Tuesday, December 30, 2003

BBQ
BBQ arrived yesterday and has been used twice in anger already. We cooked steak and sausages yesterday and chicken fajitas today. Looking forward to the New Year's Dinner tommorrow and firework display in back garden.

MrT 12/30/2003 12:17:00 pm [+] : Feedback!

Christmas Day
Just a quick note to say we enjoyed our second Christmas day in Sydney. It was great to start by seeing everyone at the Palm Court. We opened our presents afterwards and I was very pleased to get stocked up on socks and boxers. I wore my new shirt from Mum and a small splash of aftershave from Aunty.

We had a lovely Christmas dinner at Mark and Aleta's and then went swimming with Joseph and three month year old Louis.Louis is 2 months he never gets dates right, at this rate Joe will be 3 years old in the next month!

Everyone is having a bit of sleep in today, exhausted from yesterday's festivities.

MrT 12/25/2003 10:48:00 pm [+] : Feedback!

Twas the day before Christmas Eve in the workhouse.

We keep having to remind ourselves of the date, as normal we would be referring to these days as "the day before the day before Christmas" or one week before Christmas. But for some reason, we keep forgetting and carry on as usual with just a vague feeling of an upcoming holiday at the end of the week.

Perhaps it is because it has been unusually hot and sunny over the last days, with temperatures reaching 35 over the last day or so. Victoria is convinced that I have lost my sunglasses and will end up with a pair of "fried eggs" as the television government commercial warns. They are in fact sitting harmless on my desk (not doing much good there now, are they?!), I just keep on forgetting to bring them home. Perhaps, I already have a fried memory.
(No he has lost them he's just trying to involve the blog to try and put me off. He'd only had them 2 days before he sat on them and completely bent them out of shape!! Vic)

This season's comforting TV show has been the third series of Vicar of Dibley, although they have started to do what they normally do towards the end and let the characters run a bit wild. I mean David Horton and Geraldine Granger - I can't see it myself. Still, a good Christmas joke at the end last week.

Here goes:

"Santa was delivering presents and he fell down the chimney. He slipped and spilt the port waiting at the fireplace and the mince pie next to it went right up his bottom. He went to the doctor straight away and explained. 'Doc, I think I have a mince pie stuck up my bottom.' The doctor replied...'Don't worry, I have some cream for that.'



MrT 12/23/2003 09:43:00 am [+] : Feedback!

Pepys Blog
Checked up on the winners of the Guardian's Blogs of the Year and found Pepys Blog. I noticed last Tuesday's entry...

"All day at home, without stirring at all, looking after my workmen."

I mean we've all had those days, haven't we?

The Independent tells us that the England Rugby Team are to be featured on a new set of comemorrative stamps, although apparently it is not permitted to show their faces, as only features of the Queen are allowed to be displayed on Her Majesy's Stamps. A rule apparently broken for stamps produced in honour of the late Freddie Mercury that clearly showed the face of drummer, Roger Taylor.

Still, as the article continues, the stamps include two designs for the 68p stamp. The price of sending a 20g parcel to Australia. Complete with final score. Mum - you didn't use these stamps for our package did you? Perhaps that explains why it hasn't arrived yet.

If you don't believe in ghosts, then read this article from Ananova about a ghostly image being caught on CCTV at Hampton Court Palace. Although wouldn't a real ghost just walk through the firedoors, rather than open and then shut them?

This flash sequence shows the US military tracking down Saddam Hussein and finally finding the 8ft by 3ft shaft he was hiding in. You would have thought this would be a pretty good hiding place, I wonder how long he was planning on staying there? Why didn't he flee the country? Is Osama still lying somewhere in a similar hole?

I haven't checked the Idea a Day website for a while, and so was pleased to see that the ideas hadn't yet run dry:

"Manufacture packs of cigarettes where the cigarrettes are of varying lengths. The smoker would select a short cigarette if a quick smoke is needed, or a king sized cigarette should time be no object."

Many of the reps at work are smokers and they would find this idea particuarly useful. Most try to steal a smoke whilst leaving the office before getting into a cab outside. A distance of about 10 metres. I think cigarettes about 5cm in length should be more than sufficient.





MrT 12/20/2003 09:33:00 pm [+] : Feedback!

Aaah isn't that sweet!

I think Tim must have been missing Joe a little because he hasn't seen very much of him recently, what with Noosa and having to work late etc.
I feel I should point out that Tim was very p... drunk when he wrote his last entry and didn't get in till 3. So you've got to be impressed with the spelling and grammar!

MrT 12/18/2003 08:31:00 pm [+] : Feedback!

Learning a little bit more...
Went out on the Sales Christmas Dinner tonight... a little dangerous. I was one of the "survivors" and found myslef in a bar on Oxford Street with two of the gay employees Dave and Stephan and the definately non-gay Rudy. A very surreal evening topped off with the nicest taxi driver you can imagine on the way home.

He had Seven children, but looked no older than I did. He was actually born in 1957, he showed me his licence to prove it as I couldn't believe it. I gushed a little about Joseph and his parting words were "Look after him - he's our future."

I felt he meant it - and it made me feel happy.

MrT 12/18/2003 02:30:00 pm [+] : Feedback!

Goodhopest Blog - 1 year old today
I was just reading the old blog, and realised that today it is exactly one year old. After reading some of my past entries, it has inspired me to start up again after a brief lack of inspiration.

It is nice to have a record of the year and to re-read our experiences on Geoff and Anne's visit last year, moving apartment, preparing for baby, the World Cup, Celebdaq and much more.

We are almost exactly in sync with last year, with Victoria having just posting the Christmas Cards today after a marathon effort. Well done Vic.

Went to Wildfire yesterday for a client lunch - what a place. We had a set dinner which entailed the waiters bringing around every possible type of meat possible on a skewer and then just carving it straight onto your plate. At the beginning of the meal, we were handed small round discs. One side said "Thankyou - had enough" and the other side said "More please.". The waiters kept on coming until you flipped your disc over. I think I managed to get through Chicken, Duck, Beef, Pork, Lamb and Octopus before flipping mine. Needless to say, the next visit to the loo was a "double-flusher".

Came across Jamie Oliver's Blog as well today. Sounds like he has survived super stardom and it's good to read about his experiences with at Fifteen. Two of last year's graduates have pretty good jobs at restaurants in Sydney, one is at a place called Salt and I think another is at a resteraunt called MG Garage.



MrT 12/17/2003 09:54:00 am [+] : Feedback!

Back to work today after spending last week in Noosa on a "planning conference". Noosa is around one and half hour's flight north into Queensland, and is located right on the beach. When we weren't working, we managed to fit in some camel riding, kayaking and plenty of eating and drinking. I think I must have put on around 1/2 a stone. All very relaxing, but of course I would have rather been there with Vicky and Joseph.

We arrived back just in time to go to the work Christmas Party on Friday night. The theme this year was "childhood aspirations". At first this seemed a bit naff, but in actual fact it turned out to be a really good night. Almost everyone was dressed up and there was everything ranging from Luke SkyWalker, two Indian Braves, three Surgeons and two pimps. I went as a Magician and Victoria went as a vet. Just think, I could have perhaps made it as a Magician if everyone had not laughed at my tricks at Christmas!

We have been invited round to Mark and Aleta's for Christmas which should be good. They had a lovely baby boy around a month and half ago, and so Joseph will have someone to play with and fight for the best presents.

MrT 12/08/2003 10:39:00 am [+] : Feedback!