Skip to content

August 2003

friends for lunch

we had a multitudinal luncheon activity today. 10 round the table which was great. children played in one room whilst adults chatted in another.
well, that’s not quite true.
the children DID play in another room, but the adults played dressing up in wigs:
DSC06114.jpg
and doing the jigsaws and a marble run which we originally put out for the children:
DSC06115.jpg

No more food orders due to no more food

here is a contributed sign from some friends. they saw it at Hughenden Manor. it says:
“No more food orders due to no more food – Many apologies”
that’s the voice of english heritage (national trust actually) saying it like it is
DSC00763.jpg

31 days has august

it’s still august and not lets forget it. i thought it might be the first of September today, but we have 31 days in August. it’s like we are pleading for the summer to continue forever.
my advice is just to go with the flow. the quicker we get this winter started, the quicker it will be over with. let’s get our coats out the cupboard and start enjoying some cold weather.
i can smell a chicken cooking downstairs (because there is one cooking) and I feel very Christimasy.
Let’s hope Jesus doesn’t come back before lunchtime else we won’t get to taste it. I suspect they’ll have some nice lunches in Heaven though.

Hillier Gardens

we tried to go to Hillier Gardens today.
It looked great but it was closed when we got there because of a concert in the evening. we will visit this place another time …
DSC06107.jpg

gentlemen’s toilets

blokes toilets at Broadlands.
there was more to it than just this hose pipe and mains lead
DSC06071.jpg
there were a load of sinks in a row:
DSC06072.jpg

broadlands, romsey

after visiting jane’s granny we went to Broadlands, which was the home of Lord Mountbatten.
DSC06086.jpg
It costs £3 each (for the growned ups) to go for a walk round the grounds (you can go round the house if you pay more but that didn’t seem a great idea with the kids). for £3 you got to go round the exhibition and we spent about an hour there and the guides were really nice. i still felt it was a little expensive.
we picnic-ed in the carpark, but there is a nice picnic area inside
kezia enjoyed shutting these massive gates:
DSC06070.jpg

no dogs

i don’t know much (or care about) dogs. but here is a no-dogs sign of a version i haven’t seen before.
DSC06068.jpg

great granny

here is jane’s granny:
DSC06061.jpg
we went to visit her this morning (she’s esther and kezia’s great granny). she’s 92 i think, but mentally totally alert. fantastic !
DSC06056.jpg

2 chairs, two stories

the first chair i saw this evening was a swivel chair. it contained an empty can of beer and an old cigarette packet. i suspect this was once the seat of a smoking alcoholic who liked to face in different directions whilst sitting.
DSC06040.jpg
the second chair i saw was made of wicker and contained old egg shells. i suspect this chair was once the seat of a bird
DSC06041.jpg

luncheon meet

DSC06038.jpg
i love how unproductivity is catching. here we are celebrating lucy and arjan’s leaving again.
DSC06035.jpg
the unwritten rule on such occasions is to remain in the venue until the most senior member of staff leaves. any earlier is seen as not being a ‘team player’ and later reveals you to be a slacker.
we were delighted therefore when will ordered icecream and banana.
DSC06037.jpg
it was then passed around the table like a last supper. we were provided with plenty of spoons which was nice.

glove pyramid

a couple of my colleagues went to canada and found a glove mountain (as you do). here it is in all it’s fingerly glory. doesn’t it look gloverly ?
click for big version
glove pyramid.jpg

fridge

here is a fridge near Marble Arch. in the background you can see grid locked power outage traffic. interesting that all the lights are on …
DSC06025.jpg

david blaine is from mars – the proof

there was a massive power cut in london last night.
i blame mars and david blaine. Blaine is in london to live in a glass box for 6 weeks. he stood on top of the London Eye yesterday morning as it went round. if there had been a power cut then he would have been stuck.
he was probably in the east coast of america when they lost their power a week or so back too.
so i think it’s him that has made it happen. the proximity of mars has increased his powers beyond that which even he can control.
here is a a picture of the grid lock around Marble Arch at 9.30pm last night.
DSC06024.jpg
here was a strange thing that happened at Paddington Station. for some reason the electronic screen which said “slippery floor” has fallen over sideways
DSC06027.jpg

leaving do(n’t)

last night it was lucy and arjan’s leaving do. it will be different without them about. in particular the number of staff on our floor will reduce from 8 to 6 which is different for a start.
here is arjan:
DSC05984.jpg
sara got possessed by the spirit of her moustachioed £20 note
DSC05991.jpg
sara and herve respect each other’s personal space.
DSC06002.jpg
everyone looked surprise most of the time
DSC06005.jpg
herve shows off my wooden tie
DSC06012.jpg

leaving shoes

leaving dos are good for catching up with old colleagues. everyone is on their best behaviour of course
mandie left ages ago, but came back wearing the shoes that she got as a leaving present.
I’m sure someone said “what do you want when you leave Mandie” and she said “oh, a nice leaving do”. someone misheard it as ‘leaving shoe’ and rest is history
here are the shoes:
DSC05988.jpg
here is mandie again, this time looking sternly at sherella (another ex-colleague)
DSC06000.jpg
and here she looks strangely at herve
DSC06009.jpg

2 pence

on a thames train at 11pm in reading
DSC06030.jpg