It was my brother’s birthday this weekend. As it happens, he was celebrating at The Stiperstones Inn, a traditional ale house and hostel type place set in the heart of the South Shropshire Hills. As I was picking up my eldest from a training course in near-by Shrewsbury, it was easy for us to drop …
Monthly Archives: November 2008
Argh – dentist
I had a bad time at the dentist when I was a child and have never really got on top of the feelings from back then so even now, nearing 50, I still really hate going for check-ups let alone any work. I had a filling replaced today. The dentist and his assistant were brilliant, …
St John Ambulance
My eldest and, more recently, my wife are both members of this wonderful organisation. After two weekends of training, my eldest just passed her first examination and is now first-aid qualified (same level as typically seen in the "first aider" in businesses of five or more staff). She will go on to more advanced training …
New compact camera
I have finally found a good compact camera that means I can leave my usual DSLR at home. The new camera, an early Christmas present, offers full manual control and RAW mode.
Taxi driving father
I may have been away all week, but it falls to me to take my eldest to and from a training course on both Saturday and Sunday. Naturally, my daughter takes this service for granted and has to be reminded to thank me. Really is the last thing I want to do at the weekend. …
Another show in the bag
My youngest took part in yet another musical over the last few days. This time it was West Side Story and she was one of the dancers. The group she is with is a bit good and many of the leaders are very experienced usually having worked in the west-end. The theatre used is a …
Driving home
In theory. the latest project I am on is some 36 miles closer to home than my last project and the journey involves less congested routes. The exception is the merger of the M5 and M6 (something I used to miss as I travelled over the top on the M6 Toll). My TomTom’s traffic link …
Japanese food
We had a big team meeting/workshop this evening. We held it in a modest local hotel that happens to be owned by a large Japanese company operating nearby and whilst the basic layout of the hotel is fairly traditional British, the restaurant and hence catering (generally) is Japanese. The team met for the first time …
New beginnings
It is great fun being in on the start of a new project. There is an edge to everything as everyone involved is full of energy and passion about the project, about gaining an understanding of exactly what the right things to do are, identifying the right people to bring in. You get to meet …
The sales pitch
Had one of those calls from a senior bod last night selling a new project to me and seeking my agreement to come on board. Probably wasn’t optional, but it is nice to be treated as though it is. Tremendous enthusiasm (and strong language – to the amusement of my wife, who listened quietly from …