I forgot to post this picture from the local paper. It's still there, the ducks seem to quite enjoy jumping off it.

• • • • •

 
Well, it's been a really long time since I actually sat down and wrote anything meaningful here, so here goes. As I said earlier, I did end up going to Italy and it was fantastic. I've finally managed to get some pictures uploaded. They're not mine though, the Canon camera I bought just before I left seemed like a real bargain at the time, but less so when none of my pictures came out (out of 50 shots, one came out and that was of my thumb). That's the last time I trust a film with anything important, next time I'm going digital. Anyway some of the pics are OK - I might be able to get hold of some more. If I do, I'll put them up too.

Well at long last my other site neverhappy.com is up and running. It's a site all about eBusiness (well, anything Internet / gadget / computer related really) and I hope people start contributing because it could be excellent. The software I used, Geeklog is fantastic, if a little tricky to install. It wasn't as easy as, say phpbb but well worth the effort I think. It's not quite slashdot, but hopefully we've got something valid to say.

What else, what else... I just booked us a long weekend next weekend, in Devon. Since I've been away the last two weekends (Monza, then boys boating weekend) Candi's been getting a bit fed up with being stuck here on her own, so we're going away together. Should be nice, more or a cottage than hotel and it looks pretty rural. Shame we can't afford to go away anywhere hot for a 'proper' holiday - with Candi just starting work we are stretched to the limit financially. Hopefully things will sort themselves out soon enough.

Last weekend was good fun, me and 4 blokes went on a canal boat trip. We went on the Grand Union Canal, quite a few locks to contend with but we managed. I thought I'd put my back out at one point (bloody gates!), but it soon settled down. Sign of the times, eh? I must be getting old. It was good fun though, we drank and messed about - nearly had a couple of collisions with other boat users but nobody fell in or anything. We didn't even lose any lock keys. We also had to navigate through a 2km tunnel. Not so easy when you're in a 70ft, 22t narrowboat that seems to be inexplicably drawn to the tunnel walls. Especially when you realise that the tunnel wasn't even straight. When we got back it took me a couple of days to readjust to being back on dry land again, I kept thinking I was swaying.

I spend so much time in front of a computer these days I'd like to get out more. Tomorrow I'm supposed to be going on a bike ride with Candi. She's just got some new roller skates so she wants us to go and try them out. Judging by the state of the weather I wouldn't be surprised if we end up stuck indoors. I'd like to get back into gaming but I don't seem to have the time. The last game I got into recently was Moorhuhn. Spent hours playing that one. If you follow the links for Moorhuhn X you can download the XS version for free (the instructions are in German, though). Loads of fun. I have thought more about getting a PS2 or XBOX (or maybe a Gamecube) recently, but I can't justify the money. It's not just the console, you usually need a couple of accessories (extra controller, memory card) and let's not forget the games. I know what I'm like, it wouldn't be long before I'd spent a fortune on games, just look at my DVD collection if you need proof. So for the time being, I'll stick with Unreal Tournament 2003.

Candi has decided that the car is too big and she wants something smaller. Obviously the timing's not too good, we're not exactly rolling in money at the moment but I must admit I have been thinking about changing it myself. We've had it 2 years now and given the amount we use it (probably 5 journeys / 10 miles per week, unless we go away somewhere) I wonder if it's worth it. Anyway, I'll start looking around and maybe think about changing it. I don't know what we would get though, it took us ages to agree last time.

• • • • •