Just getting to the end of a major overhaul to our code generator, having changed the whole way it handles types in the generated code. For the last two weeks, most changes have involved throwing away several lines of old code and replacing them with a single line of new stuff. Less code = less [...]

There’s an example of what I’m talkin’ about. The difference between NYC thinking and British thinking. I just went to the local chip shop for my customary Friday lunchtime fish & chips, and it was closed. Or rather it was prominently displaying two closed signs. I started off to the nearby shop to get something [...]

Last weekend was the Great British Salsa Experience.
I had Wednesday and Thursday off but didn’t really do anything at all on those two days. Friday I realised I was supposed to be meeting someone in Manchester at 7pm and didn’t have any clothes for the weekend, so a mad dash was had buying trackie bottoms [...]

I’m hopelessly oversubscribed. Three bands, salsa teaching and a bathroom project are enough to fill my time without housework and a day job.
I’m also a bit of a numnuts because I’ve got myself into this palaver.
In fairness I was sort of swizzed into the bands, being told that things were a one-off etc.
So anyway on [...]

If I turn up my optimism dial to “dogged” then I can see the positive side of yesterday. I learned about correct setting of a plane and used it to good effect.
I dry-lined the wall behind the bath and seem to have done a pretty good job of it. Before doing that, I double checked [...]

At our workplace we effectively got a reduction in hours what with it turning out that most of the world’s money was imaginary.  Because of British employment law it would have been too expensive to reduce hours and pay because they would have had to engage in consultation exercises etc; so instead the company exercised [...]

So this cat that has adopted me, or possibly just my premises: we used to call it Lamb-cat because it would leap and gambol around the neighborhood lawns when a kitten. He was very sociable and would often hang out with other cats. One particular wee cat would follow him everywhere. We called him Buddy.
Fast [...]

Amusingly, the loft got a lot easier to navigate again once the ceiling was in. Why amusing? Because it felt vastly safer (”caution!” as opposed to “OMG you’re going to die!!”) whereas it was actually only marginally safer. It was still only safe to step on the beams, but the plasterboard concealed the drop so [...]

Mum came for a visit today to supply moral and physical support. I had a plan of “seeing whether a full size piece of plasterboard will get up the stairs”. Because I didn’t know whether one would or not, I ordered two for delivery—enough to do the ceiling—reasoning that if I couldn’t get them up [...]

Was invited to a murder mystery dinner at the weekend. I only knew the host. Cocktails were provided and I was cast as Jimmy Open, small-time crook. Driving was out of the question, so I hopped on my bike and, dressed in striped jersey, flat cap and fingerless gloves, and wielding a huge sack, headed [...]