Day2Day

I'm really not very good at darts. I'd not played before until a few months ago when I gave it a try while out with cdave. I wasn't very good but I was improving. My first dart would fly wild but with the next two I could correct the mistakes and get closer to my target.

Last night I went out with adelheid and cdave and discovered I've managed to get worse at darts. Now I can't correct the errors as well as I could the first time around. I was bad.

I was really bad.

I was stabbed-myself-in-the-chest bad.

Daytime.

Wear:
Underwear
Jog pants
leather trousers
paid of socks
pair of carrier bags (on feet)
second pair of socks
pair of leather boots
t shirt
cagoule
tiger-print leotard
furry bodywarmer
long tabard (reaches to mid-shins)
giant leather (lammied) hero belt
suede and fake fur oversize waistcoat
fur coat without arms
cut off sleeves of a sheepskin coat
fleece cloak

And run around a bit. All waterproof and warm. Yay!

Night time
Version 1:
Sleep in t shirt, socks and balaclava using bedding that goes:
airbed
picnic blanket
4 season sleeping bag with a 3 season sleeping bag inside it
large, heavy, fake fur and fleece blanket on top
large wool cloak on top of that
hug a hot water bottle tightly

Wake up cold at 7.30am after about 4 hours' sleep.

Version 2:

Find spare bunk availability at 5am while chatting to irdm, sleep until 9am, struggle to leave cosy warm bedding to obtain food, eventually managing it at 10am.

Result:
Super-sleepy Max.

It turns out the ease of carrying a big backpack is massively improved by correct adjustment of the straps. I wish I'd worked this out somewhat earlier!

I seem to have an odd problem with my Flash installation and removing it and replacing it and making sure it's up to date don't seem to help.

It just keeps pausing. Not for long, just something between a fraction of a second and a couple of seconds at a time, but it makes it too frustrating to watch video and interferes with games like Bejewelled on Facebook. Before anyone asks, no, it's nothing to do with the content streaming - if I let an entire video download and then play it it still happens. The video side affects Youtube, iPlayer and the One And Other site.

Anyone else encountered similar? I've experimented with turning of my antivirus software, I've scanned the machine for adware and similar, I've googled and all to no avail. Oh, and it's not related to my net connection as I used to have the problem in Peterborough via a Virgin connection and now have it with Sky over a BT line. Not really sure what to try next, short of a full Windows reinstall and that really seems like overkill. Any suggestions?

I want to go to Leicester (from London) on 28th November and return on 29th. The cheapest train fare for this appears to be 48 quid, going by nationalrail.co.uk and thetrainline.com.

Is that really going to be the best I can get, or do cheaper advance tickets come out closer to the time? I note that I can get TO Leicester for nine quid, so why do they want to charge me so much more to come back?

I am incredibly grateful to Elvis and Lara especially, but also to Vic, Helen and Lee. Between them and myself we've packed up all my stuff, moved it south, shoved it into the house largely at least on the right floor, replaced bits that wouldn't fit in, bought bits that were missing and generally got me something approaching settled in the new place. I have a huge mountain of boxes to unpack and a lot of furniture still to be assembled but the work these people have put in for me is astounding and very thankfully received. Lara and Elvis in particular were available from Thursday right through until late last night and we barely stopped, sleeping short hours overnight and doing a LOT of work throughout the days.

There is one major outstanding issue though. The washing machine. Now, I like my washing machine, it's got some useful programmes, a very fast spin and a decent energy rating. However, it is 7.5 years old now, and smells musty if you leave the door closed. Also, when setting it to run the dial makes some strange mechanical creaky sounds. However, I was hoping to get a year or so more out of it.

Here lies the problem. The plumbing for the washing machine is in the downstairs shower room. To put the machine in place means wheedling it through a gap of 60cm - the exact same width as the machine itself. Thus, highly unlikely to happen. Now, the machine is only 58cm in another direction, so it could go through that way. Except the gap is partially blocked by a radiator and a shower door handle. This leaves me with the following options:

1) Borrow, hire, or get a handyman who comes with a scissor lift to put it into position.

2) Ignore the space for a washing machine that currently exists, tear out the fitted fridge, and replace it with the washing machine.

3) Buy a new washing machine - a top loader seems to be the best bet as it's reduced in size but can still do decent loads.

Cons for each option:

1) Costs money, most likely. Whilst cheap in the short term if the machine dies I'll have to pay again to get it back out.

2) What do I use the washing machine space for if not a washing machine? It is well placed but for the getting it in. Also, why tear out a well positioned fridge, and just how easy will it be to move a washing machine up a flight of stairs with a turn in the middle?

3) I already HAVE a washing machine, I'm not keen on buying another. Also, there are issues around delivery. Likely second hand sources aren't turning up much (Loot, Ebay, Gumtree). Slimline machines are expensive and rarer than normal shaped/sized ones.

Meanwhile I'm going to have to work out how launderettes work. There is one within walking distance, at least, but I've no idea what the costs are and what hours that kind of place does. And, frankly, I have better things to be doing with my time but I'm not keen on spending extra money for the convenience of someone else doing my washing. There's always the bath and stomping around option, I guess...

Went to the cinema last night with johncoxon to see the new Tarantino movie.

It managed to be bloodthirsty, irreverent, thought provoking and funny and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely not for the squeamish, but otherwise recommended.

We also noted, as John parked the car in a dim lit space far, far from the entrance, that the Orange Wednesdays promotion really seems to have made it THE weekday for cinema visiting.

People keep asking me when I'm moving. I don't bloody know. What I do know is that the solicitors continue to appear incompetent.

They asked me to suggests dates some time ago and I said 15th August would suit me, I recognised it might not suit everyone in the chain and so offered a backup date in July. Both were Saturdays and I specifically referred to how weekend dates would be much more preferable for me as I work full time.

I heard nothing. So yesterday I chased in email, asking if the date of 15th August which I'd previously suggested was all right for others in the chain, and stating that I assumed as the July date is rather close now I assumed that would not be happening.

I got a reply that said they would recommend going for an August date given that there are things still outstanding, and was there any particular date that would be my preference? Note that the response QUOTED my own email in which I referred to 15th August.

So I stay polite and calm and restate this date, reiterating that a weekend date will suit me best. The response comes back fairly quickly again. It tells me that they can't do weekends as they are closed "and so are the banks".

1) My bank bloody ISN'T closed at weekends.
2) Why is it only NOW mentioned that a weekend is unsuitable?

This is a bloody pain in the arse as it means I'm much less likely to be able to rely on getting friends to help me out and will probably need to pay a real removals firm. She has suggested working towards 14th August, but has not yet replied to my email asking what that means - I don't know at what point I find out if the date we're "working towards" is actually my moving date. I don't know how long it will be until we're at the exchange point, which is when I assume the completion date is set in stone. I can't give notice on my broadband, or book a removals firm, or ask friends if they're available until the date is real. I need to have at least a fortnight between the date being set and the date arriving and with these incompetents I feel like they're going to turn around on 12th August and say "yep, completion will happen on 14th" or something. This is all really damn frustrating.

I HATE driving. Too many idiots on the roads for my liking and I have no sense of direction.

So why do I keep looking at cars and trying to work out how I could afford to run one?

Stupid tempting internets!

About three or four years ago I planted a few raspberry canes.

This afternoon I picked about a million raspberries from the garden, and that was just the ripe half. They've colonised the entire length of the garden and are going for the width as well but the mower is mighty.

I hope the new home owner likes raspberries. I wonder if I can grow new ones in pots or troughs given that my next garden is bricked over.