Well, I started a new contract at IBM uk head office in North Harbour, Portsmouth on Monday. The first week was mainly about settling in and getting myself set up ready to go full tilt… Monday was a little overwhelming being around so many people in such huge offices. It’s a little bit of a culture shock for little ol’ me!
On Tuesday I had my Health and Safety and information induction and then had my photo taken for my security pass. The security pass also doubles up as your cash card as the offices are cash free. So Tuesday afternoon I was able to start sampling the delights of the canteen, or should I say, food court!
First week went well, I got my Laptop set up with all the IBM products I need to either perform my Job or facilitate it. It’s a little strange having to use products like Lotus Notes and DB2 and RAPID, and other IBM products…

Oh, and I’m programming in Java!!!

It was Rebekah’s 6th birthday on the Saturday and obviously we threw a party for her. She’s been thinking about how her party would be since the curtain fell on her 5th party. She’s decided on a Beach Party and so we set about converting our New Forest garden into a sea front beach. She picked her birthday guests and sent out postcard invitations.

Victoria and Sue spent months thinking about and organising all the details. There were waves to paint and cut out, a sun to create, deck chairs, buckets and spades, fishing nets, cut out sea creatures, beach balls, inflatables, shells, an ice cream parlour, water games, a swimming pool, a bucket and spade birthday cake, beach styled food stuff, and not to mention 2 tonne of sand to create that beach.

On Thursday the sand was delivered and I spent the evening wheel barrowing 2 tonne of sand from the front of the house to the position of our new beach around the back of the house. Saturday we all rushed around arranging everything. (more…)

I always loved this song, however, while reading it don’t think about throwing bits of bread to vermin disease infested pigeons, but think of starving children around the world instead…

Feed the Birds
Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman

Early each day to the steps of Saint Paul’s
The little old bird woman comes
In her own special way to the people she call,
“Come, buy my bags full of crumbs
Come feed the little birds,
Show them you care
And you’ll be glad if you do
Their young ones are hungry
Their nests are so bare
All it takes is tuppence from you
Feed the birds, tuppence a bag
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag
Feed the birds,” that’s what she cries
While overhead, her birds fill the skies

All around the cathedral the saints and apostles
Look down as she sells her wares
Although you can’t see it,
You know they are smiling
Each time someone shows that he cares

Though her words are simple and few
Listen, listen, she’s calling to you
“Feed the birds, tuppence a bag
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag”

Though her words are simple and few
Listen, listen, she’s calling to you
“Feed the birds, tuppence a bag
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag”

While in London we went to watch the Musical Mary Poppins at the Prince Edward Theatre. I was on the whole dissapointed. Disney’s version of Mary Poppins is practically perfect in every way… the theatre musical version, uses most of the Disney material but then I think it attempts to head back to the original books by P.L. Travers. The result is a mess. The non-disney material jarrs terribly with the good stuff. I must say that the sets are fantastic, the whole way the house is assembled, the way the upstairs bedroom comes down from the ceiling as does the roof… but the acting seemed more Pantomime than theatre. Everything was too overly exagerated.

All the “main” set pieces work well and have a good amount of toe stomping fun about them, I just think they should have stuck to the original plot and cut the show down by an hour rather than try to add in unnesessary and poor material.

As part of our extended Wedding Anniversary celebrations, my parents had so kindly given us the money to treat ourselves to a weekend away. As we had gone camping last weekend we had decided to hit london this weekend; so we booked a table at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Restaurant for the Friday night and stayed at the Hotel Russell.

We ate in the Trattoria part of the restaurant which was lovely. The food was gorgeous and the service excellent. We started with some Antipasti and the I had “Tagliatelle with zucchini, pancetta, chilli, garlic, mascarpone, thyme and parmigiano” while Victoria had “The lightest potato gnocchi with Isle of Wight tomatoes, fresh basil, buffalo mozzarella and parmigiano”… both were stunning!

For main Victoria had “Fillet of wild sea trout with marinated zucchini, Sicilian cherry tomatoes, lemon crème fraiche and samphire” and I had “Seared Calves Liver…”. Both were again stunning. The Liver was so delicate and just melted in the mouth.

The whole evening was just lovely.