Kashyyyk gets broadband

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Arrows of Outrageous Fortune

Maybe not outrageous, but I'm sure Will would be impressed with the grouping. Fortunate at least because I'd be shooting 520 for a Portsmouth round (10 dozen) if this was the norm. As it stands I made 450 the other night which gives me a 7.5 average/arrow. I'm quite happy with that. Siân too is clearly doing something right as seen below:

Clothing thief or Fashion victim?

Have you seen this man? Some sources are quoted as saying that this particular wardrobe disaster was just "waiting to happen", whilst others believe that he is merely trying to recapture his mis-spent youth. Whatever the truth may be, he should be regarded mildly dangerous and only approached from a long way away.

HtWwW3

Unleash you inner creativity with a little help from the Simpsomaker

HtWwW2

Whilst the OED defines implausible, a. as "something that does not have the appearance of truth, probability, or acceptability", Linda Riley from Fife can probably write her own book on the subject. She has just reached an undisclosed out of court settlement after she tripped and fell over a pile of accident claim forms whilst at work for Norwich Union.

Archery

I've been waiting for Simon to post his blog but it seems he's never gonna get round to it so I'll do the honours for him. In the face of most of the laws of physics and probability he managed to shoot and arrow directly through the nock and into the shaft of another. Quite impressive, although I'm a bit sceptical about his claim that he did it on purpose. His justification for not doing it again on the grounds that it was a waste of arrows seemed a bit spurious too.
Meanwhile Siân has joined the club too and has been getting expert tuition from Harry. All in all we've been doing quite well with small improvements each week. This will undoubtedly change later in the year when we shoot outside over longer distances, but in the meantime the occasional gold is a nice reward.

Lights and Blue teeth

Managed to get round to fittings Siân's Christmas present this weekend only to find that when I took the light out the box, some of the grub screws were missing. A trip to B&Q should solve that I thought, but - can you believe it - the light is now half price! 20 minutes of queuing for the returns cashier and I was prepared to argue the point. Smile nicely and hope that the only thing she cares about is getting to the end of her shift without have to face down any more rude customers. This seemed to the case because, aside from a half hearted attempt to offer me vouchers, she refunded it in full. Grabbed a new one off the shelf, got home, made a cautionary call to Alec to confirm that I was not about to set fire to the house by getting the switched live mixed with the neutral, and bingo!

What you have here is the newly installed light as seen by my new phone. Blue tooth is a marvellous thing if a little temperamental. Still, it does offer some interesting new opportunities. Not least being able to take pictures freely and post them like this!

How the Web was Won

It may be pointless but it's why the internet exists. If you want to do further research into futility then check out Oblio's story (as told by Nilsson). If you can't be bothered then ask Kenny. Alternatively you could get in your car and drive to the library - but that's probably doomed to failure because there's never anywhere to park. Even if you do manage to get a space and find that book with all the answers, you'll not get far without a thumbthing. I suggest staying put clicking your way to all the answers you never needed, just pray the link isn't dead.

ASI2006

It seems the gods were smiling on us when we went to the Autosport International Show at the NEC last weekend. Against all the odds and much to Siân's satisfaction we were the last two people of about a score who managed to get meet David Coulthard before he "opened" the show to the public on Sunday.

We also got to meet Red Bull's other driver, Christian Klien as well as BTCC SEAT drivers Jason Plato and James Thompson. Highlights among the cars included the Maybach Exelero, Porsche Carrera GT, Aston Martin DBRS9, the 2005 F1 grid and the historic F1 collection.

Happy New Year

Saw in the new year without any drunken revelry (not my style) - just fun & games and a small helping of champagne. I hope everyone has a happy and healthy New Year with a big lump of daftness sprinkled on top. (Google seem to have it about right)

Happy Christmas (continued) (continued)

Spent most of the afternoon and evening with friends. Had a fun time exchanging presents, drinking advocaat, discussing the merits of being dutch and enjoying Jon's expression when he lost all his carrots.
PS The chocolate strawberries were very nice - thank you Evelyn.
PPS Managed to get some extra pics uploaded...

Happy Christmas (continued)

Had a good day today. The snow failed to put us off so we took Grandma to Boston and wandered around Oldrids. Failed to find a radio there that was suitable but we did buy a new kettle (with fairy lights!) for Helen and Alec. We then went to the Sack Store for coffee and mince pies - Grandma had a cappuccino - before heading into town and picking up a groovy radio at Argos.



Rounded off the day with a trip to Lincoln Odeon this evening with Hill family to see King Kong and then had Pizza at ASK. (Very nice - thankyou very much!) I think we're gonna play Killer Bunnies now. Gotta go, the funky kettle's just boiled!

Happy Christmas

Merry Christmas to you all. The Christmas meal was fabulous and the goose made a nice change from turkey. Will try to post some pics later, but Dr Who? is about to start so I must dash!

08:25
Dr Who was cool. Actually preferred Tennant to Eccleston. Anyway, as promised, here are some Xmas pics of us all having a good time

Leaving So Soon?

It's a good job I'm not insecure or paranoid. Is it me or does everyone seem to be leaving stock control? If anyone intends to answer this rhetorical question I expect a bloody good explanation.

Wiltshire - November 2005

Little Langford Farm is apparently the last in the area to maintain its' dairy herd. As Topsy explained to us, 17p per litre barely covers the costs, so it’s not surprising that she’s tapped into the Bed and Breakfast market.


It has always struck me that farmers are a breed apart and regard the idea of someone rising 3 hours past daybreak as scornful. Actually, to quote Monty Python, unless you “get up half an hour before you went t’ bed”, you’re always likely to be out of favour - or at the very least, behind schedule. Still, the farmhouse was genuine and charming in all the right places (and warm which was pleasant because the weather was not).

Monday was bright and sunny so we (wisely) decided to get Neolithic. Stonehenge is awesome in every respect. It’s scale, setting, age, and purpose cannot fail to impress, however Avebury is certainly it’s equal. When taken in context with it’s avenue, and the surrounding landmarks of Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow it is possibly even more breathtaking, especially when seen in the snow!

Two rain drenched days shopping in Salisbury and Bath were generally uneventful but interspersed with a couple of highlights including the Cathedral and an impromptu visit to Rosemary and Tony.

Elephants and Arrows

Have been a couple of times now to the Introductory Archery Course. So far things have gone really well although Siân's first week was more pain than gain. (Whilst many archers suffer with some bruising to the inside of their arm from the string it shouldn't result in the technicolor shades that she obtained!) This week was much better; I did actually manage to get all three arrows in the gold after one end, but that's probably more luck than judgement. There are so many things to remember, or more accurately, so many things to forget. I guess we're quite definitely on the steep part of the learning curve. It's frustrating in some ways because whilst you can run through things in your head, it's only when you step up to the shooting line and shoot an arrow that you can actually put everything into practice. Inevitably the time goes too quickly and the thought "I know to concentrate on that aspect, and it'll mean I'll shoot better next time" is still in you head at the end of the session. (Maybe it's always there?)

Update 02/12/05
Thanks to Simon's Gran, I've upgraded! In truth, Simon has purchased a v. v. nice shiny new riser. Although I'm sure the idea probably crossed his mind, the practicalities of shooting with a bow in each hand mean that I have benefitted, and am now the proud owner of his old bow. Tonight went well, but there is still so much to remember! Time just evaporates and it may be necessary to join the club sooner rather than later. This would at least mean more arrows per week which can't be a bad thing. Watch this space.

Too old for candles?

Simon just keeps getting older. Can't remember how many times we've done this so I'm sure he's lost count. Still you're never too old for candles. (Or balloons, or chocolate cake). Of course, Jemma and I had to let him win the game of Magic (it is his birthday), but we made sure it was a close thing. Finished off with Pizza, Baileys and Comparative Bruise Analysis (Siân won), but more of that to follow next week.

Kenilworth Fireworks

John and Hetty both came to see the fireworks this year, as a sort of detour to collecting Evelyn. Having parked about 3 miles away we hiked to the field in time to see the bonfire being lit. The wait then began for the [inevitably delayed] fireworks, but as usual they were quite superb.

Note to self - Must remember to bring portable sofa and thermos next year. Might also be wise to hire a Landy which would make parking a lot easier and allow for an easy escape across the Warwickshire countryside.

The arty pictures are courtesy of John and his inability to hold the camera still. He will claim that it was deliberate but I can personally vouch that all 91 images were wobbly. These are just the best ones!

Better than MySpace?

I'll try again. Couldn't get MSN Myspace to work. I just need somewhere to share pictures! Maybe this time i'll be succesful

Coombe Abbey Mediaeval Banquet

Both Dianne and Simon have had recent cause for celebration and we were determined to ensure Mark's departure would be not marked by a somber occasion. I'm sure the mead helped a bit, but when combined with the red wine it certainly resulted in a rousing (if not exactly tuneful) night!


Mark will certainly be missed, but at least we all have a good night out to remember him by. The evening was enjoyed by all. Even Simon - who had nothing to drink and professed to being sceptical about anything requiring audience participation!