House hunting

“A room with a view…and you….dah dah dahdahdahdah dah!” Isn’t that top of the list of priorities? Mrs J and I are on the move again because of the Count’s (spelling optional) plan to erect three 500-ft. wind-turbines in the field next-door – as I reported some time back. So we have to give up our ‘Hansel and Gretel’ lookalike with its idyllic half-acre and go – but where? Continue reading “House hunting”

November Creative Writing Winner

It has become customary for the competition adjudicator to begin with a laudatory paragraph about each submission, highlighting their best features – and a very civilised custom it is, too.

However, the entries for November are of such a uniformly excellent standard that I have decided to throw custom and convention out of the window.   Instead, I shall highlight the few blemishes I uncovered, since it was the only way I could find to discriminate between such superb essays – my initial reaction was to declare them all joint winners!   I hope our five skilful authors will not be unduly discombobulated by this unusual approach, and I urge them to take my remarks with at least a modicum of salt. Continue reading “November Creative Writing Winner”

The Steadfast Tin Soldier, a pome

(With apologies to Messrs. HC Andersen and R Dahl)

One Yuletide Eve, in days of yore (when children all learned fairy lore)…..
No! Mercy me! How mem’ries fade! In telling you his escapades
I quite forgot that time before: a birthday, when the boy received
A troop of soldiers –  now displayed upon a table near the door.

Continue reading “The Steadfast Tin Soldier, a pome”

Broad Street, Oxford

A trip into Oxford today and I saw something I had never noticed before. The light was lovely and I wasn’t inclined to shop, so wandered down The Broad with my camera.

What’s that on top of the building as a weather vane?

Continue reading “Broad Street, Oxford”

What I do when I’m not on my holidays – Part 2

So, what do I actually do when I start a new contract? It depends on the type of contract. I do shorter engagements where there is a specific requirement, such as audit security at a particular installation – perhaps ‘short’ is the wrong description, a review of the security of a company’s ocean-shipping facility can take a reasonable amount of time – but those are quite rare and usually part of a longer engagement. Short engagements usually last from a few days to a few weeks – anything more than a month and my daily rate goes down a bit to reflect the length of the contract. Bummer

Danegeld in the 21st Century?

I’m sure most here have heard of Danegeld:  money, raised by taxation, given as a ‘bribe’ to the Vikings in the 10th and 11th Century to stop them raiding, raping and pillaging. It wasn’t just England who levied Danegeld – several other European countries did much the same.

In 991, Aethelred the Unready  King of England gave the Vikings about 3,300 kilograms of silver. The bribe worked – well for a while. But, as anyone could have told Aethelred (whose name means noble counsel) the Vikings stayed away for a bit and then turned up, fully armed of course, and expected to be paid another large sum of money. No wonder Aethelred rapidly acquired the tag Unready (ill counsel). Continue reading “Danegeld in the 21st Century?”

COP17 – Durban

Durban

Nestling on the shores of the Indian Ocean, Durban is the holiday place of choice for probably more South Africans than anywhere else. It’s subtropical climate and warm waters almost guaranteeing a holiday free from the vagaries of the weather.

Durban is a relatively short 4 hour drive from Johannesburg with multi-lane highways and dual carriageways the whole way, making it relatively close and convenient.

Which suits me, Continue reading “COP17 – Durban”