I was going to write about our holiday (it was brilliant!! Very relaxing, with enough things to do to keep us busy, but not too much, as we just wanted to chill out.)

But instead, I'm just going to talk about pain.
( Oh, and one pretty holiday picture...Collapse )

Well...it's not everyday that you're discussing architecture with your father in one room of the house, when a small explosion, the screams of elderly relatives and a huge pall of smoke burst forth from the kitchen...

The thermostat blew out of the range. Literally, blew out, smashed the door open, filled the house with thick smoke. We evacuated elderly rellies, threw open windows and doors - in order to see - and worked out the problem. Of course, now we have to try to cool the range down enough to investigate further.

All fun and games here!

...just nod if you can hear me...is there anyone home?

So, yeah, it's me! Jojo's STILL OFF SICK. But they're doing yet MORE tests on him, including a 5 day ECG, which will be a joyous tangle of wires and stuff, undoubtedly.

And then there's me. What's new? Trains are crap, stupid crap ConDem government is crap, but everything else is pretty good! And the trains won't be a problem soon, as the stupid crap government have decided to raise the cap on peak time fares, so in a year or so I won't be able to afford to go to work anyway, yay! Oh, but given that benefits are also cut I won't be able to not go to work....SHIT.

Work is reasonably good, apart from the impending job of sizing a panel with rabbitskin, which I could REALLY do without. Still debating whether to plead it being against my morals.

Currently working on an Angela De La Cruz piece (she's up for the Turner this year). And utterly, utterly flabberghasted by the Tate's decision to stop people going on Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds. I understand the dangers of ceramic dust (as does probably every artist and art handler I've ever met) and therefore I do understand how dangerous it is for the employees of the Tate...so WHY wasn't all that covered in risk assessments before they commissioned/opened the show?? NUTS.

Urm...did I mention my dissatisfaction with the government yet?

We're at my old man's again this weekend, as tonight there's a Homebase reunion in town! (For those of you who don't know, Jojo and I met when I was a paintmixer for Homobase and he was a Warehouse Manager, 11yrs ago.) So we're going back to meet old colleagues/new kids etc. Big party in a pub close by. We only found out about it totally by chance, as when we were back last weekend we popped in there for a tin of paint for the Old One, and got invited!

I'm trying to work out why my father has a traffic cone under the veranda.. he has NO NEED for a traffic cone. And definitely shouldn't own one. Most odd. Has he regressed to studentsville?

It's also bloody cold in his house, owing to massive range failure - the range was almost as old as I am! But it ran the central heating (it's all solid fuel in these parts; coal and wood) and that sprung a mega-leak at the start of the week. REALLY luckily the Old One and my cousin were talking in the kitchen at about midnight when it happened, or it would have pissed furnoxy water on the less-than-a-week-old carpet (the carpet had also been there all of my life...). So it's a. freezing cold here and b. they've got to shell out for a new range (like an Aga, but not), and they're always perma-skint (that's what a lifetime in teaching gets you!).

I brought thermals with me.


Other than that I'm busy writing either anonymous fic (why?) or starting epic fics I don't finish...(usual).

I've been terrible at updating. I can only blame this on work being slightly stressful, and trains being completely shit and getting me home late.

So...um.....yeah, what've I been up to? Work, predictably. Deadlines loom, boats will sail, whether we are ready or not. Chinese workers work to a 20mm tolerance on our steelwork (unbelievable!! Should be 5mm absolute max, imo.) but then again they're probably being paid peanuts, so can't blame them. Anyway, all means more work for us. Not that I'm working on the steelwork side, I'm still sorting out the concrete and plastic side of things. I'm kinda working on that forever, it seems. Although next Thursday I'm going to Norwich for the day with the boss. This means I have to get the 0523 train out of Brighton. And I have to get to Brighton - which means cycling. So I need to be out of the house by at least 5, if not earlier. And then it'll be a looooong day.

There seem to be a higher number of total twonks on the roads recently - cycling shouldn't mean dicing with death because drivers think turning left across you is fine, or throwing open car doors in your path will somehow not kill you.

I've just thrashed out the glimmer of an idea on the old ficathon, which is very encouraging. Was completely clueless until now.

What else? Ah, yes, need to work out some sort of menu for my dinner, which will be sometime early next month. Feeding around 8/9 people. Would be nice if it could either be cooked the night before, or very very quickly on the day.

Also I need a new bag. I think my rucksack is now SO dead that I can't use it any longer.

Did a tour of Embassy this morning, got another tomorrow morning. Was all over the place today, but managed to say everything I wanted to. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.


Also...my father is such an inspiration to me. Truly. Been reading his book and his small author's bio which goes with it. Just....yeah. I'm very lucky. As much as I love living in Brighton, I wish I could be closer to him.

So, dakfinv gave me the following collection of wurdz, man.

( word.Collapse )

Spent Saturday in London, Earls Court, for the London Film and Comic Con. This was purely to meet Scott Bakula and get him to sign ( my hullCollapse )

Just need Jolene now, and I have all the main cast, but I wouldn't say no to the likes of Gary Graham and people, either.

Anyway, Scott coming over was cool, because I didn't ever expect him to. And he was lovely - despite being a total machine signing signing signing. They said he absolutely would do anything but just sign his name, but when he saw everyone else had written their character name on it, he also wrote 'Archer' under his siggy for me - and was just generally very lovely, and touched me on the arm when I told him he was a star and thanked me - lovely guy, even after over 700 siggys!!

Anyway, Dominic Keating was there too, and we passed over birthday cards etc. for him. Mine was a little rude (Said 'LOOKING GOOD...for an old fuck.') But then Sal outed the fact it was my birthday, so he signed an 8x10 for me which said 'Happy Birthday from the ol' fuck' Sweet! and he chatted to us for quite a while, so we bought him a beer.

He said he'd been to see my tree at the Natural History Museum - which was sweet of him! And he's gonna take his other half to see it too, which is cool.

Haven't had any birthday presents yet - but I'm going to buy myself these in the week:( sunnies!Collapse )

This is the computer mock-up from the 'design your own' on the website, the grey of the earsocks is actually much grey-er, the frames are 'plasma' and the lenses 'ice iridium'. I'm going to go and get them in the shop, because there's one which has a make-it-yourself bar, sorta thing, where they'll make you the glasses right there, so anything you don't like/want to change, you can do. So I'll get them Tuesday, I hope! Ready for my hols next week.

Jojo and I are going for a week in Dorset, to a stonecarving festival, which will be awesome. A week together, no work, no mobile phones, no internet (mainly) we'll be camping in a friend's garden, although they won't be there most of the time, so we're pretty free to explore, stonecarving, lazing about and all that. Can't wait to spend some relaxing time with him.


Today my Dad sent me the book he wrote - 20 yrs ago, he wrote it, and it's just languished on various computers since (he found out the only copy he had was on a 3.5" floppy!!) I made him save it to his computer today. Silly man. Anyway, he's sent it to various publishers/agents, but never got anywhere. It really inspires me, though - even though he hasn't been published, he's still trying. And I love the way he writes. I also flatter myself that our styles are quite similar, despite us writing entirely independently, and me writing long before I ever read anything of his. Nice to know it might be in the blood though!

So awoke this morning, far too early, and headed off to get the train (bit late, forgot I didn't have a ticket, just managed to get the train!) Got to work, forgot I had a job on, and had half hoped someone might have done it whilst I was off...no such luck.

Then heard the news about the earthquake in Italy. So made the appropriate phonecalls to check on the family - everyone's ok.

Then get an answerphone message from my dad. I assume it will be regarding the quake...but no, it's him bellowing into my answerphone 'TADDIES!! Taddies have hatched! We've got taddies swimming FREEEEEE'.

Priorities, we got 'em.


I forgot to say, last Weds we heard a right old commotion on the building site which is opposite us on the gasworks...so obviously, being nosey, went and had a butcher's.

A guy had fallen into a rubble pulveriser. It wasn't pretty. They called the fire crews and the ambo, the police turned up and then the air ambulance - but I think the guy was literally mincemeat. Looked like all that was holding the squish together was what was left of the clothing. Nasty. Anyway, meant their site got shut down cos the HSE would have had to come and have a look. It may have been that just a bit of him went in it, we were a bit far away to see. I'm probably glad about that...


I'm reeeeaaaaalllyyyyy glad it's a short week this week. I just don't feel like it at the mo. I blame the clocks changing. Why do we still insist on changing them? I honestly think it's a SHITE idea. Stoppit!!

Nowadays, living in Brighton (Hove, actually) and working in London the nearest I get to the countryside is charging through it on a train.

But last night we arrived at my Dad's place, and we're here until Sunday.

So what have I been doing today?

Went to STEAM, the railway museum in Swindon (very good), then spent the afternoon tending to newts and frogspawn in the pond.
( SPAWN!Collapse )


And playing with the newts (by playing, I mean fishing them out to try to identify the species...we thought one of them might have been a great crested newt, which are super-special, but actually we now think it's a smooth newt, which isn't very smooth! We shall get far better pics of them next time, when they don't look quite as grumpy with us!
( NEWTS!Collapse )


And then I spent most of the night standing around in the dark behind a 'hide' (meaning a pallet leaning against a frame) with a gun, waiting for rats to show their little ratty faces, so we could shoot them. But we only saw one little ratty arse, and it wasn't in a shootable place, so after a while we gave up. Such is life!


And tomorrow, I go back to school!

More observing last night. We went up there early evening and had a good look at the moon and Venus - both beautiful. But then, because it was bloody cold and dinner was being served, we put the instrument to sleep and headed in to the house.

We managed to spend far longer over dinner than intended...as is often the way...and when we returned the inside of the dome was full of ice/frost. Ooops. But we carried on observing. It was minus 5 though, so only for a bit. It was also really hazy. We thought about just shutting the place down and going straight back in - but then I pointed the scope at the moon - through a big tree! And we got some of the best pictures ever.( MOOON. With knobbly bits.Collapse )

We went out for a walk this afternoon...myself, Jojo, my old man and his missus. The day had started cloudy...then cleared to blue sky and a plummeting temperature...

So off we trotted...and up the cloud bubbled. Was still bloody freezing though. We saw a few deer, which was nice, and generally had a lovely time. Sunset was amazing, on the freakin' clouds.

We came home, got some dinner in us, then, as I sat at the kitchen table I glanced out the window and there's the freakin' moon, low and fat and BRIGHT.

The cry went up: "Clear sky, clear sky!" And it was action stations...find many layers of clothing, grab phone (meant to bring digi camera...forgot...LAME. I remembered as we left Brighton, but never mind).

So, torch out, dressed up with scarves and hats off me and the old man went. (Except he knows the garden like the back of his hand...so doesn't turn the torch on. I just flail about in the pitch black, following the sound of his footsteps.)

Ladder in place, hatch open, we climb to the dome...fan heater off (can't have a heater ruining the air flow and risking condensation on the lens).

Aperture open, following a strict sequence of events to the weighted pulleys pull the lid and roll it down the other side of the dome...then 'Jack up!' (snigger a bit, and work the hydraulics to lift the dome high enough to fit the wheels) Fit the wheels and axles in place...then 'Jack Off' (much sniggering, the same conversation we have every time.."We must find a better way of saying that...") we release the hydraulics.

Telescope on, warming up, searching for GPS. We peer out into the darkness...the moon is rapidly sinkng behind the hedge...

We give up on the GPS locks, we manually set the 'scope to look at the moon.
( and this is what we saw...Collapse )
( that turned out rather long...so I shall hide it.Collapse )