Easy - Like A Sunday Morning!

My Sunday began at 08:49 when the cat decided she wanted to muscle in to bed. Her slow ponderous walk across the territory that is my voluminous bulk woke me up. I decided at this point it was best to get up and answer natures call.

Between 09:00 and 10:00
Prepped a load of vegetables ready to be made in soup (leeks, carrots, pots, 'snips, brocolli, cabbage) which I then steamed first (thanks woodstock). I added a tin of butter beans and a tin of green lentils (well rinsed), to a large stock pan added the water collected by the steamer ( good stock) and added some water pinch of seasoning and some mixed herbs and left the lot to simmer for about 30 mins before roughly blitzing with a stick blender.

Whilst this was at various stages of developent I made some bread dough which became ciabatta rolls. They were meant to be for lunches through the week - but as ever - homemade bread just does not last as long as shop bought! - probably because it tasted tons better than the shop bought pap!

I also whipped up bacon rolls for breakfast

10:00 to 15:00
Was mostly spent looking at stuff for work - putting the finishing touches to a PowerPoint Presentation that will be used when we deliver a 'workshop' session at the National ICT Hub Annual Conference, which is being held at the Emirates Stadium on 28th March 2007.

The presentation has taken hours to put together. Having been the victim of several appaling presentations in my life, most of which have involved the presenter using really boring PowerPoint slides which they proceed to read out as if they are a teacher addressing 7E.
We have been very careful to make sure ours is not dull and boring. It is instead lively, vibrant, has movement and music and THEY'D BETTER LIKE IT!

I have also been looking at something for my dear friend Woodstock who has been tasked by his chapter of the BNI (yes BNI not BNP) to develop a way fo recording meetings between members. My very dear friend is an excellent painter, decorator, handyman etc - check out his company AKS Services, but his computer skills are a bit limited. We operate a barter system, I do computer stuff for him and he does odd jobs and decorating for me. It works very well.

I also have had to try and diagnose a fault with my daughters laptop and suspect it is a faulty hard drive, but in the meantime I have got her machine working by running a live boot version of X-UBUNTU (a particular flavour of Linux) so although at the moment her whole machine is running off a CD she can connect to the internet and check emails and websites etc!

I have also sorted out a problem with one of the memory cards we have for the digital camera.

I didn't watch the football as my boys nearly always lose to Chelsea - so discover my shock when I found out that not only did the match end 3-3 we were 3-1 up at half-time and this was at the Bridge as well.

For much the same reasons I did not watch the Rugby either, the way we played against Ireland was so bad the was only going to be one outcome of the game against France - we would win it of course - Typical! I did manage to catch snippits of the Rugby on the Radio when we went over to Littleport to pick Sian up from her friends house. On the way back we stopped and had an Ice Cream which we ate whilst walking along by the river. (It has been a perfect spring day in this part of the world.)

We were a bit peckish and our path back to the car took as past the best chips shop in town so we had to have a portion or two of chips in paper cones and use little blus plastic forks to eat them with!

When we got home it was put a chicken in the oven, have a cup of tea and then go across the road to the Community Rooms and assist Lindsay in her cleaning duties thereof.

Having cleaned the community rooms it was back home. Do a bit more work, then watch some TV.

We had dinner about 7 - 7:30

After dinner, I watched a bit more TV, but fell asleep!

Anyway. It's now 23:40 and its time for bed.

Why England Fail On The Big Sporting Occassions

After the recent lack lustre performances of our soccer team may be they could learn from those who play with oval balls (leave it out - behave!).

<---- Click Here!

I mean Morris dancing is hardly going to intimidate the opposition! Mind you they will be laughing so much we might stand a chance...

Smile

Click on the Smiley Face

Sit back.

Relax and be prepared to laugh your socks off!


Priceless!

Jackanory, Jackanory, Jackanory, Jackanory

People who know us are aware of our inability to go out anywhere and have a normal day out, or undertake the simplest tasks without it turning in to a 5 Act Wagnerian Saga. Over the years we have accumulated many tales of just such adventures.

Some of you may have already read these - I refuse to apologies - it's your own fault for being sad and leading boring ordinary lives.

Rather than post all the stories in one go I shall post them at regular intervals under the Jackanory banner.

I would like to thank all those involved in our adventures for their (unwilling/unplanned/innocent) participation. (You know who you are)

The say Truth is Stranger Than Fiction - It can be a lot more painful.

The North Face of the Eiger

Once upon a Saturday afternoon, the week after Christmas 2006 I was getting ready to put the Christmas Tree and the boxes of decorations away in our loft.

I needed to spend a few minutes in the loft moving stuff around so that I could actually get up there and put things away properly rather than jammed in around the loft opening.

Before I went up in to the loft Daniel asked me if I could look for his old Action Man stuff. As anyone over 40 will know when you have three things to do at the same time you just about manage to remember two of them and forget the third. So I forgot to look for the Action Man stuff..

Daniel starts giving it some lip and says that he will go up in to the loft and look for it himself.

So intrepid Chris Bonnington sets out from Base Camp with light equipment, no breathing apparatus, and no emergency rations as this is after all a merely fact finding climb before starting a proper ascent on the North Face.

Supported by Sherpa Dad our intrepid hero starts his climb and get 2/3rds of the way up the ladder and develops a terminal case of brown trousers and aborts the attempt due to adverse wind conditions.

After a brief discussion with the Climb Controller (aka Mum), our brave mountaineer makes his second attempt at the exploratory climb, and, like a rat up a drain pipe completes the ascent in 3.2 seconds (although this will not stand for record purposes as it was a wind assisted climb). Triumphant and overjoyed at his success Daniel strikes out across the plateau and after a minute arrives at Camp Action Man (a small collection of boxes halfway along the loft).

Reassured that the Action Man stuff is still in the loft and has not been taken, under cover of darkness, to a jumble sale or charity shop, Daniel carefully retraces his steps to the edge of the plateau and makes preparations for his descent.

It is at this point he decides that he cannot get down out of the loft. We start with some gentle cajoling and general reassuring that all he has to do is kneel down sling his leg on the ladder and Bobs your Uncle, Fanny’s your Aunt.

Obviously not reassuring enough as he still is not convinced at the ease of the descent. “How did you get down off the 20 foot climbing wall?” we asked, (the previous half term he had been up and down a mobile climbing wall when it came on to our estate)

“Abseiled!” he cried. “After someone pushed me off as I couldn’t let go at the top!”

By now Lindsay and I are beginning to think that letting him up in the loft was not a good idea.

“You’ve been up in the loft before with Roger(the plumber) and you got down OK so what was different then?” “He had a big pair of step ladders and I only had to put my foot down a little way on to the flat step bit at the top” “Go and get our step ladder Dad I can manage on that!” I tried to point out this would be futile as our steps are very short and hence the reason for the ladder we have now.

Change of tack. We send in mountain rescue! I go up in to the loft with Daniel and Lindsay is on the ladder to help him climb down. Easy! Yeah right!

I managed to get him in to descent position and he has one leg over the top of the ladder which Lindsay is holding in place (the leg and the ladder) and Daniel is clinging on to my trousers like his very existence depends on it. I am in the process of helping him move the other leg on to the ladder when he starts to freak out. He goes ram rod straight and stiff, screaming that we are trying to throw him down the ladder, that he can’t do this, he hates us, get the other ladder!!!!!

Daniel is totally hysterical so we try the slap the face routine- that worked - he accuses me of assault as well trying to throw him down the ladder and mentions Child Line, I said I get him the phone and dial him the number.

Sian is beside herself and totally freaked by Daniel’s behavior and screams up for us all to shut up. He starts to hyper ventilate.Lindsay goes down stairs to get a paper bag to stop the hyper-ventillation to find Sian collapsed on the floor surrounded by broken glass and she shouts up that I’ll have to get my own bag as Sian is unconscious.

I decided to fore go the paper bag and instead fetch said ladder from shed and take it up stairs. Daniel takes one look at it and passes comment about how short it is and he thought it was taller. By now I have lost it. I shorten the ladder by one step, climb up to the loft opening, invite Daniel to step on to the ladder other wise he won't need the ladder to get down out of the loft.

Eventually after 45 mins I manage get him to terra ferma. You will not be surprised to hear that Daniel has removed Mountain climbing from his list of work experience options for year 10.

It's amazing what you find when your looking something else!

Whilst hunting for a particular photo I came across some 'pics' taken on our trip to York just before Christmas 2006.
We stayed at the and it was great. We love staying at the Hostel but this was a real treat.

Be warned some people may find the following images disturbing. You have been warned.

<- Daniel trying to look cool outside Shared Earth

<-- Our mate Michael a.k.a the Purple Man.
If you ever meet him ask him to
tell you about the ostrich!

York Minster in all its Glory

"Reflections" (c) Paul Jefford 2007

Sian trying to ignore Stephanie
her nose piercing!

One is a phat bloke in a silly hat
The other - The York Eye
(like the London Eye only further north!)
(all pictures are the property of Paul Jefford (c) 2007)

Hobbits On Tour!

The Cambridgshire Lodge of the Most Esteemed Order of Latter Day Hobbits held its first commitee meeting of the year at Anglesey Abbey, Lode, Cambridgeshire.

In attendance were -

Pearl Bunce of Brockenborings - Social/Events Secretary

Hambut Bunce of Brockenborings - Chairman
Lobelia Bumbleroot of Fair Downs - Secretary
and Mungo Bumbleroot of Fair Downs - Treasurer

(every wondered what your hobbit name is? click here)



The Cambridgeshire Lodge of the Most Esteemed Order of Latter Day Hobbits - l to r Hambut, Pearl, Mungo & Lobelia








The first order of business was - FOOD!!! Homemade soup and homemade cheese& onion scone.
After this important item a motion was passed - well the ladies powdered their noses, and we are too gentlemenly to ask why they take so long ...!!!!

As their were no Proudfoots or Proudfeet it was a case of Best Feet forward and a very enjoyable stroll round the Winter Walk. (It is easy to imagine oneself back in the shire!)

After this very strenous activity it was proposed and seconded, thirded and forthed that afternoon tea was required. So tea, scones, cream and jam were consumed to assuage the pangs of hunger and give us the strength to last until dinner!

The meeting was adjourned with the date of the next lodge meeting being - as soon as possible!

Remember - Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather, to skid in sideways, glass of wine in one hand and chocolate dipped strawberries in the other, body thoroughly abused and totally worn out, screaming "YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAW!"

Much love to all fellow hobbits

Where did February Go?

I believe that 2007 had a month called February. Personally I don't remember seeing it so I can't comment, but those whom I trust tell me it did exist. Perhaps, as it is a short month, I blinked and I missed it!

Apart from being frantically busy at work and beginning to have a bit of a social life, plus going on courses etc I am having to diarise sections of my days to breath in and out!

Enough already! In all seriousness what have I been doing for the past month?

Getting over the shock of England actually winning 5 Cricket One Day Internationals back-to-back and winning an O.D.I. trophy.

Watching England's Rugby Team begin to look like it knows how to play the game (well, yes, lets not mention Croke Park!).

Attending a Linux Training Course, and a MS ACCESS course.

Having a £290 haircut! - Let me explain, I went to town one afternoon to get a haircut only to find the barbers shut, so I made the mistake of looking in the music shop window and falling in love with a guitar that I simply had to have so I spent £280 on a guitar and £10 on the haircut the next day!

BTW the guitar? An Aria Travel Guitar. It is nothing more than a guitar neck - with the tuning pegs at the wrong end - and it has a couple of detachable frames that turn it in to a more conventinal guitar shape. It is also electric - well it can be used through an amp. Absolutely fantastic, and it fits in to a case about 90cm x 30cm x 8cm ( 3ft x 1ft x 3 inches).

Lindsay was absolutely thrilled!!!

Speaking of Lindsay, she and I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary on the 16th Feb.
Feastivities started with a bouquet of carnations being delivered to Lindsay, who not only was not at home when they arrived, spectacularly failed to notice a huge great cellophane wrapped arrangement, laying on the kitchen table when she did get home!!

Dinner at Pizza Express was followed by a concert at the Haywood Theatre, Ely(part of the Kings School - arranged by the local Rotary Club, of 1940's big band music - Glen Miller, Count Basie, Duke Ellington etc. The band - OPUS 17 - were excellent, and Lindsay and I revelled in the fact that we could count the number of people younger than us on the fingers on one hand! It was a definite mothballs and pearls do!

Daniels finished his latest stint at the Green Box, Education Alternatives Unit, at Witchford and is now back at City of Ely Community College, albeit on a much reduced cirriculum and time-table. Put simply, because of all the time Daniel missed when he was off ill, it would be negligent of the school to expect him to carry on with a full timetable, and try and take 9 or 10 GCSE's. SO they have decided to concentrate on Maths and English plus photography (which is Daniel's particular favourite) and they will introduce Science and I.T. back in to the mix in a couple of weeks.

Sian is still doing OK at college, although she has just been a through a short "Am I doing the right thing?", "I hate all my subjects" lack of motivation phase, but a chat with her tutors has put her back on track.

Well that's it for now. I'll try not leave the next post so long!