Design

Half of our visitors left today. Sam and Kate were driving Alex back down to PLymouth before heading home to Teweksbury and had gamely volunteered to take Linas down to Plymouth as well. I think that was before they realised just how much luggage Linas had with him. He had managed to carry an awful lot of luggage up on the train, after all you can't separate a man and his PC. It was an exercise in spatial logistics to get all the luggage in but with some bags sitting on the youngsters' laps and Milo the dog scheduled to be perched on Sam's lap it was all sorted. L-R, Linas , Vytas , Romas , me and Peter. After a chilly photo session, (a family tradition), we waved goodbye to the travellers and wished them a safe journey home. As usual our boys like to pose some action shots to show their true characters. The rest of the dismally gloomy afternoon is being spent with Vytas and Romas finishing off a wargame in the conservatory while I motivate myself for yet more ...

A quick stroll around the garden revealed the first flowers on the winter flowering jasmine that grows by the kitchen window. Soon the bare green stems will be covered with small yellow flowers that will brighten up the grey wall. The countryside was back to being damp and green as I headed off to the dentist in the morning. He's put a temporary filling over the broken one but the whole filling will have to be taken out and replaced, I fear for the little tooth that is left. No signs of the mysterious bump in my mouth now but I moaned on about the various aches that I still have after he 'dealt' with them 6 months ago so he took some x-rays. Being only the poor people's NHS dentist you don't get the results of the x-rays straight away. Instead they phone you if you need treatment or as in my case let you know at your next appointment. Naturally they don't do week-end appointments so the first appointment they could find to fit in with my work is in 2 weeks...

A sleepy wet day today. Outside it has rained and/or dripped the whole day long. No signs of normal water service returning. If it is simply due to ice in the pipes then it should soon be back to normal but if it is the pump that needs replacing then that will be another hefty bill. It seems strange to see the countryside in shades of green and brown after the pristine white of the last few weeks. However at least we have free access to the outside world which for me means a trip to the dentist tomorrow. A chipped filing needs repairing and a small bump in my mouth makes me think I've got another root infection. I'm taking immediate action because the last time this happened I ended up losing the tooth, and my patience with lying National health dentists. Finally today I've knuckled down to sorting out my school planning. I've printed off pages of plans sent to me by my colleagues and then sat there looking glumly at the overall week's plan wondering how I can fi...

Back home now after 2 days of driving. The trees lining the roads are looking very autumnal glowing gold and bronze especially when they were lit up by the sun. With the slight spectrum shift and polarization caused by my beloved wraparound sunglasses the trees and the clouds looked spectacular. Even so I'm rather tired as I'm not used to driving such long distances especially when I couldn't take my little micra over 70mph (the official speed limit) without some suspicious vibrating. I had the tracking done recently but I'll book it in for a check as soon as I get the chance. Driving into the heart of a city reminded me just how lucky we are to live out in the countryside. It wasn't the traffic, after all I learnt to drive in central London, but the sheer tedium of those city streets and the lack of space. I didn't mind the busy city roads and I'm quite happy to pull across several lanes of traffic so long as I've indicated and had a quick look. One...

It's been a lovely day today. As I drove into town the sun was shining which was especially good as my work colleague's daughter was getting married at mid-day. At work we've been able to share many a laugh with Sue over the dramas of organising a traditional wedding, from the wild hen week-end at a spa in Cornwall to the tension of delays over the dress and would Lisa be walking down the aisle with her leg in plaster or not ( not- for the day anyway). I met up with friends outside Pilton Church to see everyone arrive, and then we ended up going into the church anyway. Weddings are nice to share. A family moment before the pre -ceremony photographs. Entering the church for the Bridal walk down the aisle. (Out of sequence) The imposing gateway that leads into the churchyard makes an excellent background for the wedding photos. And finally, after the ceremony , posing in a shower of confetti. I'm so glad the sun shone for Lisa. It's still sunny now so I'm sur...

A lovely sunny day today. But the forecast for the rest of the week is dire, this usually happens when friends and family come to stay in the summer. We made the most of the good weather with a barbecue, Romas and Vicky who had been incommunicado since being at the Bloodstock music festival, arrived just as we were serving up. Alex was most impressed with the numbers of butterflies and dragonflies in the garden. We ended the day with a 7 handed game of scrabble which was not the most lively event due to the length of time take by most of the players. I'm not sure how the diet will go this week but I shall have to try my best. I'm especially pleased that my weight is now less than where I was when I was 16 and I certainly wasn't overweight then. It's just distributed slightly differently now.