Bank Holiday Weekend in Exeter

After work finished on Saturday afternoon I raced home to catch the Grand Prix qualifying, I managed to get in just in time to see the last two parts, and exciting it was too! It was worth getting out of breath for (a little worrying for my Great West Run prospects next year that a short downhill run left me in that state!)

Then in the evening we wandered down to the quay for a drink. There was a band getting ready for a gig, outdoor bars and balloons. I managed to get a balloon even though I think they were for the children!

It was a nice evening, but even at 8.30pm it was starting to get dark and cold, the summer really is nearly at an end! At least we have a week in Majorca next month to get some sun!

Sunday was spend mostly watching motorsport. The organisers of the BTCC series seemed to have messed up the scheduling and clashed with the Belgian Grand Prix, but I watched as many of the races as I could then caught up with the missing ones on the ITV Player later in the evening. We also met Darren and Dave for a spot of Wii Bowling in the evening.

Today I lay in until 10am, and later will be off to Nick and Sarah's for a Barbeque (weather permitting!)

I thought I might find it strange not being at the Greenbelt festival this weekend, and the internet has been strangely quiet as many of my "online" friends are there, but in fact I have not missed it, and enjoyed relaxing at home for a few days. I might revisit it again one year, but I also fancy trying out some of the other festivals around too. I guess it all depends where we end up living and which festivals are convenient.

SPCK, Jobs and Podcasting

Good news about the USDAW employment tribunal against St Stephen the Great Charitable Trust. 32 workers have had a payout, covering missing wages and other costs. More can be found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8218413.stm and all the other usual places!

Ivonne didn't get the Bristol job, and has not heard from the other one yet. Imminent plans of a life in the big city are delayed for the moment! Other jobs have been applied for, hopefully she will hear back from some of those soon.

I have been playing with a voice recorder, microphone and editing software with a view to put together some sort of podcast (or podcast segment for someone elses podcast). Had a fun afternoon playing with Audacity, anyone else have any advice of really simple Podcasting tools for the PC?

Off to poker tonight, wish me luck!

Brisblog? Lonblog?

This blog depends on an important factor, me being in my hometown of Exeter. Over the next couple of days Ivonne has interviews in Bristol and London, and should she get one of them we will pack up and move. I will try and get a transfer, if that fails then I will fall back on a plan B which as yet I have not formulated.

Of course she may not get either of these jobs, and a job will come up elsewhere in the future, or even a job in Exeter or near by, at this stage who knows!

Whatever happens the reality of moving city is starting to hit, it makes me excited and nervous all at the same time.

Things will become clearer in the next few days and weeks, but this could be the end of exeblog, and my life in Exeter, and the start of something new!

Plymouth Firework Championships 2009

On Tuesday we went to Plymouth with Nick and Sarah to see the first night of the National Firework Championships. We went down early and saw a bit of Plymouth (never a welcome sight, but the weather was really nice!) and then hung around on the Hoe for the fireworks to start. They were stunning, and I think even better than last year. Photos do the event no justice, but here are some anyway!

Waiting for the fireworks in the glorious sun!

A quick look at the Darwin 200 garden.

The crowds gathering on Plymouth Hoe.

Aaahhhhhh! Oooooohhhhh!

Could the last person to leave Plymouth please turn out the lights. Oh, that would be us!

Chillies

For Chris and all the Naked Scientist Forum readers here are our Chillies!

Online and Cornwall

In the last few months I have discovered Twitter, although I am not totally convinced of the purpose of it I have found it a lot of fun, and a good way of keeping up and communicating with some of the comedians I enjoy so much, such as Richard Herring, Sarah Millican and Mark Watson, and also broadcasters such as Andrew Collins, Geoff Lloyd and Simon Mayo. Some of them have even replied to my comments, I certainly don't expect any replies, but it is lovely that these busy people find a moment to throw a comment back at me! Add me if you like, NeilDenham1978

I have been enjoying the Naked Scientist podcasts the last few months, if you have even a passing interest in science then this podcast from Cambridge is well worth a listen. It is professional, never patronises, but also never leave complicated terms unexplained. This week they even answered a question from me! http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=24758

I have also realised that I have not posted since we went away to Cornwall way back in March! We had a lovely time and the weather was mostly good! It really is a great time to go away, it is totally quiet down there. Here are just a few pictures.

That was the summer?

I am sorry, it has been a long, long time. But now I have a week off and instead of enjoying the glorious drizzle outside I decided to update this blog.

So what has happened in the world of Exeter? well, 2 new Wetherspoons have opened, one especially for the chavs of Cowick Street, and a slightly better one on the former Hogshead site. The day the new "Chevalier Inn" opened I witnesses a strange fight involving 2 men and a dog happening right outside the main doors. If anyone has any information about this fight I would be really interested, as I sure could not work out what was going on. The pub also made front page headlines when it banned a blind man in a football shirt from going in. Why this should have made news is beyond me, as is why it was relevant that the man was blind and had "been an Exeter City fan for 20 years". Story perfectly summed up here: http://www.thisisntexeter.co.uk/site/local/455

Poker at the City Gate has been gaining players week after week, with players from Sweden, Spain, Northern Ireland and Germany joining us in recent weeks. I have had one win, one second and one third since I last posted.

Other than that a few shops have opened in town (new HMV, Fopp, Disney Store), Foodeze has gone for good, a nice Beer festival happened at the castle, Micheal McIntyre came to the Northcott and we are planning a holiday in the sun for when Ivonne finally finished her PHD...

I will leave you with a couple of pictures taken at Bickleigh last month on an unusually sunny evening. Hope to update sooner next time!