For the first time in my life, I've failed to submit the final assessment for a course.

My final assessment for my OU course had to be in on Friday, and I didn't do it. Literally, didn't even start it.

I'm comfortable with the decision, actually. Although it's compulsory, this particular course won't contribute to the final classification of my ( Read more... )

I read a report at work the other day which quoted a 71% failure rate for weighing machines. And then it mentioned how many machines had actually been tested.

Seven.

SEVEN.

So working that 71% back, they tested seven machines, five of which failed. Now, 5 out of 7 is still a pretty shocking failure rate, but I’m not going to talk about that. I ( Read more... )

... but today I caught him in the act ( Read more... )

While the national result still hangs in the balance, the LibDems have retained my constituency with an increased majority over the Tories.

This is the result I wanted, and it's very satisfyting to know I played a part in it. This constituency was number 29 on the Tories' top 100 target list, because previously our LibDem MP only had a majority of ( Read more... )

I didn't get up to Scotland yesterday, because it was shut.

OK, Glasgow airport was shut, and my flight was cancelled. I didn't feel like trying to rebook for a later flight to Edinburgh and possibly having that cancelled too, so I'm having a few days relaxing at home, and I'll go up to see the parents later this year. Probably by car.

So I'm having ( Read more... )

My voting papers arrived today ( Read more... )

... ok, forgive me, but I only do this once a year. Call it my 'Spring Collection' if you will.

It's really difficult (and expensive) to get swimwear that fits my bust, so buying a swimsuit is another once-a-year event. And I absolutely refuse to buy anything in boring black.

A couple of yeas ago I got a swimsuit that I really loved. It was expensive ( Read more... )

... like an atheist's point of view on the continuing outrage of child abuse in the Catholic Church. Or the impact of technology on the lives of disabled people. Or even the new Doctor.

But first ... SHOES!!

Every year I permit myself to buy just one pair of pretty, girly, slightly impractical summer shoes. Last year these were they:


( Read more... )

There has been a guy sat on the footbrige outside my flat busking on a pennywhistle all afternoon.

I wouldn't mind, but he only seems to know three songs - Amazing Grace, The Skye Boat Song, and the theme from Chariots of Fire. And he doesn't even play those very well.

The sound of the pennywhistle always brings back memories of hearing the Orange ( Read more... )

Last week I was certain my creaky old desktop computer (which is only 4 years old, but that's about 80 in computer-years) was dying. I kept locking up and shutting down suddenly for no apparent reason. It was taking me about an hour to even get it to boot up, and it kept giving me error messages about corrupted system files - but a different file ( Read more... )