Author: graybo

How I wish I could pigeon-hole myself and neatly fix a label on. But self-knowledge comes too late; by the time I’ve known myself I am no longer what I was …

Some people would do well to bear this in mind. Me included, probably.

hmmmm……my visitor numbers seem to be down – there are about one-third less people reading Grayblog than there were three weeks or so ago. I wonder why?

• Is Grayblog less interesting?
• Is the weather too nice to sit inside reading Grayblog?
• Is it because I’ve been updating less frequently, so have appeared on the GBlogs updated list less often?
• Is it because I have had less scandal going on in my life? (although that is not without lack of trying, I assure you)

Do you still read Grayblog? What would you like to see here? (Although please remember that this is my blog and I do it for me – but perhaps there is something I used to do here that you miss?).

Just listened to the very excellent Stakka and Skynet session on John Peel’s show. Why isn’t their album, Clockwork, on Amazon? If it was, it would be on my wishlist.

today was one of those days at work when a hell of a lot was achieved, although it was decidedly stressful and very very very hard work. But I feel fulfilled. If only I was better paid too, I’d stick at it and not be thinking about changing career.

IMPORTANT NOTE: the “comment” function is down at the moment. Hopefully it will be back online soon – it’s all out of my control I’m afraid. In the meantime, please don’t be afraid to use email to send your comments and reactions to anything you read here.

TPL update: 19 points. Final score in TPL for the year: 965. So I fell short of my 1000 point target, and I’m a long way behind the team that won the whole thing and the £50K. Ah well, maybe next year?

This morning was one of those morning when EvilDuvet II was really doing a good job of keeping me in her grasp (must be female, as I usually only stay in bed late when I have a girl there!). I was unbelievably comfortable, having had a very solid night’s sleep (due to being exhausted after another late night at work). The duvet had moulded itself around me, my head was deep into the pillow, and another pillow had slid round and was snuggled against my back (god, how I miss having that sensation).
It was almost painful to get up. I wish I could go back there now.

Overcome with the desire to spend money on other people? Need an outlet for your frustration? Then go here!

Had a call today from a planning officer at the district council. At last they are going to respond to my enquiry about the need for planning consent for replacing my windows, and now it seems they want me to get planning permission, because flats do not benefit from permitted development rights, whereas houses do. This I find a bit annoying – I wonder if I could challenge that under human rights legislation? Why should flat dwellers be discriminated against? Any legal whizzkids read this?
Anyway, the need for planning permission means that the whole window replacement saga, which I kicked into motion back at the end of last year, is going to drag on for at least another two or three months yet. This is annoying in the extreme – my windows are disgusting, rusted, paint flaking, seized shut – if there was a fire in the flat, I’d be stuffed. Replacing them has been something I have wanted to do ever since I moved in, but because the building lies within the conservation area, the planning authoritties have to be involved in just about everything.
I really want to get them done before the autumn – several of the panes are cracked or broken, one of the fanlights is jammed open, and another has a hole in it from where a stone flew up off the road outside. Doing the windows would make the building so much smarter, and would add major value to the property.
Anyway, the council are going to be writing to me in the next few days, after the officer has consulted with the head planning officer. I shall keep readers informed.

Work continues apace in Chichester to make the city centre more “pedestrian friendly”. The main problem is South Street and West Street, which are mostly open to traffic. Well, after the works have been completed, South Street will be closed to all traffic except buses and loading vehicles, and West Street closed to everything except buses east of the junction with Chapel Street. This leaves one big problem though – the buses. There was a case last year when an elderly man was knocked over by a bus going round the corner by the Cross – I have no objections to only buses using that road, but if they are going to make it truly pedestrian friendly, the buses have got to slow down!
Rant ends.