Glynn's Blog...

Paul Carrack

2012-01-09T15:53:00.002Z

…and his band were just wonderful yesterday evening. Mark and I had seats on the front row at the centre…and although the body may be 22 years older, the hair a little thinner and greyer, it matters not at all because that beautiful voice is ageless. So, a Grammy version and a hot and sweaty version of Mike Rutherford and B.A. Robertson's epic song that will forever be owned by PC. Please enjoy one of the few songs that inevitably makes me cry when I hear him sing it.

2011-12-24T09:49:00.001Z

It's been an unusual year in so many ways. For an [admittedly superficial] insight into the personal stuff, here's the Christmas letter that went out to the dwindling band of recipients that still agree to have it foisted upon them at this time of year...or are too good natured to join with the growing band of those who say "Naaaahhh...don't worry about sending one this time".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yep, it’s that time of year - I’mtaking a short break in thrashing the outside lights intosubmission/illumination to write this. For those of a nervous disposition,please feel free to jump down to Robyn and Mark's more interesting paragraphsbelow the fold. However, if you're up for a quick romp through Glynn's yearthen here goes...

Progressively organising things toenable me to work out of a laptop, partly through good fortune (butmainly by design), means far less commuting now and a much betterview out of my office window than I have in Stoke. I'm very lucky in that mymanagers have either not noticed or just don’t care too much. It’s outputand results right? Not being *seen* to be around the place like some sort ofacademic ballast. In fairness, many would argue that academic ballast sums meup rather well though.

Fortunately, the online coursesthat I've been working on throughout the year have recruited strongly - so muchso that I fear their perceived success might compromise my increasinglydesperate attempts to organise a sensible exit strategy into acaffeine, alcohol and e-book reader fuelled retirement. Negotiationscontinue...not that I'm desperate to leave by any means, although there arelots of changes taking place at the University right now and my eventualresting place after all this turmoil is far from clear. 2012 will indeed be ayear of change.

Medically, my body struggles toconceal the ravages of time, neglect and occasional misuse. Imagine a crossbetween Keith Richard and a tortoise. That’s me that is. I tried statins butafter a few weeks on these I started to feel really weird so the Doc and Iexchanged emails and off I came. New Year’s resolution is back to the gym tojustify my continued membership - of the gym and the human race.

Music-wise it’s been a busy timewith a mixture of stuff. Jools Holland [postponed from the end of 2010 becauseof snow]; Paul Carrack [twice in fact]; the EU Chamber Orchestra and theEnglish Chamber Orchestra [but not both at the same time]; Paul Brady; BrianWilson at the Festival Hall; Ralph McTell; Glen Campbell; The Hollies; TomPaxton; Bob Dylan and Mark Knopfler [at the same time but not actually on stagetogether…if you get my drift] and, just last week, Coldplay.

Seriously funny/clever people seenand sometimes chatted to include; Bill Bailey; Chris Cox; Jon Richardson; KenDodd [he was on my bucket list - so shoot me!]; Derren Brown; Rory Bremner; TimBrooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, Jeremy Hardy, Barry Cryer and Jack Dee at arecording of I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue; Uncaged Monkeys - Robin Ince, BrianCox, Ben Goldacre, Simon Singh et al in Manchester and London. OK, maybe I am stalking them - so shoot me again!

Not too many serious-only peoplealthough Richard Dawkins & Sam Harris together at Oxford’s fine oldSheldonoian Theatre was a real highlight. Other memories, in no particularorder, include The Anvil Company struggling desperately to complete an open-airperformance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Washout at Little Moreton Hallbefore the heavens opened, our new front bedroom windows and moving my mum to anew apartment in Madeley in the early summer where’s she’s now happy andsettled. This. was. hard. work. Oh, and having tuition to help improve my spoken French -it’s a slow process, weaning me off years of Franglais.

Finally, I must end my bit on adesperately sad note. Our wonderful friend and companion for so many years,Taz, died a few weeks back. I cannot begin to describe the myriad of ways inwhich I miss her and, for me, she will for ever remain simply the finest, mostbeautiful cat I’ll ever know. For over 15 years she tolerated my strangelifestyle and gave more love and affection that I ever had the right to expect- provided she was fed regularly and allowed to sit on my knee, of course. Iknow that I speak for Rob and Mark, and all those others who’s lives shetouched, in saying that her loss is irreplaceable and her memory is so verysafe with every one of us.

Taz Skerratt, we salute you.

Robyn says:

I started 2011 looking for a permanent job in town planningwhilst continuing to work temporarily in Birmingham. I was lucky enough tosecure a job in London in March. In April I began working permanently in alarge property/professional services company as a graduate town planner. I have been working at the company fornearly 8 months now and time is really flying! I work in the retail planningteam and like to think that I can now call shopping ‘research’.... perhaps! Iam currently working towards becoming a Chartered Town Planner which takesapproximately two years.

I have been very lucky this year and been on holiday threetimes. In August, I went on a whirlwind trip of Europe, visiting three capitalcities in six days (Bratislava, Budapest and Vienna)! In September, I visitedPortugal and in November Dad and I visited Berlin for my 25th birthday. Billyis always telling me I have too many holidays!

I am spending Christmas back in Stoke and in the New Year Iam moving house to north London and hopefully halving my commute!

Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year,

Robyn x

…and Mark says:

Hi, this year seems to have gone so quick and I can't believeit's Christmas again. I've spent most of the year working between Stoke andPortsmouth. I'm in the last 9 months of my apprenticeship for Network Rail,when I finish ill become an Signal and Telecoms Engineer working mostly aroundthe Stoke area. I'm really looking forward to finishing my apprenticeship.Apologises in advance if you're train is delayed around the Stoke or Crewe areaif you're told it's 'Signalling Problems'. I managed to get sometime inthe sun going to Spain for a week which was a great break, shame about thesummer in England though. Hope you're keeping well. Look forward to hearingfrom you soon.

Have a lovely Christmas.

Mark

So…wherever you are, have awonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year. .. and best wishes from us all.

Morning sun over the cathedral

2011-07-22T07:27:00.001+01:00

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Main engine start...and the final shuttle flight begins.

2011-07-08T16:42:00.001+01:00

p22.mov Watch on Posterous

And it looked superb.

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Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution! | Video on TED.com

2011-07-08T11:23:00.000+01:00

Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution! | Video on TED.com

I can think of no better way to bookmark this video, and no better way of reminding myself to watch it more frequently, than to post it here. Spoken with a gentle, lilting and engaging voice, with a manner that blends the perfect mix of deep intelligence and humour, we all have much to learn from the likes of this man.

Next up...

2011-02-06T08:48:00.001Z

And with a leap and a bound we're into February. In other news, during January, the whining dishwasher was repaired by the nice man with the new inlet valve. I miss the double act between the Wailing Hotpoint and Taz wanting her breakfast that provided the stereo high frequency start to my mornings.

Much work done - despite apparent evidence to the contrary. Lots of online stuff and a couple of trips down to London - once for CIWEM work and the other to give a Masterclass to a conference about the 'transition to a sustainable NHS'. They have their work cut out with that one. If you know me you may wonder how ever I came to be invited to present a masterclass on that topic...a thought that occurred to me more than once on the train on the way down too. Still, all seemed well...no mass exodus, 100 happy(ish) participants at the end of it and my scars are beginning to heal.

Lovely January music from Paul Carrack and the resheduled pre-Christmas Jools Holland gig. I also went to see the European Union Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jerome Akoka and featuring some astoundingly good violin playing by Nicola Benedetti and the brilliant flautist Daniela Koch.

Off to Finland today for a few days work and play and then the outside chance of a short trip [aka business opportunity] to Dubai to do some environmental/watery stuff there in mid-Feb. Good time of year to go...leastways, it is from the cool, grey, windy mid-Feb. UK perspective. That is unless you like cool, grey and windy of course. It'll make an interesting contrast to Helsinki that's for sure.

Hill Street Blues

2011-01-04T18:59:00.001Z

As luck would have it, while out Christmas shopping and nosing around Chester's Smith's DVD dungeon I found a box set of the 1st season of HSB. Strangely, it's got a 12 cert. from the BBFC and a 15 from the Irish Film Classification Office. Strange - I don't remember it as that racy. Groundbreaking for sure, but still... Anyhoozl, looking forward to catching up; I've spent a lot of time since 1981 trying to act as cool as Frank and, more often than not, performing more like Mick Belker.

Annual Review

2010-12-28T10:21:00.000Z

For each of the last few years, around the end of December, I've followed the good advice from @chrisguillebeau and others and taken stock of things. Looking back over the last 12 months, thinking through and writing down what went well and what didn't.

Then, looking forward, consider what you want, what you need and what you'll have a pop at. With ruthless realism, and a dash of bravado, condense that into an outline plan and bingo...game on.

This year's no exception, and with 'converge with quality' as the running theme [as long as I know exactly what that means to me then that's OK] it's time to hit a coffee shop and finalise 2011's set list.

Just wish I'd dropped on all this 30 years ago. You live and learn.

Hello, good morning and welcome

2010-12-27T12:03:00.000Z

...as Sir David used to say. Actually, he probably still does on Al Jazeera.

My half-baked resolution 12 months ago about producing a minimum of one piece of worthwhile blog each week during 2010 came to nought. I think it's probably less to do with lazyness than the fact that I already do a lot of expressive [and, to a limited extent, creative] writing in the online teaching work I do, so I feel less need to put finger to keyboard on a blog - at least on any regular basis. The other thing is that my faltering stream-of-conciousness output can usually be scrunged into 140 characters or less and so gets pushed out through the Twittersphere. This isn't necessarily a Good Thing, but it does help explain the absence of much >140 characters on here.

We'll see how it goes during 2011 - in the meantime, for those who may be interested and whom The Skerratt Clan haven't yet inflicted their yearly report on...here's what we got up to during 2010.

Hello again

I’m writing this on the way back home from Helsinki having left an icy and snowy Finland at an unearthly hour on this bracing December morning. The reason for my early start was that, this evening, as has happened on each of the last few years, I’m due to have dinner with friends and family at a local National Trust property - Little Moreton Hall. It’s an old Elizabethan black and white timbered building that opens specially around Christmastime each year. Tramping up the drive on a cold and frosty evening to a warm fire, well prepared local food and good company is always a great start to Xmas. Much better than wrestling with retail websites and waiting for the payment to clear before the browser freezes.

OK - to business. For me, mercifully, another interesting and entertaining year work wise. I toyed with the idea of ‘spending more time with my family’ over the summer but, not surprisingly, Robyn and Mark were keen to talk me out of that. Then the University told me they’d like to become an Enterprise Reader and so, without fully understanding what one of those does, I thought I’d give it a whirl. It seems that one of those does more or less the same things that I have been doing for quite a while now anyhow, and for the same money, but with a little less of the admin. and paperwork. So that’s just fine with me.

The online training units that I mentioned in last year’s letter [come on, pay attention now please] have proved to be really successful and I’m delighted for our partners who market the things for me, and for each and every one of the participants who vote with their credit cards and put so much effort into completing each programme…many of whom then come back and do another course too. Continued teaching on the off-campus MSc programmes and some European Commission work in Brussels and Luxembourg kept me out of mischief for the rest of the time, together with a few visits to Southampton Solent Uni. as external examiner for their undergraduate geography programme.

I went down to Cornwall on a couple of occasions to begin work on setting up a 3-year knowledge transfer project (which, for those who know me well, may seem a little strange given the duration of the project and the relatively meagre knowledge they know I possess). Fingers crossed that the funding comes through and we can make it happen - not least because the partner company is located only 30min. away from St. Ives - a favourite old haunt from my teens. The downside is the 6+ hours rail journey each way. Other visits to the Southern Tyrol, Finland and Denmark during the year have been interesting and informative. As a friend reminded me last night, I’ve now been travelling to Finland for over 20 years - scary! Where does that time all go?

I was so proud to attend Mark’s graduation from year 1 of his apprenticeship scheme with Network Rail in the summer. Rob and I made the long drive down to Portsmouth and we all had a wonderful day. Then, just last week, I loaded my mum into the car and off we went up to Rob’s [post-]graduation award at Manchester where she received her Masters in Planning. Great venue, lovely atmosphere…and, to celebrate, we shared fish, chips and peas from the best chippy in Cheshire when we got back home. She won’t tell you she got a Distinction - but I will.

Other things I saw and heard during 2010; Michael Frayn’s play Copenhagen all about Niels Bohr and Heisenberg [who, as all us scientists know, was probably right]; a fantastic fun night out with Robyn in the West End to see Mamma Mia (it’s a great show - if you’ve not seen it, go and enjoy); the great singer/songwriter Paul Carrack (so good, in fact, I went twice); the English Chamber Orchestra & the legendary guitarist John Williams; Don McLean - yes, we all sang along drinkin’ whiskey and rye; Crowded House - who always create such a great atmosphere at their gigs; Mark Knopfler - who played like the genius he is; Jackson Browne - who gave us an evening of wonderfully crafted songs and sweet music; Crosby, Stills and Nash - who, again, played and sang so beautifully, and The Hollies - who make all of their back catalogue sound as fresh and as melodic as when I first heard their records all those years ago. Once again, Jools Holland and his Band are set to round off the year in fine style next weekend…as long as the promised snow and ice don’t materialise and render the M6 impassable that is.

As for interesting people, there were talks and book signings from/by Newsnight’s Gavin Esler; the Coalition’s Vince Cable; the House of Lords’s Shirley Williams; the magically brilliant Derren Brown (he called Robyn up on stage to help with a trick…and she couldn’t figure out how he did it even from that vantage point) and comedians Paul Merton (+ a few of his chums) and John Bishop, both of whom were really great value. Tomorrow night sees a date with Tim Minchin and, as last year, I won’t be taking my mum to this one either. Now a word or two from the more important members of Team Skerratt:

Robyn says:

January 2010 saw the start of the second semester of my postgraduate course in town planning at the University of Manchester. In June I moved out of my flat in Manchester and back to Stoke. I spent most of the summer writing my dissertation with the exception of an enjoyable holiday to Morocco in July. I submitted my dissertation in September and shortly after this I started a work experience placement at Shropshire Council for two months in the planning policy team. I left Shropshire at the end of November and began a month long placement in a planning department of a large property company in Birmingham. The New Year will see me looking for a permanent job in planning. I will let you know how I get on in next year’s instalment...

Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year,

Robyn x

…and Mark says:

Hello! I'm currently working for Network Rail as an apprentice Engineer working track side on Signals and Telecoms equipment. Really enjoying my job but it's not very nice when you’re outside in the cold repairing equipment. If you’re in the Stoke area on the train and it's delayed, its not my fault.... I promise. Still going to Portsmouth every few weeks for training and will be for 1 more year. Hope that you have had an excellent year and the New Year is even better.

Taz, of course, wishes everyone a happy Xmas…as long as she is allowed to join in the fun by knocking baubles off the tree, sharpening her claws on the presents under the tree and chasing imaginary mice around the tree.

So…wherever you happen to be, we all wish you a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year.

Well said that family!

Liverpool rocked to CS&N tonight.

2010-07-07T22:56:00.001+01:00

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A little delayed, but so very welcome. 1st sweet peas of the year.

2010-07-07T07:28:00.001+01:00

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My editorial assistant.

2010-07-05T09:57:00.001+01:00

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The first of the day...well, third actually. But it's Saturday.

2010-05-23T19:01:00.001+01:00

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What teachers do...or should do

2010-01-27T11:18:00.002Z

"In addition to teaching a subject, good teachers can foster an appreciation of rational argument and scholarship, inculcate a habit of distinguishing between opinion and evidence, nourish a sceptical rather than cynical cast of mind, seed an inclination to ask questions where others see nothing, and encourage a sense of responsibility for the common good."

And that's why I do it - or rather help learners learn.

The Skerratt's Christmas wrap

2009-12-24T15:13:00.003Z

For those of you spared the hard copy version enclosed with the card, yet who have a lingering curiosity about what we might have been up to during 2009, please enjoy...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello again

It’s that time of year. The usual health warnings apply here – if you have an aversion to these Xmas outpourings of last year’s trivia then please stop reading now and recycle this immediately. If you have a morbid curiosity then please continue…and if you’re really interested…well, then we can soon put a stop to that.

On balance, a good year overall, I think. Mind you, it didn’t start off too well when I found myself jogging along for a train at 7:30 am one cold morning in January and, within sight of the platform, felt a familiar twang in my leg remarkably reminiscent to the one I’d felt ten years earlier when I’d knackered my Achilles tendon. This time it was the other leg. A full set! Joy. Nevertheless, I staggered on to the course validation meeting – you’ll be pleased to know that I easily caught the train (it was late, of course) even if I found it a bit of a challenge getting from platform to carriage. Turns out it was a partial rupture this time so 6 weeks in coloured plasters of varying hue and no driving meant that I missed having to spend too much time out in the snow that we had during February – apart from getting new plasters fitted that is.

Less travel this year than last, mercifully sparing me the increasingly frustrating ‘airport experience’, although in fairness I should publicly state my appreciation to Manc. Airport for getting loads of new scanners installed and to Birmingham Airport for being manageably sized and practically impossible to get lost in. There were visits to N. Italy, Finland and Germany, along with multiple trips to London to work on Institution and Science Council stuff that enabled me to experience the full glory of 150 mph travel at Mr. Branson’s eye-watering West Coast Mainline prices. Good job that side of things was taken care of for me otherwise I think I’d be bankrupt.

Work has been fun – and, yes, I know, I am a very lucky boy to be able to say that. I found interesting and exciting things to do on most days and, as last year, spent a while over in Brussels doing some work for the EU. I managed to put on around 3Kg through sampling the legendary Brussels cuisine and then ran out of trousers that still fitted and money. New Year’s resolution #1; I must spend more time reviewing these proposals this year and less time eating. During the latter part of 2009 much time has been spent developing online training units that have just been launched. At my age we tend to find this kind of thing really exciting so I sense that much of my energy will go into trying to make a success of these during 2010.

Finally, I should add that I experienced the indignity of steering an MSc programme in Environmental Forensics successfully through to full award status only to see it withdrawn less than a year later. Such things have to be put into context (I am told) – I am neither bitter nor twisted, despite the evidence of pin-pricked voodoo dolls of the Faculty Management Team littering my office floor suggesting otherwise.

A great year for music: a really wonderful concert by Jackson Browne and also a memorable, magical evening in the company of Crosby, Stills and Nash. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were on top of their game and did me the honour of letting me get up-close-and-personal twice this year - in Tampere in Finland and in Munich. I fear it may be the last I shall see of them for some time; I hope it wasn’t to be the last ever but there was a sniff of that ‘feeling’ about things and they can’t keep pushing out that kind of energy to tens of thousands of people at each gig indefinitely, much though that would be my dying wish…not for me you understand, more as a legacy…oh never mind!

The U2 gig in Sheffield was a truly remarkable experience, given the spot in the Golden Circle I was corralled into, and the Coldplay spectacular in Manchester left me hoarse and with a wonderful warm glow in the heart. It also inspired me to buy 3 ringtones from the Apple store [so it must have been a very good concert – Ed.]. Tim Minchin in Buxton was just brilliant, although I couldn’t have taken my mum to see him. Buxton was also the venue for a really sparkling evening from Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. The Hollies sounded great (again) and Ralph McTell was really on top form too. His voice just gets better. I even checked out the Hallé Orchestra earlier this month, complete with lights and fireworks. As last year, Jools Holland will be the last gig of this year, just before Christmas and, again, as last year, I know it’ll be loads of fun.

People seen, listened to and occasionally touched during 2009 included Clive James, Paddy Ashdown and Gavin Esler. All well worth the time and money if you get chance. Bill Bailey (who really is a very funny man) and Eddie Izzard (who was just fantastic) made me laugh a lot.

Lastly, I can’t go without a mention for my New Toy – I got an iPhone. Just brilliant. As a fully signed up geek I can confidently suggest that if you’re tempted, or even only half-tempted, then invest in one. Your days will be filled with checking out 1,000s of helpful/beautiful/useful/pointless applications [delete as necessary] that will enable your smartphone to run your life for you. Almost, anyway.

And Robyn says…
As I mentioned in last year’s instalment, I set off on my 5 month long adventure in January leaving behind a rather cold and wet British winter. The journey in began South East Asia where I spent 2 months travelling around Thailand, Laos, Malaysia and Singapore. From there, I flew to Australia and spent just over a month on a road trip from Cairns to Melbourne. The next stop on the journey was New Zealand taking in all of the sites of the North and South Island. In early May I flew to Santiago, Chile and spent 2 months exploring part of the west coast of South America (mainly Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador).

There were so many highlights on the trip including hiking the Inca Trail, glacier walking in New Zealand, scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef and riding elephants in North Thailand! I could talk about my travels all day...but I kept a blog while I was away, so if you would like to find out more... http://robynsroundtheworldadventure.blogspot.com/.

In September, I moved to Manchester and started a yearlong postgraduate course in town planning and urban regeneration at Manchester University. I am really enjoying it so far.

I hope that you have had an enjoyable 2009. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

And Mark says…
Happy Christmas everyone! It was my 21st Birthday this year, I was lucky to spend it in Italy with the family before i moved to Portsmouth. This year i joined the Network Rail Apprenticeship program which is based at HMS Collingwood near to Fareham which is close to Portsmouth. I’m training to become a Signal Engineer working on maintance for the rail network. I live and work on Naval Bases at the moment. I train at HMS Sultan and live at HMS Collingwood. Very strange walk to work going through check points, always needing my pass to get anywhere in base. My depot is the Stoke-on-Trent one which is just down the road only being few minutes’ drive away from the house. I was lucky enough to defer my degree so I can do my apprenticeship with Network Rail. Hoping to start it up again next year while I am doing my second year of the apprenticeship so a fair bit of work to do over the next year.

That is the big news really in my life. I spend most of my life down in Portsmouth and come back most weekends. Shame I do not get free rail travel though. Hope you have a very merry Christmas and a great new year. Look forward to speaking to you soon.

And, finally, Taz says…
Meow…and all the very best for 2010.

Wherever you are, we all wish you a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year.

Zoom...

2009-12-17T08:36:00.002Z

"What was that? That was your life mate. Wow - do I get another one? Nope, 'fraid not, that's your lot"

5 months has gone by just like that . From a damp ex-Staffordshire Building Society we now find ourselves in the grip of mild panic as the Met. Office issue a severe weather warning for SE England. This is as nothing compared to the severe shopping warning that I have issued to myself for the coming weekend - Chester, Cheshire Oaks and Hanley will all be affected.

I have plans to improve on my quantity and quality of written output starting 2010 - I know, I know........I KNOW Sybil...yes, I've said this before. But this time it's different, just like it was last time :) Oddly, I suspect it actually is rather different this time, but we shall see.

Meantime, here's a quote from Adrian Hamilton that enabled me to place my coffee mug down with a grunt of agreement as I reached for the keyboard to write this. Not a particularly uplifting paragraph but close enough to the truth to make me wince a little.

"The invasion of Iraq was one of the most damaging acts of post-war British politics. The decision to go in, the total lack of preparation for the aftermath and the insouciance to its consequences, was down to one man and his relationship with a US President bent on reshaping the world in America's own image. But that Blair was able to proceed for the weakest of reasons is also down to a Commons that allowed him to roll over them and a bureaucracy too supine and self-regarding to stand up for what they say now they believed in then."

The Staffordshire Building Society

2009-07-26T08:36:00.002+01:00

A sad sight - I remember this friendly little branch of the local building society and the kind way that they treated me the first time that I went in. Some years after that I remember the letter from the Portman saying that despite the ~~takeov~~...erm, merger, ther was no intention of changing the local brand for the Staffordshire. Then I remember seeing Portman slapped all over it. Then Nationwide zapped Portman. And Nationwide have a branch around the corner and down the High Street of course. Voila.

Back to Brussels

2009-06-14T21:26:00.001+01:00

More proposal review work brings me back to Brussels for a few days, not too long after returning from a short visit to Finland doing some work there and also to see Bruce Springsteen again at Tampere. Brussels is humid tonight and there was some very strange music coming out of the cafe across the road from the hotel. One glass of wine and the sight of an unfortunate crawling around the pavement a little the worse the wear was enough tonight. Early night and double expresso in the morning should set me up for the day ahead.

Plastic everywhere

2009-04-30T18:37:00.002+01:00

An enterprising solution to the seemingly ubiquitouos problem of waste plastic wrapping and bagging.

It's back...

2009-04-19T07:52:00.001+01:00

Service @ Skerratt.com resumes - or so it seems. Now I must begin the updating. But first, 2 days in Brussels working with the EU and, before that, the joys of the M6 and Birmingham Airport.

Journey to the Darkside

2009-04-17T21:31:00.004+01:00

Skerratt.com has gawn...erm...dark. I tried to be too clever by half and update the nameservers for the . com, .org and .net sites only to find that they have all moved into some form of domain registration propogation limbo adjacent to the 6th circle of hell. Things have been a little flakey for a while as I hosted the site with one company whilst the domains were run from another - no big deal in itself but when you throw in the .org and the .net pointing to the .com and the pages for the .com living 250 miles away as the crow flies then with me in the mix it's a recipe for disaster.

Anyhow, I have now set in motion the transfer of .com so that it can co-habit with the site content. We shall have to wait and see if they become happy bedfellows and fellowesses...as a first step seeing something resembling the old site rather than a parking notice would be a great start.

Patience grasshopper...and another glass of wine.

El Capitan - the hard way

2009-04-16T21:44:00.001+01:00

Anyone who has been to Yosemite and looked up...and up...and up...from the bottom of that BIG mountain they have there will appreciate this lovely short vid. narrated by a member of the first team who climbed it.

Brian Cox speaks of Carl Sagan

2009-04-13T10:44:00.003+01:00

I miss Carl - I miss looking forward to hearing and seeing him on the radio and TV and I miss reading his ideas and descriptions of the things that matter most in our world.

Like Brian, I was also one of those who sat and listened and watched every one of those 13 episodes of Cosmos, and, through Carl, began to understand for myself the awsomeness and the beauty and the intrigue and the wonderful, jaw-dropping shear scale of those 'billions and billions' of stars and the unimaginable distances and dimensions between them.

One thing that has lived with me since the time I first heard Carl describe it was that we are all made of 'star-stuff'. All of the atoms except hydrogen that go to make each and every one of us has, at some time, been in a star...somewhere...long ago. That is just a staggering, humbling, fantastic concept to grasp. 'We are made of star stuff' - I've just found the quote in my hard back copy of the book on page 233. Bought at the time of the original transmission, re-read on countless occasions and treasured greatly, this book along with The Demon Haunted World has done more than I realise in shaping who I am and how I think.

"For we are the local embodiment of a Cosmos grown to self-awareness. We have begun to contemplate our origins: starstuff pondering the stars; organized assemblages of ten billion billion billion atoms considering the evolution of atoms; tracing the long journey by which, here at least, consciousness arose. Our loyalties are to the species and the planet. We speak for Earth. Our obligation to survive is owed not just to ourselves but also to that Cosmos, ancient and vast, from which we spring." — Carl Sagan, Cosmos.

The Ultimate Speeding Granny Story

2009-04-05T22:13:00.001+01:00

This just made me cry with laughter. Sorry Mrs. Bishop. I think it was your husband's triple bypass bit that really did it for me.

Proof negative

2009-03-27T17:06:00.001Z

I suspect my friend Sir Compton may have something to say about this.

The in's and out's of prostate cancer

2009-03-19T08:46:00.001Z

Two parallel stories in this morning's papers. Thumbs up [so to speak] from today's Telegraph:

All men over the age of 50 could be tested for prostate cancer after the largest international study ever conducted suggested that screening could save thousands of lives a year in Britain.

Whilst it's bad news from the NY Times:

The PSA blood test, used to screen for prostate cancer, saves few lives and leads to risky and unnecessary treatments for large numbers of men, two large studies have found.

Sunday dinner

2009-03-15T20:02:00.001Z

I'm hoping the bisphenol A conc. in the M&S cabbage medley container is not too high. Very tasty though.

My ideal personal trainer

2009-03-15T13:02:00.001Z

...would have to be someone like Craig. Anyone who can finish off a post thus is OK with me.

"Why did I choose step-ups for this illustration?

Even though they ain't always a bunch of fun, they absolutely work. Apart from being accessible, convenient and practical, high steps also burn a shit-load of calories and hit the butt and legs very (very) effectively. I mention that small fact on the off chance that you know of someone who is in need of work in that.. er... region."

Two important things that you don't learn in the Fracture Clinic

2009-03-14T19:34:00.001Z

Maybe they're self evident, or maybe I've just forgotten since it happened 13 years ago, but...

1. Don't feel the need to exfoliate as soon as the plaster comes off. After doing so - even gently - give it 10 min. and you'll feel as though you've had a nasty dose of sunburn and that'll last for days. Wash by all means, but it's allowed to stay (relatively) manky for a while until nature takes its course.

2. Don't believe those who tell you there's no need to wear some sort of support thing for a while - in the case of a lower leg in plaster then the anti-DVT socks work just fine. Whenever a plaster comes off there's loads of swelling as the fluid hangs around where the muscle used to be. It's only temporary, and it disappears overnight whilst you're lying flat, but, if you're like me and want to start *doin'* straight away after you're liberated, then you'll find that, after getting out of bed, the affected limb starts to swell quite dramatically - the more so as you try to use it more and more. Help control it with some support clothing.

For those with sunburn and swelling...then, of course, you're welcome to join my club. We will know better next time, won't we? :)

S'no white cast for me

2009-03-06T14:41:00.002Z

Red, blue, green ANYthing but white please.

Ryanair and that non-tree hugging Mr. O'Leary

2009-03-03T08:43:00.001Z

A long time ago I used to fly with Ryanair quite a bit. I really don't think I'd care to use them again now. It's not me being snobbish, and it's not that the flight and the cabin crew don't try, it's just that the company is apparently run by a megalomaniac and they consistently pander to the very lowest common denominator. Nice safety instruction sheet here by the way.

Aside from the time when I brought a civil action against them for faffing me around, arguing the toss about whether to pay me compensation for losing my bag [not that I hold a grudge - I managed to extricate a cheque from them for over £100...quite a haul in those days], there's the issue of Michael O'Leary. This is the Michael O'Leary who says:
"We will double our emissions in the next five years because we are
doubling our traffic. But if preserving the environment means stopping
poor people flying so only the rich can fly, then screw it".

Er...right. Numpty.

Many Happy Returns Dr. Seuss

2009-03-02T12:20:00.002Z

For 'tis his birthday - Google tells me.

Happy birthday - from Dr. Skerratt. xx

A leg end in its own right

2009-02-25T10:52:00.002Z

Remiss of me...for the next fortnight it'll be purple again. I must buy some underwear to match.

Johnny Owen

2009-02-25T08:41:00.001Z

Johnny Owen presents a really good morning show on Signal 2. Just wandering in and out of the kitchen now and again, I keep hearing so many wonderful bizarre things. Being reminded of the names of a couple of his listeners, Kate and Sidney Pye, for example; the irrepressible Bob Blackman who will be fondly remembered by those of us of a certain age; the Double Dutch Elvis singing barely comprehensibly, but very Elvis-like; being reminded to get the brussels started about the beginning of December so they'll be ready on 25th...simple, trivial funny things seemingly just mentioned in passing, but no doubt requiring serious forethought. He's great with the audience participation thing too. It's a different set of stuff every day and whether it be asking people to call or text in if they've ever been chatted up by a 'B/Z' List celeb., or any of 1,000,000 other fairly pointless questions, there always seems to be a bunch of Stokies who respond in spirit and with great humour and self-deprecation.

These days, I just can't deal any more with a DJ's inane babble - I happily make an exception in Johnny's case.

Where Are the Italian Girls?

2009-02-22T18:46:00.002Z

Working my way slowly (part-way) thorugh a very expensive bottle of Amarone this evening -- it brought to mind a great song I used to sing along to as I drove to work many, many years ago. NOW I remember why I go to Italy so often, and probably drink too much vino rosso too - must be la donna Italiana belissima.

Hello darkness my old friend...

2009-02-18T21:12:00.005Z

And a tour is planned later this year - I fear money will need to be spent and a journey planned. Wonderful, wonderful memories. There's a less-good quality vid of The Boxer here, although the vocals shine through. For a clean version, after a couple of minutes of Letterman's babbling there's this - and those of us of a certain age can close our eyes and we can be 18 again; no trouble at all.

Max Madden and Dennis Skinner in conversation

2009-02-17T17:26:00.006Z

...although not with each other.

The Asylum and Immigration Appeals Bill debate in 1993 may not sound as though it was that memorable, but I do remember this interjection by Max that seems to have been fielded by Mr. Winnick without so much as a loss of stride.

Of course, Dennis Skinner is not one to be outdone and so here's a short extract from the business of the House on 22nd April 1993:

Spam

2009-02-16T21:43:00.002Z

This arrived in my inbox earlier today. Not sure that I'd want to work with a Kunte. Just sayin'.

Infallibility huh?

2009-02-15T09:03:00.002Z

It is Galileo Galilei's birthdate - and from Oxford Reference Online:

"At the first interrogation, Galileo denied that his book defended the earth's motion, claiming instead that it showed the geokinetic arguments to be inconclusive. There followed an out-of-court meeting during which he was persuaded to plead guilty to this charge in exchange for leniency. At the next deposition he admitted having defended the earth's motion but insisted that he did so unintentionally. The trial concluded with a sentence that did not exhibit the promised leniency: the cardinal-inquisitors, instructed by the Pope, found Galileo guilty of “vehement suspicion of heresy,” an intermediate category of theological crime; forced him to recite an abjuration, expressing sorrow and cursing his errors; sentenced him to indefinite house arrest; and banned the Dialogue."

And now they've apologised, over 350 years later. Makes you wonder how much else 'they've' got wrong, or are getting wrong. Let's not get me started.

Time for a change

2009-02-10T16:43:00.003Z

For the next two weeks - it will be thus. The following two weeks, it will be something else - possibly camouflage or leopard maybe.

Attention Spans and the Internet

2009-02-09T18:39:00.000Z

Here's an interesting post; just long enough for me, engaging, food for thought and a bit scary all at the same time. I can relate to it.

Snow-crazed stoat 'goes berserk'

2009-02-06T21:26:00.000Z

Strange animals, stoats.

Reminds me of an evening over 20 years ago when my cat, Pobbs, must have happened on a sleeping or inebriated stoat and persuaded it to come back home with her, inviting it into the house and asking it if it would like to make its way into the living room. The first that I knew about this was catching sight of something moving swiftly across the floor as I watched telly whilst having my tea. I was uncouth then and things haven't altered much since. Anyhow, Robyn, who must have been about 3 at the time, was also having her tea and watching the telly with me. We looked at each other, in silence, but clearly both thinking, 'Did you see what I think I saw?'

I was tempted to finish my food and pretend it was merely the after-effects of the chemicals I'd been using in the lab. earlier in the day. Couldn't let it rest though, so I had to go crawling around the floor looking under furniture. Assuming that I was looking for a mouse, I became a little concerned when I saw eyes clearly belonging to something more substantial peering at me from beneath the chair.

2 hours later, supporting thick gauntlets and my weapon of choice - the burger-cooking-thing you use on the BBQ - and with Robyn kindly being looked after by the next door neighbour, I was still chasing the bloody thing around the room trying to catch it. Pobbs, of course, was not remotely interested in continuing to build any sort of friendship with the stoat and had retired to bed. Eventually, I had to resort to desperate measures - it was either me or *it* and I was fading fast. It was too stupid to allow me to escort it to the back door and bid it farewell [see BBC linked clip above in support of my dismissive view of the mental capacities of stoats] and so it became personal and there was only ever going to be one winner. At the end, I don't know who was more exhausted, the stoat or me.

So...Glynn 1 : Stoat Population -1

Strange animals, stoats.

Something to look forward to

2009-02-05T08:47:00.003Z

Although I didn't know it when I booked it's Roy Bittan's birthday gig too so that should make for an interesting evening. Just have to find out where it is now...not Munich you understand, the Olympia Stadium :)

Not a leg to stand on

2009-02-05T08:11:00.003Z

A subtle shade of green. [Memo to self; pedicure required should further plaster/colour variations require posting].

On a lighter note, the promised snowdump for this morning has begun although I suspect it will not be as heavy as originally thought. Still, the view from my office window is pretty:

My new best friend on Twitter

2009-02-04T15:07:00.002Z

Update:...should have read new best friends - not sure now which is more scary:

Gold in that there sludge

2009-02-04T07:50:00.003Z

Interesting to see renewed interest in metal extraction from sludge ash - albeit high value metal from source with clearly skewed discharge. I spent a lot of research time, with others, looking at the practicalities and economics of metal removal from sludge ashes in the UK. Not a topic likely to set the Royal Society alight, I grant you, but still...

Anyway, in the UK at least, with improved control/removal at source (where the effort was rightly placed) and the fact that water companies are in the drink and poo business, not the acid extraction, solvent concentration and metals business, nothing ever came of it.

Around the time I was doing all this I remember talking to a Japanese guy who explained how they vitrified sludge ash at one plant and sold the product as jewellery - pieces of this Craptonite adorn my office window ledge to this day. Looks a bit like jet, smells not at all.

Dusty

2009-02-03T22:01:00.003Z

Her voice was just the best - and, to my shame, I'd forgotten just what a fantastic job she'd made of Goffin and King's superb song Goin' Back.

Thinking young and growing older is no sin
And I can play the game of life to win

And I can play hide and seek with my fears
And live my days instead of counting my years

Perfect.

An opportunity to redecorate

2009-02-03T21:29:00.002Z

Tomorrow is ultrasound day - I hope there are no whales close by to confuse. Strangely, the appointment letter came through itemising a scan on the 'AT' left and right. Maybe there's something that they aren't telling me, or maybe they just figured that I'd have ruptured the other one anyway given it's been over a week since they've seen me and my batting average thus far has not been spectacular.

So, I guess I should get an idea tomorrow, just from the feel of the thing, whether it's likely to be another few days plastered followed by manipulation, or another several weeks of immobility. Either way...what colour to choose? Decisions, decisions. The pink is perhaps a little too 'Stabilo Boss' for my liking, the blue rather too, well, blue...so I guess the green looks promising. A twitpic or blogshot to confirm in due course.

Adopt a Word

2009-01-31T16:23:00.003Z

OUP has launched Save The Words. You can now adopt one, as long as you promise to use it frequently and save it from extinction. My word is 'mingent' - adj. - 'discharging urine'. Example of use would be:

"I believe that a mingent miscreant has been here recently"

Oh, I wonder if miscreant is under threat...

More on the Great Stokie Oatcake

2009-01-30T21:43:00.002Z

Another sustainable enterprise that's under threat.

What's wrong with embracing the past and building on it, as opposed to flattening it and putting down more concrete and steel that no one wants to be anywhere near?

Truth is...

2009-01-30T18:16:00.004Z

...I'm not sure whether purple really suits me.

John Cleese and some good points about being creative

2009-01-29T19:35:00.000Z

...can be found here.

Medical update

2009-01-29T19:31:00.002Z

Fracture Clinics are strange places - all the inmates have that 'resigned' look and move in slo mo. Almost everyone has a smile for you and that knowing look that says "Yeah...me too...bummer isn't it'

Am now the proud owner of purple plaster cast containing offending limb - ultrasound scan to be arranged next week (so at least we'll find out if I'm pregnant) and then back to see the Consultant-type-person the week after. Maybe off then...maybe not. Can't wait.

A funny thing happened on the way to the train...

2009-01-28T21:53:00.002Z

You think you're a little late but you'll probably make it and not disappoint the others who are waiting at the station for you. You walk quickly...jog even...just to make sure. You see the station entrance and pick up speed a little crossing the road then, suddenly, TWACK! You shaft your Achilles tendon.

You know this because you remember the feeling and the sensation a full 12 years ago when you shafted the other one on the badminton court. But, like last time, you think it's a temporary if somewhat painful interlude that'll just go away once you've sat down........or maybe rested it later that evening...or after a good night's sleep. But, like last time, it doesn't and so, unlike last time, you go to the doctors after 2 days rather than waiting two months.

Then you find yourself counting the hours until the 9:30 appointment at tomorrow's Fracture Clinic - knowing that left leg problems mean that, unlike last time, you can't even get away with driving an automatic. You consider what spending 48 hours in hospital after surgery might actually be like - given that you have never stayed in hospital before. You think about how spending 2-3 months in plaster will actually work out and all of the things you'll have to learn and re-learn to do...just like you did last time. You wonder if it'll hurt, especially if they allocate a physio like Hattie Jacques.

In the overall scheme of things my problems are truly insignificant - but, just for tonight, things are a little out of shape. I hope that by this time tomorrow things are a little straighter.

--G.

Posturing and laughter as victims rot

2009-01-20T08:13:00.000Z

Al-Jazeera showed the ever-more putrid bodies being tugged from beneath cross-beams and crushed concrete as these mighty potentates debated their little disputes. There was really no adequate comment for this charade.

Indeed.

Today

2009-01-16T22:22:00.006Z

...has been a strange day for several reasons. Not least, because Robyn set off on her Big Adventure, boarding a plane to Thailand and thence by foot, train, goat, catfish and tuktuk through Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and then on eastwards. She will not be back until the days are long, the sun strong and the BBQ sizzling. Safe journey snazzy daughter - I love you.

John Mortimer has died. Another person who graces my office wall - a newspaper clipping picture showing him working behind his desk at the family home has been an inspiration over the years when I've been stuck for words. Looking at that now, and remembering when I saw him in Norwich, of all places, about 10 years ago, it seems strange that these memories and the wonderful Rumpole and Brideshead will be all I have left. I fear that I shall miss him more than I care to admit to this evening.

Monbiot-Flying Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

2009-01-13T09:29:00.000Z

George steps up to the plate, or rather the Aga - and says it rather well, I think.

Bagels

2009-01-10T09:19:00.002Z

I've long suspected that the cinnamon and raisin bagels I've been buying over the years have been going downhill. After a brief visual investigation one morning last week, this morning I was moved to conduct a full scale experiment - dissecting one into small segments and counting the number of raisins present. There were four...FOUR...so most therefore got donated to the birds [which should please Taz who's bleakly looking out of the window at a wintry back garden and counting her chickens, or, in this case, sparrows].

Anyhow, back with the bagels, you'd have thought there might be some EU ruling on this. I can't believe that 4 per bagel is acceptable - is it? And they're not made in New York...they're made in Rotherham. Pah!

V. Meldrew.

Wedgwood Is Going Bankrupt Because It Forgot the Lessons of Its Founder

2009-01-10T08:44:00.001Z

Yaaayyy...Stoke finally gets its name into the Old Grey Lady. Sadly, not for the best of reasons. In fact, the Wedgwood factory is a little way outside Stoke, in Barlaston, so I'm not sure it really counts. The dramatic decline in the UK ceramics sector over the last 20 years, with famous names such as Royal Doulton [became part of Wedgwood], Spode [becoming part of history],...I needn't go on... has forced the city to really confront the issue of regeneration and the future that it wants for itself. Sadly, I'm afraid it doesn't have all of the answers as yet.

At last, some good news from the gym

2009-01-05T20:48:00.004Z

Namely that after my last 2 visits when, on both occasions, the mp3 player died on me after about 90 seconds leaving me at the mercy of the babbling piped local radio station, this evening [armed with 2 spare batteries] I actually got music of my own choice for the full hour-and-twenty or so. Not much in the overall scheme of things I grant you, but, for me, it was a treat.

Just in case anyone's interested, I use a sequence of great pop songs - you know, the sort that Jeremy Clarkson would advertise driving at 240 mph in a Bugatti Veyron around Stoke's one way system - but here's a couple of kickers that help raise my game when I'm losing it.

#1 If you're around my age and when you're about 20 min. into the bike or stepping or rowing thingy, and it's starting to hurt a bit, then stick this on - the song with the best introduction ever, Sniff 'n' The Tears; Driver's Seat

As Sniff sniffs:

'Pick up your feet
Got to move to the trick of the beat
There is no elite
Just take your place in the driver's seat'

...and you do. And you work hard through to the end of the song without realising it and then flump in a hot sweaty heap.

#2 When the tummy crunch thingy really starts to take its toll then step down the weight by 10kg or so and bang on Genesis; No Son of Mine as loud as you can stand it...the next 6.5 min. will just fly by.

So, in summary, tonight I managed to slightly overdo it, deafen myself and grow hoarse from singing without realising I was doing so. And this gym stuff is supposed to be good for me!

NYT's - A President Forgotten but Not Gone

2009-01-04T09:19:00.000Z

"Bush failed because in the end it was all about him" I think Frank Rich has it about right.

And then there's Phil...

2009-01-03T22:20:00.003Z

...and I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I first heard this. And it's as powerful and haunting now as as it was then.

Just perfect...

2009-01-03T10:05:00.003Z

The quiet version. These days he'd never be able to get away without the crowd singing from the beginning....10 years ago we might have been singing from 'Show a little faith...' after which the band would tumble into the full on version, but in this '75 version, Bruce and Roy Bittan work some real magic together.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T13:31:00.002Z

Overcoming my Yank-bashing urges following the previous post, I paste here the 2008 Skerratt newsletter for posterity. Some unfortunates have already received hard copy of this - including the appropriate health warning in para. #1 to immediately recycle on the bottom of the budgie's cage if they had an aversion to such notes. If you did happen to read it already then see if you can see the minor alterations that made it into the final edit here...and also the bonus paragraph.

Hello again

2008’s almost over and it’s time for another canter through Glynn’s, Robyn’s, Mark’s and Taz’s year. If you hate the idea of Christmas newsletters and/or can’t stand the thought of ploughing through the trivia of our last year’s highlights and lowlights then feel free to discard at this point and recycle. For those of a more daring persuasion…read on…

Odds and sods to report for Glynn – he has some snazzy new glasses that are taking some getting used to, resulting in the floor seeming 3” closer than it really is and him only feeling comfortable lowering his eyes when slowly walking backwards travelling on a downwards moving escalator.

Workwise things have been the usual mix of puzzlement and wonder coupled with plenty of trips to keep me regularly appraised of the, at times seemingly glacial, progress on the upgrading of the West Coast Mainline, and also the installation of squillions of new scanners in various termini at Manchester Airport. In no particular order of merit: institution work in London – lots of; several visits to Helsinki and the S. Tyrol/N. Italy for work and fun – on one occasion to the latter with Mark and my mum (so I’m not sure which category that might fall under!); some EU work in Brussels kept me busy and exceedingly well-fed for a few days, and delivering a workshop in Colombo in February helped me remember why I like the place so much.

Musicwise: Matchbox 20 – a great gig and a great band to see if you ever get the chance; Mark Knopfler and the band played two of the coolest gigs I’ve ever been to – one in Manc. and the other in Bolzano (don’t ask, it’s a long story, but thanks to Mark for making the trip with me and pl. scroll back through the blog for more information about the memorable ‘meal-before-the-show’], Bruce Springsteen in both Manchester and Cardiff…and also on a sunny balmy evening in Helsinki. All 3 of these were simply towering performances – I guess you either ‘get’ Bruce or you don’t…no prizes for guessing my camp; Coldplay – who walked all the way to the back of Birmingham’s NIA mid-set and played a couple of songs from there, making a spectacular gig even more memorable; Ralph McTell played a lovely set at Buxton in November…and played a simply beautiful ‘Naomi’ just for me – honest. Finally, right before Xmas it will be Jools Holland - again, at the NIA. It was May ’07 when I last saw him [yep, had to look that up and, yep, seems like only yesterday]. Looking forward to a good night there as well.

Peoplewise: Saw David Tennant in a wonderful RSC production of Love’s Labours Lost – he was great and the overall performance by the whole cast was captivating. Another truly great evening with Eddie Izzard at the Lyric – including sharing champagne with him and his PR dude outside the stage door after the gig but that’s another story for another day. Also attended talks by, and met and shook hands with, Tariq Ali and Douglas Hurd. Very different people but each completely justifying the time and effort spent in going to listen to them. In November, spending an evening with Jonathan Miller was just brilliant, and I finally got to say thank you to him for inspiring me in so many ways over the last 40 years.

It’s barely worth reporting but Glynn also needed to smile for the Sigmoidoscope camera back in Feb. – just an age and general wear and tear thing (ed. that doesn’t really scan too well, you know). All was OK and one of the nurses even commented that it was the cleanest gut she’d ever seen; max. respect to the inventor of Picolax here, I think. Mind you, I bet she says that to all the boys.

Much more importantly, Robyn’s graduation in Durham Cathedral was a wonderful day – we were all there (including my mum, but not Taz) and had a fantastic time. Way to go Rob.

Speaking of my mum, Billie had a nasty fall in early Autumn and spent most of September in one hospital or another getting photographed, CAT Scanned, clipped, stitched, transfused etc. I’m pleased to report that she’s now back at home and doing just fine.

As for Taz, during the Spring and I really thought at one point that the virus or lurgy that had suddenly started making her so sick would inevitably transport her to Cat Heaven. After much TLC and Rob and Mark administering steamed vegetable and duck from their finger tip for several days, old Taz recovered and is now, I’m enormously proud yet strangely nervous to admit, back to all of her old ways…and more. Oh yes!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mark says:

Over the past year, I have passed my BTEC National Diploma in Building Studies and, following on from that, I successfully qualified onto my University Degree at Wolverhampton University in Building Construction. I am still working at Mountain Warehouse and have been travelling the country doing store refits for most of the summer, travelling to such places as Edinburgh, Inverness, East Kilbride, Kendal, Bowness, Ripon, Darlington, Wrexham, and Durham just to name a few. I was also the acting Assistant Manager at the Cheshire Oaks store for a month. I’m currently looking for a Construction based job as my course is one day a week.

I hope everyone has had a good year and I wish you all the best for the year coming.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Robyn says:

It has been a year of change for me, I graduated from Durham in summer with a degree in Geography which was a fantastic but also a very sad time saying goodbye to many friends and also a wonderful 3 years. I spent the start of my gap year and most of summer working as a teaching assistant in a primary school in South Africa with the charity Tenteleni. I was working in North-Eastern South Africa near the Kruger National Park and I was actually living on a game reserve which was incredible, we even had 3 resident zebras who frequently came into our kitchen!! In school I helped with all sorts of things both in class and also extra-curricular activities including teaching the children rounders and putting on a production of Romeo and Juliet. The experience was amazing and extremely rewarding, however also very challenging at times too. Since coming back to the UK in September I have been working as part of a customer services team at a company who manage the online stores of lots of other companies and brands which is based in Sandbach. I finish this job in January in order to spend 5 months away travelling the world (which I am extremely excited about) my stops include South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South America and finishing in New York in June 2009. My plans after this are so far sketchy but I am currently applying for masters degrees in urban regeneration commencing September 2009.

Hope you all have a lovely Christmas and a wonderful new year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wherever you are, we all wish you a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year.

Glynn, Robyn, Mark and Taz xxx

Not the best 1st post for 2009 by some distance.

2009-01-01T12:58:00.000Z

2009 Focus - Intimate Relationships

A post from a US productivity/life coach-type blog that could never have been written by a Brit. You sense it might be a zinger from the headline, and it doesn't disappoint.

Sometimes you just have to keep watching [or in this case reading] a slow motion train wreck for the sheer fascination of it all...despite being vaguely aware that your jaw is continuing to drop lower by the second.

The words backside, up, far and own spring to mind. And on New Year's Day too! Megauncharitable.

Robert Fisk: Leaders lie, civilians die, and lessons of history are ignored.

2008-12-30T11:16:00.001Z

Belatedly, I'm catching up on the back stories having seen some of the awful pictures. Memo to self, as Bob duly notes:

"Not a whimper from Tony Blair, the peace envoy to the Middle East who's never been to Gaza in his current incarnation. Not a bloody word."

1 Year in 40 Seconds

2008-12-30T10:39:00.000Z

'They say, in the end, it's just the blink of an eye...'

Dawkins talks to Prof. Michael Baum

2008-12-23T11:11:00.001Z

And not a word in there that I'd disagree with.

Watergate 'Deep Throat' dies at 95 - Americas, World - The Independent

2008-12-19T07:08:00.000Z

Watergate 'Deep Throat' dies at 95 - Americas, World - The Independent

Would we ever see his like again? Will we ever need to?

Truth and consequences

2008-11-17T22:59:00.002Z

Richard says it all

BBC NEWS | Health | 'Fart gas' link to blood pressure

2008-10-24T08:15:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Health | 'Fart gas' link to blood pressure

My hypertensivity is solved at a stroke...or rather providing that I eat loads of lentils it should not be.

Of wingnuts and moonbats...

2008-10-22T07:43:00.000+01:00

October 21, 2008

"Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation." --John McCain

The wingnuts have it.

It says it all really...

2008-10-15T11:44:00.000+01:00

Biden "Disappointed" Ayers Will Be Debate Topic - From The Road: "“At the end of the day there’s a fundamental difference between Barack Obama and John McCain, and Joe Biden and Sarah Palin,” said Biden.

“Brains!” shouted a supporter, inciting laughs from audience and a chuckle from Biden, who responded, “Maybe I should stop here.”"

A Time for Science and Reason

2008-09-19T22:18:00.000+01:00

And not a moment too soon.

Smirnoff commercial

2008-09-19T19:38:00.000+01:00

And a very interesting commercial it is too:

Smirnoff commercial - Sea

The frugal cornucopian - Amory Lovins

2008-09-06T09:50:00.001+01:00

A hero of mine, Amory Lovins, gets profiled in The Economist. As he says, most of his ideas have a slow burn. Good job he has the foresight and the patience to stick with it, I think.

Crawl over the Rocky Mountain Institute site if you want an idea of where we might be in 10-20 years...or rather where we'll have to be.

Bruce Springsteen tickets anyone?

2008-09-05T09:23:00.002+01:00

Cheap at £6.50 each...

E.P.A. does good

2008-09-03T09:24:00.000+01:00

Six....million...gallons...a...MINUTE.

New stuff from IBM

2008-08-31T09:30:00.001+01:00

A couple of interesting things have come out of IBM recently...

1. New ways of looking at/mining data with Many Eyes

I'm assuming that it's just coincidence that the specimen tag cloud on the landing page relating to Obama's acceptance speech contains the words 'Dick', 'love' and hard' all next to each other.

2. A new 3D game called 'PowerUp' which I must check out in some detail as it looks like a potential learning resource designed for the kinds of things I'm interested in both subject-wise and teaching-tool-wise.

Portrayal Of Obama As Elitist Hailed As Step Forward For African Americans | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

2008-08-30T10:10:00.000+01:00

A great short vid. from The Onion this week...and a brilliant throwaway line to finish off.

Portrayal Of Obama As Elitist Hailed As Step Forward For African Americans | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Nose picking good

2008-08-19T12:54:00.002+01:00

A fascinating study with some students, and an Ig Nobel candidate if ever I sniffed one.

'More than half said they do it to unclog nasal passages or relieve discomfort or itching. About 11% claimed they do it for cosmetic reasons, and a similar number do it just for pleasure.'

And since you are bound to be interested - 4.5% said they ate the nasal debris.

Denial of Service

2008-08-13T09:09:00.002+01:00

The DOS attacks directed towards some of Georgia's key servers, slightly in advance of the recent bloodshed, signals the way things might increasingly go in future.

Bill Woodcock, the research director of the Packet Clearing House, a nonprofit organization that tracks Internet traffic[...]said 'cyberattacks are so inexpensive and easy to mount, with few fingerprints, they will almost certainly remain a feature of modern warfare'.

Given the reliance I already have on internet banking, IM and VoIP for communications etc. etc. - let alone the separate issue of mobile networks - it could all get very difficult. Those numbers on my bank balance on the screen - they're not real money...they're just pixels. If they suddenly just go to a row of zeros and I call (assuming that I can get through on the jammed network) and the voice on the other end says that s/he sees a row of zeros too then that's that. Oversimplification maybe...scary nonetheless.

Checks and balances...pah!

2008-08-12T08:25:00.002+01:00

...and Bush and spanners and works - again. Will that administration ever stop acting as though it's got its head shoved up its arse?

Show me the plastic

2008-08-12T07:30:00.002+01:00

I wondered how long, and how sustainable, the market shifts in petrochemical products might need to be before people would start chattering about digging up and recycling landfills. Seems odd that in 30-50 years time - or less if the peak oil advocates are right - old sites could become resources rather than embarrassments. Once we've harvested the methane and the anaerobic bacteria have done their stuff, we go back for the plastics. Not sure how the planning issues would be dealt with...well, not easily anyway. At least the pulverised fuel ash that we've gone back to recover for cement manufacture has been stockpiled on or near the coal-fired power stations where it was produced. Not too many folk live that close to those.

Firefox 3.0.1 Live Bookmark Updates

2008-08-05T11:54:00.004+01:00

If, like me, you have a lot of RSS feeds coming in to Firefox [and here I MEAN a lot!], and you've found that periodically (let's say every hour or so) the browser grinds down to snail's pace for several minutes, it may well because it's doing it's RSS update [aka Live Bookmarks Update].

One work around for this is to change the reload rate to, say, 6 hours:

Changing the automatic reload rate of Live Bookmarks

By default, Live Bookmarks are set to reload every 60 minutes. To change the reload rate, you need to set a hidden preference:

In the Location bar, type about:config, and press Enter. Return
- The about:config "This might void your warranty!" warning page may appear. Click I'll be careful, I promise!, to continue to the about:config page.
The about:config page will appear. Right-click anywhere within the list of preferences. In the context menu, mouse over New, and select Integer. Hold down the Ctrl key while you click
When you get asked to enter the preference name, enter browser.bookmarks.livemark_refresh_seconds.
You will then be asked to enter a value. The unit for the value is seconds; so if you wanted the reload rate to be 5 minutes, the value would be 300 (as in 300 seconds).

and then use an add-on such as Reliby, put the button on your toolbar and then hit that as and when you want an update (like when you go and make coffee for instance). That way you don't get a partial freeze at a bad moment and you do get some control and management over when you update the RSS feeds, and also when you might get distracted by scanning through some of them!

A tour de force by Sir Jonathan Miller

2008-07-29T21:09:00.002+01:00

...at Liverpool earlier this year. Ever since Beyond the Fringe and taking in The Body in Question along with a few memorable Parky interviews [particularly one in which he explained how mid-flight farting on transatlantic jets made perfect scientific sense, given the pitch of the engine noise in the cabin and the characteristic noise profile of the average fart], Jonathan has made me think. I always feel about 50 IQ points better having listened to him - even when he's talking about farting.

His personable style in explaining complex issues and ideas and always choosing the right word and form of expression that perfectly encapsulates the meaning that he is seeking to convey. The long elegant fingers sweeping and swooping in arcs across his body as his arms flay in a demonstration of unbridled self-expression. I could listen to him for hours.

An old newspaper cutting containing a black and white still of him, mid-explanation, hangs on my office notice board. It's within line of sight so that if I'm sitting in there and need some inspiration, a glance at him and it all comes flooding back. He turned 74 last week -you wouldn't think it though...if you want a dose of enthusiasm and captivating narrative in equal measure then click through and watch the vid. It's an hour well spent.

Randy Pausch has died

2008-07-25T15:53:00.003+01:00

I wrote about Professor Pausch a while back and his, now famous, Last Lecture. Today, he died. Knowing things must be amiss, given the absence of his (until then) regular blog postings since late last month and a brief update posted by a friend, two days ago, explaining that he was now in a hospice, I found myself clicking the icon on my Link Bar all to frequently during today.

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I now remove that link - Randy will forever remain an inspiration to me and my thoughts are with his wife and young family.

Another misshapen day during which, once again, one who deserved so much better has run out of time and space. No justice, no fairness - of course there isn't. All a lottery really.

--G.

Telepresence comes of age

2008-07-22T08:57:00.002+01:00

Good to see that corporate f-2-f can now be realistically reduced with developing technologies such as this. Videoconferencing is OK but has its limits, webcams work great [usually] but have their [more significant] limitations.

All good news for those of us who want to see a few less contrails in the sky and a return to less stormy summers in the UK - and also for those of us who find the 'airport experience' a total PIA.

Being where you're at, wherever in the world that might be, is fantastic, enlivening, interesting, exciting and thought-provoking. Getting to where you're going is chronic, time-wasting, uncomfortable and tiring.

An operator back in the park...

2008-07-13T09:27:00.001+01:00

Arrived late Thursday in Helsinki so took a taxi to the hotel and, after sorting out the inevitable emails, had a relatively early (UK) or late (Finnish) finish. Friday dawned bright and sunny and once I'd finished work at Beneq it was back to the hotel to...yep. sort out the email. And then it was off to find the Olympic Stadium. A nice walk by the (sea)lake and over the railway footbridge, along by another lake and around the corner and there I was. General milling about so I found someone who seemed to know what was going on and he said "Queue over on the grassy knoll for me to come distribute the next set of numbers...we're up to 350".What was it about Yanks and grassy knolls? Still it was the best I was going to get so I complied. True to his word he returned armed with indelible marker and we queued, got branded, queued, shuffled, queued, moved snake-like to another entrance, queued (you get the picture).

Miraculously, I ended up right next to a walk-out section off the stage. Stage Manager Dave came and gave us his speech...vigorously interrupted by guitat-tec Kevin playing his usual soundcheck chords. "If Bruce comes down here. don't pull his fingers off, or his arms or his legs or his shirt. Hold him up if he leans into the crowd and when he puts his arm out push him back. I don't want to have to come into there and retrieve bits of him." OK Dave...got it...no fingers.

He only used that ramp twice all evening but no matter, it was a memorable show. Sherry Darlin', Youngstown, Point Blank...all for the 1st time for me. Bruce dancing with a young girl at her 1st E Street gig, escorting another from one walk out to the next, arm around her shoulders, singing to her in front of 60,000, a big kiss and hug for another little girl who just couldn't stop smiling. Rosie came out again...and there's something so wonderfully reassuring about the human condition when a stadium full of people all end up enthusiastically singing Santa Claus is Coming to Town on a warm summer's evening when it's still daylight. Not many folk could carry that off.

Twist and Shout rounded off a wonderful concert and, as I wandered back out of the pit trying to make my legs work, there was lots of applause from people in the stand above and suddenly the screens that were partitioning off the stage-exit walkway around the side of the pit parted and, unbelievably, Bruce walked out to welcome a young girl (presumably a family member or friend) and took her off for a lift out of the stadium. If I hadn't been so gobsmacked I'd have asked if there was room for one more. Got lost walking back whilst mulling all this over so thank you to the 2 kind souls who saw I was struggling with the map and pointed me in the right direction.

Saturday started grey and just got greyer and wetter. I resisted the temptation to pay Mr. Hilton over 20 quid for a breakfast and had coffee and croissant outside in the (by that time) almost imperceptible drizzle. Looked a bit grim for Suomelina so I thought I'd catch the bus to Porvoo for more coffee at an old haunt – the Cafe Helmi. After Turku, Porvoo is Finland's oldest city (although it's only the size of a small town really) and, if you ignore the shops selling tat, I think it’s one if the prettiest.

No one told me they'd moved the bus station in Helsinki. Well, to be precise it's not moved as such...just gone underground. Very swish now, and no doubt warmer than the old one in winter! Took a bit of finding for me though – clear sign that more caffeine was necessary.

Dozed on the coach and, the closer we got to Porvoo, the harder it rained. Just peachy! Thought I'd been clever travelling light and not bringing a coat. This miscalculation meant that the 1st stop was a department store for an umbrella. Duly equipped, I went off to get wet and get coffee and, once again, managed to resist the temptation to eat a Helmi-type cake for all of 15 seconds. Yum. Chocolate one too – the shame!

I'm pleased to report that the roof is now back on the beautiful cathedral after the fire that ravaged the place in May 2006. Restoration should be complete next year. Who, in their right mind, would torch a building like that. Obviously someone not in their right mind.

A walk down by river and then the clouds started to clear. After an Illy and walking a bit further, the sun came out big-time so that settled it - go back on the boat Glynn. Much more interesting than the bus and lots of time to write...a blog entry for example - hence the abnormal length of this one. A gentle meandering trip back through the Finnish archipelago, arriving at Helsinki's South Harbour at 7pm. A light meal at one of the thousands of eating places en route back to the hotel...catch up on some reading, maybe make a blog post. That'll do pig, that’ll do.

Best day ever - 'till tomorrow of course…

The armchair balloonist

2008-07-06T10:19:00.004+01:00

Kent Couch - isn't that just a great name for a guy who goes on lawn-chair balloon trips? Sounds more like the B&Q version of the vehicle than the name of the pilot.

Wasn't one of his predecessors the proud winner of a Darwin Award a few years ago? I think it was the LA dude who screwed up [about 15,000 feet up as I recall) by encroaching on LAX approach ...yep, just being lazy there - here's the guy.

Update: Apparently it's becoming all the rage, although this guy wasn't so lucky.

Hitchens gives waterboarding a whirl

2008-07-02T10:10:00.002+01:00

Fair do's to him - I'm not sure that I'd be prepared to risk it...especially after inhaling 15,000 cigs pa for the last few decades. If you can stand the vid then you can find it here. Surfing it ain't, torture it most certainly is. Not Hitch - the procedure.

So that's OK then...

2008-06-23T22:53:00.002+01:00

"Critics have previously raised concerns that the production of weird hypothetical particles called strangelets in the LHC could trigger the mass conversion of nuclei in ordinary atoms into more strange matter - transforming the Earth into a hot, dead lump."

When the Large Hadron Collider fires up and gets those baryons and mesons all jiggy then it'll be time to put the Raybans on, lean back in the hammock and sip the G&T...safe in the knowledge that us scientists couldn't get it so wrong...could we?

Val...

2008-06-23T10:58:00.001+01:00

...and whoda thought it? And with Pete the Purve too! Is nothing sacred? :)

A lovely evening

2008-06-15T21:37:00.008+01:00

...after an early start flying back from Brussels. After a 3-hour motorway slog down to Cardiff it was just great to spend a night listening to the E Street Band playing like their life depended on it. Every one of them was on top form - you could tell from when one of Max's drumsticks broke about 20 seconds into the song; he just slung it behind him, pulled out another, twirled it and snapped it into the palm of his hand and carried on hitting that snare drum so hard with scarcely missing a beat.

Gary actually singing and smiling during the last song...Clarence playing one of the most beautiful solos for Jungleland that I've ever heard that moved me to tears...Bruce handing his harmonica to the mom of a little girl who was standing at the front of the stage after he'd finished playing Darlington County - something for her to treasure for ever....Toms and his sister who wrote a lovely request on cardboard for Bruce and Clarence please to play Jungleland for them...which Bruce then asked them about in front of 60,000 people and pointed out, quite rightly he felt, that his name was written in much smaller letters than was Clarence's...and which they then played and nailed.

A wonderful happy fun evening when Rosie came out again and when everyone met at Mary's Place - I looked around me and all I could see were tens of thousands of happy smiling faces - all shapes and sizes and ages of people - all looking stagewards and having simply the best time ever.

It was a long way home, and I didn't get to bed 'till after 4am, but being part of that gig was truly memorable and I'm so glad I was able to be there. The E Street Band are playing better than ever; Bruce can still reach out and touch the souls of tens of thousands of people during a concert and make every one of them feel alive and happy; and as long as they keep playing then I shall go and see them whenever I'm able to knowing that 'it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive'.

And finally Esther..

2008-06-13T19:54:00.011+01:00

After 4 days in here with a number of strong and independently-minded individuals, a number of whom have become friends and who I look forward to meeting again, it was time for my last dinner for this trip.

Bij den Boer was recommennded to me - just 2 stops up the metro from where I'm staying so off I went. OK - I know it may not look much from the outside, but what an absolutely delightful meal...and what a delightful restaurant - full of character and with a real buzz about the place.

The staff are just great - fun to watch...especially when they get unusual customers [of which I saw quite a few]. Not unusual-weird...just a little out of the ordinary maybe. Anyway after a beautifully cooked Dover sole; as you can see the bones did just what the book says should happen, it was time to pick a dessert.

I couldn't quite make up my mind so I opted for chocholate mousse and an Irish coffee. I admit that the mousse, as presented, looked a little like 3 turds communicating with the mother ship, but it tasted just heavenly. Then there was the Irish Coffee...I watched the Main Man behind the bar make this - he used care and attention to detail that I found strikingly unusual to my British eyes, checking that the cream hadn't gone off by smelling it before pouring and then going off to get some more (presumably because it had) and floating it over the back of a spoon. He ran proceedings from behind the bar with absolute authority...his eyes were everywhere and he missed nothing. By the time I was getting ready to leave the place was full and he'd been turning people away for the previous 15-20 mins. Here he is with what I assume is a frequently spotted gesture...he held this pose for all of 2 mins. until the hopefuls finally gave up and when to look for somewhere else to eat that was less crowded.

All in all a wonderful meal and a wonderful evening's entertainment - I really need to come back sometime and check it's for real. On the way back to the metro I spotted the fourth piece of choc. mousse en route back to Starship Alpha - the perfect end to a long day reviewing EU bids. Roll on the next funding cycle.

Web 2.0 and learning

2008-06-13T05:58:00.001+01:00

Interesting to note that research is supporting my gut feeling, which, in one sense is almost a self-evident truth I suppose, in that grass roots stuff by students who use social networking tools to collaborate and help learning is much more use [to them] than anything I might like to try to engineer using a top down approach.

Facilitating that process for them - that's the key...

Food, glorious food

2008-06-12T21:49:00.001+01:00

Overindulged bigtime this evening at the Restaurant Vincent. Packed out by 8:15pm, entrance through the kitchen believe it or not, walls all tiled with fascinating scenes of ships and meadows, waiters all dressed in what appeared to be sailers uniforms...what more can I say. Food was heavenly and the wine was red...so there, 'nuff said.

More Brussels

2008-06-11T21:50:00.002+01:00

This evening's food was supplied by Le Pre Sale on the Rue de Flandre, a little cobbled street that runs parallel to the fish market and where the quality of the restaurants is better and the prices are more reasonable. I think I took the last unreserved table and, for those without a booking, the place was turning people away from ~7:45pm. Beautiful fish [and chips!] and a real buzz - the place was heaving, the noise from the diners much too loud to drown out any musak...not that there was any...and the bill was very reasonable...for Brussels - even for those of us not on Commission expense accounts.

Grand Place

2008-06-11T16:58:00.005+01:00

As promised, as few shots of the Grand Place aka the Market Square. Notwithstanding the odour which, on reflection, was probably refuse beginning to decay rather then the drains...the food was edible although expensive here.

Most people stop for a beer on the way home - I was tempted by this place however.

Last night was a much better choice, just a couple of metro stops away. Strofilia serves a wonderful range of Greek dishes [and wines] - thoroughly recommended.

Brussels

2008-06-11T08:06:00.002+01:00

Some pics later today of the grand square at night - this morning after the obligatory coffee and croissant around the corner at the DeliFrance it was off to the subway for the short trip out to the offices. With station stops from Bizet to Schuman, from Louise to Alma and the altogether more dubiously titled Kunst-Wet, it just makes you want to explore and explore!