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You see, I don't complain about the place we live in so much anymore. Before the reincarnation of this blog I used to complain at length about the last place we lived in. In truth, it was pretty nasty and so much had to be done to it. Upon moving into a house, we thought that were were home and dry in terms of somewhere nice, warm and homely to live. We were a little bit wrong on that count.

Perhaps we have a strange set-up? We get a house along with The Boss's job. I have to say, that's pretty cool. It means that we don't have to worry so much about finding a place to live, and we're not paying £1000+ a month for the going rate of houses in this area. Some people would probably wonder what dare we complain about? I'll point out a few good things about this place.

The good

• A nice, large garden


• A driveway


• A spare bedroom


• It's quiet


• It's not on-site

That's all good. And at first glance, it seemed like a nice place. However, shortly after we moved in, we noticed the enormous cracks in the walls around the doors. We saw how the internal doors no longer close, or in some cases open, because the house shifts so much. We could also see how the doors have been adjusted for this - there are massive gaps (in one door, big enough for me to get my arm through) at the top and bottom of the doors. The front door needs regular adjustment by the glaziers. The kitchen floor has separated from the wall, and thus there is a huge gap. Mold grows on the bathroom walls because it is plagued by damp. The garage is falling down.

Almost two years ago we brought most of these things to the attention of, what we will call, the maintenance department. Our particular concerns were with the internal doors, the garage, and the drastic shifting of the building after a little rain. So we waited...and we waited...and we waited harder...and we waited longer...and longer...and longer...until now.

About a month ago the new guy in charge of the maintenance department promised to come round and have a look at our biggest concerns. We thought something may get done as he was new, thus a good rapport could be struck up with him. He never fucking turned up. So, cue me being rather pissed off (since when is that different to normal?). There was no apology from him, he just didn't bother to turn up. Nice, eh?

Today, I was told that he was going to turn up this morning to have a look around. Then I was told it would be this afternoon, or rather "after lunch". As someone who works much the same times as the maintenance department, I know that after lunch would normally mean after 12.30. I'm still waiting, and it's 1pm. Not long, I grant you, but I don't think he will come round at all.

The problem with living in accommodation that belongs to your employer is that they can and do demand to come into your house for various reasons, at any given time. If that got things done, I would be fine with it. Instead, it gets nothing done. It is almost an exercise for them to come and have a snoop round at how other people live. Later this week, someone is coming to value the house. Not a good time to be selling, and an even worse time when they see the problems with it - of course, it doesn't belong to the people who are getting the estate agents in, so they can't sell it. Who would want to buy a place looking like this? Or more importantly, who would want to buy a place after hearing such scathing things about it?

I do not think that anything will be done to this place while we are living here. It is quite obviously not on anyone's agenda, despite the dire need. And while I appreciate that there are more important things - we have been asking for these things to be done for 2 years. Some people stride in and get things done with a few days. Our house has not seen anyone from that department in two years, and even then it was only someone painting a wall.

Nothing will ever get done to this place. Why? Because the new guy won't even bother to turn up. Again.
So much for an Englishman's home being his castle.

Edited to add: Fuck me. He did come round. That was a turn up for the books indeed. He has made all sorts of promises about the problems and how they will be fixed. We'll see...

Click the image for larger.
Yeah - this is for real. You see two lights there? Well, when we turn it on, we see three. Yep, that's right: three. The Red Ring Of Death.

Arse cunting bollocks.

No more Lego games until it returns from Microsoft. Arse.

It's just really annoying. If it's anything like The Boss's brother's machine, it will come back from Microsoft and not work for a different reason. Arse.

1) Why is it that you do something for someone, and they don't appreciate it?
Oh yeah, that's right, you can't do anything right for anyone anymore, can you? And of course, the rest of the freaking world is too selfish to realise that you have actually done something for them. That includes a lot of time and physical work. This isn't about me, for once, it's about The Boss. If he gets pissed off, the whole department gets pissed off. Makes it fun to work in that department though.

2) There are few things that I hate more than sitting in and waiting for a serviceman to arrive
I don't mean serviceman in terms of someone in the armed forces. I mean the boiler dude. I hate the fact that they have to come and service things in the first place. While I appreciate that it's only once each year, I still hate it. I really hate to have someone enter my house, not just my house but my home, uninvited. I didn't ask this guy to come, we were told that he had to, and he's supposed to be coming today, this afternoon, in less than an hour. I will feel as though my home and my personal space has been completely invaded and violated.

3) I'm sending someone a birthday present.
Nothing big or exciting about that, right? I don't normally send them one. I'm terrible with birthdays. Christmas is fine, but Birthday? Nuh-uh, unless it's someone that I see on a regular basis then I don't normally bother. This is my Brother's girlfriend. Saying that is probably doing a disservice, more like partner. They've been together for years. I don't see either of them often, but as I bothered to send him something for his birthday, I should probably do the same for her. That's the same brother that I reference here in an entry called "The mysteries of the family". I often don't remember much of what people say to me, but one thing that his partner said to me once really stuck out in the mind. Shortly before The Boss and I got married, she said that she couldn't believe I was getting married before my Brother, and that she might have to spur him on. I realise that he is almost 16 years older than me, but he's not the marrying type. Anyway, she's getting a Fortnum and Mason hamper.

4) It's the summer, and I'm bored.
"Go out!" I will hear people say. Yeah well, the weather's been shite for that recently and today I have to wait for the boiler dude. Maybe tomorrow. Hell, I'll take the camera out. Even though today is supposed to be warmer than yesterday I feel much colder.

5) I said I'd put a picture up of the new hair. Well here it is.
I took this portrait for shits and giggles, and because I'm supposed to be photographing a number of people in a portrait fashion this week. I figured I might as well have a go at doing myself first. The hair isn't too easy to see, but the shape is all there. As usual, click for bigger.

So for a while now you've been coveting an ND8, or rather Neutral Density Filter. It's Monday, it's June, you come home from work, you find the filter on your door mat. Wonderous.

What is the natural course of events now? Sure, you want to take it outside and give it a try...Good on you. Can you do so? No, of course you bloody can't. Why not? It's raining.

Although now it appears to have cleared up a little. I might risk it in a short while, after taking a look at the sky. It's not looking too good, but I think I'll give it a quick go anyway.

--------------------

Back a bit later. So I went out and gave it a go. I had, in my style, forgotten to look up online the best range of settings to use with an ND8 filter. Moron. I have now fiddled with one particular setting that should be good for it, but frankly, unless I stack a few of these ND filter atop one another, it's a little bright right now. My main purpose for getting one (I had a purpose?), was for evening/normal long exposures. You know, the kind of stuff that displays movement. As we're now in the time of year when the sunset is nice, it will be good to try. I just hope that the next time I see light streaming through the clouds, I do in fact have my camera on me for once. Short of that, I will be required to carry the camera and tripod everytime I leave the house. Not ideal.

So yes, Saturday. We watched my Father do military driving. Good fun was had by all. We got a little bit sunburnt, oh well. It will wear off. There's not really a lot to say about his driving day. He had fun, it was entertaining to watch him, I took lots of photos, end of really.

After many early mornings, and very late nights last week, all I wish for is the chance to have some real R&R. Ugh, hate that term. I get the distinct impression that I'm not going to get it. That will be both through real world commitments, and through my own overzealousness at wanting to do things (or should that just be "boredom"?).

And before I sign off, one of the nicest things this week has been the purchase of a bird feeding stand. It's at the end of the patio, and lots of little birdies that we either haven't seen before, or don't see much of are using it quite a lot. How lovely.

I'm still in a little bit of a "Huh? You mean to tell me it's all over?" mood. And now I find it strange not to be doing anything in the afternoons, even a little disconcerting. I know that the OU have received the essay, which is good. But it is still a serious question...what do I do now?

My parents are coming this week, which will distract me for a few days. But what about next week? I suppose if the weather stays okay, then I might go out more, like I did yesterday. However, it's not looking so good, a bit wet and chilly. Although yesterday was particularly warm. I'm waffling.

It's early. You know, I was up, showered and had a wash on before 7am. That's rare for me. Now I have half an hour until I need to be in work. I have a cup of tea in hand, have just had some toast, and am now slowly going through the stuff on this desk, which desperately needs tidying. And I figure - what better time to do it than before my parents arrive? Now is as good as ever, right? I suppose. The rest of the house could do with it too. We've made some progress, and now have two fully assembled DVD/CD, or rather "media" cabinets next to the TV where there just used to be a pile of paperwork. They are getting slowly filled up. It certainly looks much better.

So yesterday afternoon I went for a walk into the wheat field opposite. The weather was nice, I have a camera and I'm still learning how to use it. I had a serious Gladiator moment. In fact, I had wanted to take the following picture for quite a while, ever since I had seen the wheat field across the road. Yesterday was the perfect opportunity. I think I will go out and take it again once the wheat has turned yellow, and maybe in colour this time. Maybe even a wider shot. Both of these images get larger if you click on them.

If you're at all interested in the technical (Exif) details of the following image, here they are:

Camera: Canon 400D
Shutter Speed: 1/200 sec.
Lens Aperture: F/11
Flash: Did not fire
Focal Length: 34mm
ISO Speed: ISO-400
Shot In: Black and White.

Hello indeed. It has been a little while. According to my Movable Type panel, it's been four days since my last entry. What Ho! I've been a little busy.

The weekend I was coerced into playing Bioshock, for some of it at least. I'm only on the second "level" if you can call it that. It scares me a little. Very atmospheric. I'll keep on trying.

Yesterday I went to work, and those four hours flew by, which is quite a surprise considering I didn't exactly do much. Last night my parents called. They are coming back. Bally well time too. Anyone would think that they had emigrated. I think this time of year is when it starts to get a little too hot for them. They are coming back to a Britain that has had some horrid weather recently, but it seems to be settling down now. The sun is shining, there is a little breeze, the washing is out, it's not too warm but warm enough to walk around without a coat.

They should be landing in Luton after midnight, and not getting here until I believe after 5am. What joy. They say they will be very quiet, that they won't go upstairs until after we're up. We tell them that they are silly because in all likelihood it either won't wake us up, or we'll already be awake. The latter I suspect as I sleep rather lightly. That will definately give me a chance to finish up the Fry book I'm reading. I'm almost at the end, and as I took Pascal's Pensées out of the library today, I could do with finishing The Liar.

What else is happening? I've been attempting to tidy up a little. I think I will just make the excuse that both studying, work and tiredness have been inthe way of me tidying properly. Indeed. It is more a case of me really not caring. At least we can see the floor, and the dining room table isn't too bad. That's all that matters.

I worked today. Oh did I work. I was charged with a kind of untangling job. In truth it was taking patch leads out of the slots at the side and hanging them down the front of the cabinet. Tomorrow I have to change all of the patch leads for some special new type that we have. Thank the powers that be for MP3 players. Oh the joy. Four hours of swapping cables about in silence, or rather with the heavy drone of the air conditioner, would have been tortuous. I cut my hands and left arm to ribbons mind you, while scraping them along the rough edges of some unterminated cables. Ah well. Shit happens.

Instead of the air conditioner, I had a couple of hours of music, good shit that I like, and then half an hour or so of the latest audio book. You know, the one I alluded to in the last entry. Broken Skin. The voice acting is fucking brilliant. Beyond brilliant almost. I only had one issue - that one of my headphones, the left one to be exact, is completely fucked. Doesn't work at all now. I mean, what do I do with that? New earphones, and the Bose in ear ones look good, but they're about £70. What if I don't like them, or, even on their smallest size, they still hurt? Maybe it's worth the punt?

Now that all is said and done, and I've done pretty much all of the tidying/cleaning that I can be bothered to do, I shall go and listen in silence to the rest of the first disc of this audiobook. What a nice way to spend an hour. That way I can listen properly.

Toodle-oo!

Sometimes I do something, and then I sit and wonder why the hell I bothered to do it.

So today, my afternoon was going just fine for quite a while. There was a small chain of events that included a couple of people coming to the door, and that worked fine. Dandy, wonderful.

While all of that was going on, in the back of my mind I was remembering that I had to do some cleaning and tidying as my parents are coming tomorrow. Wonderful, eh? So I started when I first got home from work by putting some stuff in the recycling bin. Good-o.

After answering the door a couple of times I decide to do the kitchen. Why?
That then led on to cleaning all of the bathroom and mopping the kitchen floor. I now feel like shite. Yes, total and utter shite. I had not been feeling well for the past week (I suppose), then I go and do a load of stuff just because it needs to be done, and I feel like crap. Well, I've had enough. For today at least. I think I will move a few more bits of paper around, but he can do the hoovering. I've had enough.

Why? Why do I bother? My parents know what our home looks like. It would not be of any great shock to them.