Of course, it would have helped if I’d made it clear in my previous post that I don’t have teh mobile interwebs, or that the only way that I could be contacted was by phone. Apologies to those of you who left messages here. Otherwise, we’ve had rather a good short break, and there will probably be a roundup of what we got up to (more for our benefit than for anyone else’s) later today.
Right, replacement break sorted – we’re spending three nights in London instead (yes, I know that it’s close to home, but it isn’t hom, and there are loads of exhibitions that we want to see). Anyone interested in meeting up for coffee and/or culture? My mobile number is here.
Well, we were due to be flying to Copenhagen for a city break tomorrow morning. We hadn’t booked car parking at Gatwick (we’d booked flights on Sterling), so has just tried to book (we’re chez for a brief stop en route). Sterling Airlines went bust last October (we booked the flights in August), and we hadn’t noticed. In a word, bugger. We’re now looking at hotels for a weekend break in London (Edinburgh would have been good, but the flights are a bit too pricey at this short notice).
Unlike the rest of my friends list, I’m not (primarily) going to be posting about Terry’s knighthood (although that is nonetheless very good news). Instead, I’m posting about Wendy Hall, my former PhD supervisor, who has been made a Dame in the New Years Honours list. Jolly good news, and much deserved.
I think that we may have overdone the cheese board again: Fowlers Sage Derby Colston Bassett Stilton Pendle Forest Smoked Lancashire Lincolnshire Poacher Sparkenhoe Red Leicester Ilha Graciosa Pant-Ysgawn soft goats cheese A soft goats cheese with red peppercorns Smoked Pecorino Port Salut La Granja Manchego Emmental Davidstow Cheddar Hawes Kit Calvert Wensleydale A wedge of ripe brie Another Wensleydale (bog standard) Another Red Leicester (bog standard) Saint Agur Ilchester Mexicana Also, membrillo and fig cheese from the Fine Cheese Co., oatcakes (smoked, peppered, and plain), four types of biscuit from the Fine Cheese Co. (chilli, rosemary, walnut, and mustard… Read More »What a friend we have in cheeses
Forty years ago, on Christmas Eve 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 saw something never before seen by human eyes – the whole of the earth, rising above the lunar horizon (images here at 075:47:30). Later that day, they made a television transmission back to Earth in which they read from from the Book of Genesis. While I don’t necessarily agree with the exact words (here, or at 086:06:40 here), I agree with the sentiment. Here’s wishing that all of you and all of yours have had a pleasant and peaceful day, and that you’ll have a good New Year.
Do it once, and it’s a careless slip. Do it twice, and it’s a bad habit. Do it three times, and it’s a tradition. and I are therefore proud to announce our fourth mid-winter open house on the 29th December 2008, from noon until late. Our address is in this friends-locked post. We’ll have very limited crash space, so if you want to stay over, let us know ASAP (we also have a toddler, but we’ll try and keep him away from sleeping people until at least 7am). Any or all of the following may be involved: Eating (including a… Read More »At home with the Garks: 29th December 2008
We’ve got a pretty good exams process here, though things sometimes fall through the cracks. What should happen is that (as someone running a module) you write your exam about four weeks into the semester. The exam goes to an internal moderator who looks it over, checks it for errors, and checks that it correctly assesses whether the students have met the learning outcomes for the module. The exam also goes to the leader for the degree programme (for computer science, that’s me) who checks all of the exam papers for overlaps. The internal moderator sends their comments back to… Read More »The Joy of Exams
Today, I managed to cut my hand on an ice cube. Would I be correct in thinking that this is a fairly unusual injury?
Another Sunday brunch today, this time for my PhD (and EngD) students. It was great to finally get them all over, although I note that they’re a far more abstemious bunch than the usual suspects – we practically had to beg them to drink the margaritas I had on ice! Menu was as follows (mostly for my benefit): Fruit platter – pineapple and papaya, dressed with lime and cayenne Huevos revueltos with chorizo Guacamole Frijoles Salsa Pica de Gallo (sour cream, crumbled Wensleydale, spring onions) Tortillas and bread rolls (the latter for molletes) Sopapillos (or bunuelos – I can’t work… Read More »Brunch report