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 complete with the odd trimmer noise thrown in as well.

So there goes a quite Sunday.

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.