Only 2 and a bit days of work left now!
The Uni is open until 23 Dec, but I booked a few days off so I could finish on Friday. Then Mrs RC announced that, due to the expected crush in the shops on Saturday, she was going to do hers on Friday! That was not on! She couldn't do that! So I booked Friday off too, so we can go together. Even if I only get to carry the bags, at least I will be there.
Then we will be ready.
Number One Son is home and settled in, much to everyone's relief. Our daughter finishes work on Friday and Arnie finishes school then too. Our daughter is really hyped for Christmas this year. It is her first Christmas working, and she has been spending so much it makes my eyes water! She even forced us to put up the decorations at the weekend, even though we all had colds and sniffles and would rather have just snuggled on the sofa and watched TV. Still, it is all done now, thanks to her.
I guess this is going to go down in history as the biggest Star Wars Christmas ever? The new movie will be huge, I know it. They hype is now crushing, the nerds are bursting with excitement (OK I am in there too), and I am getting some new ships for my game. The one I can't wait for is the Rebel Transporter. Remember the ship that leads the escape from Hoth, the one that looks like a huge cockroach? That is it. It is going to be so much fun in games. No guns or missiles, but it does have a bunch of nice abilities that just mess with the enemy. And to just add to it all, between Christmas and New Year I am organising a big game at the local game store, which will feature as much of my collection as I can squeeze in. Big ships, little ships, the Falcon being chased by Boba Fett, etc. Ooooh yeah! Going to be a real geekfest!
See you soon! Hope you all have a great Christmas, but I am sure I will be back before then.
Tuesday, 15 December 2015
Monday, 7 December 2015
What are the odds?
The north of England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland have been suffering the attentions of Storm Desmond, which has dumped a month's worth of rain in a day or so.
Number One Son's University is on the southern fringe of the area that has taken the most damage. The city has escaped serious flooding, unlike some towns and cities further north, but they have lost their electricity.
On Sunday afternoon, the university announced that it was closing early for Christmas, everyone had to go home. Easier said than done! Number One Son relies on the train to bring him home for Christmas, and although they were offering free buses to where the trains were actually running we were doubtful that he would be able to complete his trip before the trains stopped running for the night, given the chaos that seemed to be reigning anywhere north of Liverpool.
I was about to ring my brother and ask if he fancied driving to Lancaster and back over night when a reply appeared on Facebook in reply to a forlorn message that I had posted. I had asked if any of Number One Son's friends had electricity, and I got a sheepish "um, yes" from his best friend up there.
Somehow, in a city that is in total darkness, (according to the news the city and its surroundings have 55,000 houses with no power) one house has power.
Theirs.
So he trotted down and took refuge with them, and is staying there until the trains get running again, hopefully Wednesday or Thursday.
So, what are the odds?
I think it is our own little Christmas Miracle.
Number One Son's University is on the southern fringe of the area that has taken the most damage. The city has escaped serious flooding, unlike some towns and cities further north, but they have lost their electricity.
On Sunday afternoon, the university announced that it was closing early for Christmas, everyone had to go home. Easier said than done! Number One Son relies on the train to bring him home for Christmas, and although they were offering free buses to where the trains were actually running we were doubtful that he would be able to complete his trip before the trains stopped running for the night, given the chaos that seemed to be reigning anywhere north of Liverpool.
I was about to ring my brother and ask if he fancied driving to Lancaster and back over night when a reply appeared on Facebook in reply to a forlorn message that I had posted. I had asked if any of Number One Son's friends had electricity, and I got a sheepish "um, yes" from his best friend up there.
Somehow, in a city that is in total darkness, (according to the news the city and its surroundings have 55,000 houses with no power) one house has power.
Theirs.
So he trotted down and took refuge with them, and is staying there until the trains get running again, hopefully Wednesday or Thursday.
So, what are the odds?
I think it is our own little Christmas Miracle.
Thursday, 3 December 2015
The End is Nigh!
The end of term, that is! Just over a week to go!
Then Number One Son will be back from Uni and Christmas can really get under way. We are planning on a good family Christmas this year - lots of fun together, less of the expensive presents - the kids are having trouble thinking of things they need anyway, so it is coming to things like gym membership for Arnie the power-lifter. Oh, I am suspicious about one present that is being bought. I am sure it is for me and I think I know what it is. If I am right I will be a very happy bunny :-)
Talking of bunnies, ours are getting into a breakfast in bed routine! When I go to feed them in the mornings they look out of the bedroom part of their house and wait for me to poke food through the bars for them - going down to the food bowl is obviously too much effort these days, bless them! Of course, I am happy to oblige, they look so cute!
OK, time to nip out for lunch before I take a small class this afternoon. It is generally grey out there these days, but reasonably warm - VERY warm for the time of year! Trying not to get too used to it, it is going to be a real shock when (if) the snow arrives!
Then Number One Son will be back from Uni and Christmas can really get under way. We are planning on a good family Christmas this year - lots of fun together, less of the expensive presents - the kids are having trouble thinking of things they need anyway, so it is coming to things like gym membership for Arnie the power-lifter. Oh, I am suspicious about one present that is being bought. I am sure it is for me and I think I know what it is. If I am right I will be a very happy bunny :-)
Talking of bunnies, ours are getting into a breakfast in bed routine! When I go to feed them in the mornings they look out of the bedroom part of their house and wait for me to poke food through the bars for them - going down to the food bowl is obviously too much effort these days, bless them! Of course, I am happy to oblige, they look so cute!
OK, time to nip out for lunch before I take a small class this afternoon. It is generally grey out there these days, but reasonably warm - VERY warm for the time of year! Trying not to get too used to it, it is going to be a real shock when (if) the snow arrives!
Tuesday, 1 December 2015
December!
December is here, and the Spirit of Christmas is starting to stir in me.
I am wearing a Christmas t-shirt.
My DVD of "A Christmas Story" is close at hand.
I have bought a Christmas present (Secret Santa at work), and tried to buy another but failed, as it was sold out. I will have to hit Amazon for that, I guess!
Spot is still living with us. My mum is back at home, but not up to walking Spot just yet so he is living with us and visiting, which seems to work well. Spot is enjoying having two homes at the moment, trying to stop the cats taking charge of my mum's house when he visits...
Work has changed a fair bit in recent months, as I have been relieved of my more mundane work and given more time to work on mapping exercises for students as well as some headroom to start probing some research interests. All good stuff, but more taxing on the brain. No more "oh I feel like doing something that doesn't need thought, I will update the registers". No, my brain is engaged all day, which is good, very good, but it does mean that I am losing my grip on my Sci-fi novel, which is a shame. I am hoping that I will adjust and be able to get back to it. I was enjoying it. The heroes have just "stolen" a battle cruiser and flown off to see what is really happening in the galaxy... I used quotes above because can the Galactic Emperor really steal a ship that belongs to his own navy? If Obama decided to take Airforce 1 for a quick fly around would it be thought of as stealing? Discuss :-)
I am wearing a Christmas t-shirt.
My DVD of "A Christmas Story" is close at hand.
I have bought a Christmas present (Secret Santa at work), and tried to buy another but failed, as it was sold out. I will have to hit Amazon for that, I guess!
Spot is still living with us. My mum is back at home, but not up to walking Spot just yet so he is living with us and visiting, which seems to work well. Spot is enjoying having two homes at the moment, trying to stop the cats taking charge of my mum's house when he visits...
Work has changed a fair bit in recent months, as I have been relieved of my more mundane work and given more time to work on mapping exercises for students as well as some headroom to start probing some research interests. All good stuff, but more taxing on the brain. No more "oh I feel like doing something that doesn't need thought, I will update the registers". No, my brain is engaged all day, which is good, very good, but it does mean that I am losing my grip on my Sci-fi novel, which is a shame. I am hoping that I will adjust and be able to get back to it. I was enjoying it. The heroes have just "stolen" a battle cruiser and flown off to see what is really happening in the galaxy... I used quotes above because can the Galactic Emperor really steal a ship that belongs to his own navy? If Obama decided to take Airforce 1 for a quick fly around would it be thought of as stealing? Discuss :-)
Monday, 16 November 2015
Wednesday, 11 November 2015
Life, eh?
The weekend started off well enough - a great day on Saturday playing Star Wars games. I came last (my fleet was designed for fun not winning) but had an amazing time doing it.
Then, on Sunday morning, it all went pear shaped. My mum had a fall and broke her leg. Into hospital, metal rod screwed in place by mid afternoon, all seemed as good as it could be. With luck she would be home by next weekend. Except now they are saying probably another week or two, as they don't think she is improving fast enough. Really? She has arthritis in both knees and now has a broken leg to recover from, how much do they expect from her? We have got her dog, Spot (previously my dad's dog, they divorced years ago but stayed on reasonably good terms) living with us now and have offered to have her stay with us for a while too if necessary, so we will see.
Our dogs seem happy enough to have the visitor staying with us, although from time to time we do catch Frou Frou with a sort of "Is he STILL here?" expression on her face. She is a funny little thing. At least he seems to be distracting her from trying to bite the young fish through the fish tank's glass. It is a wonder she hasn't chipped a tooth!
Ah well, more soon. Have a good week!
Then, on Sunday morning, it all went pear shaped. My mum had a fall and broke her leg. Into hospital, metal rod screwed in place by mid afternoon, all seemed as good as it could be. With luck she would be home by next weekend. Except now they are saying probably another week or two, as they don't think she is improving fast enough. Really? She has arthritis in both knees and now has a broken leg to recover from, how much do they expect from her? We have got her dog, Spot (previously my dad's dog, they divorced years ago but stayed on reasonably good terms) living with us now and have offered to have her stay with us for a while too if necessary, so we will see.
Our dogs seem happy enough to have the visitor staying with us, although from time to time we do catch Frou Frou with a sort of "Is he STILL here?" expression on her face. She is a funny little thing. At least he seems to be distracting her from trying to bite the young fish through the fish tank's glass. It is a wonder she hasn't chipped a tooth!
Ah well, more soon. Have a good week!
Tuesday, 3 November 2015
Poor Neglected Blog...
Back for another visit to my poor, tumbleweed infested blog.
What has been happening in the world of RC?
Hm....
Flu.
Yes, we have had a plague ravaging the house. Mrs RC is in her third week of feeling bad, I am in my second week, thought I had shaken it but it is still lingering.
We had a parents evening at school for Arnie, our youngest. Mrs RC usually goes, but as she was deep in the misery of flu I went along instead. Nothing but praise for our guy (forgot the Proud Parent Warning, sorry!). But he is doing a great job, getting his work done in good time, getting to the gym, having a social life. He even took one of the teachers to task for being late giving out some homework because it messed with his timetable!
England seems to have a blanket of fog at the moment, there are some great photos showing just the tops of London's tallest buildings poking out of it, eg...
It is pretty think, often dropping visibility to about 50 yards, which makes the roads a bit dicey at times!
Had a good ride in the fog on Sunday. I had been planning a day with lots of rest, but early on the light tube in the main bathroom died, so I decided to go for a stroll down to the local hardware shop to buy a replacement. I ambled down there only to find they were out of stock, so I ambled back home again.
The next nearest hardware store is about 2 miles away, or 3 if you take the meandering lanes which are much safer in the fog. So I jumped on my bike, peddled over (following the lanes for safety), bought the tube and peddled back again.
As soon as I took the tube out of the box I knew it wasn't right. They are not supposed to rattle!
So back to the shop, along the lanes again, grabbing a replacement that did not rattle (4th time lucky!), and then home again.
This one did keep me hanging for a couple of minutes before it actually came on, but it did work in the end.
By this time it was mid afternoon, and Mrs RC was just putting a huge roast dinner on the table, so all was well in the end. And no one had to have a bath in the dark that night...
What has been happening in the world of RC?
Hm....
Flu.
Yes, we have had a plague ravaging the house. Mrs RC is in her third week of feeling bad, I am in my second week, thought I had shaken it but it is still lingering.
We had a parents evening at school for Arnie, our youngest. Mrs RC usually goes, but as she was deep in the misery of flu I went along instead. Nothing but praise for our guy (forgot the Proud Parent Warning, sorry!). But he is doing a great job, getting his work done in good time, getting to the gym, having a social life. He even took one of the teachers to task for being late giving out some homework because it messed with his timetable!
England seems to have a blanket of fog at the moment, there are some great photos showing just the tops of London's tallest buildings poking out of it, eg...
It is pretty think, often dropping visibility to about 50 yards, which makes the roads a bit dicey at times!
Had a good ride in the fog on Sunday. I had been planning a day with lots of rest, but early on the light tube in the main bathroom died, so I decided to go for a stroll down to the local hardware shop to buy a replacement. I ambled down there only to find they were out of stock, so I ambled back home again.
The next nearest hardware store is about 2 miles away, or 3 if you take the meandering lanes which are much safer in the fog. So I jumped on my bike, peddled over (following the lanes for safety), bought the tube and peddled back again.
As soon as I took the tube out of the box I knew it wasn't right. They are not supposed to rattle!
So back to the shop, along the lanes again, grabbing a replacement that did not rattle (4th time lucky!), and then home again.
This one did keep me hanging for a couple of minutes before it actually came on, but it did work in the end.
By this time it was mid afternoon, and Mrs RC was just putting a huge roast dinner on the table, so all was well in the end. And no one had to have a bath in the dark that night...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)