0908.17 ARE WE THERE YET?

Our annual trip to Wales has come around again. The car was loaded quite late on the Sunday night (so as not to attract attention), however this meant that I got a late night, not good for the early start I'd got planned. We all woke just after 6 and fuelled by Tescos Kick (cheap Red Bull) and guided by my Grandad's Sat Nav we set off.

8:55 - 80 miles in and after managing to miss any nasty traffic through Manchester we took a short break stopping at services on M56 near Chester, just before reaching the Welsh border.

Normally we switch drivers at Bala, on the border of the Snodonia National Park, this time everyone (except for me of course) was sleeping and I chose not to wake Morticia and drove on. It was only me that saw the leftovers of this year's Eisteddfod.

Morticia finally awoke and took over driving just after 11 and took it through to the other side of Aberystwyth. It gave me a much needed hour long break.

13:07 - Arriving at the Penwig (our home for the next seven days) in Cei Newydd (New Quay) I soon installed myself on my bed looking out of the window out to sea.

0908.11 THE NEW COMMUNICATOR

It was upgrade time on my mobile contract once again and I was faced with the most important decision a pre-40 year old geek must face.

WHAT PHONE TO I GET?

I looked at many, not tying myself to my current network. I had a few boxes to tick - must haves if you like;

• Had to be a smartphone
• GPS
• Video Calling
• Decent Web Browser
• Support Applications
• Good Calendar / Organiser
• Camera with Flash (although doesn't have to be outstanding)

I did look at the HTC Magic and was won over with it's good looks, cool touch screen and Google powered operating system but it wasn't ticking all my boxes. I was keen not to make the same mistake I made 18 months ago when I blindly upgraded to the LG Viewty and promptly went back to using my Nokia N80 within a few months.

I looked at the Nokia N97 which ticked all my boxes but the cost and teething problems associated with a new model put me off. I then realised I was looking at touch screens almost exclusively, did I NEED a touchscreen? Well no, not really. I needed a good way of entering data for emailing, scheduling, blogging and tweeting. A qwerty keyboard? I looked long and hard at Blackberrys but it was unknown territory for me, I don't know anyone (apart from my boss) who owns one.

Then like the holy grail I noticed the Nokia E71. I did my homework, checked reviews, asked around and even went into a mobile phone shop to play on one. I was sold, this was the phone for me. The upgrade also offered me more stuff (calls, texts etc.) for less line rental! Everyone's a winner!

I've had it for over a week now and have to say it is a fab phone / device. I'm happy that this time I've made the correct choice.

I can't end this post without mentioning just how good a phone my old Nokia N80 was, it served me well for 3 years (2 lifetimes in the mobile phone world). It fell down a toilet and into a pint of beer and still kept on working. A true communication legend!

0908.04 HOME ALONE

I've have the house to myself this evening, the kids are staying at my mother-in-law and Morticia is out at a friend's. Enjoyed having control of the remote for a change.

She came home about 2 hours ago and now I'm struggling to convince her to come up to bed. I'm up at 6 and not going to leave here up since she'd stay up all night if I let her.

0908.04 NORMAL SERVICE IS RESUMED

I know I haven't blogged for ages, this is mainly because I wanted to do an illustration and I lost my favourite pencil. As time passed it got harder to get around to it.

So, what's happened so far?

The biggest event was my eldest daughter's 13th birthday. A big event with a big limo and her first proper girls night out (bowling). I'm now the proud father of a teenager.

Oh, and I have a new pencil!

0907.27 NORMAL SERVICE....

.....will be resumed shortly. I've gotten a little side tracked
lately. I've a couple of entries in draft that I'll sort and post
shortly.

0807.26 LE TOUR

I have to say how much I have enjoyed watching Le Tour de France this year. It really captured me and carried me throughout this month. Well to to Mark Cavendish who smashed the stage win record taking 6 in total, including the iconic final Champs Elysees stage.Bradley Wiggins also did the nation proud finishing 4th overall, just missing out on a place on the podium. Lance Armstrong's comeback was inspirational, a man my age can get fit and come second overall (there is hope for me yet!).

Wining the yellow jersey was Alberto Contador who struggled through some hefty team politics (he was on the same team as Lance Armstrong) to take the top spot.

0907.03 OLD MARRIEDS

Today, 10 years ago I married my bride, the lovely Morticia. It's been a long hard slog, we certainly haven't had it easy but we made it. Our 10th (Aluminium) wedding anniversary. Tonight we are off out to our favourite restaurant, not much but we don't get out together often.

0906.30 HORIZONS

It's the end of June and I have loads of things coming up on the horizon.

This week (Friday) is my 10th wedding anniversary, it's a date we've both been planning since just after we were married. Initially we planned to celebrate in Vegas (maybe even renewing our vows), then because of financial constraints we downgraded to a weekend in London, perhaps taking in a West End show. Now with it being upon us and the final reality check kicking in we have decided to go out for the evening to our favourite restaurant followed by getting hammered in Rotherham town centre (I'm just an old romantic).

Next week it's my eldest daughter's 13th birthday when she can officially take up the mantle of 'teenager' (something she's trained hard to be). We are in the process of organising a celebration for her for.

Next August will see our annual pilgrimage to Wales, something which will finally give me a chance to relax during what has become a stressful year.

0906.29 MICHAEL JACKSON

Unless you live in a cave you can't fail to have heard about the death of pop star Michael Jackson. It's had a huge effect on our lives here since Morticia is a HUGE fan and has been so since she was about 3 years old.

I did see him live in concert about 12 years ago at Don Valley Stadium and as a 'non-fan' really enjoyed the show. I'm getting fed up with the constant news feed on rolling news stations such as Sky News, how much longer can they waffle on for?

0906.14 READ ALL ABOUT IT

This week saw torrential rain in Sheffield causing havoc and giving everyone flashbacks to the devastating floods of 2007. Wednesday night and the rain suddenly came down, the shear volume meant that the drains couldn't cope. This lead to flash floods. Luckily the rain subsided and things improved later on.

As a result of all this I found myself (and a colleague) on the front page of the local newspaper the next day.

---

I'd like to say well done to all the girls who did the Race for Life today in ais of Cancer Research. In particular my Morticia and Harlz. Morticia did the race knowing the consequences to her physical well being and did really well.

Congratulations to them both and a big thank you to all those who sponsored them both.