I'm off to Vinopolis for a business seminar this afternoon, including the tour and wine tasting session.
There are perks to this job every now and again.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Inclement Weather
Now that autumn is here to stay and the weather is beginning to take a wintry turn, it is time to look back at the season that has just passed.
Summer 2004 will probably always be remembered as a wet one, with storms and torrential rain in August causing flooding and landslides all over the country. But that wasn't quite the whole story. We may not have had the record-breaking temperatures of last year but it was only really the middle month of the summer that was really bad. The rest of it was pretty good: dry, warm & sunny.
It's funny how the human brain tends to become preoccupied with recent events, particularly where the weather is concerned. After a prolonged period of rain, we seem to forget what it is like to have the sun on our faces. It's the same with a refreshing shower after a dry spell. What we do tend to remember from further in the past are the extremes of weather, such as those really hot days last year or the very wet ones of the last couple of months. Because that's all we recall, we start to think they were the prevalent conditions for a much longer period of time than was actually the case.
This summer may have been wetter than normal but, thinking back, I can't actually remember getting wet very often, so it can't have been raining very much when I was outside. Certainly, I got far wetter yesterday on the way to work than I did at any point over the summer. That suggests it was actually drier than I thought
Incidentally, while on the subject of the summer's weather, I have a little tale to tell about luck. We wanted to host a barbeque at the end of June, a late house-warming sort of thing. The weather had been lovely in the weeks before hand but on the day of our party it became grey and cold and miserable. It stayed dry for a while but it wasn't nice so we gave up on being outside and had an indoor grill party instead. Of course, the weather soon cleared up again and July started nicely.
We then went to three separate barbeques in August, the month with all the rain. The first two were hot and sunny, the last one was dry up to the point where we went home. It's just not fair.
Summer 2004 will probably always be remembered as a wet one, with storms and torrential rain in August causing flooding and landslides all over the country. But that wasn't quite the whole story. We may not have had the record-breaking temperatures of last year but it was only really the middle month of the summer that was really bad. The rest of it was pretty good: dry, warm & sunny.
It's funny how the human brain tends to become preoccupied with recent events, particularly where the weather is concerned. After a prolonged period of rain, we seem to forget what it is like to have the sun on our faces. It's the same with a refreshing shower after a dry spell. What we do tend to remember from further in the past are the extremes of weather, such as those really hot days last year or the very wet ones of the last couple of months. Because that's all we recall, we start to think they were the prevalent conditions for a much longer period of time than was actually the case.
This summer may have been wetter than normal but, thinking back, I can't actually remember getting wet very often, so it can't have been raining very much when I was outside. Certainly, I got far wetter yesterday on the way to work than I did at any point over the summer. That suggests it was actually drier than I thought
Incidentally, while on the subject of the summer's weather, I have a little tale to tell about luck. We wanted to host a barbeque at the end of June, a late house-warming sort of thing. The weather had been lovely in the weeks before hand but on the day of our party it became grey and cold and miserable. It stayed dry for a while but it wasn't nice so we gave up on being outside and had an indoor grill party instead. Of course, the weather soon cleared up again and July started nicely.
We then went to three separate barbeques in August, the month with all the rain. The first two were hot and sunny, the last one was dry up to the point where we went home. It's just not fair.
Monday, October 04, 2004
Head vs Heart
It's difficult to explain how I feel about becoming a father, largely because I can't work out what feelings I've got.
Obviously, I'm very happy. L and I made a very conscious decision that this was what we wanted so it would be odd not to be glad it's happening. Am I excited, though? Well, not really. There is a certain amount of excitement when telling people for the first time but that's probably just a reflection of the pleasure being expressed by those people.
I am understandably daunted - after all, this is not something you take on lightly - and worried (that I won't be a good father) but I recognise those as perfectly normal reactions. Do I also feel fear? Wonder? Panic? Joy? I haven't got a clue.
I think there are two reasons for this. The first is that with such a mix of emotions it can be difficult to distinguish between them all.
The second, more fundamental, reason is that the whole concept of becoming a father is rather abstract at the moment. On a purely intellectual level, I know what is happening and have done since I saw the little blue cross of the positive test. But emotions have little to do fact and I can't honestly say that my heart believes it is all happening. L has had similar problems believing and she's had the physical signs to help her. I can see the bump etc but that doesn't help me believe.
I have to wonder when it will truly hit me. Will it be when I see the scan in six week's time or when I can feel it kicking if I rest my hand on the bump? Or will it wait until the baby is born and there is no way to deny it any more?
Obviously, I'm very happy. L and I made a very conscious decision that this was what we wanted so it would be odd not to be glad it's happening. Am I excited, though? Well, not really. There is a certain amount of excitement when telling people for the first time but that's probably just a reflection of the pleasure being expressed by those people.
I am understandably daunted - after all, this is not something you take on lightly - and worried (that I won't be a good father) but I recognise those as perfectly normal reactions. Do I also feel fear? Wonder? Panic? Joy? I haven't got a clue.
I think there are two reasons for this. The first is that with such a mix of emotions it can be difficult to distinguish between them all.
The second, more fundamental, reason is that the whole concept of becoming a father is rather abstract at the moment. On a purely intellectual level, I know what is happening and have done since I saw the little blue cross of the positive test. But emotions have little to do fact and I can't honestly say that my heart believes it is all happening. L has had similar problems believing and she's had the physical signs to help her. I can see the bump etc but that doesn't help me believe.
I have to wonder when it will truly hit me. Will it be when I see the scan in six week's time or when I can feel it kicking if I rest my hand on the bump? Or will it wait until the baby is born and there is no way to deny it any more?
Friday, October 01, 2004
Lakeland
They say that home is where the heart is. If that's so then I don't live at home for my heart definitely belongs in the Lake District. When I am there I am at peace; its beauty soothes me and its grandeur inspires me. It is where I would choose to be if I could.
Last year L and I spent a week in a B&B in Windermere. We had a great time and said we'd go back this year. When it came to booking it we had already decided to stay in a different area of the Lakes, as Windermere is just too much of a tourist trap, and wanted to stay in a holiday cottage rather than a B&B. So, we had a look at what English Country Cottages had to offer and booked a week in a village near Keswick in the Northern Lakes. The cottage was excellent and we settled in for a relaxing week.
The weather was just about what you'd expect up there in late September; cloudy, showers, moderate temperatures, but we were prepared so it didn't bother us at all. We spent a couple of days lazing around and visited a few of the tourist attractions in the area. Last year we went on a lovely walk around Grasmere but L isn't really up to that sort of thing in her current condition so we were limited to a few strolls this time around. It got me itching to do some proper walking in the area, though. It's a long time since I last did that.
I've been walking in all sorts of places, from the Brecon Beacons to the Highlands to the Picos de Europa mountains in Spain (which make the Highlands seem small) but none of them had the same effect on me that the Lake District does. There's something about the scale of Cumbria that resonates within me. Its hills are tall and majestic without being out of reach, its valleys stunning but not too broad, its lakes beautiful but not too vast to get around.
It is an area of stunning natural beauty that sings to me when ever I am there. Come rain or shine, mist or snow its effect on me is the same.
If money were no longer an object I would have no qualms about leaving London and the south behind and moving up there permanently. One day I might just do that.
It's where I belong.
Last year L and I spent a week in a B&B in Windermere. We had a great time and said we'd go back this year. When it came to booking it we had already decided to stay in a different area of the Lakes, as Windermere is just too much of a tourist trap, and wanted to stay in a holiday cottage rather than a B&B. So, we had a look at what English Country Cottages had to offer and booked a week in a village near Keswick in the Northern Lakes. The cottage was excellent and we settled in for a relaxing week.
The weather was just about what you'd expect up there in late September; cloudy, showers, moderate temperatures, but we were prepared so it didn't bother us at all. We spent a couple of days lazing around and visited a few of the tourist attractions in the area. Last year we went on a lovely walk around Grasmere but L isn't really up to that sort of thing in her current condition so we were limited to a few strolls this time around. It got me itching to do some proper walking in the area, though. It's a long time since I last did that.
I've been walking in all sorts of places, from the Brecon Beacons to the Highlands to the Picos de Europa mountains in Spain (which make the Highlands seem small) but none of them had the same effect on me that the Lake District does. There's something about the scale of Cumbria that resonates within me. Its hills are tall and majestic without being out of reach, its valleys stunning but not too broad, its lakes beautiful but not too vast to get around.
It is an area of stunning natural beauty that sings to me when ever I am there. Come rain or shine, mist or snow its effect on me is the same.
If money were no longer an object I would have no qualms about leaving London and the south behind and moving up there permanently. One day I might just do that.
It's where I belong.
Thursday, September 30, 2004
A Visit to the Dentist
This morning I went to the dentist for the first time in more than 12 years.
I only know it's at least that long because the last time I went I got
referred to an orthodontist who in turn referred me to the hospital to have
my wisdom teeth checked out and that appointment was on my 16th
birthday. I have never felt the urge to go back to the dentist since.
My teeth have always been fine and I haven't suffered any problems with
them so it just didn't seem worth it. I probably wouldn't have gone today
if L hadn't made appointments for both of us. And my position seems to
have been justified. Apart from my wisdom teeth no longer being there (I
finally had them removed when I was seventeen - just over ten years ago)
and a tiny spot on one of my second incisors where decay had started and
then stopped years ago, my teeth are all fine.
Naturally, there was quite a build up of plaque - a left over from the days
when I didn't clean my teeth properly - but that was fairly easily removed
and now it's gone the brushing and mouthwash should keep it from coming
back too quickly.
All in all, it was exactly what I'd expected. However, I don't think I'll
leave it as long before my next appointment.
;-)
I only know it's at least that long because the last time I went I got
referred to an orthodontist who in turn referred me to the hospital to have
my wisdom teeth checked out and that appointment was on my 16th
birthday. I have never felt the urge to go back to the dentist since.
My teeth have always been fine and I haven't suffered any problems with
them so it just didn't seem worth it. I probably wouldn't have gone today
if L hadn't made appointments for both of us. And my position seems to
have been justified. Apart from my wisdom teeth no longer being there (I
finally had them removed when I was seventeen - just over ten years ago)
and a tiny spot on one of my second incisors where decay had started and
then stopped years ago, my teeth are all fine.
Naturally, there was quite a build up of plaque - a left over from the days
when I didn't clean my teeth properly - but that was fairly easily removed
and now it's gone the brushing and mouthwash should keep it from coming
back too quickly.
All in all, it was exactly what I'd expected. However, I don't think I'll
leave it as long before my next appointment.
;-)
A Change in Season
It's odd how being just a few hundred miles north makes such a difference to things like when the sun rises and sets. We only spent a week in the Lake District but when we got back sunset was noticeably earlier than it was when we left. We now have to put lights on almost as soon as we get home from work as dusk descends. It's also darker when the alarm goes off in the morning.
Autumn is definitely upon us and the gloominess isn't the only sign. Outside our house a couple of trees suffered an explosion of colour while we were away as they became covered in red berries and their leaves began to lose their green hue.
It won't be long before the grass will crackle underfoot on the way to the station in the morning and small clouds of steaming breath will mark my progress down the street. My summer jacket is heading for the wardrobe and my winter coat returning in the opposite direction. Gloves and hat will soon be joining it.
The world is slowing down, getting ready to sleep through winter, hibernating until spring comes and it is time to wake again.
Autumn is definitely upon us and the gloominess isn't the only sign. Outside our house a couple of trees suffered an explosion of colour while we were away as they became covered in red berries and their leaves began to lose their green hue.
It won't be long before the grass will crackle underfoot on the way to the station in the morning and small clouds of steaming breath will mark my progress down the street. My summer jacket is heading for the wardrobe and my winter coat returning in the opposite direction. Gloves and hat will soon be joining it.
The world is slowing down, getting ready to sleep through winter, hibernating until spring comes and it is time to wake again.
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Upcoming
The following is a taste of what is likely to appear here over the next
few days. It will also serve as a handy reminder for me when I wake up
in the morning.
Further expansion of my new-found theme.
Posts about our holiday and my love of the Lake District.
How late Summer suddenly appears to have turned into Autumn.
A new regular feature.
Me getting back behind the wheel again after so long.
Barbeques and weather.
Plus some other random stuff, probably.
Enjoy!
few days. It will also serve as a handy reminder for me when I wake up
in the morning.
Further expansion of my new-found theme.
Posts about our holiday and my love of the Lake District.
How late Summer suddenly appears to have turned into Autumn.
A new regular feature.
Me getting back behind the wheel again after so long.
Barbeques and weather.
Plus some other random stuff, probably.
Enjoy!
The Basics
Okay, first of all the facts. I can attempt to put my feelings into words later but, for now, I'll limit myself to how, when etc. Though I doubt any of you really need me to explain the 'how' bit, do you? ;-)
L and I have been thinking of starting a family for some time. If I'm honest, it's always been what we wanted to do and it was only ever a matter of time before we got around to it.
We agreed that before we could start trying we wanted to have bought a house, own a car and be fairly financially stable. When we bought the car in June we worked out that we weren't spending anywhere near what we were earning and that there was no imminent prospect of that changing. With very little credit card debt and a couple of loans that will be paid off by early next year, it was obvious that we were as financially stable as we were likely to get. At that point the decision boiled down to a simple yes/no question: did we want children or not? The answer was a resounding yes.
Of course, we were prepared for the disappointment of it taking months, maybe even years - assuming we could have kids at all. What we weren't ready for was for it to take weeks. Two or three to be precise. All of a sudden, there was a positive test in the bin (Clear Blue, naturally) and we were faced with the realisation that we had changed our lives irrevocably. For the better, of course.
That was just over two months ago. By the way they work these things out, L is now almost 14 weeks gone, giving us a due date around the end of March / beginning of April. We always said we'd wait to tell anyone until after the first trimester and the only people to know earlier than that was the immediate family (and only then because our hand was pretty much forced by other circumstances).
And now, here we are. L had the first appointment with the midwife this morning and everything seems fine. We're into the second trimester and looking forward to the scan at 20 weeks (they don't do one at 12 in our health authority) and antenatal classes etc.
And, of course, looking forward to the day I can hold my own child in my arms. That will be a wonderful day.
L and I have been thinking of starting a family for some time. If I'm honest, it's always been what we wanted to do and it was only ever a matter of time before we got around to it.
We agreed that before we could start trying we wanted to have bought a house, own a car and be fairly financially stable. When we bought the car in June we worked out that we weren't spending anywhere near what we were earning and that there was no imminent prospect of that changing. With very little credit card debt and a couple of loans that will be paid off by early next year, it was obvious that we were as financially stable as we were likely to get. At that point the decision boiled down to a simple yes/no question: did we want children or not? The answer was a resounding yes.
Of course, we were prepared for the disappointment of it taking months, maybe even years - assuming we could have kids at all. What we weren't ready for was for it to take weeks. Two or three to be precise. All of a sudden, there was a positive test in the bin (Clear Blue, naturally) and we were faced with the realisation that we had changed our lives irrevocably. For the better, of course.
That was just over two months ago. By the way they work these things out, L is now almost 14 weeks gone, giving us a due date around the end of March / beginning of April. We always said we'd wait to tell anyone until after the first trimester and the only people to know earlier than that was the immediate family (and only then because our hand was pretty much forced by other circumstances).
And now, here we are. L had the first appointment with the midwife this morning and everything seems fine. We're into the second trimester and looking forward to the scan at 20 weeks (they don't do one at 12 in our health authority) and antenatal classes etc.
And, of course, looking forward to the day I can hold my own child in my arms. That will be a wonderful day.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Ready to go again
That's right, I have once again picked up my quill pen ready to transcribe my thoughts into this small corner of blogland. I hope you all had a nice summer. I certainly did, without the pressure of writing here every day (there were enough pressures elsewhere as it was).
L and I have just spent a week in the Lake District, trying to relax and rest and, while I don't feel particularly rejuvenated, I have come back with new inspiration and ideas for Clear Blue Skies.
More than that; for the first time I have a long-term theme for this blog. A theme that will, I'm sure, last as long as I feel like posting (and long after that, too). It is a theme that will quite naturally evolve as time goes by, with a fairly large-scale change in about six months or so.
So, what is this theme, you ask? Well, for the next six months or so I will be writing a lot about what impending fatherhood feels like. After that, I'll just drop the 'impending' bit.
I'm going to be a dad!
L and I have just spent a week in the Lake District, trying to relax and rest and, while I don't feel particularly rejuvenated, I have come back with new inspiration and ideas for Clear Blue Skies.
More than that; for the first time I have a long-term theme for this blog. A theme that will, I'm sure, last as long as I feel like posting (and long after that, too). It is a theme that will quite naturally evolve as time goes by, with a fairly large-scale change in about six months or so.
So, what is this theme, you ask? Well, for the next six months or so I will be writing a lot about what impending fatherhood feels like. After that, I'll just drop the 'impending' bit.
I'm going to be a dad!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)