on the cut

Today, in connection with work, I met and listened to two people talk about living on canal narrow boats. It was very interesting, and they were at pains to point out that the 'liveaboard' lifestyle is not as idyllic as portrayed by the ITV Waterworld programme.

Many people buy boats to live on, mistakenly assuming that it will be easy and restful. Those who rescind the lifestyle are described as going "back to brick", a delightful phrase.

Jupiter and beyond the infinite

Yesterday's "today, for the first time" was renewing my car tax online. It was remarkably straightforward. All you need is the 16-digit number on your reminder notice.

The implications, though, are not so good. It means that your MoT certificate, if you have one, and your insurance details are on the same computer or at least available to that system. You may already know this, but it was news to me.

So when the Public Service Announcement on television tells you that you can't avoid the black monolith from '2001 A Space Oddity', it's really referring to HAL 9000, and we know what happened to it. This is more than just turning up on a database of overdue payments.

splaaat!

Today, for the first time, I splashed paint around on large sheets of paper, using a large brush. They were the first pages of my new spiral-bound book, and it was a surprisingly exhilirating experience.

I've been quite timid and apprehensive in the past about colour and large paper, so I decided it was high time I get on with breaking through that barrier and just do it.

I've no idea what I'll use the sheets for. Two of them form a double page spread, though I applied the paint in different ways so they don't match. I also painted some smaller sheets that I'll stick into the book at some stage. Some, I suspect, will be backgrounds for other things, but some might be sufficient in themselves.

gorgeous goosegogs galore

Last autumn I ordered various plants for our allotment. The blueberries arrived soon afterwards, but the rest was scheduled for delivery in January. Last week, a package duly arrived, so yesterday I took it down to our plot to plant in a temporary place until I've time to prepare the ground properly.

In addition to the raspberry canes I expected, there was a gooseberry bush which I'd completely forgotten, so that was a pleasant surprise, but what is it with gooseberries and sex, either in the form of babies or being an unwelcome third person?

grumpy old man, part 67

We went to a certain carpet store recently to take advantage of some big price reductions in the sale. On the price calculated in the store on measurements I'd taken, we ordered some carpet, paying a deposit while we were there.

As arranged, someone came to measure and provide an accurate price. My measurements were out slightly, which after all is why they send someone to do the real measuring, but there was also some tale about the shape of the room and the direction of the weave which meant it had to be laid in a certain way which meant more material would be used. The cost of the fitting also increased, but I was never clear quite why. All in all, the final price turned out to be nearly fifty per cent over the price indicated in the store.

We went back to the store to cancel the order and ask for a refund of the deposit, at least partly because we felt we'd been taken for a ride. There was never any difficulty about the cancellation or refund, but when it was clear that we were serious, the salesman suggested that we give him an hour or so, and he would see what he could do to reduce the price to near what the original estimate had been.

In some countries, haggling is a part of everyday life, but I don't feel comfortable playing a game where not only are there no official rules but it's not clear that you're even playing one until you question something.

Yes, people haggle about house and car prices, but they are often second-hand and not in formal showrooms. I don't want to compete with salespeople and wonder afterwards whether I've been ripped off.

brian's procedurals

My creative hero, Brian Eno (see posts here and here), is at work again. He's writing some complex procedural music to match the complexities of a long-awaited new computer game called Spore which simulates the complete history and future of life, no less. I haven't bought a computer game for a long time, but if this one lives up to the hype then I'll be buying Spore.

What games, computer or otherwise, do you like playing?

another first

I recently introduced an occasional "What I did today for the first time" section. Over the last week, during a hiatus in blogging which you probably didn't notice, I've had to do several things for the first time that I would prefer to have left undone.

So to lighten the mood a little, although it wasn't today, I'm going to resume blogging with the announcement that on Sunday, for the first time, I replaced the felt on a shed roof. It may not sound like much, but I'm far from skilled in DIY matters, so I felt (no pun intended) quite a sense of achievement when I surveyed my ragged and uneven handiwork.

who will buy my sweet red roses?

It may be a luxury, but we bought some flowers being sold off cheaply yesterday at the supermarket - some yellow tulips, some yellow and pinky-orange tulips and some fluted carnations with mauve tips on the lightest pink stalks.

They really cheer the place up on these dark, damp days. As a result, we're planning to grow flowers on part of our allotment this year.

the way to start each day

Having said recently that I would resume writing morning pages, as recommended by Julia Cameron in The Artist's Way, it's about time I provided a brief progress report.

I've been writing for just short of a fortnight now, three pages every day, missing only one so far. It means getting up half an hour earlier, and it can be a struggle sometimes, especially when I'm starting at work early. I do feel better for it, though. It feels like my head is cleansed of the day-to-day concerns that clog things up, leaving me free to concentrate on what I want to.

The drawback, however, seems to be that I feel less inclined to write in this blog, and not at all in my other blog. Perhaps I only have a limited number of words each day. I'll have to keep an eye on this.

leaves 'n' stuff

Here's another photo I took in the Botanic Gardens in Birmingham in December, when they opened for a few evenings.

hi ho, hi ho

Today was the first day back at work after the Festive season. Although the break was a seductive reminder of what life was like so very recently when I wasn't a slave to the daily 9 to 5, I found for perhaps the first time in my life that I didn't mind the resumption of my place at the grindstone.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed my time off immensely. It's just that my current job feels about as far as it's possible to get from being crushed by the wheels of industry. Except for the possible exception of someone who is paid to sit in the shade on a sandy beach and drink refreshing liquids. And I've not spotted an opening in that field recently, not even one at the bottom of the hierarchy.

it's that time of year

Been contemplating. Been making changes, just small ones, but the start of many, all part of de-cluttering and re-focusing. It's that time of year.