Busy day, but GF is now writing some code to translate his old diaries into a format that can be absorbed in GF's other blog.

WAH

Gorse Fox was working at home today. It is so much more productive without the continual interruptions... but by the same token the interruptions can often be productive in different ways.

At lunchtime GF had a teleconference with Starfleet central regarding the way in which qualifications, and skills are measured and recorded. This seems to be a bit like Climate Change in as much as "it's what it does". The various systems Starfleet uses have been in a continuous state of flux and change since the mid '80s. Just as you think you are coming to terms with the latest incarnation it changes again.

Gracie Fields and teh Stitch Witch turned up to spend the afternoon with the Silver Vixen. GF has no idea what they get up to, but there seems to be a lot of cackling and an almost non-stop cycle between the sewing room, the kettle, and the loo. It is no wonder that there are water shortages when it is being "processed" so rapidly.

Time passes

...and the days tick by. Gorse Fox spent much of the day in a meeting that went through the minutiae of the design of various process that would handle the acquisition of data from a number of sources. Hardly riveting, but nevertheless necessary.

He also managed to get some time with Mother Superior to cover off a number of matters and hear the latest views of the opportunities and pressures that we may face over the coming months.

Finally he managed to get away and sweep south to coast.

Strolling back

As the Gorse Fox strolled back through Worcester from the Headmistress's farewell dinner (photos retained for future opportunities for blackmail or coercion) he was struck by the ornate gates(*) of this Guildhall in town centre.

(*) Not literrally struck - you will be pleased to know. Though it would be worth contacting a lawyer in case they do strike a passer-by.

Dear Diary

A lie-in until 05:30 followed by a crisp start to the day saw the Gorse Fox heading up to Worcester. Though travelling an hour later than usual, GF was surprised that the journey was only about 20 minutes longer than usual.

After a couple of days vacation a stupid amount of email had collected and it took most of the morning to clear. What was nice, however, was that he got an email from a close friend who he had lost track of a few years ago. He now lives in Norfolk (well someone has to!) and hence his apparent disappearance from the face of the map. (GF believes they have just got electricity in Norfolk, but stagecoaches have yet to be supplanted by cars as the main method of transport).

This evening GF is meant to be attending the farewell dinner for the Head Mistress. She will be moving on next month and invited GF and The Abbott and a number of her own staff to a "do" at the local Indian Restaurant.

1-2

A great afternoon in the continued history of Tottenham Hotspur. This will deeply upset Cousteau-cub (and her beloved Chelsea), but GF thinks the best team won on the day. This their first major trophy in 9 years, but has the added bonus of getting them into Europe next season.

The funniest moment of the game came in the dying minutes when Drogba complained about Spurs wasting time. A phrase containing the words pot, kettle, and black came into mind.

Journals

The Gorse Fox has many journals and diaries stretching back over the years. Most of these have been transcribed onto the computer. The question that continually nags at GF is "what is the best way to view/review these?"

The obvious answer is a "blog". After all, that's all that a blog is, isn't it - a time-series of journal entries about events or topics. However, diaries and journals are often more sensitive than the traditional hosted blog so the Gorse Fox has spent an interesting hour or two installing a private Apache web-server and a Wordpress blog on his computer. This has been an interesting exercise... but the real effort will arise when he starts moving the thousands of transcribed entries!

Splinters

Gorse Fox wrote, some weeks ago, about the cargo of wood that had washed ashore from the "Ice Princess" after the storms of January. Contractors, employed by the insurers and salvors have been working tirelessly ever since to clear up the flotsam.

Much has been taken away, some has been chipped, and last weekend some was set on fire by vandals. Despite this, here are a few photos showing some of what is left.

Worthing - Montague Street

Worthing - Montague Street
Originally uploaded by Gorse Fox.

Low cloud hid the Downs. It was grey. It was damp. As both the Silver Vixen and the Gorse Fox had shopping to do it seemed like the perfect time to pop across to Worthing.

As we started to retrace our steps, the Gorse Fox took this photo of the elegant, but slightly decaying corner of Montague Street and in the background, the entrance to the Pier.

Liming

It was an almost perfect evening. The Silver Vixen and Gorse Fox went to "Liming", the trendy Mexican Restaurant in Worthing. We had liked it when we dropped in at lunchtime a few weeks back - but it is evidently very popular in the evenings. By the time we left the place was heaving.

Urban-cub and Sir Lancinglot joined us for a very pleasant meal - it could only have been bettered if Cousteau-cub had been there also.

Spanning the Globe

Gorse Fox has just put down the phone from a call with Cousteau-cub in Thailand, and as he did he received a text message from his sister in Toronto.

Isn't modern communications wondrous. It never ceases to amaze how the planet has become so small that you can contact almost anyone you know almost anywhere in the world at any time. (Well, that's unless you live here where the mobile phone signal is as weak as a very weak person suffering from man-flu during a fit of weakness in the midst of anorexia.)

Tax: getting Blood out of a Pole

The Gorse Fox has learned from Ananova (link above) that the tax authorities in Poland have come up with a new wheeze. It would seem that:

Every donation to the local blood banks will allow Poles to write £30 off their tax bill.

Now, isn't that a good idea? And isn't that typical of tax authorities - taking your very lifeblood?

Tracklogs

Today is the anniversary of GF's arrival on the planet several years ago. He is lucky to have many friends and has been greeted by a stack of cards and gifts.

He has just been playing with the latest digital map (from Tracklogs) covering the next section to the west of the South Downs. This will open up some new opportunities for walks over the coming months.

Of Tapas, Menus, and Secrets

The trip to Brighton was enjoyable. The Gorse Fox and Silver Vixen parked at the marina and walked along to check the time of the film (last time we watched a film there the times advertised on the internet were not the same as those actually scheduled by the theatre).

We then strolled along towards El Patio for some tapas, only to find that they had closed down and were to become yet another Italian restaurant. We turned and headed back for a Cafe Rouge where we had a simple but adequate meal. GF is ambivalent about Cafe Rouge. He cannot get enthused by the thought of going there, he finds the decor drab, and the staff indifferent, and the menu uninspiring (I suppose it is a good reflection of Parisian cafe culture). Having said that, the food is always very good, and this trip was no different.

Leaving Cafe Rouge we headed for the cinema. We had not gone specifically for one film - it was rather a case of picking a film from those that were showing (though the pick was made before leaving home). We watched National Treasure Book of Secrets - with Nicholas Cage. This a a fine Boy's Own type of yarn in the genre of Indiana Jones. Good fun, and escapist nonsense.

Teacher 'shot' cheeky pupil

In another bizarre story we learn from Ananova that Teacher 'shot' cheeky pupil.

It appears the pendulum is beginning to swing the other way... and teachers are being given the upper hand in class once more.

To be fair it was, allegedly, a rubber bullet.

Leave

Urban-cub was back at the hospital yesterday for her 3-month post-op check. C2Bax seemed to be very happy with her progress, and she is due to return to work tomorrow. This was excellent news, and shee seems fired up and ready to go.

The nice thing about being "on leave" is that you can do as you please. It's been several months since GF has been to the cinema, and so the plan is for GF & the Silver Vixen to pop across to Brighton and take in a film down at the Marina.

EOTWW (End of the Working Week)

It was a long day. A review was coming to conclusions and that brought some interesting discussions. In parallel we had usual round of meetings and challenges.

At the end of the day the Gorse Fox was just leaving but was stopped a chat with the Abbott and the Teddy Bear. Various interesting suggestions were made... and options were selected. Only time will tell if we take that particular direction.

GF then headed back to Sussex. He has the next two days on vacation. Though he left late, the roads were clear, and he had a fast run so managed to get in before nine.

Luck Day

Looks like the Gorse Fox's lucky day....!!!

CONTACT PROCESSING DEPARTMENT!!!
FREELOTTO PROGRAM INTERNATIONAL
Amsterdam The Netherlands.

REF No :ML/B43/NED54
BATCH No : MFL/36H8/90
TICKET No :HL 77328
Sir/Madam,

We are pleased to inform you of the
result of the Freelotto email Prize Winners International programs held
on 17th February 2008, your email address have been selected as one of
the lucky winning address, therefore you have been approved for a lump
sum payout of 550.000.00 Euro (Five Hundred and fifty thousand Euro)

To file for your winning claim, contact our approved agent with the
following information below.

Contact Person:Mr.Raymond Collins.

Modelling

What a strange day.

The Gorse Fox was involved in several meetings, but managed to get several solid hours at his desk, catching up on the ongoing development of the cost model for the future. (Now, those of you that have been following this saga may assume that by now GF could have created a Costs Model for the future of the whole of mankind - but no, this is just for our programme and he would make the excuse he has had several other things to do along the way).

Archiving has been another interesting topic that has consumed part of the day... but mainly because of the fight between Microsoft Excel and Office which has resolutely tried to thwart GF's best efforts. This is now resolved so he can get on with content.

Day's Over

An interesting day - much of which was spent in a single meeting. However, the highlight was on leaving work when the sun started to drop beyond the western horizon and below the the level of the fog that was rising across the field almost to height of the distant Malvern Hills. The effect was that the sun as it dropped gave off a lingering, bright almost ethereal glow.

Dawn

It was crisp and clear before dawn when the Gorse Fox set off for Worcester. The heated windscreen came into its own quickly clear the thick layer of frost.

An hour later an almost imperceptible change occurred to the east and a deep red hue insinuated itself into the Gorse Fox's peripheral vision. Bit by bit it brightened through orange to gold and silhouetted the stark winter trees against the sky.

With one final push the sun burst over the horizon and another day was born.

Dear Diary

Another day of bright sunshine and clear blue skies.

Domestic duties dominated the day - clearing garden rubbish and taking it to the dump (Household Waste Recycling Centre), cleaning the Silver Vixen's car, cleaning the Gorse Fox's car, and then pottering.

We had a long chat with Cousteau-cub in Thailand - all is going well, though her friend John has hurt his ear in a bizarre accident involving an ear bud, a cushion and the treacherous forces of gravity.

Google Map of route

For those interested in where the various photos were taken, here is a Google Map of today's route with the various places marked.

View Larger Map

Crossbush-South Stoke Profile

This was the profile of the walk. It is certainly a route that the Gorse Fox will use again as it was good exercise, without being too strenuous. There were a few climbs but nothing that was uncomfortable.

Total distance was 8 miles.
Total ascent was 675 feet.
Highest point was (only) 217 feet.
Lowest point was 0 feet.

Highly recommended.

Dairy of a Gentleman

On the final stretch of the walk, just before turning back to Crossbush, the old Dairy reclined by the side of the road enjoying the warmth of the winter sun.

Trees

Through Burpham and on towards Wepham. The Gorse Fox truned and headed up over the Down by The Conyers, across the valley and up the other side.

He was soon on metalled road again, and heading towards Warningcamp. The low sun made it difficult to make the most of the view, but at one point it sat balanced in the branches of gnarled old tree.

Looping back

Having crossed the River at South Stoke, the Gorse Fox started on the return leg of the route. South Stoke blended seamlessly into the scenery as GF followed the banks of the river.

Again he crossed the railway, and headed towards Burpham.

Burpham sits on some high ground on the eastern side of the valley. The path led along valley floor before climbing up to the village. It did not, however, climb up before luring the Gorse Fox across what he can only describe as a bog. Unspectingly he followed the path towards some lush grass... and promptly sank up to his ankles in slimy waterlogged mud. He was committed. He squelched on, and after about 30 yards emerged wet but unscathed (or is it unbathed?).

Fox's Oven

This cottage is called Fox's Oven and it clings to the side of the path as it descend to the floodplain. The Gorse Fox wonders how this area of the river bank it got its name.

Finally he approached the picturesque South Stoke. Would there be a village store where he could purchase some batteries?

Er, no.

There was a collection of postcard-perfect cottages, a huge barn, a beautiful church, and a magnificent Old Rectory

Discharge

A final shot of the Black Rabbit Before heading over the hill.

It was at this point that things started to go awry. GF had just take a picture and the camera shutdown - "Replace Battery".

No problem, GF had three packs of 4 rechargeable batteries. The only trouble is that this is a misnomer. They should be called dischargeble batteries. All were fully charged a few weeks back, none had been used, and not one set would fire up the camera.

Nobody could accuse GF of being unprepared. He opened his rucksack and stowed the camera, whilst retrieving his other camera from the bag.


Having headed up over the hill towards South Stoke, Gorse Fox again left the road to pick up the foot path down towards the river. South Stoke was framed ahead... and captured on the camera (which promptly beeped and shutdown). "Change Battery Pack".

Gorse Fox retrieved the spare battery pack for this camera. Nada. The camera wouldn't even boot up. And so it came to pass that the few photos taken for the rest of the walk were taken with his mobile phone's camera.

Offham and The Black Rabbit

Following the course of the River Arun upstream, the Gorse Fox turned towards Offham. This is remakable because of the steep chalk cliffs and the few cttages and fine pub that nestles at their foot on the bend in the River.

Getting closer Gorse Fox couldn't help but admire the way in which the white cliffs formed a backdrop behind the bushes and trees that filled the foreground. catkins were forming on the nearest bushes, and the bright orange of the bare trees beyond seemed to glow in the winter sunshine.

The Black Rabbit command the bend in the River. It is an immensely popular pub, and caters for hundreds of tourists, day-trippers, and locals at weekend throughout the year.

Diversion

The Gorse Fox is drawn to water. As he arrived at a bridge by the pumping station he decised to veer away from the planned route and follow the water along the sluice to the River.

He has walked this stretch several times before, and whilst it can be a bit slippery, the path is fairly good.


At the end of the sluice, the views open out again. East, across the flood plain, Burpham nestles on the high ground. The Gorse Fox would be walking through there en route back to the start.

Arundel and beyond

The route brought the Gorse Fox into Arundel, crossing the River Arun at the old town bridge. For those who have never been to Arundel, it is not a big town - with most of the shops and restaurants concentrated on the High Street and couple of side streets. Whilst not big, it is worth a visit.

Today there was a small "Farmer's Market" taking place in the ruins of the old Priory. The Gorse Fox was not distracted, there was walking to be done.



Beneath the Castle walls (which would be to the left of this photo) there is a long avenue (Mill Road) heading towards Swanbourne Lake and Offham beyond. Twitchers seemed to be out in force, and were closely monitoring some feathered creature beneath the Castle. They were armed with cameras and binoculars that had lenses large enough to pick up litter on the surface of Mars.

Stubborn Tree

This tree distracts the Gorse Fox every time he drives from Arundel towards Crossbush. (Did he ever mention he likes trees? - Methinks he did, once or twice).

It was obviously blown down in a storm, but its sheer cussed determination to survive is such that it still commands its corner of the field and come Spring will be as lush with foliage as any.

Views of Arundel

Turning the corner at Crossbush, the Arun Valley opens up before you. The Gorse Fox thinks this is one of the best views in England, as the town rises above the flood plain at what used to be the last crossing point on the river, before the sea.

This is the view that GF has commented on before, when driving off to Worcester at dawn. As the early light picks out the town in its fresh, pink dawn colours it seems to shimmer above the last remnants of mist that cluster round the foot of the town before being driven off by the approaching sun.

The Castle itself draws the eye as it dominates this stretch of the river, and the town itself. Inside it is vast. Soon after GF and the Silver Vixen moved down here we took a week off to explore the locality and spent a wonderful afternoon wandering round the Castle, looking at the great rooms, and exploring the towers and battlements.


The castle, however, is not the only landmark worthy of mention. At the top of the hill stands the soaring, neo-Gothic walls of Arundel Cathedral.

Crossbush - South Stoke

This was the route chosen for the Gorse Fox's walk.

The route started at the bvottom right hand point of the red line, at Crossbush. From there Gorse Fox looped in a clockwise direction - srossing the railway near Arundel Station, crossing the River Arun in the centre of Arundel and then turning north.

At about the westernmost point he diverted from the planned route and headed east back towards the river, then turned north to head directly towards "The Black Rabbit" at Offham.

From there he cut past Fox's Oven to South Stoke, where he crossed back over the river, then over the railway line as he headed for Burpham. From there the route headed for Wepham, but diverted over the Downs to Warningcamp and back to the start.

Bipedal translocation

The weather is stunning. The sky id blue, the sun is shining and the South Downs are calling. The Gorse Fox can feel a walk coming on!

The plan for today is only marginally in the Downs, it is more concentrated in a gap between them as he plans to spend most of the walk in and around the Arun valley.

Do pop back later and all will be revealed.

HQ

Peculiar dreams entertained the Gorse Fox throughout the night - one particularly vivid one featured the preparation of an attempt to scale the precipitous and jagged sea cliffs of Littlehampton in -13C temperatures. For those not familiar with the geography of the West Sussex coast - this could be considered an anomalous activity... for one, the temperature never really drops much below 0C, and secondly, the coast is dead flat.

Refreshed, but still confused by the dream, Friday has witnessed the Gorse Fox taking a leisurely drive along the (flat and cliffless) Sussex coast to Hampshire and installing himself in an office at Starfleet HQ. This will allow him to meet some of his new team.

Boadicea

Last year, Boadicea - a client with whom the Gorse Fox works - was discomforted by a problem with her shoulder. After prolonged medical attention, it was decided that surgical intervention was required, and so it was that Boadicea had an operation on her shoulder. Recuperation was long and slow.

Time passed and she became stronger. Though still could not raise her arm above shoulder height.

And so it came to pass that in these dark days of winter Andrex challenged Boadicea to a game of Badminton. This seemed unfair. A young, fit, male against a this poor young lady. The games commenced and Andrex was duly thrashed. Thrashed soundly. Thrashed comprehensively. Thrashed by Boadicea, who had had the operation on her shoulder, and could not raise her arm.

Andrex survived the verbal slings and arrows that were hurled his way throughout the day... and joined the team as we all met up for a night out. This started at The Old Post Office - which despite its name is actually a pub - then progressed to Cafe Mela for an Indian meal. The Gorse Fox was sitting near Boadicea and Peter the Silent. It was a pleasant meal in good company, and as we left the proprietor handed a voucher to the young woman in front. Next came Andrex, holding his hand out.

"Women only" said the proprietor.

Then he looked and decided Andrex would get the voucher anyway.

Some days are better than others.

Headlines

Two headlines have caught the eye this morning:

from the Mirror:

Queen has MI5 Sweep Palace

One assumes she's been having trouble with her normal domestic help.
And from Ananova

Walker reunited with lost teeth

The Gorse Fox offers no further comment

Free?

A fruitful day in the office drew to and end. The Gorse Fox headed to the hotel, chatted with the Silver Vixen and prepared to meet up with colleagues.

A text arrived... "T-Mobile user - please phone 08700-xxxxx, URGENT"

GF hesitated and then called.

"We would like to offer you a new phone" said a voice.
"Why, thankyou" responded GF.
"You get 1000 minutes of calls, and 1000 texts per month - free" offered the voice.
"Excellent" responded the GF, "It will be nice not to have to pay any mobile phone bills".
"No it's not free", he said (not realising he was turning from predator to prey) "it will cost £35 per month"
"Oh, so it's not free then?" asked Gorse Fox, innocently.
"Er, no".
"What about the 3G and internet access?" asked GF
"We don't offer that" he stammered.
"Ah!" pounced GF "So let me understand... you want me to change my contract, to pay an extra £12.50 per month, but you offer ten times the number of bundled minutes that I currently receive - and don't use. In addition you don't provide the 3G and internet services that I do use? Is that right?"
There was a pause.
"Yes" yes he muttered.
"Can you guess what my response is likely to be?" asked the Gorse Fox.
"Sorry" he said "and hung up.

That was fun thought the Gorse Fox as he headed out.

Head down

What a productive day.

The Gorse Fox did not have any meetings or teleconferences and was able to work almost entirely uninterrupted from seven this morning. Keeping his head down the main focus today has been a couple of strategy papers on delegation of rights to users; and archive, retention and disposal strategy for data and documents. Not the most stimulating of topics, but the ability to dedicate some prolonged time to each has made a significant inroad in their development.

The morrow will see the Gorse Fox heading back up to Worcester before dawn.

Piering out

Betty and Barney Rubble visited on Sunday. The weather was spectacular for early February. Normally for such visits we book a table at a local restaurant, but this time we decided to "go with the flow" (or is it "side with the tide"?)

A new Mexican restaurant, called Liming, has opened up - and whilst it doesn't have a vast menu, it looked more than adequate. The place turned out to be a little gem. The food was good Mexican fare, the surroundings were nice, and the staff fairly attentive. Certainly worth a return trip.

The Gorse Fox took this photo of Worthing Pier - now that the clean-up operation has been running for a couple of weeks. The beach at that end is returning to normal... though 400m further west there are still mountains of wood awaiting the industrial chipper.

Barter?

Gorse Fox is reading today's "Honest John" in the Telegraph... and intrigued how some people are willing to barter in order to get a new car:

"I have a new baby and up to £8,500 to spend on a new car."

The Silver Vixen would never have allowed the Gorse Fox to suggest such a deal.

Cracking

It has been a cracking day. The sun has had sole ownership of a blue sky from dawn. The temperature has been about 12C and people are walking around in shirtsleeves.

In an ideal world GF would have headed for the Downs, but there were other priorities. His greying locks were getting too long, and there was a birthday present to acquire for Barney Rubble. With this in mind Silver Vixen and the Gorse Fox headed for Worthing for a wander around the various shops.

The weather had brought out the crowds - some dressed as if it was mid-summer (it was murder). It really was heaving... and seeing some of the flesh that was on display the Gorse Fox wondered if he would also! Scurrilously the thought crossed his mind "Where do people get their supplies of Stupid Pills and Ugly Pills?" and if we shut down the supply would the Archbishop of Canterbury stop speaking in public, would Ken Livingstone crawl under a stone, and would the current Government resign in embarrassment?

How nice

How nice it was on Friday to spend a day inside Starfleet.

We had a number significant discussion regarding the on-going programme, and several telecons including a very interesting one regarding land identification. GF always thought that was easy... if you can walk through it without getting wet - it's air; if you get wet it's water (or raining); and if you can't walk through it or you stand on it - it's land.

South

What did the Gorse Fox cover on this varied mish-mash of a day?

• GF discussed Geographical Information Systems
• The way land is identified
• The way programme costs can be modelled and measured (another of his spreadsheets approaching completion)
• Funding for travel and education
• Audit requirements and solutions
• Screen and application time-outs
• Team progress

After an immensely varied day Gorse Fox headed for the Sussex coast. A rash of roadworks is breaking out all over the A27 and whilst wasn't too problematic today GF suspects he was lucky.

A busy day drew to an end with a teleconference to discuss the new role that GF has taken on, managing several fellow technologists. Fortunately it looks as if he will have a fair degree of help but it is clear that he is about to acquire a great deal of administrivia. Never mind, it will be an exercise in self control!!!

After chatting with the Silver Vixen GF joined uo with colleagues for a pizza then hurried back to his room to watch the second half of the England-Switzerland game. We had chatted about all and sundry, including the congestion charge (and how it is an elitist tax), the way big business is exploiting "green issues" and creaming new revenue sources as a result, and the difference in rainfall between the west country and the the east.

Zzzzzz

As the ravages of time take their toll on the Gorse Fox he seems to be turning into his grandfather. He has been finding it increasingly difficult to get a sound night's sleep after a late evening meal. This has never been so evident as when he has been eating Indian food.

Discussing this with the proprietor of a fine establishment in Worcester he was told not to eat rice or naan bread - and all would be fine. Last night's trip to Cafe Mela went by way of an experiment. Ignoring the rice and the naans - GF ate well (finishing with a bowl of natural yoghurt).

He can report the experiment to be a resounding success having slept well throughout the night. (Not that you really care !)

Roll me away

It has been a long day. The storm that rattled the south coast last night kept the Gorse Fox awake longer than he would have liked, and the 4:30 am start seemed a little hard to take as he hauled his frame from supine to erect and stumbled down the stairs. The trip to the Midlands was uneventful and accompanied by a number of podcasts to provide some intellectual stimulus.

Work is at an interesting stage - several projects on a couple of major programmes are threatening to demand GF's full attention all at the same time that he is taking on the additional challenge of providing career management to a team of 8 high fliers.

Early doors saw GF meet up with the Don and and a couple of other colleagues at Cafe Mela for a curry befor heading off for some reading, blogging and sleep. (iPod is is still pounding Led Zeppelin, Bob Seeger and Grand Funk Railroad through the earpieces... GF is not yet ready for sleep!)

Diversity

Starfleet takes Diversity very seriously.

As part of its Diversity curriculum one of GF's colleagues attended a two day class last week which looked at various working behaviours. GF asked her how it had been and she acknowledged that it was very good - but was a women-only course.

So, this goes to prove that big business does understand irony.

Family

Family is the most important thing for the Gorse Fox. Sunday has been family day. Urban Cub cam to visit and have a long lingering lunch, and while she was here we called apon the good auspices of Skype to chat with Cousteau-cub in Thailand. This meant that despite the distance, C-c seemed to be in the room with us, and because the Internet acted as the carrier for most of the route, it was immensely inexpensive.

U-c is preparing to return to work in about 3 weeks after her surgery last autumn... and you can see that she it raring to go. HMP Ford doesn't know what sort of whirlwind is about to descend upon it.

C-c is very busy with her diving and has a party of Canadian Sno-birds about to hit the Island so she will be instructing most of the next few weeks.

Scanners

The task of scanning all of the old photos continues. GF has scanned over 2,250 photos now - and if he is to be believed, the thrill is wearing off. Anyway, he's moved on to the last batch, but that can wait until tomorrow.

Silver Vixen has been away with the coven during the day. Ostensibly to sew, but it seems that most of the day was spent discussing the impact Pilates has on the production and release of natural gases and the precautions that practitioners have to take regarding their dietary habits.

Planning

As you probably know the Gorse Fox sits on his local council. Recently we have had to review several plans - one in particular was somewhat controversial as it requested permission to build within a "strategic gap". It looks as if some tricks were being employed to swing the considerations as we have discovered what is allegedly a fraudulent letter written in support of the application.

Strangely, now that has come to light the application has been withdrawn!

The Gorse Fox is working at home. The phone has, unusually, been silent and so the Gorse Fox is having a very productive day.