Nat's Notes Monday 16 August

Monday 16 August

Today was very tiring and very very EPIC. The morning was pretty dull but the afternoon was the exact opposite. The first thing we did in the afternoon was go in to town. Whilst we were in town we went around the High Cross, to the Apple store and Hannah went to Claire's. After this we went to the Warhammer shop where I gave them the parental consent from so I could go to Games day. I have a very special seminar ticket which is only for white dwarf subscribers, and I'm not one.

Then we had lunch at the Hand Made Burger Co. I had the BBQ burger with bacon and cheese with a side order of chips and onion rings. All washed down with a bottle of coke.

After this we went on the edible bug tour where the guide showed us the displays and giant robotic BUGS!!!

It was then a quick dash to boxing, which was the same as always.

After boxing we went swimming with Hannah's Cubs and the Beavers, I am a million times more EPIC as I am a Scout. Even my miserable dad went in the water after about 2 years worth of Hannah trying to persuade him!!! He had obviously forgotten that Hannah had painted his toenails green.

By Nat ( the Ginster) Jones.

Saturday 3 April - Return to the Allotment, Games Workshop, Futurama, Work, Doctor Who

Deb and I finally managed to visit the allotment this morning for the first time this year. The weathers been so shitty these last few months that whenever we've had the opportunity to go there the weathers prevented it. We dug up the remaining parsnips and leaks and Deb planted some shallots. I had the fun job of washing the mud off the veg in the water tank; my hands are beginning to experience a partial return of sensation as I attempt to type this! Because of the weather there's an awful lot of work that needs to be done; the plots overgrown and we're going to have to clear it, again, before we can start serious planting. Hopefully, I'll be able to go up there over the next few weekends, before my operation renders me immobile for two months, and help Deb get some of the donkey work done. I think that this year, like last, we'll do what we can and next year, by which time hopefully I'll be fully mobile, we can try and bring the whole plot under cultivation. By then, again hopefully, Nat will be big enough and old enough to make a real contribution toward helping with this work.

Just as we arrived home Nat was getting into Sam's parents car and departing for, yet another day at, the Games Workshop, unbelievably Han was up and out of bed and watching Futurama when we got in ... it was only 10:30 and she was UP!!!!! She and Deb are off to the Garden Centre shortly and I'm for bed as I'm back at work this evening. It seems as if it's going to be a nice day today so hopefully we'll have a quite night, after the hassles of the two previous weekends it'll be nice if it is. Please God let it be that IT have finished with their badly planned updates!

I finally watched the last two episodes of Doctor Who with David Tenant as The Doctor this morning in anticipation of the new series that starts tonight. I know it sounds ridiculous but I'll miss him as the Doctor. Anyway, it's time to give the new chap a chance; the few previews that the BBC have shown look pretty good.

4 November - My First Night of Nights on Nights!

Tonight I joined the JDM overnight team at BGS. We work four nights on followed by four nights off; yes that does mean you can get 12 days off  every time you book four days holiday. If you want longer it doesn't work out quite so well because to go to 16 days requires you to take 8 days leave although of course this then automatically becomes 20 days because at the end of the 16 days you start your four days off1 Keeping track of holiday, I'm told, can get confusing. As I've just returned from one I think I'll leave this subject now to another day.
The teams is comprised of:
John - The Manager
Starkey
Duncan
Amit
Carol
Jane
Hasmukh
Ash
Bharat
Prash
and
Myself,
We work from 10PM through the night until 8AM next morning dealing, in the main, with overnight emergencies involving water leaks and such like. There are two specialist jobs overnight that we take turns doing. One is known as manuals, the IT system goes off-line after 10PM to update so all calls afterward until 6AM are recorded in ink on manual worksheets. These need to be collected sorted and eventually faxed to the appropriate centre before 7AM. In winter this is apparently a big job. The other special job is dealing with issuing emergency jobs to over night stand by engineers. This can involve a lot of diplomacy if you wish to avoid getting your ear chewed off by an irate engineer. I enjoyed my first night and everyone brokre me in gently. I will shadow the special jobs quite a few times before going solo. The team seem to be a good bunch although I haven't met hasmuhk yet as he is away on holiday.