Now the 11th of December and having been back at work a week or so my blood pressure isn't too bad. After leaving hospital I booked an appointment with my GP who signed me off work for a further 4 weeks giving me time to relax and hopefully get better, although I never actually felt bad. Over the next few weeks I check and record my blood pressure in the evening and also take note any other exceptions of which there are none really but just note things like 'return to work tomorrow' etc.
I have received 2 letter over the last few weeks from the hospital both about follow up appointments. One is for the initial eye problem and that's booked for 27 December and the other was for the MRA they promised me which was booked for 7 December which was last Friday. My appointment was for 1:45pm but arrive 15 minutes early to do any paperwork etc.
I arrive around 1:15 pm and the paperwork is minimal and I am directed to a waiting area for MRI and CT scans. People come and go and then I am called in. I am taken to a lobby area which has some lockers and 2 doors, 1 of which leads to the MRI scanner room and the other the control room. After some questions and changing out of my jeans I am taken into the scanner room. I lay down and and asked some questions about asthma and allergies etc as they wil need to inject me halfway through the scan. They put a cannula in my right arm and prepare me my putting a receiver pad over my kidney area and some other general shielding over my legs and upper chest. They say we are ready and ask if I'm ok.... They give me some headphones as they need to get me to hold my breath at certain times and also a panic button just in case. I am then fed into the machine and the procedure starts.
I am not going to beat around the bush here but I was ok until i opened my eyes which was when i realised how close around me the machine was. I closed my eyes and just followed the instructions given and stayed calm. I can see however if you really didn't like enclosed spaces then this would be a very difficult thing to have done. The one thing I can say is keep your eyes closed and relax. Before long it was done and I was pulled out od the machine. I actually felt a little light headed getting up but to be honest I just wanted to get on with the day and go home. I got changed again and made my way out.
As i said above I check my blood pressure pretty much every evening at the moment and it's looking ok, last night it was 124/62 which is good. I am of course on medication still but am awaiting an outpatients appointment with my consultant who will hopefully say all my tests have been fine and change my drugs around a little.
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Hospital visit continued.
Continued from last entry albeit sometime later.
It's some time later now but I've finally got round to writing up my continuation from the last entry. Anyway I wake up the next day on a drip which wasn't there when i went to sleep, the nurse says my BP came down to quickly so this has brought it back up so it can be brought down slowly. Whilst she's telling me this she takes blood, this is to be the first of many blood taking exercises. This ward is a little quieter in the day and the other patients are reasonably friendly. I spend the whole day on this ward with my blood pressure being taken periodically.
Early evening comes and I'm told I'm being taken to another area. Whilst still in the CCU ward this is an area called 'stepdown' . It seems to be for people who require less monitoring as it has less technology in it. I'm in a room with 3 men this time, all older than me. It's a nicer room and the guys are reasonably chatty and pretty funny. I spend a night and another day on this ward before being told I am being sent to a normal medical ward later in the evening. Around 3 or 4 pm a man comes to collect me and I assume this is to take me to another ward, however this is for a chest x-ray. This is done pretty quickly and before long I'm back in my normal ward. Just before the evening meal some porters arrive to wheel me including the bed to my new position.
I am now on a normal ward with 3 other patients. One of them requires 24 hour care and has 2 carers there most of the time and the other 2 are pretty elderly men who are here long term. Whilst being in this room with just 4 beds this Bay is part of a larger ward which as I will learn becomes noisy. As I have now been transferred I don't get the evening meal I order and have to make do with what's left, I get a very salty shepherds pie. The evening passes with visitors and before long it's pretty late and time for sleep.
I wake up and am reasonably happy as on this ward they don't seem to take your blood every morning. I am told I am having an ultrasound today on my kidneys and before long I am again whisked away downstairs and parked outside an ultrasound room. I am called in and the ultrasound goes without any event however the lady performing it doesn't seem very cheerful at all. I am told she's done and a porter arrives to take me back to the ward. The rest of the day passes un-eventfully however I get another doctors visit who decides I need an echo-cardiogram and an MRA scan, which is an MRI but on the arteries connected to your Kidneys.
I wake up and it's Friday morning and fingers crossed home time. I am no longer on any continuous monitoring just occasional BP checks like everyone else in the room really. I talk to the the doctor again and we have a good chat about things and she seems fairly happy and says if my BP continues its downward trend I can go home oh and the bottom figure needs be under 100. A lady turns up just after midday with a portable ultrasound machine and does the echo-cardiogram, she is much more chatty and friendly than the other lady who did my kidneys. She also does my kidneys again while she's there.
So, one last BP check and I'm allowed home. They do it and it seem to have crept up a little and the nurse says I'll need to stay. Sometime later the doctor comes in and says actually despite it being up it's probably better for me to be going home and she starts my discharge procedure and collection of drugs. It takes a few hours before I actually leave but as soon as I have my paperwork and medicine I thanks the doctors and nurses and make a dash for it. This was harder than I thought as the medicine was having some effect on me however determined I may my way to the reception and wait for Lisa who had gone to get the car.
One of my activities whilst at home was continue my urine collection for another 48 hours and return it the following Monday and also take a small tablet the following Sunday at 11 pm and return to the ward at 9 am on the Monday for a blood test and a BP check. I do this and the doctor is pretty happy with my BP, it's 132/72 which is much better. She's happy with that and also pretty happy I'm losing some weight too.
Monday, 12 November 2012
Arrival at PRUH
So we arrive at PRUH and go straight into A&E and hand in my letter and notes. We are advised to take a seat which is fine. After some time it's clear that my notes and whatever the letter says isn't really speeding up my admission. However after a bit I'm called into the assessment area where my blood pressure is taken again and of course it's still high. I'm also asked some questions however there doesn't seem to be any indication being 'fast tracked'.
I return to my seat and wait a bit longer then I'm called by a nurse who takes me into a side room and inserts a Cannula. As you all know this doesn't hurt in the slightest but allows bloods to be taken freely without inserting any more needles as it's effectively now 'on tap'. She also takes a few blood samples and lets me go back to my seat.
Probably 25 to 30 minutes later I'm called again, this time by a lady doctor who takes me through to the A & E 'ward' for want of a better term. I'm taken to my little cubicle and I sit on the bed and Lisa on the chair. The doctor asks me some questions, looks in my eyes again and suggests I need an ECG. 2 nurses duly arrive and wire me up. At this point all this is happening fairly quickly and again they are checking my blood pressure.
The first doctor arrives back with a senior colleague who has a look in my eyes, says a few things to the first doctor, and then she looks again. The more senior of the 2 then suggests to me that my high blood pressure is the cause of the blurry vision and part of the internals of my eye had swelled up because of the pressure. It's starting to sound serious, I'm not usually ill that much let alone being in a hospital. Anyway she then says that although I didn't realise as in general i felt fine that this was a serious medical emergency and it needs to be resolved before further damage of the eye or other parts of me.
They lay me down and advise they will need to get a blood pressure drug into me and that tablet form wouldn't be fast enough and in needed to be an 'infusion' which would be entered via the cannula. They spend some time tracking down what they are looking for and also I am later told questioning somebody else as to why I've been waiting in reception when I needed to be on medication. They seem to have trouble locating whatever they are looking for and seem to be on the phone asking about alternative infusions which could do the job. After a little while they must have found what they are looking for as I'm given 10ml of it via the cannula as an initial dose.
All throughout this there are of course other things going on in A&E which you try to look at to avoid your situation whilst all the time listening out for any conversation which may include your name which of course there were quite a few. In this listening out I hear that it looks like I'll be staying for 2 to 5 days, they later tell me this directly. It's all a bit of a whirlwind at this point but things seem to be happening and I'm told I'm waiting in A&E until they can get a bed on a ward.
Seemingly quickly I am then moved not to a ward but to a side area which seems to be for patients not on A&E any further but kind of in transit elsewhere but requiring high attention. In here the is some reasonably comical confusion as they are trying to get a machine working which allows unattended admission of IV drugs. After swapping the machine out and some confusion in how you set it up to deliver the correct amount over the correct time I am all connected and being administered 50ml of my infusion over 60 minutes.
In no time at all we are told a bed is free and we are off to CCU. At this point I didn't know what CCU you was but in no time at all I learn it's Coronary Care Unit. I am deposited on a high dependency ward where i am continuously connected to heart monitors, BP monitor and of course my ongoing infusion. It's now probably about 9pm I think. On my arrival on the ward I note it's ward of 4 beds with the other 3 being occupied by elderly woman who from time to time screamed out. I am in the corner still a bit shocked from the days events and not really knowing what's happening.
A nurse comes and gives me water etc and i am laying in bed. Lisa at this point has gone home as her mum was looking after the little one and needed relieving.
So at the end of today I have learnt I had a dangerously high blood pressure and have gone through something of a roller coaster ride and am now on a high dependency coronary care ward. Who'd have though that would have happened!
I return to my seat and wait a bit longer then I'm called by a nurse who takes me into a side room and inserts a Cannula. As you all know this doesn't hurt in the slightest but allows bloods to be taken freely without inserting any more needles as it's effectively now 'on tap'. She also takes a few blood samples and lets me go back to my seat.
Probably 25 to 30 minutes later I'm called again, this time by a lady doctor who takes me through to the A & E 'ward' for want of a better term. I'm taken to my little cubicle and I sit on the bed and Lisa on the chair. The doctor asks me some questions, looks in my eyes again and suggests I need an ECG. 2 nurses duly arrive and wire me up. At this point all this is happening fairly quickly and again they are checking my blood pressure.
The first doctor arrives back with a senior colleague who has a look in my eyes, says a few things to the first doctor, and then she looks again. The more senior of the 2 then suggests to me that my high blood pressure is the cause of the blurry vision and part of the internals of my eye had swelled up because of the pressure. It's starting to sound serious, I'm not usually ill that much let alone being in a hospital. Anyway she then says that although I didn't realise as in general i felt fine that this was a serious medical emergency and it needs to be resolved before further damage of the eye or other parts of me.
They lay me down and advise they will need to get a blood pressure drug into me and that tablet form wouldn't be fast enough and in needed to be an 'infusion' which would be entered via the cannula. They spend some time tracking down what they are looking for and also I am later told questioning somebody else as to why I've been waiting in reception when I needed to be on medication. They seem to have trouble locating whatever they are looking for and seem to be on the phone asking about alternative infusions which could do the job. After a little while they must have found what they are looking for as I'm given 10ml of it via the cannula as an initial dose.
All throughout this there are of course other things going on in A&E which you try to look at to avoid your situation whilst all the time listening out for any conversation which may include your name which of course there were quite a few. In this listening out I hear that it looks like I'll be staying for 2 to 5 days, they later tell me this directly. It's all a bit of a whirlwind at this point but things seem to be happening and I'm told I'm waiting in A&E until they can get a bed on a ward.
Seemingly quickly I am then moved not to a ward but to a side area which seems to be for patients not on A&E any further but kind of in transit elsewhere but requiring high attention. In here the is some reasonably comical confusion as they are trying to get a machine working which allows unattended admission of IV drugs. After swapping the machine out and some confusion in how you set it up to deliver the correct amount over the correct time I am all connected and being administered 50ml of my infusion over 60 minutes.
In no time at all we are told a bed is free and we are off to CCU. At this point I didn't know what CCU you was but in no time at all I learn it's Coronary Care Unit. I am deposited on a high dependency ward where i am continuously connected to heart monitors, BP monitor and of course my ongoing infusion. It's now probably about 9pm I think. On my arrival on the ward I note it's ward of 4 beds with the other 3 being occupied by elderly woman who from time to time screamed out. I am in the corner still a bit shocked from the days events and not really knowing what's happening.
A nurse comes and gives me water etc and i am laying in bed. Lisa at this point has gone home as her mum was looking after the little one and needed relieving.
So at the end of today I have learnt I had a dangerously high blood pressure and have gone through something of a roller coaster ride and am now on a high dependency coronary care ward. Who'd have though that would have happened!
Why it went downhill.
As in the previous post i mentioned that on J's birthday whilst she had fun my day went downhill, and here's why.
J's birthday was on a Monday and over the previous weekend I had noticed something odd with my right eye and me being me didn't think too much of it so carried on. I was in the office on Monday morning (the home one, not the Reading one) and thought this is silly why not just visit the optician, so I google the number of a local one that looks pretty good, Steven Harris Opticians in Locksbottom, the friendly receptionist advised that the next free appointment was the following Saturday however she then said if I could come in 20 minutes time Mr Harris was free and would see me himself, I duly agreed.
So up I drive to Locksbottom which is about 5 minutes from us and park up and walk into the optician which is on the High Street, I then give a few details and take a seat. I get called and go into the eye test area. I'm asked why I'm there and explain and give the reason as 'I'm getting older and can't see as clearly out of my right eye as I used to so probably need glasses'. I'm run through a number of tests on my left eye which I pass fairly easier and am told my vision is pretty much perfect, I'm pretty pleased as this is probably my first optician visit for over 25 years, however the same can't be said for my right eye as nothing really seems to enable me to see correctly. After lots of looking I'm advised to go the eye accident and emergency as Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup. I'm written a letter to take with me and after paying the test fee (£30 which seems reasonable) I head home to tell the family.
I arrived home and said to Lisa that the optician couldn't figure out was was wrong and he advised a visit to the eye A&E so we head there straight away. Upon arrival it's reasonably busy as expected however we are seen pretty quickly for initial assessment. The nurse does a few simple eye chart tests and then checks my blood pressure. It was high and she advised I visited my doctor about it and wrote me a letter to take with me for explanation. She also said that the eye doctors books were pretty busy and could we go back after lunch at 1415. We headed home for lunch.
We arrive back at about 1350 and are directed into a busy room and take the 2 last seats. However weather it's because we had came earlier or my case was possibly something different for them I get called first. I'm called by a fy nice doctor who initially comments on the blood pressure however quickly progresses to checking my eye out. He seems at first to be fairly not concerned about the blood pressure and suggested that whilst he was working in eye clinic he could prescribe me something for the high pressure however he would prefer it if my GP did it.....fine.
So he does quite a few tests including putting drops in my eye which makes me looks like a scared cat that enabled him to look quite closely at the eye internals. I'm then sent back to the waiting room for about the 7th time, it appears that my case has interested them. I'm then called back in to see a consultant who again looks in my eyes, says a few things and gets the previous guy to look again for experience. The consultant whilst clearly having my best interest at heart doesn't quite seem as cheerful or casual as the previous doctor. He then comments on my blood pressure which little do I know yet and won't find out for a while is most likely the cause of my blurry vision. He says that really my blood pressure needs to sorted before any eye treatment could happen as it's really really high. I get sent back to the waiting room again.
After about 15 minutes I'm called back into the clinic again and advised that they have booked me to see somebody at Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH). They suggest popping home to pick up an overnight back as I may need to stay but to get there as quick as I can. Slight concerned now we head home. They have also given me a whole host of notes and a letter which they say will allow me to bypass waiting in A & E again and I should therefore be seeing the doctor as soon as I arrive. I thank them and head home.
I pack a back with a few bits and pieces and head to PRUH.
J's birthday was on a Monday and over the previous weekend I had noticed something odd with my right eye and me being me didn't think too much of it so carried on. I was in the office on Monday morning (the home one, not the Reading one) and thought this is silly why not just visit the optician, so I google the number of a local one that looks pretty good, Steven Harris Opticians in Locksbottom, the friendly receptionist advised that the next free appointment was the following Saturday however she then said if I could come in 20 minutes time Mr Harris was free and would see me himself, I duly agreed.
So up I drive to Locksbottom which is about 5 minutes from us and park up and walk into the optician which is on the High Street, I then give a few details and take a seat. I get called and go into the eye test area. I'm asked why I'm there and explain and give the reason as 'I'm getting older and can't see as clearly out of my right eye as I used to so probably need glasses'. I'm run through a number of tests on my left eye which I pass fairly easier and am told my vision is pretty much perfect, I'm pretty pleased as this is probably my first optician visit for over 25 years, however the same can't be said for my right eye as nothing really seems to enable me to see correctly. After lots of looking I'm advised to go the eye accident and emergency as Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup. I'm written a letter to take with me and after paying the test fee (£30 which seems reasonable) I head home to tell the family.
I arrived home and said to Lisa that the optician couldn't figure out was was wrong and he advised a visit to the eye A&E so we head there straight away. Upon arrival it's reasonably busy as expected however we are seen pretty quickly for initial assessment. The nurse does a few simple eye chart tests and then checks my blood pressure. It was high and she advised I visited my doctor about it and wrote me a letter to take with me for explanation. She also said that the eye doctors books were pretty busy and could we go back after lunch at 1415. We headed home for lunch.
We arrive back at about 1350 and are directed into a busy room and take the 2 last seats. However weather it's because we had came earlier or my case was possibly something different for them I get called first. I'm called by a fy nice doctor who initially comments on the blood pressure however quickly progresses to checking my eye out. He seems at first to be fairly not concerned about the blood pressure and suggested that whilst he was working in eye clinic he could prescribe me something for the high pressure however he would prefer it if my GP did it.....fine.
So he does quite a few tests including putting drops in my eye which makes me looks like a scared cat that enabled him to look quite closely at the eye internals. I'm then sent back to the waiting room for about the 7th time, it appears that my case has interested them. I'm then called back in to see a consultant who again looks in my eyes, says a few things and gets the previous guy to look again for experience. The consultant whilst clearly having my best interest at heart doesn't quite seem as cheerful or casual as the previous doctor. He then comments on my blood pressure which little do I know yet and won't find out for a while is most likely the cause of my blurry vision. He says that really my blood pressure needs to sorted before any eye treatment could happen as it's really really high. I get sent back to the waiting room again.
After about 15 minutes I'm called back into the clinic again and advised that they have booked me to see somebody at Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH). They suggest popping home to pick up an overnight back as I may need to stay but to get there as quick as I can. Slight concerned now we head home. They have also given me a whole host of notes and a letter which they say will allow me to bypass waiting in A & E again and I should therefore be seeing the doctor as soon as I arrive. I thank them and head home.
I pack a back with a few bits and pieces and head to PRUH.
Josie's Birthday
Well it's here, or it was, Josie's 2nd Birthday. Doesn't time fly?
After lots of present wrapping, and kitchen building the big was here.
There were plenty of presents for the little on on the day and she had a whale of a time unwrapping the large number of gifts she had received from various people.
I don't have much more to share about the day as for me the day went downhill from here.
After lots of present wrapping, and kitchen building the big was here.
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| Kitchen all finished |
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| I'm 2 now |
I don't have much more to share about the day as for me the day went downhill from here.
October Holiday
A week off of work in October and we were off to Saunton in Devon. I was looking forward to the week away not only for the week off as it's been busy at work but also it was the week of my birthday. We went late Sunday afternoon as whilst the little one slept on and off throughout the 5 hour drive she seemed pretty excited. We arrived at the house around 11pm and J went straight to bed as did we after turning on the Aga and boiling the kettle for some tea.
So Monday, first port of call after breakfast was to head for the beach. There are some great beaches in North Devon and Saunton Sands is a great one with a great beach side restaurant ( The beach side cafe/restaurant is actually part of the Saunton Sands Hotel. The food is excellent as is the service and they are extremely good with families. Beach info can be found at Saunton Beach info
Unfortunately today was the only day it was to remain dry, from Monday afternoon it rained continuously until we came home. We came home slightly early as the the weather wasn't really that great at all for a family with an almost 2 year old.
So Monday, first port of call after breakfast was to head for the beach. There are some great beaches in North Devon and Saunton Sands is a great one with a great beach side restaurant ( The beach side cafe/restaurant is actually part of the Saunton Sands Hotel. The food is excellent as is the service and they are extremely good with families. Beach info can be found at Saunton Beach info
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| J and I on Saunton Sands beach on 8 October 2012 |
Unfortunately today was the only day it was to remain dry, from Monday afternoon it rained continuously until we came home. We came home slightly early as the the weather wasn't really that great at all for a family with an almost 2 year old.
We did go to another attraction The Big Sheep, which is just passed Bideford heading from Barnestaple. Now its advertised as an all weather attraction and in most conditions I would agree. However the rain we experienced was monsoon like and whilst pretty much everything was open including outdoor attractions the weather was a definite downer. One thing though which i must commend the staff on was that they recognised the weather was bad ans extended all visitors tickets to be valid for the following 7 day meaning people could come back when the weather was a little milder. One thing that was very good though is the indoor 'soft play' area which is fun for kids of most ages I would say. There were also a number of very big slides which were great fun, even for those of us who were almost 37!
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| Slides and softplay @ The Big Sheep, Bideford. |
As you can see above the whole indoor softplay area is actually pretty massive, it also extends further to the right of the picture. There's also a pretty good cafe in there too which serves pretty much anything you'd want to eat or drink.
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Olympics
The Olympics are everywhere!
Yes they are, and the time has come for us to go and watch something. Sadly not at the Olympic village in Stratford, but instead we were off to Earls Court to watch a heat in the Woman's indoor volleyball. We booked the tickets early last year and originally booked 3, one for each of us, however nearer the time we thought that Josie probably wouldn't handle it too well so she stayed at home in with Nanny. It's was all pretty well arranged, with the ticket you got a travel pass and once at the venue getting in was very quick despite the airport style security being run by the military. We had pretty good seats and saw 2 games. The first being Dominical Republic vs Algeria and the second being Korea vs China! The first game was pretty quiet however half way through the place filled up with Korean and Chinese people and the second game was very very noisy. They really cheered their respective teams on. There appears to be a lot of 'high fiving' in volleyball!
Yes they are, and the time has come for us to go and watch something. Sadly not at the Olympic village in Stratford, but instead we were off to Earls Court to watch a heat in the Woman's indoor volleyball. We booked the tickets early last year and originally booked 3, one for each of us, however nearer the time we thought that Josie probably wouldn't handle it too well so she stayed at home in with Nanny. It's was all pretty well arranged, with the ticket you got a travel pass and once at the venue getting in was very quick despite the airport style security being run by the military. We had pretty good seats and saw 2 games. The first being Dominical Republic vs Algeria and the second being Korea vs China! The first game was pretty quiet however half way through the place filled up with Korean and Chinese people and the second game was very very noisy. They really cheered their respective teams on. There appears to be a lot of 'high fiving' in volleyball!
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| Pre Match |
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| Teams greeting each other. |
Quick Catchup - Other stuff
In London it's all been about the Olympics!
Shortly before the Olympic kick off we took a trip in to Greenwich and parked up pretty much 100ft from the Cutty Sark is HMS Ocean. I think it's our the defence base for the UK armed forces whilst the Olympics are on.
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| HMS Ocean. |
The weather was pretty good although a bit windy, we had a bit of a walk around and then ended up popping into Cafe Rouge to feed the little one.
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| Canary Wharf from Greenwich Pier. |
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| Josie @ Cafe Rouge, Greenwich |
Quick Catchup - Work
Been working hard putting on the studio at google. It's in a pretty nice building in London at a complex called 'Central St. Giles' . There are quite few companies that seem to rent floors with the ones i remember being Google (obviously) and also NBC Universal. Spent quite a lot of time up there getting things right, but after all it is google and it's good to giver the customer something they like.
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| Google @ Central St. Giles, London |
Then a trip to MTV Amsterdam. Not a long trip, just an overnight. I flew from London City airport, which is great, direct to Schipol airport Amsterdam. It's then a short train ride to Central station after which i had to catch a ferry to the MTV office which is about a 15 minute ride. I think lots of companies over there have been persuaded to move to an slightly derelict spit just down the river but it's a pretty funky place. As you can see from the pictures below the area around MTV Amsterdam could do with a little tidying up although maybe that's part of the charms. There was an outdoor concert on the day i was there which apparently goes on pretty late. From the second picture you can also see that MTV Amsterdam have some pretty nice offices. There was also a lot of celebratory cake going around!
In the evening myself and a few colleagues took out some MTV guys for a meal. MTV booked us at a pretty nice Indonesian place but guess who ended up picking up the cheque at the end of the night!
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| Buildings surrounding MTV Amsterdam office |
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| Inside MTV Amsterdam |
Monday, 9 July 2012
Barnna, Galway, Ireland a work trip.
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| The view out into the Atlantic Ocean / Irish Sea. |
I'm in Barna, Galway, Ireland for 2 days. Flew in on an Aer Lingu flight from London Heathrow to Shannon then it's just a 90 minute drive to Barna.
There are three of us from work and we're staying a hotel called 'The Twelve'. It's a pretty nice hotel, it's modern with great rooms. After a quick drink we ventured out and ended up in an extremely good fish restaurant 'O'Gradys on the pier'. The food was fantastic and service very good.
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| http://www.ogradysonthepier.com/ |
Tomorrow the real purpose of the visit, a meeting at TG4 the Irish National Broadcaster.
Saturday, 7 July 2012
British GP Qualifying @ Silverstone
It rained...... a lot.
After the BBC telling people in the public car parks not to attend (approx 20,000 people) and deciding not to go despite getting up early then reading weather reports etc about 1030 I thought I'd just get in the car and go. Silverstone is around 120 miles from home so after packing up what I was doing and filling up with diesel I arrived there at around 12:55. Qualifying one starts at 1pm so I was right on time. I had a little trouble parking although not because it was busy I simply couldn't find the car park. I asked an attendant who with great efficiency told me where i wanted to be heading. I then turned into a muddy field and with great rally cross precision guided the car across 2 muddy fields.
Then a couple of other attendants told me the best way to get in to where I needed to go. We were lucky enough to have been given the tickets which were pretty good ones in an under cover grandstand right by Abbey corner which is the first bend after the pit straight.
In qualifying round 2 the weather got pretty bad and the session was stopped with just over six minutes to go. The rain came down for quite a time and the commentator said the weather radar indicated the rain would stop at 14:40....Guess what dead on that time it stopped. A huge team with brooms and trucks to collect the water appeared and within around 15 minutes the track was much clearer. The announcer says the session will restart at 1507. A few minutes before that there's a mighty roar as those who wanted to go out to finish the session start their engines. A formula one car's engine noise is really loud so imagine 20+ cars on the track flat out.
Q2 finished and then Q3 starts. It's the final 10 cars battling for places on the starting grid. Thankfully the rain hold off enough for the session to end immediately after which it starts to pour down and there was a mass exodus to the car parks. A shame really as there were GP2, GP3 and Porsche cup races still to go however most people probably only go for the big F1 cars.
Got the car out without too much drama in the car park and despite warning there was no traffic jams at all so headed home. I think if the weather was better I would have stayed longer but the rain and wind got the better of me.
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
Busy Week
Wow a busy week this week too after last weeks fun at Google's new London HQ.
I've been in the office for three days this week sorting out dull stuff, I'm off to MTV in Amsterdam early tomorrow morning for the handover meeting of the system there. I then fly back early doors from Amsterdam to London City to be at google around 9ish to meet one of our engineers and 2 of the new guys. (Oh yes, we've also had 6 of our 8 new starters start this week).
Next week it's 3 days away with a short trip to TG4 in Galway, Ireland to offer some 'operation' knowledge into a planning meeting. You can only fly to Shannon it appears from Heathrow which isn't especially close and then it's around a 2 hour drive at the other end and no doubt we will have skimped on the hire car and it will be something pretty rubbish.
I've been in the office for three days this week sorting out dull stuff, I'm off to MTV in Amsterdam early tomorrow morning for the handover meeting of the system there. I then fly back early doors from Amsterdam to London City to be at google around 9ish to meet one of our engineers and 2 of the new guys. (Oh yes, we've also had 6 of our 8 new starters start this week).
Next week it's 3 days away with a short trip to TG4 in Galway, Ireland to offer some 'operation' knowledge into a planning meeting. You can only fly to Shannon it appears from Heathrow which isn't especially close and then it's around a 2 hour drive at the other end and no doubt we will have skimped on the hire car and it will be something pretty rubbish.
Sunday, 1 July 2012
BBQ @ Mike and Sues or better title some adults and 14 kids
A great BBQ this afternoon at one of our friends houses. Our hosts were Mike and Sue and they live in Dulwich, which is a nice town(village) in South East London.
Despite the kick off at midday we arrived a little late as little J was asleep. Always best to let them sleep otherwise they end up a monster.
Upon arrival things were in full swing. The BBQ was on the kids were playing out the back and little J joined straight in. It was good to catch up as a big group as we are rarely all in one place very often these days.
Amazingly as well as all the adult there were 14 children and i think they are all under 7. I think that Hannah and Duncan's eldest, Megan, is the oldest of them all.
Despite the kick off at midday we arrived a little late as little J was asleep. Always best to let them sleep otherwise they end up a monster.
Upon arrival things were in full swing. The BBQ was on the kids were playing out the back and little J joined straight in. It was good to catch up as a big group as we are rarely all in one place very often these days.
Amazingly as well as all the adult there were 14 children and i think they are all under 7. I think that Hannah and Duncan's eldest, Megan, is the oldest of them all.
As you can see above it's a good crowd of people.
Above is Iza, Tim and Paul. I'm sure that that conversation was either about kids or weddings. Iza and Tim are looking forward to their first child due 30th October 2012 and are also getting married next year in Poland.
Here's Duncan, Hannah and again Paul. We don't often get to see Duncan, Hannah and their 2 too much as they live in Taunton, Somerset which google maps tells me is around 180 miles from us. When we do get together though it's always great fun and we are looking forward to seeing them in 2 weeks time as it's the christening of Paul and Zoe's youngest, Annabel.
Friday, 25 May 2012
Wow, Summer's here.
Long time no see. Well it's warm again in South London. The garden is looking good, have been working at home the last few days which is great. Means I get to see more of the family which is always nice. The little one has been playing on her slides and various other outdoor toys.
Fired the BBQ up tonight and did some sausages and steaks.
Fired the BBQ up tonight and did some sausages and steaks.
Monday, 20 February 2012
Kazakhstan and back again
Well I've been in Kazakhstan for a week at the ever growing Astana Media Centre. A small group of us went out on 12th February via our usual route London Heathrow to Astana via Frankfurt. Sadly our flight from Heathrow was delayed by 2 hours which meant we missed the connection to Astana. We were told on the flight from Heathrow that we could still get it however we ran to the gate but just missed it! A trip to the Lufthansa Service Centre desk and we were booked onto an Air Astana flight by the extremely helpful service staff. This meant a change of terminal and a hunt around the airport but we eventually found where we need to be. Air Astana was the airline we had been trying to avoid however despite the plane being older than the Lufthansa equivalent and a bit less specious the flight was actually pretty good.
So a week working on the play out system at AMC and then home again. Strikes by German Air Traffic Control have hit me and although I've made it to Frankfurt my connection to Heathrow is cancelled. I actually knew this already as I checked before i left the hotel last night. A quick call home and Lisa managed to call Lufthansa customer service who immediately booked me onto a later flight. I'm now all checked in and just awaiting for my 1340 flight to London. A few hours delay but at least I'm going home!
So a week working on the play out system at AMC and then home again. Strikes by German Air Traffic Control have hit me and although I've made it to Frankfurt my connection to Heathrow is cancelled. I actually knew this already as I checked before i left the hotel last night. A quick call home and Lisa managed to call Lufthansa customer service who immediately booked me onto a later flight. I'm now all checked in and just awaiting for my 1340 flight to London. A few hours delay but at least I'm going home!
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Snow!
It started to snow early last night, not too much this morning, maybe an inch or two settled. Apparently it's not meant to hang around.
Monday, 30 January 2012
Fly Fishing at Wherwell Estate, Hampshire.
A quiet weekend away.
This weekend the 'learning to fly fish' course was finally happening. After lots of making arrangements and setting times we finally set off from Canary Wharf, London, about 4pm. There were only 2 of us in the vehicle as we were meeting the others at the pub ( http://www.peatspadeinn.co.uk/ ) just after 6pm. We made good time across London and were in Hampshire by about 630pm.
After a quick drink and a change of clothes we started dinner. This ended up being quite a boozy affair and resulted in a few cloudy heads the next morning as we didn't finish until gone midnight. Breakfast was a 8am and was a little tough to stomach for most of us, however as planned we set of for the fishery and arrived dead on time at 9am ( http://www.roxtons.com/fishing/venue/Test_Wherwell_Estate/ )
We were met by 2 old hands at fly fishing who throughout the day gave excellent tuition so thanks to Brian and John from Orvis for a good day.
After a brief introduction to rods, knots, casting and fly's we moved on to fishing for Rainbow Trout in the Lake. Throughout the day we caught a good number of fish and ended up leaving will 11 magnificent rainbow trout.
As you can see from the picture below the lake was a fantastic setting and was so peaceful. You could just about hear a dull background noise from a local road which I believe is the A303 road to Somerset and Devon.
Below you can see a team photo from the end of the day. All six of us had a successful day and all left feeling like we had achieved a great deal as none of us had really fly fished before.
This weekend the 'learning to fly fish' course was finally happening. After lots of making arrangements and setting times we finally set off from Canary Wharf, London, about 4pm. There were only 2 of us in the vehicle as we were meeting the others at the pub ( http://www.peatspadeinn.co.uk/ ) just after 6pm. We made good time across London and were in Hampshire by about 630pm.
After a quick drink and a change of clothes we started dinner. This ended up being quite a boozy affair and resulted in a few cloudy heads the next morning as we didn't finish until gone midnight. Breakfast was a 8am and was a little tough to stomach for most of us, however as planned we set of for the fishery and arrived dead on time at 9am ( http://www.roxtons.com/fishing/venue/Test_Wherwell_Estate/ )
We were met by 2 old hands at fly fishing who throughout the day gave excellent tuition so thanks to Brian and John from Orvis for a good day.
After a brief introduction to rods, knots, casting and fly's we moved on to fishing for Rainbow Trout in the Lake. Throughout the day we caught a good number of fish and ended up leaving will 11 magnificent rainbow trout.
As you can see from the picture below the lake was a fantastic setting and was so peaceful. You could just about hear a dull background noise from a local road which I believe is the A303 road to Somerset and Devon.
Below you can see a team photo from the end of the day. All six of us had a successful day and all left feeling like we had achieved a great deal as none of us had really fly fished before.
L-R - Adam, Julian, Me, Paul, Duncan, Jonny.
The days catch!
Monday, 2 January 2012
Happy New Year 2012
2012 is here and Happy New Year to all
Christmas is over now, NYE has gone and it's back to work tomorrow. Over the next few days we'll gradually take down the decorations and pack them away until next year. I wonder if the little one will miss them as they've been around for a few weeks now and she's always pointing to them.
Christmas day was spent at my mum and dads and from memory there were 10 for lunch so I took our old table on Christmas Eve and luckily it matched size exactly to theirs so we all sat comfortably around the table rather than banging arms all the time. Boxing day we spend at Lisas mum and dads and the number were pretty much the same.
NYE was great, we went over to a friends house and due to the number of young children we celebrated New Years on Indonesian time which meant our celebration took place a 5pm local time. The kids loved it and we had the usual champagne etc. We even managed to get a youtube of the 2010/2011 fireworks in London on the TV which the kids loved. Then we had fireworks and sparklers in the garden for the kids. We started of trying to launch a chinese lantern however the wind was possibly too high and it flew around the garden at head height then over the fence into the garden next door and proceeded to set fire to things. Luckily the garden hose was nearby so we were able to extinguish pretty quickly. We then had some 'quiet' fireworks for the children. I say quiet as the young ones often don't appreciate the big bangs and rumbles. Then onto the sparklers which were of course supervised one adult per child and held at arms length.
On New Years day Lisa wasn't feeling too great so Josie and I spent the day relaxing, watching TV, and sleeping. Here she is sitting in her Lego Box after turning out everything else.
Christmas is over now, NYE has gone and it's back to work tomorrow. Over the next few days we'll gradually take down the decorations and pack them away until next year. I wonder if the little one will miss them as they've been around for a few weeks now and she's always pointing to them.
Christmas day was spent at my mum and dads and from memory there were 10 for lunch so I took our old table on Christmas Eve and luckily it matched size exactly to theirs so we all sat comfortably around the table rather than banging arms all the time. Boxing day we spend at Lisas mum and dads and the number were pretty much the same.
Josie being instructed by her older cousin on opening presents
NYE was great, we went over to a friends house and due to the number of young children we celebrated New Years on Indonesian time which meant our celebration took place a 5pm local time. The kids loved it and we had the usual champagne etc. We even managed to get a youtube of the 2010/2011 fireworks in London on the TV which the kids loved. Then we had fireworks and sparklers in the garden for the kids. We started of trying to launch a chinese lantern however the wind was possibly too high and it flew around the garden at head height then over the fence into the garden next door and proceeded to set fire to things. Luckily the garden hose was nearby so we were able to extinguish pretty quickly. We then had some 'quiet' fireworks for the children. I say quiet as the young ones often don't appreciate the big bangs and rumbles. Then onto the sparklers which were of course supervised one adult per child and held at arms length.
NYE fireworks - not a great picture but you get the idea.
On New Years day Lisa wasn't feeling too great so Josie and I spent the day relaxing, watching TV, and sleeping. Here she is sitting in her Lego Box after turning out everything else.
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