Blog

Office Narcolepsy

Saturday, January 05, 2008

It is safe to say that only a fraction of the staff have returned to work this week - which (as I mentioned in Trunk Cast 118) is probably to be expected. The majority of the people in my building are foreign and therefore have gone home for Christmas - this means these people have taken longer breaks in order to go home.

This has meant that the three days I have been in this week have gone very slowly as there hasn't really been that much going on. I think everyone who came in made reference to how the time was dragging. There is however a flip side to this as we have all managed to get all those niggly little jobs out of the way and I am sure the time was spent wisely as next week things will get back to there normal rate of chaos as I am sure everyone will return to work.

If you listened to show 118 I mentioned the Christmas decorations, well they came down last night and now the house looks rather bare and less festive without them. At least it's done, Io think I hate taking decorations down ass much as I do putting them up - only because of the amount of time it takes (and care as 70% of our tree decorations are glass).

Photo a day

You may recall I used to have a pic-a-day gallery on Flickr which I featured heavily on here - this was a gallery of anything that caught my eye, but principally just one picture a day.

Last year I took it further and joined the 365 project on Flickr taking a photo a day of myself - but to be honest I only got half way into the year after having run out of ideas.

I am thinking of resurrecting one of these ideas as it's a great way to generate content but what I would liek to know if what do you think?

Please fill in your response here so that I can gauge visitor opinion.

If you would like to make further comment about this please email me

Labels: Christmas, Gallery, Photography, Trunk Cast, Work

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

And relax...

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

It's been a nice festive period although as ever it all seems to be over far too quickly.

Richard and I enjoyed a nice quiet time at home where we snuggled up in front of a roaring fire, full of Christmas roast (beef not turkey) and lots of nibbles.

On Boxing Day we travelled down to Devon where we visited our friends and families. Miraculously we managed to avoid Christmas dinner until Saturday when Richard and I enjoyed a turkey roast with my parents.

Of course Richard's nephews had heaps of presents, as did my god daughter and her sisters.

My parents have extended the family by adopting two kittens from their neighbour (long story). As you can imagine having two 12 week old kittens running about the house was very entertaining.

Here I am relaxing with Jinx, the little girl.

This photo was taken after our Christmas lunch on Saturday and as you can see I was very tired! In fact I think we all enjoyed 40 winks that afternoon.

I've had a bit of a trauma rebuilding my iBook as my start up sectors became corrupt. It took most of New Years Eve to reinstall everything but 99% of it appears to be working now (I just need to iron out some kinks). Hopefully I'll have it working fully today so that I can put together a podcast.

I cannot quite believe we're in 2008 already - I still think of us being somewhere around the year 2000 but we're not! Where does the time go?

2007 was a good year but it had a number of upsets and I hope this isn't the case throughout 2008.

Thanks to all of you who sent lovely festive and New Years messages and as I have noticed Happy New Rear was very popular!

All the best and here's to a great 2008.

I'll leave you with a photo of Jinx's brother Jasper.

Labels: Cats, Christmas, Devon, Friends, Happy New Year, Humour, Plymouth, UK

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Happy Christmas

Saturday, December 22, 2007

It finally feels like Christmas.

Thanks to a very generous gift from our boss, the whole team (50 of us) were taken to the Royal Albert Hall to see the Christmas Concert. I cannot think of a better way to get in the Christmas spirit.

Fantastic seats, great view and a wonderful start to my Chirstmas break

As you will see from this photo we had excellent seats - right at the stage, next to the choir and the orchestra.

It's been far too long since I joined in on a proper old fashioned Christmas sing song and the majority of the show included audience participation.

I am not sure if Milly and I look like we were ready to sing but as you can see we certainly look happy.

The set included lots of traditional favourites as well as contemporary classics.

I cannot think of a better way to spend my last working afternoon of the year than in such wonderful surroundings with such good company.

So my presents are purchased, wrapped and under the tree. The kitchen is stocked for the big day and there is enough coal in the cellar to heat the living room for a year (well maybe not that much).

~~Tonight is the final of Strictly Come Dancing and I am rooting for Matt all the way - if that awful woman wins I am not watching it any more!~~

Sadly Aleysha Dixon won Strictly Come Dancing, I have no faith in the British public now. It looks like the cult of celebrity has won out. Matt Di Angelo was by far the best dancer, giving the most effort and technically the best routines. Bad luck Matt - we voted for you in this house!

Be sure to check out Trunk Cast 116 as it is a run down of the year and there is a special Christmas message from me to you all.

We're spending Christmas together before heading home on Boxing day for the mad run around Plymouth to see everyone. Hopefully this year we'll managed to see more friends!

All that remains is for Richard and I to wish you all a Happy Christmas and wonderful New Year. See you all in 2008!

Labels: Christmas, Devon, London, Plymouth, Richard, UK

2 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

And relax...

Monday, December 17, 2007

It's been a lovely weekend.

I have managed to get all my presents bought and wrapped so now I can relax for the rest of the festive season (yeah right).

After getting the shopping completed I just chilled out for the remainder of the weekend.

Richard cooked a lovely lunch of ginger Ham yesterday with roasted squash, pecans and Cornish blue cheese (which I purchased at the Christmas market at the Tate Modern on Friday).

It's definitely winter now as it has become very cold. Every morning is full of frost and we have the best way of avoiding the cold. Stay in, snuggled up on the sofa in front of a roasting fire with a self basting cat (honestly Brandy gets so warm but she won't move, she simply lays in front of the open fire and rotates in the heat - she can be too hot to touch. It doesn't seem to phase her though).

Labels: Cats, Christmas

1 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Gringo in London!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

It's been a very busy week what with work, Christmas celebrations and of course Richard and my trip to Paris on Wednesday (video podcast is online). I ended the week on a high as I met up with Gayborhood Gringo who is currently on holiday in London from Dallas.

It's always interesting to meet new people and he's a throughly nice guy - we spent the evening wandering around the sites, we took in some art at the Tate modern, had a wander through the Christmas market, down the South Bank for dinner and then across to Somerset House to see the skating before heading down the Strand for a coffee.

Sadly our time together seemed to go really quickly and I am sure his trip will be ovr before he knows it.

Hopefully we'll manage to hook up for a coffee before he has to jet off back home on Tuesday.

I have also managed to take some other shots of Christmas trees from around London and of course Paris. As soon as I have them transferred from my mobile I will upload them. There is also a couple shots from the office as we had a school choir in our foyer this week singing Christmas carols ;o) Check out my Christmas 2007 set to see more.

Labels: Christmas, Friends

1 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

A Wet Christmas Saturday

Sunday, December 09, 2007

We went into the West End yesterday as as we had booked to go and see the Golden Compass. Unfortunately for us the weather was abysmal and we got soaked through just getting to the station.

That didn't stop us having a nice day out in town though.

We started with lunch at Paul in Covent Garden (this is swiftly becoming a new tradition) and I must say it all felt very French. In fact it put me in the mood for our jaunt to Paris this Wednesday. I will certainly go to a Paul in Paris just to have another Moka!

After lunch we braved the weather and had a look around the shops, taking in the sights and watching all the hordes of Americans (as it seemed all the tourists were American yesterday), Christmas shopping.

We did stop by Somerset House to take a look at the Ice Rink, a now famous London Christmas tradition. Sadly though the rink was being cleaned and he weather was atrocious when we stopped by - I still got some nice shots of the lovely tree though.

After our walk around we made it to the Odeon in Leicester Square for The Golden Compass and I have to say I throughly enjoyed the film. The story is really engaging and as Richard says it is quite true to Northern Lights, the book from which it originates. There's so much going on in the story that you get really engaged. All the characters are very interesting and the supporting cast is amazing - I was surprised to see Christopher Lee pop up on screen.

I really hope New Line Cinema do make the other two films as it will be really interesting and exciting to see how they manage to progress the story. Please don't get too struck on other films such as Potter or Narnia, The Golden Compass really is a breed apart from them.

After the film we stopped by Hamburger Union in Leicester Square for a bite to eat before heading home.

All together a very nice day out (but I won't mention the gaggle of spoilt teenage girls causing a fuss on the train last night).

Labels: Christmas, London

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

A little like...

Sunday, December 02, 2007

It's beginning to feel a little like Christmas!

It's December the 2nd, the year has gone by so quick and I cannot believe it is December already.

Thankfully we arranged to go to Waddesdon Manor with Dan, Matt, Ian and Barbara to see the house decorated (it's becoming an annual event - funnily enough).

This years theme was Hans Christian Anderson and the house was wonderfully decorated again. The trees are always stunning and the themed rooms were lovely.

I have taken some shots of the hallway (the only place you can take shots unfortunately).

Follow the link to see more.

It's just a shame the wether couldn't have been better. I guess it is December though.

We followed our day with Christmas lunch at Dan's - a wonderfully relaxing affair which has put me in the festive mood. I guess I should think about writing our cards now!

Labels: Christmas, Winter

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

1st Dec

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Well it is the 1st of December (and campness such as this needs to be seen by the masses)

Thanks to Seb for posting this on my profile in the first place! Why not add yourself as a friend?

Labels: Christmas, Facebook, Gay

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Nice but dirty!

Friday, December 29, 2006

So far it's been a nice, but hectic break at home. We've managed to see everyone we planned too with the exception of a few friends.

I think today will be our last roast dinner for a while as we are both so bloated after eating so much during use festive season.

Unfortunately we decided to pop into Plymouth city centre to see the new shopping complex and we were shocked by what greeted us. Although all this money has been ploughed into the city it's a shame that the locals don't appreciate it. The public just seemed rude and the streets and shops were an absolute mess. The city has been offered an olive branch of sorts to move forward but sadly none of the locals seem too bothered or worried about thier home.

We are both disappointed that this once vibrant sea side city could end up in such a mess. Maybe the local rag needs to stop ripping apart the few good things about the city and try to inspire people to get off their asses and clean it up!

Labels: Christmas, Devon, Plymouth

3 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Rain? In Devon?

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Of course! Typically a couple hours after arriving home we see the first rain we have seen in weeks!

Its been lovely to see my folks and to pay my friends and my god daughter a visit.

I think it was wise to only visit for a short period as we both look really tired.

Hopefully the weather will buck up tomorrow and Richard and I will be prepared for our next Christmas dinner.

Labels: Christmas, Devon, Plymouth, Weather

2 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Cue Chris Rea

Well we're driving home for Christmas, well post Christmas.

I did plan to take a photo of the drive but the flash is too distracting.

We've had a lovely quiet time, chilling out, eating too much and snoozing by the coal fire. As you can see this is something Jerry capitalised on.

We're in Devon for a couple days before returning home for New Years. I think after the running around visiting our folks, we'll need a rest before we go back to work!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. Thanks for all very kind messages.

Labels: Christmas, Devon, Plymouth

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Have a Jerry Christmas!

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Have a very Jerry Christmas!

See you all in the New Year!

Labels: Cats, Christmas

2 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Par rum pum pum pum!

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Labels: Christmas, Family Guy, You Tube

2 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Bloody winter

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Ok so I am writing this on the train. The weather is terrible and it's having an affect on public transport.

Christmas is also having an affect on people. I have seen a number of shifty characters around. A cabby was chasing a guy down fleet street and the trains are full of loud drunks. It must be Christmas!

At least after tomorrow it'll be me, my baby and the cats and then we can switch off and ignore the rest of humanity! That just about sums up my Christmas spirit!

I am looking forward to it honest.

Look out for two special Trunk Casts ;)

Labels: Cats, Christmas, Richard, Weather, Winter

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Prince and Santa

Saturday, December 16, 2006

I can only imagine what Prince will put together for next years Superbowl Half Time show - rest assured though it'll be the best thing to ever happen to the Superbowl.

By the way Santa; I'm not fussy - one of each in any colour would be great :) Thanks!

Labels: Apple, Christmas, Prince

1 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

It's an enormous festive erection!

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Yes it's that time of year! The Christmas tree is now taking up a substantial area of floor space in our living room!

In fact I forgot just how big our tree was; I also forgot it takes four sets of lights to illuminate it!

This photo doesn't display the size or spectacle of our tree; in fact I have never been happy with any photos I have taken of our tree! I have however tried to get some interesting captures.

I have created a Christmas 2006 set at Flickr to illustrate all of these photos of the tree and a few additional ones too :)

Why not show me your tree?

Labels: Christmas, Photography

5 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Happy Christmas Mrs President

Saturday, December 09, 2006

I find the Bush administration Christmas videos laughable - I am still to work out why they bother with such ludicrous seasonal treats.

Are the American public so gullible that they find these things interesting? I am fairly sure they are not that gullible!

As this report suggests; it's rather interesting that this years White House Christmas message is signed of by the First Lady. Is this because the dogs and the cat look ten times more intelligent then George W?

I have been out shopping this morning and eventually I have manged to find myself a decent pair of boots that will look go at work and won't cause me to break my neck whilst walking back and from the station.

I have found it a challenge to find anything of interest for my works Christmas party on Wednesday. I have a wardrobe full of clothes so I am sure I can find something there.

I do despair that the clothes shops all contain such drab items. Not everyone wants to wear a luminous shirt at this time of year!

At least I am safe in the knowledge all my cards are written and have been posted this morning. At least that's one Christmas job out of the way.

I just need to find time to wrap the presents.

But first I'm off to play our new game; find the Brandy cat! :)

Labels: Cats, Christmas, Shopping

4 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Happy December 1st!

Friday, December 01, 2006

OK so it's only December the first and as you may know every year I create a Christmas card for the site. Well this years was put together a couple weeks ago and I uploaded it today.

And why not? It'll only be displayed until the 26th so I might as well circulate it now!

I decided not to go for anything animated or flashy this year but instead to put together some stylised, in the same design as Trunk Guy. I think I have succeeded.

Of course, take a look at the home page to see it in it's correct spot!

And to be honest I am not too early - I arrived home today to find three Christmas cards on the door mat - I guess I need to think about writing my cards now!

I would like to mention World AIDS Day but to be honest I am dissappointed that this global event seems to have been bypassed.

I could not find a single outlet anywhere near where I live or in the City of London to purchase my red ribbon. At the very least this is a way to donate, and in a society where AIDS is on the increase I am surprised. Maybe next year the charity can get their PR together and they'll receieve more of the donations they need.

Labels: Christmas

4 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.	site disclaimer