I never really found a purpose for this blog, and so it is now time for it to cease to be. Goodby lj, fare thee well.

It turns out that my boiler - well most boilers - have something called a "thermo-couple", a heat sensor of some sort that detects when the pilot flame is on, thus opening the valve for the gas supply to keep the pilot flame supplied with gas ( Read more... )

In principle, a tap is an extremely simple device. Elegantly so. It is therefore somewhat surprising that they consist of so many different pieces when disassembled, and that the nomenclature used to describe these pieces is incomprehensible ( Read more... )

November has been a bit mad, but December will be more so. I have ambitious plans for exciting advent stuff for the tiddly barely growing daughter, but not sure how well it is going to go ( Read more... )

Generally, I really like conferences. I've always come away with loads of really good ideas and fresh enthusiasm. There are loads of incredibly interesting things going on. I end up feeling like I will burst with the possibilities ( Read more... )

Is parsnip wine likely to be any good?

Wines made from random ingredients are, somehow, an exciting idea, but I'm not sure how well they would taste. I suppose if one were to try a few different bottles at once it might not matter all that much...

It's cold enough to freeze up my bicycle chain, but we don't have the compensating loveliness of loads of snow.

In other exciting meteorological news, if this carries on for much longer than there might be sea-ice in the Wash. This is the place to watch, with temps on the coast now down to 7C, from about 11-12 a week ago.

... want to pay me £38.17 ( Read more... )

It occurred to me today that one of the advantages of being lazy is that you necessarily develop a superior sense of prioritisation. If you're only going to do one thing of note in a day then it is more important that you do the most important thing. By contrast, those people who tend to be more active and productive can take a more scattergun ( Read more... )

.. but if I have learnt one lesson about being a parent it is that it is generally much easier if you are as silly as possible.

This was certainly true yesterday, when we were rushing about town. However, I begin to wonder for how much longer this will hold to be true. She's nearly nine now, and this strategy might not play so well when she is