Michael's Meanderings

Went dancing most Tuesdays (though missed the Friday practice as J was ill). Went to a Sunday Christmas Dance with J in addition to normal classes.
Train Strike caused further delays, and cancellations, so had to take some time off work. Also got a number of delay repay refunds.
SF Book Club meeting, in Brighton, included a earlier start and a Christmas meal (I had cod and chips!) and then a slightly lest rigorous discussion of The Stainless Steel Rat.
Got my garden patio replace and an additions fence installed, this took over 2 days and has made a significant difference to the garden.
I had to make an excursion to a clinic I hadn't visited before to get my hands ultrasound scanned, weird feeling with warm blue jelly dotted over the skin. (I have had contact with this location before as part of my job (IT support))
Continued with yoga class, when there wasn't a strike, (or over the Christmas holiday).
Over the long Christmas weekend, stayed with my family (Mum & Dad, Sister & BiL, Neice & NiL) got a nice scarf and a few other bits an pieces.
Helped my sister with meal prep on Saturday & Sunday, which was quite fun.
Booked hotel for Eastercon & Worldcon 75, and flight to Helsinki
Went shopping with D on last Wednesday of the month and then on Thursday D fixed a Christmas dinner for us both, I prepped the veg!
On Friday I went to The Dome in Brighton to see Flip FabriQue in Catch Me (Attrape Moi) in the afternoon.
Big New Year's Eve social dance with buffet meal, followed by cheesecake and coffee. Demo by Matt Duffin & Kayleigh Andrews, and then at midnight we cheered the New Year in!

While I did manage to include most happening I did forget a couple of thing I really should note.

The Weather! It seems to have been raining for months, and feels more like February or November than July. This is supposed to be summer guys! We recently go so much rain overnight that the TV signal from the Sky satellite was interrupted for an hour, we also had puddles 10cm deep in the garden.

Talking of the garden last Sunday D helped the neighbour install 2 new fence panels and then later, I helped him cut down the last tree growing in my back garden. Using the newly purchased chainsaw the actual felling went like a charm. Unfortunately I fell over while examining the cut in the trunk and pulled a 1.5cm strip off my right index finger and the tip of my left middle finger got mushed. The latter is almost healed a week latter, the former not so much.

During the last three weeks, I also got my hair cut, a regular 6 weekly occurrence, now I don't have a pony tail. Again I got a clipper cut for half the price of a scissors cut!

Last time I mentioned a ukulele class, and since then I have usually managed to spend 5-10 minutes a day (occasionally longer) noodling, mostly trying out chords and tying to remember which ones are which. I've just made up some chord flash cards from ukulehunt.com. Unfortunately they aren't all the same hight so I've had to do some adjusting. I'm now trying to play some tunes, with mixed success.

Receently on TV I've been watching Dynamo: Magician Impossible, which is impossible, in the last episode he walked down the side of a building!!!!

I've finally got around tuit, updating LJ that is. I really meant to add stuff sooner but...

Anyway Parents and I arrived safely in Spain, collected a rental car (upgraded for free from the original spec) and got to the villa at Toscamar safely.

First few days were lovely, and then it started raining, and it hardly stopped! We did visit the JCC so we could check email and do a bit of web surfing.

So after a week in Spain I return to discover that in the UK that week was the hottest in recorded history [Wagh!]

I did get to read a number of ebooks including the excellent Little Brother by Corey Doctorow, which is available as a free download, but which has managed to stay in the NYT HC top 10 for 4 weeks! I'll be buying a paperback copy when it comes out in the UK.

I've been visiting my Chiropractor two or three times a week over the last month. It's difficult to judge such a subjective thing, and it's also difficult remembering how you felt a month ago, but I think there is significant improvement in how my back feels. Now I've got to train myself into better habits.

My first week back I had to catch up on all the TV I'd recorded on the Sky+ box while I was away, but by the following weekend I was mostly caught up.

May is the month of the Brighton festival and I usually manage to get to the circus that usually sets up it's big top, in Preston Park. This year it was the Moscow State Circus and there were some really cool acts, juggling, trapeze, magic, acrobatics. the clowns and a unicycling ringmaster!

I've also had a number of my amazon orders arriving this month, some of them made months back. some surprises and at least one duplicate ;-(

I saw Indiana Jones 4, which I thought was Ok, but not as good as the original, Though Harrison Ford still manages to be a believable action hero.

Just under two weeks ago, I got a message from my sister to say that Mum was in hospital in Spain, due to a dislocated hip. Fortunately she was all right and was able to recover with a local friend, before flying home safely last Thursday.

That same weekend a new washing machine was deliver and Dimitri and I had to install it, all seemed to go OK but then we found a leak!. The problem was with the master stop cock so a replacement was purchased and the water supply switched off outside. This seemed to work but then more water was discovered. This turned out to be a poor seal on the hose pipe connecting the mains to the machine. However now the kitchen floor is dry and I have a really cool new washing machine!

As a result of the leak I had to miss last week's juggling class, so with the Bank Holiday I've been off for 3 weeks, I hope I can manage tonight!

Last week was medical week on Tuesday I went for my yearly asthma check, breath volume was a bit low, but that may be due to not using my inhaler this month, my new one is at my sister's house!

On Wednesday was my visit to the dentist to get the temporary filling replaced. He had a new injection and my face quickly went numb, there were no problem and I now have a newly filled tooth.

Nearly up to date now. This weekend, on Saturday I went to see The Return to the Forbidden Planet at the Hawth. Before the performance I had a walk in the woods behind the theatre, I managed to find my way out in plenty of time before the curtain was raised. This was a different interpretation of the story than I'd seen previously. Partly I suspect because the performance was by a Rep Company, rather than a group brought together for tRtFP. As a result the instrumental switching which is a hallmark of the show didn't occur, only one member of the crew played more than 2 instruments. The costumes were also a change, echoing Star Trek and Galaxy Quest rather that the original movie. I did enjoy myself, at least until the right lens of my glasses fell out! Then I had to hold it to my eye so I could see the action.

On Sunday I was guilted into clearing grass and hedge off cuts off the grass bundling then into bags. I got a lift from my neighbour to the Tip to dump them all (I have no car). The rest burnt on a small bonfire, which was still smoldering 5 hours later.