Category Archives: work

Posting relating to my work

Newcastle and Edinburgh

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On the Thursday of my Newcastle trip, I spent the evening in Edinburgh.  Caught the Flying Scotsman to Edinburgh, 90 minute trip.  Met up with Mary Devine, Ed Aldridge, Neil Saunders and Simon Stone in the Conan Doyle pub.  Then onto the Thai Me Up restaurant for a quite expensive but very good Thai meal.  Ed though was defeated by his Green Curry, far to hot for him.  I ended up eating most of his curry, while he ate my fish dish.

Then onto Pivo’s, bar selling East European lagers.  Here we lost the guys from RBS, and Mary Devine.  A quick visit to Whistle Binkies with Ed until 1.00am, for old times sake.  Then to the hotel.

In the morning, caught the 7.00 am train back to Newcastle, and into the office by 8.45.

Left work early for the long drive home (4 hours) and was able to meet up with friends in the Plough and Anchor for a drink before Supper.

Newcastle for the week

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Travelled up to Newcastle to work in the Gateshead office for the whole on the Farsi project.  Used Rosemarys car as mine was going to be serviced because of the awful thumping noise from the suspension when going over bumps.

Stayed three nights in the Tulip Inn in Team Valley.  First night out had a rather expensive curry with Nigel Stone in The Last Days Of the Raj. Very large eatery with these huge carved wooden elephants.

Next day we ate at a much cheaper place called the Waggon Team, where we ate at a carvery.  Service was poor, and ended up getting a free beer to compensate us.

Wednesday night ate at the Tulip Inn, and then went to the Waggon Team for a few pints of larger and chatted with a guy called Neil.

Farsi and Newcastle

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Well I have started to work on the Cedar e5 product range, and my first project is to take the WUI (Web User Interface), a Java applet and convert it to support right to left languages such as Arabic and Farsi.

Today I did the 4 hour drive to Newcastle to gather some knowledge of what I should be doing.  Successful visit, followed by the four hour drive back home.

Rosemary is back

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After an extended stay in Jamaica, Rosemary has at last made it back.  First thing she did was a quick visit to the Plough and Anchor for a pint of real English Larger.

Jamaica

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I have today off – weird, no idea what to do other than read, but finding a good place to read is not that easy.  Room is large, but little natural light.  Outside too hot (and I find I have no suntan oil), so may have to use one of the many nice sofa areas, which no one ever uses.  I could also try using the PC, have also found one of the Axon guys has all 15 episodes of the first series of Desperate Housewives on a hard drive, but I think he has hired a car and gone out…..

Had a 40mins telephone conversation with Steve this morning, all over the Internet (we could hear each other and talk to each, no time delays and no cost and PRIVATE).  Brilliant; wish I’d found it earlier. www.skype.com

Last night a few of us went to one of the Axon people’s houses for supper.  I even got a taxi there, but a bit taken aback when the driver seemed to think I knew where I was going and asked directions.  House a bit like West Africa – stone floors, security grills everywhere and an guarded entrance to drive to it and other houses on a small “estate”.  Supper itself very nice.  Tom, the Axon guy, had both Fri & Sat off, after working 7 weeks non-stop and long hours each day.  Said he’d done very little except doze and go to the supermarket, but he looked loads better.

I have found a niche market here which could earn someone mega bucks. There are few barbers around and two lads who went recently both came back with Graham style haircuts, ie number 1 settings, which was not what they wanted.  Then one of the others heard that the US Embassy flies in a barber once a month, so he booked an apointment three weeks ago.  He came back (lousy haircut, looked better when it was longer) and announced it had cost him 80 dollars.  Looks it, said someone,  thinking he meant Jamaican dollars which would make it roughly 80p; no he meant US dollars!!!!   Meena (girl) has been out here since October and has rather longer hair than I recall her having before.  It’s strange because many of the Jamaicans have good haircuts, but perhaps the locals take  colonial revenge on Brits hair…

+++Rosemary

Jamaica

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The news from Jamaica is as was expected; Rosemary will not be coming back this week.  She is to stay on in Jamaica for another 8 days.

At least she managed to get a good meal on her birthday; this is her report of the meal.

Had a v expensive meal 30 pounds but do not believe I had my value in alcohol – 4 bottles of Red Stripe (Jamaican) lager and one glass of EXTREMELY expensive, but not that good, white.   But we had it in a roof-top restaurant so quite fun.   In fact some of the pix will be quite naughty.  Left disposable behind when we moved on to the Hilton for a last drink – but two of them went back & got it for me.

+++Rosemary

Kingston Jamaica

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It’s Saturday morning and here I am in the office in Jamaica, but at least with a view overlooking Kingston through the bougainvillea which surrounds the building on all floors.   Having said that it is mega humid but overcast and rained yesterday.  Not exactly like Bletchley, except for the rain. The flowers are fabulous, bird life sparse (but it is a city), few cute cats andseveral mangy looking dogs (apparently at night they race around in packs but I never hear them above the noise of the AC unit) and the odd goats and I did see two delightful skinny, black pigs (their ribs are very good).

Food is plentiful and cheap, especially in the canteen – loads of rice and peas (ie kidney peas) and v spicy, either bits of chicken with bones or whole fish with a zillion bones. Some pork ribs, but basically American.  Good salads, but it takes ages to be served even when you are being served; several ladies each of whom must add something to your plate.  I want to find a supermarket and have a look around.  Loads of food selling street vendors. The guys are offered ganja and women – Steve would love it.

Roads are not well maintained to say the least, seldom lit and ill marked and many cars have very dim headlights and of course it gets pitch black at 18:15 or so promptly – no dusk – all of which makes for interesting road journeys.   Everyone is concerned about lone females walking, and insists you take taxis.

As from tonight, I’m the only person on my project staying in my hotel, which should be jolly (NOT).  Breakfast at 06:30 normally and then en masse walk to the office.  Not sure what I shall do about that next week.  Taxis seem to me ridiculous, but on the other hand I don’t really want to lose the laptop.   Part of the walk is across a v well maintained park, with lovely flowers, most of which I vaguely recognize but can’t name.  Fabulous colours. 

Went to the warehouse on Thursday – good view across the huge natural harbour.

Ah well, better press on.  Love to everyone

Regards

—Rosemary

PSD day at Heathrow

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The company has a us stay for one night at the Radisson Edwardian hotel next to Heathrow airport for the Cedar Professional Services gathering.  There were many presentations about implementations of various software, and enhancements to other software packages, but nothing about e2.

Reasonable meal, followed by ten pin bowling in a near by alley.