Brownsea Island

On Saturday I spent the day on Brownsea Island with my Scout Group. Brownsea is the birthplace of Scouting and is where Badden Powell spent 9 days camping with 24 young boys introducing them to the outdoor life that to this day is extremely strong throughout the World nearly 100 years later.

Had a great day but in my rush left my camera next to my PC at home so photos maybe a bit slow to arrive on the site as only took a couple on my mobile phone

Football Crazy

This week I have had mixed fortunes on the football field. On Monday night my fives side lost by 11 goals to 2, not a nice start to the new league however we was a bit short of players.

Tonight however we managed to win by 3-1 over the Company that shares part of our site at work in a 11 a-side game. Much better than Monday so an improvement in moods this evening. Just sorry that I let the one get past me tonight.

Easter Fun

Well this year I did something quite different for Easter. Usually I spend it with the family however this year I went away with some friends to the Isle of Wight (just off the South Coast of England) on an over 14's Scouting Camp. Split into trwo groups those over 18 and the rest under we took part in a range of activities that usually ended in drinking round the campfire whilest singing songs, some slightly ruder than others.



However with perfect weather (well atleast during the day) in the 20's (thats C not F) although the nights got a bitr cooler with a little frost. However it didnt freeze those spirits and we all had a fantastic weekend. The theme was Bond 007 (after all it is 2'007 this year) so below are a few photos.



1) Special Ops night

2) Masqurade Night

Bad phone

At the moment I dont seem to be having much luck with my mobile a coupe of weeks ago the outer cover screen cracked in my pocket and now less than 2 months since I got it the mic has also desided that it doesnt want to play ball. Who said that phones were getting better

Down at the Track

Well having been at the dogs last night I must admit that I am now a bit poorer than when I started, having not won a single penny on the Totes. Luckily I wasnt betting too big so didnt loose too much

Two months of ownership

Well Ive now been the proud owner of my new flat for nearly two months. In fact two very busy months, so busy that I really havent done much work on the place since the last photos were placed on. All Ive done is put up two wooden blinds and painted the kitchen an apple white. Lat weekend my new sofa-bed arrived so Im no longer kipping on an airbed but now in a more proper bed, next delivery will be the real bed but that wont go in until teh folks come down in mid-May to give me a hand.

Ive jsut spent the week in Manchester at the annual conference on Microbiology. This was definitely the worst one that Ive been to. Have come back absolutely knackered so am looking forward to a quiet weekend, that is after Ive been to the Grayhound racing tonight with the folks from work. However I have a feeling that Ange was tryig to convince me that I will need a night out over the weekend so that all depends on how weak I am!!!!

Resident for 1 week

Hi all

Ive now been living in my new flat for a whole week, so far its going OK. I dont really hear the trains in the middle of the night, the station is only 200 yrds away.

Problems Ive encountered so far:

1) Deficit of £32 on the electricity key meter, left by the previous occupiers
2) Still waiting for my sofa/bed to arrive so am sleeping on a blowup air bed, must blow that up in a minute or two to get the firmness back in it.
3) No curtains or anything perminant over the windows so my leki poles and an old curtains along with some bits of wood are doing a grand job at the moment.
4) Dont think that the heater in the room works as it gets a bit chilly overnight, have ordered some instructions so hopefully they will arrive soon.
5) Still got lots of DIY to do but just dont seem to have the time to do it all. So is more important than others so have to sort the order thing out. The place however is starting to look quite nice and a bit homely (put my first picture on the wall today)
6) Have cuts all over my hands where Ive missed what Ive supposed to have been cutting
7) Apparently they are doing engineering works on the station platform for the next two evenings starting about 2330 so as not to disturb the people using the station, shame they dont consider the few hundred residents that live above the station isnt it.

The benifits

1) Its my own place
2) Ive got broadband fitted so can communicate with you all, although not sure which box me camera is in hence the lack of photos
3) I can sit on the computer, watch TV and keep an eye on dinner cooking whilest sitting on my bed (well almost)
4) I can do what I want when I want and not have to worry about anyone else being in the way or putting themm out.
5) All the DIY Im doing is for my own benifit (but huge thanks should actually go to my mate James as he has helpt with loads of it as well as my folks)

Well its late so Im off to pump up my bed

One week in

The past week has been fairly busy. During the week I have painted the studio room, put on a couple of undercoats in the bathroom to get rid of the purple. Today has been spent laying down the floor in the main room which apart from a couple of pieces round the Kitchen door and also the section of hall way it was all done, thanks to my mate James who came round to help me.

Own House

At last I have finally manage to join may of my friends (and sister) on that high rung of the property. although not the largest place in the world my top floor (therefore penthouse) flat is the start that I have been looking for. Im sure that with a bit of work and a couple of coats of paint the place will start to feel a bit like mine and I will settle in quite quickly. One of my friends lives just round the corner so Im not miles away from everybody. The next week will be spent painting, sorting the bills to the address, informing everyone of my new address and settling in a bit!!!

This is how it looked on Saturday morning before we did anything

Flying South for the Spring

Well the holiday season is finally over and Im heading back to the South tonight so that I can go back to work in the morning (well thats what Im supposed to do) I might delay it abit as Im expecting a couple of parcels to be delivered sometime during the day so have to be in for that.

I have managed once again to survive another Christmas and New Year at home, this year we were battered with gales and rain for the new year lets just hope that the weather improves a bit by the time that the Jamboree come around in the summer. I dont fancy camping for a week in the rain.

New Dawn

Well there is only two days left now until the New Year. The forcast here is for wet weather and high winds until and into the new year so I guess that we arent going to see any snow just yet.

As for the New Year well I guess that that is going to bring a fairly busy time especially with my Scouting and new home.

Scouts are celebrating as Im sure Ive said before there 100th year and therefore we have quite a bit planned especially with the World Scout Jamboree.

As for the new house well hopefully I get the keys for that in the next few weeks so that I can start to decorate and move all my suff in by the beginning of Feb. Im sure to keep you all posted.

Have a great New Year

Christmas Time

Well it is now Christmas day and once again I am back where it all started a year ago, at home with the parents.

This year was a bit more of a trek to get here as I travelled on Friday when the weather had decided that it would continue to place dense fog over the London area stopping all (British Airways) domestic flights travelling out of London Heathrow. Therefore an alternative mode of transport had to be booked and travelled. Instead of the hour long flight (plus the couple of hours travelling and waiting at the airport I had to travel into London and get the train up to Dundee where I was collected and brought home. I arrived safely (even with the illness that I have been suffering from) however and have now had a couple of days to relax before Santa comes, although better go to bed before too long as its nearly 0030 (that's GMT).

As for the fog that was sat over London for just over 3 days well it appears to have arrived here now so hopefully with me still here for another week I have time for it to disperse before I head South again in the New Year.

Well Merry Christmas everyone

Stuart

Northern De-lights

Over the past week I have been away to Lapland enjoying the weather inside the artic circle. As you would expect there was some snow however not a great amount only a few inches (it wasnt as cold as I thought either.

One thing however I did see what I went to see and that was some nice Night Lights in the Sky (The Northern Lights) heree are a couple of photos from the week.

Sunrise over the hotel

Me with some Huskeys after a huskey run

Sunset over the town

The Northern Lights.

Getting Colder

The temperature here changed almost at the same time as both the clocks and the month. The clocks changed on Saturday night to leave the summer well behind. The month changed as we all know on Wednesday, followed closely yesterday by the first frosts of the year. Possibly a tad earlier than Im used to but also a chance for some cold weather training before my "business trip" to Lapland at tye end of the month, when I hope to not only see the northern lights but also go either dog sledding or on snowmobile safari (got to make a choice not fair)

Wild on Top

After 3 games of their 5th season (not including the non existant one for 2 years ago) the MN Wild have started the season with some force. the team are currently sitting not only top of the division but also the conference. I dont think that they have managed this before but Ill happily be corrected by any Wild fans out there.

So lets hope that the run can continue over the coming games and they can repeat the run of a few seasons ago and go that bit further and win the Stanley Cup

GO WILD

Star Wars Charecter

OK so I decided to do the Star Wars Character one, much more up my street, might try another one later as theer were a few but this one was a good start...

You scored as darth vader.

Wow... you're Darth Vader. You're evil, but you've still got a good heart. (haha, sucker...)

darth vader - 75%
yoda - 71%
han - 63%
luke - 58%
leia - 46%
the emperor - 38%

Which BSG Character are you?

A Friend (Dave) reciently posted this on his sight for himself therefore after he stole my "Letter to America" for his blog I thought I would recipricate with this, even though I dont watch the program.

You scored as Capt. Lee Adama (Apollo). You have spent your life trying to life up to and impress your Dad, shame he never seemed to notice. You are a stickler for the rules. But in matters of loyalty and honour you know when they have to be broken. Capt. Lee Adama (Apollo) 81% Number 6 81% CPO Galen Tyrol 75% Lt. Sharon Valerii (Boomer) 63% Lt. Kara Thrace (Starbuck) 63% Col. Saul Tigh 63% Tom Zarek 63% Dr Gaius Baltar 56% Commander William Adama 44% President Laura Roslin 38% What New Battlestar Galactica character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

John Cleese's Letter to America

To the citizens of the United States of AmericaIn light of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately.

Her Sovereign Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, will resume monarchical duties o ver al l states, commonwealths and other territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy), as from Monday next.Your new prime minister, Tony Blair, will appoint a governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

1. You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary. Then look up "aluminium," and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.
2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour', 'favour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix "ize" will be replaced by the suffix "ise."
3. Yo u will learn that the suffix 'burgh' is pronounced 'burra'; you may elect to respell Pittsburgh as 'Pittsberg' if you find you simply can't cope with correct pronunciation.
4. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels (look up "vocabulary"). Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is unacceptable and inefficient form of communication.
5.There is no such thing as "US English." We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of "-ize."
6. You will relearn your original national anthem, "God Save The Queen", but only after fully carrying out Task #1 (see above).
7. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday. November 2nd will be a new national holida y, but to be celebrated only inEngland. It will be called "Come-Uppance Day."
8. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.
9. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
10. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and this is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean.
11. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric immediately and wit hout t he benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
12. The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling "gasoline") -roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it.
13. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called "crisps." Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with mayonnaise but with vinegar.
14. Waiters and waitresses will be trained to be more aggressive with customers.
15. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred t o as " beer," and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as "Lager." American brands will be referred to as "Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine," so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.
16. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie MacDowell attempt English dialogue in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.
17. You will cease playing American "football." There is only one kind of proper football; you call it "soccer". Those of you brave enough will, in time, will be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American "football", but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).
18. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to ho st an event called the "World Series" for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable.
19. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.
20. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due backdated to 1776.

Thank you for your co-operation.

John Cleese

All go

Well the school term is now up and running and in usual form scouts has now restarted and appears to be going quite well. We have lost a few members over the summer and seem to have replaced some of them with new members which is quite nice.

The weather is even on our side tonight we were outside and in true British style is rained all dayt and still turned out nice for us to spend the evening on the heath playing a wide game, in the darkness with a couple of glow sticks to mark out the mid-point and the bases plus the two flags that we were using.

The weekend wil lbe fairly quiet a meal with some friend tomorrow night then Underwater hockey training on Sunday. All ready to go back to work on Monday

Birthday Time

Every year there is one day that scares everyone and of course is the thought of waking up officially a year older than you were when you went to bed. This years birthday was a little strange, although Ive been away from home now for 6 birthdays this was the first time that I didnt have contact with my parents. In their wisdom they decided that early september was the ideal time to go for a bu trip and cruise through the rockies amd one of the Alaska Fjords.

However all wasnt lost I still had the usual barrage of cards (although the presents are starting to become fewer but at 28 I guess that is part of the course. 17 of us went out for a meal at the local Napalanese place that was absolutuly fantastic, I even got a present from them in the form of two bottles of champers that we all shared after the meal along witth the two mint ice creams that acted as cakes.