What's Doing

I do so like it when my wife phones me up with the sole purpose of whingeing at me. It always makes my day.

On a trip out today (not totally unrelated to SWMBO) I overheard a mother berating her two small children. The quote of the week prize was awarded on the spot as she simply said – "Will you just stop annoying me".

In a small diversion from our usual subject matter, here are a few links to a subject that I think is important, web site accessibiility. These are mainly for Jonny (about time you updated that page old bean). He now makes his living knocking up web sites and of course knows all about this subject. Not only that, I am sure he has memorised all of the content.

But just in case he needs a refresher, and for those others of you who are thinking about knocking up a web site say hello to;

• Dive into Accessibility
• Jonathon Delacour reviews Building Accessible Websites
• Joe Clark wrote Building Accessible Websites
• A list apart the definitive web design site

On a personal note, this web site is not exactly accessible, or even fully compliant to standards but I am getting there. My other site, however, is so compliant you can see the wisps of super cooled air it leaves in its wake.

Update

I have started to make amends for my slack html coding. I am going through this site a page at a time and validating the source. As I become standards compliant I will add a lovely little graphic to each page.

First cab off the rank is the wish list.

There is an email doing the rounds at the moment. It contains the wise, wise words of David Brent. For those of you who don’t read "jokes and other rubbish like that" here are a couple of absolute corkers;

• "Put the key of despair into the lock of apathy. Turn the knob of mediocrity slowly and open the gates of despondency – welcome to a day in the average office."
• "There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’. But then there’s no ‘I’ in ‘useless smug colleague’, either. And there’s four in ‘platitude-quoting idiot’. Go figure."

I thank you.

For Bobo (still no blog updates I see – 304 days and counting), knitty.com [courtesy of Rachel via Richard].

On a technical note – "Knitty is designed for use with Internet Explorer. For optimal enjoyment, please set your browser’s type size to 12 point." Bad web site designers, bad, bad web site designers. Whoever puts that kind of cop out on their site should be sent straight back to remedial school.

Today I have mostly been listening to Squeeze.

Oh, and there is another announcement on my other blog.

Subtle hints that I know the festive season is nearly upon us;

1. I’ve just bought the two week Christmas/New Year edition of the Radio Times.
2. It is a little bit chilly out and about
3. Family tensions are reaching a fever pitch as the annual round of who buys what for who, whether they like it or not, kicks off
4. I singularly fail to buy a christmas tree or any decorations for the flat

Situation normal then. Still, it is the office Christmas party on Friday and if that doesn’t put me in a festive mood I don’t know what will.

Recent posts to this blog have tended more towards the humourous than informative so I thought it was about time for an update.

We moved into our new flat at the beginning of November. Yes, the address in on the usual page. This prompted some interesting purchasing dilemmas. These were caused by a number of factors;

1. We packed up our house in Sydney and consequently have a couple of garages full of belongings that we don’t really wish to duplicate.
2. We travelled light to the UK because we didn’t know if we were going to be here for three months or three years.
3. We have rented a furnished flat.

So, we didn’t want to buy anything that we already owned, but there were certain things in the flat either lacking or just not up to spec. So I came up with a "valid replacement" theory. This goes something like; we only buy things that we do not already own and they have to be of a sufficient quality that we will ship them back to Sydney when we make our way back to sunnier climes. Which will be nearer two years than five minutes for those who have been asking. I fully expect to be back in Gods own beach country before the end of 2004, if not sooner.

Although we broke our rule on the first day we moved in with some very nice wine glasses from Woolworths for £4.99 and a new kettle. The kettle was a bit borderline, but Bobo excused it on the grounds that she couldn’t find any descaling products to make the supplied kettle even vaguely useable. Oh, and there is the small matter of the twenty eight inch wide screen television as well. But that was a bargain.

Since then we have acquired another Le Creuset casserole dish (to compliment the one I already have), a rather nice bottle opener and a Dyson vacuum cleaner. I have a sneaking suspicion though, that the next thing we need will involve a trip to Ikea. Just a suspicion mind you. I must also remember to avoid driving my wife past any Damart stores in case she goes mad in them and bankrupts me.

Talking of Le Creuset, I do quite like their saucepans and I believe Father Christmas has promised to bring me one.

Over the next few weeks we will enjoy the build up to a proper British Christmas, something which isn’t approached with nearly the same fervour down under. I think its because most people are looking forward to their summer holidays as well, whereas all we have to look forward to here are the miserable months of January and February. Hence the festive season is that much more significant, and shorter.

Surprisingly we seem to have done most of our Christmas shopping. We still haven’t sent any cards though, and I wouldn’t hold your breath. Unless you see either of us before the festive season, in which case we will rush out of the room, hunt for a pen, write your card and then give it to you on the spot.

After Christmas we are off back to sunny Sydney for a couple of weeks. With a bit of luck the fifteen or so days of decent weather will help us avoid S.A.D. until the British weather manages to get its act together towads the middle of next year. Then again.

Finally, its tough being an English cricket fan. We thought the Ashes tour in 1997 was quite tough. But at least Goughie got a hat trick in the Sydney test. About the only hat trick on the horizon in this series is in ducks from our top order batsmen. Muppets.

I’ve joined the EFF, have you?

I’ve just got hold of the new Chris Difford album. It is called I didn’t get where I am and it is marvellous. But then could you go far wrong when you team up the lyricist from one of the best British bands (the Sweeney’s doing ninety cos they got the word to go, to get a gang of villains in a shed up at Heathrow) and the master.

Oh, and I’ve got tickets to see them both in concert next Saturday, the 14th of December. In a church in Islington. Feel free to be jealous Molly.

Update
Furthermore, "No Show Jones" isn’t just great, its sublime. viz. we were the Captain and Tennille, we were Lennon and McCartney

Did you know that my wife has a blog? It may come as a surprise to you that she hasn’t updated it since the 11th of January this year though. To shame her into using this here intarweb thingummy I’ve put a link to it on the sidebar.

If you are one of the many people she regularly fails to telephone or email you can join me in persuading her of the joys of more frequent communication. I’d suggest a saturation campaign using the communication channel of your choice.

Regular (lack of) progress bulletins will be posted.

Update
Whilst I am chastising slackers I would like to draw your attention to Ciaran’s woeful efforts of late. Buck your ideas up sonny and share with us the wacky world you inhabit. Alternatively you can tell us what is going on at work. Have you dispensed with Mr Vaz’s services yet?