Twas the day before Christmas (eve)

Not written anything for a few days - it's all been a bit hectic - both at work and at home. At work, because that's the NHS way - wait until half the trust is on holiday then demand meetings and run around waving your arms in the air because an imaginary wheel has come off. In reality there is nothing that urgent (in the project management sphere) that actually getting the proper people involved to supply logical and carefully thought out answers to questions would cause a problem. At least the problems wouldn't be going off half cocked on something because you went ahead despite not knowing what it entailed.

At home - final prep for Christmas. Nicky's Mum and Dad and Sophie are our guests for Christmas lunch. We did the final 'big shop' late last night to avoid the crowds - got to the supermarket about 11 and it was a dream - full shelves and few shoppers.

I think I could do with the break, but with a 3.75 month old in the house and all the cooking to do for Christmas I dont expect to be able to relax for a moment! I'm too old for all this.

I let someone else speak for me today.

Clive James.

The man is a genius and has written what I would have written, if I'd been clever enough.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8421374.stm

See you all tomorrow - unless anyone can tell me where I can get two good value for money laptops in time for Christmas?

.

Still Chilly...

Still - it's better than being stuck on a Eurostar in a 'Harrowing Ordeal' (tm BBC News).

As you can see in this pic - these people are at their wit's end. They could snap at any moment.

Surely, sitting in a carriage, warm and snug, tea and coffee whenever you want it isn't all that harrowing? It's a bit of a pest that the train has stopped and you're going to be late, but it's not harrowing.

I expect there will be the usual hordes of bedwetters and social workers offering counselling to help them get over the terror and avoid PTSD... After all, sitting on a train for a couple of hours is so much worse than (say) being shot at and hunted every day in Helmand Province.

As you might have guessed - all this making news out of nothing at all makes me turn into Victor Meldrew.

Right - brekky for us then we are off to the Santa Special train ride - now that (I suspect) will be a harrowing ordeal...

More later.

Another dispointment.

No Snow.

Well, not yet anyway. A quiet and safe drive into work along heavily gritted roads - the council have been out all night gritting away to their heart's content - bless them.

It's probably good they've been gritting as it's cold (-3C) and would have (perhaps) been a little slippery underfoot otherwise.

Last year I don't think they bothered too much and it's made them all paranoid this year in case they get a slagging off in the Pig-Breeders Gazette (local paper).



That was last Feb... It's business as usual today.



Anyway - off to first meeting of the day in a moment (it's nearly 8:30 despite what the blogger thing says about what time I am posting this). A nice chat about how much it might cost to implement Lorenzo and whether there is any payback in it... There isn't - but it's a political imperitive to do it as the Sainted Tony came up with the idea one day and we must tear the heart out of our hospitals to make it happen - despite it being a barmy idea and the simple thought of making the current PAS systems talk to the new 'Spine' to give a single patient record was not even considered (due to the billions to be made doing it this way I suspect)...



Ho hum.



If you've got snow, enjoy it!

Christmas is starting

...and the goose is getting bone idle and cancelling meetings that have been arranged for weeks - mostly as he (or they) had managed to book a meeting totally forgetting that they might be on holiday at this time of year. So I didn't book mine as I had meetings!!!! Oh joy.

Still - it gives me some quiet time to get on with stuff. Messing around with photography - this time of year when it's a bit grotty outside is a good time to go through the pics taken during the year and do a bit of editing, playing with HDR etc.

I don't actually like taking too much time off at Christmas - it's nice at home for the festivities, but you can't go out much as it's too cold and damp - and dark by 4. So I tend to save my hols for the nicer weather.

Saturday we are booked on the Santa Special at the Grand Central Railway (Loughborough to Leicester North) - Elizabeth has demanded it - she wants to go on a steam train and see Santa...



Here she is demanding to see Santa...

We are looking forward to that....

http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/ - this is the link to where we are going and it tells you all about the railway.

We are forecast snow for this afternoon and tomorrow - not too sure whether it will happen or not, but I've got my camera in the car, just in case!

Right - on with the day - more later maybe.

First Post

Hello. It's me, Simes.



That's me on the right of the picture - with Elizabeth, the newest member of the family (and who is gorgeous - not an opinion - fact!) and Nicky, my other half and without whom I'd not be me anymore!
Not too sure what I am going to do with this blog. Perhaps it's just an attempt at a stream of consciousness or a chance to create a little something that might (google willing) outlast me - assuming that the Internet is not just another passing fad - like Furbies and Space Hoppers.

At the moment I am contracting my arse to the NHS - working on the National Programme for IT as a project manager - for however long that might last - with the Chancellor (Darling) making mad statements on the TV (or if you want to be charitable and assume he's not insane, perhaps he was just lying for effect or maybe just totally incompetent) about cancelling the project, confidence in the product is, understandably, at a bit of a low ebb round these parts.

So, as a sideline, and escape from drudgery plan, I am taking a few photo's - for hire or reward hopefully. I've sold a few portraits and am making a bit of a push to do a few more. Sadly, I am never in the right place when there is a big news story or when Gerry Halliwell visits and falls over on a banana skin - so I doubt I'll ever be a super well paid member of the paparazzi.



These two (Sophie and Elizabeth) are my lasting legacy to the human race - and I am so proud of them both - and love them both to bits. There is 22 years between them - I am a bit worried about being too old to look after Elizabeth properly - but I'm going to give it a good shot, and I know her big Sister Sophie will be around to help Mummy Nicky if anything happened to me.

I doubt I am going to find a cure for cancer, or invent a time machine or anything, but my two girls are enough legacy for me.



This is Nicky - I am a very lucky bloke. I'm older than her and a lot less attractive, but for some reason she loves me. Probably not as much as I love her, but it's what makes life worthwhile for me.


Christmas is coming (and the goose is getting fat etc etc).

We're about ready now. Just got to put up the decorations at home - we've left it a bit late for several reasons - one of which is that I've been using half the house as a studio and so there is no room for the tree, but the photography kit (lights, backdrops etc) can be packed away now as I don't think I'm going to get any more commissions before the new year.

Another reason is (I suppose) a tradition on my side of the family not to put up the decorations until after my mother's birthday (with was the 15th December). She's not been with us for 20 years now, and would have been 70 yesterday had she lived. RIP Mum.

Anyway - this weekend will be putting up the tree and stuff and generally making the house Christmassy. On Monday Sophie is coming to stay until after Christmas. So - whatever happens it's going to be a blinding Christmas - we are going to celebrate Elizabeth's first Christmas in style!

Before that all happens, tonight the boss (Malcolm) is coming to dinner. He's a nice bloke so hopefully the evening will be a pleasant mixture of talking bollocks, dining on good trencherman fare and the odd nice glass of wine or beer. On the other hand it could just end up like the 'Terry and June' episode where the boss comes to dinner - with hilarious consequences as Terry tries to hide his illegal still in the shed and June has double booked the evening with the Surbiton women's Judo Club...

As I've not got a still and live nowhere near Surbiton I suspect it will be more of the former than the latter.

Right - I'm going to save (and spell check) this first posting and then call it a day - I'll try to write something new tomorrow.

Perhaps I'll start on motorbikes or something interesting... Any tips from anyone who stumbles on this will be gratefully received.