Unbelievable. I thought that perhaps now the two funerals had taken place for the lads who were knocked down over the road from here that the council would start to clear away the flowers. Wrong. They have in fact been added to - all the ones from the funerals themselves. Including the wreaths, floral names etc. Now that I really can't understand and smacks to me a bit of publicity seeking on the part of the families. I could be wrong and they may just find it a good way to let go, but the mere thought of making something as heart rending as losing a child so public just strikes me as very odd.

But then, grief is a funny thing. Joan has had to go back to the Doctor and is now in the process of sorting out some formal grief counselling now the anniversary of her Dad is approaching. I am trying to be as supportive as possible but I think this is a lot deeper than I can comprehend. Whatever, I'll be there for her.

------------------

So, final thoughts on the whole Tad Williams Otherland experience. Overall, a very good read. Quite deep in places with much to think about at the end. I can see how he must have had the same sort of fun as I mentioned back whenever for the Clarke/Baxter collaboration (The Light Of Other Days) in deciding which bits of history and other literature to use in the numerous virtual worlds encountered by the protagonists. Some of the settings were just brilliant, and very well described to really get a feeling of being there in the thick of the action. Some of the ending seemed a bit rushed/compacted as the myriad of story lines were all woven together again and I think perhaps we could have done with following a smaller number of people so as to get a better understanding of each, but then that would have lost the enormous scope of the plot. I dunno. Let me just say I enjoyed it and will no doubt enjoy it again in 5 or 6 years time.

New book to be started later today is: A History Of Engineering In Classical And Medieval Times by Donald Hill which looks fascinating and might just explain lots of old monuments and stuff.

Stone me, Thrash from The Orb/Fortran 5 has joined the Llamasoft forums. Another person who inspired me joins the fun! And he has stuck up a whole album's worth of stuff based on the files Madonna "leaked" to the internet in advance of her latest album coming out to try and pre-empt the pirates. Some of it is quite good and also funny so I think it will end up on mini-disc for further listening. Heck, he even provided cover artwork which is always nice.

It was only a week or so ago I was sorting out copies of a Fortran 5 track for Mr Minter himself then this happens. I wonder if I can "arrange" for any other musicians to sign up.

And stone me again, while I couldn't be bothered to go out this lunch time, Richard did and bought three second hand games for the Cube which obviously are sitting with me for the time being. So I think I will be exercising my thumbs tonight with Super Monkey Ball 2 if not the other two as well. Hopefully he will keep putting off getting his own system for a few months longer.

Sonic has gone off to a meeting in Lowestoft this afternoon and half the rest of the office has vanished too so once again all is quiet here. So I am sorting out some bits that should impress him (and keep him off my back for a day or two) in advance of tomorrow morning's 1 to 1 session.

So it rained all night, has been wet on and off so far this morning and still looks grey and threatening now. All of which can only mean one thing. Yes, today is the start of Wimbledon fortnight. Not sure if I will get to see any of the tennis again this year (work and Big Brother will no doubt take precedence) but I will have a stab. And of course it also rained a fair bit yesterday which totally changed our plans to get out and about for the day, but I'm getting ahead of myself here.

Saturday we did the mundane shopping for food and stuff in the morning. And also popped in to Smiths to NOT buy the Harry Potter book. Yes, Joan had pre-ordered me a copy but I persuaded here not to go through with the actual purchase (and indeed we got her deposit back) as (a) they were selling the book a couple of quid cheaper elsewhere and (b) as I said at the time I'm quite happy to wait until next year for the paperback. After all, I have plenty of other books sitting unread on the shelves to keep me going until then. In fact the biggest decision will be whether to re-read the first four, or perhaps just the ones not turned in to films as yet, before diving in. I used to do a lot of that with some series when there was a gap between volumes appearing but haven't over the last couple of years - mainly due to the vast numbers of books craving my attention. Whatever, it is a stonkingly huge book which will no doubt last me a day or two when I do get round to it!

In the afternoon we both crashed out in the Garden to catch up on a bit of lost sleep and some sun as well - it was wonderful weather with just enough of a breeze to keep us cool while still getting some colour from the sun (but not enough to burn). Quite amazing that we did manage to sleep so well really under the circumstances - not only was Steve up to his usual Saturday sawing, hammering and drilling (it must be two years now since their extension was finished. What can there be left to do?) butthe chap next door to Jerry was out in the Garden. With a mechanical digger. Not too sure how he managed to get it in to the garden, but he must have had fun using it as the thing could be heard working away all day (and also yesterday) and they have filled a skip up with junk and soil. I know the place was in a bit of a state before they moved in so it will no doubt be interesting to see the finished article, but I just wish they could be a bit quieter when working there.

Saturday night we were round to Ma & Pa for a summer solstice dinner. First time they've ever done anything to mark the longest day that I can remember, and very tasty it was too. Their next door neighbours were also there and a splendid time was had by all.

Yesterday, as mentioned, the rain stopped our picnic plans so we stayed home and blitzed the house instead. Which now looks pretty tidy in most rooms. I wonder how long we will manage to keep it that way. Joan always gets upset that "museum perfect" conditions don't seem to last very long, but we do live in the place rather than just visit from time to time so a little bit of putting things down and not picking them up is inevitable. Plus we do seem to accumulate junk without trying - especially pens. Where do they all come from? In between working we found the time to watch the last in the series of Casualty (and once more a gruesome cliff-hanger for us to ponder) and do some general sitting around and reading.

Now have only a few pages of the whole Otherland saga left to read. In fact I am past the end of the "plot" so to speak and in to the winding down tying up of loose ends de-briefing phase. I will reserve the passing of judgement until tomorrow though as I want to be sure of it all before commenting fully. All I will say for now is that although I was keen to know how it all winds up, I don't particularly want to say goodbye to most of the characters yet. But can't think of any excuse for a plot that would bring them all together again sometime.

Also fitted in a play of the last Chumbawamba album Readymades over lunch yesterday. Not sure if I've mentioned it before, but what a superb album that is. So far removed from their spiky punky origins but still very politically motivated. The musicianship is just sublime, to the point that I am sure if I were to listen to the whole disc under the right circumstances (i.e. focussed and with no distractions rather than in the car or while eating) then the moment in the last track when the guitar kicks in would probably move me to tears. It really is that good. Go and get a copy.

And so we are back to work for the week. Plenty going on to stop me going nuts with tedium this week so details of those when they happen. Fort now I have some timetables back from Pindar to be going along with.

Unkk. Can't believe I've got another 2½ months of this to come (just spread around the mouth). Apart from the pain of the moment the whole upper left where he has worked feels sunken in at the moment - like my whole cheek is being attracted to my teeth all the time. It is very disconcerting and begining to get on my nerves.

So, we have two people being chucked out of the Big Brother house tonight in a break from tradition. Could be interesting - I wonder what that will mean for the rest of the series. Perhaps the speculation will be right and they are planning to add someone new to the house. I expect we will watch with matchsticks at the ready to keep the eyes open as the second eviction is quite late (although Joan did suggest we go out again after it if Smiths in Felixstowe are doing midnight opening for the new Harry Potter book!). Still, no need to get up for anything any time in particular tomorrow or Sunday. Woo.

I think if weather and mouth permit I am going to just load Joan and a picnic in to the car on Sunday and head off into the scenic Suffolk countryside for the day. I quite fancy that. dontchaknow.

Oh, and here's a quote nicked from someone else's blog that made me laugh in a Matrix meets Lord of the Rings way:

Nothing to do with Games...
...but inspired by the fact that actor Hugo Weaving plays both Elrond and Agent Smith.

"You seem to live two lives, Mr. Baggins. In one, you are a peaceful and productive resident of the Shire. In the other, you flit about the world in the company of wizards, dwarves, and other low lives, apparently attempting to hurl a magic ring into a volcano.


"One of these paths has a future, Mr. Baggins."

Spoken to the dentist and it seems the sensitivity is normal and should go away again in a couple of days, which is good news. If a little disheartening to know it will probably be something I have to put up with for the other three events as well, and if it does happen for the last one it will probably be while we are on our holiday. Great. I just wish I could switch off from thinking about the whole thing for a couple of days, but every time I even consider eating or drinking the whole enormity of what is still to come thuds down on me. I'll try to be a brave little soldier!

We were both too knackered to even think about cooking last night so went round to the White Horse for our dinner. Don't seem to have been for ages but it was just as tasty as normal.

Joan starting her weekend off today, and should be coming in to Ipswich with Mum for a spot of shopping this afternoon. I don't expect I will be able to pop out and see them, but it will at least give me an excuse to leave early. And hopefully we will then get a good couple of days off together with sun and fun.

Time for a spot of lunch now.

Hmm. Teeth gone all sensitive this afternoon. Wonder what has caused that. I hope it will not be a permanant thingy as a result of the work - all very well having teeth that don't fall out and a dazzling smile but not much use if I can't actually eat anything hot or cold without going through the roof.

And now we have just seen off the director. By which I mean he has retired not that we chased him out of the building. Good presentation but plenty of waffle.

Time to go home.

Wooo! I can eat again! Or in other words, I went to Colchester this morning and he took the stitches out/gunge off and there was no blood and my jaw didn't fall apart. Which gives me even greater confidence for the rest of the treatment now. OK, so I still can't brush that quarter of the mouth with anything other than a really ultra-soft brush for another four weeks (by which point I should be getting the stitches out from part two) but after that it should be back to normal there (so total normality by October then). And of course being back to normal feels particularly strange - amazing how quickly you can get used to having a load of junk in the mouth. Now I need to get used to it not being there again!

So, I was done with him by ten past nine and decided to come in to the office after all (despite having the day booked as Special Leave). And have managed to get some useful stuff done so it was woth the effort I think. Especially as one of those was the final, final, completely and utterly final check on the book covers and approval so they should be here next Thursday at last. Hooray. Had a few moments of feeling a bit funny, mainly when I let my tongue wander up to that corner of my mouth and notice the slight dent where I guess he did some of the work which doesn't feel quite the same as before but I expect I'll be OK if I finish early. I am taking it fairly easy whatever.

Yesterday was quite good if tiring (didn't get home until 7 pm after leaving at 6.15 am). Some interesting speakers and I think Mitchell's talk (with my maps and photos) went down well. Also had a bit of a chat with him and Sonic on the train so although no real insider information was released I reckon I picked up one or two hints as to where the group might be headed. The building we were in (the Institute of Electrical Engineers) was suitably impressive too - and strange to think that I've never been there before despite Dad having been a member since before I was born. Only real problem on the day was the heat in the horribly crowded trains but that's old rolling stock for you. Hopefully they will be able to introduce the new stuff they have sitting in sidings waiting for approval soon. It looks very swish.

Today they have announced a full England football match at Portman Road in August so we are going to try to get them to recommend Park & Ride as a way of travel and open up specially for the event. Should be an actual money-spinner for us if we do it right. We shall see.

Me and my big mouth - some timetable changes have turned up today! Still at least it has given me something to do. A plague on all bus companies though.

Stinkingly hot and sticky here today. I did go out for a wander in the sun at lunchtime but it was just too much to be out in for long. And the shops were all roasting as well so not even any decent air conditioning to lurk in.

Nothing much else to say actually. Seems we are getting the 0657 train to London tomorrow, which I am not looking forward to but there you go. Just think of the flexi hours boost!

And so another week rolls past. Here I am once again on my own at home while Joan is slaving away in a hot shop (and I know from bitter experience just how hot in can get in that shop too). And once again there were people wanting to get in and but stuff before we arrived with the keys. Now, I know that we do sometimes shop for non-food things on a Sunday when it is the only chance we get to go out together, but really. It must be at least two years now that they have been regularly open on Sundays and the hours haven't changed from 10 to 4 in all that time. Surely people should have worked that out by now. Or am I just being overly optomistic about the mental stat of the general populace? So, I've washed the car (the only trouble with having the driveway is that part of the car always seems to end up under the tv aerial where the birds perch...) and will shortly be getting back to the ironing.

Friday night was pretty good - I managed to eat the Chinese tolerably well, Alexander was pleased with his presents and things generally went well. Yesterday I was on my own again so some ironing, some shopping, a bit of snoozing and some Richard visiting. Then last night we killed some time watching Miss Congeniality which had a few good moments.

Have finished rummaging in ...Capt. Flint's Trunk and definitely enjoyed it for the nth time. I wonder how many times I have actually read it. Three or four I guess but I can't put a definite figure on it. I know I haven't read it since June 1997 as since then I have been sticking the date I finish each book in the front of it as I was wondering that very question of how often I get through some books then. Probably a very sad thing to do (and worse to reveal!) but what the heck. There are some books (indeed whole series) sat on the shelves that I have been through many times over the years to the point that I can sit and recall huge chunks of them at will. So I thought it would be interesting to see how often I did go back there. Not much is the answer in the last six years though - always so many new things to read makes time to squeeze in old favourites that little bit rarer. Anyway, have now dived in to the last part of the Otherland saga from Tad Williams - Sea Of Silver Light which is by far the largest chunk of the series. But already some of the loose ends are starting to come together along with explanations for things I've been puzzling over the first three books. All told I can highly recomend what I've read so far.

Not particularly looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. In some ways less so than I was this time last week after having had the whole week off, not just a couple of days. At least then I was fairly confident of having something to get on with when I was there, but the last few days have been a real drag. I know I've spent most of the last five years wishing for some sort of stability in the bus service network of Suffolk so I didn't have to keep changing the timetables, but at least that meant I had something to do. At the moment it just seems as if I have nothing to be getting on with (there are a few things I could do but can't seem to get motivated for them). And of course I'm still annoyed with all the dealys to getting the books finished. Still, they will be with us soon and I can spend a couple of weeks out and about trying to foist them on people. And I'm only in for three days this week anyway - Tuesday is a Park & Ride conference in London which if nothing else will add a few hours to the flexi-time total and Wednesday I'm back to Colchester to get these stitches out. No appointment time for that - just turn up and he'll fit me in between other patients. So that could be a long or short visit, I really don't know hence the whole day off.

But, it pays the bills so I have to get myself going again and do the best I can. Saying that, I do have an application form to fill in this week as well - for a personnel post with the Police which looks interesting. We shall see how it goes.

Right, time to do something useful.

Grrrrrr. Cross with lady luck today. Joan and Helen went to the Bingo with a load of Helen's colleagues last night. Won nothing. Lady two tables away scooped up £96,000 on the national link up game. Not fair at all.

Otherwise today going as normal for me - finally got the covers signed off (again). Hopefully there will be nothing else that can go wrong between now and delivery. Fingers, toes and legs crossed. Given that one of my targets for next year is to be getting an outlet for books in every parish (all 496 of them across Suffolk!) it would be nice to actually have something to deliver.

Not normal for Joan - she woke up with a bit of a headache and has apparently been ill twice this morning but feelign a bit better now. Which is good as she is planning to pop up to the cemetary with some flowers later (in advance of Father's Day on Sunday).

That's something I can't get my head around. Not Joan putting some flowers near her Dad's memorial plaque but the number that turn up at the sites of accidents. There were a couple of school kids killed in a car accident last week just down the road from the office here. Going past last night on the way home I had a look, and would estimate that around £2,000 worth of flowers, soft toys etc have been piled up along the wall where it happened. I can't believe they are all from people who knew the kids in question. And if they didn't know them, why do people do it? It just doesn't make sense to me. You could say it is a tribute or a way of sharing feelings or something but I just don't get it. Personally I'd rather stick a few quid in a fund that would buy something tangible for their school or something. Then there would be some sort of lasting memorial rather than a pile of slowly wilting blooms that will cost the council a tidy sum to clear up in the next few days (and of course they have to judge when to clear up very carefully - too soon and they would no doubt be branded as unfeeling).

Anyhow, still thoroughly enjoying the Ransome book. Had a vivid recollection of buying it this morning as I was driving in. I knew of the book's existence from a review in a magazine I'd been passed (as a known Ransome fan) by my Grandparents way back in about 1987 or 8 but never seen it in the shops. Fast forward to 1992 and a college field trip to the Lake District (Setting for 5 of the 12 Swallows And Amazons tales). On the last morning we called in at some visitor centre or other and there it was sitting in the gift shop's book section. So, while everyone else was stocking up on Kendal mint cake I knew what I had to have. Didn't care about any damage to my image caused by buying a book about a children's author either (well, by then it was our final year so I guess people had made their minds up about me by then). I didn't even manage to resist starting it there and then on the minibus home - certainly made the journey better for me. Must get back up there sometime. And of course I have since added a biography, Ransome's autobiography and a book about his boats to the collection. Must get more of the other stuff available (in fact have procured about 100 pages worth of articles and comments off the web already this morning, with some more to come when I've processed this lot).

Alexander's 17th Birthday tomorrow - if all goes well we will be going up there for dinner. Hope I can manage to eat some of it (htis one-sided chewing is begining to drive me insane).

Wooo. Now I'm feeling happy. Mainly cos a bit earlier I booked our holiday. Yes, after much debate and should we, shouldn't we stuff we are going to Switzerland. OK, so it is coach not flying so we spend a long time travelling but we do actually enjoy all that stuff - looking out the wondows, seeing the world go by etc. Plus we have a couple of Harry Potter books on Mini Disc so that will help!

Anyway, we are going with local firm Supreme, who we have been to the West Country and also Paris with before so we know it should be OK. The brochure says:


Your Holiday Centre

Seelisberg: Situated on a mountain plateau some 2,500 feet above sea level, a stay in Seelisberg gives one a feeling of perfect peace. Below lies Lake Lucerne glimmering in the sun whilst all about you are snow-capped mountains, bracing air and the sound of cowbells ringing to welcome the morning of a new day. Just opposite Seelisberg across the lake lies the bustling town of Brunnen. Easily reached by steamer from Treib, which lies at the bottom of a rack railway running from near your hotel, this makes a superb excursion during the summer months.


Your Hotel

Hotel Bellevue: Set in a magnificent position overlooking the whole of Lake Lucerne and the snow-capped Swiss Alps, the Hotel Bellevue offers modern and luxurious facilities in traditional Swiss style. There is a panoramic restaurant and bar and a party night with Swiss Folklore every week. All rooms are beautifully furnished and have private bathroom, wc, TV and telephone. Lift to most floors.


Your Itinerary

Day 1 - Sat - Depart UK: Step aboard our luxury coach for the morning run to Dover and the lunchtime ferry to Calais. From here, we drive across northern France to spend our first night with bed & breakfast in the Cathedral city of Reims or nearby.

Day 2 - Sun - Arrive Seelisberg: Continuing our journey south, we travel through the picturesque Vosges mountains to enter Switzerland at Basle. Arriving in Seelisberg early this evening, we spend the next five nights at the beautiful Hotel Bellevue.
-----
Day 7 - Fri - Depart Seelisberg: The following Friday, we bid farewell to Switzerland and make our way back to Paris to enjoy a leisurely last night at our selected three star hotel.

Day 8 - Sat - Arrive UK: Departing from Paris we return to Calais for our ferry to Dover with arrival home later this evening.

Included Excursions:

Lucerne: A full day excursion to the ancient City of Lucerne. Explore the maze of quaysides and alleyways in the Old Town and take a stroll across the Chapel Bridge. This afternoon, we continue our drive along the north side of the lake and return on the lake steamer from Gersau to Beckenried (steamer tickets at own expense).

Interlaken & Brienz: Our first stop today is the woodcarving centre of Brienz followed by an afternoon visit to the bustling resort of Interlaken in the Bernese Oberland. Don't miss the exceptional views towards the Eiger and Jungfrau.



–Includes–
° Air-conditioned Supreme Supercoach or similar
° Cross Channel Ferries
° bed & breakfast in Reims area
° 5 nights dinner, bed & breakfast in Seelisberg
° Bed & breakfast in Paris
° All rooms with private bath or shower & wc
° 2 included excursions
° Courier escorted
° Full ABTA Bonding

Roll on September because I just can't wait. Not to mention the fact that my teeth will be all done by then so I can really pig out on swiss chocolate!

Well, for the first time ever as far as I can remember I actually had to get up in the night to knock back a hayfever tablet. Woke up at about 1.15 with nose absolutely streaming, sneezing like it was going out of fashion etc. Still feel a bit groggy this morning from it so have taken another one. Not the best way to start the day. And then after we were delayed leaving due to having to put the rubbish out (and there was an awful lot of garden stuff after last week's exploits!) I ended up sitting in traffic for ages on the way in. My own fault really - there are two routes for part of the journey I make and I thought I'd try the one I normally avoid for a change as it should bring me a fraction closer to the car park when they converge again. Wrong choice and it reminded me why I tend to avoid it. Just serious amounts of slow moving cars. Still, I am here in the end, only really a couple of minutes after normal but it feels like hours.

Mouth feeling a bit more normal again though, which is some consolation. Only another week now before the string can come out.

Sonic brought his pictures from Bob's retirement do in today which served mainly to convince me I was right not to invest in an APS camera when I was considering it a couple of years ago. I guess it could just be that he has one from the cheaper end of the range or the developer was not particularly good, but to me the prints looked really blocky. Like they came from a very low resolution digital. No smooth curves and patchyness in the areas of solid colour. I think I will stick with the digital for everyday snapping and dig out the old Olympus compact (that I was more than happy with) if I want a print of something.

Going off to a presentation about how to market public services now. Might be interesting but I'm not holding my breath.

Bored, bored, ever so bored today. There were only two of us up this end of the office this morning and now Chris has gone off to a meeting in Haverhill I'm sat here on my own. There are only a couple of other people in down the corridor end too, which makes the whole place very calm. Once again waiting for stuff to come through from Pindar for me to look at (the latest set of changes holding up the books). Even the phone is hardly ringing to provide a distraction from time to time. To make matters even worse they have turned on the air "circulation" system (I don't think I could go as far as to call it air conditioning) and the racket is really getting on my wick. Add that lot to a lack of anything pressing needing my attention and we have quite a recipe for dullness.

Mouth is a bit uncomfortable today - no pain or anything from the stitches being uncovered, just a sort of tightness and pulling sensation from where the flesh is obviously welding itself back together. I can't believe I've got three more goes at this to endure. I do hope it all turns out to be worthwhile in the end.

Nothing else to add really. So I won't try.

I did make contact with the dentist and it seems it only needed to stay on for 24 hours so I guess I will be OK. Just need to be a bit more careful not to rip the threads out. Does feel a bit strange though - being able to actually feel the teeth and gum again. And it has only been 4 and a bit days! Definitely a cause for going home early today though I think.

Though even that is trickier at the moment as we have been booted off our normal car park (owned by the College) while they do some building work, and instead now have to park down at the waterfront. Only a few more metres to walk and an extra (but very busy) road to cross, but it feels like a lot more and is not as convenient. It should only be for three months, so that will be during the summer and hopefully dry most days at least. Will try harder to remember to bring the brolly in though.

Oh yuck, the inner coating of gungey stuff to stop me eating the stitches just fell out while I was having my lunch. No pain or anything (and no sudden rush of blood or gums falling apart), just a bit strange at the moment. And of course the dentist is not answerng the phone over their lunch so I don't know if this is OK or I ought to whizz straight down to Colchester to get it sorted. All I do know is that I feel a bit sick right now at the thought of either option! Really ought to go stick my head out the door for some fresh air I think.

Anyway, the final few days of our week off went nicely. We did get to the cinema and both thoroughly enjoyed The Matrix Reloaded - the fight scenes were fantastic and we had no problems with the plot. Can't wait for the last part when that comes out - presumably around Christmas time. Especially having sat through the full end credits to catch the preview of part three.

Joan finished the fence painting as my mouth was too painful when it came to bending down for the first couple of days - that seems to have passed now at least even if I have got the other issues still to deal with. The garden now looks wonderful and I am very happy with it all.

Finished reading Salmon... and it proved to be the exact bittersweet experience I had anticipated. Really enjoyable stuff but ineveitably cut short and clouded by the knowledge that there won't be any more. Have now started a re-read of Arthur Ransome And Capt. Flint's Trunk by Christina Hardyment which is a very good romp around the real life locations Ransome used verbatim and disguised in the Swallows and Amazons books, which were my absolute favourites as a child and still have a prime spot on the bookshelves today. They inspired me to try sailing in primary school which I loved (although a few years later we went sailing as a family and I was absolutely scared out of my wits - to the point that I made them go back to the dock and drop me off where I then sat in the car on my own for a couple of hours while the rest of them went off again - could have just been a one-off but I've not plucked up the nerve to try it again since).

Now for a meeting to decide who gets to run Martlesham Park & Ride.

Hmmm. Still hurting quite a bit here. Plus hungry cos eating is not a fun experience right now. Oh well, perseverance will pay off I'm sure and maybe by September I'll be able to smile again and eat steaks and stuff.

Didn't go to the cinema in the end yesterday as I didn't feel up to it after all. Maybe today. However, we did watch The Wedding Planner on Sky which was a lot funnier than I was expecting.

Well, that was a fun hour in Colchester this morning with the dentist from hell. OK, so actually it wasn't too bad (lots of pain killers and other drugs) and I now have a gob full of plasticine keeping the stitches free from roving tongues, teeth or other implements but I'm getting a bit ahead of things there. Let us rewind back to Saturday afternoon when I was last in a verbose state.

After a spot of shopping we called in at Helen's for a while then ended up going back there in the evening to play cards. Not my first choice of a fun time as I've never been a cardplayer but I surprised myself by enjoying it thoroughly. Still not 100% sure I see the point of card games, and definitely not sure I understood the rules of the one we were playing but there you go.

Sunday we woke up to nice weather so started off out in the garden. I managed to get the final (fourth!) coat of paint on the gate and a few fence panels done before the rain kicked in for the afternoon. Not to mention the thunder, lightning etc. So that was the end of that! In the evening we went along to Ma & Pa's for an early birthday dinner for the Mother. Her birthday is not actually until this Saturday but they are going out and we don't know what I'll be up to eating this weekend so all agreed it was better to go early. And very nice food and a good evening it turned out to be.

Monday was the complete opposite - woken up early by thunder and rain lashing against the windows. So after a lazy morning we watched The Others. Very good if a little slow moving film. Nicole Kidman was excellent and we were also pleased to be surprised and impressed by Eric Sykes playing it almost straight. A very good twist at the end too. If you don't want the film spoiled go ahead to the next paragraph now, otherwise read on as it bugged me slightly despite being good. As with The Sixth Sense what we seem to be dealing with here are ghosts who have little or no problem interacting with the physical world. I know the "they don't evem know they are dead" premise wouldn't work if they kept walking through doors and not being able to pick things up but it does strike me as being a bit odd. I guess I am just used to the idea of ghosts haunting people, rather than trying to carry on as if nothing had happened.

Anyway, after that the weather picked up again so I was able to colour in a few more panels while Joan did some serious weeding and pruning and even planting before exhaustion got the better of us.

Tuesday we went out for the day on the train. Walked up to the station here and with the iad of the Anglia Plus day ticket ended up in Ely. Had a nice walk up to and then around the cathedral (but nearly £5 each to get in - a bit steep really). I may have said before on here - I don't really know what I believe in religion-wise but the buildings that go with Christianity really are wonderful things. And not just the detail or vast scale of them, things like the simple smell of old stone or the knowledge of hundreds of years of history concentrated into the space really make me happy. After an hour or so we wandered on in to the town centre where we had a very nice lunch from a fish & chip shop while sheltering from the rain, looked round a few other shops and then headed back to the Cathedral for another look (well, we had to get our money's worth). Then, with no aim in mind wandered back to the station. As luck (bad) would have it we just missed a train to Norwich where we had thought of going on to and had an hour to wait for the next one. As there was one back to Ipswich a lot sooner we took that instead, but got off at Bury St. Edmunds for a further dose of wandering. Just stuck to the shops this time rather than going down to the Abbey (well, one ecclesiastical masterpiece a day is usually sufficient!). Of course that meant we ended up paying a visit to the Thorntons Cafe where seriously gooey cakes were consumed but you can't have everything. Then it was back on the train to Ipswich and on to home - which was the only train to have a real problem all day as we were stuck behind a freight train for the docks which was moving very slowly. Ended up getting home about half an hour late but worth it for the great time.

Yesterday we again started in the garden - more painting and pruning - before once again the rain drove us inside. So we watched The Matrix in order to remind ourselves of what was going on before we go to see part two - probably tonight.

Which brings us back to today. And now one quarter of my mouth has been sliced open, cleaned to within an inch of its life, re-built with artificial bone and sewn up again. I admit I had a few doubts and nearly just got up and walked out while I was waiting for him to start but persevered and went through with it. Hopefully I will be able to eat again fairly normally within a day or so though as I didn't do very well for lunch.

Rather than coming straight home we went to Colchester Zoo. Great fun, loads of fluffy things to go "Aaaah" at and indeed not so fluffy things too. Well, the baby elephant was definitely cute but in no way could you describe it as fluffy without problems from the trades description people. I think we saw pretty much everything, even had a ride on a little land train wotsit getting closer to some of the beasties. I definitely want a monkey or two, some red pandas and a tiger now though.

Oh, and started a new book too. As I don't want to wait too long before getting in to the final part of Otherland I have sneakily condensed the intervening first non-fiction and the fiction choice into one with The Samoln Of Doubt by Douglas Adams which collates the last few bits of Dirk Gently story he was working on with a whole bunch of other articles, essays and general stuff found on his hard disc after he died. All fascinating so far.

Hooray, I'm on holiday!

Had a really good evening last night with Lesley and Mick. Joan cooked up a wonderful meal and we all got on just fine. Well, we knew we would but there you go.

No plans to speak of now, just a nice empty week stretching out before us. Might pop in to Ipswich this afternoon to get a birthday present for Mum if Joan feels up to it. She fell asleep in the garden yesterday and got a bit burned. Not nice.

Finished Mountain... this morning and now deciding what to read next. Watch this space.

OK, here's what I intended to say yesterday when the thing refused to work:

Well, the filler changes are now OK so hopefully we can finally get these blasted books signed off. Looking at a delivery date of 13th June so I will have to make sure our storage area gets a final clear out before then. Not helped by stuff turning up unexpectedly of course - today we have received 10,000 Traveline information cards (and 50 holders!) which I will disperse around the town this afternoon.

Had a very relaxed evening yesterday after the foot woman cancelled. Got a Chinese meal in to save cooking and collapsed on the sofa while watching Baz Luhrman's updated Romeo + Juliet. Most excellent. I studied the play for O level English Language and despite 18 years having passed since then without looking at it again I was surprised by how much I recalled. And also by how many references to it there are in everyday life - songs, tv shows, other films or books or plays - it seemed like every couple of minutes someone said a libe that has been reused as a title or whatever. So add a familiar topic to the modern setting with superb camera work and other visuals I was just enthralled. My only complaint was that we had borrowed the dvd so I won't be able to watch it again easily. But I think I will obtain a copy if I see it cheap anywhere - especially now it has been re-released with a bunch of extras and a commentary.

Today all is going quietly here. Sonic is out at a meeting in Bawdsey so we are able to proceed at our own pace. Of course my pace is being dictated by Pindar as I wait for the final versions of the books to approve. I have even started sorting out the junk on my desk in advance of not being here next week. Must be desperate!

Several hours later....

Hmmm, Blogger doesn't seem to be working today so I can't do anything with this other than add to it. Had another nice walk in the sunshine at lunchtime. Managed to restrain myself and not buy anything with my last few pennies before payday tomorrow. Not even an Ice Cream today. Still, we are going shopping when I pick Joan up tonight so will probably end up with a couple of tubs of the stuff. And nothing arrived from Pindar yet either.

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So that was yesterday in a nutshell. We did indeed go shopping but by the time we got home I had such a splitting headache that I went straight to bed with some drugs. Got up for an hour or so at 9 then slept through until today. A totally wasted evening when I wanted to help Joan get the house in shape for tonight when we have friends for dinner.

Hey ho. Today I have so far managed to pull a muscle in my neck when putting my toothbrush away so am in a bit of nagging pain fromthat. The insides of the books finally arrived over night so I have checked and approved them but only one cover has made it so far. Back to the waiting then. Hopefully they will all be here and sorted by 3.30 as I want to leave then.

OK, so I did manage to get out after thinking I wouldn't after yet another PC lock-down crash thing. I just gave up on it eventually and hit the town. A spot of air, a chat with Joan, a look at Kerrang (interview with Iron Maiden and review of the new Metallica album) and had an ice cream. Feel much better now!