Chattering 15th July 07

Last weekend was definitely hectic. It started with a walk near Chesterfield with Billie Anne on the Friday. It was a good walk and enjoyed by all. The terminus was at Old Whittington where some of the conspiracy for the Glorious Revolution took place. The Glorious Revolution is the one where Roman Catholic James II got kicked out in favour of his daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange. A most intriguing struggle where Parliamentary democracy was chosen over religious freedom. Then onto Chesterfield to get something to ear (the Pub stopped serving food half an hour before we got to it but was happy to give us juice and crisps). Yes I know that Thursday was a wet day elsewhere, we saw plenty of showers just none decided to empty itself over us for very long.

Saturday Mum and Dad were over. We waited for Tesco to deliver and extra shop for the Monday, and then went and bought a second bird feeder. During the wet spell the sparrows and green finches were emptying a feeder every day but since it has dried up they have found other sources of food and the feeders are taking about a week to empty. As we were walking down there was a schools music carnival going around Devonshire Green. We watched a bit .Then we went to my local Chinese, well noodle bar to be correct. Mum ordered Sweet and Sour chicken while Dad ordered a noodle beef dish. Now the only one having any proficiency with chopsticks is myself and this is a proper oriental place (I actually think more likely to be Thai than Chinese) so if you failed with chopsticks they did allow you a fork but no knives! Then we went back to my flat before wandering into town to get Decaffeinated Coffee beans for Dad. I think it threw him to discover the shop had both medium and strong decaffeinated beans. Well they actually used to roast their beans on site when I was first in Sheffield.

Sunday did not happen due to a migraine. I think I probably had been over doing it.

Monday Morag, Tony, Jenny and Cait came over from the cottage they were staying at just outside Hope. Tony needed to go to the bank as a cheque had bounced and when I mentioned that the nearest bank was just down from Boots, Morag said she wanted to go to Boots. So we walked down to Boots, while Tony nipped down to the Halifax, we went into Boots to get Jenny a new comb and a nit comb for Cait who insisted on getting a brush as well. Then we popped over the road to SPCK where I got Cait another Veggie Tale video and Jenny a bracelet to help her recall the Lord's Prayer. This was in replacement for the Easter Present that went missing. Then we came back and Jenny, Cait and I prepared lunch. The Tesco's order was essential for this as it gave me the ability to get things like baby carrots and other half prepared stuff. I got Cait and Jenny making up tooth pick skewer for a hedgehog, which both could do together working amiably while I got the rest ready. Adult food was cooked in advance.

Then it was off to Ecclesall Park for outdoor games. Only the games were barely played with. Two problems , they were all introduced at once so the girls tried random games and secondly Tony wanted an ice-cream, so there was pressure to get through the games a.s.a.p and get to the cafe. Well as it was Bradfield ice-cream I do not blame him. Yes its good high quality locally produced stuff so is very good I believe (I only discovered it after I stopped taking milk) then a spell at the children's play park with Cait being far more ready than Jenny to move outside her comfort zone. Then finally a trip to Waitrose for the week's shop for them while I entertained the two girls away from the food aisle. Then a quick turn around and they went home while I got ready for a directors meeting.

Tuesday was a none day, with a migraine, however I did manage to get myself up and organised so as to join Morag, Tony and the girls at the Millstone for dinner. I have managed to get myself fixed up with Whizzgo and as I had invited Sarah for the evening, on the grounds that I suspected she and Morag would enjoy each others company, I hired a car to take us both out there. It worked really well, they only had the front bar open so there were not huge crowds of people, the girls looked to me to entertain them, though Morag had brought a bucking camel which was as moody as any real life camel could be and definitely did not want to lie down so its load could be put on its back. The food was decent and as all I needed to do to entertain people seemed to be to take them to the toilet hardly arduous.

However by Wednesday I was up and active again. Thursday was my study day and I got a decent amount of an interview transcribed plus had coffee at the Botanic Gardens (well a J2O and a mineral water to be exact) then went on to explore the Greenhouses where the plants have really grown and I ended up pushing my way through some of the larger planets just to follow the path around. There are some explanatory boards but unfortunately I did not find it easy to spot which plants they referred to in the jungle that surrounded them.

Friday I managed to get back into work. This Saturday I went walked to Greek through Ecclesall park, then got a lift back. I then slept before doing more transcribing, finished the transcribing yesterday so now all I need to do is take the transcriptions from the package they are in and put them into the analysis package and then I can try doing some sort of analysis on them.

Chattering on 3rd July 07

I have been totally disorganised over this for about the last tend days. Partly I think because on Sunday 23rd June I was so careful over doing all the extras to stop a migraine, I forgot to take my basic medication and therefore I had a really vicious one the following morning. The net result was the whole rest of the week was out of sync really with doing the basics.

On Wednesday I went to Birmingham to meet with my academic advisor, Stephen Pattison. It was a bit of a mixed day as it was the day after the floods so I decided to go early in case of train delays. Of course having decided that, there weren't any. Secondly I was meeting him on the main campus rather than where I normally "hang-out" which is at the Selly Oak campus. Although I have not yet found the food hall at Selly Oak I know where to get a coffee, where to work and how to get around the library. The main campus (Edgebaston) however has a Waterstones on it that is second to none in selling reading accessories. Well since I have discovered book chairs and how much easier they make serious reading, I have a bit of an addiction to those. I spoilt myself to some but the one thing that really does what it says on the packet is a PageKeeper.I can see me needing more of those as I very rarely have only two on the go. The actual meeting was great, but then if you ever want to get into a PhD students good books, then just let them talk about their research for three quarters of an hour without interruption. Got the train back and was in safely.

Thursday I took my first refresher driving lesson. I did very well considering it was the awkward day of the month so I was on more painkillers than I would have liked to have been. Yes I thought that that was not until a week later. However intriguingly they did not appear to affect my driving too badly, indeed Saturday's lesson when I was not on them, but had not got up properly so my shoulder was giving jip, was a worse lesson. Hopefully tomorrow I will have a fine day. The weather was still damp.

Friday was going to be Greek and then a normal day at work only to get a phone call from Billie Anne saying "how about dinner tonight?" to which I said yes. Went into work and was just settling only to get a phone call from Bill Armstrong who was worrying about the cellar. I had been studiously not asking questions just in case I got lumbered with doing more than I had already. To satisfy Bill I met him at the church and let him into the cellar. I think Bill is right in that he has a key, but has misplaced it. Anyway there was only a couple of inches in the cellar and he checked the hall as well. The buildings are reasonably water tight though some leading has been nicked from the disabled toilet. Daft thing is it is such a small quantity that it hardly could have been worth the effort.

Then in the evening went with Billie Anne to East One a noodle bar in the West One building. This is a regular haunt with me at present. I go there most weeks with somebody. It started last year when it was where Sarah and I went for Sunday Lunch, but Stuart also likes going there and then it is a place where they will normally find me a seat even if it is very full. They did that this time as we got the "staff" table hidden away at the back. They serve huge portions, so much so that Sarah and I shared one this Sunday. Billie Anne is great fun to have around. She is considering at the moment finishing her PhD, and while she is doing this buying a share in a flat in Sheffield. So after the meal we walked down town afterwards to see the changes in the city centre since she left and because I wanted to see the new Cathedral centre, we walked back of the Cathedral. What I had forgotten is that that is the central housing agents area. So we ended up looking at what they had in their windows that Billie Anne might be interested in.

Saturday was rather wet, so mum and dad did not come over. Instead I went shopping for a waterproof, I having lost my previous one earlier in the year and my summer one is loosing its waterproofing. Finally my very old one is getting too small. I bought myself waterproof trousers as well. I am also considering getting flowery Wellingtons as there is a shop just back of Central URC that is selling them. I have not yet been persuaded that the church cellar is going to flood often enough when James is away for me to need them.

Sunday was communion. Realised one reason why St. Andrew's communion feels so complex is we all have imbibed the fluffs of our predecessors as tradition and are trying to keep them going. They are going to be in difficulties in the first Sunday in October as I will be in Chesterfield that Sunday (it is my first official observation Sunday). Unfortunately I did not get to the Muslim -Christian dialogues as I wanted to get the second interview transcribed for Monday.

Yesterday I was down to see my supervisor. A good day and I am so used to working on the train that I now get more work done on days I am in Birmingham than days I am not. I also have got a radio mouse so I do not need to struggle with wires (why do they always get knotted no matter how carefully you put them away or how short a time. Got the train back and then because I had not had any papers for Elders decided that with Ian and probably James away they had decided to postpone it to next week.