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November 26 Ultrasonic 9°C, has the battery failed in the thermometer? It's colder than this. 6° probably That SW wind blows strongly some more. Mosquito is a siren (in the UK anyway) that is meant to repel teenagers. Shops and cafes use them to repel loiterers and they are becoming quite commonplace. The claim is that they can't be heard by older people and selectively annoy 'youth' who then go away. Explain why I can hear them then! I am 45 years old (as of yesterday). The device makes a sound rather like the sonar effect you hear on tacky WWII submarine films, only the pitch is octaves higher, as high as the sound bats make I'd say. I ponder... Had no luck yet finding the frequency that these things peak at, but Pipistrelle bats begin at 15 and range up to 45KHz. Not sure of the physics at play here, but wouldn't there be harmonics at an octave above and and another below? None in my tutor group have ever heard a bat- they said today. I had to ask.  Shot in south Wales. November 25 45 plus one 9°C, that some wind, the same temperature but coldness looms Look, I have even more chocolate, the sort that keeps me awake at night. Better deploy the self-discipline. November 24 Another birthday 9°C, more SW winds This wind has been blowing for two weeks. It's warm, and riding home is fast & effortless. Bet it changes soon. Birthday outing soon, pinning hopes that it lightens after a bad day at work. At the time of writing, I have cider in my veins. I can be confident that it really is my birthday- it has been raining. This evening, I find I have more Dark Chocolate Halva than in the morning. That's the way it should go.  November 23 Make a survey for up to at least 15 people 9°C, showers, clammy You can work out what's wrong with the title. Fine morning to unblock a stinking drain.The overspill left a layer of slimey mud below the window which must have been teeming with life. My guess is there were algae living in it along with the inevitable fungi. Further along the food chain were a growing family of slugs, looking like miniature gherkins. They were so happy. The fungi spent their time making the rotten newspaper smell, and the jelly-like clear slimes- what were they.. Or maybe not; times like this I need an expert in microscopic-smelly-lifeforms. All wet and shiny clean now. A day to be confused by stuff that people write. Go away, sit in a quiet dark room and and think really hard. November 22 Striped pyjamas 9°C, 'orrible showers. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas: Film about the son of a Concentration Camp commandant. I don't mind giving key elements of the plot because the film is so bad that I urge you to avoid it. The kid is bored in the house where the Camp's commandant is posted, he climes out and makes friends with a Jewish kid over the electric fence. Eventually he digs in to try to find the Jewish kid's father, and ends up in a gas chamber himself. Sentimental, absurd and twee.  Red sky in the morning; you know the rest. November 18 things break 9°C, windy. but fairly dry & warm The list of things needing repairs is growing like snow rolling down a hill purportedly does. The bike has a broken wheel + a twisted chain; a drain is blocked, roof leaks on the shed, a sofa needs patching, and other things I can't be bothered to think about right now. At least I could ride the bike home, but not risking that wheel again. It's not even that old, only a few thousand miles and it broke through the rim at a eyeleted spoke hole; they're not supposed to do that. ....bum! November 14 Piracy 10-13°C. Windy & showers. heavy ones. Watched a borrowed DVD last night that turned out to be a pirate copy. This one was filmed in a cinema, you could hear people coughing and sometimes talking. The little parasite must have been sitting near the back with the videocam, because the bassy loud bits drowned out any clarity so that quite a few passages of dialogue were difficult to follow There was a hollow loss of mid-range sounds that is common in cinemas, but the colour was off key too. At first I considered that the film was shot in a nostalgic desaturated colour-space, with added grain. Cinemas frequently show videos pleading for people to avoid pirate videos, but I don't think they need to bother. What I saw last night wasn't really a proper film, certainly nothing that could compete with the product that film producers are trying to sell. I don't see any reason to buy a disks from a pirate dealer because the genuine DVDs are don't cost much anyway. November 11 Flora Britannica 9°C, Dull, dull, dull. Richard Maybe: Flora Britannica is my kind of plant book. It covers plants that are largely native to Britain, though some naturalised ones are covered but it's different. It isn't a gardening book. It's got nothing on how to propogate, where to plant or anything like that. this one is about folklore, for want of a better word.  Church & State: interesting story from America, well, the USA anyway. : It seems they do have some people in power who are resisting the dominance of church in US state politics. For the past century, no US president has gained power without openly declaring his Christianity. This is unconstitutional of course if you know anything of the US constitution which aims at removing the inevitable corruption that appears when religious leaders gain political power. November 09 Fogged 6°C, Fog Now, suddenly we see it's winter. I am not cold. Credit that to long-johns & a vest.  I am stunned by my tiredness, it's been quite a weekend. But as I usually say, in that tedious middle-aged bloke way, Monday is the day to recover from a good weekend. Further, those long-johns are too warm, I have been forced to take them off and cool down. November 08 It's a far cry too 10°C, clearing. Ride 65 miles  New game: Far Cry 2, driving around in the African savannah. Real life, cycling around Warwickshire for 65 miles. One of them makes you fit November 07 Hewlet Packard printers 9°C, respite from rain. Where have I put my latest P60? I really need to find this startlingly plain document amongst the other plain sheets that I get sent every month. If anyone knows where it is; please tell me in a comment.  Bessie appears to be searching in this photo, but clearly she has misunderstood the nature of the problem. Hewlet Packard printers are very economical to use. They use almost no ink, and any paper that it prints out can be recycled. All you do is take the plain white paper that it normally churns out and put it back in the lower tray because, though it does consume ink, none of it gets onto the paper.The only drawback is with this printer, like the Epson I had before, is that it is incapable of doing what printers are supposed to do. But I mustn't loose sight of the fact that there is no running cost beyond the electricity that it consumes, and the rage that it generates. November 05 Last Chance 9°C, Showers, quite heavy too Appetite- Constantly hungry today, all those trips to the canteen, raiding my locker (it was full of food). But still hungry. Am I pregnant? Can't be! But Matt suggested a possible- it's the colder weather. Has my metabolism increased to create more warmth? Douglass Adams: in the book "Last Chance To See"... this guy has a very powerful way of writing that combines wit, human vulnerability and above all- protest. Concerning the slaughter of a goat for the sake of filming Komodo dragons: "The great thing about being the only species that makes the distinction between right and wrong is that we can make up the rules for ourselves as we go along." There is stuff like this throughout the book. He can't resist anthropomorphising animals and situations with sensitivity but not with excessive sentimentality. I have only read his fiction stuff before, this is so fresh.November 04 Heating 8°C. sun & showers Switch-on: I put the heating on yesterday. It's only on for a few hours each day so far. A bit later than last year, but autumn was colder then. The ride home today was rather horrible- the black wet road didn't show up the light pools very well. Dry road is clear enough even with spots of water on my specs. Wet roads are not so, car headlights do light up the kerb-stones though so little chance of hitting the verge and taking a spill.  November 01 Camp was indeed cosy 10°C, freshening. Warm, dry and very campable week.  Great campsite, only us, the river and a Portaloo in the opposite corner. Oh, and not to forget- about six sheep. After a day's walking, I'd wash in the river, and collect water for the camp.The wind was odd, despite the revailing southerly, all of the big gusts were from the west. The tent held. October 25 late afternoon happens in the night 15°C, sun & some soaking; Cycle 71 miles In lanes like these:  This was the scene, nearly home, only 10 miles to go in Seckington. A struggle against the wind for the last 25 miles. No sign of turning the heating on yet, no need. Night temperatures are as high as 12°C. See if the campsites are so cosy. October 24 A modern critical idiom 16°C, wam and wet (weather), brewing up to let's-see-what. A scary prospect? No, indeed I am invincible! October 20 Occupational hazard 11°C, rain.Orange leaves clinging to wet things Autumn colds are an occupational hazard in our business. It's only been two weeks since the last one and I have another cold rising today. Damned awkward when a week's holiday is approaching. Loonies: I am one, I have sent myself over 50 emails today is says here. The spammers are just as bonkers today too, then have send hundreds! I was only getting about 20 unwanted posts daily over the last few months, but now it's over a hundred a day. Just as well they automatically drop in the Deleted folder. October 19 All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy Cold air approaching, 12°C & dropping. Smells of rain. Spammers are truly insane, these all claim to be from the Inland revenue. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.  Education "Split" on the theme of the great divide in Education: BBC. Can't wait for some presentation on this idea in our school. My questions are ready. The problem with the article is this: We are successful in moving students from poor areas into University, they are 'improving their lot' and is it any surprise that the average IQ in those areas is decreasing. take out the bright ones, and the proportion of thick people increases in an area. that is no failure of education, quite the opposite. October 18 Back on the road again 13°C, light & daubs of orange. 70 miles cycilng wearing the same clothes again.: Off to see Devon Sproule later. October 15 Maybe Aspen 14°C, grey, mizzle How dull misty wet, it's dripping from every free standing object. I want to be westwards.  Perhaps Rosie is appreciating her sheep-effect rug more than that canine-jumper. Tasteful huh? |
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