Know the game "Fortunately Unfortunately"? Here's a quick example: Fortunately my wife and I are relatively healthy people who don't get ill often. Unfortunately Ellie and Samuel both got colds a few weeks back. Fortunately I didn't get it. Unfortunately I got one a week later. Fortunately Ellie and Samuel both made steady recovery. Unfortunately … Continue reading Keep taking the tablets
Rants
How the Lib-Dems broke the Election
Now, I'm not normally one to talk about politics. I usually have absolutely no interest in such things, and I tend to be of the opinion that life will continue regardless of which party is elected. Strange, then, that this year should feel so different. Politics has been 'the thing' to talk about - on … Continue reading How the Lib-Dems broke the Election
Growing up is overrated
Life is full of stages. History, experience, science and society have, through their own varied means and with very little co-operation, dictated to us how our lives should develop and when each milestone should be reached. In the case of babies, these stages are closely packed, and a by-the-book baby can be expected to learn … Continue reading Growing up is overrated
Beware of exclamation marks
My friend Phill recently bought a new mobile phone. Apparently it's shiny. Last Christmas I bought my wife a new mobile phone. It too is shiny. My own mobile phone, on the other hand, was shiny and new in 2005, and is now considerably less shiny than it used to be thanks to my keys … Continue reading Beware of exclamation marks
The American Elections: why Americans vote and Brits don’t
Even if you've caught only a few minutes of news on TV today it will have been pretty much impossible to miss today's big news. America elected Barack Obama as their next President, beating John McCain by a significant margin. In fact, so big is this news that it dominates the headlines here in the … Continue reading The American Elections: why Americans vote and Brits don’t
Making sense of the fuel crisis
Today was a first for me. I spent more than £20 on a tank of petrol. For most people I suspect £20 is hardly anything, but my little Mini has a tiny tank and a range of only about 200 miles. But so far Ive been looking at an average of £15-18 to fill up. … Continue reading Making sense of the fuel crisis
Comparing services
I've just received a bill from British Gas. We're on paperless billing, so it's all done online. I logged into their web site, checked the bill, and noticed that the bill was based on an estimate rather than a direct meter reading. So I took a reading from our meter, fed it into their web … Continue reading Comparing services
Manningtree Vehicle Show
Sunday it was supposed to rain. At least, that's what the weather report said on Thursday. By the time it got to Sunday morning the MET office had revised its decision and said that it wasn't going to rain. But it was going to be grey and misty and cloudy and miserable. And it was. … Continue reading Manningtree Vehicle Show
Where did ‘one’ go?
Yesterday, without warning, 'one' railways suddenly ceased to exist. In its place are platforms decked out with "National Express East Anglia" logos and posters, and trains in a new livery. Overnight, it seems, the company was taken over, everything changed, and no one seems to know what's going on. In fact, so new is this … Continue reading Where did ‘one’ go?
Not good, BT, not good at all
Back in December I picked up the telephone to call someone, only to find that we had been disconnected. The cause, apparently, was that there was an outstanding balance on our account, and the line had been cut off because of it. We could receive calls and use the internet, but not dial out. This … Continue reading Not good, BT, not good at all
Matthew Dawkins 