House update

 Not much to say really other than we've booked in some tree surgeons to take down a couple of trees and have appointments booked with kitchen designers next week.

We're still waiting on final structural drawings then we can see if we can find a decent builder to start work.  I think we're quite a few months behind our original plan.  It'll get done eventually, just not anytime soon.

We're seriously considering getting one of these as a centerpiece 

https://www.homeleisuredirect.com/jukeboxes/digital-jukeboxes/

Weekend plans?

• Thursday evening:  Chips and wine on the sportsground
• Friday:  Wine and kids playing in the garden of a friends house
• Saturday: Rugby tots early, Shaheen, Kate and the Kids visiting
• Sunday: Easter egg hunt round my brothers
• Monday: TBA, possibly covid tests.

Tired Arthur

 Arthur was up earlier than usual this morning so decided to make the most of his trip to nursery. 

Looks like I might get an extension

 I had a 1 to 1 with my boss earlier and it turns out she's expecting (due in Sept), the other news is a girl in my small team is leaving to move to a different company (that's the second).  Maybe it's something i've done.

Anyway, I was asked if i'd consider an extension, I said yes.  

That felt good

 Photos from the lockdown easing Monday bbq!

It got a little chilly

End of evening

Sorry for the orientation 

The girls had a drink or two too

First beer

Loves the stokes

I got burnt!

The cat enjoyed it too

The rams skull needed putting back up

I even cleaned the fridge

I shouldn't be allowed on a ladder

What a beautiful day 

Weather's looking good for my day off next week!

 Shame it's not the Tuesday.

It's still going

The road was closed for most of the day yesterday which meant there was a lot of extra traffic along our street.  

Today there is a Search and Marine van, I assume they're looking for the weapon.

Bye, bye trees

As part of our planning permission we're allowed to cut down two trees in our back garden (the garden is getting pushed back a bit).  These are the two that are due the chop.  I called a tree surgeon up this morning to see if he could quote for it, he answered the call whilst up a tree!

Incident in Tonbridge

 https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/two-men-arrested-after-tonbridge-5226245

I had to take Flo and Arthur the long way to nursery this morning as the High Street was closed where it connects to my street.

By all accounts there was a stabbing there last night at around 10pm.  That's about 250m from our house.  Looks like they've caught a couple of people though so that's good.

Found this on Flo's back last night

 

Pizzagate

 Who pulled the pizza box down and started munching on a slice?

Josephine!  Bloody fat cat.

Did this Nazi spy for the UK?

I don't know!  Why would I?  Stop asking me these stupid questions.

 

Hand forged d6

 My hand forged d6 arrived today, and i've very pleased with it.  It weighs a fair bit.  Pretty sure it's not ture (as they say) but could do some serious damage if thrown in your general direction.

Finally started using my monitor switcher

 Working picking up and i'm doing lots of reviews of spreadsheets and word docs, only using my work laptop's screen has been difficult as it's only 14 inches.  I dusted off my monitor switcher where at the touch of a button I can switch my second home monitor to that of my laptop.

Kids

 Arthur's been making a lot of progress recently and this weekend we discovered his first tooth.  He's now clapping on command, crawling wherever he wants to go and eating fairly well as long as it's mixed with yoghurt. He was 10 months old yesterday.

I can't leave Flo out of the update, here she is looking just like her Daddy.  She's counting and adding up well, and over the past 6 weeks or so has really come on with her letters.  Good girl Flo!

Evil cat

 Poor Arwen can't play her game because the evil cat Josephine won't let her get it.

Rule of (at least) 6 (beers)

I've taken Monday 29th off from work.  I may as well, I have effectively paid for the holidays and bank holidays already with the way my contract works.  That will leave me with 11.5 left till mid August and that doesn't include the bank holidays.  We're not planning to go anywhere special during that period so thought i'd make the most of the first stage of lockdown easing and have some local friends over for beers and a bbq in my back garden.

Rates are low, infact Tonbridge itself had no new cases last week (Tonbridge and Malling 14 per 100,000) , I just need to get back to some level of normality.  And by normality I mean having some beers with friends.

Work needs to be done on the shed before that though as it needs a good de-spider and there will need to be a minesweeping of dog poop the morning before to ensure no mishaps.

The shed does leak so it will need to get some air into it too.  Not sure how my friend's brother's 50 inch TV faired this closed season as that was a mainstay for outdoor sport and movies last summer.  Fingers crossed. 

Nerf Elbow?

I've got a Nerf dog ball launcher and I think it might be hurting my elbow.  Is Nerf Elbow a thing?

Cosy cat

I was looking for the cat last night as she was nowhere to be found.  I eventually spotted her by the back door.  She looked cold so I wheeled her next to the radiator.

Season 4-8: Klarpp's journey

2024/25 Wolfsburg:  Won the league, won DFB-Pokal, German Supercup, won Club World Championship, 

2025/26 Wolfsburg:  Won the league, won DFB-Pokal, German Supercup

2026/27 Arsenal:  Won the league, won the Carabao Cup

2027/28 Arsenal:  Won the league, won the Carabao Cup, FA Cup, Champions League

BBQ on the 29th?

 I'm thinking about taking Monday 29th off to make the most of the Rule of 6 in your garden.  In the morning i'll clear out the shed and give the BBQ a clean.  In the afternoon some friends will pop over for beers and a bbq.  The last BBQ we had at ours was in 2019 where my gas ran out.

No chance this time, swapped the empty bottle for this mammoth at the weekend.

I was worried about whether people would be allowed to use the toilet but according to the offical advice (The Mirror) looks like they can!

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/lockdown-change-people-use-toilet-23550585

Shame

 Most of my interaction with the outside world is screen grabs of our fantasy football teams and how badly we did that week.  Usually followed by the world 'Shame'.  Here was some of my midfield last weekend.  Pep the twat didn't even play my two star City players.

Poor Slayer

A friend sent me a meme

I said I gladly didn't own any of their music

Can't see it

On closer inspection, turns out I do.

Strange anniversary

It's a year today since I was told to work from home, i'm now on my third contract.  It's very strange really.  At my last place I didn't even meet them face to face.  There were a couple of opportunities to head in but we were all given the choice to go into the office and I opted for thanks but no thanks.

It's looking likely that we'll all be going back into the office at some point, probably in the summer but it will be strange. 

Yum yum

We bought an entire fillet of steak yesterday (again).  Went went to a garden centre yesterday because Flo wants to grow sunflowers so we popped into the attached butcher to pick up some more.  Plenty there for a good 7 or 8 meals for two and it freezes well so no need to eat it all this week..  

The cat was very interested

To do a Leo Sayer

 April starts her belated wine tasting course today (Mondays for 3 weeks) so this morning I taught Florence the term Leo Sayer.  I'm very jealous.

Octowine stand arrived too

 April starts her delayed wine course next week so bought her an octopus wine stand as a present (she was supposed to get it on Sunday first for Mother's day, but Florence spoiled the surprise), she was supposed to do this once a week in January but had to get postponed due to the latest lockdown.  It's at the Hotel du Vin in Tunbridge Wells where we were married.  I imagine it'll be in the same room.

Not sure how much use it will get as open bottles of wine don't last long in house Clark...

Octomug arrived

 I've been looking for a nice large handmade mug for my tea and April found this on Etsy.  It's reassuringly heavy and has an octopus on it.  What's not to like?  Brilliant!

Octomug

So much reading

 I have to do so much reading in this new contract.  I can only describe the report writers that are in charge of the risk areas that I am looking at as 'keen'.

Who would have thought?

 Who would have thought that i'd be foolish enough to work too hard?

After 6 days i've finally found out that my hours are 9-5.  Most companies in the city now work 9:30 to 5:30.  Luckily i've been working 9-5:30 so have not missed any time. 

Oh, just some dog pictures