deadheaduk

Today was the Race for Life in Gillingham’s Capstone Park. The two previous times Team G-S had done the race it had been in July and a red hot day – today wasn’t like that. Once we had got past the traffic jam to the site they waited in the rain for the race to start.

It’s always the same when we arrive and I see all of the pink sheets on peoples backs saying who they are running for I always get a bit sniffy for my mum who died of cancer 17 years ago.

Bex had decided to run the race but Sarah was going to walk as usual with Lis who had hurt her ankle but was determined to do it even though it had to be strapped. Ben and I took up positions next to the start/finish line and waited to see them go.

Ben sat patiently by the finish line and amused himself by kicking off his wellies every few minutes and eating biscuits.

When the first runner returned they weren’t expecting her as there were people still starting the race. Poor girl ran over the finish line – there was no tape or any one waiting to greet her and it was a good minute and a half before they even noticed some one had finished.

Bex arrived a few minutes later completing the 3 mile course in around 27 minutes and was the first youngster to finish as far as I could see.

Sarah and Lis came in just after the hour but as it was a good 5 minutes before they crossed the start line I reckon their time was about 58 minutes. Lissy’s ankle had slowed them down.

So they all got their medals and they raised about £105 for Cancer Research in the process – not bad as we only started asking for sponsors last night!!!

Thanks to all who sponsored them and if you haven’t yet then it’s not too late simply click here and go to their sponsor page – have your credit card handy.

Sarah and the girls are doing Race for Life for the third time tomorrow.

You can sponsor them online here if you want

 (You can still sponsor them even after the event by the way)

I found this picture of me (on right holding microphone) today as I was sorting out stuff in the shed. It was taken on the Broadway in Sunderland almost directly opposite our house at the time (number 69). I was a pupil at Broadway Junior School at the time which means it would be between 1969 & 1973. I think I was about 10 so it would probably 1972 (Sarah was still a twinkle!).

We were conducting a survey about the shops in the area and had been given a tape recorder to interview people with – obviously a sign of a future career!

Sarah asked her youngest daughter what she wanted for a birthday present and was told that she would like to go on a cooking course with ME! So Sarah looked on the internet and found the local council ran one called “Cooking for Dads and Kids” so she booked us on it.

The first session was last week and we went off to the centre only to find it locked up. We waited but there was no sign of anyone and all of the phone numbers were going to answering machines. Eventually another Dad turned up but there was still no sign of anyone. We eventually gave up and went home. It turned out that they had changed the time of the course and it had been on that morning.

Anyway we got a partial refund and we went along today for the second session. It was really good. We made rock cakes with apples and apricots in them and a pizza using a bread base. The instructor showed us what to do and you could let your child do as much as they were able and help out with the difficult bits like pealing apples or kneading dough.

At the end of the course we took home some cooked rock cakes and an uncooked pizza which we had for lunch. It’s a shame we missed the first session but we did get the recipes from it today so we can try them at home.

After the rat died I did the usual “that’s it no more animals” as I dealt with the dead body and sniffled my way to the vets to get Garcia cremated. This resolve lasted only a few days until we saw an ad on Freecycle for three budgies in a cage.

I’d never really thought about having a budgie until Nigel flew through our bedroom window last year. During the short time he was with us we got used to his cheeping and when he died we missed him. So we replied to the advert and later that day we went and picked them up. There were one male and two females budgies George the blue one, Mildred the yellow one and Flo the minty green one.

Oh and today we got a guinea pig from the same people who goes by the name of Henry!!

A can of cider on the train home sort of day!

Probably won’t mean much to most people but Stan Webb – he of Chicken Shack fame rang me up yesterday!! I had sent an e-mail enquiring about booking him for our forthcoming Summer of Love festival and he called me back.

We have now booked a replacement for the artist who pulled out and we are just waiting for final confirmation. Can’t say who it is yet but he did appear at Woodstock and was part of the Haight Ashbury Scene in San Francisco in 1967. Give me a F!

So we had popped into Primark on Saturday to buy one of the girls some things for an upcoming school trip when I got my eye on a pair of pink pants. Sarah urged me to buy them but I said I’d be too embarrassed to go to the counter with them. So she said she would pay for them.

I decided to buy a sweatshirt and a pair of shorts and off we went to the counter. Sarah went to the first available till and then I went to one that became free. One of the things Sarah bought didn’t have a price on it so they got someone to go and get one with a barcode. While she was waiting she picked up the pants and waved them at me asking “do you still want these” – I scowled at her but it was too late as the assistant had cottoned on – “so these are for you are they?” she asked.

Anyway I got them and wore them to Brighton on Sunday!!

….poor old blokie got locked in the lavatory!!

 Went to the loo this morning and the handle came off the lock  trapping me in there!! There is no way of opening the door from the outside and I couldn’t get the lock to budge. After about ten minutes I had to attract attention and eventually – just as the Fire Brigade seemed the only option – Sarah managed to slide an old kitchen knife under the door and I was able to unscrew the lock and get out.

She was obviously disappointed that the firemen weren’t coming but I was relieved (no pun intended) as she said that she would have had to have a bath, do her hair and get dressed before she phoned them!!

This comes soon after falling asleep on the train last night and waking up in Sittingbourne so the holiday weekend has got off to a great start!!

I did my first proper editing job yesterday. I’ve always had James
around to help out but he is away on leave for a month and I’m filling
in where I can. On the face of it it was simple – client was bringing
in some DVD’s which needed music editing onto them and then outputting
onto tape.

I had to get some invoicing done first but managed to get into the
edit suite about an hour before the client was due which was just as
well as I couldn’t get any output from the machine. The input was ok
so that meant I had the firewire connected properly and I checked all
of the settings and they seemed ok. Eventually I had to phone James -
apparently there is a refresh devices option in one of the Final Cut
menus – they didn’t mention that on my course.

Then the client arrived and there was the next problem – he had
brought the files on another Mac. Once we transferred the files I then
had to work out how to use them! Luckily I sussed it without too much
effort and the fact they needed to be rendered gave me breathing
space! In the end it all got done and the client left happy and
earlier than expected which was good as we had a meeting at Becky’s
school regarding her forthcoming trip to Cornwall.

Ben was always going to be a problem as most people who have children
in year 8 don’t have two year olds as well. He was as quiet as a mouse
until the meeting started and then he tried to escape. When he started
shouting mummy we decided to get him out of there. Unfortunately as I
carried him down the aisle and in front of the head he started
shouting mummy daddy becky at the top of his lungs causing the whole
audience to burst out laughing.

I spent the rest of the time playing cars up and down some steps
outside and him counting up to 7 (the number of steps). It was chilly
and when I suggested going to the car to get my jumper he said no
daddy I’m busy! Eventually I managed to drag him away and we got back
just as the meeting finished.

Apparently in my hurry to leave the building I had left my bag behind.
Unfortunately my mate Chris chose this moment to call me and the phone
wasn’t on silent! Even worse he left a message and voicemail rang
back 5 times! He also tried my work phone and did the same but luckily
that one WAS on silent. We folks from the Big Blue House certainly
know how to make our presence felt!