Back window gone...

...so now we just have a huge gaping hole as the back wall of the house...oh, and it was nice to find that with the removal of the sturdy posts from beneath the slightly bent lintel that the house didn't subside even a millimeter.... :)

Demolishing the back door

Demolishing the back door
Originally uploaded by finkangel.

...It's getting a bit cold in the living room now...brr...!

Dorking Window Company update...

Kitchen Window in...
Originally uploaded by finkangel.

...Kitchen Window is in, it's all going extremely well...and really nice lads too... ;) I've even let them plunder my cold drinks fridge...(must be working hard to get hot in these freezing temperatures!)...phew! ;)

The Boys

The boys
Originally uploaded by finkangel.

(Ooh...blurry shot)...but you get the idea... :)

Kitchen and Marc

Kitchen and Marc
Originally uploaded by finkangel.

...and there goes the kitchen! At least it's stopped raining now... ;)

Old Windows

Old Windows
Originally uploaded by finkangel.

(the van is loading up with all the old timber frames)...some scary bits of broken glass too...

Bathroom and Bedroom in!

Bathroom and Bedroom in
Originally uploaded by finkangel.

(well, the frames at least!)...they are just starting on the downstairs now...

Dorking Windows...

Dorking Windows
Originally uploaded by finkangel.

...are here today, it's all go! One of the upstairs windows is already out and by the (loud) sounds of things the others are following quickly, at this rate they'll be out of here by lunchtime...I have to say, it's a seriously smooth operation, firstly they were impressed that the space by the windows was clear (I think they were expecting to be playing removal men for the first hour). Secondly, while Marc was using an electric jigsaw to get rid of the timber in the bedroom one of the other lads was putting dust sheets *everywhere* and the third lad was unloading the van, all three of them haven't stopped since they pulled up! Fingers crossed it's all going to plan so far... ;)

Xbox 360 crashing?

There is a buzz in the scene saying that multiple, repeatable crashes are occuring on some newly shipped Xbox 360 units, various different games, various different errors (mostly faulty hard disks or rapid overheating causing the unit to shut down), see screen shots and rants here...not good news for Microsoft! Their tech support have been quoted in the forums as saying that the problems are fairly common and, as such, punters (in the US at least) with faulty units are facing a wait of between 6-8 *weeks* for a replacement! There are going to be some very dissapointed boys and girls on Christmas day... :(

Think I'll wait until they have the problems ironed out before dipping into my sky rocket....price might come down a bit too.... ;)

Super Foggy...

Super Foggy
Originally uploaded by finkangel.

...today, and seriously cold (perhaps the short sleeved shirt wasn't the best idea after all), the weathermen are forecasting arctic conditions for Friday (freezing temperatures, snow, ice, gale force winds etc.), just gotta hope the double glazing goes in okay tomorrow...if so I'll be joining the Americans with their observation of "Thanksgiving" I think...! ;)

Double Glazing...

...well, one of the boys at Dorking Windows is off sick today, so, rather than have a plastic bag to cover a large hole in my wall (if all hadn't gone well) we have agreed to change the installation day to Thursday this week...fingers crossed that the forecast snow doesn't pay a serious visit... :(

Chicago the musical

Yesterday was a loooong (but really fun day), Flyingpops was treating her mum to the aforementioned musical by way of a belated birthday gift, we headed up from Redhill to London Bridge via Network rail (on an extremely old train, must have been one of the first generation electric door ones, and it was looking more decrepit than even the most aged of the slam door variety) -

- we wandered around Borough Market (which was *far* too busy to actually shop in at that time of day (best to get there early I think!) the queues for some of the "fast" food type stalls were 40 people deep -

- so after taking in the sights and sounds and aromas, we began our walk along the south bank of the River Thames past "Shakespeare's Globe" -

- towards the "Millennium Bridge" -

- and then across it looking towards St Paul's Cathedral, it couldn't have been a better day to take in the river, just wonderful, so clear and bright, perfect "London Eye" weather actually... -

- We stopped for lunch at a little place called "The Centre Page", which was almost in the shadow of the dome of the catherdral (it was situated in "Knightrider Street" if you can believe that!)...I had a Steak and Ale pie, which was excellent, even though the first time they brought the dishes out it seemed to have been left abandoned in their dumb waiter and sent back down to the kitchen, to much confusion among the staff. Oh and Flyingpops's mum asked the foreign waitress if she might have some "Salad" cream to have with her Fish, chips and salad and was brought out a pot of "Sour" cream...but none of this ruined the experience...

- so, full from lunch we walked around St Pauls -

- and hopped onto the tube (which was nice and quiet for a change!) to Charing Cross to catch the show (which was in the Adelphi on the Strand) -

- Flyingpops had managed to get some bargain priced seats (right in the middle and right near the front of the Dress Circle) which afforded an absolutely stunning view of the stage, however, by the interval the restricted leg room was making enjoying the show almost impossible for me, so I said that I was going to have to find somewhere else to sit. As I was looking around (the back three rows looked totally empty and rather tempting) Flyingpops and her mum were having a discussion about the possible identity of a person that had slipped quietly into the audience from the exit during the performance and whether or not that person looked like "Darius" a fairly well known pop-type singer who emerged into the mainstream after failing to win one of these "Pop Idol" type shows a year or two ago. Interestingly he was supposed to be taking one of the lead roles in this show fairly soon, but neither of them were sure...so anyway, the interval dragged on and I hobbled up to the top of the dress circle to hover and wait to pounce on the best free seat I could when the lights went down...the one I settled on (right at the front on the left hand side) even had a free seat next to it, bonus! I politely enquired of the two young ladies sat deeper along the row if the seat was free, and one of them replied "Well, Darius were sitting there during t' first 'alf but e 'int 'ere now". I said "Right, well I don't suppose he paid for his ticket anyway", smiled and sat down..."Oh, there goes me chance of an autygraf then" she chuckled...but he didn't come back to reclaim his seat...after the show (which was actually rather enjoyable), we hopped on the tube to Leicester Square and walked up Regents Street to check out the Christmas lights (mostly super blurry blue LEDs, but it looked quite effective as they merged into one in the distance) -

- we peered up Oxford Street too, which was, if anything even more impressive, but by then the fatigue was starting to set in and the crowds were starting to get annoying, so we caught the tube from Oxford Circus over to London Victoria and happily collapsed onto a train within about 5 minutes of getting there...exhausted...

Having a rest today... ;)

Jack Frost

Frozen car
Originally uploaded by finkangel.

...has offically started his winter duties as of Tuesday this week, which was the first frost of the year (in Surrey at least)...black bin liners on the windscreen and plenty of WD40 squired into the locks in the evening (before he starts playing his little game) means for a much easier life in the morning...for some reason the locks on the Golf just freeze up every time, which is really annoying...need to get some de-icer on the weekend, I can do without all that scraping every morning... ;)

Really pleased we did the preparation in the garden before this cold weather hit now, despite the expert advice being to await the first frost before stripping the beds, it's not funny at all to be gardening in this weather (and I know that all too well)...brrr!

Been rather poorly...

...the last few days, so sorry for the lack of updates but I really haven't felt much up to getting out of bed, had my first solid food since Monday night on Wednesday evening and that was one third of a tin of baked beans that Flyingpops had left over from her dinner...my diet in the interim has been Imodium, Pepto-Bismol and boiled water with Dioralyte...bleugh... :(

Today has been much better although it is staggering how much my stomach has shrunk over these couple of days on a fluid diet (as advised by the medical professionals)...how little I can now actually consume is a joke...like half a tin of soup and I'm full...!

Anyway, sounds like the bug might well have crept over on the weekend with my folks visit to say hello...apparently it's been doing the rounds at my mum's school, lots of people falling ill, so even my "disease proofing" commute - throwing every germ present in the city at me - couldn't defend me from a bug from the country...

Some things aren't good about commuting so far...new diseases at each end....bah...

Still, the aches and sweats are on the way out...back into London to spread the alien bugs tomorrow... ;)

Can't help but feel super stressed about what I am about to face though...normally when I am out of the office for a day or two it takes me a week to recover from the backlog...

Wish me luck...

Hare Krishna News

Well, looks like my mysteriously active, but poorly executed photo has been posted on Hare Krishna News now...! Glad I wasn't rude about them in my posting (hehe)... ;)

Just kidding - anyone who starts a "business" offering the magical combination of free internet access and free curry is alright in my book... :)

It does make me wonder what the cash model is here though...I mean, (although this is a blatant generalisation) they obviously can't be short of a bob or two - I saw one chap last week in Wharfdale road, in his robes, happily loading his bongo drums into the back of a rather new looking Audi hatchback...and curry and broadband don't grow on trees...and when was the last time you saw a Krishna divotee asking for a donation?

I will have to investigate... ;)

Who's Connected

This app is just absolutely superb, really useful for diagnosing "missing" bandwidth on your broadband connection and free! The developer is working on additional modules to show how much bandwidth each app is taking up too, this will be extremely handy for tracking down nasty little apps mucking about on your machine... ;)

Tony's Organics

Omg! That hemp salad shop down the road really does sell dope! Check this out! Funny thing though, because today all those signs around the shop advertising the "medicinal cannabis consultancy" service have vanished...(and the shop was open and full of people at about 9am, which is most unusual)...wonder if something has happened...?

Krispy Kreme

There is a sign, in the middle of the pavement, in Kings Cross, just outside the local "Tesco Metro" on the Caledonian Road -

- it's, oh, I suppose normally about 6 or 7 meters from the entrance to the shop and once inside the store, the actual doughnut display is tucked right round the back. Past the tills, past the tobacco counter, past the newspapers, past the sandwiches, deli goods and snacks, past the chilled section...and yet, stood there, by the sign, the smell of "Krispy Kreme" frosty toppings assualts your nostrils with a power to rival the smell of dope when walking past the hemp shop just down the road...

There must be a "Krispy Kreme" smell emitter somewhere around there, either that or they sellotape a few doughnuts inside the sign each morning... ;)

DIY Dalek

Wow! Check this out...it's the build-diary (with pics) for a fan-made replica of one of the new Daleks (full size) from the last season of Dr Who...! Apparently the guy that built it managed to put it together from spy photographs (leaked from the set during filming), so the build was complete before the season had even fully aired on TV!

Here is a shot I took of the "official" prop at the Dr Who exhibition on the pier at Brighton (scary! ;) -

- I prefer the home-made one now I come to compare them, actually! ;) Rumour has it that there is a massive war between the Daleks and the Cybermen in the new series to look forward to also...Can't believe the BBC script writers actually considered leaving them out to begin with...duh...I think "Delek" was the best episode of the last season... :)

Mischief managed...

Very interesting - full article here...

"With these maps, you can see down to the room on campus how many people are logged on," said Carlo Ratti, director of the school's SENSEable City Laboratory, which created the maps. "You can even watch someone go from room to room if they have a handheld device that's connected."

Marauders map anyone?