The benefit of having an au pair is sharing with their Yuletide cultures. In Barcelona, it is traditional to set up a nativity scene and include a "caganer", someone doing a poo, into the scene. Even shop window displays and churches include a caganer and everyone tries to be the first to spot it. There's even a website specialising in caganers of ( Read more... )

What registry fix / OC optimiser software do folks recommend? I had been using RegCure for a few years after getting Dr Watson errors but laptop still spiralling into apathetic doom. It expired this week so I tried AVG PC TuneUp for free and it picked up over 2000 errors that RegCure had missed. Machine slightly less sluggish now but before I spend ( Read more... )

After 4 years abuse, my Dell is dying (fan a bit poorly, keyboard collapsing, screen going blotchy). Should I go Mac?! I mainly do photo processing these days and so need at least 4Gb RAM and 2G processor to run CS5 and LR3. Rather spend less than more... Battery life and size not a big deal but prefer a non-reflective screen ( Read more... )

If this has worked, then I have finally entered the 21st century and got LJ to talk to F***Book

Need some inspiration. I did a smashing still ife shot of a fig using light painting last year,  and want to do some more but I'm a bit lacking in ideas ATM. What should I photograph?

At short notice, deliberateblank asked me to DJ at this week's Calling. He must've been desperate and indeed was. It was a slightly surreal experience with attendances now so critically low and the patronage so low on black-clad alternatives. I even managed to enpty the dancefloor by playing The Cure. I am slightly saddened to see the club's demise after such a ( Read more... )

All our online friends may be hearing a bit more from us after all in the coming weeks. Pyro managed to break his foot on the boat last Saturday and is now in plaster and housebound on crutches for a month. However, although this happened Saturday morning, he didn't want to give up his first day's sailing of the season so it wasn't until late ( Read more... )

Ho hum. Duly got up at 4am for my Prague to see LHR and LGW shut and I'd been stood down (although STN remained open but only for northbound tracks). So where was Pyro? Malaysian airlines website was useless and LHR was still showing an ETA although the airport was shut. Found a nice live flight radar tracking site just in time to see the MH002 lob ( Read more... )

Dad's fine and Pyro's on his way home but... the flippin' unseasonable weather is blowing the pesky volcanic ash our way again. Worst case for tomorrow is that I set off for my early Prague at 04:30z and don't make it back to Blighty and that Pyro's flight inbound LHR is similarly afflicted and we both get stranded with the kids home alone (not ( Read more... )

Must be bad - I've got time for LJ.

1. Pyro still stuck in Borneo on a still burning ship but he should be home Monday
2. Dad in Papworth for invasive heart tests today - 1 in 200 chance of complications : (
3. Whitby flicks finally on FlickR. I ca send an invite to the 'friends only' ones on request but try to trim down my public content hence ( Read more... )