Wednesday 4th January 2017

And welcome back to Denmark! Bet you thought I might never return?

Well, never fear, with head office here, I will coming back once a month at least for the foreseeable future anyways.

I throw open the curtains, and look on the scene outside. As I arrived late the night before, I did not set my alarm, so it was twenty past seven, and light was already showing in the sky. Traffic was jumping on the street outside, or cruising to a stop at the traffic lights at the junction 50m away to the left. It had stopped raining, so it looked cold.

And outside, by crikey, it was cold. And was due to get colder. I have to clear the windscreen of ice, and then drive to the office in the port area, not enough time for the car to warm up.

I go round greeting friends, wishing them happy new year and asking about their holidays. That done it was time for work, and maybe even a walk into the yard to look at the turbines.

The storm the night before had abated, but caused havoc with some of the facilities we have, so work was delayed until it could be repaired. But the turbines look good, and now we have less than half the project on the quayside ready to load. Although there is much work to do, and much of it hard, we have come a long way, and the end can be seen in the far distance.

I go out to look at the turbines. In the bright sunshine and with the blue sky as a background, the towers look fabulous. I take a few shots; this is because I have started a shot a day project, so each post for a day should have at least one picture to illustrate it. So you have been warned.

Anyway, with the big tidy up going on, all I can do as a manager is what managers have said to me in the past "you're doing a great job, they look great!" Maybe they even believe me. This time I was telling the truth.

The day continues, I put out some fires, and pass fires to others to deal with, as I am a manager I may as well share the pain!

At four, all are leaving the site for the day, so I join them, driving back to the hotel, and making sure I was in the restaurant before half five as I had skipped lunch. I treated myself, of the company treated me, to cauliflower soup which was sprinkled with crispy bacon. See there is little that cannot be improved with bacon. Followed by rib eye steak and beets. Yes beets. And it was splendid, I did not each all the friens, or all the steak, stopping once I was full.

I went back to my room and climbed in bed and dozed for two hours with the radio playing in the background. I woke up to watch the Spurs v Chelski game on TV, which was very good and kept me awake until 11. Spurs won 2-0, and were well worth the win.

Then I went to sleep, and slept long and well.

Tuesday 3rd January 2017

And here we are again, the great back to work, back on the treadmill, nose to the grindstone, earning a crust. And so on.

Which does explain why the alarm went off at half five. But only in par, seems like waking up and getting ready requires an extra half hour up in the morning. Anyway, the alarm has gone off, and we get up.

Needless to say, it is dark outside, but as I have an evening flight for a change, I can mess around drinking coffee, watching football before the rigours of the day begin.

Just before seven, Jools leaves, and means we won't see each other until Friday. It is this part that makes travel so difficult. Anyway, no avoiding it for now, just get on with it. But I do have to work part of the day, all morning in the end, to make sure I am up to date.

The morning passes and all seems well with the world, which is nice. But then all my Danish colleagues ask if I have all my fingers and thumbs. I wonder what is going on until I am told it is a tradition, especially after drunken blokes mixing with fireworks on New Year's Eve. No need to worry as I am a trained explosives technician and failed to blow himself or other up; even after the incident with the faulty exploder pocket. Ahem.

Anyway, at twelve, I stop, have dinner and pack ready for the taxi to come at two to run me to the station. Sadly, the driver was more concerned about his lost sunglasses than getting to the station on time, but as I had left 40 minutes, he managed not to be late. So after buying my ticket, I was able to sit and people watch, with many people getting on the train to Deal and beyond which arrived first.

Its perhaps easy to imagine the shady looking people hanging around puffing on rollies dressed in hoodies as being drug dealers, but maybe they're just vampires in training and don't like light. I don't know. Is this the train for London asks one of them as the train clearly showing its destination as being London St Pancras rolls in. Yes, this goes to London I say.

Always willing to help.

I have to admit, I chose to travel at quarter to three rather than quarter to four as it would be daylight, and I wanted to look out the window. It meant that once in London I would have an hour to kill before i could check in, but that was a price worth paying i thought.

You know the route by now, but this time the landscape was lit by the setting sun away in the west, finally getting dark as we crossed into Essex.

I have a coffee at the cafe in the station at Stratford, eating up twenty minutes of the 90 I had to kill. I take the DLR to the station and go for another coffee and eat up another 20 minutes, then read some of my magazine until it is 5, and time to check in.

The through security, to find a place to sit, then read some more, whilst waiting for the 90 minutes to pass before boarding starts. Of course all this waiting suggests I could have left home later: indeed I could, but what with delays, computer systems crashing, always best to leave time so not to fret.

We can go to the gate to do some more waiting. Incoming passengers get off, it is refuelled, and so we can get on. It is two thirds full, not bad, but with the time creeping towards seven, and the hour time differene in Denmark, it was going to be a late night.

We wait in line to taxi and take up, but once in the air we are treated to the whole of London stretched out below us and into the west, all lit up and looking glorious. Not sure if my camera could have done it justice, or the compact one I had with me, so there is no shot to share, but with just the tower blocks of the City and around London Bridge rising, London looked low rise. And beautiful.

We soon lost Britain as we enter a cloud, and from there get just a glimpse through the low cloud of the ground below. Over the sea the clouds clear, and looking back I can see the coast of East Anglia stretching away north and west.

We are served a small cold meal, fruit juice, offered spirits, ice cream and tea of coffee. Looked after well, but I can't drink as I have to drive. Oh well.

In Denmark, it is blowing a hooly, andlanding is "interesting" to say the least. As we turn onto final, we catch side winds, and are thrown and bucked. Landing takes place apparently sideways, meaning the plane whips round as the wheels touch down. I am tempted to sink to my knees and kiss the ground as I get off, but don't.

After getting my case, I get the keys for the ire car, a BMW 420i coupe, which is a blast to drive. I get stuck behind a nacelle being transported, but on a straight part of the road, put my foot down and get past with no trouble.

Roads are mostly empty, and the car seems happy at 100, 110, 120 kph, even if the speed limit is lower. I try to slow down.

I reach to hotel at ten, ten fifteen or something. I am whacked again, and the night porter just wants to talk, I want a shower and lie down. But am polite.

So just before 11, I am in my room, and my brain decides to wake up. But I try to sleep, and in time do.

Monday 2nd January 2017

Bank Holiday Monday

Again.

Thanks to doing some work each day, I am fairly sure that it was Monday. But a Monday bringing another day off.

We lay in again until half seven and then get up with the intention of starting the healthy lifestyle, as per the New Year, if not resolution, then intention. It was then I saw the bag full of cheese, with two more slices yet to be opened. Seems like that change is gonna have to wait until we have made a dent in the cheese mountain.

There is more football to watch, hobbies to do so while away the time. Somehow the morning passes, and that included a late breakfast as we found it hard to schedule it in earlier. I do some work, and Jools goes to Tesco to pick up some milk as we had nearly run out. Always a good reason for going shopping.

At half eleven, I have caught up with work, so we have an early lunch of cheese and crackers.

Cheese. And crackers. And wine. So much for the fresh start, Ian. Well, that can start tomorrow.

In the afternoon, we go out for a walk, as I saw on Twitter the Botanical Society wanted people to go out to look for growing and flowering plants around where they lived.

So, we went out.

It was a cold day, bright but cold, and with no wind. Bob's flag, new year's one for those taking notes, hung limp. So we turned right walking to the end of the street then along the tack until it left the last house behind and went over the fields to Fleet House.

Past the pig's copse, turning right down The Dip, past the chickens and cockerels in the garden of Fleet House on the right before walking to the muddy bottom of Norway Drove and then up the steep path the other side

We saw no wild flowers growing, but at the top of The Dip we found a small group of blackberries, still ripening. Something, at least.

We turn right again, back to the village, where I finally see the owner of the new orchard/vineyard, and was able to ask him what he was growing. Vones was the answer, and maybe this summer he might get his first fruit, but next year should be a good crop. Anyway, my curiosity satisfied, we walk on to the end of the road, past the Red Lion which it appears is going to be turned into a private house, so in the space of a year we have lost two of the village pubs, with The Hope also being converted.

Back down Station Road, past the new build cottages being put up at the bottom, then the final slog back up the top to the beginning of our street.

And by pure luck, we arrive home at kick off time, so I can wallow in misery as Norwich play and I follow updates on Twitter. Only, something goes wrong as a different team turns up, plays Derby off the park, and dominate in taking a 1-0 half time lead. They then have a player sent off, and City cruise to a 3-0 win. What is this feeling? Winning? Oh yes, I remember now. Great, isn't it.

With West Ham playing Man Utd on the radio, I cook dinner; chorizo hash, which we have not had in weeks. And with a bottle of silly strong Belgian beer it is a fine dinner.

And just like that, not like that, the weekend was running out. Some Rick Stein, University Challenge, and it was bed time. Work tomorrow, and travel to Denmark.

See you at the weekend.

Sunday 1st January 2017

Happy New Year

With not going to bed until near two the night before, we did lay in bed until gone eight in the morning. And looking out of the bedroom wndow, we felt like going back to bed for the day, as there was thick fog with light drizzle falling. And the forecast was for it to get only worse.

After coffee. nursing my sore head after three tumblers of Rumtopf the night before, it was clear that only bacon would do for breakfast. We put the radio on, listening to music, so the morning began to pass.

Outside the rain fell harder and the fog remained.

We have the final two slices of the Christmas cake, or the first Christmas cake, and then waited until we began to feel hungry, at which point I would begin to cook lunch/dinner. We had chicken pie with potatoes and steamed vegetables drizzled with the last of the turkey gravy from Christmas.

As well as cooking, I found time to strain and bottle the Rumtopf, change the oil in the fryer, and generally tidy up. Looking good.

Anyway, the evening was filled with Sherlock. Some of them have been good, others not so, and with the BBC giving it blanket advance publicity, we toyed with the idea of not watching it at all. But we did, and was good.. In places, but really was unsatisfying, and is in danger of disappearing up its own backside. Oh well.

And so we went to bed at a sensible time for a change, just after ten.

The Echo Chamber

2016 was notable for two election results; one in the US and on, which was a referendum, in the UK.

What experience of both shows, that we all live in a social media bubble. We follow people with similar views, and so don't get a feel of the feeling across the nation. Also it became clear that having facts and evidence of your case, that Brexit was economic suicide and that Trump was clearly incompetent as President, and so sure we were of both, we let the other side lead the arguments and failed to challenge the lies as strongly as we should. That some of the lies were so outrageous, that Trump's words and actions so unsuitable, we thought that we, the left, had won the argument. I mean who would argue with fact and evidence from either experts or from video or audio tape.

And yet, it made no difference. Britain narrowly voted to leave the EU based on a whole pack of lies from the Brexiteers, and won by being allowed to get away with lying. Even when challenged, they claimed black was white and that was it. Trump lied, belittled, was racist, sexist, mocked both disabled and mourning parents of a soldier. All clearly beyond inappropriate behaviour, and yet he still won the election. Or won enough states despite losing the popular vote, which may be thanks to hacking by Russia.

And all the while the print media back the lies coming out of the Trump camp and the Brexiteers, even making up fake news of their own. Social media was awash with fake news too, most of it so clearly fake, but shared by people on Facebook, and simply reporting on facts was seen as being part of a Liberal coup to stop Trump. I had to correct several people about Turkey joining the EU, in that Britain had and still has, an absolute veto on this happening. And yet the lies that Turkey joining was falsely reported as being an aim of the EU and could not be stopped.

There is so much false news out there now, and it having being reported that such stories helped the Trump camp, it was only after the election that Facebook said it would begin to deal with the issue.

But, Twitter and Facebook still acts as an echo chamber, mostly reflecting our own views in that we are more likely to follow and be friends with people who share our political leanings. On the day of the referendum, I went to bed still thinking Remain had done more than enough, that the lies had been proven. And yet, we know that it changed nothing.

In a world now where large tranches of the medi no longer hold our elected official to account, if those officials do as the papers want. Social media can fill that void of reporting truth and holding the government to account. But only if we can be sure of the people we follow, otherwise we help make the echo chamber even more confused with retweeting false news. It is a mess, and as a result, we have Brexit and we have President Trump. These days, the plunging pound is good news, at least for high end shops in London, although we will all notice it come next year when we want to go on holiday and our money goes 20% less far.

The red tops now mock people who use Twitter as extremists, and maybe they are right, but with even the BBC apparently giving up on journalism, and taking their lead stories now from what Fleet Street says, what hope is there? I suppose if the predictions of financial disaster that would come with Brexit are proved right, then maybe people will see, but by then it will be too late, and the country will just have to make the best of it. Or, as I said yesterday, those with the opposite point of view will be blamed for not making Brexit work. And then who would point out the lies in that?

I suppose, be careful of what you believe, and from whatever source, but if we can't trust the press, or the BBC, what chance does the average person have?

Mystic Jelltex returns

2017 promises to be a year of great change for me. My current project is due to be completed by the middle of the year, and as yet, I have not been told what my role will be after that point. Probably will be put onto another project, but maybe not. So, every couple of weeks, I press my boss for news, and he says there is no news. I do hope not to have to travel so much until the end of the project, I should be able to admister from home, or at least cut down on travel to every other week. But we shall see.

I can tell you when it does come to an end, we and the family will miss the duty free and Belgian beer.

We have two major holidays planned, and we are very excited about both, because as well as the trips themselves, on each we will get to meet an online friend on each. Or that is the plan. Anyway, in May we are traveling by sleeper train to Scotland, then renting a cottage on the Isle of Skye. And joining us on that trip is a friend from New Zealand who is flying over and then staying with us in a cottage. It will be exciting to say the least, and as the weeks go on we are planning more and more stuff and things to do.

Then in August, we fly into Colorado for a two week holiday in Wyoming, visiting a couple of National Parks, and then in the second week hopefully seeing a total eclipse; the main reason for us going. I don't think other than book our accommodation, we have begun to think about that trip too much so far. But we will also be able to visit my oldest on-line friend with whom I have been writing to since 2001! Even writing that down brings home how long we have been friends.

There will be orchids, and butterflies, and churches and other stuff to go out, see and photograph.

As for the rest of the world, whatever Brexit is going to bring will become clearer before the end of March, and maybe reality will reign in its excesses. Or not, who knows. Maybe the reality of the incredibly weak hand Britain has with the EU27 will strike home, or bluster and lies will continue. Something will happen, or it might just fade away as it becomes clear that the whole thing was every bit as difficult and expensive as the so called project fear said. Experts, eh? Turns out they really do know what they're talking about.

In the US, I am convinced that Trump will be impeached, or that there will be an effort to make that happen. Will he be the disaster that many predict? Maybe, maybe worse. Somebody who cannot string rational sentences together, muster facts for a debate is clearly no Presidential material. And yet he was voted for. That he mocked the disabled, was racist, lied, made fun of the parents of a dead soldier, produced no facts to support his cause, the media for the most part let him have a free pass, and so now the US and the world will have to deal with the consequences. A president elect that sides with the Russian President rather than the FBI is not a good start. But we could be wrong.

In the end, people still voted for Trump despite the things he did and said. Fox gave him blanket coverage. Like Brexit, when Trump fails, it won't be his fault, it will be his opponents, of the Liberal Media talking him and the USA down. He could never be wrong, just as the Brexiteers could not be wrong either. And nothing is ever their fault. They had the idea, just need the experts who they belittled make their idea happen. And when it fails, blame the experts.

Welcome to 2017.

New Year's Eve

Hello, and welcome to 2017. But before we deal with the here and now, I must write about what happened yesterday. And before I write about that, there was a whole bunch of 2016 I did not touch upon in my review of the year yesterday.

And that is work. Work takes up a huge bunch of my time, as it does most people. Coupled in with the traveling and catching up on work in the evenings because of travel, and the fact I did 35 business trips last year. Going from a one day trip to Leuven on Eurostar to a whole 5 days away, traveling on weekends so to be able to attend meetings.

My current project went from only existing only on paper, through to sub-components being manufactured, then the towers, then nacelles and finally blades manufactured. These were then delivered to our site in Esbjerg before being prepared for load out. And then, once the vessel had sailed to site, one by one the turbines were installed. And now we find ourselves doing the work that is required for these turbines to be tested before producing power.

It has been quite a ride, with highs and lows, and sometimes I had to call on the support of many others in my organisation. At times I have lost sleep, but in time, difficulties were overcome.

I don't talk too much about work, because of commercial considerations. Some who know the business might have a guess why I might have been in that town or that city, I think I have kept details to the bare minimum. One day I might tell more about what I do, but for now I can't, other than things are progressing with the project.

And, for now, that is enough.

Anyway. To yesterday. To last year.

We wake up late, the light peeping round the edge of the curtains seemed pale. When I looked outside, there was a thick covering of dark cloud, that did not look like it would deliver any sunshine.

The day before we had cleared the final cold meat from under their cellophane wrappings, now there was two aging backs of bacon and half a large game pie to see off. Bacon is easy, just grill until crispy, put between slices of buttered bread. And serve with a steaming cuppa. Lovely.

That done comes the annual task of summing up the old year. SOmehow this has now snowballed into a seven hour slog, detailing songs, books, etc and highlights of the year. Somehow I though a month by month review would be good. This gives me the chance to post pictures I may not have previously put up. Anyway, seemed like a good idea at nine in the morning, by lunchtime I had only started on the monthly reviews, and doing this meant scrolling through the month by month folders on Flickr to get a feeling on what each month was about.

At half twelve, I went out to drive to Shepherdswell so to snap a train. Well, it has to be a train as the orchid season isn't open, right?

Anyway, in grey and gloomy conditions, but in light traffic I drove to Whitfield then along the A2 before turning off down the narrow lanes to Shepherdswell, parking outside the station and having half an hour before the train was due.

I went up on the footbridge, as this gives good views as trains emerge from the tunnel portal. And then begins the waiting.

Standing there with two bags of camera equipment elicited glances from dog walkers who use the bridge as a safe way over the railway than the bridge on the cluttered main road.

I saw lights reflected on the rails, got ready to snap, but a Networker until thundered through without stopping, but I fired a few shots off to make sure of exposure and freezing motion. And 5 minutes later, more lights, or light, could be seen.

Showtime.

It got nearer, the light got brighter, and then there was the distinctive noise of the engine: thump, thump, thump. Hence the name, Thumper. Anyway, it emerged from the tunnel, I fired off shots, but even for a basic and vintage train, it rattled along and was soon passing under the bridge, I fired more shots as it cleared the station and powered up the slight rise towards Canterbury.

All done, in about 30 seconds.

I pack up and walk to the car to drive home and make lunch. pork pie and a beer/cider.

And back to the blog, with the main tranche of games that will fill the afternoon. Just as the games end at quarter to five, I post the blog, then spend the next hour correcting the mistakes and errors. Job done.

I make sausage rolls as we listen to Norwich play on the radio, as TV dictated that City should kick off at half five on New Year's Eve, when the fans would find it impossible to get back from West London. We drew 0-0, and could be considered an improvement.

For the evening's entertainment, there is something recorded on the telly box, MOTD and then Piano Blokey to watch as the years splutters to a thankful death. We won't miss it.

There is good music on the show, even if Jools plays bloody honkey tonk at every opportunity, and the usual suspects of Ruby Murray and Roland Rivron. We tried the Rumtopf. I tried more, just to be sure, and a third glass just make sure it was good.

Midnight came and went, and bloody 2016 was laid to rest.

Jools Holland played honky tonk into the wee small hours. We made the cold sausage rolls and a bag of honey coated peanuts vanish.