Year end

So last day of 2014 and I have had a day full of stuff to do and no time to do it in time to put my feet up and chill out and bring in the new year by watching the events in London.

Reading

ASo I am reading a book by Stephen Baxter its book 2 in the series, but the thing is that it's not as good as I thought it would be, part one was good with some great ideas part two so far does not have many of these great ideas and it's always been my idea that Stephen is better at ideas than characters and that is the case in the book I am reading, trouble is as I said be fore this book just feels like it has a lot of padding in it so far as the story has not moved forward very much, perhaps I should speak about this book when I have completed it.

The book is called ,Ultamia.

Raspberry PI

Still having fun with this small computer the thing I like about it is that it's easy to get it working again if you programme it wrong or install something wrong on it.

Another cold one

Cold yet again -3 or -6 depending on which weather service you look at either way it's cold.

Beer or Real Ale

Trying a new to me real ale called Wolf Rock by Sharps all I can say is that it's a nice easy to drink IPA and it's red!

Cold

It turns out that last night it was the second coldest place in the UK last night, so it's no  wonder that it felt cold last night it was!

The coldest place in the UK was RAF Benson at -7.3 it was -7.1 at Farnbrough and we are just 2 miles if not less than that from where the temperature was recorded on the airfield.

-6c

Yep got to -6c last night not cold for some but for people like me who feel the cold that's to cold, by feel the cold I min in minutes I get intense pain in the hands if I don have gloves on.

Days off

So it's that funny time between Xmas and the new year and due to the company I work for we have compulsory leave for three days this year. So it ends up with me at home without Donna how does have to go to work, so no lie in as someone has to scrape her car for her....

Cold

Wow a cold one today.

End of year

So the end of the year is screaming towards use and there are lots of things I should have done, lots I could have done and lots that I did do so in the end the year was okay.

Cold one

Wow that wind is real cold today. Just thought I would recorded the fact here as I will have forgotten all about the weather today in a few weeks time.

Lazy

It's that time of year when I just do not want to do anything which could be a problem on the 25th.....

Midday

Just a note to me to say that it's all rather dark and it's only midday, must be the very thick cloud cover that we are suffering from here today, still its a mild day weather wise today.

London Pride real ale

I have decided that drinking London Pride out of a plastic glass is just not right and should not be done.

Summer

So summer is on its way wonder how soon I will notice that the days are getting longer?

Solstice

So its Winter Solstice here today, and I am rather pleased that the Earth has made almost all the way around the sun again, not that I did not think that it would not happen, but hey let's not give it any ideas ah?

So summer is coming shorter nights

 This is always good.

Me (2021)

The above is still go with me glad that I have spent another year on Earth being carried around the Sun, can't believe how many times so far I have managed this feat, long may it go on.....

Me getting a trip around the Sun that is....

Song lyrics Just The Two of Us

Just the two of us

Just the two us together at last

Only the two of us having a dance

You dance so well, you dance so neat

I really love your feet

Just the two of us

Only the two of us

So goes our dance

Are feet in a trance

But at last it's just the two of us

Dancing at last

Just the two of us

Only the two of us

Our dance is together

Our hearts beat as one

Just the two of us

Only the two of us

Copyright Citrus Dreams 2014, 2021

So this is a song that I started to write in 2014, this is me in 2021 finally finding the words to complete it, now all I need is someone who can sing to have a go at singing it and then telling me it's not singable...

Ascot

Did something differant for me in that we went to Ascot to see the horse racing it was fun even if it was a bit cold.

Canned beer

Just trying a 5 liter can of old speckled hen real ale all I can say is they getting the cask to let me have some of the beer has been a learning experance, it has proved to be just a bit interesting, as at one stage I thought I was only going to get a thimble full of beer to try!

But in the endit appears I have got the castbworkingbsuch that I have managed to get a full pint of Specled hen to drink without too much trouble. 

Solstice

Glad to see that the winter solstice is with us this Sunday, which I suppose means that summer is on its way!

Sword and the stone

Just watching the sword and the stone DVD it's one of the Disney early films that I have never seen.

Heating

It's nice to report after the second visit from the gas board that are boiler has now been fixed and we are very happy that we are warm again.

Raspberry pi

I have just got me a raspberry pi to have a play with so far it's fun.

Boiler

Boiler at home failed and had gas people out to fix it, week later and it looks like it's failed again!

London

Went to London to do a bear hunt!

Paddington bear is in the cinema at this time here in the UK and to mark the event there are 54 differant Paddington bear designs in and around London.

We went on Saturday and Got 22 out of the 54 and walked 18 miles....

Lots of pictures tired feet but have seen bits of London I have not seen before and I am glad that we did it.

December

It's the last month of this year already!

Where has the time gone?

I don't know where it has gone but it has to me gone very quickly much quicker than I expected, I suppose part of the reason for that is that there has been a lot of things going on in my life over the last few months and when you are busy time can just fly by.

The good news is that the winter solstice is not to far away and then the nights will slowly start to get shorter again, this is alway good as far as I am concerned.

But December already!

Cold snap

Wow just had a bit of a cold snap here it's a bit of a shock to the system I can tell you. Having to sit and wait for the car to clear is not fun and you forget just how long it can take.

Sunset

Rather a good sunset tonight looked like a Turner sky to me, just sorry could not safely stop the car to take a picture.

Missing

Been missing from this blog as real life has been very busy will say more here later

Read 9

Not to much to say about a book of facts other than its a great book to dip in and out of this fact book is called the discreetly plumper second book of general ignorance by John Lloyd and John mitchinson its a book that I have on my shelf and I find myself taking it down at odd moments and dipping in and out of it.

Worth room on anyone's book shelve.

Read 8

This book is called map of the nation by Rachel Hewitt and it's the biography of the ordnance survey it's a deep book and I think the reason for this is because it's based on her thesis, I am nevertheless impressed with the sheer amount of work that must have gone into this book and I have to admit that I learned a lot that I never knew before about maps and how they are made and the problems that the early map makers had.

Sadly for me I found some parts heavy going but then that's just me it might be that you have no problem with reading this book. One thing that was a surprise to me was the sheer amout of notes and references in the back of the book it runs to over 100 pages!

Worth the time but a book that for me was a bit tight in places.

Read 7

Yes this is a book I read in the last couple of weeks and I just want to record that fact here. The book is called Brunel the man who built the world it's written by Steven brindle it's a nice easy read that does tell you with out too much depth the life of Brunel and talks about some of his more famous works, well worth a few hours of your time to read it.

I suppose that one day someone will write the biography of Brunel this is not that book but it would be one that you would reference.

Read 6

Another book that I finish just today but that I have been reading for some 4 months is called the a303 highway to the sun by Tom Fort it's a book that should be about the road the A303 but it wanders off the road to talk about transport policy and stuff like that befoe it goes back to talking about the road and the route that it takes.

I did write an earlier blog post about this book when I starting reading it so do look that post up.

Otherwise it's not a bad book to read and I did learn stuff about a road I have driven on many times.

Read 5

Yep still the list of books that I have read in the last few weeks.

This book is a little unusual but it did show me what the world is like of people who are to this day treated badly just because they are differant and it also opened my eyes to just how much the world has changed but not changed in the 100 plus years that this book talks about.

The book is called fanny and Stella by Neil McKenna and it's about the young men who shocked Victorian England. 

Worth a read although parts of it are for me a bit of a hard read but you may find it an easier read than me.

Read 4

Yes yet another book read in the last couple of weeks, did I mention that I have gone through a reading boom of some kind in that last few weeks?

It makes a change from the weeks where I have not managed to read any books or even wanted to read any books.

I perfur the reading phase much better.

So this is the next book I read it's called the secret life of Bletchley park and it's by Sinclair McKay and it a book about the men and women who worked there during WW2 it does open your eyes to just what sort of lives they had to lead during the war and also I think some of the effort that went into the code breaking, it's also sad to note that some of the efforts that these people made went unnoticed then and still I think today.

The most amazing thing to me is that a lot of people worked there and until the late seventies it was a secure as to just how we broke the codes and also just how much we broke, but the book is about some of the people who worked there and how it effected them the effects are wide ranging with some never getting over it.

Book is worth a read just to see the human side of code breaking.

Read 3

Yet another book that I have managed to read in the last few weeks that I want to note here. This book is still in hardback there is as I write this no paperback version of this book out there.

The book is called what if? And it's by Randall Monroe it's a great read and also a fun read it's all about serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions and boy are some of the questions asked good or what.

How about this for a question?

Is it possible to build a jet pack using downward firing machine guns?

Or how about this one?

When if ever will Facebook contain more profiles of dead people than of living ones?

Good questions and there are loads more like that in the book, so for me it was an interesting read.

Read 2

This is book that I have recently it's called on the map and it's by Simon Garfield it's all about why the world looks they way it does basically it's about maps. Sadly for me this read like a series of notes collected over time that just happen to have something to do with maps and was then sort of lumped together.

It's not a bad book, it's well written and the topics chosen are all of interest but for me it comes across as disjointed, maybe I was looking for something else from this book but it's a good read and worth your time as you are bound to learn something and that's always good.

It's not a book I personally would read again but then that's just me.

Read 1

This is a book that I have read veni vidi vici by Peter Jones very interesting book on the Romans it turns out their world was just as complicated as ours is but there view of the world and their place in it was and is very differant to ours.

New car

A note to me new car!

Got myself a turbo Astra  and its surpisly quick 0 to 60 less than 8 seconds.

Reading

It's amazing but I am still reading I think in the last few weeks I am reading a book a week this is something I have not done for many months and I have not a clue why I am saddlery reading, all I can say it's nice that I am.

Reading

Just a note to me that some how I have in the last two weeks managed to read 3 books.

I know even I am surprised at that, I will in a later post say which ones it is that I have read just so I don't try and retread them and also as a way of recording what I have read.

Cloud

Why is there so much cloud ?

I don't know the answer but I can say that I miss seeing the sun.

Bank holiday

So it's the last bank holiday before Xmas would you believe?

I know I just don't know where the time has gone, but gone it has.

So I expect that the weather will be pant which is what you would expect as it's a bank holiday.

Reading

Read a book again, and for some reason most of the book has been an easy read but I have got to page 270 and it's hard going, is it me or the author also found it hard going in this bit of the book?

Any way what ever it is it's hard going.

The book is Mathematics of life by Ian Stewart.

Other than the bits around pages 270 it's not been a bad read.

Colder

Not sure if it's colder today than it was yesterday but either way for August it's cold, I expect that on the news it will soon be saying it's the coldest august since records began or something like that, as it's also august it's normally a slow time for the new orgianasations to have anything to talk about.

Cold

Wow it's a bit cold out there for an august morning.

Power kites

Got a chance to have a fly of my power kite as the weather was nice and also the fact that I have not flown a kite for a long time was also a reason to have a go.

After the joy of untangling 4 lines for some fifteen minutes and actually flew for about an hour. Boy was it a work out.

I have not had a work out like that in a long time.

The good news is that I still fly a power kite like I used to.

I was flying an Ozone Samurai 4 meter.

It was fun I has a big grin on my face when doing power dives. 

Sunrise

So a nice sunrise toady, and as I type this there is blue sky.

Robbin williams

So Robin Williams is dead.

I think this is so sad, he must have been very ill to take this course of action.
It must have just been a moment of time where he was on his own and things overwhelmed him and in a moment of not really thinking he took his own life.

Over worked

What does being over worked feel like?

I think that's what is happening at this time at work.

I don't have a clue what to do about it.....

Talking on twitter

I am not the most social person in that I am by my nature an introvert so being on twitter is not something you would expect.

But I am on there and some how I have even managed a conversation with someone else on twitter. To say that I am surprised is an understatement.

The person I am talking to lives in the area I know this because the only reason that I had a conversation with them was when I mentioned during the farnbrough airshow that the Vulcan bomber was flying and bring on the noise, as the Vulcan is known for being just a bit noisy, this person on twitter responde that they could hear it and that it was setting off car alarms new the airfield.

So this extrovert talking on a social media site! What ever next?

Twitter

I use twitter not a lot and when I do it's mainly retwitts of something normally to do with science, and sometimes I will say something about the weather or a dink I am having. So it's com as a bit of a surprise that suddenly I have loads of followers, but loads 100 which for an account like mine is lots.

So what's going on?

I don't have a clue.

I shall update this if anything else happens.

Update July 2015

My followers have dropped to 88 which for a Twitter account that does not get a lot of use is to me amazing.

Weather

So August weather here in the uk, so it's wet.

What to eat

So it's happend again not a clue what to have for tea.....

Happy

So what is happy?

How do you know when someone is happy?

Not all people smile when they are happy.

New

New month will I have more to say about my world my thoughts?

Who knows but let's wait an see.

July

End of July and I really have not had that much I want to record here.

Humid

So it's a bit humid tonight.

Dead websites

I have just looked at my main website which as you know is on the great radio director Dirk Maggs, and I noticed that I have not done any work on it for a year!

This is rather a surprise to me as I am sure that I was working on it just the other day! Dut the logs on the server don't lie and yes I have not done any work on it for that amount of time the more important question is why?

The answer is I am sad to say not that Dirk is dead, he is I am glad to say alive and kicking, even still drumming like he does.  Not the real reason for the lack of updates is work and family commitments, sadly both of these have and are taking up most of my time, so I just don't have time to update the website, I want to but I never get time to do it, and when I do get some free time I am so tied that I just don't want to do anything.

I am going to keep the site, even if it is out of date and one day when I have time which will be in the next few years update it and add the stuff that I have got that needs to be added to the site. I may even get it so thT I can up date online, as this should be quicker than what I currently do which is to edit all the HTML files that make up the web pages offline and then upload them to the server.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons that I don't do any updating the fact that it takes twice as long to update than it should?

Who knows the answer ?

Cornwall

Have just in the last few days come back from Cornwall and I have to say that most of the time the weather has been good with only one day where it just rained all day, but it did not matter as I was on holiday.

Thing is I got used to the idea of a lie in, which for me is 7am!

Twitter

I have been on twitter for a long time, I noticed that I do more retwitts than new posts not sure why I do this but that what I do. Most of the twitters or posts are for some reason to do with science.

Summer

It does not feel that much like summer, not sure why but that's how it is to me.

New to me

New to me is that a town near to me called Basingstoke is being called by some people on the internet Amazingstoke!

I have yet to work out if they are taking the piss out of Basingstoke or not. It's not that bad a place as it even has shops that you can buy things from!

Drink of the day

The drink of the day today is....

Bishops finger it sounds rude but it's a real ale from Kent and it's just a nice drink for a summers evening.

Summer solstice

So it's summer solstice here today, and it's a blue sky day and very warm.

Farther day

Farther day or that should read furthers day, iPad and apples crap keyboard with no cursor keys why?

Football world up

It apparently the world up in Brazil, now I have to state here that I don't follow football as I think there is too much gamesmanship going on, when they start to referee it like rugby then it will be a game of skill and also a team game.

June

As it's June I suppose you should expect it to be warm and today that's just what we have had, and very nice it is to.

Drink of the day

Today there are two drinks of the day!

The first is Doombar and very nice easy drink it is.

The second drink of the day is Greene King IPA and it's also very nice and drunk cool it does just the job.

Sunshine

Lots and lots of sunshine today which was nice, sadly I did not see much of it.

Hot

So the weather people are saying that it could be rather hot today, which is what it's supposed to be at this time of year so this should not really be news.

Reading part 2

I know a part 2!

It's because I also have managed to read a book that I saw in hardback that I wanted to read but knew that I would have to wait for the paperback, and in this case it was worth the wait.

The book is by an author that I do happen to like and I have I think read most of the books that he has written, this is in one way good and in another way bad, the good because I have read an author, the bad is that he has not written that many books, but what he does write are in my mind worth reading.

The book that I have read in a week is by Bill Bryson and it's called One Summer America 1927 and it's just a great read about what happend in 1927 it's history but put in a way that's well just great to read, the expression page turner, well for me it was, could be said here.

Worth a look I enjoy Bill's writing and such is the skill in his writing that pages just fly by.

Reading part 1

So I have managed some how to do some reading of actual paper books as aposed from ebooks. One book that I have finally finished reading after some weeks is Seven Elements that changed the world by John Browne, what I did not like about this book was the politics in it even thought it's part of the story of how these seven elements have shaped the modern world.

I am to blame for not looking at the book more closely as I though it was going to talk more about the actual elements and not what humans have done with them.

The funny thing is the endnotes to the book I found more interesting than some of the text in the main chapters of the book, yeah go figure!

Worth a look if you don't mind the politics.

Drink of the day

The drink of the day today is IPA by Greene King not more to say other than it's nice.

Thunder storm

So the weather people having been saying for the last few days that Saturday expect a thunder storm or two.

So far?

One rumble of thunder in the distance and that's it!

Weather go figure.....

Training

Have to do some training which will mean I have to be away from home, as I have got older this is something I don't like. I don't like being apart from the wife, and being apart at night is even more painful.

Why ? I don't know the answer it just is.

June

June should be hot?

So it's no surprise that it's wet very wet....

Blue sky

Some blue sky at last this week, was beginning to think that blue sky was a myth.

Bank holiday

Bank holiday so it's raining and cold....

Lie in monday

As it's a bank holiday on Monday I have decided that a lie in till 9am would be good. So you know it's not going to happen but at least I can dream!

Mycloud

Just another note to me that I have brought and installed a my cloud had drive from wd with 4TB of memory, so far all is well, it work with the PC and the iPad and works well remotely.

Music software on iPad

As you know I have an iPad Air which has become the most used it bit of kit I own. 

Apart from the iPad being overpriced and that I can't expand the memory on it I have found it a great bit of kit to own and use.

One of the things that I use it for is making music, the music is for my fun and I do enjoy making it, it's my music my style and so I would suspect that if I made it available for Joe public to listen to it most if not all would not be that interested or impressed with it, and that does not matter in the least.

Anyway the point of this blog was to record the fact that I am having fun with launch pad on the iPad.

Lack of posts

There has been a lack posts on this blog because I did not have anything that I wanted to say or recorded for future me to read. Just thought I would record that here so that future me knows the reason.

Bank holiday

So the last bank holiday until august here in the UK and so it goes without saying that Monday will be wet....

Drink of the day

The drink of the day is old speckled hen real ale and very nice it is too. Got it in a 750ml bottle with 50'percent free.

Chilling

Chilling out not sure what it means to you but to mean it means doing nothing but reading listening to music and not watching a clock, having a drink if I want and just laying out and well chilling.

Hols

Enjoying the break a week in mid Wales and the weather sunshine!

How about that!

Birthday

Birthday today, nice hot day, beer and a lovely walk in deepest wales in the sunshine.

Big Daisy's

Just seen my first big Daisy's .

Not sure if they are early or late, but nice to see them.

Drink of the day

The drink of the day today is Pepsi max ice cold.

Dessert Ales

Have you heards of such a thing as dessert ales?

Nor had I until today this is something that I shall have to investigate.

I suspect it's only been on the market as an idea for only a short times because I am sure that I would have heard about before now.

I wonder if it's going to be a growing trend like IPA's are?

I hope so anything that increase choice and taste is always in my mind a good idea.

So I shall look out for dessert real ales and report back when I have tried some.

Steak

Had steak cooked at home today and some how managed to cook it just right!

Horse chestnut

See the horse chestnut trees are already in flower, most of the ones I have seen have been white, but I have seen on my travels the odd red one.

I can only assume that the red ones are a differant species.

Oak trees

Where did the leaves for the oak trees suddenly come from, I am sure they were not visible last week!

Google box

Google box is a TV programme here in the UK and very funny to watch.

M and m s

Trying cherry cordial M&M'sfrom USA

Fog

Can you have fog in May and is this weird weather?

I don't know the answer but it's what we have been having.

Blackthorn

I am sure that today on the way into work that I saw blackthorn and that it was in flower, then  again it might also have been hawthorn, as I could not stop to have a look I am not sure. All I can say is that it was a green tree.shrub that had loads and loads of white flowers. I suspect in sunshine, some thing we don't have at this time it would look really great.

Bad times

Bad times are never good especially when they smack you on the back of the head without warning.

Back at work

Back at work after the 4 day weekend, hard work....

Wheels day

Wheels day was held on Good Friday and this year it's 40 years old. They held it on at dunsfold airfield which is huge!

And yes it's where they film top gear and has the race track they use.

It was fun seeing all the differant types of cars old and new.

When I win the lottery my Tuesday car is an Ac cobra selby blue with chrome bumpers.

Chromecast

As you know I have a chromecast and it's works well, it has a lack of apps on IOS but apart from that it's good. So I get an email from Google giving me 5pounds to spend in the play store on anything I want!

Cool or what!

Long weekend

So far the long weekend has been good.

Sunshine

Lots of sunshine which is always nice, blue sky, green grass and trees and a very nice real ale called Specled Hen and some music to listen to.

Nice is a word I could use or even great!

Just wish I was very rich did not have to work and could just relax and enjoy nature at its most busy part of the year spring!

Green is the colour

I rather like this time of year when the weather is good. The fact that the growing season is now upon us is one of the things that I like. There is some much closure and things going on!

One thing that I always like is the fact that there are so many differant hues of green at this time of year, some of the greens are very light and some are very dark but all look great on a nice sunney day.

The sad thing is that all these wonderful greens soon disappear I assume because as the sunlight and the temperatures get hight the trees or plants have to protect themselves against heat UV and water loss. But that does not matter as this short time when they are all the differant light greens is just nice to see and enjoy 

Wood pecker

So today for the first time this year I heard our local woodpecker. I think it's a green one, I am not sure as it's very rare to see it only hear what it's doing to the local trees, I can't say that we have only one woodpecker as they all look a like.

ISS

Saw ISS last night at ten in the evening if the moon had not been so bright it would have been even better as it was it was very bright and well up in the sky.

Chromecast

Well as you know I have a chromecast and it's been okay to use and I can use it on my iPad and the mobile phone and what apps that are out there work. Some of the apps have been set up in such a way so as to just make money and I suppose that's alright.

The one thing that I managed to do is to crash chromecast completely and I did it using of all things u tube!

It was rather s surprise that I managed to break it, but it was a quick power on and off that corrected the problem. So far I have not managed to break it the same way yet but given change I suppose I might manage it.

Drink of the day

Drink of the day today is....Tea!

Yes it's good you know that and that all that counts in my book.

Colder

So I am just getting use to the idea that it's getting warmer outside and what happens?

Yep you guessed it it turns cold again why?

I want to enjoy some time outside in the sunshine, I want to gaze up at the clouds as they float by.

Come on weather sort it out.

Chromecast

As you know I got myself a chromecast just a couple of weeks ago. It works rather well and it seems to do the job. One thing I have yet to work how to do is to set it running on say u tube the use my iPad for something else while it plays out on the TV. So far every time I have tried this as soon as I start to try and do something else the video stops. From reading on Google's website on chromecast that is not what is supposed to happen.

So I don't know doing a search has not given me a solution.

Oak trees

I think in the area where I live and travel that we have several differant species of oak tree, I say this because I think that as the trees are just starting to break into leaf the colours of the leaves is very differant and the rate at which the leaves are growing is also differant.

If I get the chance I want to just see if my theory is correct and that the differant oak trees are differant in how they cope with spring.

I also wonder if they are all using the same type of photosynthesis the same type of chemicals to create sugar from sunlight air and water. 

Spring Grass

Just a note to me that grass at this time is a lovely light green colour I wonder if it's because the light levels are not very high and the grass needs as much light energy as possible, I suppose that in the summer when the sunlight is that much stronger the leves are a much darker colour so that they are not damaged or the grass makes to much food.

Not sure if that is the reason for the colour change, but it is a nice idea.

Drink of the day

I know I have already said what my drink of the day is but I can change the rules as this is my blog.

So my second drink of the day is Pepsi Max which is low sugar and tastes okay.

Sand

So due to the way the wind is blowing we are getting sand from the sarhra I must say it's not proper sand like we have on the beaches here.

I wonder just how much sarhra sand the UK has had dusted on it over the millions of years? Or is it a new thing that has only happened in the last couple of thousand years or so?

I suppose this is one question we will never know the answer to.

Grass

I am told that once the temperature gets above 4 centigrade the grass in the garden will start growing so that means that it will soon be time for the Sunday law mower races to start with the odds trimmer noise thrown in as well.

Question?

Another stupid question that came to me the other day to which I just don't have the answer to.

What is level?

Exactly what is something be level? Level against what?

So what I mean I am not sure that the question is really worded how the odd thought is in my head getting down in words is difficult, but the thing is how do you explain what something is when it's level?

Drink of the day

The drink of the day today is Tea!

Yes it's time for tea.

Works for me.

Things I not eaten lately

One of the things that I have not eaten lately is donuts!

April fools

Just a note to me there where plenty of good April fools jokes in the papers and on the internet yesterday. One that I really like was by Nokia and was an update of their 3110 handset to today's setup, I must admit it it really nice.

Clock shift

So here in the UK the clock has shifted and we are now on British Summer Time BST ! The hour we lost I think will be worth it of the next few weeks.

Drink of the day

The drink of today is.... London Pride which as you know is a real ale and very nice it is to drink in the sunshine.

Chromecast

I have chromecast at last after managing to get it from the post office. I have to say that it's packed nice and that I got it out of the packaging and working in less than five minutes!

The first thing it did once it was all setup and taking to the internet was to update itself which it did all on its own, I hope that this is something that will continue to happen.

The apps that do exist work well, the only problem at this time is the lack of apps. Hopefully this will be something that will change in the next few months.

Is it worth 30 quid?

Yes I think so, being able to convert an ordinary TV to a smart TV for so little money makes sense to me.

Rock choir

I am not a member of this choir but the wife is and yesterday the choir where asked to perform at Wembley stadium during the pre start and the half time slots.

I think they did very well and the 83000 odd people in the stadium also seemed to enjoy it.

Wembley

So for the first time ever I have been to and been in Wembley stadium. Wow it's a big old building and I am told that it holds 90000 people well when I was there it had over 83000 it did not look full full if that makes sense.

The atmosphere while watching something live is great. I went there to watch a rugby Mach even though I don't follow rugby and I must say that I enjoyed the experience.

The only thing that pissed me off and I do use the words pissed of what the number times I had to get up and down out my chair to let people backwards and forwards. I reckon I had the only row of seats where every one of them either went for food drink or the toilet and I think some of them had all three more than once!

But part from the chair yo yo it was an experience.

Rugby

So yesterday I saw my first live in person rugby match between the Harlequins and the Scracenes which was a good match as far as I understood it all as I don't follow rugby.

So why was I there that I will tell you in another post.

Any way the first try of that match was rather good and the 83000 other people in the stadium though so to.

Speed of growth

Just how fast do Hawthorn leafs grow in the spring?

I mean earlier in the week I saw them just break out into little green shoots and today when I looked they were much much bigger, where does all that energy come from to do all that growing?

The sun is not that bright and as the leafs are still growing I don't suppose that they can be doing a lot of photosynthesis.

So this is one of those things that I don't know the answer to and so far my researches on Google and the like have not answered this question either.

Twitter

Note to myself that yesterday I tweeted my 1000th tweet since joining twitter back in May 2009.

What's a bit strange I have a no idea what my first tweet was.

Millions

I wonder if I should start a millionaire list so that when I win my millions I will already have a list of things that I would like to spend my money and enjoy them.

Well other people have a bucket list why can't I have a millionaires list?

So the question is what should I start with first?

Car?

House?

Holiday ?

There are lots of things....

So I shall have a think and come back to the list when I have something.

Chrome cast

Chromocast was released in the UK yesterday, so I have decided to take the plunge and have actually brought one, it will be interesting to see if it works with the TV in the bedroom, I know that the wifi signal upstairs is good so it will be interesting what use I will be able to make of it.

I am told that you can download apps which will help you use it. All I do know is that it's an android computer and that is tiny.

It's supposed to turn up on Friday so I will report back when I have had chance to have a play with it.

Is it?

Is today the first day of spring eg is today the equinox?

I don't know and as I am just too lazy at this moment to check I don't have an answer. But as the clock move here in the UK soon it can not be very far away can't it?

Moss

Just noticed that the differant mosses that I pass are changeling colour at differant rates even if they are side by side. I suppose it's because they are differant species and so responde to the increased light level and warmth in differant ways.

Grass

Just a note to me that I just noticed that the grass has turned that light green Colour in the last few days, I suppose it has nothing to do with all the sunshine we has been getting in the last few days.

Twitter

It may be of interest to me as in this notebook but I joined twitter not long after if first started, but have not been vey busy on it so much so that I am in the next few days finally going to make my 1000 th tweet, I am not even sure how long axactly it's taken me to get to this number of tweets.

Which makes me look a bit slow in the tweet world but I decided to let others have all the fun.

Purple

Just seen a women with purple tights on, this is most unusual as I did not think they made such a colour and what does it go with?

I was so shocked at the colour that I was looking at that I forgot to notice what else she was wearing!

Spring

Just a note to me about something that I saw today as I was driving into work.

One of the other trees that seems to get its leafs out rather quick and has a much lighter green colour than Hawthorn is Horse Chestnut, why this is I just don't know, only that every where that I have driven in the last few days the trees that I see that are starting to break into leaf are either Hawthorn or Horse Chestnut.

Weather

So we had several days of blue skies and it being warm and dry, so it should not really be a surprise that we have had some rain today.

Hawthorn

Just a note to me that the Hawthorn trees or bushes which ever they are are now starting to break into leaf. I love the green that these new leafs.

Reading

When not watching rugby today, did I mention that I have watched 3 matches back to back?

I have been reading on the iPad kindle app some of the short stories by Frendrick Brown, these are science fiction and some of the story's are short what is now called flash fiction as they are sometimes only 500 words long and they are well worth reading as some how he manages to tell a story and have a twist in it all in 500 words, how he did it I don't have a clue, all I can say is look him up and read a few it's well worth the effort of finding them.

Weather

Just want to record here that today the weather was mostly sunny and that's nice, but the fact is I spent most of it watching rugby, 3 matches one after another!

And what's more scary I don't follow rugby!

But it's been a good day.

Drink of the day

The drink of the day today is a beer that I don't think I have had befor but it's nice to try something new one in a while. So the new beer that I tried today is Broadside by Adnams.

It's a strong beer 6.3% brewed to commemorate the battle of sole bay in 1672

It's a nice beer to drink but not one I would search out for.

Rugby

Actual lay watching the rugby on the TV and enjoying it, even though I don't normally watch it and don't follow any team the sportsman like way all the teams has played has been great to watch.

Drink of the day

The drink of the day is.... Zindifal rose a wine!

Yeh I know an actual wine, it's not something we drink a lot of but it's nice to be able to just enjoy yourself if you know what I mean.

Song

TEA

I want some tea and I want it now

I love tea and I want to drink it now

Tea in the morning

Tea at night

There is never a wrong time to enjoy this delight

I want more and I want it now

I love tea and I want to drink it now

Tea in night is always a delight

Tea in morning is always right

I want some tea and I want it now

Tea at any time is always right

Copyright David Williams Published by Citrus Dreams

Song

DREAMS

Dreaming slowly dreaming quick

If only life should move so quick

How life passes you by in the blink of an eye

Yet dreams pass slowly in front of your eyes

Dreaming slow and dreaming quick

If only life would be as slow when the dream is great

Nightmares are slow and love so fast as they pass

In dreaming slowly dreaming quick

Has the sun gone in and as I close my eyes

To run and join in that dream that goes so quick.

Copyright David Williams Published by Citrus Dreams 

Note to me

Weather here. Today is sunny with that high level cloud that is like mist but is not, if that makes sense, it's a bright day but not ultra bright.

Phone sex

What exactly is phone sex?

I have heard it on the radio mentioned and in print but have yet to see it written exactly what phone sex is supposed to be and also who has phone sex. I suppose that one of the things that you need for phone sex is a phone. So I suppose that phone sex has or must have been around since the phone was first invented.

So dare I do a search on google to find out what phone sex is?

Song lyrics

Where do lyrics come from?

Does the composer use the same part of his brain as someone writing a book or painting a picture?

I don't know the answer to these questions.

It just an odd thought I had.

Fat cat

FAT CAT

Fat cat fat cat

What are you at

Oh fat cat

Fat cat why are you so fat

You eat in the morning you eat at night

But still your hungry minutes after that

Oh fat cat fat cat what are you at

So round and stubby oh fat cat

Happy to see food on your plate

Never knowingly late for that plate

Oh fat cat fat cat what are you at

Fat cat fat

Fat cat copyright David Wiliams published by Citrus Dreams

See I told you my song lyric are rubbish but they are mine all mine!

Lyrics

Is this a good place to store my own song lyrics?

Is not as if anyone other than me looks at this blog, I mean who is interested in a notebook of odd ideas?

So I shall create a publishing company 

The name of which will be Citrus Dreams

I like that name it's sharp! Don't you think?

So I shall over the coming weeks dump some of my song lyrics here, I suspect that in time even I will forget that they are here, but the good news is that they are not lost to time. As I am sure that google will back them up for me and that if in a few years I do a clever search I will find them again.

Day length

According to my research today daylight should be 11.23 long not sure if that's true looking at the fog we have outside as I type this.

Question

Here's a question for you that has been rattling in my head for the last few days as spring is here. 

How do trees know its spring?

How do they sense the warmth and the fact that there is more sunlight and that the days are getting longer?

What part of the tree senses warmth?

What part that is not a leaf senses daylight?

I don't know the answer to these questions and my searches on google have not been very fruitful in getting me answers to these questions.

Breakfast

Well I want to record here that for the first time in years? I have had ready break made with hot milk, it was nice, and I had loads on sugar on it which was probably not good for me but I enjoyed nevertheless.

Reading again

Well it's a bit of a surprise but I have to report here that I have an entire novel or very short book today. It's a surprise bacuse I did not expect to read anything today let alone a book, even if it's a short one at that.

So the book or novel I read today was by Alastair Reynolds and is called Galantic North and a good story it is even if the ending is not one I wanted, but as I am just a reader I have no power over what the author does or does not do with their story.

Warm

Just a note to me when does the sun light in spring start to feel warm on the face?

Reading

Well as isaid to you before in this blog of mine, well blog is not really the right term for this as it's more my notebook of ideas, which is why this blog is called odd thoughts from a high desk, anyway as I was saying I was reading two books by Clive Clussler one that I had read before and one theatre I haven't but have had in the reading stack for some time.

Well it turns out that I have finished reading the book I had read before again it was called Atlantis Found, the other book sadly I have not read any more of.

Why I don't know but I shall have another bash at reading it.

Drink of the day

The drink of the day today is.....Tea nothing eels to say about it.

Spring

I have decided that light and warmth are what plants need to tell them it's spring. 

Lost plane

I hope that the plane is found soon and that it turns out to be a mechanical failure and not terrorism, as one can be fixed not the other.

Sleepy

Lots of people yesterday reported that they felt sleepy and very tied I wonder if it has anything to do with the sudden increase in light levels that we are having here in the UK.

As we have had two whole days with blue sky it wonder if it is the extra light that is causing people to be tied, by some how with have a reaction on the hormone level to lots of bright light, which here in the UK we have not had for weeks.

Drink of the Day

As I sometimes like to record what I was drink on a particular day the drink of the day today is Coffee, sadly the instant kind, but one of the more expensive ones, still its just what you need early on a Sunday morning.

Ipad Air

Just a note to me that the Ipad is doing well, its let me only use the computer desktop about once a week so that's good.

The only downside to using an Ipad is that you soon get very used to it being on and in use in seconds where as the desktop appears to take minutes to get going.

Reading

an update to what I am reading, I think last time I said I was reading a Clive Clussler book, well it turns out some how or other that I am now reading two books by him!

I know I don't know how it happened but it did and i am stuck with it.

One book I have read before (what again!) the other is a new book to me, that was published back in 2013.

The book I am rereading is Atlantis Found! the other book is Posidions Arrow, for entertainment they are great fun and a great way to relax. As I need something to wind down to that is not going to make you drunk these books are just right.

Spring

Looks like spring is going to happen, for once I think the weathermen or women have got something right. But as this is the UK we are talking about, I am sure that the weather will have the last laugh it normally does.

Reading

I am still reading the old clive Clussler book that I brought last year but for one reason or another had not read, it had just sat there in my ever growing reading pile, and here I am only taking about the paper version of my reading list the electronic one is something I really don't want to talk about, mainly because it's even bigger.

But what are you supposed to do when amazon are doing a sale and you can pick up books that you have wanted to read but only cost 50 pence or less?

So you can see my problem I hope.

Any way the Clive clussler book I have got to page 104.

Weatherman

The weatherman toad had to remind us that it's already spring as far as they are concerned, so I am hoping that the weather will take note and follow on.

Spring

So by my reckoning I have calculated that we have something like 3 week before the equinox and the way that the day is getting longer I can't believe just much more daylight we are now getting, and that there will be even more to come.

Sunshine

Like to record here that we had some sunshine today, yes even I am amazed.

Reading again

Some how or other I have managed to re read a book by Clive Clussler who I am now told is some 83 years old. I did not know that he was that old, but it does not matter as long as he still has ideas for his books even if they are written by others, such as his son.

The book that I retread was called Shockwave and I must have read it when it first came out in paperback.

It's still great entertainment not sure that some of what in the book even follows the laws of physics but you know what? I don't care all I want is to be entertained. I think that Clive delivers that in this book so the fact that I have now read it twice must mean that I have had my money's worth and that's also good!

In my reading stack, yes I have a stack of actual paper books that I have brought but for one reason or another have not yet managed to read, I have found a Clive Clussler book that I have had for some time. It's call Poseidons Arrow and so far having just casually picking it up after finishing Shockwave I find that I am now on page 63! 

Looking in the front of the book I find that the edition I have was published in 2013 so it's not been in my reading stack for too long.

I will let you know what I think of the book when I complete it.

Spring

So according to what I have just read today is the second day of spring how great is that?

I just hope that the weather has also seen the Callander and now switches to spring weather soon.

Drink of the day

The drink of the day today is.... Greene king Smooth IPA.

 This is a beer that I have had before but not in this format or style.

The smooth is created by a nitrogen widget, but sadly the hope taste is not there in the final drink. The drink is very smooth but the IPA taste and flavor which is one of the reason its called an IPA is not present.

That's not to say that the beer is not nice, its a nice beer but I would not drink this for the taste, the texture yes but not the taste.

Sleep

I think sleep is under rated, it's nice when you have a nice long sleep and wake up not tired.

Reading

I have to report here that I am actually reading a book, not a paper one but one in iBooks. It's a boot I read back when it first came out call shock wave by clive clussler and so far it's entertaining me and that's all I want from this type of book. It's an old book I think is number thirteen in the series that has now got to number twenty I think.

Is worth a read if you just want something that is easy to read.

Drink of the day

The drink of the day today is.... IPA sadly I have already thrown out the bottle it comes in and as it's rather cold outside as I write this I am not going out there to have a look who made it.

All I can say is it's very nice thank you very much.

Spring

Just noticed that more daffodils are getting ready to flower, they seem to have done a lot of growing in the last few weeks, even in the really bad weather that we have been having here over the last two months.

Sunlight

It's nice to see early morning sunlight again,after so long the dark mornings.

The other thing that is nice in a way is driving in twilight into sunrise the colour and the differing light is nice.

Drink of the day

The drink of the day today is tea!

Good as all ways and as I have my tea without sugar but with milk I don't get a sugar rush, which I find is always good.

Sunrise

Sunrise it's getting earlier that's good in my book, I like daylight.

Light

Well the nights are starting to draw out finally....

Spring?

Is this the first sign of spring when you see that gorse brush is in flower?

45

45th day of the year and I think for most of that it has been raining, if not it feels like it has been!

Weather

Not enjoying the weather, beginning to wonder when will the rain stop. I know I am not near any rivers or the sea but day after day of rain is doing my head in.

Wet

It's been so wet this year will it ever get warm.

Drink of the day

The drink of the day today is Berra moretti and very nice beer it is from Italy.

What day is it?

Work up today and for some reason that I have yet to work out thought it was Monday and time for work, it's that bad that I could not understand why the alarm had not gone off or why the telly was not showing the news like it normally does.

Lucky for me the tv did go to the new at the top of the hour 6am if your interested and so knowing I indeed could have a lie in did till 7am!

So why the confusion on what day of the week?

Sadly I can tell you it was not caused by drink, I suspect that at this time it's down to all the huge stress at work, I don't think it's doing me much good. But I don't know how to get the stress level back to something I can handle.

Dry

So yesterday we had a dry day out there in the big bad world, and I might also add we also had blue sky. I am not quite sure how to handle it this blue sky stuff.

So I expect that today it will be wet, as we don't normally have a couple of dry days in a row these days.

Spring is when?

So I know that spring is not supposed to happen for a while yet, but I have just noticed that a lot of bulbs are browning and that some are now starting to form flower heads.

I think this is a bit early?

Bumble bee

So my first bumble bee today, he was a good size but I think he was not that happy about the weather as he was crawling around on the ground and not flying. So I put him out the way so that he did not get stepped on.

Blossom

Saw my first cherry blossom today, don't know if that's the earliest that I seen some or not but February does seem to me to be just a bit early. But what surprises me about it is the fact that the weather has not been that nice and still it's flowering.

Month 2

Well month 1 went rather quick I think!

It's also the most wet month I can ever think I have lived through so far.

Let's hope that later in the year we have a hot dry few weeks.

Rain

I never knew it rain so much. According to the weather service it should now rain until next Thursday!

Oh goody....

Stress part w

Stress it appears that it can hit people in very differant ways. I have read somewhere that you need some stress in your life to work better.

I some how don't think this is always true.

Stress

Stress it's not very nice and when you lots of it at work there come a stage when you just want it all to stop.

Colder

Wow has it turned colder, not happy about this change in the weather.

The other drink of the day

The other drink of the day today is....IPA Reserve by Green King all I can say is its nice very hoppy and works well as an alternative drink to London Pride.

Drink of the day

The drink of the day today is.... London Pride a nice real ale

I have spoken about it before and it has not changed it's just nice.

Drink of the day

The drink of the day today is .... Tea not much else to say about it.

Blue sky

We had some actual blue sky today which was nice.

Dark

Just why is it so dark at 11 in the morning?

Wet

Still have rain but at least for a hour or so we are now getting some sun shine if if does not last for that long.

Ice

Clearing ice off the car in the dark is not fun as I always seem to miss a bit.

Sunset

So sunset for me here in the UK today is 4.18 so why do I need a light on at 4.17!

What happend to twilight? Does. It only happen in the summer?

I don't know the answers to this question.

drink

Drink

although I do a blog now and then when I talk about the drink of the day. I don't talk that much about any of the real ales and a like that i also drink. Not to sure why that is but thats just the way it is.

So to set the record straight today I am drink SOL beer and very nice it is too. thing is I think it is a summer and BBQ beer as its needs to be ice cold and you need to be in your shorts in the sunshine with your sunnyes on.

Drink of the day

The drink of the day today is .....tea

As I have already said lots about tea I am not going to repeat it all here again, so the drink of the day is like I said tea.

Blue sky

I am beginning to wonder what blue sky looks like and also what bright sunshine is, so far this year there has not been much of either. I suppose the good news is that it's a different kind of weather from previous years at this time of year so I suppose one should not moan about it. 

But as I am from the UK it's part of my make up, to always have something to say about the weather otherwise what else would I have to talk about?

Chips

How come, home made chips taste better than anything you can get at a chip shop?

Dark

Still to dark at 4 pm when will it be lighter?

Rain

I don't ever remember it raining for this long and hard ever. I suppose this is what global warming is all about.

Drink of the day

The drink of the day today is.   Tea...

Tea is always a great drink to have epically when you don't have sugar in it so you can actually taste the tea and not the sugar.

Wet

Wet yet again, I am so happy I don't live too near the sea as it looks like it's not a very nice place to be at this time.

Some of the photos that I have from places I have been scare me in just how high water levels are and what the sea in bad times can do.

Blue sky

We finally had some blue sky this year!

Rain

So it's still raining.... Do not think it has stoped this year.....

Drunk

I wonder just how many people around the world on the 1st January are drunk in the morning?

How many are over the drink drive limit?

I suspect that it is rather a few...

Happy New Year

So it's 2014 time to wish you a happy new year and all that sort of stuff.

2014

So a new year starts.

I wonder just how many times I shall manage to do a blog entry this year more or less than last year?

We will just have to wait and see.....