I went to stay with Mark and Sian in America at the end of November. Mark, Sian, David, Gareth, Paul and I climbed into a minibus and travelled to Las Vegas. Ten hours in a minivan with two under-fives makes for quite a long day! We had a fantastic time in Vegas (there will be pictures soon). My time went by far too quickly and I am looking forward to going again in 2002.
December was taken up in a flurry of writing essays for my MSc course. Only just squeaked the last one in on time! Found sufficient time to go out on four separate Christmas dos and get royally drunk more than once!
I spent Christmas day a) with a hangover and b) at Andrew's Gran's house. Andrew's Mum had been in hospital for a couple of weeks and had been let out for the day, so we all had a splendid day.
And so to 2002!
8 November 2001
I added another batch of photos of Ashpile this week, along with the photographs of Nikki and Morgan, awww!!
I'm orf to America at the end of next week, to stay with Mark and Sian for ten days. Can't wait!! Look out for some photographs in the not too distant future (I hope!).
I've been on the MSc Information Systems for about 6 weeks, already I am snowed under with work (most of which is my own fault!). I am trying to summon the enthusiasm to write a 5,000 word essay on the Computer Misuse Act. Oh joy!
The foot and mouth outbreak seems to have calmed down, but the "War on Terrorism" seems to be getting hotter. A little nervous about my flights next week, but then I don't like flying at the best of times!
Mickey got a poke in the eye last month and ended up going back and forth to the vet about 4 times (always Mickey and I have no idea how it happened), he also got a limp (I think someone stood on his foot!). Lilah got gastroenteritis and went to the vet 3 times (don't ever get a dog!) and Saffy had her inoculations. Ch-ch-ch-ch-ching.
3 August 2001
I have just finished putting up the photos of Ashpile (Helen & Phil's place) and I am rather pleased with the photo-diary effect. Still have to finish off the links, but I am sure you guys know how to use your Back Button by now!!
I've done a lot of work on the Blaenau Mawr Holiday Cottages site (see link on Links page) and I am pretty pleased with the result. I am about to submit it to some search engines ...
The foot & mouth seems to have redoubled its efforts. 4,000 sheep were culled on the Beacons last weekend and there has been talk of more being culled over the coming weeks. Horrible. The Beacons are almost entirely shut to the public.
Mickey has his leg in a bandage. He got a grass seed in his foot and had to have it cleaned out at the vet (ch-ching!). It always happens to Mickey! If any one of those dogs is going to get trampled, wagged, run over, hit with a stick/ball/laundry basket, it's going to be Mickey. He's been playing the whole baddie-leg for all it's worth! (Despite the fact that he managed full speed (speed, of course, being a relative term with Mickey) on seeing one of Mum's cats!). Both Mickey and Lilah have to go to the vet this evening; Mickey to have his bandages removed and Lilah for her yearly inoculations (ch-ching AGAIN!).
I just heard that I have been granted funding to do an MSc in Information Systems. Wow, how scary is that?! I shall actually have to do some work now!
July passed in a blur of teaching and going away for weekends. I kennelled Zeb and Saffy the first time, which they seemed to enjoy, but I for which didn't enjoy paying! The second time I went away (to stay with Andy) I asked Justyn to look after the dogs for the weekend. All lived to tell the tale!
Andy took me into London and we went to see "The Woman in Black" which was an excellent play and a really great evening out. The following evening we went to the cinema and saw "Shrek" which we both thought was absolutely hysterical!
11 June 2001
Mark (Bro) is coming back to the UK for a couple of days! Hurrah! Can't wait to see him! He'll be home from Weds of this week until probably Sunday. Very much looking forward to seeing him.
Soooo, Andy came to stay again and we went to Kath's India party. Really good night, had great fun. We also did a bit of mooching about down the bay and I suffered with an almighty hangover!
I have just been asked to put together a website to advertise some holiday cottages for a friend of mine. Rather unfortunate that someone deleted my original holiday cottages page or I would have had something to roll immediately. Anyway, I've learnt lots of new tricks since putting that site together so the new one will be splendid! I've just had a brief lesson in using a digital camera so I can go do the picture thing at the weekend! Eek! This could be fun!
21 May 2001
One of my old college chums came to stay for the weekend (12/13 May). We had splendid weather and went out for some knee-down-biking-thrills. Damn, it was a good weekend!! We had such a good time that we've pl ...... um arranged a few more weekend events with biking and general carousing involved. Currently these include:
Kath's Fancy Dress Party, 26th May, theme: India ... photographs will follow, watch this space!
Weekend in June to be spent (possibly biking) at/to destination as yet undecided.
My birthday party, 23rd June, yet another fancy dress event, my theme is Cowboys and Indians ... Yeeehah!
Weekend in July to be spent biking to West Wales for general carousing and merriment.
As a note on the previous entry (08.05.01) I took the pressure washer back to the shop. They gave me my money back without question .... I think that might just say something about the quality of that particular piece of equipment!!
8 May 2001
A Bank holiday weekend where we actually had reasonable weather!! I did quite a lot of gardening and my greenhouse actually has plants in it now, instead of a load of old rubbish!!
I attempted to jetwash the patio yesterday afternoon, but ended up soaked. Will have to take the jetwasher back to the shop and complain ... the seals didn't and the on/off switch preferred OFF!!
I cleaned some weed out of the pond and added an algicide to get rid of the blanket weed. I can see some fish now! Just hope the heron doesn't spot them ....
I still have lots and lots of work to do out there ... but it's coming along.
2 May 2001
Looks like it's going to be another manic month!
OK, well I put a lot of stuff up on various pages here, but I am looking at them and thinking I need to change the layout. I am going to *try* to use some frames. Please bear with me!!
24 April 2001
I took a week off last week (over Easter) and had a great time! I did all those things that I don't normally have time for (read: can't be bothered to do!).
I re-roofed the shed, without a) falling off or b) injuring myself horribly in other ways! I'm pretty smug about it, although I don't think I shall be hiring myself out as a roofer just yet!
I also cleaned my bike, did a load of gardening and continued with clearing out the greenhouse. I now have courgette and tomato plants, freesias and godetia growing out there! Also on various windowsills around the house are geraniums, fuschias, bizzy-lizzies and pansies.
The weather has been completely and utterly pants for the first third of this year.
When I finally get some decent pictures up on my homepage I will transfer the words there to here. If you know what I mean!
The Foot & Mouth crisis is still raging. Stories in the paper every day about how many animals have been slaughtered. Many footpaths are closed. I have been walking my pack down the Taff Trail as far as the Castle Grounds and back. I'm looking forward to being able to take them to the beach, the sand dunes and the mountains again.
Putting this webpage back together is taking me considerably longer than I thought it would. I've been very busy in work, which has also spilled over into my evenings and weekends, having a totally pants PC at home hasn't exactly helped matters either!
Well, it's been an eventful year so far! Someone possibly did me a favour by deleting my old pages, even though they destroyed about five years worth of work and lost many photographs which are irreplaceable (the originals having been lost during my brush with the ILOVEYOU virus a year or so ago). Anyway, this one will be bigger and better, so watch this space! And I might be able to find some more up to date pictures!
