Archives: archive

Well – the decorators were supposed to be here between 9 & 9:30 – now I start to type at 10:25 – they arrive…
17:25 now. Tea time soon. They stripped & papered the ceiling & return tomorrow to paint & put the border up that we diligently chose last Saturday. They’ve taken a sample of the border as a reference of the paint we’d like them to get. I hope it s not interpreted too dark. We’re hoping for an off white yellow thing – not a full blown muddy yellow.

I feel as though I’m starting to be less ‘generally tired’ so, perhaps, I am starting to feel better. My head is no longer in a fog, & I seem to have some cognitive ability – perhaps even a little will to try to ‘get on top of things’.
I booked a little bit of holiday around Jack’s birthday today. The most likely thing is that I will be trying to sort out stuff around the house that I have not got time for in the normal day to day. Perhaps get the space in the attic sorted & the decorating restarted in what is our room, but will be the kids room. You can but hope, like.
I have real difficulty visualising the whole thing being done before the end of the year – but I really need to try to get it sorted in the summer months – which are now upon us! Drowning or waving?
I’ve been trying to sort my eMate out with the Ethernet card that I have. If you have tried to get your own newt (“Newton” is the name of the Operating System for the eMate) on Ethernet the guide for such a thing is at Chuma. I have followed the instructions there & got myself an allegedly compatible 3Comm card, but when I try to use it I get the error: “-61001 there was a problem with the card” – which is naturally a pisser. I have found some discussion on the error on archived message boards, but nothing as to reason or resolution. Still – I have no absolute concern over this as I can get my eMate & iMac to talk nowadays – & do the mail thing. I have noticed a rather pleasant development for newt owners in general in that someone is developing a driver to enable the use of Compact Flash Memory instead of the increasingly rare Flash memory cards that they currently are restricted to. Basically the sort of memory, that, say, a Digital Camera might use. A lot easier to get hold of & the capacity (amount of memory) could be quite respectable. Woo! Look forward to that when it’s finally released! If I could afford to splash out I’d do some ‘beta testing’ – & use the untested product.
hmmmm… makes a note to keep an eye out for a cheap PCMCIA Compact Flash Adapter on Ebay…

Nothing much to say. No minutia to impart at the moment – nothing particularly bugging me. Louise looks to be coming down with a stinky cold. Spoke to mum & dad over the weekend & they now know Louise is expecting again. Mum’s response was, like, oh yeah – I knew she would be… (!!) Are we that transparent? How did she ‘know’? Granted she had just been working all day & was well fagged out – so it sounded more deadpan than it probably really was. She admitted the same the next morning when I called so that she could speak with Jack – that was why she was trying to last weekend at that time in the morning, but Jack was already playing on ‘the Internet’.
Went shopping yesterday for some clothes for Louise & she actually found a couple of things! Louise is even more fickle than I am when it comes to buying new stuff to wear. Me, I saw nothing… Got ‘The Avalanches’ album tho, which on the whole is jolly good. Nice indulgence. Jack & Eve were very good. Jack got a new coat, as he needs one & virtually chose a new t shirt for himself. I pointed it out to him & he was, “yes, I like that”. It’s aqua green with a big picture of a gold fish on it. He showed it to Louise & she liked it as well, so as we were buying him a coat, we thought we’d indulge in that. He was then keen to stay & buy more things for himself. I think he thought that he must be on a roll – but we had to disappoint him. I think he must like the coat as he wore it in the house that evening – professing that he was cold, when it was not really.
Feeling I’m not keeping on top of things again at the moment. There are not enough hours & I’m too tired. ZUM! is an obvious thing that I feel gets neglected – I have not been able to keep up with the administration involved.
Bah.

Not been writing a lot of recent as not really felt up to it. Been a bit ill with a fever & aches & pains, but – I can still pick up a phone & I can still talk – so – I went to work. This is most likely what Louise had last week as well. She thought it was something to do with the pregnancy, so she says she was probably suffering through it better under that illusion. Anyway – as I have been ill, I’ve not really been paying attention to what’s been going on around me as much as I might.
Perhaps Jack is not feeling that well at the moment either, as he was being a little so & so yesterday evening. Revelling in a lot of things that he knew would annoy us. Whether it’s an unfortunate attention seeking thing trying to divert us from paying attention to Eve, I dunno. It does get monumentally tiresome though… The best approach to such a situation is difficult as well, as he never quite reacts how you would expect. On the whole though – when he is like that, there is not a lot you can do or say that will deter him. sigh…
Voted yesterday. Funny – the whole electoral campaign this time has been as dull as ditchwater. Perhaps it’s due to the perceived inevitability of t all. Turnout was low as well – perhaps due to the same reason? There’s not the desperation that I’ve felt with other elections that the Tories simple must get kicked out… now it’s Labour – & well – although they are not really that great – they at least are NOT the Tories… What a disaster they would be. Oh, it did raise my spirits when i heard that Hauge had resigned this morning. Schuedenfued-thingy hehehe.

Jack was more his normal self on Tuesday… Louise, Jack & Eve went to Leila’s house up the valley a little (I do not recall Leila’s mum’s name..) for the day. Leila goes to the same school as Jack. It’s half term, so they’re both off school. She’s a bright engaging kid, but sometimes the other kids seem to find her a little too loud. She had a spell at Hamish’s school, & Hamish confessed he did not like her, as she was “too loud”. Hamish can be ‘sensitive’ like that. Anyway they all had a very good day. They went playing in the fields & a stream near the house. All sounded very idyllic & I forget the details that Louise told me… bah. Jack was in fine spirits on his return. The only area of contention that he was not wanting to get into the bath & he got mad at me for insisting that he did… but as he was in a better mood in general the tizzy was soon diffused.
The attic may be done, but we’ve not really moved anything back up there & I’m started to get ‘itchy’ to start sorting things out again… I have not even had the chance to clean up the room. It is still dusty from the builder’s finishing, but I cannot hoover in the evening for fear of disturbing the kids, & it is difficult to do in the day as the kids are still about & will want to go up there (& will end up well dusty… sigh). Now we have the eves sorted out for storage we can but hope that they will swallow the majority of the stuff that was otherwise all over the place up there before & keep the room itself a lot more tidy. That’s the theory. In the meantime, our bedroom – which need to be decorated so that the kids can move in there when we move upstairs – is still chocka full of boxes & stuff… bah. We seem to enforce a state of living in flux sometimes.
I think, for the last 3 days, Eve has not had a snooze during the day. She copes well as she must be tired in the evening. She did have a good cry last night when she fell over & Louise was not there. All she did was trip over a toy – something she does many times a day without any fuss – so it was the tiredness that took over – poor thing. Sometimes only mummy will do. Jack was tired as well. He had a full day. Even went off with Hamish (& his mum) to feed the ducks at the canal in town. This was about our teatime &… well, we had tea without him. We made sure that there was tea for his return, but when he came home, he said he wanted to have tea at Hamish’s, & dashed off round there again. I followed to see what all this was about as he said that they were having ‘pies’. Ruth, Hamish’s mum was just getting tea ready for her youngest, Amber, & all was a bit up in the air, but altho I sheepishly felt I was imposing on them, it was said to be OK. They had bought some cheese & onion pies at the supermarket when they were out, & were going to eat out, but the weather having turned a little less pleasant, had just come home. So Jack stayed for tea there. I went round to pick him up a little later (as he was having some chocolate dessert lucky boy). He eats much better at Hamish’s. I think he gets bored eating with us. He ate beans – he never normally eats beans. Although later, as the bath was running he said “I didn’t really want to have tea at Hamish’s…” …sigh.

Well, the Plaid album did not arrive… perhaps today. The Serial converter did tho! woo! I am rather pleased at this – I can transfer data – all these mumblings (previously I had to print out text, then scan it into my mac & OCR it to convert it to text again – not especially useful…). I now can plug them into each other & away I go! I’ve installed the ‘Internet Assistant’ thing as well – so hopefully I’ll get onto the net with it… altho that’s not really the intention. The intention is to use it for collecting emails when away from home. Difficult to really convey the delight of such a simple (& geeky) thing, but this is one of the reasons for using this in the 1st place – to be able to type on the train & feed it to my mac at home.
To realise this ability after a couple of months of use… ahhhh. Spent a bit too long last night messing about doing data transfers, & went to bed late… & then could not get the brain to turn off & stop little fits of glee that it was all working… silly.

A bank holiday over. Nice to have a long weekend!
Not so pleasant to be butting heads with Jack. He’s a whirls of ‘wants’ at the moment. Grumpy with it too. It must all seem so unfair to him as he perceives constant disappointment. Well, it was more Sunday & Monday that were like this. Saturday we went to Elaine’s – Louise’s sisters. Not something we especially like to do, but family & duty & all that. The kids enjoy it… but I’m not really sure that I had a conversation that lasted for more than a few non-sequiters. Did have a chat in the car going to the house about Mac techy stuff with Louise’s (&, I guess my — eep!) brother in-law Kyle, but Jack suddenly took a turn & wanted to get out for a moment. He gets car sick. Odd, but he doesn’t seem to get car sick in my Mum & Dad’s car, even with their at times erratic driving, but there you go… he must be distracted enough then, or something.
Kirk & his missus & kid were there. Louise was not overjoyed at the prospect of socialising with them due to the knock on’s she had the other week from her mum due to the problems that Kirk has with money… Still – the babe was there. 10 months (i think – not really sure). Amelia – she is just standing – so it won’t be long before she’s away & walking. Cute kid. Big cheeks make her look very square faced. They all seem besotted with her (heh – that’s babies for you). She seemed to like Jack, so Jack responded with charm & gave her a few hugs. They have a pond with fish, & Jack & Eve went out to ‘look’ at it. 1st time that Eve has had the chance to get close to it. It’s raised a little so that it’s just the right height for her to look over into. She can reach her hand in too – as she did – & started splashing the water about! Something that had never really occurred to Jack before, but as Eve was Jack did. It started off innocently enough, as Kyle encouraged them to put their hands into the water as the fish come up to your hand with the thought that there might be food. Degenerated soon enough though. Fish must have been having a great time as they disappeared to the bottom of the pond. Kyle didn’t seem to mind this, so it was lt to continue a little, until Eve was noticed to have gotten herself quite wet… then we went back inside. Fortunately we always carry a spare set of clothes for such emergencies.
Much chocolate (as always). Jack was running about a fair bit, came up to me, said he needed to go out & promptly threw up. Fortunately, although just next to me, he managed to miss me entirely! We managed to get away at s sensible hour. Being careless, we are dependent on they for transport too & from the train station in Bradford. I sat in the back with Jack this time & he curled up on my lap & hid himself away for the journey home. This worked well for him & he nearly drifted off to sleep. Eve certainly did… she was not awake will we were off the train at home. All in all relatively painless expedition. A little socially uncomfortable, but nothing that served to twist the knife (as was feared).
I’m trying to think if there were any warning signs that Jack was going to have a bad day on Sunday morning, but I cannot recall anything specific. The supermarket was the 1st flash point. We were going to the cafe there after shopping (as we often do on a Sunday) & Louise was getting some things & Jack wanted a tray as he usually does, except today he had it in his mind to have about 6 trays…., no, put them back… he did not – he wanted to take a heavy load of trays & presumably load them with something. Shouting on his part ensued, so we left – we did not go to the cafe – even though Louise was hungry & Jack must have been (as he had decided that he did not want any breakfast). He was very tearful at having left, but as we tried to tell him, if he does not listen to us he does not get what he wants. This could be considered one of his shortcomings – not listening, but then, I’m sure this is a common thing, not just at this age. He is wanting to push boundaries again, it seems – try to get away with more than we would like, & is finding that we do not make idle threats when it comes to getting ‘our’ way. Shame, as I really do not like the whole process. Having said that, he came in on his own last night for a bath when Hamish came round just as the bath was being run. Louise said he could go out for “2 minutes” & he was back in just as everything was ready. He did not go to sleep until 10 o’clock, but that’s another matter. He confessed that he “did not want to go to sleep”. No seeming reason, not really sure why. Don’t really think it’s bad dreams, but it’s all rather difficult to say. He woke up upset in the night, but that was perhaps as we had put him back into his own bed after finding that the only way to get him to go to sleep was to put him in our bed. He could well have been a bit disorientated due to that.
Heh… Saturday night Eve got herself well over exited before bedtime & had a difficult time getting to sleep. She (as said before) fell asleep on the train home, so we were wary of setting them to bed to early, but thinking about it, she must have got overtired. Jack was reading a counting book with Louise & as there were some good pictures in it, Eve was joining in looking at it as well. She was told that the pictures of fish were ‘fishes’ & she picked up that new word – recognising them, perhaps from earlier in the day? She was joyous to learn this new word & ran to me to exclaim it… then… got over exited in general. Rushing back & forth – trying to wrench the book of Jack & myself when we were looking at it later, indulging in hugs with Jack & falling over the floor with him in an embrace – laughing & giggling. Even more full of life than she usually is. Running about like a thing possessed, she was. Sweet with it though… shame it all ended in tired frustration as she did not want to sleep even though too tired. When calmed down she fell asleep in seconds flat.
Now on the train home – wondering if the post has bought anything good. After my fruitless treks across Manchester the other day I decided to try to but a usb to serial adapter. I’m waiting for that to arrive, as well as the new Plaid album – which I ordered from the Warp website…
We shall see – patience of a boy on Xmas eve, has I.
I really want to get the link with this emate machine & my mac at home working…

The bloke came yesterday as stated to look at the ceiling to check as to what needed doing. As suspected, it just needs repairing. Louise had fun. He rang a couple of times, as he did not know where it was? Left garbled messages, only blurting out what his mobile number was on one message left. As Louise was finally deciphered it & was about to call, he turned up. He did his schpiel, told us it would need to be repaired, got the camera out to take some pictures, proclaiming that is what he was about to do, & then promptly asked where <his next destination> was… Louise having said she didn’t know he left in a fluster, leaving his camera & having taken no pictures. Louise had to then call him on his mobile to tell him that he’s lest his camera, so that he could bring it back… Sounded a right droid.
Glad to be sat down. I’ve been running over Manchester trying to find a ‘null modem connector’. No Joy. I figured that this is what I needed as I have both the Ethernet card & the modem card for this eMate I have now. Succeeded in the end in getting them from ebay… didn’t pay too much; could have paid less for the Ethernet card, but that’s the way it goes… The problem now is to install the software so that the Ethernet card works. It’s an old chicken & egg. The Ethernet card will work well as a connection thing – but I need to establish a connection to download the software to make the Ethernet card work… Bah. The modem, I thought, would be the key… but I’m now thining, perhaps not. I thought I might be able to establish something called a ‘null modem’ connection. Getting the modem on this eMate to talk to the modem on the iMac… in theory possible… but then I need some form of cable for the modems. It seems I may have misinterpreted the term ‘null modem’ in that respect, perhaps… as there seems to be no such thing that will connect the socket that the modem plugs into the phone line for each modem… sigh. I foolishly thought such a thing might be easy enough to find, but no. Having thought about it, I may still be able to work round the modem thing. Considering making a cable, but worried it might bugger things up. May be able to use the phone system to connect them up, rather that via the cables themselves.
Did eventually end up in a specialist Mac shop. Saw a new flowery iMac. Pretty – better than the pictures of them might indicate, as the translucence of the plastic does not come over.
Louise has been feeling a little icky in the early days of pregnancy.

Glorious morning. Both children were in our bed with Louise as I left. Eve woke just as I was about to go, so I took her from he got to Louise, & she fell directly asleep again. Too early for her to be stomping about really.
(train home) Again the day is sweltering. I am not ideally suited to such weather, burning to a crisp. Eve seems to have the sort of skin that could cope with the sun. She has got more & more brown as the summer days have set in. Louise describes her hands as being ‘black’. They do look like they could do with a good clean, but are in fact merely well tanned… Jack remains quite white compared to her increasingly olive complexion.
The contractors from the insurance are comming today (or suposed to have come today) to assess the damage that the pipe leak has done to our ceiling. Hopeully this will be on the road to resolution. The ceiling already is stained from previous water leaks from the broken seal on the bath – so with any luck that will be cleared up as well. I am not looking forward to yet more disruption, but if that is the way it is… that is the way it is.
I’m feeling a little short on things to waffle about really. There is nothing I feel I want to write about (excepting, perhaps one thing hinted at earlier, but I’m wanting to be coy there)… so perhaps I’ll do what ‘they’ all do & deconstruct, just a tad, & note that perhaps the good weather puts me in a better mood. I feel less of an urge to cleanse by writing. I would rather not be burdened by concentration.
Work is not too bothersome as things are settling in with the new company & the support issues thereof. I learn a little bit more here & there & sort out a little bit more here & there. It would be pleasant to actually have some definite under-pinning to my shaky logic on the perception of how things work, but the snippets I learn are keeping me happy enough for now. I actually feel vaguely confident that I will manage to learn some stuff here & there that will be useful.
Perhaps this ‘contentment’ will even transfer time being able to concentrate enough to do some organisation with ZUM!… That would be nice.

We now have hot water again.
Hattie came on Thursday & put a new connector from the lead to copper pipes. It drove her a bit barmy, as it appeared that it would not seal, so she redid it a couple of times… to no avail. Then she got some more light to it & found that the water was actually seeping through the fitting itself. Through the brass of the connector. Micro-fractures or some such… bother. The leak is still there albeit very slow now. I will have to take the floorboard up when we get home to empty the bowl.
Caroline came up for the weekend to see us. All the way from London for a weekend. Very good of her to venture. Had a very nice time. All pretty low key. Popped over to Hebden Bridge on the Sunday & that sort of thing. Eve was wary of her the last time she came, but aside from a few ‘who are you?’ frowns, she was very accepting. Eve has generally become more open with people since we had the builders in & out & messing about.
She fell over on Friday & broke a nail off. This time it was actually not one of her daredevil stunts that came a cropper. She was just pushing a toddler cart up the path. Must have fell badly.. Poor little tiny finger with half her nail hanging off… quite gruesome. She was stoic about & calmed down soon enough. I put a plaster on to help stop her banging it as it looked tender, but she just bit it off.
She came a cropper again about an hour later – standing on one of her trucks out back – fell over & banged her forehead. Had a whopper of a bruise for the evening, but it had calmed down by the next evening.
She has remained weaned since last week. No relapses. Getting more accepting of going to sleep; the new routine of actually just falling asleep… Both of them actually slept through the night last night. No one called out & no one pottered into our bed. Weird. Civilised, even! Eve’s teething seems to be calming down for the moment – she has molars now & can chew her food a little easier.