Thursday, March 30, 2006
CSI...
Just watched CSI from last night...WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON WITH NICK...AND THE MOUSTACHE...AND THE HAIR?????????????????????????????????
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Hell is Norwich
I have these journeys from time to time - I think I know where I'm going and then spend a good hour driving round a random town or village because I can't find my location - road names disappear, traffic lights get taken away - you know the kind of thing. I had a big mental block about the one-way system in Dereham for a good while...
Anyway, had a day off today to take Mum's computer to Norwich to hopefully get it fixed. There's something wrong with the tower, but Mum keeps saying she can't face sorting it out herself so I thought - take the bull by the horns and just get it done. I was aiming for a well known national retailer of computers - had the address and a rough idea of where I needed to go. Sadly not detailed enough and I didn't take a map...(my husband will tell you this is not unusual - just mention our trip to London - it's quite enough to get an hour long rant!) Got to the Cromer turn off from the ring road and realised it was completely wrong. So, pulled over, rang the shop and got a very helpful lady - went a bit like this :
me : I'm trying to find your shop - I'm in norwich and just turned off the ring road towards Cromer but i think that's wrong.
her : Yes that's definitely wrong.
me : where do I need to go then?
her : do you know where Asda or B&Q are? we're near there. Off the ring road.
me : not really, no. I've only just come off the ring road though so if I get back on it do I need to head back towards Thorpe or the other way.
her : oo. I don't know. I live in norwich you see, so I don't really know the names or numbers of any of the roads, I just drive to work. Follow the signs to the airport.
End of conversation. Sadly by following the signs to the airport I ended up ... the airport. Going the way I was round the ring road, the shop is actually the other side of the airport... Found it eventually but they were no help and too expensive to just have a poke round in the box. Ended up at a small independent computer repair place (very nice, but once again I turned off the road too early and was looking for it in the wrong parade of shops (how many can there be???)) - much more helpful, so I've left it there for a look. Apparently it's either the motherboard (potentially fatal due to the age of the machine) or the hard drive (more fixable). The annoying thing is that Mum has a laptop now so doesn't even need the computer itself, but is having some difficulty in motiviating herself into getting to know the laptop, whereas she's already used to the bigger machine. If the tower can't be fixed - maybe some kind of docking station could be fashioned - all the familiarity of the old system without having to buy a new tower???
Anyway, had a day off today to take Mum's computer to Norwich to hopefully get it fixed. There's something wrong with the tower, but Mum keeps saying she can't face sorting it out herself so I thought - take the bull by the horns and just get it done. I was aiming for a well known national retailer of computers - had the address and a rough idea of where I needed to go. Sadly not detailed enough and I didn't take a map...(my husband will tell you this is not unusual - just mention our trip to London - it's quite enough to get an hour long rant!) Got to the Cromer turn off from the ring road and realised it was completely wrong. So, pulled over, rang the shop and got a very helpful lady - went a bit like this :
me : I'm trying to find your shop - I'm in norwich and just turned off the ring road towards Cromer but i think that's wrong.
her : Yes that's definitely wrong.
me : where do I need to go then?
her : do you know where Asda or B&Q are? we're near there. Off the ring road.
me : not really, no. I've only just come off the ring road though so if I get back on it do I need to head back towards Thorpe or the other way.
her : oo. I don't know. I live in norwich you see, so I don't really know the names or numbers of any of the roads, I just drive to work. Follow the signs to the airport.
End of conversation. Sadly by following the signs to the airport I ended up ... the airport. Going the way I was round the ring road, the shop is actually the other side of the airport... Found it eventually but they were no help and too expensive to just have a poke round in the box. Ended up at a small independent computer repair place (very nice, but once again I turned off the road too early and was looking for it in the wrong parade of shops (how many can there be???)) - much more helpful, so I've left it there for a look. Apparently it's either the motherboard (potentially fatal due to the age of the machine) or the hard drive (more fixable). The annoying thing is that Mum has a laptop now so doesn't even need the computer itself, but is having some difficulty in motiviating herself into getting to know the laptop, whereas she's already used to the bigger machine. If the tower can't be fixed - maybe some kind of docking station could be fashioned - all the familiarity of the old system without having to buy a new tower???
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Desk
This is what my desk looked like when I got in last Monday - bearing in mind I had cleared it on Thursday! well, that's what spending a day at another office does for you...
Hurrah!
Spent an exciting day yesterday painting the boiler cupboard and creating some shelving for our stuff. Picture makes it look pretty ordinary though - should have taken a before one as well... But a day full of new learnings - stuffing holes full of polyfilla and news papers, buying planks from B&Q, realising they won't fit in my car, going back home to get Leigh's car and buying them (!) and my first go with the jigsaw!! It took a couple of gos to get the hang of the thing, and my cuts are less than straight but it was pretty good and much better than attempting to hand saw the planks. And I'm quite pleased with the result - all my own work! Also good opportunity to sort out the linen and hide away all the pillow cases and tea-towels (which for some reason seem to number in the hundreds...) in the loft making the cupboard look far more roomy. I really ache today though. So not fit - supposed to be doing the Breast Cancer Race for Life in May - that'll be a laugh.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Ernest Part 2
Yes, I have just done 3 blogs in a row - thought it would be easier to read than one mammoth one??
Anyway, the saga of Ernest (my grandfather on my mother's side) continues. I thought I'd be clever and try to look up on the census who was living at the house Mabel was in service in about the time she had Ernest (just in case, you know!). Sadly, only the census' (censii??) up to 1901 are available for public browsing - the ones after that are still confidential.
But in 1901, the occupants of 6 Stanley Road were William, Mary and their son George - can't properly make out the surname. William was a house decorator. Wonder if they were still there in 1909?
Anyway, got a bit carried away after that so I also looked up our house now - 33 Waterloo Road to find that in 1901 it was occupied by Robert, Annie and Robert junior Malden, Robert was an assistant inspector of port men (at least that's what it looks like - sounds a bit suspicious to me!!). Then tried the house where my mum lives now in Great Yarmouth and where I spent my older childhood years but no luck - I think I remember anyway seeing old maps of Yarmouth and that our road didn't exist until the 50's - all sand until then. But...the house where I lived until I was about 9 was there - occupied by Thomas and Mary Harvey and the little Harveys Ethel Gladys, William Thomas, Leo (?) Frederick and Gertrude. That would have been a squash!!!
I'll have to stop now - getting a bit obssessive, but it's fascinating!! If I were to change jobs, I think I'd go into something like this - family research - I love the hunt for clues!
Anyway, the saga of Ernest (my grandfather on my mother's side) continues. I thought I'd be clever and try to look up on the census who was living at the house Mabel was in service in about the time she had Ernest (just in case, you know!). Sadly, only the census' (censii??) up to 1901 are available for public browsing - the ones after that are still confidential.
But in 1901, the occupants of 6 Stanley Road were William, Mary and their son George - can't properly make out the surname. William was a house decorator. Wonder if they were still there in 1909?
Anyway, got a bit carried away after that so I also looked up our house now - 33 Waterloo Road to find that in 1901 it was occupied by Robert, Annie and Robert junior Malden, Robert was an assistant inspector of port men (at least that's what it looks like - sounds a bit suspicious to me!!). Then tried the house where my mum lives now in Great Yarmouth and where I spent my older childhood years but no luck - I think I remember anyway seeing old maps of Yarmouth and that our road didn't exist until the 50's - all sand until then. But...the house where I lived until I was about 9 was there - occupied by Thomas and Mary Harvey and the little Harveys Ethel Gladys, William Thomas, Leo (?) Frederick and Gertrude. That would have been a squash!!!
I'll have to stop now - getting a bit obssessive, but it's fascinating!! If I were to change jobs, I think I'd go into something like this - family research - I love the hunt for clues!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
I knew today was going to be bad, but this morning was absolutely rubbish. Thought my first appointment was in Watton - but the clients turned up at Thetford! So, mad dash to Thetford, putting me half an hour behind. Got reception to call my next client to see if they could stop her from leaving home for about half an hour as I would be late - she had already left and by the time I was at Thetford was waiting in Norwich! Couldn't wait around for me and the alternative I suggested she couldn't do and the alternative she suggested I couldn't do!! Bah! Rotten way to start the day and did not feel good about that. Got better after that, but still makes me feel unprofessional...
Strange sightings
On the way to orchestra last night got stuck behind two cars going very slowly with their hazard lights on - thought they might be towing, but no, it appeared that the lead car had a rather large unsecure mattress balanced on his roof! I guess the second car was there to point out when it flew off...because you wouldn't notice a large mattress falling off the roof of your car...
BTW - very excited about the programme for the July concert - Berstein Candide overture, Grieg's piano concerto and Dvorak's New World Symphony. It is going to be wonderful!
BTW - very excited about the programme for the July concert - Berstein Candide overture, Grieg's piano concerto and Dvorak's New World Symphony. It is going to be wonderful!
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Walking on broken glass
I have been trying to find a copy of the video (Annie Lennox) for this on the web, but the only one I found needed me to install something on the computer which the firewall wouldn't let me do! If anyone has any ideas... I was listening to it in the car today and seem to recall it had Hugh Laurie and Stephen fry in it (?) but I may just be confusing myself with French and Saunders send up of Dangerous Liaisons, because there's definitely a lot of corsets and wigs going on in both!
And Friday is shaping up to be a fun day - I will be at 4 of the 5 firm offices at some point - we're starting at Watton for an early appointment, then over to Thetford (which is where I usually spend Fridays - some kind of cruel and unusual punishment no doubt!!!). Then to Bury for a meeting and a retirement lunch for one of our secretaries. Then to Norwich for a will signing (client going on holiday next week, usual last minute panic to get things finished which have been hanging around for months) and back to Thetford for what's left of the afternoon! I'm going to be spending more time in the car than anywhere else......
And Friday is shaping up to be a fun day - I will be at 4 of the 5 firm offices at some point - we're starting at Watton for an early appointment, then over to Thetford (which is where I usually spend Fridays - some kind of cruel and unusual punishment no doubt!!!). Then to Bury for a meeting and a retirement lunch for one of our secretaries. Then to Norwich for a will signing (client going on holiday next week, usual last minute panic to get things finished which have been hanging around for months) and back to Thetford for what's left of the afternoon! I'm going to be spending more time in the car than anywhere else......
Family ties
Had an errand from my mum last week - get a copy of her dad's birth certificate. He died when she was 18, but she has a great love and admiration for him. Anyway, it appears he was born out of wedlock to his mother who was in domestice service at the time and mum wanted to know if there was a "father" named on the certificate - I think she was hoping for a link to nobility somewhere along the line! After lots of waiting (and lots of Leigh telling me there'd been phone calls saying the certificate couldn't be released because of national security (royalty!) considerations) - it finally arrived, but was blank!
I think mum suspected that was what it would be, but interesting all the same. Makes you think as well - Mabel was only 18 when she had Ernest and was in service in Eastbourne far away from her family in Cambridgeshire, having to cope with that all on her own, and not married (it was 1909). Poor girl.
I think mum suspected that was what it would be, but interesting all the same. Makes you think as well - Mabel was only 18 when she had Ernest and was in service in Eastbourne far away from her family in Cambridgeshire, having to cope with that all on her own, and not married (it was 1909). Poor girl.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Public safety...
okay, I have to put these on my Blog as well - particular gems are numbers 1, 7, and 10. Enjoy!
Smells
No, not to be too crude about this, but one of the worst things about my job is that fact that I have an office next to the toilet. Now in a modern building this probably wouldn't be too bad - but my work is in an old converted house (you know the kind - the attic floor is like an oven in summer, freezer in winter, and there seems to be no happy half-way) and my room is literally completely adjacent to the toilet. There's only really one offending person (not Rosie the dog as some may think - although she has produced some quite awful smells, and still thinks you'll want to rub her tummy! [yes, it is a real dog - boss's collie - she joins us when noone else is at home in the day and there's risk of mauled furniture]) and it was quite terrible today...oh dear.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Can you hear the people sing...
Brilliant day! Thought I ought to catch up on some blogging and have been especially busy the last couple of weekends.
Last weekend involved journey to Nottingham for cocktails, a great meal (at a restaurant I often passed at uni but never tried) and far too much wine...followed by a 7am dash back to Ipswich for a concert rehearsal. Concert in the afternoon which went really well - hopefully lots of very happy and musically inspired children in Ipswich now!
Today have been to London, treating Mum to a matinee of "Les Miserables" for her birthday (last Friday). The show was absolutely ace - I saw it first on Broadway when we went to New York, somehow Leigh mystically managed to get front row seats - today we were in the upper circle but it was great to see the whole stage and it really was wonderful. Mum said she really loved it so mission accomplished!
Not much on tomorrow thank goodness - really need to do more revision - tax exam coming up...
Last weekend involved journey to Nottingham for cocktails, a great meal (at a restaurant I often passed at uni but never tried) and far too much wine...followed by a 7am dash back to Ipswich for a concert rehearsal. Concert in the afternoon which went really well - hopefully lots of very happy and musically inspired children in Ipswich now!
Today have been to London, treating Mum to a matinee of "Les Miserables" for her birthday (last Friday). The show was absolutely ace - I saw it first on Broadway when we went to New York, somehow Leigh mystically managed to get front row seats - today we were in the upper circle but it was great to see the whole stage and it really was wonderful. Mum said she really loved it so mission accomplished!
Not much on tomorrow thank goodness - really need to do more revision - tax exam coming up...
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