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.