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Touch and Go
Sunday, June 01, 2008
We spent the afternoon at the local aerodrome - what a civilized way to spend a Sunday ;0)Photos available here.
Labels: Photography, Video
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Washed out
Monday, May 26, 2008
Well it's safe to say this weekend has been as predictable as any other British Bank Holiday - the weather for the majority of the time has been appalling.We drove to Hampton Court Palace in atrocious conditions yesterday but thankfully it cleared up while we were in the house.
Unusually I didn't take many photographs this weekend (which was a shame considering it was Robs birthday yesterday). I am very proud of some of the shots from the palace though. Please feel free to have a browse and leave a comment or two.
I was lovely to see Andy and Rob and as ever it's been far too long between visits. Richard and I will make every effort to see them again as soon as we can.
I am sure we all had a nice weekend regardless of the weather. The decision to have dinner in Richmond by the Thames yesterday was inspired - we all returned home very fat and full following our hearty meals.
We need a couple days to recover but sadly I am staring a week of work chaos straight in the face :(
Labels: Friends, holiday, Photography, UK, Weather
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Ola!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Well I think it's safe to say that Richard and I have had a thoroughly relaxing holiday (except for a minor problem with our car which meant we had to get earlier return flights...)We had promised ourselves a week of relaxing and that's exactly what we did. The weather was very nice and warm and I think I did an excellent job to control my tan without burning!
I have uploaded a selection of photographs from our time on the Torrox Costa - more will follow, as will a couple of Releases. The first of which will transport you to a day in El Morche with us, enjoy the the sights and relaxing on the beach.
There is enough footage for a couple video pod casts (I am working on a special Men of Torrox edition ;0) )
Enjoy the photos and download the first video pod cast from Spain here.
Labels: holiday, Hunks, My World, Photography, Travel, Weather
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8 Years Old Already!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
On Friday I enjoyed a lovely evening with friends. Sarah and Steve paid a visit to London as they had brought my god daughter, Laura, up to see the Tutankhamen Exhibition in the 02. It is a birthday treat for Laura and her sister Rachel as Laura is 8 this weekend.We met up at the Tower of London before heading off for a nice meal and a catch up.
As you can see they all look very relaxed and happy (although you don't see Steve in these pics and that's not to say he doesn't look relaxed either!).
Trunk Cast 129 is also live - have a listen to find out more.
Labels: Friends, London, Photography, Trunk Cast, UK
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Happy Easter!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Even though it's been forecast I still cannot believe the appalling weather we have been experiencing during the Easter break. Yesterday was a day of contrasts, heavy snow fall, torrential hail and blue sky, all fitted into the weather cycle like it was perfectly natural. Today we wake up to this... it's still snowing and as the wind has died down it is starting to settle. This isn't as much snow as received by the north of the country but it's enough, It's March! Next week the clocks change to British Summer Time - what's going on?The break has been relaxing for now. We took Good Friday as a day to relax, this meant I did some clearing out in the house and Richard did some baking.
Yesterday Liz and Colin came to ours for afternoon tea and we had a very civilized time. It was lovely to spend the day with them. We got to hear all about their honeymoon in St Petersburg and I also got to help them set up a few things on their brand new Mac Book.
Putting their new Mac Book next to my iBook does prove how the technology has moved on (although I feel my older iBook is actually lighter (even though it's bigger)). That said the screen and the speed of the new Mac Book was fantastic. You can test these things in store but until you use them for real things, I don't think you can truly get a feel for them.
I like the Mac Book but to be honest for me the screen is a bit too small. I have the 14" iBook and I like the screen size, I think the new widescreen models look a bit narrow when down to 13". I still am keeping with my decision to upgrade to a 15" Mac Book pro.
The wallpaper I created on Friday was picked up by the owner of Sabet.tv, it's a social network for artists so I took the invitation to join. I am really pleased nat the feed back I have received already regarding my work.
Anyway it's been a restful holiday so far. We both felt last night that it was Sunday. Therefore I guess this means we now start another weekend ;0)
Labels: Apple, Friends, Photography, Weather, Winter
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Athens/TGTC127
Friday, March 14, 2008
I had a very busy time in Athens - there's lots to tell but too much to write. Listen to Trunk Cast 127 to find out all about it.
See all my photos on Flickr
Labels: Gallery, Photography, Travel, Trunk Cast, Work
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Blustry Day
Saturday, March 01, 2008
It's been a very blustery couple of days - we lost the bin last night (thankfully it was only as far as the end of the garden). I don't quite understand the weather at the moment, one minute it's really dry and mild the next it's freezing cold or raining heavily. It's very unseasonal for February (especially it's now March!).I published Trunk Cast 125 this morning and it's a particularly long show - I decided to include a full run down of my thoughts of the new Janet album Discipline. Be sure to have a listen as I have included the odd sneaky sound bite too.
We're having a quiet weekend following our trip home last weekend. I am off to Greece Monday after next so I had the time to pop into town to look for a few bits to take with me - not sure I achieved anything though having only come back with some socks and a shirt! I must be getting too picky. That or the latest fashions are just hideous. You either look like an Emo, a goth or some middle aged sad surfing type - where are all the nice clothes?
One thing that won't go out of fashion is the Apple Mac and since the announced upgrade to the Mac Book range this week I am tempted to upgrade my iBook as soon as I can (although not for a Mac Book Air as it's simply impractical as my only machine). Of course my enthusiasm will be fired up if Liz and Colin turn up this weekend - they called for some Apple related advice this morning as they are purchasing a Mac Book - I don't think I will be able to resist if I see a new one in the flesh!
I took a number of shots this week but didn't get a chance to upload them until now - this I have done and they are included in the Capture collection on Flickr (displayed below):
It's been a very busy week really. In fact there have been a number of things that I didn't even think to blog about which I could have - most notably was the horrendous situation at Blackfriars Station on Thursday evening. Passengers were not allowed down the external part of the platform as someone had jumped off the railway bridge onto one of the old bridge columns and was planning to jump - when I was there there was a team of police negotiators trying to stop him from jumping. The poor guy was still there when Richard came home and sadly I don't know the outcome.
Richard also set up a new HP Media Server and a Squeezebox - now all our music is in one place, is playable for any iTunes computer, brows-able on the web and playable from any of our internet radios/stereos etc ;0) Don't you just love technology when it works? (Just don't mention Tiscali gggrrr!)
Labels: Cats, Devon, Friends, Gallery, Janet, London, Music, Photography, Plymouth, Richard, Shopping, Trunk Cast, UK
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Dad's 60th
Sunday, February 24, 2008
We just arrived back from a lovely weekend at home.It was nice to see mum in good form following her spell in hospital this week. She's not fully recovered and requires another operation but at least part one of two is out of the way.
My Dad celebrated his 60th birthday and last night we went out for a lovely (and filling), meal. Dad invited Richard's mum and her husband. We had a really nice time - in fact (with all things like this) - it went far too quickly.
This trip was an opportunity to see how the kittens are growing up, they are certainly acquiring their own characters and are quite a handful - they keep my parents entertained though ;)
Hopefully next time we go home it will be for a longer stay. I am sure it'll be soon though as dad wants to book his Clay Pigeon Shooting experience which Richard and I gave him for his birthday.
I took a fair mix of photos while home- have a browse through them here.
Labels: Cats, Devon, Photography, Plymouth, Richard, UK
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Relax, don't do it...
Sunday, February 10, 2008
And we sure did - relax that is! We spent the day by the coast with a couple of friends. Richard and I picked up Paul before heading down to Hove in Sussex.The weather was very bright and sunny, more like a spring day than a typical February day.
We cannot complain though as it made our day at the coast even better.
Richard and I met up with Lisa and Paul met his friend Hillary and two of her children. The afternoon consisted of a relaxing meal in a fab gastro pub recommended by Lisa.
Richard and I have long said it's nice to do things on Saturdays, it's a day that is usually wasted with house work and grocery shopping. To actually have such a relaxing Saturday is rare but very enjoyable.
The beach was full of flotsam and jepson from a cargo ship that shed it's load of timber - this happened weeks ago but there is still lots of wood along the shore.
I managed to capture some really interesting shots as the light was really crisp.
We were very full from our lovely meal but this didn't stop us having a gentle stroll down to the promonade to the best ice cream parlour in Hove. Us adults sensibly had teas and coffees to warm up, little Lilly had a whopping great Mint Chocolate and Bubblegum flavoured cone - which seemed to take ages to eat!
All in all we had a fantastic day and already I can say I have throughly enjoyed this weekend (this is without our plans for today ;0) )
Labels: Friends, Photography, UK
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No more instant photos :(
Saturday, February 09, 2008
More information here and here.
Labels: Photography
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Back to it
Thursday, January 31, 2008
It's been nearly a week of feeling absolutely rotten and finally I am back out in amongst humanity.I have had a bought of Bronchitis which is not too dissimilar to the awful episode I suffered last October.
I am still on a heavy course of anti biotics which is a bit if a nuisance as I have a weekend of celebrations coming up. I cannot complain though as they are making me feel much better.
Tomorrow is my 34th birthday. I cannot believe it has come around so quickly.
We are helping two close friend celebrate this weekend also. After nine years together they are getting married.
As you can tell it is going to be a very eventful weekend.
The weather has been particularly awful today. The majority of the UK was (and still is) battered by gale force winds and heavy rain. I took this shot late this afternoon from the roof at work - it's the only very brief pause in the weather.
Labels: Birthday, Gallery, London, Photography, Weather, Winter
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Sporty Mii!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Since Christmas Richard has been trying to get hold of a copy of Mario & Sonic at the Olympics as the boys reliably informed we could play this over Ninty Wifi.We have finally got hold of a copy but now realize this is not the case - sadly all you can do is swap scores. What's the point? Isn't it about time Nintendo make proper use of Nintendo Wifi Connect 24 on the Wii - they can do it on the DS why not the Wii?
Still that said Olympics is an entertaining game and a decent alternative to Wii Sports.
It's the only time you'll ever see Mii in Lycra (Spandex to you in the USA) - so make the most of it!
It's a shame my neck is shagged as I would love to play harder - sadly I cannot and feel that I should lay off the Wii for a while until my neck is better :(
Labels: My World, Photography, Wii
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My World
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Thanks to everyone who took part in the recent poll regarding my thoughts about starting a new photo diary.I have now set up a new set on Flickr (not helped by Flickrs recent bought of hiccups) and have called it My World.
My aim is to take a photo every day and upload it to the set for you to view.
The results of ths poll are clear, you would like me to take a photo of anything I wanted, not necessarily just photos of me. As this is a collection I am creating and it's not within the restraints of a Flickr group I will say now that I plan to take photos of anything.
This could be where I am, what I am looking at, interesting things I encounter or even me. Hopefully this will prove to be an interesting archive of my coming year.
I know that it's already the 13th January so to start things off I took some interesting macro shots this morning and have started the set with four shots.
Keep and eye open for what comes next.
Let me know what you think about my efforts by either emailing me of leaving comments on Flickr. If you can think of a particular photographic challenge you'd like to see my try, then drop me a line with your suggestion.
Labels: My World, Photography
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A fresh lick...
Saturday, January 12, 2008
...of paint!If you listened to Trunk Cast 119 you will know that I mentioned I had planned to redecorate around here - well as you will no doubt notice, I have done just that. And all without the aid of dungarees of some council estate type strutting about with his ass crack showing!
I wanted to go with something quite radically different from the old look and even though some of the elements remain (as I like to be consistent), I am sure you will agree this new lick of paint has really helped refresh TrunkGuy.com.
As ever I am very interested to hear what you think.
Also mentioned in Trunk Cast 119 was the results of the Photography poll - listen to the pod cast for the full info but basically this will happen very soon as you have voted to have me snapping daily. I am sure this will become a regular feature of both the blog and future Trunk Casts.
I trust you are all having a good weekend - have fun whatever you are up to!
P.S. Visitors may recall the level of eye candy I used to feature, well after the Happy New Rear guy seemed so successful I have decided to bring this feature back. Take a look at the hottie on the right to get a taste of what is to come ;0) (Feel free to submit your own pics!)
Labels: Photography, Trunk Cast
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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
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Is it really me?
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Well after a week and a half of feeling absolutely terrible I seem to finally be back on the mend.Tuesday week saw Richard and I have our flu jabs. Something we have both had before. That night I became very ill, I couldn't breath, I couldn't inhale any asthma medication, I was very hot, feverish, had pulsating headaches, I was streaming from my ears, nose and eyes and most worryingly I was coughing up blood.
A trip to the doctors determined that I had had a major reaction to the injection and since then I have been fighting with it to get better.
Thursday just as I was starting to feel brighter I was hit by something else; I popped into the spare bedroom for something only to be stung by a wasp! I have never been stung buy a wasp before (and never want to again). It got me on my finger which swelled up and a blister appeared at the base. Thankfully for me there is a pharmacist nearby where I managed to get some antihistamine and some cream. Three days later and the top of my finger is still numb with a stabbing pain if I put any pressure on it.
I just cannot believe my luck of late!
Listen to TrunkCast 107 to find out more. Hey I am awake and have my voice back so I might as well get used to using it again!
Labels: Photography
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Cool as Ice!
Saturday, September 08, 2007
It's been a very long and tiring week. As I said last week I spent it away on the next part of my training with work.I did find the training very interesting but I have to say it's been pretty packed throughout the week. It doesn't help that I have a follow up training session next week (but thankfully only for one day this time).
It was really great to see the group again as they are such a diverse and friendly bunch. Sadly one of the Russian girls was victim to company restructure so has left and another wonderful young lady, Anke is no longer attending as she leaves the company in October (best of luck Anke).
We had a few new members from Spain, Ireland and Germany so there was s further cultural mix this time.
I think some of the highlights from this week had to be when we got lost on our evening ramble (well it was a talking point), seeing one of the Russian girls talking to someone in Moscow whilst on the ramble and experiencing the level of feedback we gain from focus groups.
I didn't take many photographs this time (other people certainly did!) but the ones I did take I added to my set on Flickr.
I don't know if it's got something to do with being with a group of people who are predominately younger than me but I have just spent the afternoon wandering around St Albans trying to find some nice clothes for work and for the autumn. I cannot find anything. I see people with stacks of bags laden down with shopping and yet I cannot find anything I like. All the shirts in the shops look cheap and nasty (even the expensive ones) and no one does any decent shoes.
I look at the clothes on sale at the moment and wonder who would actually wear any one it. In one shop they had a perfectly nice tweed coat but it had a hoody attached to it - yes you could remove it but why did it need the hoody in the first place?
I had a hiccup with this weeks Trunk Cast so I have decided to put together a small edited show which lets you into The Secret World of Brandy. The original show included much of what I have mentioned above so I don't think I have missed to much by publishing the edit.
Labels: Foundation, Friends, Photography, Shopping
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Paddles, Stones, Knives, Guns and Wands
Monday, August 27, 2007
This weekend has been very nice - having the extra today off today is an obvious bonus.Thanks to the weather making a dramatic shift we have been able to make the most of the three days off.
Richard and I had a quiet day on Saturday which is probably just as well as it helped us shift our colds.
On Sunday we visited the Docklands in London, specifically to go to the Docklands Museum. It's owned and run by the Museum of London and we have always said we'd go and finally we managed to! I found the exhibition very interesting as it gives a very graphic portrait of the history of London and the Docks, dating as far back as the Romans to present day.We made the most of the dock side location and had a spot of lunch in one of the many restaurants offering alfresco dining.
Canary Wharf is not very far from the 02 where we ended up yesterday as we booked to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was odd to be back at the 02 so soon after Fridays Prince concert (even odder that the stadium was decked out for the Rolling Stones).I thought I saw quite a few O(+> t-shirts at the Prince gigs but I was surprised by how many "tongue and mouth" t-shirts I saw the Stones fans wearing. I am not sure what to make of the crowd either - there was a small amount of younger fans but the rest of them appeared to be as old and as geriatric as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards!
The film was good fun though and even though I am not a Harry Potter an I found it entertaining. I do feel however that J K Rowling creates characters just for the sake of it. The headmistress appears to have more attention paid to her than anyone else and yet she is expelled quite rapidly without much intervention from any main characters. And what of the main characters? Do not of them get to progress at any level? It really does appear that they all are a part of the story just to back up Whining Potter!
Richard and I watched the news on the train back yesterday and were not that shocked to hear that someone had been stabbed at the Notting Hill Carnival. Stabbings have became as almost an annual event as he carnival itself. What with the recent culture of knife and gun crime on the streets of the UK I really am worried about the future of this great country. I don't know how things have got to bad not how it can be fixed - all I do know is that government is too soft and the police appear powerless as a result.
I grow tired of the way news and stories are carried on the media. An 11 year old white boy was shot dead (in the back of the neck) in Liverpool earlier this week. It was s hocking story but a couple of days later his tragic tail has slipped to the bottom of the bulletins. When Damilola Taylor, an 8 year old black boy was stabbed to death a couple of years ago in London, his story was top billing for weeks. What allows the news organisations to pitch one story as more important than the other and why aren't they using the news generated from the death of Damilola to make people realise the this poor 11 year old should not have died in this gruesome attack as something should have been done about gang culture years ago!
I really don't know what this country is heading towards...
On a more personal note you may realise that I have decided to end my run of 365 photographs. I enjoy the whole online social thing but to be honest it all takes up too much time. I therefore have decided not to continue with 365 days. I did manage to complete 160 days!To be perfectly honest I have other things to do with my time, this also a reason why I am growing tired of other social sites such as Facebook - who has the time to spend hours updating useless elements of a web page - and to be honest, who really has the time to read it all? I look at some profiles and wonder if some people actually have much going on in their lives at all as all them appear to do is update My Space and Facebook profiles!
Of course this doesn't mean I will disappear offline nor does it mean I'll stop uploading photos; but only when I have something to share and want to share it!
Labels: London, my, News, Photography, TV, UK, Weather
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WaTcHoUt!*
Friday, July 13, 2007
It's been a more than unusual week at work as we moved into our new premises this week. I say new as we have moved back into our old building but it has been completely refurbished. So much so the old name has been removed and it's been renamed to 100 VE.You won't be able to miss it on the bank of the Thames it's an imposing 1920's Art Deco building but now the interior is a swish technical heaven!
I took some snaps when we first went to view it and today whilst enjoying my lunch on the roof over looking London. I think we have a better view than the tourists who go up in the eye (and we get paid to be there!)
Vanessa has been a complete star today and has managed to come up trumps for the Prince concert we are attending on the 4th August. Not only are we going to see the MPLS genius at the 02, we have also managed to secure tickets to the After show Party! I have been fortunate enough to attend some of these in the past and it feels odd to be acquiring tickets before the event but I know it's going to be worth it.
I think it will be a very late night on the 4th (giving me just about enough time to recover to do it all over again on the 7th ;o) )
* this was meant to sound like Prince's opening scream from Gett off
Labels: 365, Music, Photography, Prince, Work
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Aacabado!
Friday, July 06, 2007
At last I have managed to upload all of the photo's from Madrid.New collections include random snapshots, the photo's taken on Richard's birthday and Madrid's Barajas Airport.
I will write and pod cast about the trip when I have more time...
This is another taster - click here to view the complete collection!
Labels: 365, holiday, Photography
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Palacio Real de Madrid
The next installment of Madrid photo's are here...Labels: 365, holiday, Photography
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Plaza Mayor
Thursday, July 05, 2007
OK part two of our series of photographs from Madrid.This set includes lots of photos from Plaza Mayor (there is also another set of snaps from my camera phone here).
There are more to come..!
Labels: 365, holiday, Photography
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Madrid - in bite sized (c)hunks
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
As I am dog tired and I have hundreds of photo's to go through I have decided to break down the task and release sets of photos to make it easier to digest.Luckily for you the first set happens to be all the beautiful bodies we snapped at Euro Pride ;0)
Labels: holiday, Hunks, Photography
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Maybe...
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Maybe the course wasn't so bad after all...I think the great thing about this week has been the other attendees and our excellent tutor. It was kind of awkward to have all those nationalities in one room at first (English, Swiss, Russian, German, French and Belgium), but we soon all relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed one anothers' company.
I would like to think I have made some great new friends this week and learnt a great deal in the process.
Roll on our next get together in September!
Labels: 365, Foundation, Friends, Photography, Work
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Weeeiiii!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Well it certainly has been a busy weekend!It started with Richard and I travelling down to Southend to meet with Dan and Matt. As you may recall we went down a couple weeks ago as Dan was due to take a flying lesson - a gift from Matt.
The weather originally was terrible but thankfully this weekend was much better.
We had a lovely morning and Dan (albeit with two planes) managed to get off the ground.
As you can see from the photo's he was as pleased as punch!
Afterwards we all headed into Southend for celebratory fish and chips and a stroll along the prom.
Richard had the crazy idea to go to Lakeside on the way back where we managed to get our hands on a Wii (with extra controller, Sonic, Red Steel, Wii Sports and a GT).
Needless to say the majority of last night was spent with Richard and I swinging our arms around like we were demented.
I can certainly tell why the Wii has been such a big hit though. It's so much fun to play and to be honest I think you easily curb the amount of time playing as the games are so physical. I am sure I have wii tennis elbow already.
I do think wii sports is the best and I especially love the amount of aggression I can shed with the boxing ;0) Richard is a natural bowler although we did nearly loose our lamp shade on a couple of occasions!
Keep a look out for our Mii's as they are out in the wii-lderness!
Of course Saturday night also saw the BBC's broadcast of the Pet Shop Boys concert I attended on Monday... For this week only you can download it.
(p.s. you can blame Dan for the lack of pod cast this week as I have been editing the video of his flying lesson..) ;0)
Labels: 365, Friends, Pet Shop Boys, Photography, Pic-a-Day, Shopping, Wii, You Tube
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Recovered!
Friday, June 08, 2007
Well I have just about recovered from the work conference. It did seem to be very intense and I think actually organising the event as well as attending just adds to the pressure.I am really pleased that everyone enjoyed the team activity I had arranged. We were shown how to sculpt with ice and were given the challenge to pair up and come up with a wine cooler.
Lawrence and I took the challenge of keeping the exterior of the design minimal whilst focusing on the inside of the block - placing the bottle in the opposite way to normal whilst making a feature of the shards etc inside.
I think we achieved what we had set out to do and as everyone else seemed to knock the hell out of their blocks, we were certainly the only ones to follow this route.
That's not to say the rest of the team didn't do well, there were some great designs.
I am not sure I would arranged an activity which gave Lawrence control of power tools though. If you follow this link you will see the other photo where he is brandishing a saw - scary!I look at this photo and I still hate my hair - I look bloody awful. I am certainly going to change my barbers as that's two terrible hair cuts in two visits.
The decor in the hotel and the total lack of hair did allow me to take a cool 365days photos yesterday which I titled "Red Letter Day".
Can you see me in the shot? I think it's very subtle but I like it.
BTW whoever thinks that the new Maroon 5 album sounds like Prince - or picks up on his influences needs their head read. It's fucking awful!
Labels: 365, London, Photography, Prince, Work
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Sleepy but Wild Animals
Sunday, May 27, 2007
We visited Whipsnade Zoo yesterday with Richard's sister and family. I have not been to a zoo in years but not much changes - all the animals huddle together out of view! Just as well I went prepared with a large zoom lens :0)It was nice to see the children's reactions to the animals though.
Tonight will feature a different set of animals as Steve and I are off to see the Pet Shop Boys, oh we're so Flamboyant! ;0)
Labels: 365, Pet Shop Boys, Photography, UK
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Turfalgar Square
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Until Sunday Trafalgar Square is covered in grass creating a temporary park in the middle of London. Of all the schemes dreamt up for Trafalgar Square, this has to be one of my favourites.
It looks like it's going to be a busy weekend, bit of a shame really as it's been a hell of a week! As well as my usually duties I have also been setting up a major team event at the beginning of June. It's virgin territory for me but it's fun nonetheless. Whilst searching for venues I have been to places in London I never knew existed (and as I am planning it I have made sure it's in Central London). We're off to a fab new location on the river - I get to meet with the team there tomorrow to finalise details.
Richard's sister and family are paying a visit for the Bank Holiday weekend. It should be interesting, Richard still has the scar from last years visit (quite literally!).
Sunday I am off to Hammersmith Apollo with Steve to see the Pet Shop Boys in concert. Even though we saw them at Thetford last August and I have been listening to Cubism on my iPod; I am still really excited.
It'll be a crowded house though as Steve is also crashing at ours! Still it'll be fun.
Right I had better start learning those lyrics (like I need to!). " M I N I M A ..."
Labels: 365, Friends, London, Music, Pet Shop Boys, Photography, Pic-a-Day, UK, Weather
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What a weekend!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
This weekend in Cheshire with Andy and Rob was lovely.We had such a lovely relaxing time, I am really glad we paid them a visit.
From the moment we arrived they made us feel very welcome and we all took ther weekend as it came, relaxing and laid back.
There were no grand plans for the weekend but we did end up at Jodrell Bank and Tatton Park. Rob even let us play with his Raclette Set ;0)
Watch my video of the main astronomic radio telescope moving to line up with the Earth's Axis (this is the third largest telescope in the world).
A bevvy of photo's are on Flickr (in three separate sets... Cheshire, Jodrell Bank and Tatton Park).
It's been a while since I have uploaded anything, find out all about the last two weeks in Trunk Cast 92.
Labels: Friends, holiday, Photography, Pic-a-Day, Trunk Cast, UK, Weather, You Tube
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Sent Packing
Friday, May 04, 2007
I may not have started packing yet but at least I have acquired my holiday read!
Labels: 365, holiday, Photography
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Stretching for the Sun
Saturday, April 21, 2007
It's another lovely Saturday and I have spent some time in the garden taking photo's of our lovely flowers.
My favourite has to be the deep purple tulips I purchase at last years Chelsea Flower Show. They contrast wonderfully with the white bulbs.
Of course not wanting to be outdone, our other little flower is in fine bloom today!
Labels: 365, Cats, Photography
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S.N.D.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
My it's been a slow news day!
I hope this gets manufactured - I know I'll buy one!An excellent idea (if you overlook the fact that modern ink is poisonous to hamsters!)
OK I cave! You can view the extra-special You Tube edition video which accompanies Trunk Cast 87 on You Tube.
Labels: Photography, Pic-a-Day
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Something Different
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
OK how's this for tying everything together!Today, not only can you download and listen to Trunk Cast 87 but you can also watch the special edition video shot whilst recording the show (with edited audio explaining where the idea came from).
And if that were not enough, pop by Flickr and see today's 365days photo inspired by the project.
(If you are really good and ask nicely, I may just put the video on You Tube ;)
Enjoy!
Labels: Photography, Trunk Cast
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Contrasts
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Today has been a day of contrasts - I would however, like to focus on the good bits first.Richard and I took a drive down to Chartwell House today, a place we had only fleetingly visited in the past. The house is owned by the National Trust and is of great significance to the British Nation as it is the former home of Sir Winston Churchill.
We made sure we arrived early as the last time we visited it was too late in the day and there were no tickets left for the house. Well today we arrive din time to acquire tickets to the house and we spent a good portion of the morning taking in all the wonderful historical artifacts and treasures.
I do recall that Churchill's wife Clemmy didn't actually like the house, but Churchill insisted he bought it for the views of Kent - The Garden of England. As you can see from the photo's I took today, you cannot dispute his opinion of this.
This really is a lovely part of England, a romantic England. An England I enjoy and an England I fear is starting to disappear.
For those of you not aware, Churchill amongst other things was an avid painter and his studio (and indeed his home), is full of vibrant landscapes and scenes from around the globe. I can only hope I will amass such a collection of my work by the time I am in my 90's!
Of course even Churchills paintings are eclipsed by the splendid Monet which hangs in the Drawing Room!
This neatly leads me to my contrast. After living in Hertfordshire for 7 years I have never been to Blue Water - posthumously titled "Europes Biggest Shopping Mall". Well as we were that far down the M25 we decided to take a look. I wish we hadn't!
I (like every other queen on the planet), like to shop - or browse. But I was just disgusted by the sheer size of the place. The people there were slouching around likes zombies, all decked out like rejects from ITV reality TV program. Full of flicked razor cut hair styles and collars worn erect (and that's just the women!).
I hated it and I think it's safe to say we'll never be back.
I did wonder how an arcade of shops which contain all the labels and boutiques actually be enticing? Surely if labels and brands are sold in such enormous quantity to so many people (of various ages and backgrounds), doesn't it mean they all end up looking the same and wearing the same clothes? Whatever happened to individuality? I know this much volume of goods feeds consumers needs for choice but I fear Blue Water just feeds their greed instead. Sorry if your a fan of such places but to be honest - you can keep them!
Interested in visiting Chartwell House? Then pop over to my Google Map to find out where it is (and where else we have been over the Easter holiday)
Labels: National Trust, Photography, Richard, UK
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Redecorate your desktop!
Friday, April 06, 2007
I have created some new wallpapers today - one from a recent photo taken at Henley and two other illustrations...Check out the Wallpaper set in Flickr to see them in more detail and to download them.
Taster available here:
Labels: Photography, Wallpaper
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Messing about on the river
Sunday, April 01, 2007
We've had a lovely day today. The weather has been very kind to us.We took a drive down to Henley where we had lunch and watched the world go by - or rather the occupants around the higher reaches of the River Thames.
Henley is lovely as it's not too manic and there's plenty to see and do whilst just ambling along.
The river usually runs low and slow but today the tide was very high and had quite a bit of drag. We think a river up stream must have burst it's banks.
Today's browse along the riverbank was made more pleasurable by the plentiful amount of fit young men in rowing gear ;) I guess the fast moving tides must have been ideal for their training sessions.
Labels: 365, Hunks, Photography, UK, Weather
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