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See-also: http://www.wmc.care4free.net/diary/.

January 2001

Lose to Jim Clare, slowly. Resign in end. One of those "I'm losing, I'll try this... hmm, some chance, I'll play on... hmm, still losing, I'll just do this before I resign" sort of games.

[piccy of A+E] [piccy of T] Stop off at kc on way home & visit DATE, briefly.

And so now in train to, hopefully, ec. Just past crystal palace: is that right?

Tues 2nd

Take D out to park despite rain & D's reluctance. It rains off & on (more on) but D bears up well. Play on climbing frames & bouncy m'bike. Head back. Stupid dog scares squirrel before D gets to see it. Play in stream that rain makes by path & D learns to anti-beaver. In the end D doesn't want to go back & I have to pull as hard to get D home as to get him out.

Home through heavy rain. M drives, sleeps, I rogue. House still here. Good. Little mail. Do little.

Wed 3rd

Back to work. Lots turns up - page charges!

D pm. I'd like to go out but he won't go - pretends to sleep a bit - plays a bit. And so it goes, & gets dark. D: 'its getting dark' me: 'you can't command the sun' D: 'sun! Come back!'.

Fill in irs form w-8-ben-buttocks-wurble-etc. The paperwork reduction act indicates that it should take 6h to file/recordkeep, 2:40h to learn to fill in, 3h to prepare & send. I'm not joking (sadly).

D wants a lolly. But he must have his fish finger(s) first. Oddly he asks for 2 (since his objective is the lolly). Then his tummy is full so he can't eat the lolly :-(.

Thurs 4th

Yoga again. Lunch M fr.

Pick up new glasses.

Home. Feel somewhat unwell: put down to new glasses - this may be wrong. But may be too much compute: sorted out NY photos.

Fri 5th

pm: M'a says D tired but seems not. Into town to buy sellotape. P+R 'cos D likes bus & cycling is manky at moment - paths wet & covered in decaying leaves. W/s, various, D runs around happily in ex-D. Home. Again feel a bit sick. Peel pots. M home, I bath with I&I. D to bed, I cook.

Sat 6th

Twelfth night: must take down holly. Do.

Swim: 30, 31: poor but not pathetic given time of year. Arj. Cb1.

D wants me to write this so I shall: "you can't have monster books" (occaisioned by c+h). D says "I want to read monster books".

Sun 7th

Video: D bouncing on bed.

To Lammas land, late. D plays ice cream man under the little slide. Another little boy is nearby. His face is radiant when offered an i'c'm. Fortunately he accepts the game when handed an imaaginary i'c'm.

Home through soft twilight. Lovely. D notices 'problem' of moon in sky when sun is too.

Play making scroll saw.

M cooks: rice, broccoli & sauce. D: I'm going to get some proper sauce: & off he goes for ketchup.

Mon 8th

D has reverted to dryness now home. Good.

Soir: get vn4.5 nearly there under linux. Good. M goes to yoga & comes back: not yet on. Finish v5 part 1: A has left at last. Thank goodness. It was all so loathsome. And dull.

Tues 9th

O'night frost. -2. Swim: 29.5, 30.5.

Mill rd. Kate.

Home. Dots snowdrops just coming out.

Later. Just after 6 go out to look for eclipse. Moon is full. Get camera ready. Look for slides of last eclipse (17 sep '97) for exposure guide but this is a diff lens. Cold outside. Thermo says just below 0.

So. All with 500mm mirror on f801. All with self-timer on crappy tripod.

before 4" (what it selected)
6:45 1/2 (just tiny bit)
6:50 1/8
6:55 1/4, 1/15 (about 1/2 cover) notice c shake on shutter. Was this the prob with solar eclipse photos?
7:15 1/2 (3/4) rest wood on cam

8", 1/2 (1/8) wood both sides. Becoming hazy
me(1/2, 1", 1/2) crescent
me(15", 4", 1) cr 7:42
me(30", 15", 8") about 10 mins in 19:58

me-3 (natural movement) at 1/2 (9:05, 9:15, 9:25). Moves across frame in this time.
me-5 9:28 (1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2")
had become clear
me-3 9:40 (1/30, 1/15, 1/8) back to 3/4 moon.

Notice film of dew on lens at end!

Wed 10th

pm: at about 4 into town with D just to go to cb1.

Soir: pub.

Thurs 11th

Rather a late night: now just past 12, just finising burning my backup cd-rom for linux. Took a long time: removing softlinks. Went back to work 5-7 to try to fix qxrecon_dump. Then more at home. Oh dear.

Pm: lunch fr with M. Cb1.

Fri 12th

Slow to wake! Fortuneately M's turn. Grey, cold, touch of frost.

H & C to visit. & G planned for tues. We are becoming social. They leave 4.30-odd, C sadly.

Soir: vn4.5 till late. 12:15. Argh.

Sat 13th

Beautiful morn. Almost glad D obliged me to see it. One ny res is to get up, if not joyfully, then at least not grumpily, and promptly. So far I have. Finish of lego technic thing M nearly finished last night (left delib unfin for D). D plays for 5 mins then demands we make another. But this is fun, so much so I omit brekky.

Swim: 28.75, 29.75. Better. Cb1. Ask re percutol at chemists. Costs more off prescription. Dry cleaning for M at penguin.

Mackays. Oogle tools, buy set of allen keys.

Stop off & look at allotment. All as I've left it. Signs of tidying from the left.

Go down garden & happen to see bees who are taking advantage of the sun for a bit of flying.

Sit on bench in sun with bgj.

M+D back from staples 2.30. M off to town 3. Try to get D out: fail. Tweenies fails to install: bah.

M cooks cheese toast soir. I make qxrecon_dump work: triumph. To bed at sensible time for once.

Sun 14th

Another lovely morn but I am sleepy. A.m. various. Clean bike with D's help. Take apart & remake rhs pedal *without* losing a ball bearing. Lunch. To lammas land by 2. Walk by river (frozen, lightly, & low) a lot & play on frames a little. Pool v crowded: swim 2x10 in 27, 27.5: back to form. M does short too: 12.

Cb1. Home through dark.

Mon 15th

D wet last night - m got up - says too dark to see pot. First since we came back.

Work, fairly relaxed.

Soir off to yoga (first of season).

Tues 16th

Moon in clear sky o'night. Good. D wet slightly - says 'too sleepy' - oh dear. Frosty a.m. Big tree hides sunrise - should it come down?

That Peter Hain lies to us on the radio re Iraq. Meanwhile, uranium is depleting the brains of our politicians, & they have none to spare!

Swim 27, 28, 28.5, 29.

Pm: genevive arrives at 3 & A leaves with Arthur. G has an orange teddy bear called satsuma - once A's. D & she play well & I enjoy watching & occaisionally refereeing.

Soir: to gp-cambs meeting sturton st.

Wed 17th

Ice on pond v thick: at least an inch, poss 1.5. Takes ages with p'knife.

Walk to orchard. Stop on way to see bantams & woman invites us into yard & gives D some corn to feed them.

Long orange light. D walks all way there & back well.

Home. Dusk. Cold. Bathe D. Lego. M back: cooks eggs. We're currently battling D re eating one. Eventually realise D is v tired & needs bed, sadly its pub night so I'm at home. Hey ho.

Thurs 18th

Beautiful cold coming to an end. Lunch M fr. Mackays: buy bearing. Cb1: crowded.

Fri 19th

Begins to snow as I pick up D.

To H pm with D. After a while I leave & leaflet Hardwick: do Limes Rd (109 lflts) from far end, to (inc) Merton walk. Snow. Then back, tea & chat then drag D away. Skilful manipulation (& perhaps D's nature) avoids a G-like scene.

Soir: R phones: they have a Toby (8:15). M has had her eyebrows 'tidied' & an appt with a hairdresser.

Sat 20th

Grey. Yesterdays thin snow lingers. Swim 27, 28.5, 28, 29.5. Thats better. Cb1. Someone (to my surprise) hasn't seen a p/p before. UL: but to late (1): shuts then. Home. M+D out. Sit by fire with coffee & warm up: a cold cycle back: T at -1oC.

M & D back: they have been to Grafton C. D has a... chain saw?!? Good grief. Runs down garden & tries to use it. M says (later) that although she explained to D that it was a toy he was v disapointed when it failed to cut.

Eve: cook D some feesh (argh!) at his req by the simple tech of: take out of freeze; remove plastic; put in dish; add butter; micro'w for 3 mins. He likes it.

Plays 'where is d' in frog about 10 times.Diary 2001/01 #3 (20-)

Soir: to see 'saltwater' at arts preceded by dinner at ghandi. S'w odd film: good: carries you along: but perhaps, ultimately as empty as crouching stoat, though less obviously so.

Sun 21st

Get extra lie-in gift from M.

To rnl to see T. Looks like a newborn. Others look well. Some gory detail from N. Back via m+j. Poor weather for travelling back: fog.

Mon 22nd

Pick up D. M'a rather cross 'cos D has vomed in the girls b'room. D rather sad 'cos he can't say why. Though later to me he says he ate too much rice. M'a phones & says he ate little rice. Another small sad vom & confused tears at 10.30, but guided by M, so into potty.

Tues 23rd

D up early but says he slept a long time. Eats hearty b'fast but says tummy feels a bit sad. Via ul to reserve howarth & browse fleming. Swim: 27, 28, 28, 29. Cb1.

UL: start reading howarth.

A sick so no visit to G. But anyway I have: Dentist. D persuaded to open mouth but not sit in chair, pos 'cos my polishing (all req) was rather noisy. D then wants to go 'straight home' but we stop off at Am cemetry, an exercise in geometry. At 4.30 the chapel appears to play last post.

Home. Look at slides (once we find the cord) - D likes this. M back. She cooks, I tidy. Sadly I wash up the juice in his fish-pan just seconds before he was going to taste it. Sadness. Little fish eaten.

Wed 24th

Sun again, & warm. On way back from M'a play with cat. D wants to stay at home. H's party/C cat / Play outside with digger & dump truck.

Soir: to pub sans M. N there: slept whole time. A good evening. AH toasts the downfall of the evil one.

Thurs 25th

Late to lunch with M.

Rogue note: terror is mag; maple is slow.

P'vera have large wood panel >2k.

Cb1: too many language students.

Fri 26th

H+C over. C initially timomous but recovers & they stay past 5: good. D insists on a slide show.

To wi hall for chumms meeting. By now its raining lots. Packed out! 40-odd people stand at back (even though 3 free seats at front). [Rogue: pine is terror.] Fin 9.30: now snowing.

Sat 27th

W'ham auctions. Don't bid. But 3 scroll saws there: went for 40-50. Also quite a good 30's walnut table. Maybe we should visit ma some sale day?

To J+K. Sadly I was quite tired - feel asleep after lunch in memoriam petrus. A qood day nonethess - excellent food. Josh has been on Changing Rooms, it seems: a video exists.

Soir: both a touch itchy but no visitors found.

Sun 28th

Sun-but-chill. No sign of bees. Tidy shed. D plays in & out & eventually half understands he should shut door.

To paradise reserve. Wet. D loves squelching in the mud & I worry he might fall over. Water high: field opp flooded & reserve flooded - as it should be. Lovely.

Pool. Cafe first at D's req. Lead is terror. Then swim, more than an hour, & drag D out at 5. Cb1. D good, & quiet, so have a game with Richand.

Soir: do a little on putting piccies into 2000-12 but then M decides to move the desk upstairs and so we do, dropping a shelf on my head in the process, re-arranging a whole train of things. Better now. Now we need to re-do the hallway.

Mon 29th

In a bit early but wasted: BAS computers (or to be fair, most of the nations .ac.) dreadful due to some problem with a JCB cutting cables. Spend some time getting samba to work from linux, then instead of using that as I should, try to get JT's colorado drive to work, but although I get quite a long way through zfstape etc, don't get all the way.

Pick up D. Clear night, freezing.

M to yoga. D wants slides as bed time story but its too late. Too much rogue. Portable finally back to dos (now that I have susp/res in linux, have tended to stay in linux) since had to halt it at BAS, to take the docking station out.

Tues 30th

For fun, do daily pages. 5000 chars.

Swim 28.75, 29.75. Entertainment: bods clearing the windows broken a year ago, then a big crane. Cb1.

Flea-brained ul rules prevent me getting howarth after 12.30. Hey ho.

Now rain.

Pm: can't contact A so go visit R+Ewan: r's b'day, as it happens. Stay to tea when J gets back & we get some cake.

Home. Cook (pots+onion+tofu). O'cook tofu. D to bed with more slides.

Soir: M upstairs at new desk. I web.

Wed 31st

Home alone... D with A: greeted with a hug by arthur & 'i've got a great new game to show you' by G. So thats all right.

Pick him up near q to 5. He would like to stay, but. Pushes A too hard & won't say sorry until just as we leave. On to C+A's, since A phoned: surprise: C there too: a disagreement with Ran. They give D an unexpected late c'mas pres: a spinning-paint thing, which D must try out immeadiately.

Home

Pub. Barmaid gives my change to wrong person. Other bod is confused, slow.

Fog home.

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