Fiddly

The Gorse Fox was awake early and as he was getting fidgety, he got up. It had been cold overnight and it looked as if there was frost on the Orangery roof. The broke through and it quickly lifted and turned into a lovely day.

The morning had been set aside to clean the oven's glass doors. This may sound trivial, but reading the manuals, the Gorse Fox was under no illusions. It was clear this was going to be very fiddly. The Gorse Fox was right to be apprehensive - as he started with the top oven and managed to get the glass panels off he knew that the re-assembly was going to be a beast. The glass panels cleaned up well enough and the inner panel slipped back into place easily. The outer panel, however, must have taken nearly 30 minutes to re-fit.

With the top oven done, Gorse Fox started on the main oven. This had to start with locking the hinges in place. This would have been a lot easier if the locks had looked anything like the illustrations in the manual. Eventually, the Gorse Fox realised where these locks were and from there on it was moderately straightforward. All four glass panels were removed and cleaned (very slowly) then reassembled. All in it had probably taken about 90 minutes but at least they are all clean now. The oven itself will probably be cleaned tomorrow.

In parallel to this, the Silver Vixen has been writing Jasper's biography (or is it his C.V.). With an upcoming stay at the cattery, it was important to provide all the necessary background information for the owner.

Lifting

The rain settled in overnight. There was an amber weather warning for heavy rain and it set to stay in place until midnight tonight (Monday). We have clearly been on the very edge of this. The rain has been incessant but not too heavy throughout the morning. Now, mid-afternoon, it has stopped.

The Gorse Fox's shoulder seems to be easing, at last. He still can't lift his arm above about 45 degrees, but the acute discomfort has all but gone. Hopefully a bit more care and support and it may resolve itself entirely.  He's decided to forego football again tomorrow. It would be silly to risk a fall or a clash with some other player  that triggered it all off again. He hasn't yet decided about Wednesday, but suspects it would be sensible to cancel that also.

Sore

Shoulder was still playing up so the Gorse Fox had to duck out of football this morning. Subsequent emails have revealed that it was probably a smart move as traffic was at a virtual standstill all round the area.

Felling sorry for himself. the Gorse Fox didn't really do much during the morning and by lunchtime had installed himself in front of the TV. The Silver Vixen had popped across to see Old Bill and Lady Penelope to see if they could provide cover for Jasper when we head off to bandit country for a family do in several weeks time.

Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete had invited us over for lunch so, mid-afternoon we zipped across to LA. Traffic was till gridlocked eastbound - but we were ok westbound. We had a lovely few hours and a delicious Sunday lunch... Lovely afternoon.

When we got home we found that Jasper had been sick on the carpets in four separate locations on the stairs and upstairs. Not quite the way we had intended to spend the early evening - but we set about the mess with tissue, water, bicarbonate of soda and a bit of elbow grease. Will have to leave this until tomorrow before vacuuming up - but hopefully it will do the trick.

Dry run

It has been a fairly relaxed day. The Silver Vixen has been catching up on some washing and getting some of her things ironed. The Gorse Fox will iron his stuff when it is dry. (He has a slight problem with his shoulder at present and couldn't lift his arm to use the iron anyway. He's sure it will settle in a day or so).

We have also been having a run through of the checklists for our next trip. (These trips are beginning to stack up rather). Recently we had two new suitcases delivered. Today was an occasion to have a bit of a dry run in terms of packing. Was there sufficient space? Can we make do with the one case each? What would go in hand luggage? What would be needed for overnight? All questions that are best answered well in advance. What it did throw up was the fact that the Gorse Fox's old shorts were not going to be serviceable - they are huge! He recently bought a new pair from M&S think the two pairs would be ample. Not so, there's only the one pair... so he logged on to M&S and ordered a second pair.

Talking of orders, the Gorse Fox ordered some accessories for the pressure washer last week. They were dispatched on Monday and should have arrived on Thursday. Still no sight of them. The Gorse Fox wrote to the company and pointed out the delay and the fact that they had not provided a tracking number. They quickly got back and said the Gorse Fox should leave it the full 7 days - but by the way here's the tracking number. The Gorse Fox logged on to the Royal Mail site and entered the tracking number. It would be interesting to see what had happened to the accessories. Oh no, this is really useful - it will only give you tracking details once they have tried to deliver it (by which time you probably don't care about the tracking details). Someone hasn't really thought through the use case!

Bubbles

It was a slow start. The Gorse Fox was up first and had quite a while to himself before he heard Ellie stirring upstairs. That was the trigger for everything to begin. The Silver Vixen swung into action and alongside the usual breakfast preparation she had to consider swimming. Friday morning involves a swimming session for Ellie. As Urban-Cub was working it fell on G-force to step in.

We headed across to Worthing, Ellie and the Silver Vixen dropped into the waters of the hydrotherapy pool and the Gorse Fox sat and watched. The host for the session took each of the children through a series of simple games so that they felt perfectly at ease in the water. Ellie clearly loved it and the Silver Vixen enjoyed the warmth of the water. Once the session was over and Ellie was dressed, the Gorse Fox took over  while the Silver Vixen got dressed. By now Ellie was getting hungry so he sat and fed her while we waited.

What a good job we had the presence of mind to feed her before heading home. The traffic was horrendous and it took 75 minutes to get back - a journey that should only have taken 30. The rest of the day was spent on patrol as Ellie wandered round. The Gorse Fox was very proud that she had found the duck tape and was clutching that like a well-loved toy. If he could just get her to play with the cable ties, her education would be complete.

Pistol Pete collected Ellie on his way back from work, The evening seemed remarkably quiet.

Mischief

The Silver Vixen was scheduled to be out with her coven at some workshop (How to sew batwings onto a blind newt or caring for your black cat, or something similar). She needed to leave early so Ellie decided to have a lie-in. This pushed the Silver Vixen's time frame a little - but the Gorse Fox was happy to step in.

What should she have for breakfast, he asked himself? Egg, bacon, sausages, hash browns, mushrooms, and baked beans? Maybe not. She had to make do with scrambled eggs and yoghurt. (Not together, you understand - one after the other).Pistol Pete arrived soon after breakfast to pick her up.

The house seemed rather quiet once she had gone. The Gorse Fox grabbed some breakfast for himself and was just heading for the running machine when Ocado turned up. Once everything was packed away he went and did the accounts. That got him thinking about admin and reminded him that we have a pass for the airport lounges. When it was renewed last year, we were meant to re-register. Ooops. He dug out the paperwork and followed the process. Simple enough, except that it is a joint "account" with each of us having our own card... and the Silver Vixen needed to register separately. This required a code sent last August. The Gorse Fox picked up the phone and after a long chat with customer service, he managed to get the Silver Vixen registered.

He's also managed to book a room for our possible trip to Wales. It can be cancelled without penalty so there's no risk, but he felt it was important to get something reserved.

Afternoon, so far, has been spent watching a very heavy shower pass over while he was on the running machine.

That's the mischief he gets up to when the Silver Vixen is away. Talk about living on the edge.

That was close

It was a bright start but the day was typical for April - sunshine and showers (some of which were quite heavy). The Gorse Fox had not been amused by an 04:30 attack by Jasper. A well placed flick of the leg put an end to that.

Once up we moved into DefCon 2. Urban-Cub was due with Ellie.  She was on a shift that allowed her to go in at a more sensible time, so she dropped Ellie off with us before heading to Gatwick. When the Gorse Fox refers to "us", it's a bit of a cheek as he was off to play football for the morning. The Silver Vixen was in charge!

The football was peculiar. We (the yellow-bibs) lost 5-2, but on paper you would not have expected us to lose at all. The Gorse Fox was pleased to score one of our two goal - keeping up the one-a-week average.

Back home we were in full Ellie support mode. This heightened as she waddled towards the stairs and, without hesitation, started to climb them. This was a warning to be careful, but the Gorse Fox was in close support. This is probably just as well. When she had decided she had gone high enough she just turned round and stepped into thin air. Granddad was there and caught her before she had even realised what was happening. The stair gate will have to get pressed into use.

There is a family party scheduled soon. The Silver Vixen and Gorse Fox have resolved to go, on the assumption that we can get cover for Jasper. The Gorse Fox has spent the few odd moments available this afternoon to see if there is an hotel close by that has availability and is of a suitable standard. (This will, after all, be in the bandit lands of Wales).

Who yer gonna call?

The Gorse Fox had just dragged himself downstairs. He hadn't even filled the coffee machine when the phone rang. It was Urban-Cub. She had received a call from her child-minder who's child was poorly and heading for hospital. G-force to the rescue. The Gorse Fox hopped in the car and headed for LA to pick up Ellie. Traffic was slow, but we were home within the hour and certainly before the roadworks on the A259 had any serious impact.

Coffee was the first thought. For the Gorse Fox, not Ellie. She had her breakfast under the watchful eye of the Silver Vixen. The Silver Vixen, however, was due at the hairdresser so the Gorse Fox would be in sole command. This meant that in the general hierarchy of things he had risen and was now only superseded by Jasper and Ellie.

There were no problems. She chuckled and chortled, then mid-morning demanded a bottle. Filled with warm milk, the Gorse Fox took her up to her cot where she slept for a while. Indeed she only woke when Pistol Pete arrived at midday to collect her. He had been at an interview and was fairly happy with the way it had panned out. Later we got a call from Urban-Cub to say that he had got the position and this was a huge relief to us all as it meant that he could transfer from Lewes to Ford (which is just round the corner from home).

The Silver Vixen arrived back just as the Gorse Fox finished an hour on the running machine. We grabbed a snack for lunch then the Gorse Fox headed out for a quick raid on Sainsbury's. Fresh salad is on the menu for tonight along with some grilled chicken.

Drain

COoler again today, but bright and sunny. Certainly nothing to complain about. The Gorse Fox observes that it is St George's day and as such social media is filled with those who celebrate England's patron Saint's day - and those who despise the English flag and everything that comes with it. Rather pathetic really.

The morning was spent catching up on the accounts. The Gorse Fox didn't get round to them last week as Ellie rather filled the usual "admin day". Not to worry - all done now. He also had a look for any deals that might be available for car parking at Southampton during our trip to Guernsey. It looks as if, by booking early, the Gorse Fox can get a deal for 48GBP instead of 102GBP. He has set up a reminder to get this done next month.

The Gorse Fox fired up the old Samsung netbook (Hawk). This has the new battery and has been sitting around doing nothing since the battery was fitted, drained, then fully charged. He was delighted to see that the battery has only lost 2% of its charge over the last 4 or 5 days.

Lightning

Well last night we had several hours of heavy rain and three or four hours of lightning - though very little thunder. This morning the Gorse Fox was surprised to find everything had dried up and the sun was shining. It wasn't as warm as it has been, but it was certainly a lovely day.

There was no football today as several of the regulars were unavailable. That seemed like a good excuse for the Gorse Fox to head out with the Silver Vixen to Haskin's for breakfast. It seems to be getting ever more popular as we joined the queue. There was no hurry so we waited our turn and loaded up with a "full English" with tea and coffee. We had a lovely couple of hours before heading home.

Back home, the Gorse Fox grabbed the jet-washer and made a start on the paths in the back garden. It took about an hour, but all the stains, mildew, and winter's detritus have been blasted away and it looks as good as new. The biggest problem is that the hose didn't quite stretch far enough. The Gorse Fox may have to get a short extension to reach the last few paving slabs.

We got a message from Urban-Cub. Pistol Pete had been called in to the Prison to help deal with some "unrest". She was at a loose end so brought Ellie across and spent the afternoon with us. This worked well because the Gorse Fox's little sister was visiting Beloved Aunt in Toronto. She called, using Facetime, and we had a nice long chat with Beloved Aunt and she had a chance to say hello to Ellie.

Plants

Another lovely day - though not quite as hot as the last two. Soon after lunch, some high cloud blocked the sun, but by late afternoon that had lifted.

It was a fairly uneventful day. The morning was spent preparing for a forthcoming trip. There was currency to order - and the Gorse Fox had just missed the week's peak exchange rates. It wasn't bad at $1.37 to the GBP.... but a few days ago he would have got $1.42.

On the off-chance, The Gorse Fox phoned the Barber's. She could just squeeze him in - it was either today or some time next week. The Gorse Fox decided it had to be today.

Late afternoon we had a game of chess with the pots in the garden. Acers needed to be moved, as did palms, and fuchsias. Plants had started to swamp each other and it was time to shuffle things around a bit. It didn't take too long, but it looks a lot better now.

Maxims

There is an old saying "a watched pot never boils". Well the Gorse Fox corollary to that is "an ignored pot burns".

The Gorse Fox has been making up the sauce for tonight's curry from scratch and got distracted at the stage that says "allow the mixture to reduce".

He fears it may be just slightly burnt (it does look rather good though). Just the fish to add when we are getting ready to eat.

Note to anyone that cares - this is based on the recipe known as BIR (British Indian Restaurant) curry sauce.

Quiet please

It's another fabulous day. The car registered the outside temperature as 25C and it has certainly ramped up a little since then.

Ellie slept through the night and in the end the Gorse Fox probably woke her when he made the coffee first thing. She was her usual chirpy self - even if her appetite was a little subdued, probably because of the heat. We did our usual tag-team as we all got ready and the Silver Vixen washed and dressed Ellie. We had to get her home to Urban-Cub as she had her weekly swimming session late morning.

Urban-Cub's was a hive of activity with Jake getting ready for work, Pistol Pete out walking the dog,  and a tiler busy in the bathroom. The family bathroom was only half tiled and as Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete want to put a proper shower in, they decided that the tiling had to be finished to the ceiling. The tiler from the developer was happy to do this and should be finished by lunchtime. Plumber is scheduled for next week to sort out the shower itself.

We left them to it and headed for Chichester. The Silver Vixen had ordered some "click and collect" trousers from one of the stores and had been informed they were ready. It's a good job she checked them. One pair was too small and the other pair turned out to be a cap! So much for automated warehousing.

Quiet afternoon in the Orangery but the Gorse Fox will make a start on this evening's fish curry soon.

Gravity

Fabulous weather all day today. Orangery opened up, rill was running, garden furniture covers removed and the furniture cleaned. The evening news says that it was the warmest April day for 70 years. You'll hear no complaints from here.

Urban-Cub turned up with Ellie first thing. We would be looking after Ellie until tomorrow morning. She's getting to grips with this walking lark. Urban-Cub had rung the doorbell and when the Gorse Fox answered, there was Ellie walking up the path by herself. She spent the next hour or two exploring the Orangery and the garden with the Gorse Fox in close escort. Despite his close ministrations she was overcome by the perilous forces of gravity and tripped. She banged her head on the corner of the skirting board and has a small cut and lump. Bizarre as it sounds, the Gorse Fox was glad that Urban-Cub was there to see it happen... it was so much easier than explaining later!

The day has basically revolved round Ellie, her meals, and her sleep. The rest of the time we tag teamed her. As the Gorse Fox writes this the Silver Vixen is making up her bed prior to taking her for a bath. As the Gorse Fox went in to check on her, he found her with one leg over the side of the cot (Ellie, that is, not the Silver Vixen). He will have to see if the base can be lowered further.

Meanwhile the day has been interspersed with deliveries. The Gorse Fox's new battery for the netbook, some new suitcases, and a new buggy for Ellie. White van man has been busy today.

Charging

New battery has arrived for the old netbook. It's installed and working and seems to be holding a good charge. The Gorse Fox is very pleased! This has resurrected a much-loved machine.

Now that's better

Wall to wall sunshine today. Temperature in low 20s. Perfect.

The morning was filled with the usual commitments. The Silver Vixen headed off to Pilates and soon after, the Gorse Fox headed off to football. Usually he heads off without a thought. Today, however, he thought to check on the traffic with Google. That turned out to be inspired. The routes he normally takes were a sea of red. He chose another route and arrived without delays or incidents.

Today was a 6-v-7 game. The 6, in orange, had two of the most mobile players (one, a firearms office from the Police - based at Gatwick). The Gorse Fox was on the 7 team playing in yellow. It was hard work at first and by half time we were 3-1 down. In the second half, the Gorse Fox decided to stop chasing them and make them chase him. This changed the game and took the pressure off. By the end of the hour we had clawed our way back and ended up as 4-3 winners - though the Gorse Fox didn't manage to score today.

Back home there were some chores to complete. We are meeting up with the Sonning Crew tonight and have invited them back here after our crew curry.

Cousteau calling

Another lovely day. Warm sunshine from first thing through until mid afternoon when it clouded over.

It was a lovely day for football. This was the first time this season the Gorse Fox has allowed his legs out! Up until now he has worn a tracksuit, but it was warm enough to wear shorts today.  In the first hour, the Gorse Fox played for the red-bibs. We did well with two wins and a draw. The Gorse Fox was playing as a disciplined defender today - not straying or roaming from his position. This worked well and we only conceded one goal in the three games.

In the second hour, the Gorse Fox played for the blue-bibs. This was looking quite difficult and the first game was a 3-1 loss which the Gorse Fox was worried would set the pattern for the next two games. He needn't have worried. We drew the second game then won the last game.

Back home and showered the Gorse Fox headed out. There was stuff to take to the recycling centre (tip), the car needed filling up, and there were bits and pieces he wanted from Sainsbury's.

The afternoon was quiet with the Silver Vixen out with her coven, but Cousteau-Cub did phone for a chat. It was the first time we had heard from her since she returned to Thailand. She has shaken off the cold she had travelled back with and had been diving most days. It was funny to hear that, while with us, she had become hooked on Celebrity Bake Off and Masterchef since her trip and was working through them on YouTube. Even the Coventry Hobbit has succumbed to the shows. Cousteau-Cub is off to Phuket so we'll hopefully get to chat some more in the next couple of days.

Minty

Well it took several tries of several distros, but eventually the Gorse Fox managed to get the Sammy 'Hawk' to boot correctly. He's using a flavour of Linux called 'Mint' - and it seems ok so far. (Needless to say the Gorse Fox is using Hawk to write this blog entry).

Busy busy

Gorgeous day. Wall to wall sunshine.

We started with a trip to the vet. Not for us, you understand, but for Jasper. It was time for his annual inoculations. This seemed to go more smoothly than usual. Maybe we caught him unawares.

Once home the Gorse Fox refitted the dash cam in the Silver Vixen's car. This had fallen off and kept falling off. He thought that he's have one more go before resorting to something sticky! So far it has worked.

One of his favourite PCs is an old Samsung netbook (at least 8 years old). The problem is that its battery won't hold any charge. He found a supplier today where he can get a new battery (covered by warranty). This triggered him to plug the machine in and try to bring it up to date. This was not as successful as he had hoped... and as he write this a second installation is under way. The basic stuff seems to install, but the screen drivers don't! When you then try to boot the system you get rubbish across the screen. Will have to see what happens. It would be nice to get it working again after all this time.

Mixed

The weather was mixed. In the morning it was bright but overcast. Soon after lunch we had some heavy rain, but by mid afternoon the sun was out and it was really warming up.

The Gorse Fox headed across to Ford for the football. Roadworks are plaguing the route so the Gorse Fox resolved to take the long way back after the game. This double the journey length but probably halved the time. The football was a 6-v-5 / 5-v-6 game. Our yellow bibs had the 6 players in the first half, then 5 in the second half. It worked well, but the Gorse Fox's yellow-bibs were 6-0 head by half time. One of those goals was from the Gorse Fox. In the second half it was harder being a man down, but we dug in. The Gorse Fox scored another goal and by the end we had stretched it 12-4.

During the afternoon we heard from Urban-Cub. She was meant to be at work, but had picked up some sickness-bug and wasn't risking it.

Along the Coast

I was a bit of a misty start but that soon burnt away to leave a lovely sunny day. Is Spring finally arriving? The Gorse Fox hopes so.

He popped in to Bognor first thing. There was the package to collect from the Post Office - and he wanted some new trainers. There is a large Sports Direct shop in Bognor (much bigger than the one in Chichester). This would have a much better selection from which to choose. He wasn't long - the shops were quiet at that time of the morning and he left clutching a nice new pair of bright blue trainers.

Back home the Silver Vixen was intent on cleaning the inside of her car so while she did that the Gorse Fox went and cleaned the rill. He must have collected 4 or 5 kilos of blanket weed before adding some light bleach to try and keep it clear. It certainly looks nice and clear now, so it was worth the effort. Whilst out there he also turned the jet-wash on the patio. This had developed some discoloration. Ten minutes under the water jets and it was as bright as when first laid.

The Gorse Fox had the bit between his teeth. He moved into the front. Both cars were given the shampoo and jet-wash treatment. It had been a busy morning.

Early afternoon we headed across to see Urban-Cub. It was a just a flying visit, but and excuse to say hello and see Ellie. Then we continued east along the Coast to Brighton. We had arranged to visit and go out for dinner with the Silver Vixen's cousins.

As usual, their hospitality was faultless and we enjoyed a lovely chat and some tea in their kitchen extension. Rick Wakeman has been working on this for quite a while. It's not quite finished, but is certainly looking good. We caught up on the lates news before heading out to dinner at Danny's. We have eaten there before, it is a Chinese restaurant where pay a single price and then order anything you like, as often as you like. It cooked "on demand" and brought to the table. The quality is superb and it is clearly very popular. The place was very busy, but with such good quality and good value for money it's not really surprising.

We went back to the house and sat and chatted for a couple more hours. All the latest on families, a bit of genealogy, holiday plans, and anecdotes about health and work were shared. It was getting late and we bade our goodbyes before heading home. It had been a lovely evening.

Retail therapy

There is a list of items that we need in preparation for the the forthcoming holiday and the family wedding that will immediately follow our return. Today seemed like a good opportunity to make a start. So it was that the Gorse Fox and the Silver Vixen made our way into Chichester for some "retail therapy".

We split up on arrival - often the most practical approach. the Silver Vixen headed off with her list and the Gorse Fox started on his. After an hour or so the Gorse Fox was mostly done and had shuttled his purchases back to the car. After a quick exchange of text messages we met up and headed off to get some lunch. We ended up, as we often do,  at The Chantry. Not exactly "fine dining" but good food and good value for money, with nice staff thrown in for good measure.

Fed, we returned to the shops. The Silver Vixen needed a dress for the family wedding so we set about the department store. Several were viewed and rejected, several more tried on and rejected, then we found the perfect candidate - and it fitted perfectly. Done.

Last stop was M&S for a few additional bit for the Gorse Fox. This turned out to be more difficult than planned as the sizes/colours that the Gorse Fox wanted were not available in store. This meant ordering online and a collection tomorrow. Sounds easy enough. Oh no! They had trouble logging on, they had trouble finding the articles, they couldn't select the colour, their internal iPad driven website looked almost unusable. In fact one item had to be ignored and the Gorse Fox ordered it when he got home.

Having stayed in yesterday for deliveries - there was clearly a delivery today whilst we were out. As this needed a signature it has gone back to the Royal Mail depot and the Gorse Fox will have to collect it. Oh well - it is Friday the 13th.

Deliveries

Thursday must mean administration.

We had a relaxed start to the day. It was a bit grey out, but at least it was not wet. The longest task for the day was the accounts. Whilst the daily spend was up to date, the spreadsheet had not been cross-checked against the various account statements for about a month. This always takes a while, but with all the stories you hear regarding credit card fraud and online scams it seems like an important self-protection measure.

In parallel with the accounts, the Gorse Fox had a row with British Gas. He pays for an annual maintenance of the boiler and it had been canceled in January with a promise they would rebook. So far they hadn't. The discussion went like this:

I'll book something in for you now. Just so we can make sure we give the engineer enough time, is everything working okay with your boiler and central heating system, as far as you’re aware?  

The Gorse Fox  (10:06:52 GMT) : Yes everything is working fine, but I'm paying for an annual service and want to keep everything in tip-top condition 

Shannon (10:07:29 GMT) : I understand. Are there any other gas appliances that you would like us to service whilst the engineer is there? 

The Gorse Fox (10:08:00 GMT) : No. The only other gas appliance is my hob and that is working just fine

Shannon (10:09:33 GMT) : We could attend on Tuesday 5th June? Would you prefer 8-10, 10-12, 12-2 or 2-4? 

The Gorse Fox  (10:10:48 GMT) : Well 2-4 would be best but I think that is rather taking the mickey. I'm paying for an "Annual" service not an 18-month service. 

Shannon (10:11:28 GMT) : I'm afraid the service can be conducted at any point in the contract year. This is the next available appointment I have for you. May I please take the best contact number for the engineer to call when they’re on their way? If it's a mobile, we'll also send a text confirming the appointment.

The Gorse Fox (10:13:11 GMT) : So with careful diary management you could actually perform my "annual" service every 23 months

It was clear that Shannon was in no position to do anything. The Gorse Fox signed off and resolved to cancel the contract when the service has been completed.

While this was going on, the Silver Vixen had driven across to LA to collect Ellie. The Gorse Fox stayed put as he was expecting some deliveries from the nice Mr Amazon.

Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete had to empty their bedroom of all furniture ready for the chaps to come in and install fitted  units. The plan is that they will "camp" in their living room until the work is finished next week. So we looked after Ellie for a couple of hours while they finished and got some shopping done.

As usual she was full of joy and chuckles and kept us on our toes as she charged around. She seems to have mastered this walking lark!

Disallowed

Though there had been more heavy rain over night, the Gorse Fox woke up to bright sunshine. The Silver Vixen headed out for Pilates and the Gorse Fox made his way to Worthing for the football.

It was a relaxed affair with a fairly even spread of 6-a-side. One of the chaps brought his grandson along to keep us on our toes. The score ticked up very slowly - first us, then them, then us and so forth. The final score ended up 8-7 to the other team. The Gorse Fox had scored 3 goals but one had been disallowed. The ref "claimed" that the Gorse Fox had been running. He cannot believe such a thing could be true... so feels it a a moral draw of 8-8, even if it was an actual 8-7.

This afternoon, the Gorse Fox has been herding cats. He's been trying to arrange a lunch for the VM Old Gits. Attempting to get a date where we have a sensible quorum has been impossible - particularly if trying to factor in the dates when our US colleague is in the UK. In the end the Gorse Fox has made an executive decision. We will meet one Friday in July and people can take it or leave it. (There will be a further date in the autumn for stragglers).

Only one hour

The forecast was not promising and it was raining heavily when the Gorse Fox came down. It did soon stop, however, and he was cautious enough to take a change of clothing when heading out for football.

The Silver Vixen also had plans. She was meeting up with a friend and attending a meeting of the Embroiderers' Guild. We headed off in our separate directions.

The Gorse Fox played for the yellow-bibs in the first hour. Again, he was lucky enough to play with some good ball players and as a result we won the session with a 3-1 win and two draws. The Gorse Fox was on the score sheet again with a sneaky little goal scored as he ghosted up, unnoticed as a free-kick was being taken. Unmarked, he just passed the ball straight into the net.

The second hour was less interesting. It was cancelled. There were only 4 of us there. There had been a tournament yesterday and the turnout today was affected. The Gorse Fox headed home. Despite the forecast, it had remained dry throughout.

Committee decision

The committee has made a decision. Guernsey it is.

Holidays

Why is it that selecting a holiday takes so long? The Silver Vixen suggested we book a further vacation for later in the year. As she was out for much of the day, the Gorse Fox started to look at various options.

The starting point was our wedding anniversary (45 years, Sapphire, this year)... which is in high summer. The location that cam to mind was Guernsey, where we had our Honeymoon. Seemed like a good idea. Then you start to select accommodation and transport... and filter by the dates. Suddenly the prices look a little startling and make you wonder if a trip further afield may actually work out better.

Hello Expedia, Thomas Cook, TUI, Secret Escapes, and all of the other reputable sites. The trouble is, where do you go? Gran Canaria, Madeira, Madrid, Lake Garda, the Amalfi coast, the list goes on. The Gorse Fox rejected Mexico and the US because they seem a bit far for one week. He rejected Turkey and Egypt because they seem a little unstable. He rejected France because it's France. He rejected Thailand because, again, it seems a little far for just one week.

This will have to go before the committee (i.e. the Silver Vixen) and we will narrow it down. The Gorse Fox suspects we will end up in Guernsey after all.

On a side note, the Gorse Fox heard from Cousteau-Cub today. She had a good trip back to Thailand but has a stinking cold (the pleasures of a cool and wet English spring). She has had to get a new nano-SIM for her phone and couldn't keep her old number so it's taken a while for her to get back on the grid.

Prep

The countdown to our trip has started. There's still a few weeks to go, but now it's time to get started on the preparation. This calls for a well thought-out list. The Gorse Fox has plans from previous trips all filed away. They provided the basis for the new plan. These cover documentation, currency, shopping, Jasper, shutting the house down, accommodations, transport and heavens knows what else.

Mid-morning, the Gorse Fox headed off for football. It was an easy 5-a-side today. That always allows a bit more room to move about. The Gorse Fox played for the yellow-bibs and we soon started to move ahead. The Gorse Fox scored a lovely curling shot into the top corner of the net... but it was only the one of our twelve goals. We conceded five, so it was a good win. The Gorse Fox was glad we had been playing indoors as it was a very wet and miserable day.

Back home it was back to the plans. The Silver Vixen was going through her clothes storage looking for stuff that's suitable for the trip. The Gorse Fox printed a number of the relevant documents and stored them in the travel pouch (as well as keeping electronic copies in Evernote).

Gosh it's quiet

Gosh the house seems quiet without Cousteau-cub or Ellie. The day has really revolved around getting everything back to normal and catching up on the various little domestic chores that were necessary.

Floors cleaned and washed, ironing done, and the Silver Vixen has been moving stuff back out of her sewing room to the various default locations where they belong.

Meanwhile the Gorse Fox had a conversation with the "Fraud department" of the credit card company. They had intercepted a payment which was out of the ordinary. As it happens it was perfectly valid, but the Gorse Fox was glad they were alert. He phoned the number given in the text message. They asked for the card number and then started to ask some security questions. Now, the Gorse Fox can be a bit paranoid. What if the text message was scam? He was cautious.

We can't access your account without the security checks, she said. OK said the Gorse Fox, but I need to be certain you are the Fraud Department of Card Issuer. Can you confirm to the Gorse Fox what his initials are? Yes sir, she said... but first you must give me you full name. Doh!

The Gorse Fox changed tack, he would give the name, but nothing else until she could answer a question based on what was in the account. This proved successful and his paranoia proven to be misplaced in this case. The issue got resolved and the Gorse Fox returned to the afternoon's activity - filing and categorising photos.

Farewell

It is that day. We dread it every time. Cousteau-Cub was going back to Thailand and we would have to say goodbye again.

The day started brightly and it was a fairly relaxed morning as Cousteau-Cub packed and got her stuff together in preparation. Ellie toddled round trying to help - usually by removing things that had just been packed. There was a mid-morning trip round to Sainsbury's but then everything was ready and we set off for the airport.

The journey was pretty trouble-free until we got to the M25 (can the Gorse Fox hear you gasp in surprise?). That tuned out to be immensely slow as we edged our way round to Terminal 5.

At the airport we parked up and headed into the departure lounge. Ellie was intrigued by such a huge building and so many people wandering around. Cousteau-Cub completed her bag-drop and picked up her boarding pass... then we headed for a restaurant to grab something to eat and to feed Ellie.

She was so well behaved and, as usual, seemed to captivate all around her. Once she had finished her food she wanted to get up and walk around. We took it in turned to walk with her as we waited for and eventually ate our lunch.

By the time we had finished it was time for Cousteau-Cub to go through to the gate. Indeed by the time we had cleared away and were walking back to the car, she phoned to say she was in the queue to board.

That's it now until her next trip - but hopefully that won't be too long.

The journey home was dreadful and took nearly two and a half hours. Despite that, Ellie remained amusing and chirpy in the car for most of the journey - finally falling asleep as we got into Sussex. We took her straight home to Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete, then headed home for a quiet evening.

Out and about

It is Cousteau-Cub's last full day before she returns to Thailand. We had a slow start as there was little to be done before Ocado had delivered. Once everything had been put away we waited for Urban-Cub to turn up with Ellie. The plan was to head into Chichester.

It was a bright and sunny day, if a little cool. We made our way along East Street and Cousteau-Cub, Urban-Cub and the Silver Vixen made the most of the various fashion outlets along the road. The Gorse Fox dropped in to Turner's to buy some of their superb pies and get them to put them to one side until we returned.

We stopped along the way at Crispin's Cafe. This is a small and unassuming little place, but we have been in several times before. It is very welcoming and one table is set aside for families with a pushchair. We tucked ourselves into the corner and ordered lunch. Ellie was keeping the proprietor amused with her flirting.

With the main course complete, Cousteau-Cub tried Ellie with a little bit of hot chocolate (now cool). Clearly she liked this. We decided to experiment further. A small portion of chocolate ice cream was ordered.

Watching Ellie's face as she experienced ice cream for the first time was an absolute treat. She clearly loved it and kept coming back for more, but she made some wonderful faces as she swallowed the ice cream.

After we finished with lunch we carried on round the shops of Chichester before heading home. Urban-Cub stayed for a while, but had to leave so that she get supper prepared at home and get to bed as she is on an early shift in the morning. Ellie stayed with G-force (strengthened by Cousteau-Cub's presence). As the Gorse Fox writes this there is a huge amount of noise and splashing coming from a suds-filled bathroom.

Going swimming

The Gorse Fox skipped football this morning. Urban-cub had booked the hydrotherapy pool for us. This pool is where Ellie has been having here weekly pool sessions. By making a private booking, the Silver Vixen and Cousteau-cub could join i and we were allowed to take photos. (Photos are strictly forbidden in the open sessions).

The Gorse Fox went along, but sat it out. He wanted to watch and to take some photos of the fun. Ellie was certainly very happy in the water,/just as Urban-cub and Cousteau-cub had been when they were small. They all clearly had a great time.

Back home the Gorse Fox has been trying to work out how to get the photos from his camera onto his Lenovo Tablet. It took a bit of fiddling about as it wasn't quite as obvious as you might expect. Anyway, they are there now, and this blog entry is being written on the tablet.

Sense

The weather has warmed up a bit and whilst overcast there was a definite improvement. Forecasts suggest it could be 16C by the end of the week.

The Gorse Fox did the car dance then, with Cousteau-cub on board headed across to LA.

Cousteau-cub was spending the morning with Urban-cub and Ellie. They had arranged to go to a "sensory room" somewhere in Worthing. These rooms are designed to both stimulate and calm young children with light and sound. Ellie was clearly impressed and Cousteau-cub took some lovely photos.

Meanwhile the Silver Vixen had set off for Chichester. There were clothes to get in preparation for our forthcoming trip... and she prefers to shop without the Gorse Fox hanging around.

The Gorse Fox went to football. The team selections for both hours worked kindly for him. In both cases he was in teams with good ball players and with at least one other good defender. This always makes the game more fun as it allows a degree of freedom for the Gorse Fox to roam when the opportunity arises. In the first hour, we drew two games and won one. In the second hour we drew one game, and one two. The Gorse Fox, while taking the opportunity to roam forward, scored one goal and hit the post twice. A very enjoyable couple of hours.

Back home Cousteau-cub, Urban-cub and Ellie got back early afternoon and all stayed for the rest of the afternoon and for supper. Pistol Pete was back at work and was likely to be late home so it made sense for them to stay until after Ellie's bath. Once they had gone, Cousteau-cub, the Silver ~Vixen and Gorse Fox had a quiet evening watching TV.

Calm

After the excitement of yesterday, today was calm and quiet. Cousteau-Cub was still with Urban-Cub so the Silver Vixen and the Gorse Fox had a very lazy morning. It was pouring with rain so there was little incentive to go out - even though the Silver Vixen did want to roam round Chichester.

The Gorse Fox spent the morning processing photos from the weekend and working on his private blog. There was news from Facebook that he had a new cousin - so she had to be registered in the family tree, but that didn't take long. By this time the Silver Vixen was on the phone to the Gorse Fox's little sister... time would go by, new rock sediments would form, and new fossils would develop before they had finished. The Gorse Fox helped himself to some lunch.

Urban-Cub and Cousteau-Cub turned up early in the the afternoon. Urban-Cub didn't stay long as she had things to do, but Cousteau-Cub was staying put with us.

It was soon after this that the Gorse Fox realised he hadn't retrieved anything from the freezer for supper. There was only one thing for it - a takeaway. We sat down to lovely selection from the Indian. The takeaway food from there has really improved over the last year.

Blow out

Urban-Cub had evidently been up and decorating her house early this morning. By mid morning we were getting photos sent across to show the progress.

The house looked lovely and she was so well organised that all of the platters were out and labelled to identify what they would contain by the time the guests started to arrive.

We got there early so that we could help out if required. She was so well organised that there was almost nothing left to do.

Around midday the first guests started to arrive for Ellie's first birthday "do". Friends from nearby and from Salisbury, the Silver Vixen's family from Brighton, the Gorse Fox's from Berkshire, and Pistol Pete's family from the New Forest. It was quite a house full. Ellie looked a little confused by so many people, but she soon adjusted and ran around chatting and chuckling. In fact she stayed awake and continued to play and run around well into the evening. The Gorse Fox suspects she will sleep well tonight.

It was a lovely day and gave us all a chance to catch up on the latest family news from across the various family groups. It was also nice for Cousteau-Cub and Urban-Cub to catch up with the cousin, The Mask.

Everyone was very impressed with Urban-Cub's and Pistol Pete's new house - which really was ideal for such a gathering. As you might expect the table was groaning under the weight of food (and there was still more  in the fridge, should it be needed). Lunch was a buffet-style selection and it remained available throughout the afternoon, allowing people to top up if they felt it necessary. Well taught by her parents, nobody leaves Urban-Cub's hungry.

Cousteau-Cub stayed on at Urban-Cub's, but the Silver Vixen and the Gorse Fox headed home mid-evening. We were, of course, the last to leave. We were clutching doggie-bags containing some of the surplus food as we said our goodbyes. It really had been a lovely day.

Helping out

Urban-Cub is preparing for a big family "do" tomorrow. In order to help out the Gorse Fox headed across to LA to collect Ellie. She would spend much of the day with us so that Urban-Cub could get on with the preparation.

Back home we triple-teamed the task of keeping Ellie amused and out of trouble. Now that she's walking we have to be far more alert - and quick on our feet. As usual, though, she was a delight and gave us no trouble at all, spending the day playing and laughing.

Urban-Cub cam to collect Ellie late afternoon - after that we just had a very quiet evening in front of the TV. On notable show was "Who Do You Think You Are" featuring Courtney Cox. It turned out that, like many US families, she hails from England many generations back. What was interesting though was the fact she was related to royalty and, indeed, her 26th great grandfather was William the Conqueror. the Gorse Fox bets she'll be dining on that story for years!

A bit of a niff

It was very wet. Certainly a good day to stay indoors. This was probably just as well as the Gorse Fox had several things to catch up on. The first was a bit of a niff. For a couple of days there had been a faint smell that was noticeable when the fridge was opened. No investigation, so far, had found the culprit. The Gorse Fox was determined this would be sorted. The fridge was completely emptied. No obvious culprit detected, but all the shelves and surfaces were washed and all the food was filtered by "Use By" date before replacing it. Still no obvious culprit, but the odour has gone.

Next it was time to catch up on the accounts. This didn't take too long so the Gorse Fox was able to move on to the photos. There was a backlog of photos that needed filing, and sorting out. Face detection was required and in some cases, geo-location. This took quite a while as Cousteau-cub had added a chunk of her photos to the library, as had Pistol Pete. Never mind, it's all done now.

Birthday girl

It's Ellie's first birthday. It seemed only right that we all celebrate together, so the plan was to meet up late morning, once all the domestic chores were complete.

We headed across to Southsea. Traffic was slow round Chichester but once we were past there it was a good run. The only problem was that the rain set in - but as we were going to be indoors that was not too inconvenient. Our venue was the Blue Reef Aquarium on Southsea seafront. We were able to park directly outside and made our way to the first of the display tanks.

Ellie was clearly intrigued by the various displays, though seemed a little cautious when some of the larger fish came close.

We had timed it well. Within a few minutes of our arrival they were feeding the rays and small sharks in the large display tank. The young girl who was feeding them gave a running commentary and explanation regarding the various denizens of the tank. She did a good job and was clearly passionate about her job.

After the rays, we carried on through the various exhibits and under the tunnel that went through the shark tank. There were a couple of young black tip reef sharks gliding around the tank. They looked so sleek and magnificent that the Gorse Fox could have watched them for hours. We moved on past further tropical fish, then on to some fresh water fish more typical in the waters of the Amazon. Finally we watched otters as they frolicked in their pen.

Leaving the aquarium we headed for Gunwharf. By this time the rain had set in and the temperature had dropped several degrees. It was really quite unpleasant. Cousteau-Cub must have been feeling it in contrast to the temperatures she left in Thailand.

We found our way to Bella Italia for lunch. Though one side of the restaurant was quite busy, we were in a quieter spot and settled down to order. Ellie was very well behaved and clearly captivated the diners nearby as she giggled and flirted outrageously with them. It was a good meal with good service and worth a return trip at some point. After the meal we did a little shopping then headed home. The idea was that we would all meet up for some cake and for Ellie (i.e. Urban-Cub) to open Ellie's presents.

She was clearly a very lucky girl, if a little confused by the stack of presents and the yellow balloon that she was playing with on the floor in front of her!

Slowly the wrapping came off and the boxes were opened. She bounced between one gist and another - giving each some attention; then moving on; then moving back. She was a very lucky girl - and very well behaved.  She didn't get over excited, or silly. She just played with the toys and showed them round to us all.

After tea and cake everything got packed away. Cousteau-Cub went back with Urban-Cub, Pistol Pete, Jake and Ellie. She would be staying with them overnight. The Silver Vixen and Gorse Fox had a bit of a tidy round and settled down for a quiet evening. It had been a really good day and suitable celebration for Ellie's first birthday.

Repairs and deliveries

The started very wet. AT least it was wet outside. Inside we were still without water except from the garden tap. Not the most convenient of situations but hopefully it would be fixed soon.

The Gorse Fox had football, though today it was scheduled for the indoor area at Ford because of the rain. Cousteau-Cub decided she would come along to watch a dozen old geezers wander round aimlessly chasing a ball. So it was that the Gorse Fox found himself lining up with an audience or cheerleader on hand. It started well. The Gorse Fox scored an early goal, but it sort of went down hill a bit from there. In the end we lost about 7-4. Shame.

The Gorse Fox made use of the showers at the sports arena then took Cousteau-Cub across to spend the day with Urban-Cub. With Ellie's birthday tomorrow, and a family party at the weekend, she is clearly getting a little stressed. The Gorse Fox had to head straight back home as there deliveries due and, more importantly, the plumber was hoping to get to us.

The sea had spent the morning on domestic chores and taking in the first of the various deliveries - she had also cleared the utility cupboard where the plumber would need access to the pipes.

The plumber turned up mid-afternoon. The old valve was removed and the new one installed. We tested the system - nothing. Not looking good. The plumber went out to his van and spent a while on the phone, then returned and removed the new valve. He started to do some more detailed diagnosis. The Gorse Fox was fairly impressed. Having determined we had water flowing through the valve, he looked "downstream". In the next part of the system he found a small plastic cap was blocking the pipe. This was removed. Everything now burst back into life. The Gorse Fox took a look at the cap and the valve and realised that it was actually part of the failed valve which had become dislodged and the water pressure had swept it through to the next part of the system where it had blocked the pipe. Anyway, all is now fixed. What a relief.

We went across to Urban-Cub to collect Cousteau-Cub then stopped off for some shopping for Ellie's birthday. Wrapping paper, balloons, banners, etc. Once we had had our planned take-away it was clearly going to be a craft evening!

H2O

It was raining when the Gorse Fox got up. In fact it was pouring. Things did not bode well for the football, but he was committed.

We were expecting Urban-Cub and Ellie. Urban-Cub's washing machine has packed up and she is awaiting the builder to come and get it fixed. She arrived with a car full of laundry as well as Ellie (who was wanting her breakfast). We got things under way and the Gorse Fox then made his excuses and headed off to football. The girls could spend the morning together without him being in the way.

Football started damp but not too wet. The rain had almost stopped. In the first hour, the Gorse Fox drew one game and won two. That was a good start. In the second hour we only had 10 players so played in one of the smaller 5-a-side cages. We started well and won the first two games - the Gorse Fox scoring two of the goals - then we lost the game.

Back at home the Gorse Fox had an hour or so to kill before the girls reappeared. They had gone off to Chichester for some shopping. The Gorse Fox hit the shower. This burst into life and then turned into a trickle and then stopped. The Gorse Fox checked the other taps - all seemed "empty". The Gorse Fox dressed and called a plumber.

Late afternoon the plumber (and his mate) arrived, did some cursory checks and concluded the pressure relief valve had failed. Unfortunately they have to be ordered so there was no instant solution. Consequently there is no water except fro the outside tap. This should prove an interesting 48 hours.

Rrring.... rrrrring

It was immediately clear that the phone Cousteau-Cub had brought with her was completely useless. After a leisurely start the first this that we had to address was the phone. After a bit of research we went round to Argos and picked up an Huawei P10 Lite. This seemed to meet all of the requirements and the price point was fairly sensible.

Back home we started charging the phone and sorted out a Sim card. Cousteau-Cub was up and running.

We headed across to see Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete. They had stuff to do and Cousteau-Cub joined them as they hit the stores. The Gorse Fox and the Silver Vixen stayed put at their house to look after Ellie - but as she slept most of the time they were out, it wasn't a major problem.

Nice relaxing day over all.

Exciting

Well it's been a very exciting day. Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete went up to Heathrow to meet Cousteau-Cub from her overnight flight from Kuala Lumpur. With her carefully tucked away in the car they headed back to their home to meet up with Amber and Ellie.

Meanwhile the Silver Vixen and the Gorse Fox had a quiet morning preparing lunch for us all. This is always a little challenging as Cousteau-Cub's dietary requirements mean that she has to stick to gluten-free food and rarely eats meat. We decided today would be a meat-day. Two and half kilos of top rump roasted slowly in the oven as potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, cabbage, peas, and carrots were prepared. In parallel, the Silver Vixen made a rice pudding (Pistol Pete loves rice pudding).

Finally the door opened and Urban-Cub arrived with Ellie in arms, and Amber, Pistol Pete, and Cousteau-Cub in tow. It was so nice to see them, but especially Cousteau-Cub. She looked tired after the journey and at her first opportunity went up for a shower and to change. The rest of the day was really spent sitting around chatting and getting up to date with all the latest news. Pistol Pete, Urban-Cub, Amber and Ellie left late afternoon, but Cousteau-Cub stayed put with us. Somehow she managed to keep going until nearly eight p.m. then went and hit the sack.

At the end of the day the Gorse Fox has slipped into bed with a satisfied smile - the family has all (with the exception of the Coventry Hobbit) been back together. He can sleep soundly.

Just stuff

There was a lot of noise from Jasper in the early hours. Clearly the timed release of his breakfast wasn't early enough for his liking. In fact, he came up and wandered all over the Gorse Fox to make sure he was aware of his displeasure. When the Gorse Fox did get up a while later he found that Jasper had actually manage to dislodge his timed feeding tray from the wooden feed station the Gorse Fox had made a few weeks ago. Cheeky devil. Adaptation would be required.

The Silver Vixen was going out for the day with a friend from the Coven. Once she had left the Gorse Fox whipped round to the DIY store and bought some suitable wood then came home and adapted the  feeding station to prevent Jasper from any repeat of last night. Whilst using the tools he also finished off a blanking plate for a vent that isn't required in the living room then tidied the garage. With the workbench folded away and the floor swept he managed to put the car away for the first time in several weeks.

The rest of the day was taken up with the odd domestic chores and trying to set up a dinner for a bunch of VM Old Gits. Unfortunately the numbers for each of the suggested dates are quite low though overall there's a lot who wish to come. It may mean a rethink and setting some new dates later in the year.

Meanwhile, Cousteau-Cub has posted on Facebook that she in Koh Lanta and about to board the plane home. We're all very excited that we'll be seeing her tomorrow.

Shops

Ellie didn't wake until 7:45 and then came into bed with the Gorse Fox and Silver Vixen for fifteen minutes before we all got started on the day.

The morning went much to expectation: breakfast, some running around, some play, a wash and then the morning nap. This nap, however, lasted a lot longer than expected and we had to wake her after about three hours.

Soon after lunch, Pistol Pete turned up. He had been at work since the early hours so was able to finish early. He scooped Ellie up and we loaded the car. Off they went.

Silence.

We had a quick clear up and then headed off to Sainsbury's.  With Cousteau-Cub home on Sunday, and Pistol Pete and Urban-Cub coming to lunch with Amber and Ellie, there was food to buy. It didn't take too long to load up with meat, vegetables, snacks, puddings, and wine. We're all set now.

On duty

Today we have been on duty as G-force.

Ellie woke soon after seven and we snapped to attention. Breakfast followed by a lot of running around finally became quiet as Ellie headed for a morning nap. It didn't last too long but did allow us to get on with various domestic admin tasks.

A lot more running around, a bit of lunch, a few tantrums and she went back to bed for a rest. The Gorse Fox took the opportunity to try and find a suitable typeface for her stories - an Ellie-font.

He did manage to get enough time to select some new sunglasses. He has made do without any form of sunglasses for the last couple of years, but feels it's something he really must address. Finally he got time to have a good search and find something that would accept his prescription.

As he writes, the Silver Vixen is give Ellie her bath as she winds down. It's been a good family-focussed day.

Lost

Well it was a lovely start to the day, if a little cold. The Silver Vixen had Pilates and the Gorse Fox had football on the schedule.

The football did not go well today; the Gorse Fox was playing for the orange-bibs. Perhaps our local reporter expressed it best:

Score line hardly does it justice. 

Brian’s Orange Linedancers 1 Gary’s Yellow Flamencos 6 

We started by re-arranging the goals for a blue line 6v5, when Terry (John “handball” Oram’s cousin), limped up and Jack persuaded him to play. After re-arranging the goals again, we kicked off in bright sunshine and by half time yellows had a 2 goal lead through Runaldo and Gossiping Barry. 

Second half Terry Crabb retired hurt, swiftly followed by the aforementioned Terry, clutching what had been his good leg when he arrived! Cue shuffling with Petra Bone changing to orange. However no good fortune for him as Barry, Runaldo, Dudders and JB the tree surgeon all scored for orange with Late’Ron getting the consolation goal for the Linedancers via a wicked deflection off JB. I must report that some of Jacks language directed at me should have resulted in the referee having a word with him. As usual our thanks to JO for his refereeing, stopping some of the more obvious running.

The Gorse Fox was not really amused - it was more like Whingeing Football than Walking football today, and many of the decisions seemed to be entirely arbitrary and there was a certain lack of good grace. Indeed one "hand ball" decision against the opposing team was so obviously not a hand ball that the Gorse Fox decided he would take the free-kick and just rolled it straight to the opposition goalkeeper. Think of it as the "Corinthian Spirit".

Back home the Silver Vixen arrived a few minutes after the Gorse Fox. She had Ellie with her and she will be staying for the next couple of days.

Only 3 full days before Cousteau-Cub arrives now. We are really looking forward to the weekend.

Tapping up

Very cold overnight again, but it soon started to warm up.

While making breakfast this morning The Gorse Fox also took the time to make up some soup. We have a Tefal soup maker and have been very pleased with its performance. As the Silver Vixen was out for the day at her coven, the Gorse Fox made up some soup for her to take in a flask. Butternut squash, sweet potato, red pepper, orange pepper, carrot, onion, vegetable stock, tomato and tomato puree. It turned out to be quite delicious.

The Gorse Fox went off to football. In the first hour he played for the yellow-bibs. Not too bad. Lost the first game 3-2 then won the next two games 1-0 and 5-1. A good first hour. It was between games that Gorse Fox was tapped-up (in the footballing parlance). He was approached by a chap who is currently waiting to hear if he's selected for the England national team. He asked if the Gorse Fox would join his team for the National championships. The Gorse Fox said he would give it some thought. Then at the end of the next game he was approached by a second person asking him if he would join their team for the National championships. Very flattering.

I the second hour we shuffled the pack and the Gorse Fox played for the red-bibs. We drew the first game then won 4-1 and 2-0. The Gorse Fox was pleased to grab a couple more goals by drifting in from the back into open space and just passing the ball into the net.

Thaw

It was cold again overnight and there were still snow flurries this morning. It really hasn't come to much and the forecast is that a thaw will start this afternoon and the temperatures will rise throughout the week.

Fairly quiet day here - a few domestic chores followed by a lot of family tree work. The Gorse Fox chose a different branch today and had a much more successful day. The one problem area he came across was the disappearance of the lancastria.org.uk website. This used to provide a great deal of background regrading the sinking of RMS Lancastria during the evacuation of St Nazaire during WWII. The Gorse Fox's uncle was a Roman Catholic Chaplain and one of the survivors of the attack. He was mentioned in many of the subsequent articles. Now the site has gone. The Gorse Fox has, however, got newspaper clippings and links to newspaper archives  which pick up most of the story.

He also spent some time looking at research for Pistol Pete's family. Records and sources are quite good, but again many of the other trees that feature parts of his family are just dreadful. No valid sources for the information and clear anomalies in the assumptions made. It's frustrating because one tree seemed to push his ancestors back several further generations but there was no corroborative information so the names could just as easily have been picked out of thin air.

Snow, Snow, slip, slip snow

We had snow over night. Not a huge amount, but it had settled and it was very cold out. Fortunately we had no reason to go out. We had a lazy start which was topped with a full English breakfast. Then once we had finished our morning reading, the Gorse Fox retired to the study and the Silver Vixen started to potter.

By late morning the snow was disappearing - it was still cold, but the snow was melting. There wasn't a great deal to report from the study. It was another frustrating morning of family tree research. (As the Gorse Fox pointed out yesterday - we had no football today). The Gorse Fox did manage to book an hotel for the weekend of the Silver Vixen's sister's wedding - it was a little pricey, but it seemed like a good excuse to push the boat out a bit.

Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete popped in to drop off some stuff we would need for Ellie later in the week and take the opportunity to use our broadband (theirs is still not installed). They didn't stay long and once they had left the Silver Vixen returned to her pottering around and the Gorse Fox watched the football on TV.

Pretty lazy day really.

Trees

The forecast for the day wasn't good and by mid-morning it was snowing. At times it was quite heavy, but it didn't settle at all. The temperature has certainly dropped after the last few days. It's due to get worse overnight tonight. We don't have to go anywhere so that isn't really too much of an issue. (The Gorse Fox has no football in the morning).

The Sonning Crew got together for coffee at Old Bill and Lad Penelope's. It was the first time we had seen them since their return from St Lucia. They had clearly enjoyed a good time and we got all the latest news about Sandals and what you can do there. We also caught up on the local news - how they all get so much local gossip is quite beyond the Gorse Fox. It appears that our neighbour, opposite, is moving. She has wanted an older barn conversion as long as we have known her and it appears that she has found one. Another neighbour is apparently trading in his current partner for a newer model (the Gorse Fox isn't clear on what the part exchange rates are). We never met this particular couple so really have no comment of any value to make... other than it always seems a shame when relationships break down.

The Gorse Fox has spent the afternoon working on the family tree. The whole time has been spent delving into the records for any clues regrading the Silver Vixen's 2nd great grandparents (paternal). This has been very frustrating as he has found absolutely nothing. Nada. Zilch. All he knows is their names but can find no record in the Census returns from 1841-1891, and no definitive records of any other type. They will have to return to the back burner and then the Gorse Fox will have another crack at them in a few months.

Suits You Sir

Another lovely day, despite the forecast. The weekend, however, looks a bit dodgy.

After some domestic chores the Gorse Fox retired to the study. There was a small pile of paperwork to be scanned, filed, backed-up, and shredded. This was the first task on the list of admin. It didn't take too long and the automatic document feeder on the new printer is a godsend for this. Once that was done the Gorse Fox got on with the weekly accounts.

With the boring admin out of the way the Gorse Fox started checking a few things and realised that his documentation for the backup regime was a bit out of date. It wasn't too far off, but could certainly do with a refresh. It took a while to get it up to scratch but the Gorse Fox is now content.

In the background, the Silver Vixen has been looking at some clothes we had stored away. Partly this was to dig out clothing that Cousteau-Cub may need when she is back with us, but partly it was to see if there was anything that may be appropriate for our upcoming holiday. We both had a pleasant surprise.

Clothes that had been put away for years emerged from their storage and both the Silver Vixen and the Gorse Fox found that the fitted. Indeed they fitted well. Given that one of these items was the Gorse Fox's dress suit - last worn in 1994 - he was pleased it was such a good fit. (Indeed he dug out a photo from a business event that we attended in Bermuda when he last wore the suit). Similarly the Silver Vixen found a number of lovely dresses from years gone by - many of which were now too big, but some fit beautifully.

Inm a time when people tend to put on weight as they age, it's good to see we can both get back into clothes from 25 years ago.

Midwife

Ellie slept right through until 07:15 and then cam into our bed for half an hour. Once up she was soon fed and starting to explore the world on two feet. She was clearly finding it tiring as she soon needed a morning nap and slept for a couple of hours. Then up again, she wandered about, had lunch, walked around a lot more, then again flagged and went to bed for another hour. Urban-Cub came to collect her after work, but she had been an absolute joy the whole time she was here. Even Jasper is beginning to trust here and allows her to approach, if not actually stroke him.

The Gorse Fox follows a number of feeds on Twitter. Among the usual tripe, vitriol, fake news, and a few gems of actual interest he saw the attached image.

It was published by "MarcherLord" with the comment that his midwife had developed this and believes it to be 95% accurate.

The Gorse Fox used a few samples and found that for all of the people he had tried, it was 100% accurate. This was immensely interesting and he assumes that the midwife had developed this from records stretching back over many years. He would love to know the actual provenance and methodology.

Whew

It was another bright day - though there was a strong wind blowing from the south east. The Silver Vixen had no Pilates today - which was just as well as Old Bill and Lady Penelope were returning from holiday and we had the key for their house.

The Gorse Fox had football. It was a good turn out and the we played 5-vs-6. The Gorse Fox was on the smaller orange team. It was hard work playing against the extra player and at half time the store was still stuck on 0-0. A quick discussion at half-time and the Gorse Fox said he roam forward from the the back to fill in gaps at the  centre or on the wing. This turned out to be the breakthrough. The Gorse Fox scored two goals as we started to dominate. In the end the score was 7-1 and could have been more.

Leaving the sports centre, the Gorse Fox headed to Rustington to collect Ellie and bring her home. She's with us overnight and through the day tomorrow. It's great to see her trying to master this walking thing. She is getting there but still drops onto all fours to move quickly.

Rules

Rules seem to be the subject of the day.

A Facebook post from a neighbour was questioning various aspects of the Covenant to which we are all meant to adhere. It would appear that her direct neighbour is just making up new rules to suit himself and threatening court action because other people don't adhere to his fantasy rules. It's a shame, but there always seems to be one on every development. Clearly most of the neighbours have rallied round to give moral support.

Football was also subject to rule changes. At least these are documented and provide some standardisation across the land. The main differences to us are in the realms of ball height. Because we play outside on a large pitch we have never enforced the rule that the ball has remain below head height. From today we are. This cause a degree of confusion to start with, but we soon got into the swing of it. Well that might be an exaggeration - the Gorse Fox was only on the winning side for 1 out of 6 games today... and certainly didn't contribute any goals (though did stop a few).

Weatherwise it has been a gorgeous day but the forecast for the end of the week is looking pretty grim (at least in the east of the country).

Budgets

It's been a mixed day, weather-wise. There's been rain, bright sun, and heavy rain. Certainly not a day to venture out without an umbrella (Rihanna will be pleased).

Talking of being pleased, the Gorse Fox keeps a fairly close eye on the family accounts. As part of this, he sets budgets and manages the regular bills. When setting the annual budget he looks at last year's expenditure and applies an uplift to account for inflation. He's very pleased that this year, so far, all of the uplifts he applied have proved to be too large. Today we received the biggest bill of the year - the Council Tax. He hasn't saved a fortune, but it has turned out to be £70 less than he had estimated. Indeed the increase over last year has turned out to be slightly less than the uplift in the Gorse Fox's State Pension - so that's a win!

On a separate note we received a short video from Urban-Cub this morning. It featured Ellie taking her first steps. It's very sweet and the sign of things to come. Next we will have to get trainers, ballet shows, wellies.... and goodness knows what else.

Wet and dry

The day started wet, in fact it was too wet for Jasper to venture out. It did, however, begin to dry up and by lunchtime was bright and sunny and warm enough to spend the afternoon sitting out in the Orangery. Now as he writes this, it is overcast once more and looks like more rain is on the way.

The Gorse Fox cooked a 'full English' for himself and the Silver Vixen this morning. Football was a little bit later so it should settle before he started to run around. The Sunday morning Haskins breakfasts have set a bit of a precedent. By mid-morning he was heading across to Ford for the football. We had a lop-sided turnout of 11 players so played 5-v-6 then 6-v-5 in the two halves. The Gorse Fox was playing for the Orange bibs, but despite our best efforts we lost 6-5 overall.

Back home he is still trying to find an example or clear explanation of how to use OAuth2 without resorting to Python code or Javascript. He finds it hard to believe he is the only person ever to have wanted to do this, but so far has failed to find any definitive guidance and is finding it very frustrating.

People who lunch

After a quiet morning we headed across to The Oystercatcher. We had arranged to meet Urban-Cub and Ellie for lunch. It's Urban-Cub's last day before returning to work after the move = consequently she is not around for Mother's Day tomorrow.

We had chosen wisely in deciding to arrive early. We were able to pick a quiet spot in the corner and stay well away for the general hubbub that built up as the restaurant filled up over the following hour. Ellie sat in a high chair and enjoyed various snacks and a bottle whilst keeping herself and us entertained. We chose for the general menu and had a much better meal than we had managed last night - and at half the price.

Back home, the Gorse Fox has been experimenting with some code and whilst he can see the basics of what he needs to do - he is somewhat flummoxed by the OAuth2 authentication mechanism when trying to initiate his run. He's convinced that once that is cracked, the rest will be plain sailing. It seems that Google is not his friend in this particular instance. It seems to drop lots of hints, but provides no clear examples of the initial set up. Frustrating!

Evening

Well we drove through some pretty foul weather as we headed up to Chiddingfold, in Bandit Country.  The rain was torrential and we drove through thick mist (or low cloud) as we crossed the Downs. We took it steady and got there safely.

J&T were delayed by the traffic but arrived a little while after us. We had a lovely evening catching up o the family news and just chatting in general. We were, however, rather disappointed by food this time. The Mulberry had always been so reliable in the past, but last night there were errors in the order (which they sorted out) and the standard of the food was not what we had come to expect. The Gorse Fox is not sure if it was just a new chef, or new ownership, but it certainly wasn't the same.

We'll give it a miss next time.

Being sociable

Friday has been a day for being sociable - not one of the Gorse Fox's greatest strengths!

It was a bit grey and damp but we had arranged to meet with some old friends near the pier at Bognor. It was a fair bit cooler than the Gorse Fox had expected and he was regretting his choice of lightweight jacket as we strolled along the prom. Fortunately we decided to stop at the Regis Centre and have a coffee and that was where we stayed. The coffees were infinitely refillable so we just stayed put and chatted for several hours. It was lovely to catch up with them as we see them so rarely.

After a quiet afternoon - much of which was spent sorting out an order for some new specs for the Silver Vixen, we got ready to go back out. We are meeting up with The Gorse Fox's little sister and brother-in-law in the middle of bandit country this evening. Again, a lovely opportunity to catch up on all the latest news.

Following on from the Gorse Fox's issues with the Python code yesterday, he has received a number of emails from fellow Rexx connoisseurs. He has been offered several interesting suggestions as to how he might approach the problem in a different way. This will have to wait until he can devote a few hours to some experimentation and testing.... but he is hopeful that this may actually provide a decent alternative.

Unsettling

There is something deeply unsettling about a fragment of code that has run every day for 402 days without failure - but on day 403 it fails and claims the problem is with syntax. The Gorse Fox was troubled. For a start it is a fragment of code written in Python. He is not fluent in Python... he can get by but finds the whole language construct to be obtuse. He started to dig. The problem appeared to be a variable that had not been set. Well, it hadn't been set for the last 402 days either and the code was happy then. Clearly some update has been applied to the underlying language libraries and this has triggered the error. The Gorse Fox made a couple of minor changes and the code burst back into life. Fortunately it's very design is such that it tracks back to find anything that may have been missed from previous days, so within a few seconds the whole kit and caboodle was working and bang up to date.

Maybe it's time the Gorse Fox played around some more with Python so he doesn't get caught out again. (Note he would have written the whole thing in Rexx if he had the opportunity but there is no Google API for Rexx).

Another one

Obviously it had been quite wet over night, but was drying up in the early morning sun when the Gorse Fox came down for breakfast. The Silver Vixen was heading across to speak to her Pilates friends then looping back to see Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete with a view to watching Ellie while they got on with some of the shifting and shunting required in the house. The Gorse Fox would be joining them later.

The Gorse Fox headed over to Worthing for the Wednesday football. We had a new chap jon us this week and he turned out to be quite good. The game was close, if somewhat spoilt by over-zealous refereeing. The Gorse Fox was playing for the orange-bibs and by half time we had built a 4-2 lead. In the second half it was closer but we managed to hold on to the 2-goal cushion and won 6-4. The Gorse Fox managed to score agin - that's 7 for the week! Clearly that won't last so he can expect a dry spell.

Leaving the sports centre, the Gorse Fox went back to Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete's. He arrived just in time to help with one of their garden storage boxes - which was made easier by a couple of the workmen on the development helping lift it over the wall. After some lunch we then set about the shed. We had disassembled it with care in the hope that it would go back together easily. Amazingly, it did. It took about thirty minutes from beginning to end. Once the garden items were complete we set about Jake's bedroom. His old bed had to be taken apart and removed to the garage so a new one could be assembled. Again, a bit of good teamwork got the whole thing done in no time.

What a difference

What a difference a week makes. It was over 10c when the Gorse Fox headed out for football. Last week he didn't even venture out.

When he got over to Worthing the sun had broken through and it was really quite pleasant as we started the game. The Gorse Fox wasn't fully with it today but despite that managed to score 4 goals as we 9the red bibs) won the first game an lost the next two. Changing into green-bibs for the second hour we then won all three games. The new shin-pads are obviously working some magic - no bruises an 4 goals.

The afternoon was warm enough to settle down in the Orangery an enjoy the sun.

Quiet day

A lovely quiet day today. Bits of admin to do, but nothing too taxing.

A trip to Chichester this afternoon - the Silver Vixen wanted some bits in M&S and the Gorse Fox wanted some new shin pads. While the Silver Vixen was doing her shopping the Gorse Fox also had his regular appointment at the chiropodist. He always enjoys these as they finish off with a nice a foot massage.

Traffic was strangely light coming home. Almost as if everyone was still sheltering indoors from snowmageddon. A bit pointless as it was dry and about 8c... but even still he's not complaining when there's such a clear run to and from the town.

On target

It was another lovely bright start to the day. The Gorse Fox had football scheduled, but not until 11:00 so it was a leisurely start. We got a couple of calls from Urban-Cub while we were having breakfast - the Silver Vixen was planning to go over for a cup of tea and there were various questions to be answered and the Gorse Fox had to print off some sets of instructions for her.

Football was a good 6-v-6 game. The Gorse Fox was playing for the yellow-bibs and at half time we had managed a 4-3 lead. The Gorse Fox wasn't quite on top of his game but managed some fairly solid defending without anything spectacular. By the end of the second half we had extended things to about 12-7 and that included two goals from the Gorse Fox.

Back home the Gorse Fox found that Jasper had thrown-up all over our clean bedding so the first chore was to get the bedding into the washing machine and to cover the quilt in Bicarb. Fortunately it had obviously only just happened and the quick intervention prevented any staining. The afternoon was made special by observing that Arsenal had lost against Brighton - their third loss in a week... not that the Gorse Fox is basking in schadenfreude but - oh, ok, he is.

Back to normal

The weather was very much back to normal today. The sun was out when we got up and it was fairly bright throughout the morning. The temperatures had soared to a heady 5c and we had to resist the inclination to go and sunbathe. By lunchtime it was fairly grey but had remained dry. We really are so lucky in this little pocket of the country.

Various little chores filled the morning The last of the se was fitting a new water filter on the fridge. This di not go smoothly. The first filter seemed to leak extensively and in the end the Gorse Fox had to use the spare he had bought for next time.  Email has been rattled off to Amazon... we await a response.

Early afternoon has been spent wrapped in the branches of the family tree. It is only today that the Gorse Fox has realised how poor the Canadian genealogical resources are. He has been try to fill in some details regarding some cousins and a long deceased Aunt. There doesn't seem to be anything equivalent to the UK's GRO. Records are held at Provincial level and few recent ones are available online. The Gorse Fox would be tearing his hair out if he had significant numbers of Canadians in his tree.

Emma meets the Beast

So storm Emma, coming up from the South, was meant to meet the Beast from the east and cause chaos. Well apparently nobody told Emma or the Beast. We have again been right on the edge of things and through it has been cold and very windy, the snow has not come to much.

Conscious of the ice that may have formed, the Gorse Fox decided that he would take the Silver Vixen across to Urban-Cub's. Ellie was scheduled for her second swimming lesson, and the Silver Vixen was meant to be there for moral support. With our car warm and cozy, it made sense to take Urban-Cub and Ellie with us, rather than swap cars. So it was that we trundled across to Worthing on near deserted roads. People were heeding the warnings and had stayed at home. This in its own right became a problem as there was nowhere to park in the residential street where the hydrotherapy pool is. The Gorse Fox dropped them off and pottered back to the Sports Centre - at least there it would be easy to park and he could pop in for a coffee while waiting.

Clearly the swimming went well and Ellie seems suitable fearless. Will have to see if we can find a small scuba tank for when Cousteau-Cub is back.

Back home we had a quiet afternoon punctuated by the odd snow showers which came to nothing. One car managed to loose traction on the corner outside the house and ended up on the pavement near Old Bill's. He drove off without further incident. Meanwhile Old Bill and Lady Penelope have gone up to Gatwick in preparation for their trip to St Lucia starting in the morning.

Snow

Another cold night and another dusting of snow on the ground this morning. The Gorse Fox posted to facebook...

There has been a lot of banter from friends in the North regarding the weather and how it is always so much worse "ooop there" and that we don't have anything like it in the South. 

Well, the Gorse Fox  offers this photo from this morning to show that we do indeed get extreme weather here on the South Coast. Last night's blizzards have trapped us, as you can see. We are awaiting rescue by helicopter, four-track vehicles, or snowcats.

As you might expect the Gorse Fox received some abuse as a result!

We headed off into Chichester to meet up with Cathy & Roy. They were down on Hayling Island for a few days and it seemed like a good opportunity to catch up and grab a bite to eat. We met at the cross in the middle of Chichester and strolled down to Prezzo. Like Chichester as a whole, the place was deserted - people were avoiding the bitterly cold wind and staying home.

It was nice to catch up with them and hear their family news and their plans. It sounds as if they have a lovely trip down the US West Coast planned for this summer.

Back home the snow started mid-afternoon. It is very light and fluffy and isn't really settling because of the strong wind. The forecast keeps changing so we'll just have to see what develops.