais. The spectacle of 80 or so people trying to decide how best they could get up on the bed without kneeling on their skirts, tripping themselves up or embarassing themsleves in front of their clients made wonderful people-watching material. The finished effect was stunning – 2 rows of 40 guests faced each other either with their legs straight out in front of them (mimiking the childhood game of ‘ladders’) or neatly curled up under them and we all proceeded to study the wine list.

The dj’s stall was in the middle of the floor at the entrance and the kitchen was in full view opposite. Lights and projections abounded on the perfect blank-canvas of the walls and the mood was set.

With our bubbles selected we sat to drink in the atmosphere and await our first (of five) course to appear. The place felt like a dinner party, not a restaurant – there was no choice in the menu, bar “Vegetarian or meat and fish?” and we had no idea what we were going to get. Strangely the flurry of activity in and around the kitchen that surrounded the serving of each course reminded me of some of the charity events I have helped Muma with – urgently, but calmly trying to get plates of food out to all guests at the same time – and I found myself truly appreciating being on the receiving end of the amazing service for once.

We started with steak tartar on a bed of frisee and topped with a poached egg – just melt in the mouth. This was followed by cold cucumber soup with shrimps, served in a glass tumbler with a kebab-stick-skewered king prawn blanced on top – again delicious. Thirdly we were treated to spaghetti with perfectly al dente courgettes, carrots and a host of other veggies I can’t hope to name and clams-in-shell – again delicious, but probably the second hardest course to deal with eating on your knees! Our fourth course was thinly-sliced, melt-in-the-mouth, fillet beef with a rich, thick pea sauce – just divine, but cutting up the slices was a little tricky whilst balancing your plate on your lap ;) We finished with strawberry smoothie in a shot glass and tiramisu. Genuinely one of the best meals I have ever had and although on the expensive side was not as outgrageous as you might expect.

During our first course a couple of young clothes desingers appeared at the tables between the day-beds and began creating new items of clothing from combinations of piles of scraps and older clothes. After a while they disappeard and we thought nothing more of it, until I noticed our raven-haired hostess enticing a few people off their perches. She came to me and asked if I would like to help present the desingers’ outfits? I initially demurred and said I wasn’t sure mine was the model figure ;) but she said that wasn’t a problem so I headed on out to join the intrepid.

We all got allocated a piece to model and lined up outside the dining room door. One by one we headed into the lion’s den and paraded our, and the designers’, wares. Most of us, myself included decided we really hadn’t had enough to drink to be doing this sort of caper, but the place’s mood was infectious and all too soon it was my turn. I decided the only way to go was to play to the crowds, so I put on my best catwalk sashay and twirled my way round the room, showing off my newly aquired ruffled sleeve, to shouts and applause – I was amazed. After we had all had a go, we did a finale with us all going round toghether and then it was time to head back onto the daybed and continue with the serious business of eating and drinking. Warren tells me that my twirl was so successful as the previous few guinea pigs had obviously not been into the spirit of things and had kinda trudged round the floor wishing they were not there. I’m not sure if I believe him, but I did enjoy myself, much to my surprise.

I loved the atmosphere, because the mood of the evening was set by the diners, not by the club – the dj, chef and hostesses all responded to the diners’ moods. I found this fascinating – most restaurants have a very definite plan of what they want you to take away from your time there and an image they want to project. The Supper club did project an image, but the experience you got on the night depended on your fellow daybedders rather than on some pre-planned programme. Highly reccomended to all and if we can we will go to the one in San Fransisco when we pass that way in January and I’ll let you know if it lives up to its spiritual home.

We're all off on a summer holiday

2005-07-16T23:39:00.000+01:00

Off to Amsterdam tomorrow morning for a week. Back in Edinburgh next week.

UPDATE | Removal of posts

2005-07-16T23:30:00.000+01:00

A couple of old posts have caused upset. So my apologies that they caused you upset. They have now been removed.

UPDATE:
Currently this blog is a work-free zone, including the archives. If you want to discuss please do off-line.

Harry Potter queues

2005-07-16T11:48:00.000+01:00

Heading home last night from drinks with friends we passed this:

Waiting for my copy to arrive!

Inaugural Irish Lotus User Group Meeting | 26th August 05

2005-07-11T13:00:00.000+01:00

Well we are off to Dublin on 26th August for the The Inaugural Irish Lotus User Group meeting! Paul Mooney has done sterling stuff with this and has someone you might know coming to talk ;).

Seriously it will be great to see Ed, Paul, Bill, Declan etc again - a kind of mini-Lotusphere reunion - one where you actually get a chance to talk to people for longer than a few minutes whilst rushing between sessions!

Anyway Warren & I are making a weekend of it so any suggestions on places to see (yeah, yeah the Guinness brewery is already on the list!) drop me a comment - cheers.

[realisation] Gee the summer seems to be turning into a 'let's tick some places off our list-of-places-to-see-before-we-die list' and that is before our major world tour in January :0 [/realisation]

Lists

2005-07-07T16:12:00.000+01:00

Ignore the previous two posts (books & music), it's just a place for me to dump things when they occur to me :)

Books

2005-07-07T16:11:00.000+01:00

Harry Potter
Eleven on Top (A Stephanie Plum Novel) by Janet Evanovich
Leo Hickman - Life Stripped Bare & A Good Life

Films

2005-07-07T16:10:00.000+01:00

Music

2005-07-07T16:09:00.000+01:00

Nelly Furtado
Natasha Bedingfield
Gilbert & Sullivan

Ebay | Yellow Star

2005-07-05T14:15:00.000+01:00

Not much I know, but a bit of a milestone for me :)

Apparently others on e-bay will now consider me a serious member of the community and I now have access to the 'Ebay Selling Manager'.

'Oh, ho'd me back.', as my scots' friends would say!

New - men's beachwear?

2005-07-05T14:04:00.000+01:00

'It burns!'

Don't think Warren will be keen to invest in one of these (can't really say 'in a pair of these') for our honeymoon ;)

Amsterdam 17-24th July 05

2005-06-27T22:10:00.000+01:00

Deciding we needed a wee holiday (and judging from my previous post we were not wrong ;)) we have just booked ourselves a week in Amsterdam in mid July. We have bought the guidebooks, but with so many knowedgeable travellers as readers ;) we would love for y'all to drop us any suggestions / hints / tips / things to avoid etc.

We are staying in a hotel near the Floating Flower market so are assured of a very central location.

Personal favourites for my holiday include good food, good architecture and good walks, but all advice welcome!

Still breathing

2005-06-27T22:06:00.000+01:00

Apologies for the dearth of posts. I'm tempted to say life has been hectic, but that (for me anyway) tends to mean somehow I just 'haven't got round to it'. I can't honestly remember the last weekend when we were not doing something, at a best guess it was the end of April. Since then we have (socially)...

been to London for my first dress fitting and our first 'marriage chat' with Aunt Hannah and Uncle Peter respectively
been to the Borders for Mags & Chris' wedding reception
had my birthday
been to my Muma's
been to Nottingham for Warren's sister (Alice's) birthday party
been to Nottingham for the TEC Annual Dinner
been to Nottingham to finish packing up Warren's flat and move everything up to Edinburgh (two days off) and for the weekend in between been to Hertford for Ruth's birthday party
been to Godalming for Cara's birthday party

...and the fun does not stop there, but nearly (thankfully I could really do with a weekend off;)). Before we head away to Amsterdam in mid July we are...

going on the Make Poverty History march here in Edinburgh
going to the Scottish Game Conservancy Fair at Scone Palace (Warren says I have cousins everywhere and he is probably right as this is another set!) to help on the Scottish Countryside Alliance stall
going to Josie & Ian's wedding reception in North Queensferry.

In and amongst all this work-wise...

May and June are the busiest months of the year with the Boards of Examiners - guaranteed to send anyone's blood pressure up. So I have taken overall responsibility (but, make no mistake, the MAJOR thanks go to all my wonderful staff who have done an absolutely fantastic job of running the Boards) for about 30 Boards and we still have on or two to go next week.
I seem to be hemorrhaging staff left, right and centre. I am currently 4 members of staff down with one on sick leave and one just back from sick leave. By the end of next week I will be 1 more down and by the middle of August I will be another one down. Out of a team of 20 (including me). Uumm no wonder I am feeling the pinch. Oh well, roll on QM's speedy recruitment schedule - one set of interviews later this week.
We are organising the Induction mailings for the new students.
Tidying up the ends from the last of the session's committee meetings
getting ready for the financial year end (July) and
generally trying to tidy up all the ends of everything before heading off on holiday.

Which leads me to my next post...

Google image fun

2005-06-16T15:02:00.000+01:00

Grabbed this from Devin and if you go to Devin you can see whom he all grabbed it off!

Directions:
Go to Google and click on the "Images" link. Type in the following and post the first picture the search engine finds.

The name of the town where you grew up
The name of the town where you live now
Your name
Your Grandmother's name (yeah, I know you probably had 2 (or more); just pick one)
Your favorite food
Your favorite drink
Your favorite song
Your favorite smell

So I get:

Dunkeld
Edinburgh
Teresa Steuart Fothringham did come up with anything (unsurprisingly seeing as both barrels are spelled uniquely) so I tried my soon-to-be name! Teresa Elsmore.
Maud.
Sea trout.
Bringe (Brandy & Ginger Ale).
It's a wonderful life. Black.
Vanilla.

The American Taliban

2005-06-16T14:13:00.000+01:00

Gary Potter (Catholics for Christian Political Action)
	"When the Christian majority takes over this country, there will be no satanic churches, no more free distribution of pornography, no more talk of rights for homosexuals. After the Christian majority takes control, pluralism will be seen as immoral and evil and the state will not permit anybody the right to practice evil."

So God allows us free will to follow his laws or not, but "...the state will not permit anyone the right to practice evil." Interesting concept.

Lots more interesting stuff over on Quotes from The American Taliban. Via Damien Katz.

The Scotsman | Female pleasure down to DNA

2005-06-08T12:26:00.000+01:00

Its' all in the genes girls ;)

Female pleasure down to DNA

A WOMAN'S ability to have a satisfactory love life is largely down to her genes, according to a study which could help scientists develop new drugs to help women get more fulfilment.

Scientists at St Thomas's Hospital in London, who were behind the study of more than 4,000 pairs of twins, speculate that evolution could be responsible for the large number of women who are disappointed in bed. They think it might have given an "evolutionary advantage" to women who will be more likely to choose "kind and considerate" lovers who will make better fathers.

Professor Tim Spector, the director of the hospital's Twin Research Unit, said genes were almost certainly the "greatest single factor" in explaining the difference, ... "There is a biological underlying influence that can't be attributed purely to upbringing, religion or race," he said.

Dr Cynthia McVey, a lecturer in psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University, agreed genetics would play a role, but added that there were a whole range of other factors involved, such as upbringing and levels of anxiety, mood and self-esteem.

No! Really? ;)

Full article available here

I-resign.com | M$

2005-05-31T13:16:00.000+01:00

Came across this today:

Dear Boss
I can no longer spread my sheets or e my mails. I just don't Excel. My point has lost its power, and my micro is soft. I can't access my binder, basically my photo is shopped. Time to be recycled.

The second thing in two days to make me ROFLMAO!

New kit for you i-pod

2005-05-30T17:37:00.000+01:00

Oh too funny for words, ROFLMAO - the latest accessory for your i-pod: i-muffs.

The Scotsman | Eat eggs and play Sudoku if you want to be brainier

2005-05-30T12:35:00.000+01:00

'Scuse the radio silence, but I got slammed by some damn virus last week and spent it curled up on the sofa being looked after by my wonderful Warren. However, things are on the mend and I am back at work today.

Eating eggs, playing Sudoku and even listening to classical music can all boost IQ levels, according to scientists.

Scientists were asked to come up with 11 methods to boost brain power which did not involve traditional education.

The eleven steps to getting smarter are:

1. Smart drugs: These include modafinil which keeps the brain alert for 90 hours and a class of drugs called ampakines, currently on trial, which are said to be able to restore brain activity which may be lost as people get older.
2. Food for thought: Certain foods are good for the brain, such as high-protein ones like beans at breakfast or eggs at lunchtime.
3. Music: Listening to Mozart in particular has been shown to improve the mind's mathematical capabilities.
4. Bionic brains: Though it sounds a bit scary, using electrodes to send small currents to the brain is thought to be able to help give it a boost. Alternatively, some even suggest the controversial option of having genetically engineered brain cells.
5. Mental Workouts: Training the brain with a series of mathematical puzzles can improve it, according to researchers in Stockholm.
6. Rain Man Memory: It is possible to teach the brain to remember, for instance, a whole pack of 52 playing cards in order by associating each card with, say, a character and then devising a story including all the characters in order.
7. Sleep: Sleep is when the brain processes new memories and puts them into the equivalent of long-term storage.
8. Walk: Walking, sedately, for half an hour, three times a week, can improve learning, concentration and reasoning by up to 15 per cent, particularly for older people.
9. Sudoku: The latest puzzle craze helps stimulate brain activity.
10. Attention: The brain works better when it pays attention to what is going on.
11. Neurofeedback: It is a type of thought control. When a person relaxes, the brain's "alpha waves" perform better and this can help control epilepsy, depression, anxiety and other stresses.

Thought this was interesting, especially in light of Damien Katz's recent post on IQ tests. I am less interested in the IQ pionts, test can be skewed one way or another and more imporatantly people's brains work in different ways: what seems child's play to one seems impossible to another; what interested me was the assertion that you can improve your mental ability by doing, or refraining from, certain things.

I go with this theory. My family has always been one for jigsaw puzzles, general knowldege crossword puzzles and games such as Scattegories, Trivial Pursuits, Racing Demon, Dingbats and a whole load more. I was also the architypal bookworm as a child and retain definite bookworm characteristics now. Each had its own purpose and each worked up a skill or set of skills. We learnt skills, mental, perceptual and practical by playing and leant about language and syntax by reading and, more often than not, we didn't realise it.

So bring on the eggs for breakfast, Mozart for lunch, suduko for after dinner and sleep for memory.

UPDATED | Extraordinary Job Description

2005-05-25T21:30:00.000+01:00

In the job hunt I sent off for the details of this one, because I believed the website's hype about the salary. When it arrived I nearly fell off my chair reading the duties and seeing the actual salary:

Ensure that administration systems and procedures are in place to support the full range of activities and work plans undertaken by Company X and its staff and members.
Manage the day-to-day activities of a busy office environment, including answering phones, meting clients, reception duties, mail receipt and distribution, maintenance of Companmy X's files and systems, and word processing activities. Some advice and referral work will be expected at this first point of enquiry.
Administer internal financial control and bookkeeping, including payment of invoices, invoiving other organisations for use of Company X's premises and services, petty cash and preparation of monthly accounts.
Manage all external business contracts held by Company X.
Support and maintain all IT related systems, including Network Server, E-mails and Website.
Undertake and manage the personnel activities in conjunction with the Director. This includes contracts of employment, letters of offer, absence/sick leave records TOIL recrods etc.
Manage the Health & Safety requirements of a busy office environment and refer to the Director items requiring action.
Service the Management Board, Finance & General Purpose Committee, personnel and Membership Sub-Committee con Compnay X. This includes the preparation of agendas, minutes and minute taking and actioning matters arising where appropriate.
Contribute to the business development of the organisation eg, assist in the production, promotion and marketing of Company X's publications and products.
Supervise and support for clerical assistant and non-paidemployees of Company X eg, volunteers, trainees and placement students.
Any other appropriate duties deemed relevant by Company X's Director.

This is for a public sector role in an organisation that is likely also not-for-profit.
Guesses on the salary for this?
Answer in the comments tomorrow. Salary now in the comments.
Prepare to pick your chin up off the floor.

Anti-telemarketing - the answer

2005-05-24T16:59:00.000+01:00

Saw this on Wild Bill's blog today (from a few days ago and hope he doesn't mind me nicking it) - bloody marvellous I say. If you want to counter the telemarketer how's about this for a script?

script

Some Canadian humour

2005-05-24T12:07:00.000+01:00

Marge sent me these the other day - great laughs all round:

Sharpe edges

Mashed Potato

Fuel

Dogs

And my personal favourite:

Divorce Lawyers

Shiny shiny | a new way to get wet

2005-05-24T00:54:00.000+01:00

Uumm, think one of these would fit perfectly in our remodelling plan...

Sylvester & Tweetie Pie

2005-05-23T13:03:00.000+01:00

Well I promised photos and here they are. Much to our chagrin no-one else dressed up so I'm afraid you are left with only us ;)

Sylvester

Tweetie Pie

Sylvester & Tweetie Pie - The Reconciliation!

I'll leave you to work out which is who...

Happy Birthday to me!

2005-05-22T08:50:00.000+01:00

Yes I turn the grand old age of 30 today. Funnily enough not feeling too different to my young 29 of yesterday, but then I was never one to be afraid of birthdays. You can't do anything about them so why waste time worrying over it?

Your Birthdate: May 22

While sometimes employing unorthodox approaches, you are capable of handling large scale undertakings.

You assume great responsibility and work long and hard toward completion.

Often, especially in the early part of life, there is rigidity or stubbornness, and a tendency to repress feelings.

Idealistic, you work for the greater good with a good deal of inner strength and charisma.

An extremely capable organizer, but likely to paint with broad strokes rather than detail.

You are very aware and intuitive.

You are subject to a good deal of nervous tension.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Wedding update

2005-05-16T17:15:00.000+01:00

Well, I haven't done of these for a while so here goes. (Aren't girls meant to get really into this and not be able to stop talking about it? ;))

In no particualr order:

Flowers: Two of muma's friends, Janette and Anita, have kindly agreed to do the flowers and Janette even has a tame wholesale florist here in Edinburgh we can use so all is good onthat front.
Catering: Muma found a brilliant caterer who comes highly recommended by lots of her friends (very important ;)) and who seems very capable and will I think, provide us with a day to remember.
Dress: We spent a weekend in London recently and we took a walk down Green Street, East Ham. This is 'sari-world'. A truly amazing glimpse into the world of Indian fabric and tailoring. We have settled on raspberry velvet for the bodice and cream, heavily, self-coloured-beaded raw,slubbed silk for the skirt. The outside of my cloak is to be in the same, but un-beaded silk. We haven't finalised the lining of my cloak yet as there are a couple of options we are going to play about with. And before all you traditionalist get worried there is nothing here that Warren is not aware of and in agreement with. I would much rather turn up in something I know he is going to like :)
Bridesmaids: All are unique and will be in ouftis to suit their own styles in christmas-green silk.
Best Man and Ushers: Will have waistcoats to match the bridesmaids.
Presents for attendants: All have been organised. The guys' buttons are ready for collection from our friend Malcolm Appleby (there are loads of links if you are interested in Malcolm and his work, but I think this one bring out his sharp humour best) and I am waiting on the girls' pressies arriving from America. More on then later as they don't know what they are yet and just might be reading ;) I have also sorted my Godson Sandy's present, but again I'm not saying here what it is, but I hope he will get lots of use out of it in many years to come.
Photography: We are having Nigel Lumsden, who was the photgrapher for my cousin's weding and so knows the venue etc which is great. We have decided that we are not having a wedding video as the only way we would be happy with it being filmed would have to be totaly unintrusive and that just costs too much! The last thing I want is a guy waving a video camera in my face as I am saying my vows or whilst I am weaving my way across the dance floor. I trust Nigel to capture the day for us and the moving-pictures will be in our memories for ever anyway.
Hair, Make up etc: My star of a hairdresser is all set to come to Perthshire for the day. I have just booked the make up artist. Well if you can't have someone do your make up on your wedding day when can you? I always manage to look red-cheeked or shiny or both in photos and I don't want that for my lasting memories so I have booked a professional who is prepared to do the travelling. I have also, finally, managed to track down some beads which will be woven into the back of my hair.
Gift lists: We have organised an alternative gift list at World Vision. We wanted to give our friends the opportunity to give gifts which will make a significant difference to those in far greater need than us if they felt that was something they wished to do. We have also arranged a more traditional gift list at Wrapit and are due to discuss the finer details with our consultant in London in July.
Guest list: Oh boy. This is the one bit that fills me with dread whenever I think about it. We have now agreed the numbers and are in the process of whittling down the list to fit those. Apologies now to all those who we will not be able to invite. You can blame it all on me for wanting a winter wedding and it therefore being restricted in size!

So getting there really. Currently engaged in trying to find teh perfect band...

Tech Digest | Microsoft to release PC security suite

2005-05-16T08:47:00.000+01:00

Guess those that are interested have already seen this, but just in case...

Microsoft state that the product will provide the average home PC user with up-to-date antivirus programs, a firewall, have tools for data back-up, recovery and maintenance, as well as anti-spyware programs. The system will be available for a monthly subscription and only be compatible with Windows Service Pack 2. No word on release date yet, though.

Something I meant to mention ages ago, but somehow it fell off the list of to dos: When we (work that is) recently 'upgraded' to MS Word 2003 I noticed that the document recovery function was much improved on previous versions. When Word crashed/froze it would re-open and show you a side-bar containing a list of the documents that were open when it crashed, stored in their most-recently-saved versions. Thus you could click on the file and it would open in the main window, you could make any changes made since it was last saved and carry on as if nothing had happened.

Here the rub: The improvement in the doc recovery is very impressive over previous versions. BUT I would rather they had spent the development money on preventing, or at the very least reducing the frequency, of the crashes in the first place. This is of course, exacerbated by work's lock-down on users' ability to change properties which means that docs only auto-save every ten minutes. For fast typers that can mean a lot of lost data.

Oh and can we just spare a moment for a laugh at the last bit of the article: "...only be compatible with Windows Service Pack 2. No word on release date yet, though."

Really? You surprise me ;)

Liz Earle

2005-05-12T12:46:00.000+01:00

I had this range suggested to me when I was having a girlie conversation with some colleagues the other day.

Today I received my parcel of goodies and I was really impressed. It came beautifully wrapped: each product in printed tissue paper and sealed with a sticker. The face mask came in a ziplock baggie complete with a muslin cloth. Also included was a free sample and this was not one of your 2ml free samples, but a 30ml sample that would normally retail for several £s.

The whole lot was wrapped in the product catalogue, my invoice, a letter welcoming me to the brand and a signed note saying who had packed my product.

So now for some product testing...

Music | James Blunt & K T Tunstall

2005-05-12T12:40:00.000+01:00

Have recently discovered these two: KT Tunstall and James Blunt. Both are on heavy rotation at the moment.

James is an ex-British-Army-Officer. His song 'No bravery' is an increibly poingent memory of his time on active duty in the forces, the effects of war and reminds us that there is NOTHING noble about it.

There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
Tears drying on their face.
He has been here.
Brothers lie in shallow graves.
Fathers lost without a trace.
A nation blind to their disgrace,
Since he's been here.

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes anymore.
Only sadness.

Houses burnt beyond repair.
The smell of death is in the air.
A woman weeping in despair says,
He has been here.
Tracer lighting up the sky.
It's another families' turn to die.
A child afraid to even cry out says,
He has been here.

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes anymore.
Only sadness.

There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
But no one asks the question why,
He has been here.
Old men kneel and accept their fate.
Wives and daughters cut and raped.
A generation drenched in hate.
Yes, he has been here.

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes anymore.
Only sadness.

My cousin described KT as 'Dido with attitude and guts' I have to say that is pretty accurate. I like Dido too, but KT brings another something to the table.

UPDATE - WANTED | Thick orange tights or leggings

2005-05-10T17:48:00.000+01:00

Well the grand 30th is in two weeks time and we are havin' a party. A fancy dress party. A 'come as a children's TV character' party. So, so as not to be outdone as host & hostess, Warren & I have been scouring the web for the perfect outfits. Yesterday they arrived. A perfect fit for the both of us and, if we didn't have any morals or tact, a definite prize winner!

I need one or possibly two things to make mine perfectomundo:
Anyone know where I can get hold of (cheap) bright orange thick tights or leggings?

UPDATE:
TK Maxx rules! Promise some photos after the party, if you promise not to laugh too hard...

UPDATED | The non-geek, geek-girl

2005-05-10T13:08:00.000+01:00

Paul Mooney had this post on his site after our successful meeting in the pub the other night.

It set me thinking or at the very least it sparked a tangent of self-analysis that I had not heretofore donated any brain power to. In no particlar order:

I love The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy and am nearly finished re-reading the trilogy of 5, again. I will be going to see the film, but am waiting for my mate to get back from abroad so we can go together. I know exactly where my towel is.
I love anything Space-y on TV, Star Wars (aside from Yoda getting to use his lightsabre 'in anger' you can keep the current trilogy), Star Trek, Voyager, Enterprise, Farscape, Firefly, even got into a bit of the late night Lexx at one time.
I love Futurama.
I have read Volume's VII, VIII and IX of the Star Wars story, IMHO they should have made those into films in preference to going for the prequel trilogy.
I have a 40Gb i-pod, complete with inMotion speakers with remote control and belt-carry pack and it is already three quarters full.
I am part of a pilot-test for Thin-client roll out at work and am loving it. The IT guy setting it up said "You'll like this, there is a cute picture of a penguin when it boots up." I said "Cool, at last we are running Linux.", and "Can we get Firefox installed please?"
When I ring the IT-helpdesk I forgoe the girly comments of "It won't work.", and tell them what won't work, what I was doing before it stopped working and what I am trying to do. I can be diagnosed over the phone 9 times out of 10.
I attended Lotusphere 05 - as a holiday - and loved it.
I am attending Lotusphere 06 as part of my honeymoon - if nothing else sways me, that must be the thing that takes the biscuit!
I read loads of tech-related blogs.
I blog.
I am doing a bit of self-teach html in making some minor adjustments to the template of this blog.
I self-teach software when I get a new programme.
We have a home cinema PC that will be the dogs proverbials when it is finished.
We have just bought 2 wireless game controllers.
We own Sonic, Tomb Raider, Lemmings, Worms, the Increibles and the Simpson's hit-and-run among others.
We have Broadband.

BUT, I don't want to work in IT.

You decide ;)

UPDATE:
I forgot a couple of somewhat major considerations ;)

Dr Who - love it, both now and then. Bring on the Dalek's and Cybermen.
Whereever Warren & I end up living it will be flood-wired, will have a home cinema and sounds throughout.
Tools & DIY - I love shopping for tools and going to B&Q (Hardware store) and understand that Homebase (Sainsbury's attempt at a hardware store) doesn't even come close. Warren reckons this is the clincher ;)

So I reckon the jury is in, Paul agrees. We can drop the non-geek part of my new pseudonym. I don't claim to be anything like in the league of some of those I have met, through Warren, over the last year, but I reckon I can hold my own.

Flickr Pro accounts give away

2005-05-09T13:45:00.000+01:00

2 going begging - anyone want one, drop me a comment.

Blogthings | You Are 50% Normal

2005-05-05T19:30:00.000+01:00

Blogthings - You Are 50% Normal: "

You Are 50% Normal

(Somewhat Normal)

While some of your behavior is quite normal...

Other things you do are downright strange

You've got a little of your freak going on

But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself

How Normal Are You?

"
I think that is about right ot be honest - just the perfect mix of normal and mad ;)

UK Election day

2005-05-05T08:31:00.000+01:00

Well today is the day - the day we get to say what government we want for the next (circa) 5 years. And if we say up long enough tonight we will know.

Clever advertising

2005-04-20T17:40:00.000+01:00

the usual top down approach isn't the way to go.
www.fromthebottomup.co.uk and you too will discover why
making the move to Thought Works. Spend five minutes at
their more intelligent and enlightened employees are
from more traditional IT companies. Which is why
for our people, it means a genuinely different experience
business, deliver projects and managed relationshps. And
real business value. It's reflected in how we develop
It's an ethos, a whole new way of working that creates
isn't just a new methodology for software development.
words you've got to be what we call Agile. But Agile
have to be flexible, nimble, receptive to change. In other
work your way onwards (and upwards) from there. You
what you know, get the story up and running and
up with a neat conclusion. You need to start with
it together chapter by chapter and wrap everything
a page. You can't plan out the whole story first, piece
see, integrating systems is not like writing words on
at first, but trust us it will soon make perfect sense. You
Okay, reading from the bottom up may feel a little weird

_______________________________________

Senior Client Principals ~ Business Developent Managers

Lead Analysts ~ Project Managers

_______________________________________

ThoughtWorks

OK, so how long did it take you?

Saw this ages ago, and was blown away by it, just never got round to posting it before.

UPDATE | Crap customer service from Virgin on Good Friday

2005-04-20T17:36:00.000+01:00

Well, tickets arrived today for our honeymoon flights and they have booked mine in my maiden name. Not the plan, obviously.

I don't suggest trying to call Virgin to make amendments to things on Good Friday. They run a skeleton crew who could not be less helpful.

Virgin: "Well, we wouldn't have booked it in that name if you told us to book it in Elsmore. We can't change them you'll just have to present your marriage certificate when you check in."
Me: "Uumm, don't think that will be available on the Monday following our Saturday wedding."
Virgin: "Then how do you plan to have your married name on your passport, surely you have to present your marriage certificate to get your passport changed?"
Me: "No, I can do it in advance of the wedding, but cannot travel on it until after the wedding."
Virgin: "Oh I didn't know you could do that. The tickets are non-refundable (which they aren't, they are restrictive, but not non-refundable) so we can't change them you'll just have to travel in your maiden name and change it when you get back."

Having just spent thousands on these tickets and being for our honeymoon, it is kinda fundamental to us that they are in my married name, as you can imagine. But I couldn't have felt less looked after or customer served if I had tried. Ticketing opens again on Tuesday. Bring it on!

UPDATE:
Meant to post this a while ago, but somehow...

Anyway, the Tuesday after Easter I called them again and non-skeleton staff answered. I still got the whole "oh can you get your passport changed before you are married?" and the "Can't you just take a copy of your marriage certificate with you to prove it?" lines, but in the end they agreed that I could get the tickets redone if I sent them all back, by registered mail. So I duly parcelled them up and sent them off.

About a week later the new pack arrived. All now done out for Mrs Teresa Elsmore - fantastic! Thank you Virgin.

Bangs in Oxgangs

2005-04-17T23:29:00.000+01:00

Guess what we did this weekend?

Video link, so click for the full action - sound it quite good too! (Yes it is in Media Player which means you can't play it on Macs, soryr ,but I am just so amazed I got a video clip on here at all! Also, yes I know the blogroll is currently broken, blame that on Maggie for crashing just as I was doing a major upgrade over the weekend - hope to get round to fixing it tomorrow.)

Film Review | Sahara

2005-04-14T17:40:00.000+01:00

Went to see Sahara on Monday night. All I can say is FANTASTIC!!!

As the pre-credit sequence rolled I grabbed Warren's arm but with hushed shouts of "I know what this is!", the explanation had to wait until the end credits rolled...

I have long been a fan of Clive Cussler's NUMA novels and indeed it was they who have got me interested in quite a lot of bits of history I would not necessarily have found were it not for Dirk and Al's adventures, the Maya being the most important case in point. I love the quote that appears on all his novels in with the rest of the reviews and reviewers: "The guy I read. Tom Clancy." To me that is quite a badge of honour and well deserved IMHO.

As the precredit sequence rolled, there was an Ironclad and I knew immediately that we were in Cussler territory. The trailers had made no mention of it and none of the characters' names were used in them or I would have known straight off, but Cussler it was and it was good Cussler.

Aside from some tweaks to the story to fit a movie timeslot and the inevitable dumbing-down of some of the more unpleasant aspects of the book it was a pretty good adaptation. Al Giordino's (Steve Zahn) character was a little on the goofy side and is not the short, swarthy Latino he is in the books, but then Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) is not blond either. The interplay between them is, however, as fantastic as it is in the books and it works very well. Admiral Sandecker is about half the size I picture him, but makes up for it with his HUGE cigars and I like William H. Macy and he portrays Sandecker very well.

They have left the way open for some sequel action (yes please!) with NUMA getting taken under the US Government's wing, Rudi gets provided with his computers and no doubt NUMA will sport its traditional turquoise from now on. I can only hope that St. Julien Perlmutter gets a look in to the next one!

It is thoroughly toungue-in-cheek action that is a great laugh and, for once in Hollywood's (recent) history, does no lasting damage to the books. Thoroughly recommended.

This little piggy went...

2005-04-12T13:14:00.000+01:00

click on his nose

Towel?

2005-03-29T20:26:00.000+01:00

C reminded me today that the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy film is out soonish (neither of us could remember exactly when).

Now I know exactly where my towel is; would kill for a Pan Galatic Gargle Blaster, but sadly Tesco's is all out of Algolian Suntiger teeth; and yes I know the answer to Life the Universe and Everything is 42, BUT I can't remember the finer details.

So having finished Dan Brown's Deception Point over Easter weekend, tomorrow morning will see me doning my rucksack and starting the amazing journey again.

Wedding | Photographer, Caterer and Honeymoon flights

2005-03-25T12:22:00.000Z

Monday saw us having the afternoon off and having a wedding planning session:

We have now agreed on our photographer: Nigel Lumsden. He did Thomas & Kate's wedding at Murtly so he knows the layout and over some phonecalls Ifelt I had built up a great rapport with him which was confirmed when we met him on Monday.

We also met up the caterer that Muma had found, Jamie Landale of Wild Thyme, and had our first site meeting. It was great and I can really see the vision in my head coming off for the day. It also answered a whole load of questions about timings for the day and the maximum number we can have to sit down for dinner. This means that sorting the guest list is next and it fills me with dread. It is about the only thing which concerns me about organising this wedding!

We also booked our flights for our Honeymoon so our itinery is confirmed as follows: (I have included the flight nos. for this I know like this kinda stuff ;))

Monday 19th Dec 05. London -> Hong Kong, Chep Lap Kok. VS200. Upper Class.
Thurs 22 Dec 05. Hong Kong -> Auckland. NZ86. Not economy.
Tues 17 Jan 06. Auckland -> San Francisco. NZ8. Not economy.
Fri 20 Jan 06. San Francisco -> Orlando. UA292. Economy.
Fri 27 Jan 06. Orlando -> New York. DL2092. Economy.
Sun 29 Jan 06. New York ->London. VS10. Upper Class.

Can't wait!

Scotsman | Prepare yourself for rise of the machines

2005-03-22T10:25:00.000Z

Scotsman.com News - News Archive - Prepare yourself for rise of the machines
I, Robot here we come...

thinks

2005-03-21T11:49:00.000Z

This blog is becoming weight-centric. Not the plan. Must write some more interesting things. Hell even just somethign different! Sorry guys.

Should be some major wedding planning updates over the next couple of days.

Regime update | "These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do..."

2005-03-21T00:46:00.000Z

New town-walking boots and no weight loss = more walking. Now going to get off bus way before my end stop on the way home. Better than trying to do the 5 mile thing as at least 2.5 of those miles are on major roads which are not that interesting. Let's see if this works...

Regime - walking

2005-03-16T12:52:00.000Z

Well I walked home from work yesterday. It took approximately one and half hours or 3 songs shy of the Oysterband's Granite Years double album and, by some very rough calcuations was about 5 miles in length. So that is about 18 minutes to the mile. Not bad I guess. To be honest I'm not sure if that is average, fast or slow. I know that I tend to walk at a reasonable pace, but I was definitely slower at the end than at the start!

It was interesting to walk down a road that I have only ever driven down or been bussed down. I spotted definite signs of Spring on some trees, pitied but also admired all those who jogged past me, considered investing in a bicycle but rejected the idea for the hills and noticed that lots of the houses on that main drag into town are huge and really quite nice set back from the road with gardens.

I felt really quite virtous when I got home and apparently I looked healthy and glowing! I definitely felt a lot futher from the drudge of the day than I do when I get the bus or drive myself home. It only took half an hour longer than the combined bus / walk option I have been doing which surprised me. That is such a little time to gain so much exercise. My legs did feel a little tired as I was climbing the hill to work this morning, but it is such a beautiful and mild day that that did not matter. I only hope that stiffness does not set in for tomorrow - hopefully the long soaky bath last night will prevent that.

I plan to walk home one night a week, assuming that some weight dissapears this week, until we hit the next plateau.

Regime update and that'll teach me to think Spring might have sprung

2005-03-15T12:39:00.000Z

Well sadly there has been no weight loss over the last week. I knew that the exercise and salad would produce a fairly immediate response and that that would then plateau. So I guess this is the first plateau. Plateaus are always hard, but once you start on the downward slope again you know you have passed a milestone. I guess there is also the cognitive block of the half-stone and stone markers, especially those you have had difficulty getting past before. This is one of those. I could also blame last week's lack of progress on PMT, but that would be too easy.

So I need to up the exercise ratio. Thoughts currently are:

To increase the distance walked to and from work, by getting the bus at different stops. This is probably more feasible on the way home that that they way to work, as getting up any earlier is not really part of the game plan for ensuring I get enough sleep.
Starting swimming again after work (oh the convenience of working at a University with on-site facilities - albeit very chlorinated and un-state-of-the-art). Bit cold still to be walking home with sopping wet hair. More likely to start that again in May.
Increasing the length of walks at the weekends. This is feasible, but requires more dedication to the cause that has been seen of late.

I am concious that there are going to be several plateaus to overcome so I don't want to break out all the stops for this first one. May see what walking home one night a week would do. Would probably take an hour and half to two hours, but as long as there are no other plans and Warren doesn't mind eating later that night it shouldn't be a problem.

It has been good to have this up here on the blog. I am aware that no-one except me finds it of particualar interest and some who read are probably wondering if they should dump me out of their RSS feeds, but the battle of the bulge needs all motivations available and this is definitely one that works for me. It was hard to write that last week had no success, but it is out there now and I can look back on the progress over this year and see my achievement in more than my waist line.

It is also about more than the waistline. It is about how I would like to change my life. Watching 'Jamie Oliver's School Dinners' scared me. The food we are all eating is doing us so much harm. I am lucky in that I was brought up on fruit and veg and like them, but since Uni I have slipped into the all-too-easy grasp of convenience foods and suffered the concequences. Time for change and this is it.

It was Red Nose Day on Friday last and QM raised c.£750 through Kareoke, and bucket-rattling, thanks to our hard working and unabashed catering staff. I walked up the hill to work as normal, dressed in my red suit (well what else;)) and about 10 minutes from QM the heavens opended. I arrived looking like a drowned kitten, who has just got out of the shower and had to lock myself in my office whilst my clothes dried on the radiator, desperatly hoping no-one wanted to see me first thing that morning! That'll teach me to forget that we are in Edinburgh and it is only March and that my umbrella was not in my rucksack and that my mackintosh is not a true mackintosh and is only shower proof not waterproof!

Help please | Transport to Witchery

2005-03-09T12:49:00.000Z

Now that we have changed to the Witchery, our transport needs after the wedding are more substantial than before.

We have plenty of factors to take into account for getting me and my entourage the 5 miles from Muma's to Murthly (Scotland, December, snow, steep non-gritted roads etc) so we can work on that - you never know we may end up in Land Rovers or snow cats!

But getting from Murthly to Edinburgh is an easy, hour or so A-road and Motorway trip so I would like to have something a bit different. Hence this post.

Anyone got any ideas of different transport we could hire for this? Any thoughts, websites, thinks etc very welcome!

Wedding night venue change

2005-03-09T12:47:00.000Z

Sadly, because we had to move the date of the wedding by a week at the beginning of the planning (it is still the 17th December for those that need to check which date they have!), Connie can no longer accommodate us at Kinnaird House Hotel, as it has been exclusively booked out for the whole weekend (no doubt by some rich amercian ;)).

So we were on the hunt for somewhere else (preferably equally splendid) to spend our wedding night.

We have decided on (and booked, boy do they book up fast, even this far in advance only half the suites were available), The Witchery by the Castle, Edinburgh. It is further to drive after the wedding, but it gets us nearer the airport for the following day and we don't have to check out till noon, which is a lovely touch.

We are staying in The Library which sounds so perfect - I couldn't resist the idea of a book-lined bathroom, book worm that I am. We get champagne and chocolates on arrival in our room and breakfast-in-bed in the morning. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by the price - £275 all in for the night.

Honeymoon plans (including Lotusphere 06)

2005-03-09T00:45:00.000Z

So, they (yeah, you know, them!) say this should be the holiday of a lifetime. Well we certainly intend to have a good stab at that philosophy!

The plan is:

Fly: Edinburgh - (London) - Hong Kong for 2 nights - (Sydney) - Auckland.
Drive: For 4 weeks or so all round both North and South Islands, including visiting the various realtives (Great Aunts and Uncles of mine, distant cousins etc), friends and one of my nannies. I have vivid memories of Felicity who is Maori and it will be great, if a little strange, to see her again. We have kept in Christmas card touch over the years.
Fly: Christchurch - (Sydney) - Hawaii for 2 nights - (Los Angeles) - San Francisco for 2 nights - Orlando for Lotusphere 06, so see you all there guys. I can't wait to be there again, although I am reliably informed that I am not allowed to ensconce myself on the sofas, nose in book this year - I'm going to be put to work! - (London) - Edinburgh.

Plans are not in concrete yet, but this is the current thinking. We are sorting the details and booking round-the-world tickets just as soon as we can. It is so exciting. I have always wanted to visit New Zealand, but wanted to go for long enough to be able to take in the whole country and not rush it, which was difficult holiday-wise for work. Thankfully my darling fiance agrees this is a good plan so I get to fulfil one of my 'must do in my lifetimes', and my bosses have been great in accommodating my requests.

I am so not going to want to go back to work after 5 and a half weeks off! I finish up at QM on Tuesday 14th December to give me a few days to do the last minute things before the wedding.

Regime update

2005-03-07T13:02:00.000Z

Have lost another couple of pounds. So we have hit the half a stone off mark. Only another 5 of those chunks to go then. Yay!