That was the week 29/3/10-4/4/10

Monday and Oh I just remembered how bad it was to get up in the dark. My body clock still thinks it is 4:50AM. best laugh of the day was my colleague recounting a story of how he used a microwave egg cooker to boil an egg and how it exploded all over his kitchen when he removed it. I think the biggest laugh was it took 4 minutes in the microwave (saucepan=3 mins) and he had to get the saucepan out anyway to boil another egg! this is from a guy with loads of BSc s and BAs as well! I had to drive the longer way home tonight because of roadworks in Grove Park but I was 5 minutes earlier than normal getting to the M20...Work that one out!

Tuesday I go to Lidl on the way to collect Sarah from work. I have been checking some of their motorbike gear but whenever I go in there they never have what I want. Tonight is no exception. So I spend 87p on some frozen potato waffles instead. We both decide we can't be arsed to cook so its a chippie tea. Sarah meets one of her colleagues in the chip shop who says to us "You couldn't be arsed to cook either!"

Wednesday and I treat my colleagues to a packet of good chocolate cookies. I reckon that the fencing people must employ Easter bunnies because they can't deliver my panels until the end of next week, because of Easter. I reckon Bank holiday monday was going to be rubbish weather anyway. I buy a knitted easter chick with a creme egg in at work in aid of charity, see pic above...well I did take pity on it!

Thursday and one of the guys brings in Almond cakes from the Costcutter down the road. They are surprisingly good! Then the boss brings in Rolo cookies so that was tea break sorted! Stopped off on the way to my parents to have my ears lowered. The heavens opened big time tonight, It was like Ming the Merciless had his hand on the weather controller! By the time I got to DVH it was dry & sunny. yet more cake now as its C.O.W night ( see pic above) Neil got a Co-op special again. The drive home was very busy. Everyone is migrating to Europe for easter & I don't blame them. Forecast is not good.

Well its friday and not raining yet. Did the rounds of the Garden/DIY centres looking for garden furniture. The homemade cake in the Tenterden centre was very good! We finally bought a patio set and head for home. thats when it rained again so had a couple of bacon sarnies and sorted through a mountain of paperwork that needed sorting/shredding. Realised that the Folkestone beer festival has passed us by, oh well I'm sure Manky & co had one or two for us! Friday night is Chinese takeaway night. Chun Wah delivers the goods yet again!

Saturday and get up early for the Malaysian GP qualifying which dovetails nicely into leaving home at 10AM to go into town. Yet another visit to the DIY store to buy the composting bin we forgot to get yesterday. 20% off as well I do like a bit of discount! I decide a want an HD camcorder for my birthday and theres one in Argos that fits the bill. trouble is theres not one to be had in Ashford so its off the Folkestone. What a bloody shame, Folkestone is a shambles now. Nothing on the seafront, No amusements, market or fairground rides and they have closed the water lift as well. Even the rock shop in the old high street has gone. Anyway got a good deal on the camcorder so its off home for dinner & Dr Who!

Easter Sunday, Malaysian GP & a win for Vettel. Off to the parents for sunday lunch, which was nice and even had Christmas pudding today as well. got home about 5pm and did a bit in the garden. Set up the composting bin so that is ready for the 1st load of grass cuttings..Sarah's parents are down tonight & staying with us this week so we have a house full. At least its Bank holiday tomorrow...We may go to Dungeness!

that was the week..22nd March 2010

Welcome to the week that was 23-28 March 2010.

Day off today, things to do people to see. The house alarm company turned up first thing on Tuesday. Basically a component had burnt out on the board inside the alarm panel possibly the charger circuit however the charger still works. So he replaced the battery and checked everything plus gave me a discount for cash as well. We even took out a maintenance contract with them and they are a local family business. I'm all for supporting local trades. didn't really get the chance to mow the lawns, That chore will have to wait until the weekend.

I was amazed at the amount of people bringing their recalled cars back to the Toyota garage when I was up there in the afternoon. The Service manager told me they have modified over 700 cars at that dealer alone. phew! Anyway the car is now fixed and my credit card took another hammering!

Thursday night is Valley Park Radio night. If you are unfortunate enough to be in Darent Valley Hospital on this day you can listen to me & my fellow presenters Mark, Neil & Mike playing great music and talking waffle in between! We have a weekly feature, Cake of The Week (COW for short) so each week I will feature the COW on here. This weeks is pictured above...

It is Neil's turn next week so no doubt we will look forward to another Co-op special! Got drenched walking from the car park to the hospital entrance, my umbrella having been destroyed a few weeks earlier at the same location.

Friday night and our monthly trip down to Woodchurch for the Ashford Astronomical Society meeting. The society has been going 3 years now and has 70 members. Quite an acheivement when you think that myself and Sarah were member numbers 20 and 21 when we joined in September 2008. It was a great evening only marred by the clouds rolling in when we went outside to do some observing! There were great presentations from Dave, who's talk on Saturn was actually quite informative. And Mark, the chairman's 9 year old son who gave an excellent description of how he photographed the moon through his Bresser Newtonian Telescope. The society prides itself in promoting astronomy not only for adults, but children as well, and our commitee spend a lot of time and effort visiting clubs and societies in and around Ashford giving great astronomy presentations.

Australian GP qualifying first thing...V+ was made for events like this. It meant I could forward through the boring chatter and get to the nitty gritty. Went into town Saturday morning on the big red taxi. Sarah was at the RSPCA cat re-homing centre in town where she helps looking after the cats. After a swift cappucino and a long queue in the bank I walked down to the RSPCA to meet up and head for home. As we turned into our road we noticed that the sheltered housing at the entrance to our close had a bring & buy sale. Always a sucker for a bargain we had a quick look round and came away with a Michael Parkinson Autobiography, a DVD of Dante's Peak and a poor imitation ladies Tag Heuer watch. (I own a couple of real Tags so I can spot a moody one a mile off). Well we only paid 20p for the watch and a couple of quid for the other things, the money being raised so they can buy furniture for their communal den. Afternoon we took advantage of an offer from Argos and bought a Netbook. We will both find it useful, Me every thursday when I go to VPR and Sarah when she goes into hospital in May, plus when we go to Birmingham to visit the family.

Sunday morning I even remembered to hit the BST button on my clock radio so got up at the right time. Watched the Australian GP (V+ is my friend). Well done Jenson Button, a much more exciting race than Bahrain. The weather can't quite make up its mind. We decide to second guess the cloudy weather and go for a walk through Kings wood, Challock. What is interesting is they have installed sculptures along the trail so suddenly you come across a gaint bronze horn (like on a wind-up gramaphone) up in the trees. 3.5 miles later and we come out of the woods down the road from the car park. Oh well took a wrong turn somewhere. Back home for a bit of gardening, fire up the lawnmower for the first time this year, started on the third pull as well. Now its dinner time...Belly pork and Cauli Cheese tonight....that walk has given me an appetite!

Long time no Blog!

Its a bit shameful really. I haven't put anything on this blog now since june last year. Recently I've been reading a fellow Ashford Astronomy Society member (and my one & only follower) and he updates his every day. I sometimes wish I was that dedicated.
I reckon I could do a weekly blog, so as of next weekend the blog will be updated as to whats been happening in stevejays world. This week I have to look forward to...Getting the house alarm panel looked at ( its emanating a component cooking smell), getting the brakes on my car fixed tomorrow (its squealing like a stuck pig). Mowing the lawn, cleaning the aquarium water, Supplying cakes for the Valley Park Radio thursday night crew (Cake of the week) and AAS meeting on friday which I'm looking forward to Dave's talk on Saturn. As we've been watching Prof. Brian Cox programme about the solar system we are ready with tricky questions ha ha.

So a retrospective look at stevejays week will appear here on Sunday...watch this space.