Pass Please

I have managed to take "A" to a few rugby matches recently. This culminated in her saying she wanted to play. So we found a local under 7's and today was the first day at training. She was a bit worried before we got there, I think the comment was along the lines that boys can be rough. But she insisted she wanted to go (honest I was not forcing her). And even though she was the only girl she got stuck in. It was a long training session. One and a half hours. And she loved it. She had a smile on her face almost all the time. I must admit that at one point she told one of the coaches that she hoped they wouldn't pass the ball to her, but she ran around, chased the ball, grabbed a few tags (an innovation to me is tag rugby, when I was her age then it was all contact sport!). At one point she had the ball and set off, she dodged a few tackles before someone got her tag. Afterwards she told me she was told to hold the ball in both hands. Her explanation of why she was holding it as she did was that she's "watched too many games so she knows how it is really done". I must admit I hadn't noticed because I was taking pictures, but now I see the the photo of the incident, with the ball tucked up under one arm, legs going, I think we have a Shane Williams in the making.

Getting Speed

One of the problems I ahve had with the riding lessons is getting Wolfie to canter. He can do it, he's an ex hunter, but as much as anything there is simply not enough space for him in the school. He's a big horse (17.2) and trying to get him to catner in a 20 metre circle is just uncomfortable for him. Today we went out into the field. First time I ahve taken him out. Much more space. After 15 minutes of making sure he respected me and I had control it was time to let loose a bit. Wow. Fantastic fun. Cantering up the field, Wolfie whinnying with enjoyment. Great day.

Aaarggh

The end of a long week, and the end just got worse. That's what you get for checking emails at 2300hrs. Now I can't get to sleep. Mind racing.

Emotionally drained, physically drained, mentally drained. And just wishing the world would f..k off.

England Lose

Well, technically, draw. But it isn't as though the headline surprised you is it? For clarification, I am talking cricket here. The second (or is that third) test in Antigua, where England had scored an insurmountable number of runs, was lost becasue they couldn't bowl the West Indies out. How they couldn't bowl a tail ender with the amount of time they had is a question that will probably go unanswered. That they didn't enforce the follow on is another. For the game to finish because of bad light is simply sad.

Steeleye Span - My Love

Do you remember what we promised when we met my love?
There would never be a reason for regret my love
Bad news has come to town but news flies up and down
That another you have found a life with you my love

If the wind could whisper by that it's not true my love
And the seas could rise and cry that it's not you my love
If the hills could only say that you were on your way
Then happy I would stay and be with you my love

Every night I light a light for your return my love
But the morning light's a lesson to be learned my love
That I who learned to trust have been betrayed and must
Forever more be cursed for wanting you my love

Remember what we promised when we met my love?
There would never be a reason for regret my love
But I who learned to trust have been betrayed and must
Forever more be cursed for wanting you my love

Snow Patrol - Run

I'll sing it one last time for you
Then we really have to go
You've been the only thing that's right
In all I've done

And I can barely look at you
But every single time I do
I know we'll make it anywhere
Away from here

Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear

Louder louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say

To think I might not see those eyes
Makes it so hard not to cry
And as we say our long goodbye
I nearly do

Light up...

Slower slower
We don't have time for that
All I want is to find an easier way
To get out of our little heads

Have heart my dear
We're bound to be afraid
Even if it's just for a few days
Making up for all this mess

I Would Walk 500 Miles

Two From Squeeze

Randomness

I can't think of anything interesting today so, an idea from another blog, 25 random things about me

1) I love reading. Anything. Just anything. There are very few books I haven't finished. So few you could count them on one hand.

2) At home I leave things lying around everywhere but at work my desk is one of the neatest you will find

3) I describe my work as fun, as a challenge, and exciting. It can be one big adrenaline rush.

4) Dr Who scared me when I was younger (but actually until I was older than it really should).

5) I love fast rides at funfairs.

6) While inwardly very content with myself, I spend the day-to-day being insecure

7) My daughter is the most important thing I know in the world. A hug or kiss from her makes my day right.

8) I am extremely pleased I have started riding again. The main question is how long can I hold out before I buy a horse.

9) I try to have no regrets. There is no point regretting things that are done. Learn and move forward.

10) I want to sky dive and to go in a hot air balloon.

11) I have flown both fixed wing and rotary aircraft, and still want to complete my helicopter training.

12) My favourite whisky is Highland Park

13) I managed to go through all of university (5 years for the vet course) without a girlfriend. That rather goes back to number 6.

14) I love to cook. I find it relaxing. The only problem is that I generally don't work to recipes so it is very difficult to recreate something that is exceptionally good.

15) For someone who has an opthalmology certificate I am surprisingly bad at fixing things with my hands, DIY is not a strong point (hence I love Ikea, designs so simple even I can put them together).

16) I am regretting saying that this was going to be 25 things.

17) I love photography. My photo diaries on Facebook are the longest held New Years resolution I have ever made and kept.

18) About 16 years ago I went to Canada and saw killer whales. This remains one of the best experiences of my life. Especially as we were out in a yacht so the orcas came up to us and swam under the boat. As I was leaning over one surfaced and "blew", bascialy a whale sneezed on me and it was great.

19) I want to get a tattoo of a wolf on my shoulder. Just not been brave enough yet.

20) Women scare the hell out of me, which again goes back to 6 and 13. And yes, if you are reading this, this means you too.

21) I am proud to be a Mason. I recently joined Rose Croix which was an incredibly moving expereince. I understand why some people are worried about masons, why some think masonry is bad, but my own experience is that it makes one contemplate life and has the potential to make each of us a better person.

22) My father died when I was 9. I can't say what effect that had on my life. But I am proud to call the man who is now married to my mother "my father" (as well as brother, companion, and knight in arms - he is a mason).

23) I support Cardiff and Wales when watching rugby. I know nothing about football. Cricket I enjoy, although it can be a depressing experience watching England play. I have more than a passing interest in ice hockey.

24) I trust people when I meet them and will always give them the benefit of the doubt. If they break that trust then I will forgive, but not usually forget.

25) I find it difficult to go to bed before midnight, and this has taken me to that time, so good night.

Newsflash

Warning - expect delays if calling out the AA or RAC - they are currently experiencing high demand due to a high number of chariots needing to be towed back over the Severn Bridge.

For those of you not in the know - Wales beat England today, 23-15. It was a hard match. England were not the walkover that was expected by some. Wales would start to dominate, would look like they were going to storm forward, and then England would drag, from some unknown depths, a new strength to start again. Some England players deserve an amazing amount of respect, Worsley and Sackey (I still can't understand why the most threatening man was taken off) stand out from the crowd. It was tense to watch, and in the last ten minutes could have gone either way, England managing to play outside themselves while Wales were struggling to find new ideas. The England game plan was to slow down the match, to stop Wales running, and it was a plan that almost worked. Nonetheless, Wales move onwards, two matches down, two matches won.

Lost

I was watching one of these fly-on-the-wall docuementeries tonight. They were following traffic cops. And there was a 13 year old driving. They caught him, which is good. At the end they said he had been banned for a year. Now, can you explain to me how you ban someone who shouldn't even be driving. And in a years time when he is caught again what does he say, well the ban has expired! Sometimes the law is an ass.

The Bucket List

Well, stolen from Facebook, but here is a good place to have it

Copy and blog - Place an X by all the things you've done and remove the X from the ones you have not, then send it to your friends (including me).

Things you have done during your lifetime:
(x) Gone on a blind date
(x) Skipped school
(X) Watched someone die- sort of- not the moment of though.
(x) Been to Canada
() Been to Mexico
() Been to Florida
( ) Been to Hawaii
(X) Been on a plane
(x) Been on a helicopter
(X) Been lost
() Gone to Washington, DC
(X) Swam in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
(x) Played cops and robbers
(X) Recently colored with crayons
(x) Sang Karaoke
() Paid for a meal with coins only
( ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) Made prank phone calls
() Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose & elsewhere
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
(X) Gone to the movies
( ) Been deep sea fishing
( ) Driven across the United States
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving
() Gone snowmobiling
(x) Lived in more than one country (can I count a month in India? thought not...)
(X) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(x) Seen a falling star and made a wish
() Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
() Seen the Statue of Liberty
() Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle.
(x) Been on a cruise
(X) Traveled by train
() Traveled by motorcycle
(X) Been horse back riding
( ) Ridden on a San Francisco CABLE CAR
(x) Been to Disney World/Disney Land
(X) Truly believe in the power of prayer
( ) Been in a rain forest
(x) Seen whales in the ocean
( )Been to Niagara Falls
(x) Ridden on an elephant
() Swam with dolphins
(x) Surfed (well tried at least)
(x) Met a professional athlete

Natural Glory

A massive nod and thank you to Rainbow Dreams for the following:

Last night I drove back along the coast road as the sea whipped up high above the wall, playing some kind of 'dodge the waves' game as I drove. It was wild and wonderful, untamed and free.

It was beautiful.

Nature has a way of silencing the soul, the power of the forces that surround us, the elements, that make us feel so small, and so in awe

I hope she doesn't mind me lifting it. But for a number of reasons it struck to my core. It gave me a peaceful moment in a busy word. I grew up sailing, and playing with the sea and the wind gave me great pleasure. While I was at university I used to disappear off into the Scottish mountains by myself of a weekend, and allow nature to remind me of its wonder. The world around us is beautiful, if powerful, and we should never forget that. In fact, more than not fogetting, we should make an effort to remind ouselves and expose ourselves to it.

Read the rest of her post. Rainbow Dreams is thought provoking in a way that makes me feel shallow. We all have different reasons for blogging. But I am grateful to her for putting her thoughts down.

Mummy Returns

I don't know, maybe it's just me, but it doesn't seem right to be digging up mummies. Wonderful to know they are there, but should we really desecrate the site. They were buried there and in this manner because of what the most advanced culture of its time actually believed in. Digging them up, opening the sarcophagi seems to be blatently ignoring those beliefs. In fact worse than ignoring, it is destroying them. Surely we should leave them in peace.

Scotland 13 - Wales 26

I'm travelling (and there is so much a story there, maybe I'll tell you later) so for now - GO WALES!!!!!!!!!!!

Quidam

About this time every year you get a Cirque du Soleil post. And yes, this is another one. I love Cirque, they transcend anything else I have seen. And Quidam just set the bar another level. This was spell binding. Cirque at its best is much more than simply a circus, it is wonderful evocative music, it is theatre, it is acting and allegory. Today it delivered it all. I can't begin to describe how moving it is, a story of a young girl woven in gestures and sound, without voice. Time passes so quickly watching this show, each half is an hour long but seemed to be over in minutes. As usual the six and a half year old barometer was equally engrossed, always a good sign. Cirque are strongest when they are more theatre and less circus, Quidam spends a long time in the "theatre" phase, it isn't jam packed with acts, what there is is elegance and refined with some heart stopping wow moments. The "theatre" is emotional, drawing you into the story. The word beautiful is a fair and appropriate one to use.

Unusually Cirque du Soleil is touring the UK rather than just showing at the Royal Albert Hall. You ahve a couple of months. I urge you to go and see this. You won't be disappointed. To be honest you might even see me there, I could very well go again.

Anything She Does

1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS...(these are the answers my iTunes came up with)

1.If someone says, "Is this okay?" You say...?
If I can't have you (Kim Wilde)

2.How would you describe yourself?
Easy silence (Dixie Chicks)

3. What do you like in a guy/girl?
In the meadow (All About Eve)

4. How do you feel today?
The Phantom of the opera

5. What is your life's purpose?
The book I read (Talking Heads)

6. What is your motto?
Dreaming while you sleep (Genesis)

7. What do your friends think of you?
M Factor (M)

8. What do your parents think of you?
Don't get me wrong (The Pretenders)

9. What do you think about very often?
Home (Jethro Tull)

10. What is 2+2?
Great DJ (The Ting Tings)

11. What do you think of your best friend?
The Shepherds song (Eddi Reader)

12. What do you think of the person you like?
This month, day 10 (CSS)

13. What is your life story?
Horht, ihr Riesen! (Das Rheingold)

14. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Divine gosa (Bonde do Role)

15. What do you think of when you see the person you like?
I can't stop this feeling I've got (Razorlight)

16. What will you dance to at your wedding?
Every step (Tawiah)

17. What will they play at your funeral?
No surrender (Bruce Springsteen)

18. What is your hobby/interest?
L'amour Looks Something Like You (Kate Bush)

19. What is your biggest fear?
See that girl (The Undertones)

20. What is your biggest secret?
Exit stage right (Badly Drawn Boy)

21. What do you think of your friends?
The gift (Bruce Cockburn)

22. What do you want right now?
Betty (Kate Walsh)

23. What will You post this as?
Anything she does (Genesis)

24. Last words?
S.E.X (Nickelback)

Explosive Comments

My parents have some new neighbours. They are German (the neighbours not my parents that is). My parents being the kind people they are have gone over to make sure they know which bin to put out when etc. So last week they all went out for a meal. The husband of this couple works for a construction firm. He announced that they had had to evacuate the site the other day because they had found a bomb. My mother, without a moments hesitation, turned to him and said "one of yours or one of ours?" My father is still cringing now.

Snow Joke

Dr Alan Maryon-Davis (UK president of the Faculty of Public Health) on Radio 4 this morning was trying to argue that the nanny state has not gone far enough. This is a poor argument, generally it has already gone too far. The problem with a nanny state is it allows us to devolve responsibility to others. Nothing is out fault anymore because we should be told how to live. It is a shocking opening to the clip. Jonathon Humphries comments on schools closing because of the snow, certianly something that rarely happened when I was in school but seems ever so much more common now. And the reason, according to Maryon-David is because people are suing the school if they have an accident when they are taking the children in. This is ridiculous. I am stunned that people think they could have the right to sue the school. I am even more amazed that the courts (using tax payers money) will actually allow the case to proceed. Time to stop.

Transcript

This is a transcript of my conversation with Bullguard about the logon security problem. It may have worked so I put it here for any of you with a similar problem.

[merlin_alasdair@ntlworld.com]: Hello
[Berndt]: Hello, welcome to BullGuard Live Support!
[merlin_alasdair@ntlworld.com]: Thank you
[Berndt]: IPlease give me more details bout your encountered issue and I will help you.
[merlin_alasdair@ntlworld.com]: My computer freezes when it boots. I believe this is connected to the BullGuard software
[merlin_alasdair@ntlworld.com]: It has been a long issue and I did fix it for a while by turning off Windows Defender
[merlin_alasdair@ntlworld.com]: But it recently started again and the only way I can now get the computer to work is turning off Bullguard
[merlin_alasdair@ntlworld.com]: When computer has frozen if I Cntr-alt-del then I get the message "Logon process has failed to create the security options dialog"
[merlin_alasdair@ntlworld.com]: I did wonder about downloading version 8.5 but I am not sure what version I am running. Under account it says "latest version installed" so does this mean it has automatically updated to 8.5?
[Berndt]: For what I understand, you are using the Windows Vista operating system. Is that correct?
[merlin_alasdair@ntlworld.com]: Yes
[Berndt]: OK. Please follow these steps:
[Berndt]: A) Disable Windows Firewall (if active):1. Click Start > Control Panel > Classic View > Windows Firewall.2. Select the Off option and press the OK button.
[Berndt]: (Make sure that Windows Defender is turned off again)
[Berndt]: B) Disable Windows Defender:1. Click Start > Control Panel > Classic View > Windows Defender.2. Click Tools > Options.3. Scroll down the panel and untick the "Use Windows Defender" option.4. Click Save to confirm the changes.5. Click Start > Run.6. Type "services.msc" and press the OK button.7. Locate Windows Defender, right-click on the service and set the Startup Type to Disabled.8. Close the panel.
[Berndt]: C) Disable the User Account Control feature (if active):1. Click Start > Control Panel > Classic View > User Accounts.2. Click on the "Turn User Account Control on or off" option.3. Untick the Use UAC box and press OK to confirm changes.4. When prompted, restart your computer.
[merlin_alasdair@ntlworld.com]: Doing fine until 7, I can't see startup type when I right click[merlin_alasdair@ntlworld.com]: Start up tupe is automatic, but right clicking doesn't seem to give iption to turn off
[merlin_alasdair@ntlworld.com]: Hold on, got it
[merlin_alasdair@ntlworld.com]: Needed to go into properties
[Berndt]: OK.