After a few iffy days, the sun was back out today. Only managed the low 20s, but it's better than rain and storms.
The Gorse Fox had football this morning. He thought about it long and hard. Should he play or should he stay at home and work on the window seat for Urban-Cub. Football won. We had a good turn-out and the Gorse Fox played for the blue-bibs. Our team was adequate but wasn't likely to win the day. So it proved to be. With a draw in the first game 0-0, a loss 4-1 in the second game, and a draw 2-2 in the last game. At least the Gorse Fox scored his goal for the week and nearly managed a second.
The second hour had insufficient players to form two teams so we packed our things and went home.
The Gorse Fox spent the afternoon in the garage working on the window seat. The main framework is now complete and the sides have been fitted. Next on the agenda will be the creation of the face frame, but that can wait until tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Monday, July 30, 2018
Sawdust flies
Well the nice chap from Travis Perkins arrived soon after lunch - just after the Gorse Fox had settled down to do some work in the study. The wood was unloaded and the study forgotten. There was sawdust to create.
So the Gorse Fox has made good progress in the last few hours. The plinth is made and is acting as a workbench as the front and back parts of the frame are made and assembled. There are still some cross members to cut and fit but that can wait until tomorrow. The pocket-hole jig and the associated screws have proved to be an absolute godsend. They made construction so much quicker.
Very satisfying afternoon.
So the Gorse Fox has made good progress in the last few hours. The plinth is made and is acting as a workbench as the front and back parts of the frame are made and assembled. There are still some cross members to cut and fit but that can wait until tomorrow. The pocket-hole jig and the associated screws have proved to be an absolute godsend. They made construction so much quicker.
Very satisfying afternoon.
Frustrating
Still a bit grey and damp this morning.
The Gorse Fox was up early just in case Travis Perkins delivered his wood first thing. He's all geared up to get started, but other than a couple of cuts in the plywood he bought last week, he is dependent on the delivery from TP. Here he is at lunchtime still awaiting the delivery.
Frustrated.
(On another matter, he did manage to get the Apple TV set up on the new TV in the lounge. This means that he can use Airplay to mirror stuff from his phone on the screen).
The Gorse Fox was up early just in case Travis Perkins delivered his wood first thing. He's all geared up to get started, but other than a couple of cuts in the plywood he bought last week, he is dependent on the delivery from TP. Here he is at lunchtime still awaiting the delivery.
Frustrated.
(On another matter, he did manage to get the Apple TV set up on the new TV in the lounge. This means that he can use Airplay to mirror stuff from his phone on the screen).
Sunday, July 29, 2018
Flickering
The rain had clearly set in for most of the day. Squally winds made it look quite unpleasant outside and the Gorse Fox had to retrieve the garden chairs a couple of times after they had been thrown across the garden. It was a day to stay put.
Ellie had a long sleep in the morning. This gave the Gorse Fox some time in the study. He was confused. The flickering lights of the network switch were showing 100Mbps and 1000Mbps links with the yellow or green indicators. The NAS devices were showing 1000 as was the Mac, but when the Gorse Fox looked at the network details reported by the router, it said the Mac was only 100. What was going on? He started his diagnosis at the switch and went through checking each connection. Sure enough there was one missing. The Gorse Fox had forgotten to reconnect the "uplink" that connects the network switch for the study segment to the rest off the network. That was soon remedied and everything went back to normal.
The question that arose then was "How on earth had the Mac been talking to the web?" The Gorse Fox had a long think and examined the possibilities. The Mac's WiFi? No - not switched on. Magic? possibly the most likely solution. In the end he concluded that one of the Raspberry Pis was acting as bridge between the isolated LAN segment in the study and the house WiFi and as they only run at 100, this explained how the Mac was being reported as connected at 100. Everything is back to normal now, but it was an interesting hour or two.
Urban-Cub's shift finished soon after lunch and she collected Ellie mid afternoon. She's with the child minder for the next couple of days and we will look after her again later in the week
Ellie had a long sleep in the morning. This gave the Gorse Fox some time in the study. He was confused. The flickering lights of the network switch were showing 100Mbps and 1000Mbps links with the yellow or green indicators. The NAS devices were showing 1000 as was the Mac, but when the Gorse Fox looked at the network details reported by the router, it said the Mac was only 100. What was going on? He started his diagnosis at the switch and went through checking each connection. Sure enough there was one missing. The Gorse Fox had forgotten to reconnect the "uplink" that connects the network switch for the study segment to the rest off the network. That was soon remedied and everything went back to normal.
The question that arose then was "How on earth had the Mac been talking to the web?" The Gorse Fox had a long think and examined the possibilities. The Mac's WiFi? No - not switched on. Magic? possibly the most likely solution. In the end he concluded that one of the Raspberry Pis was acting as bridge between the isolated LAN segment in the study and the house WiFi and as they only run at 100, this explained how the Mac was being reported as connected at 100. Everything is back to normal now, but it was an interesting hour or two.
Urban-Cub's shift finished soon after lunch and she collected Ellie mid afternoon. She's with the child minder for the next couple of days and we will look after her again later in the week
It's Raining Again
We woke to the sound of the rain. It was nearly eight and Ellie was just stirring. Looking out the window it was clear that it had been raining fairly heavily for quite a while. Blustery winds were driving the rain this way and that. The skies were leaden and we had to switch on lights in the house to prepare breakfast.
Clearly not a day for shorts and a t-shirt and a stroll along the Bognor promenade.
Clearly not a day for shorts and a t-shirt and a stroll along the Bognor promenade.
Saturday, July 28, 2018
BBQ
We had a fairly good run up to Buckingham... just over two and half hours. Most of the traffic was going towards the coast, not away from it like us.
We had a lovely time with the family and cousins. Ellie and little Louis played really well together and having so may adults around meant they were well watched and looked after. Dom and Denise laid on a great BBQ with sardines, prawns, sausages, chicken, burgers, pork and heavens knows what else. It was a real feast. We drifted in and out of the house throughout the day. Though it was windy and clouds scudded across the sky, the rain held off.
Urban-Cub headed off mid afternoon so that she could get home and get to bed ready for her early shift. Ellie stayed behind with us. We didn't leave until early evening and Ellie fell asleep almost as soon as we got moving. We had a much quicker run home, travelling the 125 miles in just under two hours. The roads were almost deserted.
Once home, we let Ellie run about for a bit and gave her a bottle. Then she went up to bed about nine-ish. Though a little unsettled at first, she was soon asleep.
We had a lovely time with the family and cousins. Ellie and little Louis played really well together and having so may adults around meant they were well watched and looked after. Dom and Denise laid on a great BBQ with sardines, prawns, sausages, chicken, burgers, pork and heavens knows what else. It was a real feast. We drifted in and out of the house throughout the day. Though it was windy and clouds scudded across the sky, the rain held off.
Urban-Cub headed off mid afternoon so that she could get home and get to bed ready for her early shift. Ellie stayed behind with us. We didn't leave until early evening and Ellie fell asleep almost as soon as we got moving. We had a much quicker run home, travelling the 125 miles in just under two hours. The roads were almost deserted.
Once home, we let Ellie run about for a bit and gave her a bottle. Then she went up to bed about nine-ish. Though a little unsettled at first, she was soon asleep.
Rain
There are holes in the sky where the rain gets in;
The holes are very small, that's why the rain is thin.
(Spike Milligan).
Well the holes seemed to get a bit bigger overnight. The rain hit at about five o'clock this morning and was very heavy for a while. It was accompanied by some squally winds which got the blinds swinging and tapping against a vase on the windowsill. The Gorse Fox had to get up to investigate and it took a few minutes to find the culprit window. Window closed, the Gorse Fox returned to bed... but that was it really.
Family 'do' today up in Buckingham, so let's hope the rain clears and the journey isn't too bad. Urban-Cub is going up early with Ellie, but she will be leaving early. We will bring Ellie back with us as Urban-Cub is on an early shift in the morning.
The holes are very small, that's why the rain is thin.
(Spike Milligan).
Well the holes seemed to get a bit bigger overnight. The rain hit at about five o'clock this morning and was very heavy for a while. It was accompanied by some squally winds which got the blinds swinging and tapping against a vase on the windowsill. The Gorse Fox had to get up to investigate and it took a few minutes to find the culprit window. Window closed, the Gorse Fox returned to bed... but that was it really.
Family 'do' today up in Buckingham, so let's hope the rain clears and the journey isn't too bad. Urban-Cub is going up early with Ellie, but she will be leaving early. We will bring Ellie back with us as Urban-Cub is on an early shift in the morning.
Friday, July 27, 2018
Splash
The day started with the sky painted blue from corner to corner. The temperature was soon rising and we got the windows and doors open and the shades closed. There were a few domestic chores in plan for the morning, but nothing too strenuous.
The nice man from Amazon turned up with the new ethernet cable that the Gorse Fox required. This has enabled him to complete the recabling in his study and everything is now back up and running. It is also looking remarkably tidy (for him).
As the afternoon wore on the skies darkened and there was some significant thunder. We brought the washing in from the line and as we closed the doors the heavens opened. The rain didn't last for long - maybe 10 minutes of heavy downpour, then some respite before a further pulse of really heavy (and deafening) rain. Looking at the radar map, the Gorse Fox suspects we will get a few more downpours in the next hour or so, but should be ok after that.
The nice man from Amazon turned up with the new ethernet cable that the Gorse Fox required. This has enabled him to complete the recabling in his study and everything is now back up and running. It is also looking remarkably tidy (for him).
As the afternoon wore on the skies darkened and there was some significant thunder. We brought the washing in from the line and as we closed the doors the heavens opened. The rain didn't last for long - maybe 10 minutes of heavy downpour, then some respite before a further pulse of really heavy (and deafening) rain. Looking at the radar map, the Gorse Fox suspects we will get a few more downpours in the next hour or so, but should be ok after that.
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Re-jig
The Gorse Fox has spent the last few hours re-jigging his study. The floating shelves that have sat in the corner for a couple of weeks are now performing "shelfies" on the wall. With the shelves up, the 24 port switch was moved and one-by-one each of the devices was re-connected and labelled with the device name and IP address. The only problem that has occurred is that he doesn't have a patch lead long enough for Ubuntu (Linux) server "Eagle". New patch lead now on order.
Ply
After the Gorse Fox had devoured his porridge he lowered the backseats of the car and headed for Chichester. On the outskirts is the Bunnings store. It is by far the best DIY store in the area and it's a shame they have been sold and will revert back to the Homebase brand.
Anyway, the Gorse Fox needed to get the plywood sheets that will be used in the carcass of the window seat he's building for Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete. Full sheets of 18mm ply weigh a significant amount so he got some help from one of the assistants. We went through the stack and selected the two best sheets. Then we headed for the panel saw. Each sheet was cut in such a way that a) it would fit in the car, and b) it was just a bit bigger than the finished size he actually requires. A few minutes later it was all done. The car was loaded and the Gorse Fox headed home.
The garage has been turned back into a workshop and the cars will have to sit on the driveway for a while. The Gorse Fox can't actually start on the work yet as he is still awaiting the rest of the wood from Travis Perkins. The Gorse Fox phoned them up to chase the order/quotation. It's just as well that he did as they clearly had lost his order and had to start again. This time the whole transaction was sorted out there and then. Unfortunately some of the wood is not stocked at their local depot so it is likely to be Monday before we get a delivery.
Anyway, the Gorse Fox needed to get the plywood sheets that will be used in the carcass of the window seat he's building for Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete. Full sheets of 18mm ply weigh a significant amount so he got some help from one of the assistants. We went through the stack and selected the two best sheets. Then we headed for the panel saw. Each sheet was cut in such a way that a) it would fit in the car, and b) it was just a bit bigger than the finished size he actually requires. A few minutes later it was all done. The car was loaded and the Gorse Fox headed home.
The garage has been turned back into a workshop and the cars will have to sit on the driveway for a while. The Gorse Fox can't actually start on the work yet as he is still awaiting the rest of the wood from Travis Perkins. The Gorse Fox phoned them up to chase the order/quotation. It's just as well that he did as they clearly had lost his order and had to start again. This time the whole transaction was sorted out there and then. Unfortunately some of the wood is not stocked at their local depot so it is likely to be Monday before we get a delivery.
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Neighbours
Tonight was 2018's summer event. (They also hold one in the winter). Berkeley laid on a hog roast, provided beers, Pimms, mojitos, and soft drinks, and even arranged for an ice cream van to be on site to provide free ice creams and lollies in the heat.
It was a lovely event as people milled around and chatted. The hog roast was the perfect accompaniment with lashings of pork, crackling, and stuffing. Berkeley execs were on hand to field any issues and help orient some of the newer householders. The only thing that marred the evening was that Tinkerbell got stung by a wasp and had to go home as she was not feeling so well.
More mad dogs...
Another cracking day. Wall to wall sunshine and temperature hovering around the 30c mark. The Gorse Fox almost feels sorry (note quite, but almost) for people who have gone abroad for their summer holiday.
The Silver Vixen had a busy day scheduled so skipped her normal Pilates. The Gorse Fox headed off to Worthing for his football. We had a good turn out and managed a 6-v-7 game with the odd number transferring between the teams at half time. The Gorse Fox was playing for the yellow bibs today and, for a change, the sides looked pretty equal. It was going to be a good hour.
Well so it turned out. There were a few niggles as people got a little fractious in the heat, but essentially it was played in good spirit. Our yellow team were 3-0 by half time. As the second half began, the orange bibs score with a long range shot that caught our goalie napping. Even though the Gorse Fox was playing sweeper he couldn't stop it as we are not allowed to head the ball. As we kicked off the ball came back to the Gorse Fox and he ranged forward through the middle. He crossed the halfway line and saw the pitch open up. Head down he hit the ball, it crashed into the goalie who fumbled it over his shoulder and into the net. It was now 4-1. By the end of the game the score had inched forward. Oranges had scored 2 more, and so had we. 6-3 seemed like a good result in the heat.
Back home the Silver Vixen and the Gorse Fox had some lunch before she had to head into Chichester. The Gorse Fox has spent much of the afternoon sorting out the order for the timber needed for the window seat for Urban-Cub. The order has been submitted and he is awaiting a call back to confirm the price and when it can be delivered.
He's also been chasing some information from a supplier of glass shelf illuminated clips. The company seems to have a huge range and they explain that with the clips you need a driver unit and switch and some cable. Unfortunately they don't provide the part numbers for these units and their website shows a very wide choice. We'll see what they recommend.
The Silver Vixen had a busy day scheduled so skipped her normal Pilates. The Gorse Fox headed off to Worthing for his football. We had a good turn out and managed a 6-v-7 game with the odd number transferring between the teams at half time. The Gorse Fox was playing for the yellow bibs today and, for a change, the sides looked pretty equal. It was going to be a good hour.
Well so it turned out. There were a few niggles as people got a little fractious in the heat, but essentially it was played in good spirit. Our yellow team were 3-0 by half time. As the second half began, the orange bibs score with a long range shot that caught our goalie napping. Even though the Gorse Fox was playing sweeper he couldn't stop it as we are not allowed to head the ball. As we kicked off the ball came back to the Gorse Fox and he ranged forward through the middle. He crossed the halfway line and saw the pitch open up. Head down he hit the ball, it crashed into the goalie who fumbled it over his shoulder and into the net. It was now 4-1. By the end of the game the score had inched forward. Oranges had scored 2 more, and so had we. 6-3 seemed like a good result in the heat.
Back home the Silver Vixen and the Gorse Fox had some lunch before she had to head into Chichester. The Gorse Fox has spent much of the afternoon sorting out the order for the timber needed for the window seat for Urban-Cub. The order has been submitted and he is awaiting a call back to confirm the price and when it can be delivered.
He's also been chasing some information from a supplier of glass shelf illuminated clips. The company seems to have a huge range and they explain that with the clips you need a driver unit and switch and some cable. Unfortunately they don't provide the part numbers for these units and their website shows a very wide choice. We'll see what they recommend.
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Mad Dogs...
It will come no surprise that the sky is clear, the sun is shining, and the temperature is again in the high 20s. The Gorse Fox has decided that he could get used to summers like this (particularly now that commuting is no longer part of his daily agenda).
He headed off to Worthing for the football. We had a surprisingly good turn out. He thought that the heat may keep the numbers down, but we managed to collect 26 players before splitting into teams. The Gorse Fox played for the yellow-bibs today. Looking at his team he thought they looked pretty strong and was expecting to do well. It didn't quite go to plan. The first game ended up as 1-1 draw. The second game was a disaster, with us losing 4-1. The only consolation was that the Gorse Fox scored the goal for our side. Finally we managed to win the last game 1-0. Not a great set of results considering the personnel, but it was fun playing.
The second hour was less successful. In fact, with only 7 players, it was cancelled. Very frustrating as the Gorse Fox had been pacing himself on the assumption he would be playing for two hours. If he'd know it was just an hour he would have covered more ground.
Back home the Silver Vixen was pottering in the garden. We had a nice tuna salad for lunch and she returned to the garden and the Gorse Fox headed round to the local shops to visit the barber's shop. A quiet afternoon is in store... some lamb steaks are marinating in the fridge and the Gorse Fox is about to start prepping some vegetables to flash fry and add to some bulgar wheat to make a couscous-like accompaniment.
He headed off to Worthing for the football. We had a surprisingly good turn out. He thought that the heat may keep the numbers down, but we managed to collect 26 players before splitting into teams. The Gorse Fox played for the yellow-bibs today. Looking at his team he thought they looked pretty strong and was expecting to do well. It didn't quite go to plan. The first game ended up as 1-1 draw. The second game was a disaster, with us losing 4-1. The only consolation was that the Gorse Fox scored the goal for our side. Finally we managed to win the last game 1-0. Not a great set of results considering the personnel, but it was fun playing.
The second hour was less successful. In fact, with only 7 players, it was cancelled. Very frustrating as the Gorse Fox had been pacing himself on the assumption he would be playing for two hours. If he'd know it was just an hour he would have covered more ground.
Back home the Silver Vixen was pottering in the garden. We had a nice tuna salad for lunch and she returned to the garden and the Gorse Fox headed round to the local shops to visit the barber's shop. A quiet afternoon is in store... some lamb steaks are marinating in the fridge and the Gorse Fox is about to start prepping some vegetables to flash fry and add to some bulgar wheat to make a couscous-like accompaniment.
Monday, July 23, 2018
Size
A fantastic day. Wall to wall sunshine and temperatures hovering around the 30C mark. The house has been opened up front and back and the blinds drawn to keep it cool. This has worked well and it's quite comfortable inside.
The morning was focused on domestic chores. The most important one of these was to take a car load of boxes and things down to the dump. As he was in the right area of the town he stopped in to Wickes to look at the timber that he needed for Urban-Cub's window seat. That's where it all went a bit wrong. The sizes (dimensions) of the timber advertised on the web are not available in our local store and the Gorse Fox would have to go to Havant to get them (but their stock was insufficient for his requirement).
Plan B kicked in. The Gorse Fox headed to Travis Perkins and looked at what they had. Returning home he headed for the study. This required a bit of a rethink. It happens that in most cases there was only a millimetre different - that would not be a problem. Having determined that swapping supplier was feasible the Gorse Fox priced it all up. He won't order it until tomorrow or Wednesday as he has to be around when it is delivered.
The morning was focused on domestic chores. The most important one of these was to take a car load of boxes and things down to the dump. As he was in the right area of the town he stopped in to Wickes to look at the timber that he needed for Urban-Cub's window seat. That's where it all went a bit wrong. The sizes (dimensions) of the timber advertised on the web are not available in our local store and the Gorse Fox would have to go to Havant to get them (but their stock was insufficient for his requirement).
Plan B kicked in. The Gorse Fox headed to Travis Perkins and looked at what they had. Returning home he headed for the study. This required a bit of a rethink. It happens that in most cases there was only a millimetre different - that would not be a problem. Having determined that swapping supplier was feasible the Gorse Fox priced it all up. He won't order it until tomorrow or Wednesday as he has to be around when it is delivered.
Sunday, July 22, 2018
Short
Another very warm day - high clouds make it very bright and slightly humid. Not the slightest hint of the rain that the garden would welcome.
We were short handed today. Not enough players for the usual football game. As we had some notice, the Gorse Fox and the Silver Vixen went across to Haskins for breakfast. It wasn't as busy as usual, but that could be a factor of the good weather and the start of the school holidays. It's always a good breakfast and a reasonable price, and it sets us up for the day.
From Haskins we headed to Chichester. We needed to go to John Lewis for a table lamp that matched one we bought a week or so back. This is a match, colour-wise, but quite deliberately a different size. One will stand either end of the lounge. The size difference will achieve a degree of balance without it being symmetrical. Technology done, it's over to the Silver Vixen for the creative finishing touches (technically known as faffing).
We were short handed today. Not enough players for the usual football game. As we had some notice, the Gorse Fox and the Silver Vixen went across to Haskins for breakfast. It wasn't as busy as usual, but that could be a factor of the good weather and the start of the school holidays. It's always a good breakfast and a reasonable price, and it sets us up for the day.
From Haskins we headed to Chichester. We needed to go to John Lewis for a table lamp that matched one we bought a week or so back. This is a match, colour-wise, but quite deliberately a different size. One will stand either end of the lounge. The size difference will achieve a degree of balance without it being symmetrical. Technology done, it's over to the Silver Vixen for the creative finishing touches (technically known as faffing).
Saturday, July 21, 2018
Hanging Around
The Gorse Fox was up first. Ellie was just stirring, and the Silver Vixen seemed to be deeply asleep. The Gorse Fox went down and opened up. Jasper's bowl was refreshed and Ellie's breakfast made ready for her appearance. Kettle was filled, coffee maker primed. The Gorse Fox then snuck back to his study and read the paper on the computer. It was about an hour later that everyone else sprung to life.
Pistol Pete would be coming to collect Ellie late morning, but we still had time to feed her and play with her and even put her down for a nap.
While Ellie was napping the Gorse Fox went back to the various changes in the lounge. There was still the Sky-Q box to re-home. The drawer beneath the media held was removed and a large hole drilled through the back of the draw and the cabinet. Cables and wires were fed through and the box was slotted into the drawer. Everything was now hidden away. The plan has finally come to fruition. Bright, uncluttered, and clean lines with now wires or control boxes showing, the room now looks very tidy.
During the afternoon (with Ellie back home with Pistol Pete) the Silver Vixen dug out a collection of frames and prints that she wanted hanging. We planned the layout on the wall (of the upstairs landing) and the Gorse Fox attached the picture rings to each of the frames and using picture wire strung the frames. With everything measured the first five pictures are up... the last three await intervention form the Silver Vixen as they will contain some of her projects.
Pistol Pete would be coming to collect Ellie late morning, but we still had time to feed her and play with her and even put her down for a nap.
While Ellie was napping the Gorse Fox went back to the various changes in the lounge. There was still the Sky-Q box to re-home. The drawer beneath the media held was removed and a large hole drilled through the back of the draw and the cabinet. Cables and wires were fed through and the box was slotted into the drawer. Everything was now hidden away. The plan has finally come to fruition. Bright, uncluttered, and clean lines with now wires or control boxes showing, the room now looks very tidy.
During the afternoon (with Ellie back home with Pistol Pete) the Silver Vixen dug out a collection of frames and prints that she wanted hanging. We planned the layout on the wall (of the upstairs landing) and the Gorse Fox attached the picture rings to each of the frames and using picture wire strung the frames. With everything measured the first five pictures are up... the last three await intervention form the Silver Vixen as they will contain some of her projects.
Friday, July 20, 2018
Wired for Sound
Urban-Cub arrived early this morning with Ellie. G-Force were on duty for the day and tonight. This meant that the day was really focused on Ellie and anything else was achieved when she was napping.
The Gorse Fox headed into Chichester. We decided that we would add another Sonos to the stable. This allows the new Sonos soundbar (Sonos Beam) to work in conjunction with two further Sonos speakers to provide a rich surround sound for the lounge.
Once home it didn't take long to configure the sound system, but the Gorse Fox couldn't finish placing everything until the new cables arrived from the nice man at Amazon. It was mid afternoon before everything was delivered. Old cables were removed and replaced. These were fixed in place and the soundbar was positioned under the TV. It's all looking very good now and the beauty is that the various cables that drive the system are hidden, or blend in to the background so they are not noticeable.
There's still some tidying up to do. The Gorse Fox wants to repurpose a drawer to hold the Sky-Q control box. That will require some holes being drilled through the back of the unit and the drawer itself. He decided this was best done when Ellie wasn't around. Too many opportunities for splinters otherwise.
After lunch the Gorse Fox took Ellie for a walk round the block. She was very good and held grandpa's hand whenever we had a road to cross. She was intrigued by the ducks and swans on the lake and kept going back for a further look. She is having her evening bath as the Gorse Fox writes this.
The Gorse Fox headed into Chichester. We decided that we would add another Sonos to the stable. This allows the new Sonos soundbar (Sonos Beam) to work in conjunction with two further Sonos speakers to provide a rich surround sound for the lounge.
Once home it didn't take long to configure the sound system, but the Gorse Fox couldn't finish placing everything until the new cables arrived from the nice man at Amazon. It was mid afternoon before everything was delivered. Old cables were removed and replaced. These were fixed in place and the soundbar was positioned under the TV. It's all looking very good now and the beauty is that the various cables that drive the system are hidden, or blend in to the background so they are not noticeable.
There's still some tidying up to do. The Gorse Fox wants to repurpose a drawer to hold the Sky-Q control box. That will require some holes being drilled through the back of the unit and the drawer itself. He decided this was best done when Ellie wasn't around. Too many opportunities for splinters otherwise.
After lunch the Gorse Fox took Ellie for a walk round the block. She was very good and held grandpa's hand whenever we had a road to cross. She was intrigued by the ducks and swans on the lake and kept going back for a further look. She is having her evening bath as the Gorse Fox writes this.
Thursday, July 19, 2018
Mounted
Thursday started a little overcast, but that didn't last long. The sun soon broke through and it turned into a lovely warm day - if a little humid.
The Gorse Fox and the Silver Vixen were busy. Mr Wallpaper was due and we had to prepare the lounge for his ministrations. We didn't have long to wait. He was with us and getting underway long before nine. It took him all morning but the wallpaper is now up and it is looking very good.
Urban-Cub turned up with Ellie and they headed out with the Silver Vixen to spend much of the day in Chichester.
The Gorse Fox stayed behind to monitor the progress of the wallpapering and then to put the room back together.
Once everything was working he retrieved the TV bracket (taken down last week). A little bit of mining was required to find the drill holes under the paper, but once detected he was able to reinstall the TV bracket. The TV would have to wait for now - it's much too heavy to lift alone.
The afternoon was spent setting up the new soundbar (Sonos Beam) and then finding cables on Amazon that would allow it to connect to the control box once everything was actually in situ. Amazon Prime is having a busy day.
The Gorse Fox had a word with Two Hats. He soon popped round and we read and re-read the instructions for mounting the TV. Due to its size, weight (and cost) this was not something to get wrong.
We checked and cross-checked and in the end we went for it. It was a bit of a beast to get up to the correct height, but fortunately Two Hats is a fair bit taller than the Gorse Fox.
TV is now in place.
We still have to wait for the correct cables to arrive tomorrow in order to place the soundbar where we want it, but in essence the bulk of the work is now complete. More importantly, the Silver Vixen is very pleased with the results.
The Gorse Fox and the Silver Vixen were busy. Mr Wallpaper was due and we had to prepare the lounge for his ministrations. We didn't have long to wait. He was with us and getting underway long before nine. It took him all morning but the wallpaper is now up and it is looking very good.
The Gorse Fox stayed behind to monitor the progress of the wallpapering and then to put the room back together.
Once everything was working he retrieved the TV bracket (taken down last week). A little bit of mining was required to find the drill holes under the paper, but once detected he was able to reinstall the TV bracket. The TV would have to wait for now - it's much too heavy to lift alone.
The afternoon was spent setting up the new soundbar (Sonos Beam) and then finding cables on Amazon that would allow it to connect to the control box once everything was actually in situ. Amazon Prime is having a busy day.
The Gorse Fox had a word with Two Hats. He soon popped round and we read and re-read the instructions for mounting the TV. Due to its size, weight (and cost) this was not something to get wrong.
TV is now in place.
We still have to wait for the correct cables to arrive tomorrow in order to place the soundbar where we want it, but in essence the bulk of the work is now complete. More importantly, the Silver Vixen is very pleased with the results.
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Golden boot
Cracking day again. Temperatures in the mid-20s and a cloudless sky this afternoon. As the Gorse Fox was driving across to Worthing this morning the sky ahead looked a bit threatening and there were some huge thunderheads forming to the east of us. By the time he arrived, the skies were clearing and the sun was exerting its control on the day.
Football was a 6-a-side event today. The Gorse Fox was playing for the Orange-bibs. It was a fairly tight game but the eventual 6-3 score belied how close it was. Several of the yellow goals were complete flukes. They all count however. The Gorse Fox added to his tally for the week with another goal. (That's 6 this week!)
Back home and just preparing lunch we got a call from Urban-Cub. She was out with friends near Portsmouth but Ellie didn't seem well and she was worried. She asked if she could swing by on her way through for a second opinion from the Silver Vixen (and a dose of Calpol). Ellie had slept in the car and by the time she got to us she was a lot better. They stayed for an hour or two and in that time Ellie showed no further symptoms so they headed on home.
Football was a 6-a-side event today. The Gorse Fox was playing for the Orange-bibs. It was a fairly tight game but the eventual 6-3 score belied how close it was. Several of the yellow goals were complete flukes. They all count however. The Gorse Fox added to his tally for the week with another goal. (That's 6 this week!)
Back home and just preparing lunch we got a call from Urban-Cub. She was out with friends near Portsmouth but Ellie didn't seem well and she was worried. She asked if she could swing by on her way through for a second opinion from the Silver Vixen (and a dose of Calpol). Ellie had slept in the car and by the time she got to us she was a lot better. They stayed for an hour or two and in that time Ellie showed no further symptoms so they headed on home.
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Three today
It was a little cooler today. Still in the mid-20s and a clouds bubbling around. A breeze kept things comfortable.
The Silver Vixen went off to meet with her coven for the day, clasping about 4 metric tonnes of strawberries. They are clearly going to have a nice tea!
The Gorse Fox headed off to football. There was a fair turnout allowing 4 teams of 6 players. In the first hour the Gorse Fox played for the red bibs. The organisers looked at us and suggested that the Gorse Fox move to another team because we looked too strong. The Gorse Fox looked around the teams and commented they looked pretty even and we decided to stick. The first game was a 0-0 draw, the second a 3-0 loss, and the third a 2-1 win. All in all his analysis had been about right.
In the second hour he it was just two teams of 5. The Gorse Fox played for the blue-bibs. This was a lot more open and expansive. The games worked out as a 3-0 win, a 2-0 loss, and a 2-1 win to us. The Gorse Fox managed to score 3 goals during this second hour.
Back home, having showered and munched on a salad sandwich, the Gorse Fox retired to the study. The rest of the design for the window/bench seat for Urban-Cub need to be completed. It took the whole afternoon, but he has now written the design statement and included the various diagrams showing how it will be constructed. He has now sent that off to Pistol Pete and Urban-Cub for their final approval.
The Silver Vixen went off to meet with her coven for the day, clasping about 4 metric tonnes of strawberries. They are clearly going to have a nice tea!
The Gorse Fox headed off to football. There was a fair turnout allowing 4 teams of 6 players. In the first hour the Gorse Fox played for the red bibs. The organisers looked at us and suggested that the Gorse Fox move to another team because we looked too strong. The Gorse Fox looked around the teams and commented they looked pretty even and we decided to stick. The first game was a 0-0 draw, the second a 3-0 loss, and the third a 2-1 win. All in all his analysis had been about right.
In the second hour he it was just two teams of 5. The Gorse Fox played for the blue-bibs. This was a lot more open and expansive. The games worked out as a 3-0 win, a 2-0 loss, and a 2-1 win to us. The Gorse Fox managed to score 3 goals during this second hour.
Back home, having showered and munched on a salad sandwich, the Gorse Fox retired to the study. The rest of the design for the window/bench seat for Urban-Cub need to be completed. It took the whole afternoon, but he has now written the design statement and included the various diagrams showing how it will be constructed. He has now sent that off to Pistol Pete and Urban-Cub for their final approval.
Monday, July 16, 2018
Design
Well it's another super day with a few high clouds and temperatures nudging 30. The Gorse Fox could get used to this.
The morning saw a quick run to B&Q. The Silver Vixen had bought some rustic trellis and the Gorse Fox needed to install it. He decided that, because of its rustic nature, he would not be able to just screw it to wall. He would get some stainless steel eyes and fix them. Then the trellis can be attached to the eyes using black cable ties - thus being almost invisible. B&Q had what was needed and the Gorse Fox got back home and started work. It was pretty quick really, though some of the brickwork started to flake if he over-tightened the eyes.
Next was a run into Chichester. The Gorse Fox had an appointment and despite leaving 45 minutes, he was getting a little twitchy as he crawled through the unusual mid morning traffic. The usual 10 minute run took over three times that. Never mind, the Gorse Fox always allows plenty of time and arrived with minutes to spare.
Back home the Silver Vixen went out with Lady Penelope for the afternoon so the Gorse Fox retired to study. Urban-Cub had sent through the measurements for the window seat that she wants. The Gorse Fox spent the afternoon coming up with the actual construction diagrams. They are not quite finished but they are well under way. Once the design is complete he can calculate the cutting lists and the material that is required.
The morning saw a quick run to B&Q. The Silver Vixen had bought some rustic trellis and the Gorse Fox needed to install it. He decided that, because of its rustic nature, he would not be able to just screw it to wall. He would get some stainless steel eyes and fix them. Then the trellis can be attached to the eyes using black cable ties - thus being almost invisible. B&Q had what was needed and the Gorse Fox got back home and started work. It was pretty quick really, though some of the brickwork started to flake if he over-tightened the eyes.
Next was a run into Chichester. The Gorse Fox had an appointment and despite leaving 45 minutes, he was getting a little twitchy as he crawled through the unusual mid morning traffic. The usual 10 minute run took over three times that. Never mind, the Gorse Fox always allows plenty of time and arrived with minutes to spare.
Back home the Silver Vixen went out with Lady Penelope for the afternoon so the Gorse Fox retired to study. Urban-Cub had sent through the measurements for the window seat that she wants. The Gorse Fox spent the afternoon coming up with the actual construction diagrams. They are not quite finished but they are well under way. Once the design is complete he can calculate the cutting lists and the material that is required.
Sunday, July 15, 2018
FInal
It seems to go without saying that it was another stunning day. If summers were always like this there would be no need to travel abroad. Lovely and warm (high 20s or low 30s) and not a cloud in the sky. A slight breeze kept it comfortable.
The Silver Vixen had an appointment in Chichester so we both went out at about the same time. The Gorse Fox headed across to Ford for the football. It was quite lopsided today, and not in his favour. Though our yellow-bibs took a 2 goal lead we were soon overhauled and it was 6-3 against us by half time. Our goalie had to go off with a sore back, so we had a stand-in. In the second half the rout continued and the game finished 11-6. The Gorse Fox did manage to score 2 goals but generally couldn't have hit a barn door today.
We settled down this afternoon to watch the World Cup final. It's always so much easier to watch a game like this when you have no emotional investment in either team. As a neutral, the Gorse Fox would say that Croatia were the better team and were seriously disadvantaged by some dreadful refereeing decisions. In the end the France team won.
The Silver Vixen had an appointment in Chichester so we both went out at about the same time. The Gorse Fox headed across to Ford for the football. It was quite lopsided today, and not in his favour. Though our yellow-bibs took a 2 goal lead we were soon overhauled and it was 6-3 against us by half time. Our goalie had to go off with a sore back, so we had a stand-in. In the second half the rout continued and the game finished 11-6. The Gorse Fox did manage to score 2 goals but generally couldn't have hit a barn door today.
We settled down this afternoon to watch the World Cup final. It's always so much easier to watch a game like this when you have no emotional investment in either team. As a neutral, the Gorse Fox would say that Croatia were the better team and were seriously disadvantaged by some dreadful refereeing decisions. In the end the France team won.
Saturday, July 14, 2018
Cousins
We have been getting some worrying news regarding Beloved Aunt in Toronto. A situation that will require close monitoring.
The day was fairly laid back. The sun was shining and the day seemed perfect. There were domestic chores to complete in the morning and then the Gorse Fox retired to his study and Sketchup to work on plans for a garden tool store for the Silver Vixen (well not for her, for her tools). Time flashed by and it was time to go an watch the England v Belgium game for the 3rd, 4th place playoff. Sketchup will have to wait. We only managed to see the first half but the omens weren't good.
Just as the second half was due to begin, the Silver Vixen's cousins turned up. We retired to the garden with coffee and biscuits a sat an chatted until it was time to head off for a curry. They like our local Indian Restaurant (Zeera Lounge) and we had booked in plenty of time. As usual we were greeted like long lost friends and shown to our table. The meal was excellent... the Gorse Fox selecting a Chicken Shashlick this time, the Silver Vixen had a Chicken Tikka and her cousins had Lamb Aloo Panir and Lamb Dhansak.
Back home we broke out some more coffee and sat and chatted in the Orangery. It really was a lovely evening.
The day was fairly laid back. The sun was shining and the day seemed perfect. There were domestic chores to complete in the morning and then the Gorse Fox retired to his study and Sketchup to work on plans for a garden tool store for the Silver Vixen (well not for her, for her tools). Time flashed by and it was time to go an watch the England v Belgium game for the 3rd, 4th place playoff. Sketchup will have to wait. We only managed to see the first half but the omens weren't good.
Just as the second half was due to begin, the Silver Vixen's cousins turned up. We retired to the garden with coffee and biscuits a sat an chatted until it was time to head off for a curry. They like our local Indian Restaurant (Zeera Lounge) and we had booked in plenty of time. As usual we were greeted like long lost friends and shown to our table. The meal was excellent... the Gorse Fox selecting a Chicken Shashlick this time, the Silver Vixen had a Chicken Tikka and her cousins had Lamb Aloo Panir and Lamb Dhansak.
Back home we broke out some more coffee and sat and chatted in the Orangery. It really was a lovely evening.
Friday, July 13, 2018
Venta Fusion
That was a nice day.
Ellie had woken a little earlier than usual, but that wasn't really a problem. She had her breakfast and the Silver Vixen got all her stuff ready. Urban-Cub would be round mid-morning to collect her (after collecting her new car).
The Gorse Fox had other things planned. He had arranged the second annual VM Old Gits lunch and was meeting up with old colleagues in Winchester. Knowing the Goodwood Festival of Speed was on and could well impact traffic, he headed off at 10, but had no issues at all and pulled into the Winchester Park & Ride at 11. His caution over the time turns out to have been wise. Soon after he came through there was 5 vehicle crash on the M3 which closed the road.
Knowing he had time to spare he deliberately got off the P&R Bus near the King Alfred statue so that he had time to wander up through the town at a leisurely pace and find the restaurant in plenty of time. There seemed to be a vibrant farmers' market with plenty of street food stalls. Tempting, but he resisted.
The Gorse Fox stopped off by the Great Hall and the ruins of the old castle. He still had some time to kill, so took a few photos and wandered over to the Hall. He had forgotten that there was a charge to go in, so decided that having seen it many times before he would skip it today.
He continued up to the restaurant and made himself comfortable. Tanoshii is a pan Asian fusion restaurant and had a wonderful menu. If we lived closer, we would certainly return to try a wider range of the dishes than was afforded by a single visit.
The old colleagues started to arrive - one having just returned from a trip to the States for a standards meeting to discuss floating point arithmetic.
Another arrived - he now lives in Boulder and was in the UK for a holiday to see the family. We met his new wife before she headed back out to tour Winchester (rather than get bored silly listening to our reminiscences).
Finally, Blambo arrived. He lives just down the road in Romsey but got caught by the closed M3.
We had a lovely meal - the Gorse Fox noticed a Thai green curry, a Kung Pao King Prawns, and he had the Chicken Katsu. All were superb... but there were so many other enticing dishes on the menu that it does deserve a revisit.
As we broke up the Gorse Fox resolved to set up a further event and as if to punctuate the offer there was a deafening clap of thunder and the heavens opened. The rain fell in monsoon proportions. Water was pouring down the streets several inches deep as the drains were overwhelmed. The Gorse Fox, despite his umbrella was soaked up to knees as he boarded the bus back to car. Google assured him the M3 was still a no-go area so he headed across country and got home soon after four o'clock.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
Ellie had woken a little earlier than usual, but that wasn't really a problem. She had her breakfast and the Silver Vixen got all her stuff ready. Urban-Cub would be round mid-morning to collect her (after collecting her new car).
The Gorse Fox had other things planned. He had arranged the second annual VM Old Gits lunch and was meeting up with old colleagues in Winchester. Knowing the Goodwood Festival of Speed was on and could well impact traffic, he headed off at 10, but had no issues at all and pulled into the Winchester Park & Ride at 11. His caution over the time turns out to have been wise. Soon after he came through there was 5 vehicle crash on the M3 which closed the road.
The Gorse Fox stopped off by the Great Hall and the ruins of the old castle. He still had some time to kill, so took a few photos and wandered over to the Hall. He had forgotten that there was a charge to go in, so decided that having seen it many times before he would skip it today.
He continued up to the restaurant and made himself comfortable. Tanoshii is a pan Asian fusion restaurant and had a wonderful menu. If we lived closer, we would certainly return to try a wider range of the dishes than was afforded by a single visit.
Another arrived - he now lives in Boulder and was in the UK for a holiday to see the family. We met his new wife before she headed back out to tour Winchester (rather than get bored silly listening to our reminiscences).
Finally, Blambo arrived. He lives just down the road in Romsey but got caught by the closed M3.
We had a lovely meal - the Gorse Fox noticed a Thai green curry, a Kung Pao King Prawns, and he had the Chicken Katsu. All were superb... but there were so many other enticing dishes on the menu that it does deserve a revisit.
As we broke up the Gorse Fox resolved to set up a further event and as if to punctuate the offer there was a deafening clap of thunder and the heavens opened. The rain fell in monsoon proportions. Water was pouring down the streets several inches deep as the drains were overwhelmed. The Gorse Fox, despite his umbrella was soaked up to knees as he boarded the bus back to car. Google assured him the M3 was still a no-go area so he headed across country and got home soon after four o'clock.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
Thursday, July 12, 2018
Round and about
Ellie has been with us since first thing this morning. This means, obviously, that she has been the focus of the day. As usual she has been a cheerful little should - helped, no doubt, by a good morning nap.
After lunch we took her for a walk round to the Post Office, stopping on the way to chat with the guys from Zeera Lounge (our local Indian Restaurant) - reminding them that we had a table booked for Saturday. Ellie didn't actually walk the walk, she was very comfortable (and wide awake) in her pushchair.
She's having a bath at the moment so everything is winding down.
After lunch we took her for a walk round to the Post Office, stopping on the way to chat with the guys from Zeera Lounge (our local Indian Restaurant) - reminding them that we had a table booked for Saturday. Ellie didn't actually walk the walk, she was very comfortable (and wide awake) in her pushchair.
She's having a bath at the moment so everything is winding down.
Squids In
A new restaurant has opened in Chichester. Some might say “What, another restuarant?”. Well yes, and one that is a cut above.
The experience starts as you enter The Giggling Squid. The decor is light and modern. A bar faces you and to the left is a comfortable sitting area where you meet up with friends for a few cocktails. We went as the Sonning Crew (a group of six) and picked a spot in the corner. We were belatedly celebrating Tinkerbell's birthday. The first comment was how comfortable the chairs were and how open it all seemed. We stayed by an open window so that we could hear the cheers from the local pub as the England-Croatia game kicked off.
After cocktails and beers (one of which was dropped and splashed all over the Gorse Fox) we went through to the other side where the restaurant tables and the kitchens were. We were greeted by a lovely Thai woman, Annie, who looked after us throughout the evening. She helped the novices with their food selection and generally charmed us throughout.
The food was just spectacular. The Gorse Fox and the Silver Vixen love Thai cuisine and have been lucky enough to eat in some wonderful restaurants and street-food cafes in Thailand. This did not disappoint. It had all the delicacy and the layers of flavour that you should expect with good Thai food. It has been adapted slightly for the English palate, inasmuch as the amount of chillies has been toned down - but this does not detract in any way from the dishes. In fact it probably makes the food more accessible to more people (and you could always ask for more chilli).
This is clearly going to become a regular haunt for us.
The experience starts as you enter The Giggling Squid. The decor is light and modern. A bar faces you and to the left is a comfortable sitting area where you meet up with friends for a few cocktails. We went as the Sonning Crew (a group of six) and picked a spot in the corner. We were belatedly celebrating Tinkerbell's birthday. The first comment was how comfortable the chairs were and how open it all seemed. We stayed by an open window so that we could hear the cheers from the local pub as the England-Croatia game kicked off.
After cocktails and beers (one of which was dropped and splashed all over the Gorse Fox) we went through to the other side where the restaurant tables and the kitchens were. We were greeted by a lovely Thai woman, Annie, who looked after us throughout the evening. She helped the novices with their food selection and generally charmed us throughout.
The food was just spectacular. The Gorse Fox and the Silver Vixen love Thai cuisine and have been lucky enough to eat in some wonderful restaurants and street-food cafes in Thailand. This did not disappoint. It had all the delicacy and the layers of flavour that you should expect with good Thai food. It has been adapted slightly for the English palate, inasmuch as the amount of chillies has been toned down - but this does not detract in any way from the dishes. In fact it probably makes the food more accessible to more people (and you could always ask for more chilli).
This is clearly going to become a regular haunt for us.
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Delivery
Late last night the Gorse Fox received notification that the new wallpaper would be delivered today. This meant he had to make a decision. Does he go and play football, and chance missing the delivery, or does he stay at home and miss football?
He decided, having scored 3 goals already this week, that he would skip football and ensure he was available when the delivery driver turned up. On some recent Wednesdays this would not have been an issue as the Silver Vixen was around, but her Pilates session was back on this week and she had arranged to meet with someone for coffee after.
The Gorse Fox spent the whole morning in the the study working on the accounts. It's not that they are difficult, it's just that, though he has recorded all expenditures, he hasn't cross-checked them against the various statements since the end of April. There were a lot of transactions to clear. As he neared the end, he realised that there were several payments that hadn't shown up. On examination it became clear that the account aggregator that he uses hadn't downloaded information from two of the accounts since May. This took a bit of sorting out, but now all the information is available again. The Gorse Fox will have to go back and do a second pass on the accounts to handle these items - but not today. Enough is enough.
The new wallpaper turned up soon after lunch. The Gorse Fox just has to arrange for Mr Wallpaper to return and hang it. He's offered Thursday or Friday next week, or if really urgent, this Saturday.
There is considerable hype regarding the World Cup Semi Final tonight between England and Croatia. Too much hype for it to sit easily with the Gorse Fox. He is very hopeful, but at the end of the day the Croatia team are very good and very experienced - they are not just going to roll over because the English press and media want an England win.
As it happens, we are recording the game. We won't be watching. We are going out with the Sonning Crew to celebrate (albeit belatedly) Tinkerbell's birthday. We're going to brand new restaurant in Chichester call The Giggling Squid... and will be travelling by bus again.
He decided, having scored 3 goals already this week, that he would skip football and ensure he was available when the delivery driver turned up. On some recent Wednesdays this would not have been an issue as the Silver Vixen was around, but her Pilates session was back on this week and she had arranged to meet with someone for coffee after.
The Gorse Fox spent the whole morning in the the study working on the accounts. It's not that they are difficult, it's just that, though he has recorded all expenditures, he hasn't cross-checked them against the various statements since the end of April. There were a lot of transactions to clear. As he neared the end, he realised that there were several payments that hadn't shown up. On examination it became clear that the account aggregator that he uses hadn't downloaded information from two of the accounts since May. This took a bit of sorting out, but now all the information is available again. The Gorse Fox will have to go back and do a second pass on the accounts to handle these items - but not today. Enough is enough.
The new wallpaper turned up soon after lunch. The Gorse Fox just has to arrange for Mr Wallpaper to return and hang it. He's offered Thursday or Friday next week, or if really urgent, this Saturday.
There is considerable hype regarding the World Cup Semi Final tonight between England and Croatia. Too much hype for it to sit easily with the Gorse Fox. He is very hopeful, but at the end of the day the Croatia team are very good and very experienced - they are not just going to roll over because the English press and media want an England win.
As it happens, we are recording the game. We won't be watching. We are going out with the Sonning Crew to celebrate (albeit belatedly) Tinkerbell's birthday. We're going to brand new restaurant in Chichester call The Giggling Squid... and will be travelling by bus again.
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Cooler
It was a little cooler today. It was still in the mid-20s, and very comfortable but we have some respite from the intensity of the recent 30 degree days. In fact today is the first time it's been cool enough to sit in the Orangery during the afternoon.
The day started with the alarm. The Silver Vixen had a dental appointment and needed to be out early. The Gorse Fox likes to get up early any way so it was just a gently nudge for him. After some breakfast the Silver Vixen headed off into Chichester. The Gorse Fox retired to the study for half an hour to craft some code that would take an exported "WhatsApp" conversation and convert it into an html-table that he could copy and paste into his private blog. This allows him to save some of the chats he has with Cousteau-Cub (or anyone else) in the family journal in a nicely formatted fashion.
That done he headed off for football. Today he was playing for the black bibs. In the first game we managed a 0-0 draw, in the second game we won 6-0 (and towards the end, the Gorse Fox swapped sides to help them stem the flow - and prevented any further goals); the final game, back in a black bib, ended up 2-2.
In the second hour he was playing for the blue bibs. It was good to have a second hour - having missed it last week. This was very tight. In the first game we lost 2-1, the second game was a 1-0 win (with a goal from the Gorse Fox), and the last game was a draw. In today's heat, it was a good workout and most enjoyable.
The day started with the alarm. The Silver Vixen had a dental appointment and needed to be out early. The Gorse Fox likes to get up early any way so it was just a gently nudge for him. After some breakfast the Silver Vixen headed off into Chichester. The Gorse Fox retired to the study for half an hour to craft some code that would take an exported "WhatsApp" conversation and convert it into an html-table that he could copy and paste into his private blog. This allows him to save some of the chats he has with Cousteau-Cub (or anyone else) in the family journal in a nicely formatted fashion.
That done he headed off for football. Today he was playing for the black bibs. In the first game we managed a 0-0 draw, in the second game we won 6-0 (and towards the end, the Gorse Fox swapped sides to help them stem the flow - and prevented any further goals); the final game, back in a black bib, ended up 2-2.
In the second hour he was playing for the blue bibs. It was good to have a second hour - having missed it last week. This was very tight. In the first game we lost 2-1, the second game was a 1-0 win (with a goal from the Gorse Fox), and the last game was a draw. In today's heat, it was a good workout and most enjoyable.
Monday, July 09, 2018
Changing Rooms - Plan B
We were up early. We had to prepare the living room for the decorator. He was scheduled to come and install the mural we had ordered from Belgium. Bit by bit everything was moved out of the way and units unplugged. All was prepared.
Mr Wallpaper arrived and examined everything and read the instructions. Along with the Gorse Fox he unrolled the paper and examined the sequence for installing it. The dust cloths were laid, the wall was marked up and sized. He was ready to go. The first roll went up without too much trouble.
The Gorse Fox headed off to run some errands in Chichester.
Arriving home, Mr Wallpaper grabbed the Gorse Fox and said he wasn't at all happy with the way in which the mural was going up and, frankly, he wouldn't accept it if it was for him. The Gorse Fox and the Silver Vixen examined the issue. It was clear that he was right. The rolls had to be overlapped by 15mm then cut with a straight edge to create the join. There was clearly insufficient overlap in 15mm to allow the paper to be put under pressure to allow for cutting without it slipping. The cuts were not crisp at all.
We debated what to do. The conclusion was to rip it all down and bin the idea entirely. We would replace it with a standard wallpaper.
This is where it all got a bit messy. The wallpaper adhesive had clearly been very good. When the rolls were stripped from the wall, the underlying paint came too.
Plan B is that Mr Wallpaper will return to put up the proper wallpaper once we have chosen a suitable design, and in the meantime will re-paint the wall, once it is dry enough so to do.
The Gorse Fox and the Silver Vixen quickly started looking for suitable paper and we have managed to find one on which we both agree. It's on order and should be here by the end of the week.
Mr Wallpaper arrived and examined everything and read the instructions. Along with the Gorse Fox he unrolled the paper and examined the sequence for installing it. The dust cloths were laid, the wall was marked up and sized. He was ready to go. The first roll went up without too much trouble.
The Gorse Fox headed off to run some errands in Chichester.
Arriving home, Mr Wallpaper grabbed the Gorse Fox and said he wasn't at all happy with the way in which the mural was going up and, frankly, he wouldn't accept it if it was for him. The Gorse Fox and the Silver Vixen examined the issue. It was clear that he was right. The rolls had to be overlapped by 15mm then cut with a straight edge to create the join. There was clearly insufficient overlap in 15mm to allow the paper to be put under pressure to allow for cutting without it slipping. The cuts were not crisp at all.
This is where it all got a bit messy. The wallpaper adhesive had clearly been very good. When the rolls were stripped from the wall, the underlying paint came too.
Plan B is that Mr Wallpaper will return to put up the proper wallpaper once we have chosen a suitable design, and in the meantime will re-paint the wall, once it is dry enough so to do.
The Gorse Fox and the Silver Vixen quickly started looking for suitable paper and we have managed to find one on which we both agree. It's on order and should be here by the end of the week.
Sunday, July 08, 2018
Another hot one
Well it's been another day in the 30s. Wonderful weather, but the Gorse Fox has to feel sorry for the hordes of people heading for the Witterings. The queues stretch all the way from A27 tailbacks, across the peninsula, down to the coast. Not a good day to be sat in traffic!
Some would argue that it wasn't really an ideal day for playing football either. The Gorse Fox disagrees. So it was that he headed across to Ford for this morning's game. The Gorse Fox was playing for the yellow team today. The personnel split looked troublesome and so it turned out. Though the Gorse Fox scored a goal in the first half, we were 6-2 down at half time and everyone was feeling the heat.
The second half started badly with two goals conceded almost immediately, but then we started to claw things back. The Gorse Fox scored a second goal and provided assist for a couple more. The Orange team were tiring, but we kept going. In the end there was only one goal in it. The trouble is it was Orange who managed to score 10, to Yellow's 9. Never mind it was great fun.
Back home it's been a quiet afternoon, though the Gorse Fox did manage to have a short online chat with Cousteau-Cub. We discussed, briefly, the rescue efforts for the Thai children trapped in the caves. Cousteau-Cub knows on of the rescue divers and confirms that it really is as dreadful as your imagination pictures. Some of the crawls, under water, in pitch black, are only 70cm wide. The Gorse Fox goes cold and shudders even at the thought of it.
Cousteau-Cub also explained that the tourist boat that went down in the storm off Phuket this week is lying in 48m of water and there are still numerous bodies that haven't been found. The Thai Navy are involved in the recovery.
Meanwhile, Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete went down to the beach, at Littlehampton, with Ellie. Clearly they had a wonderful time. Ellie enjoyed paddling and also had a ride on the road train. The photos and videos were just charming.
Some would argue that it wasn't really an ideal day for playing football either. The Gorse Fox disagrees. So it was that he headed across to Ford for this morning's game. The Gorse Fox was playing for the yellow team today. The personnel split looked troublesome and so it turned out. Though the Gorse Fox scored a goal in the first half, we were 6-2 down at half time and everyone was feeling the heat.
The second half started badly with two goals conceded almost immediately, but then we started to claw things back. The Gorse Fox scored a second goal and provided assist for a couple more. The Orange team were tiring, but we kept going. In the end there was only one goal in it. The trouble is it was Orange who managed to score 10, to Yellow's 9. Never mind it was great fun.
Back home it's been a quiet afternoon, though the Gorse Fox did manage to have a short online chat with Cousteau-Cub. We discussed, briefly, the rescue efforts for the Thai children trapped in the caves. Cousteau-Cub knows on of the rescue divers and confirms that it really is as dreadful as your imagination pictures. Some of the crawls, under water, in pitch black, are only 70cm wide. The Gorse Fox goes cold and shudders even at the thought of it.
Cousteau-Cub also explained that the tourist boat that went down in the storm off Phuket this week is lying in 48m of water and there are still numerous bodies that haven't been found. The Thai Navy are involved in the recovery.
Meanwhile, Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete went down to the beach, at Littlehampton, with Ellie. Clearly they had a wonderful time. Ellie enjoyed paddling and also had a ride on the road train. The photos and videos were just charming.
Saturday, July 07, 2018
Mr Shifter
Well that didn't quite work as planned.
It all started when Urban-Cub moved home. With the upgraded kitchen she had a full set of integrated appliances. This left her old (or should we say) nearly new, washing machine without a home. With here redesigned bedroom she had a nice Ottoman that was also surplus. Kindly, she offered them to us.
Today was the day to take delivery.
Our old Ottoman was consigned to the Orangery as a tool box. The new one was installed at the end of the bed. Perfect.
The Gorse Fox emptied the Utility cupboard and along with Pistol Pete we removed the tumble dryer and then uncoupled the old washing machine and carried (lugged) it out. We heaved the new washing machine out of their Peugot 5008 and as we approached the front door, the Gorse Fox said 'hold on'. He rushed inside, got a tape measure and measured the new machine and compare it to the old one.
Ah! not looking good. Quite a bit bigger.
Never mind, it may still fit in the Utility cupboard. He went and measured.
Doh! Not going to fit at all. All of the hugging and heaving had been to no avail. We put the new machine back in the car, and took the old one back to its original spot. Well, at least we had an opportunity to clean the floor beneath it. Everything is now back the way it was... and Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete still have a spare washing machine.
It all started when Urban-Cub moved home. With the upgraded kitchen she had a full set of integrated appliances. This left her old (or should we say) nearly new, washing machine without a home. With here redesigned bedroom she had a nice Ottoman that was also surplus. Kindly, she offered them to us.
Today was the day to take delivery.
Our old Ottoman was consigned to the Orangery as a tool box. The new one was installed at the end of the bed. Perfect.
The Gorse Fox emptied the Utility cupboard and along with Pistol Pete we removed the tumble dryer and then uncoupled the old washing machine and carried (lugged) it out. We heaved the new washing machine out of their Peugot 5008 and as we approached the front door, the Gorse Fox said 'hold on'. He rushed inside, got a tape measure and measured the new machine and compare it to the old one.
Ah! not looking good. Quite a bit bigger.
Never mind, it may still fit in the Utility cupboard. He went and measured.
Doh! Not going to fit at all. All of the hugging and heaving had been to no avail. We put the new machine back in the car, and took the old one back to its original spot. Well, at least we had an opportunity to clean the floor beneath it. Everything is now back the way it was... and Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete still have a spare washing machine.
Friday, July 06, 2018
PIP
The day has revolved around Ellie. She first called us to attention at about 7:30 and gobbled down a hearty breakfast. Then she went into hyper-play mode until she wore herself out and went up for a nap. This gave us an hour or so to get things done.
The Gorse Fox has detected a spurious error between the Sky Q box and the new TV. Every now and again it seems to lose itself. Online research showed that this was not unique to the Gorse Fox. In fact there are 10 pages of discussion on the subject... and no definitive solution. The Gorse Fox decided to try one of the remedies. It wasn't needed. Everything was working fine again. He has decided that he follow a particular regime for switching the various units on and off in the hope that it may just be a timing issue. (There's nothing, in the world of technology, worse than an intermittent error with no obvious trigger).
We took Ellie for a walk around the Lake today. We stopped to see the ducks and the swan, but Ellie wasn't over impressed. She did pretty well walking though, but the Gorse Fox did have to carry her part of the way back.
Once home she settled into the cool of the living room where we had CBeebies on the TV, and toys all over the floor. The trouble was that the Uruguay-v-France quarter-final of the World Cup was about to start.
The Gorse Fox decided to try and use the PIP (picture-in-picture) feature on the TV. As you can see from the photo, this worked pretty well. He could watch the upper right quadrant while Ellie enjoyed the rest.
The Gorse Fox has detected a spurious error between the Sky Q box and the new TV. Every now and again it seems to lose itself. Online research showed that this was not unique to the Gorse Fox. In fact there are 10 pages of discussion on the subject... and no definitive solution. The Gorse Fox decided to try one of the remedies. It wasn't needed. Everything was working fine again. He has decided that he follow a particular regime for switching the various units on and off in the hope that it may just be a timing issue. (There's nothing, in the world of technology, worse than an intermittent error with no obvious trigger).
Once home she settled into the cool of the living room where we had CBeebies on the TV, and toys all over the floor. The trouble was that the Uruguay-v-France quarter-final of the World Cup was about to start.
The Gorse Fox decided to try and use the PIP (picture-in-picture) feature on the TV. As you can see from the photo, this worked pretty well. He could watch the upper right quadrant while Ellie enjoyed the rest.
Thursday, July 05, 2018
Security Cam
The Gorse Fox was playing around this morning and has managed to the video from the security camera to display on the Mac 'condor'. This is a bit of a breakthrough as the manufacturers only support it on Windows and said there were no alternatives. (The Gorse Fox had already cranked out one alternative by saving all the images to an FTP server, 'falcon'). He will explore some more on a spare camera at the weekend to see if he can actually control the camera settings from 'condor'
Who's in charge?
G-Force were back on duty today. Urban-Cub brought Ellie across to us for about 8:30 and then got ready for work. Once she had gone Ellie took charge of the agenda. There was play, then a brief nap. The nap was cut short by the arrival of Ocado. So then she helped unload and store the shopping. Then we were back to play. She is in no doubt of what she wants. When she wants to play she finds toys (or mischief) and settles down to it. When she's hungry she stands by the fridge or the store cupboard and yells "Cheese!".
The afternoon was a little quieter as the Gorse Fox showed her some photos and videos of herself on the TV. That had her intrigued and as she settled down on the Silver Vixen's lap we switched of to Cbeebies and she enjoyed a quiet half hour (even if she didn't sleep).
After supper there was a mad half hour in the garden as the Silver Vixen watered the plants and Ellie tried to help by moving parts of the garden into the birdbath. As the Gorse Fox writes all he can hear is cheering and splashing as she enjoys her bath.
The afternoon was a little quieter as the Gorse Fox showed her some photos and videos of herself on the TV. That had her intrigued and as she settled down on the Silver Vixen's lap we switched of to Cbeebies and she enjoyed a quiet half hour (even if she didn't sleep).
After supper there was a mad half hour in the garden as the Silver Vixen watered the plants and Ellie tried to help by moving parts of the garden into the birdbath. As the Gorse Fox writes all he can hear is cheering and splashing as she enjoys her bath.
Wednesday, July 04, 2018
Senior moments
It's Independence Day. For some this refers to the day on which the Colonies seceded from the British Crown. For those who really know their history they will remember that it is celebrated as the anniversary of the Gorse Fox retiring from Starfleet. Four years now. Four lovely years with no commuting, no teleconference calls, no assessments to write, no spending weeks away from home, no chasing targets that have no bearing on reality, no 60-70 hour working weeks, no tube trains, no customers or clients.
Bliss!
So what has the Gorse Fox been up to today. He started by listening to news to make sure he hadn't dreamt the England/Colombia result, and that we did indeed win on penalties to go through to quarter finals. After that it was off to football.
The sides were clearly unbalanced from the start. This time, though we held out for a while, there was no disguising the fact that the yellow-bibs were going to be trounced. Ian (an ex-pro) and the Gorse Fox did the best they could to stem the tide but in the end we went down 5-1. A game like that is hard work and the Gorse Fox had be very disciplined at the back. This does not afford him the opportunity to roam and help the attack, which is frustrating. Oh well, better luck next week. He wandered back to changing rooms, got ready, and headed home.
Halfway home the phone rang. It was Runaldo. Had the Gorse Fox left his glasses behind?
Doh! Yes. He was wearing his sunglasses, but, in a senior moment, had left his ordinary glasses on the bench. Fortunately Runaldo had spotted them and we agreed to meet in the car park of The Roundstone, where he could return them.
Back home, after a bite of lunch, the Gorse Fox set about loading the car with the detritus from the furniture deliveries. This actually involved three trips to the top. The packing cases from the furniture were so big that he could only take one at a time. The last trip was to get rid of the old hostess trolley that we no longer require (and judging by e-Bay, nor does anyone else).
The Gorse Fox plans to take Two Hats and Old Bill to the pub for a pint. They have been so helpful over the last few days that the Silver Vixen suggested he buy them a pint. Well, thought the Gorse Fox, a pint between them isn't too over the top.
Bliss!
So what has the Gorse Fox been up to today. He started by listening to news to make sure he hadn't dreamt the England/Colombia result, and that we did indeed win on penalties to go through to quarter finals. After that it was off to football.
The sides were clearly unbalanced from the start. This time, though we held out for a while, there was no disguising the fact that the yellow-bibs were going to be trounced. Ian (an ex-pro) and the Gorse Fox did the best they could to stem the tide but in the end we went down 5-1. A game like that is hard work and the Gorse Fox had be very disciplined at the back. This does not afford him the opportunity to roam and help the attack, which is frustrating. Oh well, better luck next week. He wandered back to changing rooms, got ready, and headed home.
Halfway home the phone rang. It was Runaldo. Had the Gorse Fox left his glasses behind?
Doh! Yes. He was wearing his sunglasses, but, in a senior moment, had left his ordinary glasses on the bench. Fortunately Runaldo had spotted them and we agreed to meet in the car park of The Roundstone, where he could return them.
Back home, after a bite of lunch, the Gorse Fox set about loading the car with the detritus from the furniture deliveries. This actually involved three trips to the top. The packing cases from the furniture were so big that he could only take one at a time. The last trip was to get rid of the old hostess trolley that we no longer require (and judging by e-Bay, nor does anyone else).
The Gorse Fox plans to take Two Hats and Old Bill to the pub for a pint. They have been so helpful over the last few days that the Silver Vixen suggested he buy them a pint. Well, thought the Gorse Fox, a pint between them isn't too over the top.
Tuesday, July 03, 2018
Pi again
You will be pleased to hear that the Gorse Fox has located 'tawny owl', the missing Raspberry Pi. It had fallen behind the desk, but was suspended in mid-air behind the modesty panel and only became visible when the Gorse Fox started pulling the network cables.
Full day
It's been a fairly full day. The Gorse Fox first woke at 5:45 and misread the time, think it was 6:45. He leapt out of bed, put on his glasses and then saw the real time. (Brain had clearly reset to GMT overnight).
An hour later he was up, again. This time he stayed upright and went down for coffee and breakfast. Being Tuesday there was football to play. The turnout wasn't as good as usual and we ended up with two teams of 9 rather than four teams of 5 or 6. The trouble with 9 is that the pitch is too crowded and the game can become like pinball. Anyway, we had three games. The Gorse Fox's team in black won the first, lost the second, and drew the third. Fairly well balanced, really. The second hour of football was cancelled as the Gorse Fox was the only player willing to stay on and play for another hour in the heat.
Back home the Silver Vixen had had a morning with her sewing but that was interrupted by an unexpected delivery.
Well, when we say unexpected we actually mean it was expected, but not until tomorrow. It was a good job she was in. The delivery drivers were in the area and hoped they could drop off our stuff today to save them having to stay overnight in an hotel and then deliver tomorrow.
No, they are not coffins.
We had ordered some new units for the living room.
The Gorse Fox looked at the weight stamped on the boxes and realised he would need help. He called on Old Bill who came over to lend some muscle.
The units went together quite easily and have both cupboards, a drawer, and a drop-down compartment for the various media units. (At least that was the plan). It didn't take too long to get them assembled and moved into position.
What did take a while was rerouting all of the wires and cables and then getting the TV and the Sky-Q all working again happily.
Finally it's done and everything is setup in readiness for the England football tonight.
An hour later he was up, again. This time he stayed upright and went down for coffee and breakfast. Being Tuesday there was football to play. The turnout wasn't as good as usual and we ended up with two teams of 9 rather than four teams of 5 or 6. The trouble with 9 is that the pitch is too crowded and the game can become like pinball. Anyway, we had three games. The Gorse Fox's team in black won the first, lost the second, and drew the third. Fairly well balanced, really. The second hour of football was cancelled as the Gorse Fox was the only player willing to stay on and play for another hour in the heat.
Well, when we say unexpected we actually mean it was expected, but not until tomorrow. It was a good job she was in. The delivery drivers were in the area and hoped they could drop off our stuff today to save them having to stay overnight in an hotel and then deliver tomorrow.
No, they are not coffins.
We had ordered some new units for the living room.
The Gorse Fox looked at the weight stamped on the boxes and realised he would need help. He called on Old Bill who came over to lend some muscle.
What did take a while was rerouting all of the wires and cables and then getting the TV and the Sky-Q all working again happily.
Finally it's done and everything is setup in readiness for the England football tonight.
Monday, July 02, 2018
Problems with Pi
As the reader may know, the Gorse Fox has several Raspberry Pi computers. There's 'redkite', 'peregrine', 'tawnyowl', and 'falcon'. At the moment 'redkite' is sitting on the desk waiting to be repurposed. The other three are all operating. The problem is that the Gorse Fox can't remember where, physically, he has put 'tawnyowl'. It's not a major issue at this moment, he was only going to slap a label on it, but that's a lot easier to do if you can find it!
Doh!
Doh!
Study
The Gorse Fox has just made the first pass at tidying his study. Several more passes will be required, but there's no sense in hurrying things.
eBay
With some new furniture scheduled to arrive this week, the Gorse Fox started the day (or should he say re-started the day) with some photos of our existing consoles table. There will be no place for this is in the new living room design/layout. It is, however, such a nice piece that it would be wrong to ditch it. It is now nestling on eBay awaiting a new owner to fall in love with it.
As for restarting the day... it seems that Jasper was wide awake at 5 a.m. and determined that we should be also. In the end the Gorse Fox got up and triggered his breakfast timer and opened the back door to provide him the opportunity to eat and take a post-prandial stroll. The Gorse Fox went back to bed and Jasper left us alone.
As for restarting the day... it seems that Jasper was wide awake at 5 a.m. and determined that we should be also. In the end the Gorse Fox got up and triggered his breakfast timer and opened the back door to provide him the opportunity to eat and take a post-prandial stroll. The Gorse Fox went back to bed and Jasper left us alone.
Sunday, July 01, 2018
Good mix
Today was a good mix. The sun was high. The temperatures were drifting around 29-30C and there was football to play. The Gorse Fox headed off to the arena and ended up playing for the yellow-bibs. He had been instrumental in allocating the teams and through he had it about even.
At half-time it was 6-6. The Gorse Fox had actually diverted two goals into his own net. The goalie wasn't amused. In the second half we quickly gave away two more goals but then we hit our stride. Two goals from the Gorse Fox started the run and in the end we rolled off the court 14-10 winners. It had been hot but fitness had made the difference.
Home and showered, the Gorse Fox emptied his kit bag. The water bottle had leaked and everything was soaked. It was left out in the Orangery to dry. Meanwhile we headed out for the afternoon.
Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete had invited us round for a BBQ. We had a lovely afternoon playing with Ellie and enjoying the family company.
Ellie made the most of her little paddling pool (sited carefully in the shade). She was clearly dressed as a member of the French Foreign Legion on holiday in Brighton. She clearly loves the water.
We heard all about their holiday and the latest mischief (and tantrums) from Ellie. They clearly had a wonderful week for camping even if the temperature in the tent did soar into the mid 30s at times.
At half-time it was 6-6. The Gorse Fox had actually diverted two goals into his own net. The goalie wasn't amused. In the second half we quickly gave away two more goals but then we hit our stride. Two goals from the Gorse Fox started the run and in the end we rolled off the court 14-10 winners. It had been hot but fitness had made the difference.
Home and showered, the Gorse Fox emptied his kit bag. The water bottle had leaked and everything was soaked. It was left out in the Orangery to dry. Meanwhile we headed out for the afternoon.
Ellie made the most of her little paddling pool (sited carefully in the shade). She was clearly dressed as a member of the French Foreign Legion on holiday in Brighton. She clearly loves the water.
We heard all about their holiday and the latest mischief (and tantrums) from Ellie. They clearly had a wonderful week for camping even if the temperature in the tent did soar into the mid 30s at times.
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