Mutterings - Dec 26

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Cheap :: ..at half the price
2. Brace :: Pheasants
3. Delicate :: Flower
4. Era :: Classical
5. Naked :: Embrace
6. Bad TV :: Cliche
7. Gift :: Tree
8. Forgive :: Letting go
9. Staple :: Diet
10. Last :: some film ( was thinking of something other than Jedi and failing to remember but the web is not helpful)

Mutterings - Dec 26 - part 1

This week's (well last week's actually!) free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Giving :: Loving
2. Incredible :: Twosome (not sure, but it's not a good combination to websearch!)
3. Backing :: Group
4. Verb :: Passive
5. Turning :: World (at the still point of the ... (Eliot))
6. Escalator :: Up
7. Itchy :: Feet
8. Glass :: Hydrometer
9. Hydrate :: (umm see previous) Emergency
10. Solution :: Alkali

Mutterings - Dec 17

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Timing :: Bomb
2. Anxiety :: High
3. Experience :: Insight
4. Polka :: Dots
5. Wax :: Ruby
6. Wired :: Sound
7. Broke :: Fracture
8. Salt :: Wound
9. Crocodile :: Tears
10. Navigator :: Henry

Discovery Day

Last weekend I made the trip down to Cheltenham for Inntravel's discovery day. I wanted to see a wider range of what they had to offer - readers of this blog will know we've used them for holidays quite a few times in the past 10 years. Also they were offering discounts for holidays booked on the day!

I saw this which looked very much like somewhere we stayed when on La Palma - though maybe lots of houses on that island are similar. I've since also discovered that my ex project manager's sister knows the person responsible for tourism on La Palma..

Mutterings - Dec 10

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Waning :: Moon
2. Constant :: Craving (kd lang)
3. Beginning :: Genesis
4. Boyfriend :: Young love!
5. Gain :: Loss (and St Paul..)
6. Unsure :: Danger
7. Fly :: Fishing
8. Remove :: Bunter!
9. Cancelled :: Cheque
10. Interest :: Bank

Mutterings - Dec 3

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Run out :: Cricket
2. Whisperer :: Horse
3. Collide :: Dynamics (remembering O level courses!)
4. Worth :: Jobs
5. Fuck :: Hell
6. Mild :: Bitter
7. Chapped :: Lips
8. Hope :: Centre (a local Christian initiative)
9. Itch :: 7 year (never seen it!)
10. Face :: Emacs font

Mutterings - Nov 26

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Sprain :: Ankle
2. Hesitation :: Deviation (the Just a Minute programme)
3. Navigator :: Compass
4. Supplied :: Generosity
5. Wow! :: Open-mouthed
6. Breaking :: the Silence
7. sigh :: IRC (I seem to attract these)
8. Justice :: Integrity
9. Everything :: Belongs (a Richard Rohr book)
10. Chapped :: Lips

Mutterings - Nov19

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Prayer :: Lord's
2. Rerun :: Peanuts (a character in the cartoon)
3. Blue :: Joni (Mitchell!) - not that song but another from the album in an early version with interestingly different words!
4. Chat :: Chad
5. Boycott :: Geoff
6. Design :: Broken (by)
7. Paste :: Cut (and)
8. Backspace :: Key
9. Connections :: Long term (I met someone this week I'd been in contact with for 40 years but had never -as far as I remember - met)
10. Reality :: Light

Mutterings - Nov 12

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Deleted :: Expletive (that's going back a bit!!)
2. Fire! :: Works!
3. Sirens :: Blest pair (not sure I know the Parry work!)
4. Review :: Peer
5. Stutter :: Fault (machinery does this too!)
6. Prevention :: Cure
7. Omit :: Details
8. Building :: Land
9. Formatted :: Email
10. Undisclosed :: Truth

Mutterings - Nov 5

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Daddy :: Bear
2. Today :: Newspaper (a few years ago!)
3. Make up :: Bag
4. Squeezing :: Toothpaste
5. Incredible :: String Band
6. Bare hands :: Strangle
7. Memory :: Checking
8. News :: Desk
9. Instrument :: Piano
10. Slide :: Trombone (going with the previous!)

Prague and ELCE

I wrote something for work about my recent trip to Prague for a Linux Embedded conference. Here's a slightly augmented version with more pictures and restaurant locations!



A number of us have returned from ELCE last week in Prague, some of my
thoughts follow:

Most of my time was devoted to participation at the CIP booth and demos
of the board-at-desk software. Sunday was mainly occupied setting up
those demos, Agustin & I did a talk through of b@d to CIP folk with a demo of
the software. We'd intended to run a tutorial of installation of the
application but - in view of networking issues on the conference wifi -
it was just as well that this was cancelled. It was good to meet some
of the cip folk who had only previously been IRC nicks. I expect the
tutorial will eventually be presented here as well as being made
available to a wider non-Codethink audience. We had lunch at a Veggie restaurant Mlsná kavka close to the Hilton where the conference took place. The restaurant's 'about' page is worth a read on their social concern. In the evening we ate at Zlaty Dvur in the old town, live jazz but the food was ok but not great.

Monday was spent making sure the demo worked at the booth - fortunately
my accommodation was close to the conference so I could return & use
that wifi and rule out any unhelpful things that the venue was doing to
the network. In the end I had to use my phone as a wifi hotspot in order
to demo successfully. In the evening I ate at La Boca a Spanish/Argentinian eaterie where I also had a couple of breakfasts as I wasn't staying at a hotel.

On Tuesday a CIP talk where it was good to see our afternoon's demos
advertised on a slide - someone was obviously paying attention to my
emails that morning!
Then heard 'Introducing the “Lab in a Box” Concept with Patrick Titiano & Kevin Hilman
a different approach to the work on board
at desk - I could see that both are useful.

At lunchtime there was a CIP developers meeting - a rather undersized
room for those that wished to attend. Discussion of the 4.4 kernel not
going beyond 2038 and a general introduction of the developers to each
other.

I attended the 2 Codethink talks - Ben Dooks Open Source Neuroimaging
and Ben Hutchings & Agustin on long term maintenance of Linux kernels
both of which got good numbers and seemed to be appreciated.



The rest of the
afternoon was spent demo'ing, the software behaved itself and I had a
fairly steady stream of small groups to talk to.

If in Prague, beware of restaurants which don't take cards - Ben D and I
ate at one that evening - we paid in a mix of euros and Cz krone! This was U Bronců I ate here twice so I enjoyed the food despite the paying arrangements.

On Wednesday I got to 2 Keynotes: Challenges in Industrializing OSS and
How Siemens Tackles Them - Jan Kiszka some interesting commitments of
Siemens to Open Source - having worked elsewhere in Siemens a few years
ago this was good to hear publicly though I suppose it's not really news.
Then Dirk Hohndel interviewed Linus Torvalds - a pg presentation so he didn't
get to give his views on c++.

I appreciated the paper copies of the conference schedule in place of
the dreadful e-timetable the web provided.

Eventually I saw bits of Prague in daylight and finally assisted Daniel Wagner
with a partial installation of b@d on his laptop.
The conference buffet was in a strange rabbit warren of a historic Prague building
but it soon became far too noisy and a group of us retreated to a coffee
house / book display Ouky Douky on the other side of the Vltava.

(not a good photo apologies!)

The full photo album for the trip is on flickr.

Next year's ELCE will be in Edinburgh - I expect there'll be even more of a Codethink presence!

Returning home

On the last day in France we had a taxi ride back to Azay le Rideau, unfortunately the wine shop there wasn't yet open so we settled for a supermarket shop in Angers after another trip along quiet roads and a picnic next to the Loire - at St Martin de la Place? Then back to the coast and a drive to Mont St Michel:

We'd never been before and didn't manage it this time either - too little time before the ferry left - and it's a long walk from the car park but we got good views! Maybe another year?

All in all an enjoyable and not too testing trip!

Mutterings - Oct 29

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Needless :: Pain
2. Adoption :: Care
3. Chart :: Pie
4. Strings :: Attached
5. Anatomy :: Bone-structure
6. Sail :: Wind
7. Reference :: Employment
8. Depressed :: Sleepless
9. Focused :: There
10. Stolen :: Kisses

Mutterings - Oct 17

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. I’m sorry! :: trod on toe..
2. Weather :: Tempest (Ophelia)
3. Marketing :: Empty
4. Planning :: Meeting
5. Anxiety :: Stress
6. Ringing :: Peal
7. Kim :: Kipling (or maybe Regan)
8. Details :: Explicit
9. Backspace :: C-d
10. Period :: Free (the power of memory of education!)

A final walk to the Loire

There were 2 suggested walks for the final day - we took the longer one - we were clearly feeling fit for this holiday - though it was a walk at Inntravel's easiest level.

A walk through Candes St Martin - we passed through here but didn't stop on our scenic route on the way to the walk start from St Malo - after a panoramic view from the hill above the village of the confluence of the Loire and the Vienne. A trip around the church and then on to Montsoreau - we took the simpler route along the river and found the château.



After a lunch at La Dentellière a creperie - I have a photo of the menu somewhere..
Then a walk back to Fontevraud with a view of a windmill



and then another wonderful meal at La Croix Blanche - a fitting climax to the last walking day!

Mutterings - Oct 15

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Stock :: Car
2. Village :: Hotel
3. Show :: Fete
4. Heartbreak :: Hotel
5. Ding! :: Dinner (bell!)
6. Had to :: Blackmail
7. Henry :: II (see other blogging!)
8. Pasta :: Pesto
9. Theft :: Shock
10. River :: Weeds

Fields and Vineyards to Fontevraud

Today was another long walk but again easy following the GR3 - this was the refreshment stop - we only had a coffee.


We got to Fontevraud early afternoon and after a brief rest a look around the château - the tombs of Richard and Henry II and some spooky art exhibits. We were staying the Hostellerie la Croix Blanche right opposite the château - we had a warm welcome and enjoyed a wonderful meal there that evening. The meal included in the stay was great but we wished we'd paid extra for the meal with matching wines as it wasn't available the next evening. If you're staying there and fancy that alternative don't delay!

Around Chinon

In Chinon we stayed at the Hotel de France a bit anonymous but very comfortable and friendly - and very close to the castle. We spent the morning on a trip around the castle - far older and more mediaevalthan the rest of the Loire. We saw it from a distance on various trips past over the years so it was good to have a look around. Jeanne d'Arc met Charles VII here and it's also much associated with Henry II and Richard (of England).



For lunch we had sausage, cheese and wine(!) at La Cabane à Vin a very pleasant pavement cafe close to the main square had a restful afternoon and then ate at Le Gandoyau again much enjoyed.

to Chinon

The next day was the longest walk of the holiday from Ussé to Chinon, by mainly forested paths. We had the wettest weather of the holiday but only gentle drizzle. At Parenterie there's supposed to be a cafe but it was closed and from the notice it looked as if when the building work finished it was going to open as something else! There's - at around 90 minutes before you get to the hotel in Chinon a sign telling you you're entering the town. We got lost after this point - we think we mistakenly kept to the edge of the vineyard - a strong temptation - rather than leaving it behind! You then pass the Chapel of Ste Radegonde - but we were unfortunately too late in the season and it was closed. In the evening we ate at La Table de Jeanne and greatly enjoyed it, we were well fed - only a few staff but we were well served.


Here's a view from near the Chapel of Ste Radegonde looking towards the Forteresse with a cat getting itself into the picture!

From a Curtain to the Sleeping Beauty!

..or walking from Azay le Rideau to Ussé (the castle that was the inspiration - probably - of the the sleeping beauty story)!

A short taxi ride after a farewell to Azay (and our car!) heralded the start of a delightful walk by the side of the Indre. The notes warned us of mosquitos but we must have been too late in the season as we didn't notice any.

The route finding looked tricky on the map but was in fact fairly easy - the notes reference Pissarro paintings and our lunch spot - see the picture - reinforced the impression.



This spot was just off the path and had some lovely treestumps for sitting on - there aren't many other obvious places for a picnic. Then the walk into Ussé and a stay at the Clos d'Ussé - simple but comfortable and a visit in the remainder of the afternoon to the château, see the album for photos.

Azay le Rideau

There were other parties at the Hotel de Biencourt so breakfast was busy - but very good and after an inspection of the local market for fruit for lunch we headed to the château. We had a first conversation at the market with 3 Canadian women who we'd seen at Les Grottes the previous evening and were doing the same walk as us.

We'd visited this château in the 1990s but then had children in accompaniment! A gentle trip around the château was much enjoyed.
Then the first walk - a short circular one - with a visit to the Troglodytique les Goupillières - an outdoor museum of mediaeval (and up to 19th century) agriculture - lots of interesting old implements, I was reminded of the quirky Milhaud song cycle Machines Agricoles. Back in Azay we enjoyed eating at La Credence just a few yards from the hotel.

Saumur

We've recently returned from a walking holiday in the Loire - Châteaux and Vineyards! arranged by Inntravel (again!). We travelled to France by car taking the ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo and taking a more leisurely route to our first night in Azay le Rideau we stopped for lunch in Saumur and saw these umbrellas -
After a lunch of crepes and cider we reached Azay and enjoyed an afternoon inspecting restaurants for the evening - quite a few of the recommended ones seemd to be closed on that Tuesday - though it was heading out of season - but we much enjoyed Les Grottes, I had the duck the alcoholic sorbet and a fishy(?) starter, and there was wine...before thinking about the local château and walk for the first full day. The album of photos is on flickr here but still needs a few adding/tagging.

Mutterings - Oct 7

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Biography :: Ghosted (though that's probably an 'autobiography')
2. Twitter :: Thread
3. Circumstance :: Pomp (Elgar)
4. Welcome :: Mat
5. Partner :: Sleeping
6. Trick :: Sleeve (nothing up my...)
7. Disease :: Noxious
8. Inform :: Police
9. Weekly :: Post!
10. Shred :: Confidential

Mutterings - Sep 25

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Outbreak :: Typhus
2. Outerwear :: Anorak
3. Game :: Rubber (bridge!)
4. Lift :: Hydraulic
5. Kneel :: Respect (both ways - at the moment!)
6. Recede :: Horizon
7. Spice :: Trade
8. Ship :: Ferry
9. Winter :: Discontent (Richard III)
10. Peel :: Robert! (or eating after a conversation on Saturday)

Mutterings - Sep 22

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Blinded :: Glare
2. Spectacular :: Display
3. Heat :: Bar (of old electric fire!)
4. Tony :: Elliston (my first manager)
5. Courtesy :: Light
6. Handling :: Charge
7. Shut up :: Sit down!
8. Awards :: Oscar
9. Listen :: Prick (ears)
10. Privilege :: Male

Mutterings - Sep 17

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Virus :: Computer (though I did have my flu virus injection yesterday!)
2. Checkbook :: Signed
3. Cackle :: Macbeth
4. Tooth :: Fairy
5. Uber :: Mench
6. Breach :: Agincourt (once more...)
7. 2020 :: Vision
8. Pod :: Coffee (still avoid using them!)
9. Website :: Here!
10. Suspicious :: Glance

Liverpool walkabout

This week a group of us from All Saints went on a Liverpool walkabout, mainly a succession of pub visits, train to lime St and then on foot (or taxi for the older members!). Lunch at the Philharmonic - which was a bit of a mixed affair - someone got a burnt dinner which took ages to replace.
A visit to Ye Cracke (pictured) where one of the walkers had spent his 21st birthday, back when it was apparently a John Lennon haunt. Then down to the front and after a few more visits a train home!

Mutterings - Sep 9

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Tweet :: Thread
2. Fortify :: Battlements
3. Nonsense :: Verse (Lear?)
4. Good :: Life (as in lived rather than an ancient BBC comedy!)
5. Defined :: Function (computers...)
6. Recreation :: Ground
7. Want? :: Need?
8. Need :: Food ,, Beg (I really hadn't seen the above!)
9. Parks :: Bushes
10. Should :: Morals

Manchester May 2017

Again back a bit

St Anne's square Manchester after the bomb, a place for the community to honour and remember, a swift visit over lunchtime but emotionally very powerful!

Saying farewell

(catching up!)

Some time ago now we said farewell to Dave Mock the vicar of All Saints and St Barnabas, he's since been inducted as vicar of Christ Church Barnton. This picture is when Chris - one of the church wardens - spoke about the reference she gave him! We now look back to nearly 10 years of his ministry and care of us and look forward to whatever God is leading us to.

Teaser Tuesday - Aug 29

The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

I instinctively performed an appraisal comparable to a Homeland Security Threat Assessment. Were we facing a Low, Guarded, Elevated, High, or Severe Threat Level?

from Jesus, My Father, The CIA and Me by Ian Morgan Cron. This was our book group book of the month. I wanted to like this and it tried very hard (too hard!) to be liked, but I just couldn't engage with this. It's a story of US minister growing up with an alcoholic father who worked for the CIA and sidelong looks at how his childhood affected his life. Glowing testimonies by well known Christian writers prefaced the book I wondered whether they'd read the same book! It was a book you either loved or hated the ceaseless rush of peripheral anecdotes just turned me off! Another sentence

Every eleven-year-old boy in the Western Hemisphere chooses to play one of two instruments: the snare drum or the trumpet.

- no they don't!

Mutterings - Aug 28

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Slipping :: Side (thinking skiing?)
2. Thin line :: blue
3. Blur :: Artistic
4. Dream :: On!
5. Love :: Actually
6. Full :: Burp!
7. Attempt :: Record
8. Breast :: Stroke
9. Hang :: Glider
10. Gill :: Eric

Mutterings - Aug 22

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Anticipation :: Breathless
2. Insecurity :: Chronic
3. Forgive :: Forget
4. Positivity :: Relentless
5. Disappointment :: Tears
6. Birthday! :: Cake!
7. Purchase :: Impulse
8. Sentimental :: Journey
9. Lurk :: Sinister
10. Superstition :: Fear

Ludlow

The final day we took a circular walk to Ludlow. Again we took the easier course by retracing the route of the morning. Had a wander around the town - an enjoyable drink at a cafe also selling bottles of gin (we took some away!!). There was a brief meeting, by chance, with someone we met on our first Inntravel holiday in Almeria back in 2007! He was playing in a band in the town square.

Bishops Castle to Stokesay

On the previous eaving we ate at the 3 tuns very much a pub but we enjoyed the food! The second day of our Shropshire break started and ended with a taxi ride. Unfortunately I was finding walking difficult (see account of day 1!) and we didn't get much time at Stokesay - it certainly would have repaid a couple of hours viewing - as you see from the photo. Earlier in the day the route took us over the huge Iron Age fort of Bury Ditches - wonderful views - and then a walk through Walcot Park lots of herds of cows that were fairly cooperative in moving out of the way! We stayed overnight at the Clive in Bromfield - ate there - they need to get the drinks waiters and the food waters to syncronise - on both nights we got drinks served when we were half way through the main course!

Teaser Tuesday - Aug 15

The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

Most of the temple soldierly had died along with them, and for the first three days Ish had been just a volunteer with a shovel, fighting fires, filling sandwalls, clearing debris. On the fourth day the surviving priests and temple military apparatus had pulled themselves together into something resembling a command structure, and now Ish had this scratch squad, himself and three soldiers from different units, and this mission, mapping the flood zone, to what purpose Ish didn't know or much care.

An apocalyptic vision from David Moles' 'A Soldier of the City' in the collection Engineering Infinity (ed Jonathan Strahan) a free volume from Kobo - hard science fiction - i.e. with strong technological component, ages since I read any in this style but quite enjoyed it.

Mutterings - Aug 15

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Broken :: Promise
2. Compromised :: Beliefs
3. Delayed :: Arrival
4. Ligament :: Strained
5. Dramatic :: Entrance
6. Fanatic :: Wild-eyed
7. Exotic :: Bird
8. Weeks :: Wakes (Northern English mill holidays)
9. Walk it off :: Hangover
10. Bruised :: Ego

Mutterings - Aug 13

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Headache :: Asprin (the power of old adverts!)
2. Leftover :: (side of) Plate
3. Corrupt :: Organisation
4. Vent :: Rage
5. Equipment :: Climbing (should I acquire some..)
6. Jack :: Car
7. Business :: Show
8. Joint :: Clip
9. Intership :: Exploitative
10. Pain :: Bread!

Mutterings - Aug 6

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Baby:: Bouncer
2. Hoops :: Hula
3. Vulnerable :: Victim
4. Literally :: Over-used!
5. Relationship :: Blood
6. Best :: Bitter (not something I often order!)
7. Aggressive :: Stance
8. Comfort :: Blanket
9. Tunnel :: Channel
10. Cancer :: Brain

Teaser Tuesday - Aug 1

The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

"It's not easy to open, Mr Okada," said Creta Kano. I realized she was standing there - and in her early sixties outfit.

from Haruki Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Our book group book of the month, some seriously weird stuff here! A novel on contemporary Japan and its development from World War II.

Mutterings - Jul 31

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Delete :: Key
2. Late :: Junction (a BBC radio 3 late night music programme)
3. Rambling :: Sid Rumpo the irreplaceable Kenneth Williams (and a Moggler's Woulie at one point..)
4. Popular :: Music
5. Significant :: Other
6. Slither :: -in
7. Spicy :: Chutney
8. Joyous :: Choir
9. Detailed :: Specification (shh!)
10. Rabbi :: Teaching

Mutterings - Jul 30

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Adopt :: Puppy
2. Therapy :: Back
3. Money back :: Disappointment
4. Lotion :: Sun tan
5. Feeling :: Numb
6. Surgery :: Scalpel
7. Ashen :: Faced
8. Wrist :: Relaxed (have difficult with this at the piano)
9. Pronounce :: (you) Man and wife
10. Vaseline :: Sex

.. catching up!

Bishops leading by example

In a post on the Church Society Rob Munro bemoans

After the clergy refused to take note of the bishop’s report last February, this session left the bishops staying really quiet, with the exception of the more vocal liberal bishops, and the interventions of the Archbishop of York. On key theological issues they listened and didn’t lead.

He seems to not notice how the bishops actually voted on the two issues that he (predictably) voted against: On the motion to welcome transgender people - bishops: 30 for, 2 against, 2 recorded abstentions. On Jayne Ozanne's motion saying that conversion therapy had no place in the modern world - bishops: 36 for, 1 against, 0 recorded abstentions. But maybe any bishop who voted against the Munro line is a wild liberal? As he was there he hasn't even got the excuse of misleading 3rd person reporting. The tables giving how synod members actually voted are here, the Bishop of Chester wasn't there for either vote -that would have been an interesting vote but I see that Don Allister - with a strongly conservative reputation - voted for both motions.

Mutterings - Jul 23

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Webbed :: Feet
2. History :: Lesson (maybe as an adult)
3. Musical :: Saw
4. Husband :: House
5. Stayed :: Put
6. Drug :: Immobilise
7. Structure :: Program
8. Complicated :: Maze (or maybe program again!)
9. Plot :: Gunpowder
10. Coma :: Patient

Bishop's Castle

Nearly a month ago now we had a short break in Shropshire - arranged by Inntravel - as ever for us a walking break. We started off in Bishop's Castle - a lovely small town - I've never really been to Shropshire before only passing through on other journeys. The first day was strenuous and a walk along part of Offa's Dyke (my knee wasn't happy!) but we much enjoyed the walking and the countryside! The photo album from the break is here

Mutterings - July 17

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Mentor :: Software
2. Stitch :: Time (saves..)
3. Twirl :: Forsyth
4. Spoken :: Word
5. Scar :: Duelling
6. Clients :: Servers
7. Tragic :: Overture (Brahms)
8. Private :: Terrace
9. Thousand :: Island
10. Produce :: Vegetable

The party

Back in March(!) my employers Codethink marked their 10th anniversary with a party at the Monastery in Gorton. It was a splendid evening with lots of enjoyable happenings. I'd not been to the Monastery before a wonderful piece of Pugin archtiecture. And there was a cake -

Mutterings - Jul 1

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Honor :: Obey (sorry!)
2. Adopt :: Children
3. Record :: Stylus (in the music sense though it could also cover the Rosetta stone!)
4. Birthday :: Cake!
5. Sensational :: Party!
6. Favor :: Beg (all these US spellings :-))
7. Twist :: Oliver (or Shout!)
8. Panel :: Interview
9. Backtrack :: Search (there's probably some tecchie IT stuff going on here!)
10. Pretzel :: Knot

CIP testing

A catchy title - but I see there's been no mention at all here (probably deliberately) of my current employer Codethink, so a brief mention of the product I was involved in which released at the end of last month - follow @cip_project on twitter or read the blog entry here. The code - available in the open for download is for creating a virtual machine on your local machine for the building and testing of long term support Linux kernels. Or you can just admire this photo of my desk at work! The beaglebone black board being tested is just in front of the large monitor.

I've now been with codethink for 12 months and am enjoying the challenge!

Mutterings - June 22

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Basketball :: Pass
2. Traffic :: Junction
3. Relationship :: Long-term
4. Phoenix :: (DH) Lawrence
5. Tapping :: Foot
6. Young man :: Village People! (can't remember the song but the start is ear-wormy)
7. Hulk :: Incredible
8. Whiskey :: Galore
9. Market :: Trader
10. Career :: Downhill

A midsummer evening

We were returning from an evening at the Park Tavern watching Moretti's Caro Diario and saw the sunset over the grounds of Christ Church

an end to a restful evening!

Mutterings - June 21

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Validation :: Affirming
2. Bruised :: but now bowed!
3. Collect :: Prayer book
4. Water :: Sump
5. Peanuts :: Schultz
6. Injured :: Pride
7. Pregnant :: Life
8. Fruity :: Cereal
9. Cute :: Freckled
10. Wrinkled :: Prune

Mutterings - Jun 11

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Boredom :: Yawn
2. Lifestyle :: Freedom
3. Adopt :: Care (Position?)
4. Foolishness :: Wisdom
5. Backtrack :: Search
6. Plastic :: Deform
7. Debt :: Interest
8. Flag :: Iris
9. Unique :: Most (sorry!)
10. West :: -ward Ho!

Mutterings - Jun 4

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Laundry :: Basket (List?)
2. Stoke :: on-Trent
3. Zombie :: Walk
4. Parliament :: Democracy (we hope!)
5. Instilled :: Childhood
6. Ache :: Emotional
7. Muscle :: Calf
8. Sniff :: Allergy
9. Crude :: Oil(!)
10. Effort :: Valiant

Teaser Tuesday - Jun 30

The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

His modest background and notorious history meant his career relied on him performing the role of upstanding master of home, land and party to perfection: to show artistocratic disdain for bourgeois values was impossible. Mary Anne's position in society and at Hughenden was dependent upon her marital status.

from Mr & Mrs Disraeli A Strange Romance by Daisy Hay - our book group book of the month. Interesting I remember doing Victorian politics as part of 'O' level history at school.

The blog appears to have gone that was the source for this - but as it's 6 months since I last did one of these I shouldn't complain!

Summer Walks - 17

It's been quite some time since I've shared anything personal, there's been far too much on facebook and I need now to make things a little more open. The summer walking season has started, I led a walk a few weeks ago on Bosley Cloud here's a photo and you'll see there's an associated album. We had a pleasant after walk drink at the Royal Oak in Rushton Spencer. The walks carry on until July if you want to participate we're open to anyone - drop me a note if you want a north east cheshire walk on Wed/Thursday - we alternate days!

Mutterings - May 29

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Corner :: Shop (turning the corner - in various senses)
2. Establish :: -ment
3. Cartoonish :: Jerky
4. Request :: Last
5. Disappointing :: Recipe
6. Recluse :: Hermit
7. Anti- :: establishment!
8. Jeans :: Blue
9. Ridiculous :: Claim (we're in elections in the UK...)
10. Soul :: Friend (a Kenneth Leech book)

Mutterings - May 22

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Priest :: Care
2. Lincoln :: Green
3. Mother :: Superior
4. Board :: Stiff
5. Surgery :: Scalpel
6. Barbecue :: Lighter
7. Marina :: Barge (was tempted by Pizza but that's Marinara - I hope!)
8. Squeeze :: Lemon
9. Award :: Stamina
10. Stopping by :: Neighbour

Mutterings - May 14

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Climbing :: Rockface
2. Unpack :: Belongings
3. Emotionally :: Cut off
4. Scatter :: Flee
5. Worm :: Apple (the Blake poem lurks there)
6. Graduate :: Hoffman
7. Slide :: Camera
8. Pinch :: Congestion
9. Debated :: Confronted
10. Show :: Dumb

Mutterings - 7 May

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Wax :: Wane
2. 50% :: draw
3. Speaker :: Headphones
4. Robot :: Wars
5. Nail :: Colours (to mast)
6. Contour :: Walk
7. Pin :: Lapel
8. Sex :: Toy
9. Batteries :: (I'm sure there's no connection with the above!) Charge
10. Echo :: Bunnymen

Mutterings - Apr 30

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Improve :: Education
2. Brothers :: Blood
3. Crystal :: Maze
4. Zoo :: Chester
5. Second :: Chance
6. Sell :: Lottery
7. Death :: Skeleton
8. Current :: Amp
9. Pain :: Fear
10. Value :: Appreciation

Mutterings - Apr 17

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Field :: John (composer, inventor of the nocturne)
2. Ding :: Dong
3. Teenager :: (Ding-Dong sounds pretty good here too but will settle for) Hormones
4. Podcast :: Earpiece
5. Vibrator :: Sex-toy
6. Radio :: Waves
7. Brat :: Spoilt
8. Dwell :: Focus (dwell upon)
9. Piano :: Teacher
10. Perish :: All (or maybe more positively? rubber)

Mutterings - Apr 15

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Awkward :: Silence
2. Reality :: Show
3. Yoda :: Alien
4. Medication :: Spoonful
5. Headache :: Stress
6. Sensation :: Weird
7. Sneeze :: Allergy
8. Historical :: Detail
9. YouTube :: Follower
10. Polka :: Waltzes (is there a musical work with something like this title?)

Mutterings - Apr 6

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Sticky :: Moments (a long-ago silly panel game)
2. Purpose :: With a..
3. Foul :: Fiend
4. Unbelievable :: Story
5. Currently :: Showing
6. Resume :: CV
7. Media :: Attacked (a la Trump)
8. Quick :: Silver
9. Quit :: ZZ (how I leave a certain Unix editor)
10. Joyless :: Drudgery

Mutterings - Apr 1

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Aggravation :: Bullying
2. Two-faced :: Coin
3. Postmark :: Frank
4. Chip :: Wafer (computers...!)
5. Failure :: Power
6. Plant :: Triffid
7. Termination :: Abrupt
8. Improvise :: Piano
9. Course :: Water
10. Western :: Spaghetti

Mutterings - Mar 25

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Describe :: Sketch
2. Blast :: Clouds - @blastclouds is the twitterhandle of the Barnaby festival director
3. Scratch :: Buffer (emacs...)
4. Limber :: Up
5. Spring :: Watch
6. Ridiculous :: Prokofiev (I'm learning a Vision Fugitives of his with the tempo indication Ridiculousamente!)
7. Commute :: Manchester (mine!)
8. Aches :: Back
9. Tissue :: Box
10. Frost :: Jack

Mutterings - Mar 18

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Acquired :: Style
2. Helpless :: Victim
3. Pirate :: Bay
4. Itchy :: Feet
5. Neon :: Sign (pink and flashing!)
6. Primate :: Archbishop!
7. Single :: Cell
8. Buffy:: Vampire
9. Storage :: Box
10. Unpacked :: Argument

Mutterings - Mar 12

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Birthday :: Party
2. Habitat :: Chairs (Habitat the store, we had some dining chairs from them we used for many years)
3. Foil :: Counter
4. Drowsy :: Nodding
5. Training :: Post
6. Career :: Path
7. Howard :: 's End
8. Keyhole :: Surgery
9. Secret :: Santa (or Satan as the wiki had it)
10. Camera :: never lies (or does it in these digital manipulative days!)

Mutterings - Mar 2

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Argue :: the toss
2. Surprise! :: Package
3. Telescope :: Reflecting (I made one of these!)
4. Shopping :: Centre
5. Button :: Press
6. Certifiable :: Behaviour
7. Blind date :: Cilla
8. Relationship :: Special (ha! ha!)
9. Appreciation :: in Value
10. Station :: (of the ) Cross

and two for one as last week was a little busy (a long trip and then storm Doris). These are the missing words:

1. Mini :: Skirt
2. Tantrum :: Childish
3. Grown up :: Clothes
4. Hollywood :: Glamour
5. Dance :: Studio
6. Invest :: Commit
7. Page :: Boy
8. Sparkle :: Inspire
9. Communication :: Ethernet
10. Proud :: Out

Mutterings - Feb 19

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Haunting :: Spooked (Melody)
2. Mattress :: Springs (Mistress?!)
3. Speculate :: Financier
4. Climb :: Karabiner
5. Diana :: Huntress
6. Runner :: Bean
7. Grim :: Cliff (Brothers?)
8. Nightmares :: Sleepless
9. Kitty :: Boswell (the most recent kitten I've been introduced to)
10. Chrome :: Browser

Mutterings - Feb 11

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Online :: Forum
2. Balance :: Libra
3. Grunge :: Culture
4. Beacon :: Lighthouse
5. Laughing :: Cavalier
6. Comedy :: Legs (must be John Cleese!)
7. Animated :: Gestures
8. Campaign :: Election
9. Heather :: Moors (resists having a surname for this one)
10. Comma :: Oxford

I need to get this back on track (the blog rather than just these posts) I've been away maybe some reflections on that might help?

Muttings - Feb 3

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Boots :: Puss
2. Flames :: Pentecost
3. Resign :: Chess (or President!)
4. Move :: Chess(!) or rotate
5. Stream :: Lieder (thinking of Schubert and Die Schöne Müllerin)
6. Champagne :: Aria
7. Slid :: Skidded
8. Bangs :: Curlers
9. Trailed :: Scouts
10. Woods :: Tiger

Mutterings - Jan 24

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Guards :: Guards! I don't think this is via Pratchett who I've never read but I think it's a quote from somewhere
2. Resign :: Submit (I was tempted to repeat resign - the cry of the house of commons!)
3. Blink :: Eye
4. Curvy :: Body
5. Ripple :: Raspberry
6. Benefits :: Government
7. Too much :: Over-eat
8. Stone :: Weight (as in 14 lbs)
9. Funny :: Expression
10. Receipt :: Trust (maybe an electronic receipt?)

Mutterings - Jan15

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Boarded :: Up
2. System :: Failure
3. Favor :: Ask
4. Sphere :: Great Circle
5. Priorities :: Straight (getting them..)
6. Chips :: with everything (please no!)
7. Lighting :: Console
8. Hopes :: Fears ( and shining light)
9. Standing :: Committee
10. Interest :: Bank

Apologies for the time this has taken to appear - a busy week!

Mutterings - Jan 3

This week's free word associations from Unconscious mutterings are:

1. Farmer :: Giles (couldn't work this out, but it's Tolkein)
2. Ambition :: Driven
3. Dinner :: Bell
4. Blind :: Tasting
5. Privacy :: PGP
6. Listening :: Support
7. Portrait :: Sitting
8. Flannel :: Rough (or Woffle!)
9. Responsibility :: Adult
10. Idea :: Brainwave