Wild Tales: September 2010

Sunday, September 26, 2010

So Many Decisions – Getting Ready for a Holiday

We’re getting ready for a holiday. We’ll be going back to where we went in March, where cellphones don’t work and where there is no internet. Just woodland, books, dvds and whatever else you are able to take with you that doesn’t require a wireless connection.

I feel like I need the break. Work has been pretty full on this year, with the arrival of the coalition government it is a time of a lot of uncertainty and budget planning. At the same time we still have a very full work programme to deliver, so I’m tired and my batteries require a recharge. I’m really looking forward to getting away.

Planning what to take is proving to be the issue of the moment. There are only so many books you can read in a week, only so many movies you can watch, but which ones? Similarly do I want to take a laptop with me? I might want to write, and my netbook is traditionally my mobile writing machine. I might want to take photographs, for that I’ll need to take not only my camera, but I might also want my laptop which has all my photo and video editing packages on. My netbook and laptop are different machines, decisions, decisions. Nice to have choices to make, but I want to have a nice relaxing time not worried about whether I packed the right technology. So time to make a decision and stick to it.

Time to make sure that this holiday is about relaxation, recharging and cutting off from the pressures of work and life.

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Saturday, September 25, 2010

Allotment Video Update

Click here to download:

IMG_0139.mov (0 KB)

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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Star Wars / A-Team opening

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

R.I.P Mr Coco

When I walk the dogs I see lots of people doing the same thing, some stop and speak, some don’t. Those who speak tend to always speak and speaking is normally related to how well your dogs’ get on. If they get on well you tend to stop and speak lots. If your dogs' fight you tend to give each other a wide berth.

The strange thing is although you will speak about all manner of different things, you often don’t get to know one another’s names; you’ll always know the names of their dogs, but often not one another’s names. Sometimes this will even extend to not recognising one another if you meet sans dogs.

One of my dog owner friends owns a Labrador called Coco. Her owner is restricted to an invalid cart, but this doesn’t stop them enjoying long “walks” together, around the park. Wilson and Sparky love them both, Wilson especially loves rides on the “footplate” of the invalid carriage. Whenever we’d meet, we’d stop and chat. Chat about our dogs, chat about the weather, chat about this, chat about that. I think we both enjoy seeing each other once or twice a week just to say hello, and for Wilson to have a ride.

I write about this in the present tense but actually I should be using the past. I found out this evening that Coco’s owner has passed away quietly in his sleep. I knew he wasn’t well, obviously restricted to an invalid carriage was a clue, but we never spoke much about his health. We spoke more about the health of Coco, as a Labrador she was pretty typically overweight. We spoke several times a week. I’d not seen him for a few days, but had no idea what had happened, I also have no idea what his name is*.

I understand that his wife will be looking after Coco, she herself is not in the best of health but she apparently promised her husband to take care of their dog, should something happen to him.

I regret not having any photographs of him and Coco, or of Wilson hitching a footplate ride; most of all I regret not knowing his name.

For me he will always be Mr Coco.

*I have subsequently found out that he might be called Ted, but I still don’t know for sure.

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