Moving – Stage 2 – Redux
Posted: Mon 4 December, 2006 Filed under: Animals, Domestic, Getting Organised, Travel 2 Comments »Oh jesus, I was right, it was a really long day. We left at 6:30am, got to Bracknell for about half eleven – although that did include a break for breakfast. There’d been an accident on the M11, and the M25 was solid from Junction 25 to 16, so we thought “Sod that” and went via the North Circular Road instead, which (while longer) at least meant we were moving.
Having picked up the animals – both of whom were fine – we drove back, leaving at about 12:30, and getting home by 3pm. In fact, the journey back was incredibly smooth.
They’re now both settling in – Hound is cool, thinks the new place is great, but Psycho Cat is seriously unimpressed, both with the journey, and with having to stay Indoors now he’s in the new place. There’s abso-bloody-lutely no chance that he’s going to stay indoors for the recommended two weeks…
Well, not unless we also want to visit the vets, with a severely beaten-up Hound…
Moving – Stage 2
Posted: Mon 4 December, 2006 Filed under: Animals, Domestic, Travel Leave a comment »In an effort to reduce our stress levels slightly, we’ve had Hound and Psycho Cat in kennels while we move. Life would’ve been irredeemably more complex if we’d also had to keep an eye on those two while removals men traipsed in and out all day, as well as the presence of the Outlaws, etc.
However, the down side of this idea is that now we’ve done the main bit of the move, and all is ensconced in the new place, today we’re driving back down to Wokingham to pick up the animals, and then have two-and-a-half-ish hours (being optimistic) coming back with both of them in the car.
It’s going to be a looong day…
Moving
Posted: Fri 1 December, 2006 Filed under: Domestic, Travel 1 Comment »If I were you, I wouldn’t expect too much from D4D™ this weekend – we’re moving from Berkshire to Norfolk, and while we’ve got a a removals company doing most of the hard work (well, they’re moving it, but we’ve packed it all up) we’re still going to be doing a lot of moving stuff about and getting it all in the right places.
And for some reason I very much doubt that Herself will see connecting broadband as being a priority…
In Progress
Posted: Thu 30 November, 2006 Filed under: Domestic, Getting Organised, Travel Leave a comment »Well, according to Herself, the removals men turned up by 8:30 this morning.
It’s now nearly 12 noon, and they’re just leaving.
It’s all happening, and tomorrow we’ll be unloading all our shit into a new house…
Life Tech
Posted: Thu 30 November, 2006 Filed under: Domestic, Geeky, Thoughts, Travel 1 Comment »As I’m coming to the close of the “working away from home” period, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the stuff I’ve been doing, and the way I’ve been living over the last couple of months. While I can’t deny that in many ways I’ve been depressed and demotivated, I know I’ve also been able to get a lot of things done that I wasn’t expecting, or wasn’t necessarily planning on doing. Oh yeah, and I’ve been able to get started on some plans for the next 12 months as well, which is always a good thing, considering that it’s bloody December tomorrow.
Anyway, of all the stuff I’ve been thinking about, there’s been two – OK, probably three, but only two are ‘recent’ additions – things that’ve made my life one hell of a lot easier than it could have been in other circumstances.
Of course, being a geek, they’re both/all techie things, but really that shouldn’t come as any shock.
First, and this is the one that’s not ‘recent’ is just a mobile phone. It’s meant I’ve been able to keep in touch with Herself, as well as sorting out a lot of stuff that would have been far, far harder (and far more expensive) in the days before mobile communications.
Second, and probably the saddest, would be the little USB Freeview dongle thingy. While it was initially shit, and is/was utterly crap with the supplied mini-aerial, once it was connected to a proper “real” aerial, it’s been bloody marvellous. In honesty, I’ve watched some unutterable shite, but again it’s also kept me up to date with the things I do want to watch, and keep up to date. (Which reminds me, Torchwood is improving in leaps and bounds – and it was pretty good to start with!)
And the top thing that’s made my life a lot easier? The new laptop that I got just before starting this job. No, it’s not cutting edge, but it’s a fairly decent spec, and it’s been great over the last two months. The previous one, while it had a shit-hot battery life, was pretty slow, and would have been next to useless for a lot of the things that I’ve been doing – even the simple stuff, like watching a DVD, or the USB Freeview dongle.
All very sad, but it’s some of the things you never really think about unless you’re in the same situation.
Headlong
Posted: Wed 29 November, 2006 Filed under: Domestic, Getting Organised, Travel Leave a comment »The big move is trundling along nicely.
Sky have confirmed (twice) that they’ll be doing the install at the new place on the day we arrive, which is a bonus – considering I was initially told that there were no available slots on that day, or for the forseeable future in the new location.
BT are still insisting that the switchover from Bracknell to Attleborough will happen with no problems, and will all go ahead on Friday. I’m still unconvinced – but who knows, they may decide to be impressive for once.
Removals people arrive in Bracknell at (roughly) 9am tomorrow, get everything loaded, then trundle up to Norfolk, and then it all gets unloaded on Friday morning.
It’s going to be weird – but great – to be back to going home in the evening!
Mondays
Posted: Tue 28 November, 2006 Filed under: Thoughts, Travel Leave a comment »I wish I knew why Monday nights at the moment were such a complete pain for me.
For some reason I just seem to invariably have a shitty night’s sleep (well, lack of sleep) on a Monday – I don’t know if it’s the results of the day, or of the travel, or just being in a new bed (although I’ve been in the same room at the B&B for the last month or so, so that shouldn’t be relevant really) but Mondays are always bloody awful.