Dampness
What was Tony Lane is again damp this year.
Mud Run
F & F decided to walk Ewok & Yogi at Little Wittenham. I thought it would be nice to run home. I didn't really budget on the fact that the rest of South Oxfordshire has been walking at the Clumps so the route home was a mud bath.
Either that or knit myself some toe socks.
Lake Gerald
In the 2014 flood little F christened the puddle that emerged half way across the field 'Lake Gerald'. No, we don't know why Gerald either. It looks like it might be on the way back.
The water. It's back
It's a bit wet. And the river has noticed. Latest recorded level 4.85m at 9:45am Sunday 27 December 2020.
Cut short our dog walk yesterday to grab the canoe and help a couple of stranded boaters. And their dogs. That's what comes from reading Rutger Bregman in the hot tub in the morning.
Family Chaos Christmas Zoom Quiz
"Life is too short" said Yogi as the Christmas Family Zoom Quiz descended further into chaos.
"Wait until the arguments over the count start" replied Ewok "I bet it's only a matter of hours before we start hearing claims that Chavez stole it".
Ranking Chocolate
Day Θ in the Lert Hands Face Space COVID-avoiding house, and we've resorted to ranking chocolates. This series ranks Celebrations. I'm pretty sure there will be more to follow.
If you want to play along at home, print this post, fold down the middle to hide the hands, then ask the players to guess which person ranked which chocolates which way. Hours of family entertainment.
This car is electric
Not sure if this will be the car, but the car will be an electric car. Or a bike.
Wood Stack
You might think I'm a little mad stacking wood. Even if I'm doing my best to follow the recommendations of the best.
But after the year we've had, I don't blame me. Thanks Boris. World class mate, world class.
Learner
F had his first proper lesson today. Drove all the way home too. Very impressive.
I claim credit for all the clutch control exercises I've been setting him along the lane!
The Shortest Day
Working from the garden on the shortest day of the year. In other years I'd be on a bike longing for lighter evenings.
Dog in a basket
Ewok sums up how we all feel about this year. I'm going to spend the rest of the day hanging out with the washing in the laundry basket.
Sidmouth
Sidmouth with the Devon contingent. Smashing. Bagels were good too. And some very nice photo-walking with A. Super.
Nearly but not 10k
A jog from Padstow over to Trevone-ish and then up and around Stepper Point. Longest run to date, at 9.75km. Brov helpfully pointed to the short cut I took along the low-tide line across the beach & the 250m that cut from the distanace. So close.
More running views are available.
I'm wondering if I run now for the run, or run now for the views.
Padstow to Harlyn (and back!) for lunch at The Pig
Up early
Thanks to Alice for the recommendation; the pink runner for final ½mile directions; the folks at the Pig for a most excellent lunch; and the weather for conspiring to miss us with its worst both on the way there and on the way back.
Padstow December Night
Back in Padstow for a we're-in-teir-1-but-act-like-tier-2 break.
Nearly Frosty Morning
H must hate early morning dog walks like this. Because this is when I spam his snapchat feed with pics. Lots of pics. Sorry H.
Drains. Mostly
Today I have been messing about with drains. Mostly. Well, mostly in between work. Not that messing about with drains isn't work, just not the sort of work I was planning for today. That all changed at 11pm last night when the bath decided to empty itself into the shower. Clever stuff plumbing. It tried that trick back in the summer. I thought I'd fixed it then, but it was just waiting for the perfect moment to spring the mucky drain water into the bathroom experience. All fixed now. Well, I can hope.
Pre-Dinner Snack
I was taking too long cooking dinner (it was a new receipe and I'd missed the cook in the oven for 60mins bit when checking earlier in the day). To keep hungry mouths and rumbling stomachs at bay, some cheese and tomatoes and stuff.
Early Brita
Fay's Christmas present. Damsons and Susie Cooper by Brita Granström. It's beautiful.
We usually have a rule to not open pressies until the 25ᵗʰ. But time this year…
(The book is Bird Life of the Seasons edited by Charles A. Hall and published in 1911.)
The sound of fall
The fog hadn't lifted for two days. Whatever the forecast claimed. Distracted by an unusual noise, I realised I was hearing the sound of autumn leaves falling. This is what the sound looked like.
End of 6k
6.03km and 3 PRs but brov is still waaaaay ahead of me (and F is still waaaaaaaaaaaaay out of sight).
Footpath, what footpath
This is the start of footpath 390/8/10 (as designated on the definitive map for Oxfordshire). If you look closely you can see where it stops.
Lazy Sunday
Perfect lazy Sunday. Watching squirrels chasing the rabbits, and checking where they bury the nuts. Our rabbits are very clever, not many can bury nuts whilst being chased by a squirrel.
Ottolenghi's Ragù
First recipe from Ottolenghi. A success. This more veg less meat is going to be fun. Much fun. And flavour. Much flavour.
A Great recommendation from Kevin. :bow:
Snap
I'm not 100% sure how to take this one, but I'm going to go with "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery".
(But, who is imitating who‽)
Ghost Run
Between cooking dinner and an evening work call an after dark run to Shillingford and back. The big house on Shillingford hill appeared to float in the sky above the silent swift running Thames.
Walking in the rain at the Clumps
Mabli's puppy classes were cancelled. Maybe because of the weather. The news didn't put us off walking at The Clumps, although it probably should have.
Ewok said "Next time I'll stay in the car". Dogs these days.
Expanding Books
Every month a book drops through the letter box from the lovely @wallingfordbook.
Every month I think "there's no way I'd ever pick that" and every month (so far!) the book has been a delight.
Expanding my comfort zone :)
Cows
The cows are strip-grazing1 along the lower meadows. If you look really closely (or zoom in a looooooooot) you can glimpse the pod.
They're keeping the lonely tree company.
Benson Lock
In lock down #1 the water inside the lock was crystal clear. No traffic to stir up the sendiment. It would make a decent outdoor pool!
Benson Memorial
Walking past the memorial on the way back from the dentist.
Home Office Views
Three views from around the office. One day I may get round to painting. Any recommendations for the colo(u)r?
F and E
F and Ewok. Fay thought the better angle was from the floor. I blame the glass of red with dinner. Ewok was a tad confused.
Emergency Stop
"When I hit the dashboard with my clipboard I'd like you to bring the vehicle to a controlled stop as quickly and safely as possible."
Remembrance Flight
Remembrance flight. Don't forget.
> First they came for the Communists > And I did not speak out > Because I was not a Communist
> Then they came for the Socialists > And I did not speak out > Because I was not a Socialist
> Then they came for the trade unionists > And I did not speak out > Because I was not a trade unionist
> Then they came for the Jews > And I did not speak out > Because I was not a Jew
> Then they came for me > And there was no one left > To speak out for me
Martin Niemöller (1892–1984).
> The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
J.F.K, 1961 (attr. Edmund Burke).
Muddy Walks
A muddy morning walk with Mr Ewok and Mr Yogi.
Morning Fields
A morning with mist and sun and atmosphere. Would have been a nice morning to try and get the view from the clumps, but I think the lie in is preferable.
Stocking Up
With lockdown #2 looming, the senior branch of the family lost no time in checking and restocking supplies. There's enough pasta here for {insert political statement about school dinners at halfterm here}.
Brightwell Footpath
The footpath from Brightwell. A gentle run back from the garden centre with VFFs.
Christmas, too soon?
It was the Sunday before lockdown, and all round the house, the family was stiring, "what about a tree?" they didn't shout.
Still, just in case.
River Stour
The River Stour at Stirminster Marshall. A post-pub lunch stroll with K&M and the lovely hounds.
Halloween
F ready for a Halloween Party. Small gathering is probably a better description than party. It's six afterall.
Eggs
We're shopping as if H was still at home. We're collecting a large-ish stock of eggs. Lots of eggs.
Widget gadget holder thingy
For seven months of COVID I've been using this widget thingy for the complex multi-household shopping extravaganza.
Yesterday I figured out that the trolley has a holder widget for the barcode scanner gadget.
I'm getting somewhere. Slowly.
Taking back control
Earlier today, the UK government department for international trade announced:
> The bakers used a lot of soya sauce in the first challenge on #GBBO, so it's a good thing it will be made cheaper thanks to our trade deal with Japan
Setting aside that they probably meant Soy not Soya sauce, many folks pointed out that a) there is currently 0% tarrifs on imports of Soy sauce from Japan, so a trade deal with Japan won't decrease the price, and b) most of the soy sauce sold in the UK is manufactured in the EU: the Netherlands, Poland and Wales.
Of all the Brext snafu's this is hardly the hill to die on. But, it's good to know "we've taken back control". Hope folks who wanted that end up happy with what they get.
Copycats
"Yogi, I think F is trying to copy your coat with his new jeans." said Ewok.
"You mean to tell me that they're meant to look like that?" replied Yogi.
"Yes, it's called fashion."
The second door
After H removed them and granddad helped (or did we help granddad?) replace the first, today was the day to replace the second. And we did.
Mice, the evidence
I found evidence of mice in the kitchen this morning. The evidence was very similar to the evidence for similar mice when we stayed at Dorothy's place in France sometime in the year 2000. It's amazing what happens when the rest of the house is asleep.
3-3
3-3. Two from F, including an amazing space-creating fake that left two defenders sliding to block a shot that wasn't there. Some lovely play to watch. Some nice sideline (distanced) socialising too. Could have done without the running commentary from the opposition manager, but I managed to tune it out after a while.
Wallingford Bridge
Has anyone else noticed that the lights at Wallingford Bridge are always red? Even early in the morning when the sun is struggling.
Walking the dogs. Again?
Days like this when we both want to walk the dogs in the morning. Funny that. Ewok's advice was to make the most of it.
London. Again.
London. The third trip since March. Probably the last until next year.
A beautiful Autumn morning for a ride through the city, from Paddington to Shoreditch House. But things were very quiet. Whether the backstreets around the British Museum.
And yes, you can see where I used to work in that last picture. I nearly popped in to say 'Hello', but there was nobody there.
Boys Chill
Ewok fell asleep sitting up on the bench.
Yogi tried to fall asleep with his chin on the bench. A different bench.
Couch to 5.97km
5.97km in 37m 32s (which is <drumroll>
</drumroll> 6.06 minutes per km) ± whatever imprecision there is with free-Strave-on-iPhone. That's an improvement from week 3 back in May. It's almost as if I'm starting to enjoy it.
And, it's probably worth all the effort just for the running views. There's quite a collection of them!
Comments
Why did't you walk down and up the garden for 31m at the end to make it 6k? Finn
The Barn at Hardcourt
If you1 have money (£5.45) and either young children or older relatives then the place to be on a sunny Autumn Sunday was Hardcourt Arboretum (part of Oxford Botanic).
-
Bonus points if, despite the COVID signs, you also don't know how far 2 metres is. ↩
The doors
Ewok, falling asleep on the sofa, as Granddad explains for the eleventyeth time how to "Measure once, cut twice".
Or was it "Measure twice, cut once"?
Whatever it was, it worked pretty finely.
Carnage
There was a hedgerow here. It was a highway for wildlife. It's gone. Tidy, but gone.
Relevant Linescapes: Remapping and Reconnecting Britain's Fragmented Wildlife by Hugh Warwick.
Here's how the hedge was before.
Commuter Coffee
I've been missing my commuter coffee from Lesley at Cholsey station, but she's now at Wallingford Station1 each weekday. W00t! So this morning I extended my morning commute from a walk halfway down the garden to a ride to Wallingford and back. lovely.
-
Wait, what‽ Wallingford has a station‽ ↩
Running skyscapes
A fitting way to celebrate finishing Born to Run (thanks Sean!), my first 30 minute run. Evs.
Door. Mat
Ewok was impressed with the new door mat. Either that, or he was waiting for my back to turn before tucking into the cardboard.
Lazy Wet Sundays
Fay and Yogi. Chilling on a lazy wet Sunday. Demonstrating how to behave "Fearlessly with common sense." Whatever the $%&! that means.
Rain
Storm Alex blew the table tennis table over on Friday. Leaving us with a wet and miserable Saturday in which to hunker down. We lit the stove early and treated ourselves to a take-away curry [1]. Looks like more of the same today.
[1] After first checking that locked-down H had manage to secure some essential supplies.
The Lookout
Ewok. Looking out for squirrels and rabbits. Unfortunately, they have more sense than to be out and about in this weather.
Another Day Out in London
Another day out in London. The second in five months. That's a little less than the four-times a week I was averaging. The trains were quiet. Paddington too. And the bike?
Shoes. With fingers.
New shoes. I'd blame Born to Run, except I got my first pair of these before that book was published.
Just like the first pair, these are unpopular.
The Thames at Wallingford
Football-related injury at the weekend, so dropped F at sixth form and then walked the dogs at the other end of town. Variation.
Arrived
H's new digs. Very similar to the last digs. Probably won't be as much fun as last year, but after six months stuck with us I don't think that matters!
Do you have everything
This morning's discussion: do you have everything? That's, of course, everything.
Winter, it's coming
Up for an early call and then a walk with the dogs. Overnight nature had decided to send a reminder that the seasons are changing. The first of the autumn leaves are down. Winter is coming. But then winter is always, always, coming.
The Doors
H does the doors. There's now more space and more light with them removed. But. The dogs now have freedom to roam. Didn't think that one through did we!
5k with F
Third 5k ever. That's ever ever, and the second with F. This time he'd recovered from whatever football-related injury he was carrying, upped the pace by an extra 1m30s per km, and left me back in the metaphorical dust.
I say that it was an injury, but it might have been slow-dad-sympathy.
The View From The Pod
Sat in the pod admiring the view and getting distracted from the work I should be doing.
A grey day view
After a week of mornings each blessed with a lovely sunrise today was grey. There's beauty in that there gloom.
Watching the Game
September sun. Perfect conditions for watching youth football. Enjoy it now before spectating in the wind, rain and sleet that we'll have to endure before Lockdown II.
3-0 up. 4-3 down. 4-4 final score. The right result. Bonus: a stonking left footed curving shot from outside the area, into the top corner of the net from F. Well played all.
Freecycling Bar Stools
Three Ikea bar stools have been with us since flat pack heaven. The last 10 years they've been in the shed, but now they have a new freecycled home. Nice one F.
A Walk at Christmas Common
A catch up, lunch and a walk at Christmas Common, with the lovely H&D.
I have a feeling this is a prelude to something we've seen before. Wow, that was six months ago.
Castle Meadows Evening Stroll
A lovely evening stroll with F, Ewok and Yogi around the Castle Meadows. The whole world felt like it was getting ready for bed.
For some reason I had Halide set to computational photography depth mode, so the DoF effect is very overdone!
Online Tutor
F's college transition session was with a tutor via a video call. Not quite the on-campus experience he was hoping for.
Morning Dog Walk Views
The sky put on a very VERY good show for this morning's perambulation.
Watching a pod grow
Jon built an awesome pod for us in the garden. Sparks by Tom. Network by me. Views by God. It's the work from garden plan for the winter. Brrrrrrrr.
Scythe
I borrowed Doug's Austrian scythe for an overdue cut of the wild flower meadow.
I learnt there's a reason people get "farm fit". Yogi & Ewok learnt to get "jump clear of an out of control swinging razor-sharp blade fit".
Stadium Views
Another Sunday, another stadium view. This time the main pitch at Wallingford Town in the social-distance enforced stands. Football in the sun with decent coffee [1]. Pitch perfect.
[1] Home brewed, of course.
Misty Morning
Autumn is on the way. It's dark in the morning again. Clear, cold nights and mist in the morning. Heading down the field the path disappeared to nowhere. But along the bank it cleared… until the next patch rolled along.
River Bank Picnic
A bit more than a year later we headed up river for a stretch and a picnic. Tranquil. We should do this more often.
A new spot to work from
This thing appears to be going on a bit longer than most folks expected. So some commute $€¥£ diverted into a pod space place in the garden.
Puntmageddon
There is something to be said for lounging on the river bank, watching random strangers navigate a gentle waterway in punts.
There is something to be said for lounging in a punt, watching random strangers on the riverbank waiting for you to fall in.
Schadenfreude.
Botanic II
A COVID compliant afternoon at the botanic. As lovely and beautiful as the last and first time we visited.
A night out in a quiet Oxford
Masks on for a bus ride into Oxford.
Running Views
Running views. The fields are ploughed, so the footpath is rough. In places some kind of inspection cylinders have appeared.
Cars!
The Waterfront had a queue longer than the waterfront. Genius idea from Fay — picnic along the river instead. Grub from M&S at the garage. But OMG, cars! Number 18 was cute though.
Theatre. Outdoors!
We has a night out. Outdoors out.
It was quite good.
Comments
Quite good? It was _amazing_!!!! Fay
Dartmoor Loop
A twenty-something kilometer stroll around Dartmoor. From Two Bridges to Two Bridges. Taking in Wistman's Woods (L9), Winford Steps (M12), Bellever Tor (L11), and more.
Changing Trains in Exeter
I got to Exeter in time to miss my connection. But a kind Giraffe helped me out with a Katsu Curry while I was waiting.
Fixing the washing machine
The door seal started to leak. A YouTube video and a spare park from eSpares felt like a good idea. When the nice person on the video said "and now you just have to put it all back together" I had a little wobble.
Walking the loop
We waked the old river loop this morning. Except the last / first leg is no more (since the meadow track at Tony Lane was removed last summer). There was access earlier in the week to repair the footpath surface, but the contractors had done an excellent job of reinstating the barbed wire. Instead we walked there and back (which isn't a loop...)
Steps and Ramp
R has built us a small patio, with steps, around the tub. It has Fay's ramp for sledging (or maybe that's for the wheelbarrow, I'm not sure). All with awesome timber from D&S next door. H assisted a little with the heavy lifting!
Too Wet For Walking
"It's too wet for walking" said Ewok. "But perfect weather for a morning snooze."
"Bet you're glad you didn't go camping with Finn" said Yogi. But Ewok was already asleep and didn't hear him.
The bed's too big without you
Ewok wasn't sure if the bench had shrunk or if he had grown. He decided to sleep on it.
The Oak Tree
While pruning the lavendar (which was a great move BTW) the Oak sapling was accidentially decapitated. Whoops. Fortunately it appears to have recovered with gusto.
Exam Fiasco
The (still ongoing) exam fiasco in three books:
- What went wrong — Cathy O'Neil on algorithms that "exploit people and distort the truth while posing as neutral mathematical tools".
- Why that matters — Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett on "how more equal societies are better for everyone".
- How it could happen — Philip E. Tetlock on how "people that make prediction their business are rarely held accountable".
ofqual published a technical report which neatly explains (in §9.5 & §8.4) how their model is biased in favour of small cohorets. Those just happen to be most independent (aka private) schools.
It's probably a good time to remind myself of the blurb for Mistakes were made but not by me:
> Why do people dodge responsibility when things fall apart? Why the parade of public figures unable to own up when they screw up? Why the endless marital quarrels over who is right? Why can we see hypocrisy in others but not in ourselves? Are we all liars? Or do we really believe the stories we tell?
Footpath Squeeze
Ploughed right up to the field edge, the footpath is squeezed. Muddy walks for a while.
Steve Cuing
The regular evening at the pub is slowly gradulating from video call to physically spaced in a backgarden. This week numbers were slightly reduced due to Holidays-up-North and Post-A-Level-Result-UCAS-University-Data-Crunching. Thanks Steve for hosting and for cuing the sounds.
Keeping Cool in the Heat
Ewok found a comfy spot to stay cool(-ish) in the heat…
Dinner at Pebble Beach
A lovely meal out with Fay (it's been a Covid-while!) at Pebble Beach. Not a bad view of the needles in the evening light. Not a bad sunset sky on the stroll home either.
Ansel Inspired New Forest
One bit had a reputation for being very muddy in the winter. Not sure if the boot was as a consequence, or a piece of art someone had created.
New Forest walk
A stretch for Pip, Ewok and Yogi in the coolness of the New Forest. A pause for a famly snap (in a holly tree, well posed).
Beer sunset
First round at the King Billy as the day was closing. Beautiful views across the valley.
Dinner (local)
Dinner by Fay with (very) local veggies from two fields over courtesy of Beatrice. Very tasty.
Finn's Away
The boys are missing little-getting-bigger-now F. I'm not sure how much he's missing them.
Hat
The hat is now a teenager. It's showing some signs of wear. But yesterday, it still managed to keep a head shaded and dry the long river way to Wallingford and back.
Dinner Delivered
Le Clos is shut. It's very small, so little space to distance while dining, and there's scant sign of Wallingford Town Council creating something amazing for outside eating [1]. But, Stefan is doing home deliveries. We had a very enjoyable dinner with wine at the bottom of the garden last night. Yum.
Footnotes
[1] Or at least based on the evidence of the May minutes and June agenda…
Worldclass Telecoms
Many things are world class these days. Our response to COVID. Our democracy. Brexit. We even have world class telecoms. This post posted courtesy of a home broadband connection that is 10x slower than the one we had 10 years ago. There's a certain symetry there. Maybe we could adopt this phone box for the community. It's outside St. John's school. I wonder what it could be?
Patch of Blue
Yesterday's patch of blue got bigger. It reminded me of something.
I thought there was a saying, an expression of good luck or blessing to a departing friend, to wish them clouds. Because clouds bring rain which is kinda essential. But, when I went searching, I couldn't find it, so here it is:
> May there always be a cloud on your horizon.
Many Beds
When Ewok can get away with it, he loves to re-enact scenes from his favourite fairy stories.
View from Finn's Room
Possibly the best view from the house. But don't tell anyone else I said that. There may be trouble.
Spikey Pointy Sphere Flowers
They have another name, but I can't pronounce nor spell it.
Comments::
They're called _Echinops_ (or a Globe Thistle) fay
Day Out in London
Masks On! For a day trip to London by train.
Garden Friends
These amazing creatures remove black fly more efficiently than anything. A lady [bird|bug] friendly garden pays back big time.
Keyboard
One of these is more creative than the other.
> "The reason that Apple is able to create products like the iPad is because we've always tried to be at the intersection of technology and the liberal arts."
Steve Jobs
Past tense?
The Age of Absurdity
Check out for this item (on a popular online retailer) tried to entice me to subscribe and save. The site claimed that most purchasers opt to receive another water bottle every two months. That's about how long it takes our house to loose one too…
> "I didn't loose it, I just don't know where it is"
Needless to say, I declined.
Mustard in the herb garden
Encouraged by A's 'perfect tomato', I have endeavoured to perfect the humble mustard plant. To start, I envisioned the outcome that I want to achieve.
Book Subscription No. 1
An evening read, enjoying the first book from Wallingford Bookshop's wonderful subscription service (thanks family!!!).
The geek in me is trying to figure out if an algorithm would ever pick something that fit as well as this. Here's hoping the answer is no, and the gap that remains is part of being human.
Update: it was a good read. Complete with a rickroll.
Two new kids in the house
Every year the pigeons come back to the Yew tree to nest. We're wondering if it is the same pigeons...
This year two little ones. And yes, that nest is a precarious as it looks.
and the clouds departed…
…just as the working day was ending. Run (regressed two weeks!) then a dog walk with Finn (before he beat me, twice, at CoD).
First Day
Ready for the first day. What you don't see is the playlist. But you might have guessed from the lockdown project. Or maybe not.
National Meadows Day
Here's a late entry for National Meadows Day (which was on Saturday): a dusky damp view of the front garden meadow.
It's come on a long way since the spring.
Half Selfie [1]
A long time ago we met a couple (in Matt's in the Market) who did this strange thing of taking a picture of themselves while holding the camera at arm's length facing the wrong way. We thought them most odd. How times change.
Footnotes
- [1] Half ∵ for a full selfie both of us would have needed to take the picture.
- [2] Note in this picture, Fay's amazing impression of small eyes Aiddy.
Morning Coffee Work
End of something, before the start of something else. One more benefit of working from the garden during a lockdown [1] is that a catch-up coffee has two views, one this end, one that end.
Footnote
[1] -ish
Leaving pressie
For some reason, the team thought a bike related theme was appropriate... I really must have been a bit of a bike bore. Maybe it was all the T-shirts ;)
Merci folks.
J's book of garden things
J has a book in the garden potting shed. It's full of details of plants planted in the garden, going back years.
It's an awesome idea, one we may nick.
Yew Henge
A lovely afternoon away from the house at Waterperry. Quiet and peaceful. Peace. Peace. Peace.
A highlight: Yew Henge, a one-third scale replica of Stone Henge in Yew and Box, surrounded by meadow.
The Hedge Desk
Introducing The Hedge Desk™.
> "Work in tune with nature"
Height adjustable, but slowly. Clip the hedge to lower. Wait for the box to grow to raise. On size fits all. Eventually.
Available now in kit form. Send SAE for details.
Lower Woodford
Continuing to be a lert on a catch-up afternoon stroll around Lower Woodford and the Avon valley. Beautiful.
Goodbye LHR16
Tuesday evening, returning test & dev devices during my last working week. Bye bye to a locked down LHR16.
Hair by dad
Finn's second lockdown hair cut. Hair by dad with background beats from a Faroese-Icelandic minimal, experimental techno duo.
Checking out the rabbit damage
That's damage caused by the rabbits. Not damage to rabbits. That would be a very different thing.
Running Sunsets
A bonus from learning to run (couch to 5k, slowly) is the sunsets.
A lesson from iPhone-in-your-pocket photography, low light things look good, initially, but quickly get over-processed when you view on a big screen.
Plant Shopping
Mum went plant shopping. A barrow of stuff for the garden. Ewok wasn't too impressed.
walking through wheat fields
Walking through (or maybe along) wheat fields to (one of) the lonely trees. It's about as far as we get these days.
Bribery
H interviewing Ewok for his lockdown experiences. Or, getting some attention with an ice lolly bribe.
Tidy, Dry and Light
After fixing the roof, the shed had a spring clean. Lighting added thanks to a solar panel on the (new!) roof and an old car battery. The panel also covered a hole where I'd missed the beam with a roofing nail!
Horsebox Coffee
Coffee by post. First delivery from Horsebox. Quiet lovely, but I need to tweak the grinder and shot weight I think.
Fixing a hole
I'm Fixing a hole where the rain gets in And stops my mind from wandering Where it will go
With big help from F and H.
End
Evening bike ride went full-on cross country.
Barnard
Yogi, disappointed to find that Ewok's 2001 edition of Brewers does not contain the definition of Barnard Castle. But happy that Uncle Professor has the 2005 edition that does.
Meanwhile Ewok found a similar definition in 1984 edition of A Dictionary of Slang attributed (from 1864 no less) thus:
> ‘Come! Come! That’s Barney Castle! an expression often uttered when a person is heard making a bad excuse in a still worse cause’.
Wikipedia may or may not decide that Dominic's visit is worth noting.
Update: observant readers have noted that the rules were very, very clear. Crystal in fact. We even captured a copy of them in a post back in March. I surmise therefore, that members of the cabinet, including the Attorney General, aren't avid readers of c r o s s o a k.
Locked down Wallingford
A lunch time ride into town to drop a couple of things into the Post Office. Quiet.
Morning Office View
Someone asked for the morning view. Here was this mornings. A tad distracting at times.
A Lert
I don't agree that the government's official advice is unclear. It's simples. Just be A Lert. Quod erat demonstrandum.
May in the Garden
W00t! it's May in the Garden.
Previous years:
2019 | 2018 (May-ish) | 2017 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 |
Moving Wood
D & S graciously gave us some of their seasoned 'grown in the garden' timber to help with the garden project. H & F helped move and restack the store. We apologised to the rabbits for the disruption, but hope they'll snack on the other side of the fence now.
Couch to 5K
Following the NHS Couch-to-5 app. On week 3. Gave up keeping up with Rosemary Conley's keep fit video. Let's see how the running goes...
Stay Alert!
Latest guidance: Stay Alert. With a particle diameter of ~0.125μm I'll be sure to keep looking carefully. Could be tricky while the opticians remain closed.
Lock down book sorting
Sorting by colour (after Hazel and Paul). A tad tricky when your colourblind [1]. I think this may have been a better picture in monochrome. Anyone remember Ilford XP2?
[1] ish
Lockdown Walk
A circular walk (with the dogs) for yesterday's lockdown exercise. House - Lane - Wood - Path - Sotwell Hill - Shillingford Bridge - Road - Wood - Lane.
Exhausting.
Smaller Eyes than Me
Yes, I found someone with smaller eyes than me. Okay, Ewok's are only small when I make him pose facing into the morning sun.
Jumps
Every time I pass the jumps get a little more sophisticated. The textures a little more intricate.
Contrail
Yes. We. Saw. A. Contrail.
It was that exciting. We had to stop and get a photo.
Imagine, the days you could get into a metal tube and fly a mile high in the sky between countries and continents in hours.
Project Update
Progress on the lock down project. Place an old cassette tape on top of the box to listen to a Spotify playlist. Lift the cassette to pause playback, replace to continue. Switch the (cassette) tape to change the playlist.
An RFID tag on the tape triggers a reader in the box. The ID on the tag maps to a playlist which a Raspberry Pi plays via Mopidy through a Denon amp and Q-Acoustic speakers.
Well, what else was there to do?
Evening run
Yesterday's evening run 1 from Brightwell. Stopped about here when Elliot Adamson whispered in my ears:
> "Do you feel overwhelmed and confused by the global predicament? You are on the right track."
Nicely done Mr. Adamson. Nicely done.
-
Currently a run is defined as a series of short periods running interspearsed by similar periods walking. Sounds good though. ↩
Yogi's Haircut
Before the hair cut.
The end of cow parsley path
At the end of Cow Parsley Path is more Cow Parsley. A lot more. Just as well we like it.
Lockdown Coping Strategy No.16
Ewok and Yogi have refined their coping strategy. It's called Sleep. It works very well. I may have to adopt it.
WiFi
Yesterday was running Cat6 Ethernet down the garden. Today was hooking it up to some WiFi.
Hopefully that'll be more reliable than the TP-Link PowerLine convertors.
Ethernet
Today's challenge: running ethernet cable down to Fay's studio. A tad tricky when you're colour-blind [1] and trying to figure out which wire goes where.
[1] ish.
Wild flower progress
Progress in the wild flower meadow. The rabbits like the patch in the front. But the back is doing well.
Lock down dog walk
Enjoying morning walks with Fay and the four-legged boys. We're extremely lucky to be here.
2020
This could sum up most (not all) of 2020 so far. In general, a big steaming pile of crap of a year. Here's to H2.
The People vs Tech
Why Don't You Just Switch Off Your Phone and Go and Do Something Less Boring Instead? Like, read this book.
award_stars(5);
Then read Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism
Lock-in for lock-down
We may have reached the point where we drink our way through the rest of lock down.
Wild flowers
First two flowers in the garden wild flower meadow. Ragged Robin followed by Red Campion.
Lock down dinner
Lock down dinner is served. Tonight's chef special: H's Protein Blockbuster Stir Fry. Yum.
Bridleway to Brightwell
The bridleway from Shillingford bridge (ish) to Brightwell (ish). For my gov.uk approved exercise.
Team Challenge
Paul's team challenge. Something to do with players who have never played together or at the same club or country or something.
An evening at the pub
An evening at the pub. Catching up and talking rubbish with occasional sense and insight about music.
Porridge
As I said previously, get ready for more abstract object studies of stuff around the home. A lot more. I'm not getting out much.
More abstract
> Shower room corner, Aiddy 2020.
As I said previously, get ready for more abstract object studies of stuff around the home. A lot more. I'm not getting out much.
Cairn
>A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones. The word cairn comes from the Scottish Gaelic: càrn
Glass, water
> Glass with water by light on wood.
As I said previously, get ready for more abstract object studies of stuff around the home. A lot more.
I did warn you.
Bird house
The Bird House is 10. Yes ten years old this April and still going strong, if a tad faded and woodpecker pecked.
WFH Lab Setup
I work on teaching computers to watch TV. Yes, that strapline is inspired by Douglas Adams (he of Always Carry a Towel fame!).
Working, or trying to work from home, means replicating part of our lab setup. This isn't it.
Pasta Cheese
April 8th is now Pasta Cheese Back-off Day. This year Amelie won. But the judging was split... by about 210km.
iPhone Recycling
The packaging for our first iPhone (the Cisco-Linsys one, not the Apple one). Found in the loft, now in with the cardboard recycling.
Daffodil Hill
Local dog walks now start and end at Daffodil Hill. Named because it's a hill with Daffodils. Well, a bump may be more accurate. You know, kind of a like a mole-hill type hill. (But with Daffs.)
Lockdown Life
Lockdown means coffee
Bike Ride Views
A ride with Finn. Our exercise for the day...
> You should only leave the house for very limited purposes: > * shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible. > * one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household. > * any medical need, including to donate blood, avoid or escape risk of injury or harm, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person. > * travelling for work purposes, but only where you cannot work from home. > >These reasons are exceptions - even when doing these activities, you should be minimising time spent outside of the home and ensuring you are 2 metres apart from anyone outside of your household. > >These measures must be followed by everyone.
Guidance: Staying at home and away from others (social distancing), UK Government Cabinet Office, Published 23 March 2020
Bath Mat
> Bath Mat at Rest, Aiddy, 2020.
Get ready for more abstract object studies of stuff around the home. A lot more.
Queue
The queue at Waitrose with 4m spacing protocol. Shopping success with supplies for us and 4 other folks who are advised to stay home.
The customer
An illustration for working backwards training for the team. Working from home means a lack of conference rooms to illustrate the concept of leaving an empty chair to represent the customer.
Corona
In the UK, today is day 53. 8,077 cases, 422 deaths. Twelve days since I was last in the office. Four days since the schools shut. Six days since H came home from university. One day since the government said "shutdown".
Privilege comes in many forms
Privilege comes in many forms. Today, it is being able to work from home. Even though the various gremlins in the VPN'd internet connection conspired to make that harder than usual.
Sunday Stroll
A stroll rather than a walk.
Exam Results
The bitter-sweet moment of passing your exams without taking your exams.
There's a book all about "when" that advises against endings like this.
Coping okay
The boys experimenting with coping strategies today. It's (very) early days, but I think they may have this one sorted.
Finished When
Finished a book all about timing. Well timed.
Wet Sunday Project
A little project for a wet Sunday. RFID tagged cassette tapes trigger playback of songs, albums or playlists via mopidy on a Raspberry PI through NwAvGuy's oDAC and a BOSE Soundlink II.
> NwAvGuy: The Audio Genius Who Vanished
Home for a weekend
H came home for the weekend to catch up with friends, eat eggs...
Muddy Knees
"They're more muddy than mine" said Yogi.
"That's from winning in the quarter-final" said Ewok.
Emma's Birthday
From which I learnt that there are two styles of 20's fancy dress. Upper class and me.
Battle of the views
A glimpse of the snapchat "my morning view is better than your's" battle between H and I. H usually wins.
Wet train from Cholsey
A towel is always useful after a wet ride to the station. Keeps the seat dry for future passengers. Thanks Douglas.
Day out
A day out in London town (some galleries, bookshops, music spacey things and wotnot), with some lovely grub to finish the day. Thanks Fay xxx. At least this year we didn't need passports.
Old tech
Steve was pondering whether the right format to listen to an album on is the format it was originally released on... CD, vinyl, 8-track etc. Serendipitously, the very next day I was sitting next to a pile of Minidisc history.
Trip hazard
If I trip and damage myself, do you think the insurance for the Tesla owner would help out? Asking for a friend.
Vanishing Point
Path through the wood. One day I will get a photo that captures the vanishing point the way it feels to see it. Today was not that day.
Daylight
We're through to the other side, with darkness beginning to recede. Last week I had the first morning daylight journey into Paddington. It was tad foggy. Like a ghost train.
Book stack, rotated
Not the normal stack rank for this time of year. (Or at least not normal for BigCorp that are yet to abandon the practice.)
Part of the current 積ん読. I'm beginning to have doubts about the osmosis theory of knowledge transfer. I might have to read these...
Field, Mud, Track
On the morning walk. A field with mud and a track.
If Nik passes by he'll hopefully notice the source of inspiration. Again.
Radio Silence
"It's all gone very quiet" said Yogi. "Yes" replied Ewok, "Nana nicked Granddad's phone charger"
Seattle at Night
Missed from the Seattle series: Seattle at night (or at least the convention center bit).
Seattle in January
"The 20th Century was about getting around. The 21st Century will be about staying in a place worth staying in."
James Howard Kunstler
Shoe repairs
Turns out the glue works. Or at least it works for sticking soles back on. Well, 3 times out of 4. The Vibram FFs were just that bit too tricky for me.
Crazy walker
Fay told me that this look was festival style boy scout. She then went on to comment that I'd probably be arrested. It wasn't my fault that they shrank in the wash.