That was 2007

As the year comes to a close, I reflect back on the joys and problems of the past 12 months. 2007 has not been the best year for us and it is my hope that 2008 will see an improved economy and a better opportunity for us to move on.

Today is a quiet time whene we are both feeling fragile from an early morning shopping trip. The local cash machine was being repaired and we had to wait for the branch to open before we could obtain the cash with which to shop. The shop was quiet and easily negotiated.

The demands of the cats was met with the boys challenging each other for my lap before lunch. They both ended up with a fair share. Indoor feline activities seem favourable at this time of year.

Out of doors, the world is still functioning, with the birds gathering around our feeder. I have seen blue tits, coal tits, sparrows, dunnocks, starlings, the ubiquitous wood pidgions and squirrels. In fact, the local squirrel has almost cleared out our neighbours feeder this morning. The other day he was running up our drive with a couple of cheesy whatsits in his mouth. What a lark!

Happy New Year

The outdoor life

It has been a week since Rosie and I were able to venture outside. The joy of being fit enough to walk out of doors is very welcome. I miss the simple pleasure of observing wild animals in their native environment. Today it was the roe deer hinds resting in the field next to the Trentham lakes, the black headed gulls on the lake, squirrels, magpies, mallards and wrens.

Magpies are such fidgety birds that it is difficult to photograph them in a single shot when they are on the move. This one took four shots to get a good picture.

The mallards are much easier to photograph. At this time of year they are hanging around the waters edge, waiting for humans to feed them. A little patience can be rewarded with a good swimming formation or a daring antic or two around a few scattered bread crumbs.

Starting to reclaim my life

The haze of oblivion that has been my christmas illness has lifted. Today I made a bread cake to lift my spirit (it also spoiled my apetite for dinner, but it was good). The recipe was one that is easy and quick to do. Simply take some self raising flour, a little molassas sugar and a handful of rasins. Mix into a stiff dough with milk and flatted to about half a centimetre. Fry in hot oil until both sides start to burn. Tear bits off and eat fresh. This type of unlevened bread does not save or freeze, so you need to make only what you can eat at the time.

I also discovered some photographs of Clare's cat on my mobile phone. They were taken before christmas at my brother's house. The cat is a charming and very sociably animal with a very passive disposition.

Seasons Greetings

Merry Christmas

This season, chloe was fascinated by the lights in the window. She often sits there to look down the street after dark or in the early hours, but seldom finds herself illuminated to the world. What a strange and exciting time of year for this little cat.

The worst of my illness seems to have passes. Part cold with a few influenza and bronchial symptoms. I spent Sunday in bed, unable to function and Rosie spent Monday in bed - a day behind me with the impact of the symptoms. Now the world is starting to fall back into focus - should be well by Boxing Day.......

I am looking forward to Christmas Dinner and opening the presents after pudding. Everything is home made and prepared this morning.

Out for the Count

The season of good will does not hold any sway with our micro-organic cohabitants on Planet Earth. A casual trip to the doctors for a checkup and a waiting room full of mothers with sniffling children and I have a cold, the first I have had for some years. It has now developed into a hacking dry cough. Poor old Rosie is a day behind me and feeling as grim as can be. We have spent today idling forlornly in front of the TV or reclining on the bed, feeling sorry for ourselves.

I was not even impresses when I left the skin of a baked potato and one of out tom cats polished it off with gusto. He is an odd lad!

Tomorrow is a new day and I would hope the worst of this infection is over and we will feel fit to do a few normal things again.

Moving the Christmas mail

During the last 4 weeks, Rosie and I have been working at the Royal Mail workrooms at Stoke. Our line supervisor was an ex-student of mine who was satisfyingly good at his job. We have been processing Christmas mail that has not had its address recognized by the automated AI system. This is a very slick, real time, computer driven operation and each year about 600 additional workers are recruited nationally to keep the system working efficiently. I was highly impressed at the way the mail is organized and at the efficiency of the systems in operation.

With about a million unrecognized mail pieces processed in less than 3 hours, this is swift work. These days, there is no such thing as local mail and all mail is processed through central sorting offices. The first part of the post code (the out code) places the mail in the correct sorting office, and the second part of the post code (the in code) puts the mail to within a few houses on a street. if the post code is clear and visible on the mail, the AI system will process it and send it on its way quickly. If not, a photographic image is sent over the internet to the MDEC centre and a person at a computer processes the address information. It is possible for one keyer to process at a rate of about 500 pieces and hour. Accurate work is quite a skillful task.

The greatest problem with addressed mail at this time of year seems to be the lack of postcode information and the use of only local addressing styles. If there is no postcode and no county information, the destination may end up being a best guess, which can delay mail considerably. However, most queried mail is directed within about 20 minutes of AI recognition failure. I do hope the following 3 mails reach their intended destination, but I have serious doubts that they will;

1. Flat 16, Glasgow.

2. Just off the main road, care of the shop, Cumbria.

3. Au..... St......... , opposite Safeways or Waitrose, Davidson Mains.

Wow! we have been rising at 4:20am to be at work by 6am, finishig at 2pm on the early shift. The late shift and night shift are all hot desking with us to keep the operation running almost 24 hours a day. My main concern now is that our cats are used to starting their day at 4:30 with breakfast and a run, so our end of job lay in will be somewhat disturbed by feline activity.

Tudor Christmas at Ford Green Hall

It was the end of our weekly shift at the Royal Mail MDEC centre and we decided to celebrate by visiting Ford Green Hall for its Tudor Christmas event. This hall is a magnificent survivor of an earlier age and the atmosphere and character of this event was stunning.

The hall was suitably decorated in the seasonal trimmings that you would expect from a traditional, though wealthy, Tudor house. The smell of oranges and cloves, the freshly cooked meats and sweetbreads and of course the music which was provided by a troupe of 6 musicians, called Forlorn Hope, and their helpers.

Several classic Tudor and earlier tunes were performed on a variety of ancient and reproduction instruments from the time. I was impressed with the bagpipe, the violin and the lute. This was a welcome change to sitting in front of a computer screen from 6am to 2pm, processing errant mail.

I have also made a few video clips, though the lighting conditions and equipment were not really up to the job. This seasonal one has been put on line for any brave soul to download - it is 6.9MB so it will take a little time. Jingle Bells

And so to home, with a warm glow and a peaceful feeling with which to start our day off.

Autumnal Trees

Autumn is finally here in Staffordshire. The leaf fall is nearly complete and the sounds and smells of Autumn are all around. I always enjoy walking in the forest at this time of year, though this year is somewhat different. The days are quite warm at present and I have not yet needed to put my gloves on. So far I have only seen one frosty morning and it is now the end of November.

Rosie and I have just started our short term contract work with the Royal Mail. With a 6am start and a mid-day finish, there is time to walk in the daylight. This is such a joy after spending hours at a computer screen.

Whilst walking out by the river Trent, we saw a mink swimming by the waters edge. I thought it was an otter at first, having seen evidence of otters on a previous visit. When it broke surface it had a distinctly narrow head and the fine chocoate brown coat that is very distinctive of this rural invader.

A fellow photographer had been following the little devil for a couple of days and was able to show us photographs of the mink's kills. It had killed and eaten a number of large fish, stripping the flesh from the bone and leaving the ribs and backbone intact. Otters tend to crush bone and prefer smaller prey.

I was somewhat grieved that I had left my camera at home, relying on my mobile phone to take a few photographs. This little camera device is good, but very slow to engage. No chance of a photograph of such an active animal as the mink. No doubt it will be caught in one of the traps set to capture it before too long. Mink are a serious pest, being a very ferocious foreign species that causes damage to indiginous populations of animals.