I got a little wet

I blame God(s), fate, the weather men or my stupidity but I decided to bike ride to work Saturday just to get a feel for the journey time, it was a lovely day, a few clouds, but dry, half way there the sky went black and then it rained cats and dogs creating in minutes deep puddles on the road, I was in a tee shirt and jeans, so got drenched turned around and headed home, back up the big hill, which I walked my bike up only to find it totally dry by the time I reached the top, the main road to my house had not seen a drop of rain, so looking and feeling like a drowned rat I peddled the last mile home to get another shower, a warm one.

I spent most of the rest of the weekend between building terrain and looking for a new car.

The terrain piece I started is gateway into walled city and will be a backdrop for next Ascendancy battle, the photograph below is from Saturday, I've done slightly more since then.

Car wise, my existing car is due its first MOT on Thursday and the 3 years manufacturers warranty runs out at the end of the month, so I decided with all the transmission and clutch issues I had that have been fixed under warranty that I wanted to change the car before the end of the month, and before my larp life gets busy again. After some Internet research I decided to go back and upgrade to a Freelander 2, a diesel which does at least 10mpg better on urban runs than my current 26mpg which will more than make up for the higher diesel cost. Armed with all the facts and figures I went to the garage and got better deal than expected, not only the best discount off the price list I could get (which I would walked away if not recieved), but also Land Rover manufacturing were doing a fifteen hundred pound giveaway to old Freelander owners that bought new cars in June, that combined with GMV (guaranteed minimum value) on my existing vehicle which is twelve hundred pounds more that What Car online suggested my second hand sell price would be, meant I had saved several pounds, it also meant meant a new car was considerably cheaper than buying a the equivalent 1 or even 2 year old second hand car. The unexpected bonus and land rover new car finance was 6.7% APR better anything I could see around sealed the deal so I have now placed my order and will hopefully get my car in the last week of June.

I did also buy some magic cards from Heathers shop, I do hope I've not become addicted again after not buying any for years.

Hedges, thieves and weddings

I'm just back from my mothers were I've been fed Snickers cake with strawberries which was so yummy I went back for 2nds, 3rds and crumbs. While there I was told I was invited to my cousin Katie's wedding. Katie's a doctor and marrying another doctor I understand although I don't keep in touch with Katie or my Aunt and Uncle her parents and his family which are from India have insisted everyone attends, including me, apparently their will be over 250 guest which sounds ginormous to me. Its not until next May so plenty of time yet and it will be nice to see family not seen for ten years or so, in fact most not since my Grandmother died.

It was a busy weekend, although not with stuff worth writing about on a blog, I reduced the height of my privet hedge by a foot a major task which took about 3 hours, although I wish I'd took another foot off, I poisoned my back garden which needs serious attention more than I'm prepared to give to get it back into to shape, other than I popped about all over the place, I didn't do the intended ride to work and back on my bicycle, simple because it rained today, although I did get out on Saturday for a ride.

My neighbour was broken into again Friday night, while I was asleep, they broke a tough double glazed window with a hammer as well, I was dead to the world but do remember some sort of falling pebble sound in my semi-conscious state. The thieves were caught though, a 30 year old who said it was his mate, and another 20 year old who blamed the 30 year old and said he was at his girlfriends all night, when the police checked his girlfriend spilled the beans, I'm given the ages since my immediate conclusion while listening to my neighbor relay the tale was it sounded like a couple kids, not grown up thieves. They had attempted to break in the previous night but only got though the 1st pane of glass before setting off the alarm, I was out at the time playing magic cards in Andy's shop so again unaware of what happened, a guess the return visit was what led to one of them being caught as the other made off.

That's it folks hope to try and make, paint or do some more interesting stuff for my next entry.

Food, bikes and haircuts

Saturday started with me getting up late around 8am after a late evening playing cards till midnight, followed by a trip to the barbers which was heaving and saw me sandwiched in the waiting area between a far too chatty grandmother (suspected grandmother, possible great great grandmother) in her miniskirt and 3 kids having their hair cut and a 25 stone man listening and singing (out of tune) to his ipod while exuding a very unpleasant garlicky odour. One of the Grandmothers kid dropped a lollipop on the floor, the grandmother picked it up gave lick clean before handing back to the child, which I must say made me wince a little looking at the state of the very hairy barbers floor, still I remember my own Grandmother doing something similar things and even rescuing a chicken out the dust bin my mother had discarded.


In the afternoon I decided I needed to go look at bikes, it could be one of my the worst investment, but I've decided I needed to give riding to work a go, I've no excuse as my friend Julie says I work close to home and its downhill all the way (uphill all the way back though) and I need to do something other than sit in car, sit at a computer at work or sit at home painting figures or reading books. So inspired by Julie and Dave I will see if I can make it work, but I may in a months time find I have a bicycle shaped trip hazard or bicycle shaped clothes hanger. My friends laughed at me (jokingly) later that evening at the idea of me biking to work and suggested I hang a bike on wall as a trendy decoration...hmmm, I didn't fight back since its likely they may proved right.


I quickly called in to see AndyL after a Ste phone me after a particular comic/magazine he couldn't get. AndyL looked shattered from his 3 late nights in a row and it was free comic day so shop the shop was quite busy.


On Saturday evening I went to my friends AndyT & Linda for tea, (Chris's parents for my LRP friends) with other friends Ste and Deb. The food I hate was far too spicy (I don't mind small amounts of spicy, so long as its not too hot) and combined with the 1st 3 glasses of wine i'd drank in while, meant I ended up waking up in the night with heartburn and could find no form anti acid in the house, so had a bad nights sleep. Apart from the food and drink which didn't agree with me it was a very good evening.


Yesterday morning I went to Halfords to buy a bike, the cheapest one in the shop of the style I wanted, I also purchased a helmet, bike lock and maintenance after asking for advice.
Then a practice run on some quiet roads, well I did half an hour, but on the last very steep hill my legs had turned to jelly and couldn't get started and travel in a straight line at the same time, so pushed the bike until the hill got a little gentler and then finished my ride back home, feeling extremely unfit and nowhere near ready to cycle to work, more practise and a lot more stamina. I went out again today, this time finding a route with no steep hills, a very difficult task in Derbyshire, I travelled around the local council estate doing a couple of figures of eight, still only about half an hour, but that felt plenty. I found I also need to build a little confidence especially at junctions where traffic is behind you or you need to cross traffic, currently I'm either getting off and pushing the bike across the road or waiting for the car to pass me before I attempt the junction.


I also watched The Golden Compass DVD having missed out at the cinema, the film was great really enjoyed it and recommend it.


So what else did I do this weekend, I finished the last 3 of 7 maps of the Ascendancy Continents for the website, a complilation of bits of the maps below and did a bit sewing.