1112.28 EXCESS

Now that all that Christmas malarkey is over it's time to deal with the aftermath. Putting the decorations away is a mammoth undertaking that if not done right means more work and messing about come December when they emerge again.

Of course the bills have to be paid, a month or more of overspending needs to be addressed. Then there is the personal over indulgences, a few weeks of over eating and drinking can mean all sorts of issues if not sorted come January.

1112.25 CAPTAIN'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

Every year is a journey to this table, the Christmas dinner table. This year I'm thankful that we all, the 4 of us, made it. There were many times along the way when I thought we weren't going to make it through. 

There have been some real difficult times again this year, Morticia's condition doesn't get better but I do feel sometimes we are learning how to cope. Her disability was at last officially recognised which meant we could get a little help. 

Our eldest daughter has also been the cause of many sleepless nights. Getting her back in line has been a major priority this year. We still have a way to go but hopefully we are on the right track. 

Highlights include our holiday to Wales as usual. It never fails, the place is almost magical. I also got a new bike, after year of wanting and striving I made it happen.

Anyway, now is the time to be thankful for what we've got and to get on with enjoying the season.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY FAMILY, FRIENDS, FOLLOWERS, SUBSCRIBERS AND MINIONS.

1112.23 THE PUNCTURE FAIRY

Over the last few weeks I have been suffering from a large amount of punctures whilst cycling. I have become quite expert and fast at changing an inner tube and tube repairs. Quite a few have occurred during night time commutes in areas I'd rather not stop in. I'm putting it down to the weather + road conditions causing debris to stick to the road surface and them embed into my back tyre.

Well done to Mark Cavendish who won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2011. I'm a big fan and it was great to see his achievements and the sport honoured and recognised.  

1112.18 PROPER CHRIMBO

I'm just getting over my hangover from last night's festive night out with my bestest bud, Mr C.

Christmas 2011 is almost ready. Morticia has been stressing about being ready and this has meant extra pressure to make sure everything gets done as swiftly as possible. Although we are almost done, except for food and I have to sort out a few bits myself.

I have 4 days of work between now and the big day, but I'm on lates so that makes it difficult. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, the plan is to go to Iceland, Morrisons and Tescos. Sounds like hell to me.

Why do we put ourselves through all this shit year in year out? It's stressful, unpleasant and in the end usually doesn't live up to expectations. I'd just do the basics, as long as you are with friends and family what else to you need? We are all searching for the perfect Christmas, but is there such a thing?

1111.19 MY BIG DAY OUT

I've previously said that I almost never spend much time alone. So when Morticia planned a day out with her Mum and the kids I jumped at the chance to to go out and about on my own. We are staying at my Mother-in-law's so my day out, unless I planned to jump on a train or bus, would be in the town of St Neots. The town centre is only 20 minutes walk, it was dry and a little misty which made for a lovely walk.

I'd been looking forward to the idea for weeks, it's not a big deal but the solitude was really therapeutic. I had lunch in the local cafe, a mooch around the charity shops and visited a few pubs and sampled a few ales. Reading my cycling magazine in the pub whilst drinking ale all on my own was absolute bliss.

I returned and followed my big day out with a visit to the chippy, mmmmmm.

For those interested in the ales;

Elgood's Black Dog (3.6% ABV) - A proper English mild, smooth and flavourful.

in the Coach House, St Neots.

Potbelly Brewery's Potbelly Best (3.8% ABV) - Easy drinking bitter.

in the Pig & Falcon, St Neots

Young's London Gold (4.8% ABV) - A light refreshing ale.

in the Cambridgeshire Hunter, Eynesbury.

1111.18 SINGLE FATHER

Sometimes it's advantageous to sent Morticia away to her Mum's for the week. Her ME can take it's toll on her so a short restbite break is in order. This week, following a visit from her Mum, she went down to the little town of St Neots for the week and left me home with the kids.

It probably sounds like I get quite a lot out of this, you know, suddenly being on my own, doing my own thing etc. this couldn't be further from the truth. The kids, even though they're older are still a handful. Add to that the fact that I still go into work (albeit for half days). Rest for me? Not a chance. It's been all go until 22:30 each night when I have myself a chance to catch up with my Sky+ recordings. Come bed time I find that I don't enjoy sleeping alone (I found this out many years ago).

Today, in fact tonight I drive down to be with her. We return home on Sunday.

1111.06 BONFIRES, WITCHES & CHRISTMAS TREES

I'm more than a little annoyed that my mobile blogging app, BlogPress, has not worked since I updated my iPhone to iOS5. I am using the native Blogger app to compose this for formatting later on a PC.

Anyway, this is not the purpose of my post today. It's the beginning of November and that means Guy Fawkes night, the traditional celebration of a failed Catholic terrorist plot from 1605. Whilst for us there was no bonfire (we rarely have one) we did set of some fireworks whilst down visiting my Mother in Law.

That's where the witches come in, well one in particular. The aforementioned Mother in Law who returned with us to stay for the week. It's been a difficult preparation getting the house together for the visit. I'm hoping Morticia will get a lot from the visit, at the end of the week she will be returning with her mother to St Neots for the following week. It will mean rest bite for us both, I think we both need it.

I noticed over the last few weeks Christmas trees have been appearing and television adverts have turned to seasonal subjects. I'm not a big fan of Christmas commercialism and I hate how early the 'silly' season starts. How long until Christmas starts in August?

1110.30 A DIFFICULT TIME

I've had a very difficult few weeks. I suffered with a nasty chest infection which knocked me off my feet for a while, I had to take a week off work (and anyone who knows me knows that it takes a lot to keep me from work). On top of that we had more difficulties with our teenager. Thankfully we managed to sort out most of the issues, the challenges remain of course, as they do for most parents of teenage girls.

There are changes afoot in our outlook too, Morticia is being a lot more open about her condition with a view to learning to live with it and come to terms with her life. She is now accepting that she is disabled and she has to live to her abilities and not push herself. I find myself accepting the fact that I am officially her primary carer and also the target for many of her frustrations. Juggling work, being a parent and a carer isn't easy, in fact it is sometimes frustrating and feels impossible. The last few weeks I've had all that on top of illness and teenage issues, thankfully I managed to get through. I feel drained at this moment but determined to make Morticia's life more comfortable.

http://www.actionforme.org.uk/family-and-friends/family/i-am-an-adult/i-am-the-husband-wife-or-partner

1109.14 MOBILE BLOGGING

Mobile blogging has always been my holy grail and never quite attainable. Emailed posts were always a make do and when I finally got an iPhone I thought it would finally be realised, that is until I found out that there wasn't an 'app for that'. At least not an official one. I purchased 'Blogpress' which worked but the formatting wasn't quite there.

Today I found out that Blogger have finally released an official app. This post is the first from there and so a test for format and function.
---
UPDATE: I've found the official app a little disappointing. It lacks formatting and layout tools, you can only add pictures to the foot of a post. Blogpress is not perfect but it has the basic picture (but not text) formatting tools. Until Blogger update the app I'll be sticking with Blogpress. Maybe one day we'll get to that holy grail of blogging.

1108.30 BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND

As we sometimes do, the family decided to go south to visit Morticia's mother in St Neots. Even though I'd already returned to work I considered this part of my holiday. I booked a couple of extra leave days and we went down Thursday evening. We were late setting off because I had to take Morticia's dad and his dog to the vets.

On the Sunday Morticia's mother and her partner took our girls to a local air show. This gave Morticia and me some time together. This almost never happens, we decided to go into town - they were having a little festival or fayre.

There's a pub in St Neots called the Pig & Falcon, we've been past it a dozen times and I've always fancied popping in. Today we could, and did. It was a lovely little ale house which was full of character and looked like it had live bands on at weekends. Whilst there I sampled a couple of local ales;

• Potbelly Best
• Citra

We decided to stay an extra night so we could return and sample the atmosphere of this place on a night out. Sadly Morticia's ME kicked in and pit paid to our plans.

Whilst down there I love to rummage in the local charity shops. Managed to bag myself Stephen Fry's biography for £3.

The original plan was to come home on Bank Holiday Monday. In the end we left on the Tuesday.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

1108.25 ALES OF WALES

I always buy a few bottles of local ales on my holidays to remind me of my time there. This year's haul includes;

• Tomos Watkin Cwrw Braf
• Tomos Watkin Cwrw Haf
• Brains Rev James
• Brains Original Stout
• Felinfoel Double Dragon
• Rhymney Dark

Whilst in Wales I enjoyed;

• Brains Bitter
• Brains SA
• Brains Black
• Gold Wing

I've discovered that Morrisons are going to be selling Rev James, so that I can now get Brains SA, SA Gold and Brains Original Stout here in Yorkshire. I'm also intending to order some ales via mail order from Tomos Watkins with whom I've been conversing with on Twitter.

I'm Recording my real ale adventure on an iPhone app called 'Brewski Me'.

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1108.22 BACK TO REALITY

Work to live or live to work? Ask me that 20 years ago I'd probably have answered the latter. Nowadays I know the answer. Work is a tool for the good things in life, once you've paid all the bills.

I now have to go back to work. I don't want to go, I've enjoyed myself too much this holiday. I've lived the good life but I know that must end. Besides if I don't get back on my bike soon I'll need to buy a larger size trousers.

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1108.16 POSTCARD FROM CEI NEWYDD

As soon as I arrived in Cei Newydd (New Quay) I knew I'd arrived home. It's like my regular life is all fake and as soon as I get here I come alive.

The excitement builds as we pass through Aberaeon, the colourful row of houses that adorn the main road. We then turn off the A487, pass the caravan park where we used to stay years ago, then the Seahorse Inn where we turn right. Passed the Black Lion, we then get our first proper look at the bay and the famous stone pier (our first look is from the main A487 on our approach), the lines of boats, we pass the Natwest bank and then our beloved Penwig Hotel which will be our home for our stay here. Parking is 'round the back so we continue on past the shops, turn the corner passed the always closed Blue Bell pub, passed the Watch House, Mariner Restaurant, Chocolate shop, they're all still here as if time stands still when we leave until we return. The £1.20 (used to be a pound) shop and finally the Dolau Inn. We turn up the drive to the rear of the Penwig where the cottage is (our home). We've arrived.

Our week here was utter relaxation. I don't know another place on earth which makes me feel so at ease. If I could make it happen I'd leave Yorkshire forever and live here. Days on the beach, swimming in the sea, drinks in the local pubs, the atmosphere and air. Also, one of the benefits of staying in the heart of the place is that later in the evening most of the tourists from the nearby camps and the holiday park go back and you are left with the real heart of Cei Newydd. The people are friendly, welcoming and I am so jealous that they get to live in such a wonderful place.

Then there's the Penwig itself which is a great pub which serves great food and Brains beers (a favourite of mine). The pub would be nothing without it's staff and management. Mike, Chris and Sam have always made us feel so welcome, another reason we keep returning.

We took a boat trip as usual, but this year we opted to go with the SeaMor and we are so glad we did. It was so much more personal (smaller group than other trips) and a great experience. Brett and Luke were awesome.

Sunday lunch in the Wellington Inn has become a tradition which we enjoy, plus a couple of pints of Double Dragon.

This year we rediscovered the Black Lion, Dylan Thomas' favourite watering hole. This was mainly because it was halfway up the hill and a good stop off for Morticia with her condition. The beer was crap (no local/Welsh ales) and they'd stopped serving food. The pub was for sale so not at it's best. Maybe next year it'll be improved.

Of course the holiday ends too soon and we have to leave. It's almost heart breaking. This year to soften the blow we decided to visit Cillgerran Castle on our way home (well not quite on our way). My heart sank as we drove past the lion at the side of the road signifying that we were back in England.

Our return to Cei Newydd is planned and if everything goes to plan we may even be there more than once next year.

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1108.08 ARE WE THERE YET?

05:32 - I'm up and almost ready to get off. Hoping to get away in half an hour. Next stop will be Chester services.

08:22 - We're at our only stop off before crossing Welsh border, Chester services. Traffic around Manchester was heavy but moving. Glad to put that behind us. Onward to Wales. Might make another stop yet, Morticia might take a little turn at driving in Snowdonia.

10:05 - We're in Snowdonia and there's no signal on my phone (so no tweeting). I'm resting while Morticia has a short drive.

10:30 - A little sleep, still very little signal on my phone.

14:50 - We arrived at the Hotel Penwig almost 2 hours ago, we had a drink, my first pint of Brains before having a little walk around. I just finished a pint of Rev James, that's pint no 2 of the day. Need to unpack now, just waiting for the cottage key.

19:38 - After an afternoon nap and unpacking we are now enjoying our holiday. I'm going to get off and enjoy myself. Lloniannau.

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1108.07 THE LONG JOURNEY

I honestly didn't think this day would come. Tomorrow is our annual summer holiday, we are just about prepared but it all nearly didn't happen.

The finances had to be sorted, then we had to manage my eldest daughter's behavioural issues and also take into account Morticia's CFS/ME.

It's been long hard slog to get to the night before. I have high hopes for next week. I need a holiday like you don't know.

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1107.05 NEW TOONS PAGE

Creating and changing my website is very therapeutic so it's perhaps no surprise that since I'm feeling so down at the moment that I've created a new page. As from today my 'Toons' page is online. I'm hoping to add some more insight into my creative process in the future but for now it's a display of my personal favourites. Enjoy.

1107.03 ANNIVERSARY FOR ONE

Today it's our wedding anniversary. So what's the plan? Dinner? Day out? Perhaps but not with me. I'm at home with the kids whilst my wife is in Paris with her friend. It's not an issue, we agreed to this months ago. So what am I doing for our anniversary? Nothing I wouldn't do on a regular Sunday, I'm considering having a curry for one tonight but I'll see how I feel later.

1107.02 LE TOUR

It's July and that time of year in the cycling calendar where any fan of cycling is glued to the tv for the 'greatest show on 2 wheels'. It's time for the Tour de France. This is the third year I'll actively followed the race and my interest gets stronger every time.

Ironically, Morticia is in France this weekend having a break with her friend (although no where near the race). I'm off work for a few days so I'll be looking at picking up a few miles in the saddle myself.

1105.30 THIS AIN'T SKEGGY

Today being a bank holiday and being English, we decided to go to the seaside despite the weather (which was overcast when we set off). Since we're staying at Morticia's mother's the nearest seaside is a place called HUNSTANTON. It's a place I'd never heard of before.

It wasn't long into the journey before it started raining, it didn't stop all day.

Hunstanton is billed as a Victorian seaside town, my first impressions didn't hold up this claim. It looked like a town that was left behind in the seventies. Ok, to give it it's due I didn't get to explore all the town, just a small part because of the miserable weather. I got the feeling that the town was missing a few tricks that the rest of the east coast has. One of the big deals about the seaside for me is 'fish & chips', something that is not well represented in the town. There is potential to be a 'nice' seaside resort, focused on family visitors but as it is now it's not worth the trip unless it's just a passing visit.

Back to our day, we arrived at lunch time. Had some trouble getting parked, not because it was busy (it wasn't) but because all the car parks had height bars and I couldn't get the roof box under. Luckily I found a car park with a slightly higher bar and paid a fiver for the day.

We went for lunch in one of the cafes overlooking the green and was disappointed.

My damp family

We looked around the shops for a while then hit the arcades (after all there was little else to do) and every parent knows....

Seaside + Bad Weather = Arcades <> Skint

We stayed until about 7pm and after a bag of chips we headed back.

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1105.29 THE LAST BANK HOLIDAY

Well it's not technically the last one but it's the last one of a glut of them. Once again I'm down at the mother in law's in St Neots. Morticia has been staying down here for the week and to combine picking her up the kids and me are having a weekend away.

We arrived yesterday in the early afternoon following an uneventful drive down the A1. Our eldest daughter then went all 'teenage' on us which pretty much wrote off the rest of the day. Today we've had a lazy day in, the weather has been a bit fierce outside (gales blowing) so I've been glad to be in.

We all sat down to a perfect Sunday lunch, even if it was a little late. Now I'm relaxing with a bottle of Guinness wondering what we'll do tomorrow.

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Location:St Neots

1105.27 SKYPEEEEE!

Whilst Morticia has been away we have communicated with a nightly Skype call. Before this time we used mobile video calling but since our last upgrade video calling is no longer an option (yes I have Facetime on my iPhone but Morticia has a HTC that doesn't). I've had a Skype account for ages but no one to speak to. That's all changed now as it's all set up on all the computers and phones in the household (4 of each). I believe that Skype calls will become more commonplace here, especially between Morticia and her mother.

1105.25 HOME ALONE

This week I've been left home with the kids this week. It's something that always sounds good but in reality it's pretty difficult to get through. I dropped Morticia off at Meadowhall Railway Station quite late on Friday night. We'd got a bargain ticket for the trip to St Neots, £8. It was a teary send off with our eldest daughter getting quite emotional.

The first couple of days are great. Nodding off on the settee when the kids are in bed. Watching what I want when I want. Then the bed becomes a lonely place and sleep becomes difficult. I start to miss the conversations, she also keeps me on my toes. It feels like such a long time since we were together and not just a few days.

I've been working half days this week, it's a method where I don't use up all my leave and I can still be there at both ends of the school day.

We, as a family, will be reunited on Saturday. It can't come too soon for me.

1105.24 NEW WEBSITE

I've been wanting to do this for some time now. My site was getting tired and old lucking, I even contemplated shutting the whole thing down, after all who has a personal website these days? I still have things to say and I want to show off my cartoons (some people actually like them). I've decided that since I'm 40 I'd have a cleaner, more mature looking site. It'll take a while to have it all done but the blog and home page are complete, I've ditched some of the crap and planned new pages.

The next big thing is born from the catastrophic failure of my 40 B4 40 project. If your not familiar then it was a set of 40 tasks that I set down when I was 35 for completion before my fortieth birthday. Family, responsibility are finance all got in the way and I barely scratched the surface. I plan to revisit this list and publish a revised/new one with 50 tasks to do before I reach 50. As I write this fifty seems such a long way away but I know how fast that time will pass.

Enjoy the new site, I welcome your feedback.

1105.15 EYE EYE

Yesterday I went for my eyes tested, all was fine and my prescription hasn't really changed. One of the things I wanted from my visit was a pair of glasses that would be suitable for cycling. I know you can get prescription cycling glasses, I've owned a pair in the past but I've found that you end up paying through the nose for what is essentially a cheap pair of glasses with prescription inserts.

I found a pair of sunglasses which have a better quality build and enough eye coverage to provide protection. I've ordered them with a light tint and 100% UV protection.

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1105.15 IS THIS THE BEGINNING?

So they say that life begins at 40. Well that was 10 days ago and I'm still waiting for things to get going. Don't get me wrong, I had a great birthday - I spent the whole time with the people I love, my family. Morticia wanted me to have a party but I said categorically no. I didn't want fuss and there was no way I was paying for a piss up for people who most of the time don't give a damn about me. I preferred the quiet option.

My fortieth present to myself was a new bike, purchased through my organisation's 'Cycle2Work' scheme (which we've campaigned for for the last couple of years). It's a Boardman Comp 2011 road bike. I've been out on it a few times since getting it and I'm enjoying getting to know my new stead. It's been a long time since I last owned a road bike.

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1105.04 THE END OF THE FIRST HALF

As I hurtle towards middle age I find myself reflecting on what has gone before. I think my thirties have defined me, I was comfortable there. It's been a stressful time but I feel I have gotten my life into perspective. I rediscovered cycling, not just the act but the sport (and sport of any type was never my thing before), I got out of the rut I was in with bus driving and am now carving out a new career.

My 40 b4 40 project went tits up. I managed to complete very little, maybe I'll do a 50 b4 50.

I'm nervous about what lays ahead, getting older, ill health, losing people. It doesn't seem to appealing to me. So when I'm asked to celebrabe my 40th then don't be surprised when I say that I want to keep it low key.

1104.26 COUGHING

I woke up this morning with a cough and irritation on my chest, I could hardly speak. Morticia was very poorly this morning, she wouldn't wake up so I ended up not taking her to the doctors as I planned (although I will be taking her tomorrow).

I drove the car to work, I had a meeting at Maltby first thing, I arrived early so ended up sat in the car for 20 minutes listening to something on Radio 4 that I forget now.

My chest and throat didn't get any better (but no worse) all through my shift. I managed a good getaway since I had the car with me.

I cooked supper when I got home, Morticia is still as bad, coughing all the time. She is worried now she'll throw up (again).

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1104.24 EASTER EGG

So the big bunny came and I had the best Easter in a long time. No tension, completely relaxed. Perfect.

Yesterday I mentioned my purchase of a couple of books from a charity shop. One of them was 'Adrian Mole- The Prostrate Years' by Sue Townsend. I remember being 14 and reading the original Secret Diary and follow up Growing Pains. I was never very comfortable being a teenager and identified with the character. I couldn't resist the book when I saw it and started reading it as soon as I got back. I've ended up reading it within 24 hours (something I haven't done in a long time). Although I don't share much with the character I do find myself still relating to him. A boy who becomes a man who always feels slightly out of sync with the world around him. I feel like that often. Sue Townsend is a genius that somehow understands the male mind.

This evening Morticia, her mother and the girls took a walk to the local pub for a pint. It was the first time since I've been coming down here that I've visited any of the locals. I had a pint of Wells Eagle IPA in the Cambridgeshire Hunter. It was getting cold so we headed back (plus Rags was getting tired).

We go home tomorrow which is a real shame since I'm so relaxed at the moment. I'm currently settled on the settee enjoying a pint of real ale.

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1104.23 ST GEORGE

As usual for this time of year we are all down south visiting Morticia's mother and her partner. I enjoy the break and for a change my eldest is behaving pretty well.

Today is St George's Day, the day we celebrate our Englishness. We visited the town centre today, it's been extremely hot so after perusing local shops we sat outside the cafe in the town square for a cuppa. I couldn't help but look on in envy at the lone cyclist enjoying a break. I really want that, the bike, the journey, the lifestyle. As we enjoyed our break we were treated to some unexpected entertainment.

Morris dancing, how English, how apt. Even Rags had a go. Perfect.

I purchased 2 books from the Cat Protection charity shop and was given a free one from the box of unsaleable book box.

Tonight is Doctor Who night with the premiere of the new series. It's been taped (is it people of my aged group that say 'taped' when they mean Sky+ or similar?) and I'm still waiting to watch it.

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1104.22 ABSENCE

Ok, so I haven't blogged in ages. To be honest I haven't done anything in ages. We've had major problems with our teenage daughter which (touch wood) are now under some sort of control. I've neglected myself and my friends during this period, something I hope to rectify.

This week I started giving blood again after a gap of almost 2 years. They made a real mess of my arm but I'm not deterred, I need to take control of my life and this was the first step.

In a couple of weeks I'll be 40 and I'll have to admit defeat on my '40 b4 40' project. Maybe I'll set up a '50 b4 50' (?).

I used to enjoy blogging, and when I do I still enjoy it. It's a chore sometimes to get started.

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1103.05 AFTER SHOW

My kids have been in a show this week at Rotherham Arts Centre. They are active members of Kimberworth Park Youth Theatre. Any parent who's kids do any extra out of school know the extra pressures when they do so sort of event associated with their activity. Like the big match for a footballer the play was the pinnacle of their 'season'.

Once again it was a great success and my girls did a marvellous job. Well done.

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1103.01 AWFUL FEBRUARY

February was probably the most stressful month I think I've been through. Family issues have pushed me to the edge. Add to that work stress (office politics) and the worry of the state of the country under the Tories (prices increasing, lack of job security). I'm really hoping that March is a time for change, I have tried to make changes and to get assistance where needed. Let's hope it all works out, my sanity is at stake here.

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1102.20 CFS/ME AWARENESS

I'm currently crusading on behalf of my wife who has suffered from ME for several years and has only just started to receive treatment. The only reason for this is lack of knowledge from health care professionals. I am researching online support both via websites and Facebook groups/pages.

So many doctors don't 'believe' in CFS/ME and most sufferers have to battle just to be diagnosed.

Support us on 12th May for 2011 Blue Ribbon ME/CFS Awareness Day.

http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/justice-for-cfs-me-sufferers.html

1102.09 LIFE BEGINS...

Mr C, you are the brother I never had, a friend that is always there. You have seen me through the good and bad times. We've been on adventures and experienced so much over the years. We've laughed, we've cried and laughed some more. You are my children's Godfather and my best man.

Happy 40th birthday dude. This is where life begins (apparently).

1102.04 RADIO GAGA

Today I was a local celebrity, by that Mean that I was featured in a 90 second interview with BBC Radio Sheffield on the Toby Foster Show. The interview was about Twitter and how I use it at work. One thing I don't usually do is blog about my work but since I've never been on the radio then I thought it would be appropriate. For the last 5 months I've been tasked with pushing my team at work onto social networks. On of the main things I started was a 'pro' Twitter account detailing what I do from day to day (all my personal stuff remains with @captainkirt).

You can catch the show on iPlayer for a week at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00d99v3 (the piece is about 15 minutes in).

Or the segment I feature in at http://boo.fm/b269150 (posted by BBC Radio Sheffield's James Vincent).

You can also read an article on my tweeting at http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/sheffield/hi/people_and_places/newsid_9387000/9387463.stm

1101.30 ACHES AND SNEEZES

I'm sure I never used to feel like this when I was in my 20s, I ache inside and my face feels like I've been kicked by a horse. My neck cracks everytime I move it. Is this what I have to look forward to as I get older?

1101.29 iPHONE

10 days ago I upgraded my phone. As I mentioned before my choice was between 2 phones. Basically between the top end Android phone and the iPhone 4. After loads of research I decided to go with the polished image and finish of Apple's iPhone. It was the quality of the device and the solid build that swayed me along with loads of friends testimonials.

I'm impressed, this is the top of the game. A complete lifestyle assistant for the 21st century geek. I'm not here to review it just to say how pleased I am with my choice. I only had one disappointment and that was the non-existent group texting function. This was easily worked around with a free app that fixed the issue. 

I want to say that my old phone, the Nokia E71, has been an awesome device and a great digital companion these last 18 months. I traded it it to cover the up front charge for my new iPhone.

1101.16 GEEK NEEDS NEW PHONE

My mobile phone upgrade window opens on Wednesday and I've spent the past week/month researching my options. I'm going to definitely move away from the full querty keyboard device since work supplied me with a Blackberry. So what device do I choose? I've always been a Nokia boy but they have stagnated over the last few years and the Symbian operating system just doesn't cut it any more. So as I see it there is just 2 options, iPhone or Android, and with Android comes yet more choices.

So what are my requirements? The usual still applies, decent internet browser, fast performance, quality build etc etc. Also the camera has to be decent (but it's not a megapixels game) and I would like HD video recording since my video camera went tits up last year.

That brings it down to just 2 models;

the iPhone 4 or the HTC Desire HD.

which phone?

I'm looking into both models in great detail, I'm almost sure which direction I will go but the jury is still out and I'm not going to make the decision until I get actually into the phone shop. I will probably be going down to upgrade on Saturday unless I can't wait that long. Watch this space.

1101.08 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS

Needs 3D. Not much going for it.

The Captain's Movie Review in 7 Words.

2/7

1101.01 HAPPY NEW YEAR

As usual we welcomed the new year down in St Neots, at the Mother-in-law's. This year we went down earlier since I had the day off on New Year's Eve. We had a great time, better than usual in my opinion, it was a really relaxed affair.

I am determined that this year will be a different year for us. Sure I can't do much about Morticia's illness or my eldest's daughter's teenage strops but I can make sure that the environment in which we live improves, I also want my own quality of life to improve with some quality time for me with my family and myself.

So here's to a new year, again we set off with good intentions, last year was awful. This year I want to be happy.