Bowser Man

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Bowser is not just a baddie in a Mario game, it is also a thing for delivering water. My brother in law has just lost his water supply thanks to the floods, and so we filled our car up with water (not literally - that would be stupid) and headed off to Cheltenham on the way home. We drove past bowsers on street corners, and people walking purposely to and from them. We dropped off our load of water (just a few bottles and some containers) and chatted for a while about this and that, before heading guiltily off to our house, where the taps work.

Just as we left we heard news that some parts of the area had got their water supplies back. I hope it is all sorted out soon.

Rain

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It only rained twice today. Once for four hours and once for eight. We are now in the deep south of england, where people talk funny and the beer tastes strange. The flooding here is awful, on a scale with what Hull experienced recently, but with the added twist that a water treatment station has been put out of action by the rising floods. Which means that people are surrounded by water but have nothing to drink or wash in. Truly horrid. I can't imagine life without running water, it is just one of those things that you never expect to break.

In between showers I did manage to take a few photographs though.

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Dunno what they are, but they look nice.

Breakdowns

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Headed off down south today for a family visit. I don't know about you, but I'm noticing a lot more broken down cars these days. Time was when during a long-ish journey you would see two or three people stranded forlornly at the side of the road. But until recently you hardly saw any. Nowadays they seem much more frequent. Are cars getting less reliable, or are people not having them serviced as often as they should?

Fair Weather Friends

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Had a BBQ today to celebrate my upcoming annual event. Most surprisingly the weather was very good to me, with a break in the rain just long enough for Tim to cook some burgers and sausages, and us to sit in the garden and drink beer whilst solving the problems of the world.

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Colourful cutlery

Folks turned up with presents and cards and I was supplied with a special T shirt to wear, celebrating the fact that tomorrow I'm very old. Unfortunately no photographs were taken of this.. Good stuff and thanks to all.

A great time was had, even though I was beaten at Mario Strikers on the Wii by someone less than a seventh of my age...

Degrees of Heat, and a Great Joke

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Degree ceremonies today. Gosh it was hot. And humid. And they'd closed the windows of City Hall. So we all broiled gently. The best bit was the speech by  Dr John Sentamu, the present Archbishop of York. He was awarded a richly deserved honorary degree in the second ceremony. In the context of having greatness thrust upon himself, he told a really good story, which I will now steal.

A great king had a beautiful daughter. He was very concerned that only the most worthy man should be allowed to marry her. So he built a large pool outside his palace and filled it full of alligators. Then he let it be known that he would grant his daughter's hand in marriage to the first man to swim across the pool. Many people gathered at the waters edge, but all were scared when they saw what happened when some meat was tossed into the pool and the hungry alligators attacked. Then, suddenly a young man was in the pool, swimming his utmost as the alligators chased after him. With a mighty heave the young man pulled himself out of the water and lay gasping at the feet of the king.

"You have done well" said the king. "You have shown great courage and may now marry my daughter".

"I am most grateful" replied the man "But although your daughter is very beautiful I would prefer you to grant me another wish"

"Very well" said the king, surprised at this "What can I do for you instead?"

The man looked at him and said "I would like you to bring me the man who pushed me in the water, so I can put my hands around his neck..."

Confused of Hull

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Since our microwave blew a fuse on Tuesday I've been morosely pricing up replacements. No fun. Today I thought I'd get some more fuses to replace the ones that blew. I picked up a pack in Wilkinsons and noticed something. They were red. Same colour as the one I put in the microwave plug. And they were rated at three amps. Now, for those unfamiliar with the ways of electricity, three amps will run a TV, a lamp and maybe even a mixer. But not a microwave when it tries to cook. I'd replaced the fuse in the microwave with one which will run the clock but will give up the ghost as soon as we actually try to heat something up.

I popped in a 13 amp version (coloured brown) and everything works fine. I guess this makes me an idiot. But a happy one just right now.

Embedded Reading

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Went to Reading today to give a talk about the .NET Micro Framework for an Embedded Development day. I've often found that a bunch of academics make around the toughest audience you can get, but these folks were great - even though they showed a marked lack of appreciation for my jokes.....

My demos mostly worked and the tiny tablet behaved herself impeccably. And the trip back on Hull Trains was as smooth as smooth. And I watched "Love and Death", one of the best films ever, on the Smartphone. Wonderful.

I'd taken the camera, but I got the best pictures when I got off the train at Hull after the journey back.

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Great to be back

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Neat Sky

While I was going through Reading on the bus I saw a sign at Reading Baths that said "Learn to swim here". I thought about going in and asking "What if I want to swim somewhere else?".

But I didn't.

For those at the academic event, I'll have the slides and demos here tomorrow.

Doncaster Duty

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We were at Doncaster today. That's two days in a row for exam boards there. We were a bit worried about flooding in the area (the college is very near the water) but it seems that they escaped, and their shiny new campus is just as shiny and new as it used to be.

The Doncaster folks do excellent work, with students delivering taught projects which are saving their employers literally thousands  of pounds. It is amazing how a little bit of the right knowledge applied in the right way can make a huge difference.

Alcatraz Life

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So I got these "Alcatraz Rules and Regulations" playing cards. Each of the 54 cards contains a "Rule from America's Most Notorious Prison". I was hoping for something along the lines of "Transgressors who spit in public shall be hanged by the giblets from the North Tower until sorrye" kind of thing. So, what did I get:

Six of Spades : "You are required to work at whatever you are told to do"

Nine of Hearts: "At the wake up bell in the morning you must get out of bed and put on your clothes"

Queen of Diamonds: "You are not allowed to have money of any kind in your possession while in this institution"

Actually, it sounds remarkably like my life.....

July Open Day

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The university had an Open Day today. I shot back from town and then turned up suited and booted to do the talk. Thanks for being a good audience people.

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Could have used a slightly wider angle lens.....

We will get C# books out to everyone as soon as we get another batch printed up. And we will be doing the draw for the PSP on Monday.

Anyone who was there but didn't get their name and address to us, all you have to do is send me an email with the name of the fish the Dutch audience didn't know, and we'll send you a book and enter you in the draw.

Kids in the House

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I've just found out that the university will be hosting classes for local schools which have been flooded. A local primary school, and a secondary one, will be sending teachers and kids over to make use of the Wilberforce building for lessons. I think this is an excellent idea, maybe the kids will get a taste for university life and come back in a few years as students.

Got the Bird

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When I got out of the shower this morning I found that I was being watched by a bird. Well, with a body like mine I suppose I should expect this to happen every now and then.

Actually, it was not quite like that. The bird was sitting on the bathroom window sill

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I don't think she saw much

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When I left for work the bird was still there.

I think that particular part of the house has the attraction of the updraft from the boiler flue, which is probably a good way to warm up (it was slightly chilly first thing).

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Bonus flower pic