D Pollard

A busy couple of weeks ahead with Job Interviews – so I thought I better start getting some of the jobs at home finished off.

Where the new patio is going to be, there was a very large tree – which with the chainsaw came down very nicely. I even managed to get rid of most of the branches into the garden shredder without incident. Rather than dragging them off to the council tip, I decided to chop the larger branches / trunks into logs for those people in the village who have real fires. A couple swings of the axe make short work and soon I had bags full of logs cut into 6″ lengths. However one swing of the axe snapped a branch some what more quickly than others and send a log flying straight back at me, the result – a thick lip and a very sore cheekbone.

So, the next job is working out how to explain this in the interview panels.

Standards can be pain when you’re trying to include Flash animation and video.  The forever changing targets of making swf and flv files  fit within the W3C standards meant my offer to update Eric Bartons website ended up taking the whole day.  It had been 3 1/2 years since I last edited Eric’s site – and since then the release Firefox3 and IE8 (as well as the upgrade to Flash 10) meant that my very rusty development skills were put to the test as I performed what was in effect a very minor update to his site.    It may not look any different – but I had to change over 50% of every page.

It reminds me why I stopped doing web development and became an IT Project Manager.

Harnesses are great things. When fitted properly to a proper seat they far exceed the safety of standard inertia seatbelts. You can use standard belts on the track, but nothing holds you as well as a harness.

The problem is, to have harnesses in a standard Lotus Elise you need fit a proper harness bar. Now the bar itself has to be of set dimensions and material to adhere to FIA regulations – but at the end of the day it’s a steel pole with some welding and threaded points. That’s why they’re not expensive. What is expensive is the fitting. With time on my hands, the tools and the know-how, I spend the whole of Wednesday fitting a new bar to my car. I photographed each stage and have supplied the lessons learnt to various technical wikis on the internet. I’ve even written the process up this site.

All in all, it took me about 6 hours, a packet of Elastoplasts and an apology to a neighbour for shouting out obscenities at the damn thing every time I cut my hand.

A rare daytime treat – to have a clear run on the Snake Pass. Video uploaded to the motoring section.

[Show as slideshow]

Martin House (hospice for children and young people with life limiting illnesses)

The twice yearly NYLOC run to Martin House to give some very worthy kids a ride out in our various machinery.

The crux of it all is we are making dreams come true and giving a once in a lifetime treat to the kids and their families come to that, and the pleasure we give just makes us feel very privileged to have our health and by doing something so simple giving these kids a day to remember.

My doctors note ran out over the bank holiday weekend – soI’m cleared to go back to work.  Something I haven’t tried as yet was driving any distance ( for example,  the commute to work or collecting Alex from Northampton ) -  so I jumped in the car today to see how long I could last.

The short answer -  it wasn’t very far at all.   I made it someway to Cadwell Park,  which is about the same distance as my commute – but I do admit to having to stop for a rest on the way. The journey back was worse -  as soon as I hit traffic the constant changing gear soon got to me.  Either way,  I’ll dose myself up with pills tomorrow and hopefully once I’m at my desk,  I won’t have to go anywhere else until hometime.

Well for one,  I can’t believe it’s taken a fortnight to get where I am today.   This was supposed to be like day 3.

I’m up and about at last – but still suffering and lacking in stamina,  but at least I’m not stuck lying down.   It was the mother-in-laws 60th birthday bash over the weekend and I felt a right party pooper having to be sat down carefully.   You would have thought it was my 60th the way I’m moving right now.

There is no doubt I’m going stir crazy from not being out and about.  I’m dying to get back into the swing of things and this is infuriating the hell out of me.  There’s some things I’ve got to remember though -  right now I can’t even touch anywhere below my knees,  let alone put a pair of socks on.   I can’t sit upright in a normal chair without severe pain – and thats sitting still – I can’t imagine what it would be like to try and drive.  I grimace getting in and out of the car when I’m given a lift to the doctors – and don’t even ask about what it’s like going to the toilet.

And then there’s perspective.

My fellow NYLOCer Paul Hogan has announced this week that his recent bouts of illness is the return of  lymphoma.  Paul is going to have to go through hell for the next year during treatment ( and Fiona too for that matter ).   A close family friend in the village has just discovered she’s got cancer and has some heavy chemo work ahead.

So in perspective I should be happy.

So it should have been back to work today,  but still being able to move enough to drive and having enough painkillers inside me to make a race horse sleepy – means I’m still stuck on this damn sofa.   Without a doubt I’m going somewhat stir-crazy already.   I’m fed up with the Discovery Channel – I know now everything about sharks, nazi’s and volcanoes.   What’s worse is that I’ve heard that Andy Walsh (who had his shoulder op on the same day as me) is already back in Wales and drinking Guiness.

Why no blog entry yesterday ? Surely a day lying on the sofa would give you time to write something ?

Well guess again.  After watching “Clerks“,  “Clerks 2“  and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” I managed to shuffle around a bit yesterday afternoon ( anything to avoid watching “Loose Women” ).   Unfortunately this had serious repercussions last night when I discovered pain.    This pain wasn’t the nice sort that Mr T  has as a friend and introduces people to unless they buy a Snickers bar.  This was the sort where you can’t move a muscle and just want to shout as loud as you can for hours on end.

Anyway,  I have a new friend call Co-Dydramol  that makes  the pain go away -  but has the side effect of making want to chunder and fall fast asleep.

I guess I wont be making the NYLOC drive to the sea side tomorrow -  nor the Newby Hall Cars in the Park  event on Sunday either.  About the only thing I will get to do is watch seven series of “24″ and maybe make a new groove into the sofa.