Dear Diary...

This is my diary. How things are. Or something. Please note that the diary is archived month by month, so feel free to click the links for the archives (which now will go back five years maximum):

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Sunday 17th November - Northern Day and Night

It was really nice for both The Love In My Heart and myself to have a lie in, having had such a busy weekend already. We were out with our good friends later on and that was going to be rather lovely, but being all snuggled with Brian the cat being by our side (and wanting his Mummy to get up and feed him!) was good. In fact I got up first and managed to give Brian some Dreamies - he was not saying no to any of that, let me tell you, he was more than happy!

I got myself ready and headed out to Asda with good timing so the tills would open once I had got what I needed. The good news was that the cat food which we needed for Brian the cat was in, so he could have his sensitive Purina as well as the Sheba Fresh and Fine in gravy which he laps up massively. With the boss all sorted for later on, we managed to transfer the pictures from the camera to The Love's laptop, and we emailed over the parents of The Cute Little One some lovely pictures, which they appreciated massively.

We were all good to go and rain was forecast, and rain came - and then some. It was chucking it down as we left and just missed a tram too - although at least the tram stop does have shelter from the elements. We erventually got into the city centre, headed along towards Thomas Street - and Fierce Beer was shut. What kind of sorcery is going on? So instead we headed over to Terrace, where our friends happened to be - they had had the same idea as us. So we settled in for a pre-lunch drink there.

It was then along Thomas Street to Smithfield Social for the Sunday Roast. It was nice to catch up and chatter a fair bit and to be fair, it was lovely that we weren't rushed either unlike some places that seem to want you to go in and out in record time to fill more tables. I went for the roast beef, and I think for some it might have been a bit too pink, but I didn't mind it - and there was plenty of it. The Love and one of our friends had the roast pork, which was very nicely done indeed, whilst our other friend had the vegan wellington, which actually to be fair looked really nice!

We had a good time in there and it was over to Fierce Beer, which was now open. The staff told us they'd had some issues with the gear but it was all sorted, which meant some nice beer for everyone. They did have the pomegranate radler which was really nice and different, and I did also try the 0.5% versions of both the Hometown and the Cerveza, which was spot on in both cases. The Love was enjoying a Cerveza or two and we were all happy chattering away.

In fact, the nice thing was that the background music had plenty of classics that I was happily enjoying, including Anarchy in the UK by Sex Pistols, Rise by Public Image Limited, Lucretia My Reflection by The Sisters of Mercy, Tower of Strength by The Mission and all sorts, but perhaps best of all some classic R.E.M. including Orange Crush, so that has to be tune of the day for me - still a classic. Time went by and it was time to head off and get to Piccadily station for the train home and a sad farewell to The Love In My Heart - the time had gone by too quickly again!

Saturday 16th November - Trams and Slides

It was another busy day with The Cute Little One and The Cute Tiny One, both of which were up and about at around the same time. We fed them both breakfast and I headed out to get some McMuffins and orange juice for myself and The Love In My Heart, so meant she did not need to cook - probably sensible. It was raining though so The Cute Little One asked to put on Frozen (having watched several episodes of some Barbie adventure yesterday as well as Angela's Christmas 2) and so she was engrossed in that and loving the songs from it - and I can understand why.

The Cute Tiny One was having fun with the little playmat, and some books which she could touch or lift the felt (or try to eat the felt!) but also she does love her little Sophie la Giraffe, which is a perfect little toy for teething - she can put that in her mouth and all the textures are all good. In fact she had little cheeky grins at me during the morning and was being super adorable, so there you go. We did see if the weather was easing up a little, an so decided to head to the local park for some playtime, and also maybe out to see a bee which I know someone would like to see.

It was out with the buggy and so on, and we got out as the rain got a little worse. It did ease off a little by the time we walked down the canal and to the park, and in fact The Cute Tiny One was nodding off, an with some steady pushing and rocking, she was having a little sleep all cosy in the buggy. Awww. The Cute Little One was in her element, but due to the slides being wet, and even with The Love getting most of it dried off with a towel, going down the slide was at a fast pace - good job the surface you land on has some give and that it didn't hurt too much when landing beyond!

After swings, slides and the mini roundabout, we headed off across past the Etihad Campus tram stop and then down the walk to the city centre, where a large model bee was. The Cute Little One managed to get on to it and have her picture taken, and as we were half way to Holt Town tram stop anyway, we knew she wanted to get on the tram. With that in mind we did that so she could have a little ride, and The Cute Tiny One had woken up earlier, but she was all happy - perhaps her first ever tram ride in the buggy too. In any case we got back all safe and sound to The Love's place, and with me keeping The Cute Tiny One occupied, The Cute Little One and The Love set about baking some lovely cupcakes (I had one later, they were ace!)

The day sped by really and it was around 7.15pm when their parents arrived to collect them - and they were super happy that they had both been so good (which they had - The Cute Little One was being super helpful such as getting the brush and dustpan to clean the cat litter which Brian had spilled when having his wee, and putting rubbish in the bin and so on.) It had been a long two days but definitely ones which we both had enjoyed, and spending time with the lovely two was just special - I think for The Love she definitely appreciated me being there for support.

With everything more calm, Brian the cat joined us in the living room and had plenty of fuss and cuddles as he was on the pouffle, The Love put some posh pizzas in the oven for tea, and we both settled in for Strictly Come Dancing - the Blackpool special, which I could put on iPlayer and do a play from start so we could watch as live. I have to say that two couples stood out - Sarah and Vito going quite Fosse with their couples choice with a Kyle Minogue number, and Tasha and Aljaz slaying the floor with a very impressive and classical paso doble, doing that dance massive justice. Bringing him back was such a good move (said a lot of my female work colleagues!)

The best bit of the night for us both though was no doubt The Pet Shop Boys doing a medley of some of their songs complete with the pro dancers doing all the songs justice. I really of course liked some of their early stuff, so the likes of Suburbia, West End Girls and It's a Sin all featured wonderfully well, and even their cover of Go West later on as the celebrities joined in. However, if I did have to pick one of theirs in the medley that strikes a chord, it is What Have I Done To Deserve This, which was of course with Dusty Springfield back in the day - tune of the day for me without a doubt.

Friday 15th November - Lights of Love

I headed up to The Love In My Heart's place last night, and that was good at least because it meant I could have some lovely hugs with her and Brian the cat, who did let me fuss over him massively to a degree (good boy, Brian!) - and we were preparing for today and tomorrow. The Love was having both The Cute Little One and The Cute Tiny One stay over, and we had a nice surprise planned for them. She had also asked me to bring along my DSLR camera too in order to try and get some nice pictures too, and hopefully some of what the surprise would be as well.

Their parents dropped the two little ones off mid morning after breakfast, and it was definitely a case of having plenty of fun times around. I did get the camera out and The Cute Little One was fascinated, she wanted to have a go of it but I don't think her hands are quite big enough to press the shutter button and hold the camera too, but over time she will be fine. I did get some nice portraits of the two of them being all cute, which I am sure their parents will love to bits too - which is really nice.

We revealed the surprise to them both, and The Cute Little One was super happy with that, and was all ready to enjoy herself. After we had done some more playtime and ensured everyone was fed and indeed had their toilet breaks sorted out, it was then getting everyone in the car. Naturally the buggy came along (it folds really well) along with the spare car seat for The Cute Tiny One (there is one permanently in for The Cute Little One and she loves it) so once that was all sorted, we were ready to rock and head out. The traffic did go pretty slow for a while and I think due to teething, The Cute Tiny One did cry a little bit.

We got to Dunham Massey and parked up ready for the evening, with the slot being 4.30pm for the Christmas experience. Yes, I know it's November, but try booking for December - not a chance. Plus it may be less busy for the little ones, which may prove to be better. Anyway, we had a good look around the shop, got an advent candle sorted as well as a little toy too, and then off to the light trail. It was nice to be there early and The Love even spotted some people she knew, which was nice. The trail itself was really utilising all of the gardens of Dunham Massey, so for example the light tunnel with stars drew you out on the other side of the house with the lake all lit up.

There were various tunnels and light shows around the gardens, and I really liked the multiple coloured vertical poles that seemed to change colour in time to the music, as well as the gingerbread men (The Cute Little One loved that as you can imagine!) and also candy canes, snowdrops, trees all lit, and it was really nice. We did pause half way round so we could give The Cute Tiny One a feed, but she loved the lights and was fascinated as she looked out of her buggy - as I was pushing it I made sure that she got some nice things to look at and she had little giggles too which was rather cute, it has to be said.

The final part of the trails had a cathedral of white small star lights which looked pretty, and I managed to get some nice pictures inside there, before we headed back out of the gardens, seeing the projections on the house as we headed back past the lake with its light show there. The small fun fair and food and drink stalls were positioned so you could go back to them afterwards - with the entrace to the trail just off it. This meant we headed back, all had food, and The Cute Little One went on a little carousel with a red London bus with number 25 on, and was having a good time. The festive music played including Wham's Last Christmas which is tune of the day - yes we were Whamageddoned, but hey ho, worth it to see two little happy faces.

We eventually got back to The Love's place, with the traffic around Manchester being bobbins due to the Courteeners playing at Co-Op Live, and eventually both of the small children headed to bed. In fact, The Cute Little One nodded off on her bed and slept all the way through the night, she must have been tired. The Cute Tiny One only had a couple of wakes during the night, but she had love and cuddles and she was all good once we had her comfortable. In fact I think she liked lying between us both and getting lots of attention, all snuggly. That did make me feel happy too.

Wednesday 13th November - Sinusitis

So for the last few days or so, despite being able to chat to friends online Saturday evening, I have increasingly been bunged up and even worse, blowing my nose has produced a considerable amount of crap. Even worse, the ears feel like they are about to pop at any moment due to the bunged up ness. I got home from work on Tuesday evening and felt really panicky and worried. The Love In My Heart did her best to give me some suggestions, and to be fair, I could have taken those over the weekend had I been able to. But it was just a case of not being able to shift the congestion in the head.

I rang the NHS 111 and they referred me on to a local pharmacy close to me. In theory then they will see the conversation I've had with the phone line and then be able to sort me out, as they class it as a minor illness - not threatening in any way (apart from the odd difficulty to breathe properly due to the congestion). I got to the pharmacy on time, and the pharmacist was stuck in traffic, eventually arriving a little llater than planned. I gave my details to the staff and was the first to see the pharmacist (cue The Fall's cover of Mr Pharmacist being tune of the day - had that in my head!)

Anyway, he soon diagnosed that it was a form of sinusitis, but by the sound of it, it had been an infection as well that had spread quicker than imagined. He recommended two treatments, the first being a course of antibiotics for five days, which would alleviate the infection, and then also a nasal spray that has a bit of steroid in it to basically stop the congestion getting worse. Instructions were given and I headed home, still feeling very cloudy in the head but at least I had an idea of what I needed to do now and indeed be able to sort myself out (famous last words and all.)

I managed to get through the day, although we were still mopping up a little from yesterday, where I had to pull the plug on a Mac deployment pretty quickly after the updated version was causing issues with messages appearing every 30 or so seconds on client machines - this despite being exhaustively tested beforehand. That was annoying to say the least but I think doing an early pull stopped it being worse, and indeed it also was able to claw things back well with people. Most of the tech folks were understanding enough to say "We've all been there..", but.

Here's the thing. I set myself pretty high standards overall, as I think if you put in quality from day one you will keep at that level. I know there are some important things to learn, but there is always that underlying feeling of letting the side down, not being good enough. I do suffer I guess from being imposter syndrome, feeling like I won't always be the best at what I do, so need to prove myself a bit more. It is something over time that I need to let go of a little bit, just to have that breathing space, and extra stress on top of illness definitely won't help matters.

Thursday 7th November - Up and Down

It's been an up and down week overall it has to be said. I do feel a little bunged up at present and that seemed to occur over yesterday a bit and then at night I did feel all shivery - despite the flat being nice and cosy and warm. It's more of a nasal and head thing, and having had the flu jab a couple of weeks back, I'd like to hope that it's had time in the body for that to kick in and stop the general feeling getting any worse. I don't like it when I am not at my best, and really have to concentrate more when you need to think about work and getting thngs done the right way.

One such example was today where I was deploying the new version of the script we use for Macs, called Superman, which has all sorts of good stuff to control updates in a better way and also allow for sensible automatic updating with deferment, to make the experience a lot better. The new version is more compatible for the new OS Sequoia 15.x, but with that are some options changes, so I needed to get the options for that deployed at first, followed then by the new script which would then take advantage of the options. It did also mean we'd be able to get those older machines upgraded to Sonoma 14.x too if they are able.

I also worked out a schedule for getting our updated VPN client out for next week, having already configured and tested it with a number of people and that appeared to be working well. It made more sense because I could then get the default options all set as we wanted (a slight change at the same time) so all ties in well, and means that I would be able to get some plans laid forward for some other ideas for the next few months, all with the aim of making some of the transitional work as smooth as potentially possible.

I've also been playing some old games and writing some more reviews too - so earlier this week it was time to re-load Kikstart, a Shaun Southern classic and of course a homage to the 80s motorbike trials series. In fact I watched an episode of that for good measure, and lots of obstacles around the former Lord Hesketh's manor grounds of Easton Neston, with steep hills, balancing beams over drops, barrels, and even a stop box for timing too. It reminded me of Summer holidays watching it on the telly thinking "how did they do that?" and then attempting to show off my (lack of) gaming prowess on the Commodore 64 version.

What you may not know is the theme tune itself to Kick Start has a very chequered history, coming from the pen name of Draifi Deutscher under the alias Mr Walkie Talkie. I did write an article on this some time ago after I tracked down the 7 inch single that was used as the theme, but nonetheless it will be tune of the day for today. I now just need to watch some more of the action and see the mistakes being made when clearing the bunny hop!

Sunday 3rd November - Lazy Sunday Afternoon

The Love In My Heart and I got up after having a pretty cosy night's sleep in the Hampton by Hilton, and once we'd got ourselves ready it was down for breakfast. It was good to have such a nice selection and I did go for the full cooked breakfast as well as cornflakes, yoghurt and orange juice, so that went down well. The Love did the cooked brekkie too and we were both tempted by the waffle maker but decided against it in the end. After we had that and got back to the room, we sorted out any final bits we needed and it was time to check out and head off, and had two lovely nights' stay in all.

We decided to head back to Clitheroe first on the way back and off to Holmes Mill, primarily to go in the food hall there which had all sorts of nice food gifts, Bowland Brewery beers, and some decorations ready for your Christmas tree amongst other things. The Love had a good look around and did get a couple of nice ltitle decorations as well as looking at some potential food gift ideas for people too. It was nice to mooch around but maybe a bit too early for the staff to say Merry Christmas when serving. Remember, it's not Christmas until at least 1st December - and Noddy Holder says it is. Or else it's just too soon folks.

We headed back towards the A56 and onwards to the M66 and before long we were back at The Love's place, where Brian the cat was of course wanting fussing and attention (and well why not right?) - and he definitely was allowing strokes and cuddles even from me. Tabby Cat made an appearance mid afternoon hiding in the bushes a little, but Brian didn't seem too bothered and was rather just wanting some extra cuddles from Mummy instead, bless him. He is so adorable when he wants to be.

The Love had got some nice food in to make a good Sunday afternoon meal, as we had eaten out and stayed over all weekend, and we had some nice roast chicken with potatoes, vegetables, gravy and a Yorkshire pudding for me. That was all lovely and I have to say that it went down a treat. We also looked at potential places to stay and go on holiday next year, and we did have some ideas as to how that would all work. The food was gorgeous and that set me up nicely for the train journey later.

As alas, I had to go via Sheffield due to engineering work and train slowness, so it was on the 1743 to Sheffield, which was delayed and had its platform changed at Sheffield, so rather come in at 8 and be next to 7 for the East Midlands Railway train to St Pancras, it was a sprint across the station to just about make the train on time. Phew! I settled back with some excellent new music from Penfriend (the title track of the new album House of Stories which is out next year - tune of the day for me as I got the track as an exclusive for pre-ordering the album in advance.)

Saturday 2nd November - Nice Day for a White Wedding

The weather looked cloudy as The Love In My Heart and I woke up at the Hampton by Hilton, with the rolling hills beyond looking a little misty. We were hoping it would clear up for later in the day, and so went down to get the breakfast. And that was all rather lovely - we definitely did well here. Lots of cereal choices including muesli, yoghurt, toast, even a waffle machine, and all the classic ingredients for a hot breakfast - bacon, scrambled egg, sausages, mushrooms, hash browns, beans, all sorts. Needless to say we tucked into that along with an orange juice and that was plenty to keep us going for a fair while.

We then spent time during the morning relaxing with a bit of telly, some coffee in the room (The Love had brought a jar of Azera and a flask of milk which was nice and cold in the fridge) and then we got ourselves showered and ready. The Love had a new dress and looked gorgreous, in a petrol coloured blue/green velverty dress which had a nice silver detail to its middle, so she matched that with a nice silver clutch bag and leather silver shoes from Office, which proved for her to be super comfortable all day and that did the job wonderfully well. For my part, I had a nice pair of trousers and a paisley shirt, all in dark blue.

I had the common sense to pre-book a taxi, and that came spot on time, and the price had been fixed at £7 during booking which was pretty good value for the close on four miles covered, and that dropped us off right by the church. We soon saw some of the family and relations outside, so it was good to catch up and say hello to everyone. Before long we all went inside and assembled ready, with my mum and brother there along with plenty of other relations as well as friends of the bride and groom, so all was well.

The bride arrived and she did look lovely in her simple but elegant dress, and the daughter was the bridesmaid who walked down with her and looked adorable in her little outfit. The service was pleasant enough and there were some hyms to sing along to, and before long the vows had been made, the bride had been kissed and my youngest brother was now a married man, and very happy for it. The register was signed and we all waited outside with some confetti as they emerged from the church, and that felt nice.

We walked up to the local cricket club later on where the reception was being held. We had a number of tables to sit at with drinks, and later on a carvery van was outside which served carvery for everyone - a choice of meats along with vegetables and a Yorkshire pudding. It tasted pretty good but the fact you were having those metal trays instead of a real plate may not have been to everyone's liking, and wooden cutlery wasn't cutting it for some either (literally.) The food was consumed and all was well, and some more drinks were had before the evening's entertainment had turned up - a live band at that.

Overall the band were not too bad, but some songs they didn't do a good job of - most notably The Chain by Fleetwood Mac, which felt all over the place a bit. They did do some Abba songs and these were better, includign Mamma Mia and Does Your Mother Know, which went down well. They were doing all sorts and even the likes of Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus got an airing which was good (and tune of the day for me) . It did feel a little loud for the room space to be honest, but at least it was live and giving considerable entertainment to plenty, so that was a good way for the night to wind its merry way. As for me, it was nice that they had Come Away With Me by Norah Jones for the first dance, and also that it felt a nice day for them which was the most important thing.

The Love had managed to speak to the bar staff and get a local taxi number for the journey back, which was £9, and that was pretty quick too. Before we knew it, we were all snuggled up and having enjoyed the day well, and it had gone better than expected at least which was something. I just hope my youngest brother and his now wide had enjoyed themselves, and realised just what a good day it was for them. Thankfully, I didn't get asked any questions about The Love and I marrying...

Friday 1st November - Hampton by Hilton Here We Come

I had the day off work to travel up earlier than planned to Manchester, and for a very good reason. My brother is getting married tomorrow and so we would be heading to where he lives to attend the church service and then the reception afterwards. He lives around 30 miles from Manchester itself, and previously for occasions such as their children's christenings, The Love In My Heart has driven there in the morning and driven back later in the day. However, we thought that it might be better to be able to both have a few drinks later in the day, and so once we were both paid at the end of the month, we booked a hotel.

We managed to find a Hampton by Hilton hotel which was a few miles away from the church and reception venue, but also meant that we could stay over in a comfortable bed, have breakfast each morning, and be able to freshen up nicely on each day. As most hotel check-ins were not until after 3pm, we decided on a two night stay and to make a weekend of it and so once Avanti Worst Coast had done their usual and let me down on the train up during the afternoon (it was that slow that Delay Repay was to kick in once again) then The Love came over to Manchester Piccadilly to come and collect me.

We knew the Friday afternoon traffic would be difficult, and we managed to use some of the lesser used roads to head towards Heaton Park and get on the M60, then M66 through the other side of Bury and towards Rawtenstall, staying on the A56 to skirt around Haslingden. From then on it was a straight run and much quieter, turning on to the M65 and then coming off for the roundabout and spotting the Hampton by Hilton. We parked up, brought our stuff with us, and checked in - all paid, all good.

We had a room the third floor with a nice window overlooking the front (so The Love could see her car in the car park) and it had nice touches, a small Smeg fridge to put cold drinks in, air con, a really good powerful shower with nice bathroom and toilet, a good sized wardrobe and hanging rail, and a massive TV which was also a smart one and had the likes of iPlayer on. No complaints there whatsoever, and we settled in for a bit before I had a quick shower and change so we could head out for the evening.

We decided to head over to Clitheroe and to Holmes Mill in the town centre, the main Bowland Brewery part is pretty sizeable and one section of that is more a dining area. We got a table and I perused the many lovely beers before choosing their own stout, as I was ordering a steak and ale pie. The Love went for the fish and chips, and both of those were all rather lovely all round. In fact, the music choice in the bar was also good too with some nice selections in the background including some 90s indie tunes, so definitely met with my approval.

After that we headed over to the local Sainsburys so we could get some bottles of sparkling water for The Love before heading back to the Hampton by Hilton where we got back in good time for Gogglebox, and that was always entertaining especially with some of the television choices. The Last Leg was on later (make Public Enemy's Harder Than You Think tune of the day) and that had some good humour throughout as well which was really good.