Amit Gawande
amit.w.gawande
Software Engineer and Writer
12:50: Back in the 5k club 🏃♂️💪 34:07, so not exactly fast but I’ll take it! Legs were a bit sore still after the first run on Sunday but felt much better. Bright sunny 20°c here so pretty warm. Needed water! Enjoyed it! Ready for more!! 🏃♂️
16:43: Looking forward to our holiday in a few weeks' time. Ahead of that, decided that it’s time to start taking marathon training seriously. April next year is going to come around very, very quickly… To help decided to have a bit of a booze ban, at least until holiday. Wish me luck!
17:03: New Running Watch Yesterday I went on my first run for many months. Concluded that it is time to start getting ready for the London Marathon in 2024. My trusty Apple Watch Series 4 is no longer up to scratch, it works but the battery just doesn’t last long enough and 4km in to the run yesterday it decided to …
22:21: Just finished watching Hijack on Apple TV 🫣 Absolutely loved every second of it! Such an exciting Thriller. Maybe not one to watch when you’re on or about to get on a plane!
17:30: Finally decompressing from the week. Enjoying a particularly lovely bottle of Malbec from Berry Bros. Managed to tidy up the garden and took the kiddo swimming yesterday, which she absolutely loved. 😊
19:00: Just rejoined MicroBlog after a bit of a hiatus. 🎉Pleased to be back and off of the bird site. Thanks @semaj! Also, a bit of a tough day at work - so time for a glass of French Gamay 🙂🍷
21:28: Busy day today, but good progress getting ready for the house move. Took some junk to the tip, took down the Xmas decs, boxed up some garage stuff and dismantled all the shelving. Exhausted! Almost run out of boxes, house looks bare! 😳 Looking forward to the move🤞☺️🏡
14:03: 📸 Merry Christmas Everyone! Hope you’re all having a lovely, relaxing day ☺️ Charlotte has had a very exciting morning opening all of her Christmas presents! 🎁 🎅🏼
10:02: Last day to purchase Apple Care for my new MBP. Still undecided. 🤔 Think it’s unlikely I’m going to break it, but if I do, then I’m really, really going to regret not having Apple Care. Ugh. IDK. 🤷♂️
14:24: Something with Mb or my theme keeps breaking. I’ve currently got 29 categories configured but they don’t all show up or function. Photos from certain posts are missing completely from the photos page. When I run an import of new If I force a rebuild everything comes back, but once left for a while …
19:02: Made some great progress with the migration to MicroBlog today. Spent some time configuring custom themes, learnt a lot. Now reasonably happy with how things look and are setup, it’ll need more tweaks, but good start. Hopefully move more posts over tonight 🤞☺️
10:58: Happy winter solstice everyone (who above the equator). It gets brighter from here! ☀️😎
12:11: Feeling much better and more energised today (despite Charlotte doing her best to keep us up all night), so yesterday must have been post-booster symptoms. 😁
13:21: First thoughts on moving my blog from Jekyll & Github Pages to Micro.Blog Spent a little time looking at how I can get my historical posts and photos migrated to Mb. If I’m going to go all in then it’s important that I can keep everything in one place. This Mb help post shows how it’s possible to upload markdown files, which is good news (since this is how my current …
13:25: I don’t know how, but somehow I was not aware of the Micro Monday podcast series. Just listened to my first episode, 107: Manton, aka @manton, on new Micro.blog features. Loved it! It’s stuff like this that really makes the Mb community so great to be a part of.
17:43: Sun setting over The River Medway on the shortest day of the year. Glad to get out of the house for a chilly walk with the 🐶after a busy day at work. Looking forward to some time off tomorrow ☺️
23:00: Had a bit of a mess around and now migrated 2021’s posts from my main blog over to Mb, was actually relatively painless. Sorted my categories out, although they’re still behind the scenes. Images are all moved, couple of hiccups but all okay. Think I’m going to stick with just using categories for …
11:21: More and more news reports about another possible lockdown in UK, esp since NL & DE have done so. Who knows..! Either way, the Andrews' are ready and doing our best to avoid going anywhere. Hopefully people will be sensible and we’ll avoid legally-imposed restrictions. 🤞🎄
16:32: The Confusing world of Baby Milk Formula Can somebody please tell me what’s going on in the world of baby formula? It is so incredibly confusing. Much like the unnecessary situation of having a hundred different options for clothing detergent the same exists in the world of baby formula. Difference is that a decision on the former results …
20:27: Bleh. Not feeling super great today, not sure if it’s the after effects of the Booster on Saturday or something else. Exhausted, achey and struggling to focus. 😩👎 (LFT is negative) Two days of work left until Xmas, not long, I can do it!!
14:57: Had my booster jab first thing this morning, I rescheduled from yesterday. Very fast - there was a short queue outside, once in, my name was crossed off the list. Another short queue inside, into a room, check name/DOB, check ok, jab, see you later. 😁💉🦠 Done!
15:02: Still can’t decide if it’s worthwhile continuing to host my full blog at andrews.io and then having a separate micro.andrews.io via micro.blog. There’s a fair few things I’d miss by moving all to Mb but it’s really annoying having two places for everything.
14:29: Booster booked for Friday! 😁💉🦠
19:03: Thank you to a colleague for suggesting this: ezifeed.com Fingers crossed that it lives up to the hype 🤞😁🍼
13:29: Let’s do this!!! Never have I been so excited and apprehensive about a formula 1 race. This is going to be something really special. Praying for a clean fight. Get in there #TeamLH 🇬🇧🏎 Oh, and Kittos Kimi 🧊🇫🇮✌️
16:36: In the pub to calm down. Bleh.
09:01: Last trip to London of the year today. It’s cold! ❄️🥶 Lots to get done, talking Identity Management.
20:32: It’s the weekend!! Long but productive day in the office. Now home and having a nice bottle of this Spanish Rioja as a bit of a treat. Absolutely lovely 👌🍷 www.vivino.com/wines/150…
17:09: Just had our internal all-hands 2021 Technology Review call. WOW! It’s been a busy one! So many things delivered to the benefit of our business, all of it without travel and mostly working remotely. Impressive! So proud of Technology Team at Colliers! Looking forward to 2022 🎉👏
19:54: Two beautiful new girls in our family this Christmas, our Charlotte on the right and my 5-day old niece Arla on the left 💕 Can’t wait for them to grow up together! ☺️
08:59: Still no news on the house move, so we’ve concluded that it’s certainly post-Christmas now. Which is totally fine… Day off today, going to try and evacuate everything from the loft and get it packed up properly. Hopefully there will be some treasures we can dump on eBay too 🤞
09:36: Got my Elgato Facecam working with my MBP in the end. Complete hassle. Seems it only wants to work with a Thunderbolt 3 cable. Very strange. Once connected it seems to do its job very well. Software marginally better than with the Logi BRIO.
20:03: Overpriced, but very, very lovely. I’m not normally a fan of marmalade but I can’t get enough of this stuff. Recommend. www.fortnumandmason.com/marmalade…
20:38: One huge side effect from baby is that I now have absolutely no problem getting to sleep. Sometimes I used to lay in bed awake for hours, not any more! Soon as I’m in bed, I’m asleep. It’s amazing. 😴
15:27: Starlink problems… 🙄
16:55: I continue to regret choosing a .io domain for my everything. 🙄 $44 a year, now $52
09:02: Right, best get back to the office then. Wish me luck. 😷
13:02: WiFi 6 in the office now… Very nice indeed! Certainly beats Starlink, although we might need to upgrade the Gigabit connection in the office to something a bit more substantial. 😂
20:56: Been a long day in London today but great to see some colleagues, have lunch with the boss and join @geekyjames for a quick pint. Extra pleased we made it to The Harp for a Darkstar Hop Head 🍻👌 Looking forward to getting home now though. 👨👩👧
10:29: This seems like a pretty good deal. Anyone use an Elgato Facecam? I miss my Brio but hated the software, perhaps this is the answer.
11:11: First Teams call on Starlink - this happens. 🤦♂️
14:49: So how long until the "work from home if you can” mandate?
15:36: More new toys. This was an expensive lump of metal. Came with a nice Dishy protective cover though 👏
23:10: Haven’t shared too much about our new arrival yet. Been trying to make the most of everything, the past three weeks have been a dream (a very tiring dream!). Absolutely adore our little girl though, especially love Daddy/Daughter evening TV time! ☺️💖
19:47: 48Hrs of Starlink - Update Since installing Dishy in the back garden on Friday things have improved really quite a lot. While I was really surprised how quickly we were up and running after installing, there were enough drops and packet loss out of the box for it to be a problem when streaming. After about 12 hours it was …
09:44: So overnight Dishy has settled in to its new home. Has now reported obstructions too. Some to the west which is probably the top of the house. Could solve by elevating but I’ll probably leave it until we move house. Very surprised it works just sitting on the lawn!!
09:57: Upload speed has been pretty variable, peaks at 44Mbps but usually max is 16Mbps. Online backup seeded 37GB in 8 hours. Upload speed obviously not its strength but better than VDSL. Need to setup my router to monitor properly. I have a Ubnt EdgeRouter X somewhere that’ll work.
10:01: Latency is pretty incredible considering how the thing actually works. On VDSL it’s <10ms to 8.8.8.8 but with Starlink it’s ~36ms. Unnoticeable in normal use. Jitter is not as good either, but to be expected.
10:05: Reliability hasn’t been perfect for streaming. Last night it was dropping every now and then, in a FaceTime call it is pretty easy to notice the brief interruption. This was in both directions. Could be the obstructions or it settling in, hopefully it’ll stabilise.
17:51: So far, so good! Hooked Dishy up about an hour ago, just on the lawn in the back garden. Expect it is too obstructed and will need to go on the roof but seems to be working. Fast!
08:48: Right, that’s my two weeks. Best get back to work.. 💼 Wish me luck!!
18:36: 👀 She’s here!
17:35: I love anything and everything pineapple. 🍍Somehow never made Pineapple Jam though. Until today! Fingers crossed it comes out edible.
13:59: Broke the seal yesterday, first beer as a Dad. Absolutely worth the wait. So lovely!
01:24: It’s been the most amazing day. We’re Mum and Dad to the most gorgeous little baby girl. 👼 Couldn’t stop crying with happiness when she joined us. Best day of my life. So proud of Mrs A for everything, she did so, so well. She’s going to be the best mum. 💕
08:27: Baby Update: On it’s way, but taking it’s time. We’re currently at home but everything ’started’ 48-ish hrs ago. Hopefully baby will be with us this weekend. We’ve spent a little time at the hospital checking things, all is fine, just happening slowly. Mrs A is doing well. 😌
01:00: Dadblog - Week 40 Well, we had hoped that by now baby would be with us! Seems it’s not time just yet…. Baby is still doing very well though, getting itself ready for the big day which is getting closer every minute that passes. Victoria is doing fine too and is coping very well, despite baby being really quite big! …
10:01: Really enjoyed the Medway Yacht Club fireworks and bonfire last night 🎇 🔥 The busiest event on the club calendar! Luckily we managed to get a spot to sit and enjoy the show.
12:14: Beginning to wonder if Starlink dish is going to arrive before we move house. Really don’t want to have to change to deliver location and cause a delay ☹️
10:26: Mortgage Application - Approved! Just need to wait for the Valuation now. So far, everything is moving along nicely. 😁
15:30: Hit another milestone today. Almost forgot! Two months alcohol-free. 🍺🥳 Enjoying it so far. Over half way to Christmas. Also, two years 🌱 . Which I’m immensely proud of. 🥳
18:57: Hello, friend.
23:19: Getting Ready for the Big Day! (MacBook Pro Arrival) So the MacBook Pro is still due for delivery tomorrow, tracking hasn’t updated at all over the weekend except to indicate it’s left Tamworth. Not having it arrive this weekend is probably a good thing because it’s allowed me to do some housework on file storage… (which I’ve been putting off for …
23:20: Also, Happy Halloween 🎃
15:10: Let’s do this! #McPlant
01:00: Dadblog - Week 37 What a difference a few weeks can make…! The HUGE news this month is that we’re moving house!! 😁 It’s all happened very quickly but we’re both very excited and confident we’re making the right decision. We absolutely love living here in Upnor, it’s a very special …
09:20: If we need more boxes than this, we’re going to be in trouble! Great service from Schott Packaging, all arrived next day. Let’s get movin’! 📦🚚🏡
14:38: Very pleasant morning pumpkin picking at Beluncle Farm today. 🎃 Lots of different varieties and some whoppers too! Great fun ☺️
19:17: Went to view the new house again this evening. Still absolutely love it, so that’s good. 😁🏡 Concerned as to whether my heart will still be in the same place on Monday after the #AppleEvent 😬💔💻 Let’s hope the mortgage will cover both. 🤞
18:14: Today has been an exciting day in moving home news. I’ll share more once things are firmed up, but everything is looking really good. ☺️🤞 Beginning to feel very real now but trying to not get too excited! 🚚🏡
18:49: Dad classes are over. Here’s how they went… 🤰👨🍼 This weekend was the last class of Dad Classes (aka Antenatal Classes) which is both very exciting and very nerve wracking at the same time! We had four lessons, three Saturdays of 4 hours and a 2 hour midweek session. The classes were really, really helpful and in hindsight I don’t quite know how …
19:13: It’s been five weeks since my last drink (Belgian GP) 🍺 Update: I feel normal. I sleep a bit better. I enjoy always being able to drive. I spend less money. I focus a LOT better at work. I generally care more. I do more things. 🙂 I miss the pub, cask ale and red wine. ☹️
00:09: New Bond movie: 10/10 Absolutely loved every second of it!! #NoTimeToDie
01:00: Dadblog - Week 33 Yes, yes, I know it’s been a really long time since the last Dadblog post - sorry about that, it’s been pretty busy. The good news is that I think, we think, we’re almost there with the baby preps - which is a pretty big deal. We’re for sure on the final furlong, the list of …
07:59: Travelling to Leeds today to visit the Colliers office. Haven’t been to Leeds since December 2016, which was quite a while back. First time I’ve taken an LNER Azuma train which is exciting and continuing to absolutely exploit my Pret subscription. 😁☕️🚝
19:21: Enjoying a little trip to Brighton this weekend, loving the gorgeous sunshine and Victoria is making the most of all of the baby/kiddie shops! Just had a very special dinner at Burnt Orange on the advice of a @jayrayner1 review. Food was fantastic, we’re both now very full! 🍸😁
19:25: Oh! …and we’re watching Frank Skinner at Brighton Dome!! A very well received birthday present from @tigziefc 👍😁 Thank you! 😘
14:36: Just bought tickets to see No Time To Die, the new, COVID-delayed, Bond film. I’m very, very excited that it’s finally happening. We’re watching on release day at Odeon Chatham in the fancy-pants recliner seats. Used a discount voucher, two of us for £27. 🎬🍿😁 #NoTimeToDie
19:00: Great day out on the River Medway today. Haven’t been in a while with everything else going on, first time since my cert! Wind wasn’t with us, but we got the Asymmetrical up and had a motor round to Queensferry Bridge. Sun came out and had a nice relax in the surroundings. 😁☀️⛵️
19:08: That’d be an Easterly Cardinal Mark ☺️ Queenborough Spit marking, just further down was the Harbour Trust’s Classic Boat Festival. Few steam tugs, a pilot cutter and a Thames barge. All fully dressed with lots of people out enjoying themselves! (Yes, I need a better Camera)
08:11: We’re on week 32 and Victoria’s app is telling us that the baby is the size of a Honeydew melon.🍈 youtu.be/hYAKQ5Cre…
12:22: Off to London today for a Date Day with Victoria and The Bean. Very excited because we’re having a picnic at Buckingham Palace. ☺️🇬🇧 Spent all morning rustling up all sorts of fancy picnic food!!
16:04: Having a very lovely time on the Queen’s lawn, got ourselves a nice little spot. Picnic food went down a treat Weather is beautiful!
08:35: I love that the emojis in new Drake album cover move in Apple Music. Super cool. 😎
07:48: It’s a bit foggy today! There’s a river over there somewhere. Happy Monday ☺️
11:03: The pram has arrived!
09:27: It’s certainly not boat shoe weather today 😂 Rained all night and the field is now a proper mess! Luckily we’ve managed to get the van out with a bit of pushing. Lot easier than many folks, the tractor has been doing overtime 🙀 #BelgianGP
10:15: 2021 Belgian GP… In short, I’m a bit angry and disappointed about it all. Here’s my take… #BelgianGP The weather was consistent for the whole day and it was far too bad for racing. It wasn’t inconsistent heavy showers it was just a constant medium rain that didn’t let up. Visibility was bad and I assume so bad that …
15:49: Right, so this was the procedure for getting out of Calais (long post)… #BelgianGP First stop was French border control, where they checked and stamped our passports and we showed NHS vaccination certificates. Owen is only 1-jab, but that’s fine for France. The woman got bored of waiting for Kelly …
16:19: Hello, Dover!
09:45: This morning is the wettest yet. Good news is that there is a tractor because I don’t reckon there’s any chance that we’re getting the van out otherwise. #BelgianGP
09:48: We’re all a bit tired and exhausted. Also hungover. But in the queue for the track. Big queue today but moving. Kelly and Lomas had to go back for the payment card that we topped up yesterday 🙀 #BelgianGP
10:12: At the stand now. Watching the second #Formula3 race on a wet track. All good so far. F1 teams are getting ready. #BelgianGP
10:26: Here’s our view into Bottas’ garage. We brought the binos today! Hopefully we’ll spot some drivers later. #BelgianGP
11:45: Seems to be a lot of activity in the Mercedes Bottas garage. Very busy engineers with the engine covers off. #BelgianGP
12:29: Would not want this job! Looks like the suspended camera had to have its batteries replaced. Getting ready for the race here, drivers are doing the track parade. #BelgianGP
13:10: Lots of confusion as the teams don’t know where they’re supposed to be 😂🌧 #BelgianGP
13:15: Tents are up! Feels like there’s more rain in the way too. #BelgianGP
13:30: Perez’s team now dismantling their equipment since he’s crashed on the outlap!! #BelgianGP
13:51: It’s now raining a lot! Drivers getting ready. #BelgianGP
14:08: After putting everything away, the teams have now put it all back again #BelgianGP Still no sign it Perez’s car. Weather is still lots of rain, doesn’t look like it’s going to ease up. Start at 15:20 local #BelgianGP
14:15: Perez’s car is back in the garage. Not the cause for the delayed start though. Weather just as bad as 20mins ago! 🌧😂 Now delayed again. #BelgianGP
14:31: That’s a red flag! 🚩 #BelgianGP it’s really, really wet tbf. 🌧😂
15:07: Medical car just back in. Talking amongst the FIA. Not looking good. James from Mercedes talking too. #BelgianGP
15:43: Looks like Checo is back in the game!!
08:36: Good morning Spa! It’s raining quite a lot here. But we’re still making the most of it. Queue looks a bit shorter because we got here earlier 👍 Just heading to the COVID gate #BelgianGP
09:06: Getting into the track was a bit different today. COVID check gate didn’t check ID and then the 2nd gate didn’t check ID either. Bit naughty, but hey. Bag check at 2nd was a very quick look. May have been relaxed because of the rain 🌧. No queue at all essentially. #BelgianGP
09:20: For anyone that needs to know, the track commentary is broadcast on FM 76MHz. #BelgianGP which doesn’t seem to be in English 🇧🇪
09:22: Getting ready for the start of the first #Formula3 race. Most are on full wet tyres, although the rain has stopped, at least on the pit straight. #BelgianGP
09:42: So after three formation laps the #Formula3 race has been suspended. It’s very wet! #BelgianGP All cars now in the pit lane.
10:25: Enjoying the wet #Formula3 race, track is still very damp. No incidents so far. We’re enjoying Jupiler today, which for some reason is red! Cool bag for beers was a very good idea. 🍻 #BelgianGP
10:37: We’ll done to LORENZO COLOMBO on the #Formula3 race win. Especially with the tricky conditions. Here crossing the line!! #BelgianGP
11:17: Underway in FP3. Lewis topping the board today, all cars seem to be out on Inters. No rain, just light mizzle. #BelgianGP #HAM
12:54: Loving this picture. Brief interlude in the rain. Now it’s absolutely pouring down 😂🌧 I got a very wet bottom for this!! #BelgianGP
12:56: Of course, the group shot too. Thank you to the random Frenchman who took this for us. #BelgianGP
14:07: Might not see it on camera but there is a lot of standing water on the P2 and P4 grid spots. If it’s wet tomorrow that’ll be a huge disadvantage. #BelgianGP
14:10: We’re back in our spot for Qualifying. Just been watching the Safety Car do a few laps to check the situation. It’s wet but no longer raining. Quali starts at 15:12 local time. #BelgianGP
14:55: Now raining. What a fantastic Q2. So pleased for #NOR and #RUS. Get in there!!! #BelgianGP
19:49: It’s kind of a long story but basically we took a long-cut home. There were some injuries and a bit of wetness. Boots are now drying #BelgianGP
07:48: Morning from Spa. Good sleep last night, tent was perfect. Just enough space and my bag kept me plenty toasty. Many more people carried on arriving last night so it’s getting busier here in Yellow. PCR test was negative! 👍 #BelgianGP Tea, breakfast then heading to the track.
08:16: For anyone wondering exactly where we are, here’s the boundary of the Yellow Camping. There’s portable toilets, showers and a permanent hall used as a bar/cafe. Short 20min walk to the track along a tarmac footpath. All very well organised (unlike the COVID testing) #BelgianGP
08:38: Here is the COVID testing, which is a big marquee full of unorganised teenagers in bunny suits. No signage for this at all and there was basically nobody else there, very odd. Results arrived by email overnight. €80/PCR, paid for 2, 1 for now, 1 before we go home. #BelgianGP 🦠
09:45: In the queue for the track. Taking a little while… hopefully we’ll be in soon! #BelgianGP
10:06: COVID vaccine/test check is happening at the first gate, which is good. People being turned away if they don’t have it all prepared. #BelgianGP
10:20: Second gate is ticket and bag check. Validating name on ticket with ID. #BelgianGP
11:03: And we’re in! Seats are great! #BelgianGP
12:25: Had a stroll down to turn 14. Watching the W series now that P1 has finished. Very drizzly and rainy. Having a pint and enjoying the walk, track is HUGE! #BelgianGP
12:32: Food and drink situation is that you buy tokens/coins on a rechargeable card (which you have to buy). €50 buys you 20 coins. A 50cl beer is 2.4 coins (€6), 33cl is 1.6. Steep, but not insane crazy. All cans, although some spots have draft. All Heineken. #BelgianGP
13:41: Now at the Verstappen zone at Turn 11 (basically all fans here are Max fans), this is where the party is at for sure 😂 #BelgianGP
14:17: We’ve made it to that famous hill ☺️ Little bit of falling over, it’s steeper than it looks!! Now watching the cars fly round during P2. Having a fantastic time! #BelgianGP
17:47: That’s a wrap for today. Very exhausting, walked 15kms, 19k steps. Managed the whole track, took a bit of navigating. Highlight was #Max spinning out. Great fun! #BelgianGP
08:10: Morning! On the road to Dover, destination: Spa! Making the most of my Peltors, forgot how noisy Campervans can be 😂 All good so far, just had an hours nap 😴 #BelgianGP
08:29: Well, this is a life-first, a passport stamp for France. Process was same as before with the addition of some ink and scanning of the NHS Vaccine pass on my phone. Waiting to board! 🛳
12:01: Bonjour France!! 🇫🇷 Smooth sail on what felt like a quieter than usual P&O ferry. 1L of Tanqueray for £13 in duty free 🕺😵💫 Now buckled up for three or so hours on the E40. Those not driving are on the road beers 😝 🍻 #BelgianGP
18:52: Just arrived at the track, pitched up (photo to come…) and dashed over to do our covid tests. Stopped at the Carrefour on the way to top up on food and beer €320! Just having a quick beer before we head back and get some dinner on the go. Many, many Max fans!!
20:40: Here’s our home for the weekend. Very proud of the new flagpole, bit of an eBay drama, but well worth it. Campsite is excellent, everyone having a great time with the odd firework despite them being banned! Dinner went down well, now on the French cheese! #BelgianGP
04:42: Well, here we go! This is the earliest I’ve ever been to Strood Station before, that’s for sure. #viewfromtheplatform
06:14: Didn’t think I’d be getting on one of these this year. So far so good, very tired. First flight out of city airport. ✈️
09:25: Made it to Belfast. Quick bus trip to the city centre and now pitched up in HubFlow coworking space for the day. Weather outside is good and everyone seems nice and friendly. 👍😊 Took a quick walk around the botanical gardens this morning to get some fresh air.
13:53: It’s not quite the H&W selfie I pictured in my mind, but it’ll do. Quick bit of lunch, then passport, then back to HubFlow for some more calls. I’m at 9k steps so far 😂 Oh, they have 0% Guinness here!
15:00: Done. 🤗 Very easy! 2 minutes at a desk where I (voluntarily) explained my stupidity to the lady who agreed I was silly. Checked the new one, signed a form and they chopped a corner off the old one. “You’ve come a long way!” “Yep. Serves me right, I won’t forget next time” 😂
17:39: Right, meetings all done, emails under control, it’s time to head home. Treated myself to J on the way back🥂 (but only because Y wasn’t available…) ☺️ Belgium tomorrow!!! 🇧🇪
17:47: To put the size of these enormous gantry cranes into perspective, they literally have a crane on the crane 😳 They’re huge! Really quite a landmark.
16:10: Update on the passport situation. See you tomorrow, Belfast. 🤞
12:52: Today’s lesson: Check you passport and avoid a trip to Belfast. Earlier in the year we drew the conclusion that 2021 wasn’t going to involve any international travel, the first year in probably a decade without getting on a plane. With Baby on the way, it’s all about hunkering down …
09:54: It’s new gadget Tuesday! Giving the new Poly SY40-M a test drive. Fully Teams complaint with lots of bells and whistles. So far, so good, it’s a big step forward compared to my trusty Sennheiser saucer 😂
12:19: Sleeping quarters sorted for the Spa GP next week! Went with the OEX Bobcat I and Tarp from GoOutdoors. Paid £59 for the tent and £45 for the tarp. Really impressed so far, it’s a neat little setup, tent is tiny inside but that’s the nature of a one person tent 😂 The tarp gives a nice little …
12:28: Tent lights arrived! These are great, should just hang from the loops on the tarp and in the tent. £12 on Amazon for four, take three AAA batteries. Don’t look fully waterproof but there’s not really much to go wrong and the design should keep water out.
14:56: Off to Birmingham next week. £43 quid return leaving Euston a peak train. Can’t really argue with that. Can’t remember the last time I went north of London, but it was a long time ago!! Next week is turning out to be a bit of a travel-fest. Bring it on!
16:26: Good luck to everyone presenting at Micro Camp! 🏕 Looking forward to joining some sessions 😊
13:14: Jab 2, done ✅💉
18:39: Had a fantastic time in Fowey last night, had some beers and dinner in the Fowey Gallants Sailing Club where we watched some mid-week dinghy sailing. Headed back to the boat for some wine until the sun set. Great day! 😁👍⛵️📸
06:58: Morning again from Falmouth, good night last night. Got our passage and pilot planning sorted for the trip to Fowey. Should be a good day 👍📸🌅⛵️
12:58: Not having a terrible day! Passing Mevagissey to our port side in gorgeous sunshine. Not a breath of wind though so we’re motoring towards Fowey. ⛵️📸☀️😁
08:03: Day Skipper - Day 1 We started the morning after sleeping aboard, not the best sleep ever but got just enough. We went through the workings of a life jacket after breakfast, explaining the mechanism and how the automatic firing works. We then spent some time talking about weather information and where it can be …
06:46: Good morning Falmouth! Good nights’ sleep in the bag. Expecting today we’ll be practicing manoeuvring, anchoring and picking up a Buoy. Time for a shower first though 🚿🌄⛵️📸
22:51: Goodnight from the River Fal, after a great day sailing and learning skills. We went out to the mouth of the River Fal in nice calm winds and have moored up on a small pontoon upriver. Beautiful and peaceful. Few glasses of red with a wise old sailor telling us stories! ⛵️☀️😁📸
09:00: Exciting day today, heading to Falmouth for my Day Skipper Practical. Five days on board in what looks to be very lovely weather! Just booked a train ticket from St Austell, hoping to get to Falmouth in time to watch at least the start of the British Grand Prix 🤞⛵️
22:45: Good night from Yacht Louise in Falmouth Marina. Beautiful sunset after an introduction to the fellow students on the course this week and a spot of food onboard. Looking forward to getting stuck in tomorrow, for now it’s time for bed! ⛵️📷🌅
15:50: Having a Kviek IPA this afternoon from Padstow Brewing and Lowlands Brewing. Lovely beer, not had a Kveik before. 6.2% is a bit more than I’m a fan of, but not too heavy. Gorgeous sunshine! ☀️😊🍻👌
21:31: Visited Tavistock, Devon earlier today, River Tavy seen here. A favourite when we visit parents in the Tamar valley. Had a fantastic lunch at a small café enjoyed the gorgeous sunshine and popped in a few shops. Treated ourselves to a few beers on the way back too! 😁🍻☀️
21:43: Charlestown, Cornwall has changed a lot in the last few years. There’s now a rum bar in the historic port where Kelly, Owen and I had a quick drink earlier this week (I had a Goslings Dark and Stormy). We made the most of the last of the day’s sun! 📷🍹☀️
22:01: Had a great Birthday lunch for mum at the absolutely gorgeous Fowey Harbour Hotel earlier this week. Service was fantastic, food perfect and wine spot on! Oh, and the views were to die for! Such a lovely hotel!🍷📷🎂☀️
22:05: Did I mention views in the last post? Yeah, welcome to Fowey, It’s very special! We couldn’t have been luckier with the weather. After lunch we popped over to Polruan on the ferry for a beer in the famous Lugger Inn. ☀️🍻😊🕶📷
22:12: It was impossible to not take a photograph of the lift at the Fowey Harbour Hotel, it is absolutely gorgeous. Sharing because all hotel lifts should be like this! 📷🛗😁
09:39: Loved visiting Isle of Portland, Dorset earlier this week. Such a unique part of the UK’s south coast. The lighthouse and Bill was great to see up close. 📷🌊🏴
07:01: Treated myself the other day and bought a new power bank. Went for the Anker PowerCore Elite III 60W 25600mAh via Amazon. Charges in no time and can run and charge my MBP. Expect to use it for going away sailing, should hopefully get a week of iPhone and Watch charges out of it.
07:06: Moved my MicroBlog over to my domain yesterday, was hesitant but everything seems to be working just fine, including https! Find me now at micro.andrews.io. Just need to get some customisation going on that home page… But that’s a job for another day!
22:47: Come on England! 🏴
21:21: Friends of Microblog… Had a bit of a break, but I’m back. Twitter cross-posting is disabled this time, full commitment. ☺️
01:00: Dadblog - Week 22 It’s been all systems go here in Andrews HQ for the last week or so, a break in weekend commitments meant it was time to get the nursery decorating done. We started by getting the carpet sorted, we’d had a man round for a measure the other week and got a quote back for £2,600 for all of …
01:00: Dadblog - Week 20 Not quite sure how, but an entire month has passed since the last blog post. Well, I do know how, because we’ve been really busy doing things and having a lovely time, but it still seems to have gone very quickly! I may have to recap and fill in some of the details on this at a later date, …
01:00: Dadblog - Week 15 It’s been a busy few weeks since the announcement post and I’m pleased to say that Operation Bean is moving forward at full throttle. The biggest news since is that the bean is now ‘showing’ which I understand to be the politically correct terminology, which is very exciting …
01:00: Race 3 - 2021 Spring Series A quiet, sporty and wet race this week. It was going well right from the start, we had plenty of beer as we boarded Astral with both Andy and I bringing beer, in addition to a big crate of Stella already on board. We slipped the berth for the 9am lock and were joined with Elite Sailing’s …
01:00: Race 2 - 2021 Spring Series With the first race of the shortened 2021 Keelboat Spring Series abandoned due to lack of wind, this was the first real race. A 10am start with five boats, fewer than usual with many still on the hard due to COVID mixing things up. There were five boats racing, two in class 3 ‘white …
01:00: Baby Andrews Really pleased to share that Victoria and I are expecting our first baby! We are unbelievably excited and cannot wait to become a mum and dad (to more than just our fur baby 🐶). We found out in March of this year, just as the COVID lockdown restrictions began to be eased in the UK. We shared the …
11:18: I don’t even want to think about how expensive these will be! 😂 iPhone 12 MagSafe Battery Pack www.macrumors.com/2021/03/0…
14:24: Migration away from Google: Complete ✅ Mail with @fastmail Data/Photos stored locally and in iCloud All backed up with TimeMachine & @backblaze Decided to keep a YouTube account, don’t judge me. ✌️
09:19: Treating myself this morning, since it’s March and all. Smells pretty good ☕️ 👍
20:25: Picked ourselves up a bit of a treat in Costco today 🌶 Not often you see Texan 🇺🇸 salsa here in the UK!
23:47: Replaced our kitchen under counter lights today. Gone are 8 x 20w halogen bulbs, in are 8 x 1.8w LEDs Should save us about £50/£60 quid a year. Probably a little more. 👍
23:09: About. Bloody. Time. 🍻 “Beer duty could be cut in pubs and raised in supermarkets” www.thetimes.co.uk/article/c…
09:41: Hooray! My Backblaze Backup has finally completed the initial seed. 7 Days total over our 6Mbps upload, pausing during work and TV time. Now, time to start with the external drives.
10:05: Yes! @ynab have added widgets to iOS for budget categories! https://www.youneedabudget.com/widgets-for-ynab-on-ios/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=weekly_newsletter&utm_campaign=weekly_roundup&utm_content=weekly_roundup_253&utm_term=253_widgets_btn
14:24: Having Dustin from Smarter Every Day explain how sonar works has to be one my favourite video of his. I learnt so much in such a little amount of time. Would love to know more! youtu.be/AqqaYs7Lj…
17:06: So I read the UK PM’s announcement as a very slim but possible chance that I will be able to have a beer in a pub garden on my Birthday (12th April). Let’s hope for the best!
22:31: This video of the Perseverance rover landing on Mars after being lowered by a sky crane(!) is straight up incredible. What an age we live in. youtu.be/4czjS9h4F…
14:11: Commiserations to Team Ineos UK over in New Zealand, knocked out during the Prada Cup Final. Italians simply had the faster boat and executed well. Some good tactics and starts from Ben and the UK team, impressive work. 👏 Cheering for Italy now, let’s bring that cup to Europe.
15:11: It’s now been a year since I got on an aeroplane or left the country. Bit sad, but I’m powering all my energy into hope that we’ll be free soon. Little concerned that I won’t be able to maintain any self control once that ‘book’ button arrives back in my browser. 🤞
17:17: The efficiency of Safari over Chrome is absolutely incredible and with the battery life improvements that brings on M1 it simply makes no sense to use Chrome on MacOS. Well, unless the site doesn’t work in Safari 🙄. www.macrumors.com/2021/02/2…
01:00: Travel Optimism for 2021 It’s a gorgeous sunny day outside today, which means all I can think about is summer. Since last year was a non-starter I desperately want to get back out into the world and do some travelling. I really do hope that there will be some opportunity to do so and am quietly praying that it will …
17:47: I feel rather embarrassed that I did not know about the Medway Megaliths until today. Shall be visiting them when we’re all allowed out again.
18:30: Thinking about travel in 2021 andrews.io/blog/Trav…
19:34: Think I’m a bit late to the party on this but can’t wait to give it a try #Marmite
21:53: For a couple that despise media attention they’re certainly doing a good job of attracting it. 🙄 www.thetimes.co.uk/article/h…
15:25: Made the switch to use Safari as my default browser last week, switching from Chrome. It’s taken a little bit of adjusting, but so far so good. I’ve found that 1Password integrates much better, Safari is much better at not hogging system resources and when I get a security code vis SMS, …
22:15: This week’s #TescoTuesday was much more successful. Only one sub, which isn’t bad at all. 😁
07:54: I have discovered PowerPhotos from Fat Cat Software - The answer to my prayers for a number of features missing in Apple Photos, such as, how big is this file?
14:54: Good! I plan on buying once it’s released, my XS’s day will be numbered by then. I don’t need to have a big device and have never wanted one, very pleased they brought small back. My iPad/TV/Mac is for big-screen content consumption. www.macrumors.com/2021/02/1…
19:59: Blogging with Jekyll Moving my blog to use Jekyll and GitHub Pages was a really good move, it’s a great setup and it makes me happy that my precious blog is stored locally, is super simple but hosted properly too. It used to really stress me out that I might one day lose everything. The fact that it has version control …
01:00: Mandatory Leave The COVID situation last year meant that we really didn’t get to go away as much as we usually would have and as a result I had lots of annual leave left. Colliers permitted the carry-over of five days leave to 2021 on the condition it is taken before the end of March. With the current …
00:10: The ‘Free Churo’ (The Eulogy) episode of Bojack Horseman is troublingly dark, but one of the best episodes the show. Absolutely fantastic. I C U.
12:50: Today’s project: Hat Alpaca and Merino from Cascade Yarns in Seattle, WA 🇺🇸 Wool made in Peru 🇵🇪 Victoria is going to be busy. 😁 @tigziefc Pattern: sweetfiberyarns.com/blog/2015…
18:50: Hat update Victoria has been very busy indeed. Expect first fitting tomorrow afternoon some time. Can’t wait to give it a whirl.
11:41: It’s a little chilly outside! We’ve had two days of light snow and now have a good inch or so! Makes a nice change from the rain. 😁❄️⛄️
13:00: Bad news. This week’s #TescoTuesday has been cancelled due to the “severe” weather 🙄 Told we can reschedule 😁 Next slot? 1st March 😒 So much for stay-home Valentines dinner!😑 This time last year we were in NYC 🇺🇸 sipping cocktails in a rooftop bar🍸 How things change!😩
15:59: Braved the actual shop following our #TescoTuesday news. 🛒 Let’s just hope they really meant that it is cancelled! Store was very quiet, mask enforcement, hand sanitiser, etc. Managed to get everything on this list (few yellow stickers too!) Excitement for the week over 😌
16:05: First Hot Cross Buns of the year too! Bonus! 🤤
19:58: Bought this during the ‘on-prem’ #TescoTuesday trip. No idea what it was, seemed like a good deal. Google says it’s a pomelo, which is a fancy citrus fruit, biggest of them all. See, despite lockdown, we can still find excitement in our lives 😂 Ofc it’s wrapped in plastic..
20:13: This whole thing gets more and more sickening. All the while, this shit is still strapped to the sides of hundreds of occupied buildings. www.thetimes.co.uk/article/g…
20:19: It’d all be so much simpler if we instead consumed the energy that nature gives us for free. 🤷♂️ We owe Russia the Nord Stream pipeline over Nazi atrocities, says German president www.thetimes.co.uk/article/w…
20:25: I am exactly 0% surprised or shocked about this. Don’t be fooled by the frill and pomp, the Queen is very much still the boss. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2…
10:46: Today’s day-off project: Install new blinds in the conservatory. 1 down, 3 to go. Snowing outside too!
09:47: Mr Owl teaching kids in Hong Kong about The National Security law? Truly terrifying. Propaganda by cartoon in Hong Kong www.thetimes.co.uk/article/b…
09:54: Well, TIL! I admire and respect any and all lengths taken to produce better plonk. 🍷🇫🇷 Bordeaux hits back with balloons that turn hail into harmless rain www.thetimes.co.uk/article/b…
19:39: That’d be takeaway time then. 😩 Luckily it was only a glass of wine that was lost, not the whole bottle.
19:47: We will REBUILD!!! Also, great wine, on offer at Tesco.
21:14: Snow?! Ha, not a chance.
09:59: It’s a gorgeous calm day in Upnor today with the sun now well and truly with us at 8am in the morning. Not a hint of wind and a barmy 8°c! Looking like that will change over the weekend with our first forecast of snow.
13:17: Just learning of the MV Arvin accident in the Black Sea in January. The vessel dramatically snapped in half during bad weather while at anchor off of Bartin, Turkey. Interesting situation, especially with the recording of the event and a poorly executed Mayday. …
17:59: Right, that’s work done for the day! Taking next week off which means I’ve got nine days to see if I can find where I left my positive mood. Wish me luck!
10:28: Not familiar with the Vendée Globe? Listen to this fantastic BBC World Service 20min clip, it’s absolutely fantastic: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/pl…
19:52: Whoops. Forgot to take the wine off of the Tesco order. 🍷🤷♂️ Three subs today, Risotto Rice (which we’ve never yet received), Fresh Basil and Loose Tomatoes #TescoTuesday
11:48: Not the best start to 2021, only hit 4 of my 14 monthly goals. But I wasn’t too well for at least a week of that and still don’t feel that great. It was a start though and in hibernation mode we’ve manage to cut our costs back like crazy (except for the rowing machine). February is going …
19:48: 🦠 Just been and done our 5th lateral flow test at Chattenden. Quiet today, only one booth running. Staff said you can basically come as often as you feel necessary, no need to stick to every two weeks. Seems sensible since the demand appears to be tailing off. I’m negative 😁
08:17: No. Consumers should stop slaughter of animals full stop. Eating meat is a barbaric practice that’s no longer necessary. Consumers should demand humane slaughter of pigs www.thetimes.co.uk/article/c…
20:12: Sorry, but they are the ones putting themselves in harms way. Bailiffs risk burying HS2 activists alive in tunnels, says eviction veteran www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e…
14:21: Why are we still putting plastic stickers on fruit?
09:54: 🦠 Good News! I’ve had a high temperature and a slight cough this week but it turns out I’m just complaining and there’s nothing to worry about. Feeling better today 😁
13:09: Absolutely incredible race by Team Ineos UK today in the Prada Cup. They’re absolutely smashing it. 😁⛵️ Proper edge of seat stuff!
14:48: 🦠 This is not ideal.
14:08: By the way, when they say they aren’t going to make them worse, they are lying. It’s okay though, because we’ve “taken back control” www.theguardian.com/politics/…
11:50: Going to spice things up this weekend, just bought myself a Nutt Plug. Anyone else ever used one? Reviews look good. www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/dodo-juic…
19:49: Is it sad when getting the Tesco delivery is the most exciting event of the week? Yes. Yes it is. 😔 But who cares, we had no subs today on a £100+ order! 🥳 Even got fresh Edamame beans which I haven’t seen for months.
18:08: Keeping up with the Vendée has been great, but I have to say, watching Team Ineos smash their way through the first weekend of the Prada Cup Round Robins has been pretty special. 🇬🇧⛵️
23:24: Just quietly normalising the use of Facial Recognition. Because Pandemic. This won’t end well. […] Britain to use GPS and facial-recognition technology to check that people are staying in isolation. www.thetimes.co.uk/article/a…
18:45: A historic change, hopefully for the good. The hoards of people riding scooters at rush hour holding up their passports for authorities always seemed a bit silly. Brexit: End to Gibraltar land border prompts joy and trepidation www.bbc.co.uk/news/worl…
10:14: I still find it completely baffling that the best solution we have for our rubbish is to either bury it in hole or put it on a ship and send it to a poor country. About time we literally sorted our shit out. www.theguardian.com/environme…
10:25: Things I want in a new 13/14" MacBook Pro: Apple Silicon iPhone-quality webcam Four USB-C ports Bezel-less Display A Keyboard that works Graphics Processor www.macrumors.com/2021/01/1…
21:32: Wait a minute. There are six seasons of Silicon Valley?!
21:05: They couldn’t make them return if they tried. This isn’t extraordinary anymore, it’s normal. Everyone has a taste for it now. Unilever workers will never return to desks full-time, says boss www.theguardian.com/business/…
11:00: 🚣 Everyone, it has arrived! 🥳 Cant wait to get it out of the box and get rowing later! So. Excited. Now, must focus on work, busy day. (I feel like a kid and Christmas who’s been told no presents until after dinner!!!) 😂
19:15: 📚 Just finished reading Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck. Beautiful book with a rather sad ending. The short chapter about the children and the beans is absolutely the highlight. Never have I read something that’s made me want to drink wine more than this!! 🍷😂
19:29: 🚣 Can’t wait for this to become a daily routine. 😁 Very happy with it so far, absolutely perfect. Have certainly lost some fitness since October 😳 Hopefully I’ll be back stronger in a few weeks 💪 Overall, 100% worth the wait! Can’t wait to not drive to the gym again 😂
12:54: Right, I’m off for a run before that’s banned too! UK Covid news: minister confirms restrictions being reviewed amid concerns people mixing too much www.theguardian.com/politics/…
14:49: 🦠 Just to re-affirm my position… I WOULD get the vaccine if it’s offered to me. I am NOT concerned about which one, I am not a doctor. I WOULD get the vaccine at ANY hour should the centre offering them operate 24/7. …but I realise I’m basically on the bottom of the list!
15:53: No-Spend-Jan is going great, except that I don’t get to update YNAB anywhere near as much as I am used to 😭 Still, is what it is….!
18:39: 🦠 Tried drinking a coffee during my run earlier today. Did not go well. 10/10 do not recommend, should be banned.
15:00: Another cheeky weekend walk this morning, 7km wander around Chattenden Lodge Hill Barracks. Lovely walk, despite the sinister signs! 🐶🚶♂️
15:12: A lovely, fresh 7km walk around Grain sea wall this morning. Far too many people walking about here in Upnor so we got ourselves out of everyone’s way. It was just above 0°C with a cold mist in the air but Dexter was not fussed at all! (Still refuses To wear his coat!)
20:24: It’s been a long week 😩 But good news is that I managed to get everything I needed to get done, done - nothing hanging over me for the weekend 😁 Time to start delivering things already though, let’s do it!
20:27: 🦠 So, er, yeah… Things are pretty bad. We’re still rocking out at home. Going to the office on Wednesday and can’t say I’m looking forward to it all that much 😕 Needs must though.. Daily Covid death toll hits a record 1,325 www.thetimes.co.uk/article/d…
09:54: As the we watch the dramatic scenes in Washington DC and reach a record high number of coronavirus cases in the UK, here in Upnor it is perfectly calm, cold and peaceful 😌
13:29: Fantastic news! My local brewery, Iron Pier report that they are able to stay open (unlike pubs) for collection in the new Lockdown 3 rules. Shall be making my way there this evening to collect some socially distanced, fresh, local beer. They have a newly bottled saison too! 🍻
16:07: Just for the record, the first week of 2021 has be FAR worse than the first week of 2020. The only exception is that I didn’t have to get on the train to London, which is kinda nice.😊 Still… way worse 👎 But hoping for the best 🤞
16:10: 🚣♂️ Good news! The rower has been dispatched from Concept2 🥳 Should arrive some time next week. I am beyond excited. Can’t wait to use a Erg that hasn’t been abused in a gym. 😂 Need to think of a name. 🤔💭
21:08: 💥 Boom! 💥 To kick off 2021, I earned this award by closing all three rings for seven days in a row. #AppleWatch #CloseYourRings #2021
00:29: So if I want to buy some beer I have to go to a supermarket, not my local family-owned, socially-distanced, pub round the corner from my house? Oh, but I can get food from that same place, just not beer. This rule seems to make no sense. How on earth is that safer?!
16:39: Why are avocados 🥑 always reduced? Does nobody buy them in Medway? Not a complaint, more for me!
10:29: 🦠 It’s getting a little silly now… In reality though, this doesn’t change anything for us. We had planned to stay away for at least the next few months anyway. Guess that’s now enforced 🤷♂️ Medway has been in the highest tier of lockdown since lockdown #2 anyway… We’re seeing it as an …
14:26: 🏃♂️ Second run of 2021. A steady lunchtime 30min/5km jog around the normal route at home. Cold hands, especially at the top of Upchat Road! Feeling good though. 😄 Apple watch didn’t record my heart rate for some reason 🙄
18:12: My right Airpod Pro had a weird crackling sound in July. Now the left has the same issue. Apple support process very good so far. All taken care of, all process driven, all remote. Easy.
22:00: 🔙 Update: Had follow up earlier today. Nothing in the MRI that looks untoward 🙌 Doc therefore doesn’t think it’s AS. Plan is to cut back on the meds, keep exercising and see if it’s sorted. Still feel some pain in the morning so I’m a a little dubious, but I guess we’ll …
09:19: I should not have sold that bitcoin 🤦♂️
11:14: The head of marketing at Brooks Saddles is a genius. 🤑
14:57: I both love and hate Notion.so Such a powerful tool, but some things are more difficult than they should be ☹️
15:47: 🚣♂️ Rower hasn’t been dispatched as planned 😭 Now being dispatched on the 7th. Still a week ahead of the date that I was told at the time of order, so I can’t really complain too much.
23:20: 🦠 Well, we’re still both negative! Our second symptom-free test (2-weeks later) this afternoon at The Deep End. Same process as in Chattenden, a little quicker now we know what to do on iPhones/Gov-website. No military staff, possibly council employees? All friendly enough! 👍😁
00:24: If you haven’t watched Parasite yet, you need to. Absolutely fantastic movie. I can’t remember the last time I was so engrossed in a film! 🎬🍿
10:50: 🔄2020: New Year’s Day Sail We virtually had the river to ourselves as we left the marina on a chilly New Year’s day for a boy’s day out. The water was very calm and so while the sails were up, we motored out past St Mary’s Island. The wind picked up a little and with the tide …
13:04: 🔄2020: BrewDog AF At the beginning of Jan @geekyjames and I went to visit BrewDog’s new alcohol-free (AF) bar in Old Street. They claimed that it was the worlds first AF pub, which is probably disputable, but certainly possible. The concept is that instead of offering the normal line-up of …
15:19: 🦠 Just booked our second symptom-free COVID test. We’re going to ‘The Deep End’ tomorrow, which is exciting. The Chattenden site we went to last time is fully booked until next Saturday, looks like the council are prioritising school kids - the schools are opening?!
17:47: 💼 Back to work tomorrow. Feels weird not having to iron all my shirts, part of me is almost missing the normal rituals. Pleased to not have to get back on a train. Looking forward to getting back at things, lots to do, exciting projects on the horizon. 😁
01:00: 2020 - The Year of Prove A double entendre for proving things in the literal sense and metaphorically in the baking sense, allowing things to rest and rise. The years prior have been a flurry of activity and excitement with travel, marriage, a puppy and job changes - it’s been fantastic and exhilarating, but we both …
15:08: …or Asda could set their system up to accept Amex payments via Contactless. It’s never worked. In every single store I’ve been to. 👎 Banks want contactless limit pushed to £100 www.thetimes.co.uk/article/b…
19:36: 2020 - The Year of Prove andrews.io/blog/the-…
20:54: Crikey. Jeremy Clarkson: I got Covid for Christmas. I’m not going to lie, it was quite scary www.thetimes.co.uk/article/j…
00:25: Well, it was good while it lasted.. 😢🇪🇺 I’ll hold the memories of the benefits close and know in my heart that I’m British European citizen even if the documents and politicians now say otherwise. A genuinely sad day, but confident we’ll be back. I hope it’s in my lifetime.
00:32: …and whatever your political view, at least now the NHS is going to get a £350 million-pound a week boost. There’s always a bright side, right? Oh.
01:16: Happy New Year from Lower Upnor. We had a fantastic view of the fireworks on St Mary’s Island across a perfectly calm river. Couple of glasses of fizz with 8 families or so all very spaced out across the front. Odd, but wonderful. Love to @tigziefc and Dexter x
12:40: A lovely chilly first walk of 2021 out at Grain this morning. Nobody really around, just us and the dog. Very peaceful and relaxing 😌 Didn’t see a single boat on the river, which is very strange!
10:38: Am I a grown up now? Used to only drink ‘smooth’ orange juice, but now can’t stand the stuff. Now has to be with Extra Juicy Bits or I don’t want to know. 🧃🍊 …or Grapefruit juice, which is the king of juices 😁
11:19: It’s a frosty New Years Eve morning here in Upnor today. We almost had the whole riverfront to ourselves. We’re all wrapped up and ready to wave goodbye to 2020 👋 Can’t wait for 2021 even if it’s going to be a bit more of the same! 😁
14:05: This year we played every EuroMillions draw. We’re not millionaires yet. 😭 Spent £262.50 and won 11 times, netting £34.90. 👎 Biggest win was for £6 in Jan. For 2021 considering saving up and in December going all-in for one game to see if we improve our return. 🤞
18:48: It’s been a bit of a weird year. Waving goodbye with a ‘treat’ dinner. I’ve made this about five times this year, after having it in a restaurant as a wildcard choice. I absolutely love it. Any guesses? Also, perfect excuse to open some wine! 😁 🍷
20:24: Best dinner in a long time! Absolutely perfect. The Kallo mushroom stock cubes were really good. Cheese course to follow 🧀🤩 Now treating ourselves to Disney’s Soul which so far looks absolutely epic in 4K HDR.
10:31: Finally! I look forward to never having to buy a 12-month season ticket ever again. Flexible season tickets to boost rail travel ‘by spring’ www.thetimes.co.uk/article/f…
13:19: Next read arrived in the post today from the fantastic World of Books 📚 Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck. Recommend by Beau Miles in his The Human Bean YouTube video. Paid £4.39 (absolute bargain!), believe this is a 1969 print
14:57: Decking, cleaned ✅ No longer will we risk breaking our necks when going to the garage. 😁
12:20: Christmas is over, time to get back at it. First run for longer than I care to think about but managed to do better than expected. It was a little chilly (0°c) so I wrapped up! New Nike trainers 👟 were fantastic, long overdue. 🏃♂️
21:35: Five years ago (back when a could travel!) we visited Iceland 🇮🇸 When we got back, Victoria made us some jumpers from local Lettlopi wool. Perfect for this cold weather!! 🥶
21:41: With Tier 4 lockdown, we’ve spent more time than we’d like in front of the TV. Thought we’d upgrade the device charging situation. Now covered for MacBook and iPhone (on both sides of the settee!) 🛋 😂😁
21:51: Things I miss while being in lockdown🔒: Guinness This was the first pint of Guinness I had in Ireland. @Geekyjames and I went to the first bar that we could find when we got off the ferry. It was one of the best beers I’ve ever had. 🍺🇮🇪
21:23: It’s okay everyone, Cornish cheese supplies have arrived! The Yarg is my absolute favourite. So happy! Thank you to the MIL 😁
23:57: If I could sum up the pinnacle of TV in my school years, it’s be this. What an absolute scene. RIP Charlie.
10:02: I am this👌 close to buying a rowing machine for home. 🚣 Tired of not being able to safety go to the gym. ☹️ But it’s £900 quid and BIG.
12:22: It’s not fair. This tier system is causing disparity in this country. Just received a bag of Cornish air in the post. 😂
15:28: 😌
16:48: So I ordered the rower 🤩 Banking on this whole COVID/Brexit shit-show carrying on well into the new year. Even if it doesn’t I can exercise at home without spending time driving to the gym and will have no excuse about finding time in the morning before commuting (if that ever becomes a thing …
11:08: What a strange and troubling weekend. Things look like they’ve taken a turn for the worse in what is being described as a perfect storm between a new strain of Covid-19 and Brexit. The recent surge in cases has been attributed to a new, more infectious strain of the virus which has taken hold …
15:38: We’ve just been and done our first non-symptomatic test at Chattenden using Medway’s rapid testing programme. Booked yesterday and were guided on arrival by a member of the army. Took about 10 mins, very quick and simple. Registration all done on your phone when you arrive. 🧪
15:41: Just as we got home we’d got the results back from the test too via text and email, we’re both negative. 👍 Inside the centre we could see the tests being performed almsost as soon as we handed the swab over. Very efficient process. We’ll be back in 14 days time!
11:33: On the (gifted!) Christmas Blend this morning from Pact. It’s absolutely fantastic, and freshly ground beans seem to make a big difference. 😌☕️ Living it up here in Tier 4.
15:22: Just did our first Apple Fitness+ workout. LOVE IT! 😍💪 the production quality is absolutely amazing, and the integration with watch, phone and Apple TV is super cool. Going to see how we get on doing some more this week been getting a little lazy recently 😬
21:40: Busy day today… Have been building a set of stairs for my very spoilt dachshund. His mate has a poorly back ☹️🙏 so we’re trying to be more careful and reduce jumping. Going to be painting tomorrow and putting some carpet on the steps. Literally the cutest thing. 🐶
21:44: Oh, and Victoria was incredibly Jammy and managed to get the last haircut of the year before Tier 4 (announced while being cut!). We’re back to being a one car family so we picked her up from the station with her new ‘fro. I think it’s super!
09:06: 🔙 Update: Fantastic news! 60mg of Arcoxia last night did the trick, woke up this morning with no back pain after a perfect sleep 🛌 So happy! Heading into London later for my MRI later, but nervous. Booked a day off today so that’s fun AND just noticed I’ve been paid early 🤑👍
19:15: That was an interesting experience! The MRI machine is downstairs at 9 Harley, in the basement. Blocked off by a lead door I was told to lay on the motorised bed inside the big high-speed nuclear magnet machine after getting changed into a gown. I put some earplugs in and a pair of special …
19:43: 🔙 Update: Just seen the Rheumatologist, very good doctor. He’s prescribed me some better pain killers and told me I need to have an MRI. Very exciting, never had an MRI before. Looking like that’ll be on Friday. 🤞
22:52: I have a suspicion that this isn’t helping the situation. I also suspect that those making the beer are being screwed. ☹️
20:54: Bottle two of the Naked Wines order. The Capture 04, a 2019 NZ Sav Blanc. Absolutely gorgeous ice cold. Can’t ask for much more than this, perfect mid-week wine. The risotto had some too 🙂🍷
21:06: I’ve been listening to the fantastic Charlie Sloth Rap Show a LOT recently. The move away from Spotify wasn’t easy but the production quality from Apple is absolutely worth it. This track by Kash Doll is something else..! Never would have found this on Spotify 🎵
23:05: It’s Monday already, somehow. Very quiet weekend, we basically stayed in and did absolutely nothing - very 2020. Sent a few Christmas cards, went over to Iron Pier for some more beer and watched the last race in the 2020 F1 calendar. The race was incredibly dull, but it was a Verstappen win, …
23:09: I have discovered: The Whip 😍
01:00: George James Haymon - Prior to WW1 George James Haymon is my great-great-grandfather - he’s my mum’s, mum’s, father’s father. Until recently I didn’t know too much about him, but my late grandmother shared with me some of his documents and what she had been told of his life. We are very lucky to have …
11:12: It seems that Medway Yacht Club doesn’t have a Wikipedia page. Guess I found something to do this weekend then!
11:16: Here’s the first post on the history of my great-great-grandfather, George James Haymon. It’s been a pleasure researching him - I’ve learnt a lot.
11:13: This week I am mostly upsetting people by declining meetings for topics which can be handled by email or chat. Sorry! But I’m all Teams’d out.
11:35: Can somebody please start an insurance company where I don’t have to phone up and pretend to leave just to get a sensible renewal price? Every. Single. Year. 🙄
12:51: Should it bother me when I can see others flouting Tier 3 rules? Finding it hard not to ignore. 😠
16:51: Just started reading my first Jules Verne, Around the World in Eighty Days. Can’t remember the last time I was so engrossed in a book. Poor Passepartout! 📚
19:38: Why is it always certificates? 😩
20:16: It absolutely won’t serve six 😈 Happy Weekend!
10:00: The Beginning of The End? In the first piece of good news for a while, yesterday the first person in the UK (well, first person in a western nation) received a vaccination for COVID-19. Jabbing a pensioner is no doubt a remarkable piece of progress but there is a long way to go before things are …
13:37: …and this is why I don’t trade stocks. Get a set-it-and-forget-it S&S ISA and stick your cash in a global index tracker. Compound interest is waaay sexier than the $TSLA rollercoaster.
14:14: Big news! Victoria has just been invited for the Medway non-symptomatic testing. So looks like I’ll get my wish of a test 🧪
20:31: First bottle of my Naked Wines order, done. A Californian Zin. So far, so good. Really enjoyed this, sweet, smooth, just dry enough. 10/10 would drink again (which is handy, because I have another bottle!) 🍷
20:37: Shortly after Victoria got her test invitation I got mine too. Kind of creepy, how do they know my number? GP? 🤔 We agreed that since we can’t re-test until two weeks after that we’re going to take our test ahead of the 5-Day Christmas Bonanza. 😬🧪🎄
23:26: 🔙 update: Managed to get an appointment with a Rheumatologist today! Woohoo! All sorted for next Tuesday. 😁
10:51: Really struggling to cope with my 2017 MacBook Pro now. Even on a regular Teams video call my CPU is absolutely slammed. Wish Apple would hurry up with the ‘pro’ M1 MacBook Pros, no way I’m upgrading to the same RAM and fewer USB-C ports.
11:55: 🔙 update: still waking up in pain 😞 Have tried for three days to get an appointment with a Rheumatologist, proving to be much harder than I expected… Good news is that a morning ritual of Voltarol and Ibuprofen sorts things out pretty quickly - not a long term plan!
08:24: It’s cold and foggy outside this morning! 🥶 The coldest reading yet on my emonTH monitor. Going to need to wrap up for the morning dog walk!
09:00: Despite being reminded I forgot to renew the home insurance. Whoops! Just done it, so now all good. Half the price of the renewal with a much lower excess. £211 - not bad. 🏡📄🙏 Covers my scuba gear too! 🤿
14:30: Just received my first Naked Wines order. 17 bottles of red/white/sparkling for just over £100. Fingers crossed they are not all terrible. They all look pretty good, but obviously the label doesn’t tell much of the story! 🍷
11:24: Have just seen that early this morning Kevin Escoffier has been transferred to the French Frigate, FS Nivôse. So pleased to see that he is on his way home and that Jean Le Cam is able to continue in the Vendée. There’s a great video of the transfer here: www.youtube.com/watch
14:46: I should add ‘Wikipedia editor’ to my list of accomplishments, having updated then entry for the Nivôse. Just doing my civic duty. 🙂
10:48: There has been an upgrade to our gin delivery system. 😁🍸 (oh, and we left the house for the first time in a while)
19:00: Something a little bit different today, thought I’d give a Riesling a try. Not really a fan of white, but that I do like tends to be very dry. This is quite nice, first German wine I’ve had reminds be of the Apfelwein I had in Frankfurt many years back. 🇩🇪🍏🍷 Today has been a nice relaxing day. We …
11:38: Chilly morning here in Upnor today, after a night of what sounded like constant rain. Had to break out the shell, mid-layer and hat! But that’s certainly not a complaint, you can’t beat a fresh morning. I was quite surprised however to read that there has actually been snow, the …
10:48: Very privileged to have had a demo of Microsoft Teams’ new Breakout Rooms feature yesterday. Very hotly requested within the Colliers business here in EMEA. Looking forward to seeing it in production.
11:24: Today we’re having some technology strategy planning sessions. I’ve got my Colliers Santa for some support! We’ve been using Mural Co for some virtual white-boarding.
09:31: Good morning! Ready for a new day, frustrations of yesterday are in the rear view mirror. It’s nice and fresh outside, the sun is up 🌅 and I’ve got a hot cup of Rwandan 🇷🇼 coffee in my hand ☕️ let’s do it. 🙏
21:22: A much more positive day today. Good progress on all the work things, set backs are no match for the standing desk. Up and at it nice and early and didn’t finish up until late, but happy so that’s all that’s important 😊 Also, my feet are killing me, which actually helps me take more breaks and focus …
10:15: Back pain continues today despite the new mattress 😒 Really feeling old now. Just setup my desk so I can stand, so we’ll see if that has an impact. I have a decent chair, but wonder if perhaps my positioning when using the chair isn’t good. Wish me luck! 🤞
19:44: Mixed bag of a Monday today! The standing desk was a definite win and although my feet hurt I’m an absolute convert. Felt more focused, more attentive and got distracted less, which is good if nothing else. Back is feeling better although true test will be after some sleep tonight. I’ve bought a mat …
17:26: Lovely surprise from Mrs A this afternoon. My absolute favourite whisky and a beautifully written card. What a fantastic weekend it has been. So lucky 😌
20:16: Two big sports news stories this weekend. First, Alex Thompson, after working to complete several days of structural repairs to the damaged bow HUGO BOSS was forced to retire from the race after damaging one of his rudders. A very frustrating end to his 5th Vendee globe attempt where he was among …
11:02: I have just discovered that you can click the left or right side of the Apple TV remote touch surface to skip forward or backward. Mind blown 🤯 support.apple.com/en-gb/gui…
13:26: This doesn’t make any sense… Medway is currently 4th in the COVID charts, continuing to climb and yet in three day time the gyms will be open and I can go and get a haircut. Yes, Medway will be in Tier 3, but surely that’s just not enough? If things are as bad as they appear and getting …
16:54: Very foggy morning in Upnor today. Not often you can’t see St Mary’s Island at all!
18:55: Tonight is Spaghetti Bolognese night, which also makes it red wine night. 🍷 Cheers everyone. Oh, also, we’re officially isolating. 🦠
11:34: Another beautifully calm day here in Upnor today. Can’t remember the last time the river this flat. Very few boats not yet hauled out for winter ❄️
19:56: “Hey Siri, Xmas lights on” 😎 🎄
12:50: So, it looks like we (Medway) are in Tier 3 (Very High alert) from the 2nd Dec. No going to the pub just yet then. Yay!
10:30: Well, it looks like Michael Gove drew Ebenezer in this year’s Christmas Carol as he announced the policies and procedures that must be followed to celebrate Jesus' birthday. It’s certainly going to make for an interesting Andrews family Christmas with our four split-parent families, two …
11:58: Microsoft restrict the use of certain characters in Microsoft Team Channel names. So, for example I can’t use a question mark in a channel name. But it seems that they don’t restrict the use of emoji characters. Which I suspect is going to bring a great deal of joy to many once they …
17:33: The destruction of rainforests has got to stop. It’s sickening that this continues to happen despite it being understood. If you’re scoffing cheap chicken, you’re supporting these practices. www.theguardian.com/environme…
21:54: Hue news: 3 more bulbs added to Chez Andrews. Went for white ambience, installed to the bathroom. Nice relaxing bath, here I come! 🛁 🧖♂️
08:03: Maybe I live in a bubble, but I don’t consider a £150 monitor or a £110 chair to be particularly excessive. …and I didn’t get any home ‘supplements’ from my work. Financial Conduct Authority’s home workers get luxury chairs and screens www.thetimes.co.uk/article/f… Companies spend …
11:35: Realised yesterday that when I moved my blog earlier this year I didn’t move the About Me page. This now explains why so many people have been puzzled as to who I am. Don’t worry, I’ve added it back.
12:59: Boring post: Bought a new mattress yesterday, after spending months of having a sore back with our 4-year old Ikea one. Went for this Silentnight thing from John Lewis. Arrives tomorrow. Praying that it will sort my back out 🙏
08:37: This has got to be satire, surely? No matter your cause, intentionally causing yourself financial harm seems like madness to me. Don’t pay your mortgage, urge climate activists www.thetimes.co.uk/article/d…
08:39: Very sensible. More urgently needs to be done here to stop a crisis in waiting. Alcohol is far too inexpensive and accessible. Minimum alcohol price demanded to save thousands www.thetimes.co.uk/article/m…
09:40: Calm and crisp morning here in Upnor today. Ready for the week ahead. Let’s do this.
11:52: For about two years, maybe three there’s been a small draft between our front door and it’s frame, it has really bugged me. A man came and fixed it today. It took him less than 30 seconds. Good start to the week. ☺️
13:03: How is it still not possible to archive a channel in Microsoft Teams? Our main Team a work now has 40 channels, most of them dormant causing unnecessary clutter. There’s a UserVoice item for this: Ability to archive Channels. Vote!
17:12: Just seen the update from Alex Thompson where he shows the damage to Hugo Boss. Looks very serious, but he’s confident that a temporary repair will do what’s needed to get back in the race. youtu.be/EJfhOBJAM…
20:12: Our Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen: “‘tis the season to be jolly! But it’s also the season to be jolly careful.”
00:29: If you’re following the Vendée Globe, there is an absolutely fantastic daily report on the subreddit. Here’s today’s update (Day 13): https://reddit.com/r/Vendee_Globe/comments/jyj919/day_13_update/
19:27: Long day blogging today but feel like I’ve made progress. Finally have the first part on my great, great grandfather ready to post. I’ve spent countless hours and late nights researching him and putting facts together. Just need to prepare the images and I’ll publish. Exciting!
23:13: 2nd episode of World’s Greatest Ships, the story of the Curry Sark, from tea ship to tramper to training ship, fascinating. I remember visiting not long before the fire. https://watch.amazon.co.uk/detail?asin=B084H3SDV4&territory=GB&ref_=share_ios_season&r=web 3:54 pm
01:00: Moving from Google Photos to Apple Photos A while back I moved all my photos from Google Photos to Apple Photos. It was a massive pain, because Google Takeout doesn’t give you your photos in a very sensible way. If you have custom albums, photos are exported in the ‘date’ directories and then also exported in the …
01:00: Software, etc I saw someone else do one of these posts recently and thought it was a really good idea, so here’s me ripping off that idea… 😈 This post is basically a list of technology-related services/software that I pay for, some of them are fantastic some of them are less good. You Need a Budget I …
15:33: Just updated my blog to support Font Awesome version 5. Why? So that I can use the Micro.blog icon, that’s why. Before you ask, yes, it took me way longer than it should have to make that change, but I got there in the end. 😁
16:54: Just watched the first episode of World’s Greatest Ships, the story of how Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe. Few bits filmed here in Chatham too! https://watch.amazon.co.uk/detail?asin=B084H3SDV4&territory=GB&ref_=share_ios_season&r=web
23:54: Two magnificent new blog posts today, one on moving from Google Photos to Apple photos. andrews.io/blog/movi… and another on the different software I subscribe to or pay for andrews.io/blog/soft… Very busy day.
01:00: He know's he's lost it... There’s no doubt that we’re living in a time where history is being written. Since the results of the 2020 US Presidential election were announced Trump has insisted that he is the rightful winner, despite, err… Democracy. After days of victory claiming and tweeting nonsense he …
01:00: Seven Time World Champion The best Formula 1 season in history? It’s certainly up there and there’s no doubt in my mind that it has been the most memorable. It doesn’t feel like very long ago that the sport was thrown into turmoil when the opening race in Melbourne was dramatically cancelled just before it …
20:57: Potatoes 🥔
21:02: Well, this is happening #BigSur
22:55: So far, so good. 😊 The Music app in #BigSur certainly seems much better, I can’t quite explain what was wrong with it in Catalina but it seems better to me. Oh and everything else is working too (which I have of course just cursed….)
23:26: Well, this is explains why Dom Cum scarpered so briskly Boris Johnson told to self-isolate again after contact with Covid MP Lee Anderson www.thetimes.co.uk/article/b…
01:00: Coronavirus Update Two Well, so much for hoping that this would all be over by August…! Welcome to instalment three in the Coronavirus blog series. Since the last blog things were slowly beginning to open up following the original spring lockdown and while life certainly hasn’t been normal, it has become the ‘new normal’ …
01:00: Dent Reckoning The dents are gone! I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner… There have been two dents on the car that have been driving (hah!) me crazy for months now, one was on the rear quarter which has obviously been caused by somebody opening their door, not very big but it stood out when …
01:00: Cocked Hat Wednesday’s Day Skipper lesson was great. The Zoom format continues to work very well and I’m enjoying being able to be in my own space and not have to worry about other people. We covered some interesting topics, how to calculate bearing, position fixing, and compass variation and …
01:00: Holm Point It’s hot. It’s super hot, the Audi said it was 30 Celsius in the car at lunch time and I believe it. The weather is absolutely gorgeous and I almost envy those who are on furlough and able to make the most of being away from work. Aside from working I made a few small tweaks to the CSS …
01:00: Strong Holm Blimey, it’s been a busy day since the last post! Last night was a lot of fun, I watched Iron Pier run a meet the brewer and can launch via their Facebook page. It was great, there were about 30 people on the live feed and the two brewers explained everything to do with their backgrounds to …
01:00: Fitzroy Bay This weekend couldn’t have come sooner, it’s been a long week, productive, but long. Yesterday I spent most of the day drafting out Leg 8 of the Train To Turkey blog post. It’s coming along but it still seems to take me absolutely ages to get it all together. I’ve got a bit …
01:00: There will be no intervals Great news! The £31 beer arrived today. My strategy of ordering Verdant beer bang on release time at 10:30 am on Wednesday is working out well. It arrived in less than 24 hours, which is pretty impressive by anyone’s standards. It went straight into the fridge and I’m currently enjoying …
01:00: Welcome to the ramblings Update (2020-12-21): I moved everything to Micro Blog, so this is a really confusing post now, if you’re actually reading it. Update (2020-11-25): The ramblings concept mentioned here was a good idea, I’ve switched to using micro.blog for short ramblings-style posts. I’ve removed …
01:00: Coronavirus Update It’s been 50 days since I first posted about Coronavirus and it’s fair to say that in that time, the world has changed. 50 days ago there were 289 deaths in the UK and yesterday’s daily government briefing announced the total is now 31,589 - which puts our little island nation …
01:00: Train to Turkey - Leg 7 - Belgrade to Sofia It’s fair to say that this is the part of the journey we were most worried about. The daily train between Serbia and Bulgaria is the one which we have invested the most research and nervous phone-checking during our trip. We even had the staff in the hotel double-check that the train is …
01:00: Coronavirus The past few weeks have been quite extraordinary. The current Coronavirus pandemic has begun to affect our lives in the way nothing like it ever has before - and I suspect that we’re very much still at the start line. on Friday (20th March 2020) in a live TV address to the nation the prime …
01:00: Belgrade, Serbia After spending an entire day on a train the day before we woke ready to explore the city of Belgrade. Weather was in our favour and pulling the curtains we saw everything for the first time in daylight, Europe was truly behind us, we were now in a place that neither of us were familiar, with another …
01:00: Deeper, Darker and Scarier - PADI Tec45 When I started diving five years ago I never could have imagined that I would certify this far on the PADI tree. Passing my Tec45 has taken a lot of effort, the knowledge reviews and exams really do require some serious investment and the training and certification dives require confidence, practice …
01:00: So Long, Squarespace Want to hear something frightening? Since I moved my blog to Squarespace I have given them $1,210 dollars. That is INSANE. It’s enough for a trip to NYC! Time for a change and today I’m very pleased to welcome you to my new blog which as you may have noticed looks remarkably similar to …
01:00: Kyiv, Ukraine Kyiv wasn’t on the itinerary for the #TrainToTurkey because there are unfortunately no trains across the Black Sea. Or ferries either, for that matter. Thankfully economics were in our favour and we were able to make a literal flying visit. There are direct flights from London to almost all capital …
01:00: Diving the HMS M2 The Maldives were lovely, but there were no wrecks. It was time to do some real diving… The M2 is WW2 submarine with the unique feature of a hangar and her own sea plane, a kind of submersible aircraft carrier. She was one of three M-class submarines built for the Royal Navy and after the accidental …
01:00: Lower Upnor Through the Years I came across some old photographs of Lower Upnor the other day and wanted to share them online. I’m not too sure when the older pictures were taken or by whom, but perhaps somebody will be able to help. They show an fantastic glimse into how upnor has changed over the last 70 or so years. …
01:00: Train to Turkey - Leg 6 - Zagreb to Belgrade With an hour before our train we didn’t have much time to spend in Zagreb and we were very keen to make sure we don’t miss the train. We left the station and headed towards to city in search of supplies for the trip ahead. We failed, but probably went the wrong way or something. The parts of the …
01:00: Train to Turkey - Leg 5 - Munich to Zagreb We were ready for a good sleep after the adventures of Munich and a day travelling across most of Germany. I have to admit, a sleeper train at this point wasn’t terribly appealing, the knowledge that we were going to end up in Croatia and that we did have a bed was fine enough to make me want to …
01:00: Train to Turkey - Leg 4 - Cologne to Munich Day 3 was set to be a warm up for what was to come, long days spent on trains doing nothing but relaxing and looking out the window. We started the day getting up early and leaving the Ibis, it has served us well, but we couldn’t wait to leave. The walk to Messe/Deutz station was quiet, nobody was …
10:00: Train to Turkey - Leg 2 - London to Brussels Early start on our second day after arriving on the sleeper. We were up and ready for the journey ahead, day two should leave us in Cologne, Germany in time for tea which means we have some serious mileage to get through and the two tightest connections of the trip. From Paddington we took the …
18:00: Train to Turkey - Leg 3 - Brussels to Cologne On to third train of this trip and after a short break in Brussels we were keen to get onboard and to Cologne for some beer and a chance to stretch our legs. We waited on the platform in Midi for our Thalys train which was right on time. This train like the Eurostar requires seat reservations so we …
01:00: Train to Turkey - Leg 1 - Penzance to London We’re on our way! The weather in Cornwall was fantastic, a tropical 25℃ with unspoilt sunshine, it better stay like this across Europe, we’re going to have a mega time if it does. Before we could get going with Leg one we needed a final positioning trip to get to Penzance, we travelled as a four so …
01:00: For the Lifeboats! As all of the very few people who read my blog will know, I am a big supporter of the RNLI. The charity has been close to my heart since childhood, I used to build lifeboats out of lego bricks, subscribe to Stormy Stan’s monthly magazine and became known as Lifeboat Lolly. I recall with glee the …
01:00: Copenhagen, Denmark This was a flying trip, but Denmark is certainly worth a mention in the blog. On account of the wedding and honeymoon which proceeded my trip to Copenhagen this was possibly the least researched piece of travel I’ve ever done. It turned out that research wasn’t really necessary, Copenhagen is a …
01:00: Medway Regatta 2019 The Medway Regatta is a big weekend of racing for all classes of keelboat. There are races for Sonatas, Squibs, Dragons, Cruisers and even Thames Barges! The past few years I’ve focused my time underwater rather than on the water but not too many years back I used to spend time sailing dinghies on …
01:00: A Very Special Birthday Birthdays are always a bit special for us since we share the same day. Every year since Victoria and I have been together we have done something special on our birthday to celebrate. It seems like the level of birthday extravagance increases year on year, last year we went spent a weekend in …
01:00: Suomenlinna - Finland in Spring It’s fair to say there are quite a lot of islands in Finland, I think Finland is second only to Sweden. These islands in combination with the sea and the city centre make Helsinki both very beautiful but also very functional On a nautical map the Helsinki area is awash with cardinal markers to warn …
01:00: CoolHead Visit London What do you do when your favourite Finnish brewery has a tap-takeover in London? Well, there’s only one option. Hosted at the fantastic Brew By Numbers in Peckham Rye, CoolHead brought ten beers to showcase for one day only with a chance to meet with their Head Brewer. Brew By Numbers or BBNO have a …
01:00: Taking the Train to Turkey One of this year’s goals is to tick something off from the bucket list, another of this year’s goals is to try and see as many new countries as possible. What better way to do so than by taking the train to Turkey? This trip has been some months in the planning and after many different iterations of …
01:00: Tallinn, Estonia This was not a planned trip! Over the last four months I’ve been working closely with our Finnish business headquartered in Helsinki. Most trips out to Finland have been weekdays only, limiting options for truly exploring the city. Fortunately one weekend trip came up and we managed to complete all …
01:00: 2019 - The Year of Advancement New year, new theme! Well, it doesn’t feel much like a new year anymore, as I write this in February(!), things have been moving very quickly indeed. 2019 will be the the second year using the theme concept and I’m really excited to get started having learned all that I did last year. This year’s …
01:00: That time I went to... Rome & The Vatican State August 2017 and the project to deploy SD-WAN at Cushman & Wakefield was just kicking off. Given the scale of the project I felt that it’d be sensible to make sure we give the first site some extra care and attention before we let the train leave the station at full speed. Turned out that the …
01:00: That time we went to... Vienna, Austria This is a new mini-series in the Blog, an attempt to write posts that I should have written at the time but failed to do so. Enjoy! September 2015 Victoria and I went on a long weekend to Vienna, Austria. It was a bit of a treat, we spoilt ourselves to Business class flights and a fancy room in the …
01:00: Quick Beer in Hastings Last year I did very poorly on my quest to explore the UK and complete my Rail Map. The only piece of new milage I managed to complete was from Birmingham New Street to Worcester Shrub Hill. This was unplanned, a last ditch attempt to get home from Birmingham via Oxford during the January snow. My …
01:00: Cologne, Germany There was a lot of rain - but it didn’t stop any of us having a fantastic time in Germany’s Rhineland this Christmas. Years past we have been very lucky and have spent time away in warmer destinations but with the year of smart we decided that we’d keep things real, spend time closer to home with …
01:00: Thank you, 2018 Readers of the blog will know that 2018 was The Year of Smart, my first attempt at utilising the concept of a yearly theme to help maintain direction and focus on productivity. The good news is it went well..! The theme worked as intended and helped provide overarching guidance and had many good …