Month: May 2001

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.

Witnessed last night: bloke, in his late twenties, sitting in a car in North Street. Silver car pulls up behind it, and a tall woman in her early thirties wearing a very revealing top and short skirt gets out and walks over to the man’s car and gets in. No prizes for guessing what was going on there.
Two points: firstly, that sort of thing doesn’t often happen in Chichester (the wife-swapping, as in all conservative towns and cities, usually takes place behind the net curtains, out of the public gaze). Secondly, if you were conducting a secret liaison, would you do it in North Street, right outside the Old Cross pub? I don’t think so.

It’s been pub refurbs a go-go in Chichester lately – the Nags, George and Dragon, White Horse, Hogshead and Globe have all be refurbished, mostly going for the wooden floorboards/leather sofas thing. The George and Dragon is the latest, and is, in terms of distance at least, my local, being not more than 200 yards from my front door. It has changed from a very loud, student-oriented bar, with lots of dance music echoing up and down North Street into a much more sober traditional pub with hanging baskets outside. I’ll stick my head in somewhen and take a look, but it seems that it is Chichester Establishment 1, Chichester Students 0 – as usual.

Looks like I’ll be working until 9 tonight, after working 17 hours yesterday – and guess what? I’ll be working until about 9 again tomorrow. I’m soooo tired I can barely keep awake. Somehow I have to schedule in time in the next three weeks to revise for my exams, deliver a big order to London, work every day at the nursery, get down to the Loire to visit a supplier (not a pleasure trip – overnight ferry, long drive, bed and breakfast, long drive, overnight ferry – ugh), collect a big order from a supplier, sleep, eat, clean the flat and maybe blog a little. Some effort to keep my social life from dying completely will probably be justified as well.
Bring on the Red Bull.

A few days ago, I posted a link to this site. It turns out that this site was actually a hoax – or perhaps “fabrication” is a better word – which I find incredible. I tend to believe a lot that I read, but I’ve also been using the internet for long enough (nearly six years) to spot a hoax when I see one – but I did believe this one fully. I’m still not entirely sure what motivated the creator of this site. Either way, I don’t think it’ll change the way I use the internet.
Anyway, you can read more here and here.

Vivendi buys mp3.com. Vivendi Group also includes Connex railways. Draw your own conclusions.

Today:
up at 4.30 (no really) to go to work at the Pashley Plant Fair. A reasonably successful day (certainly a long one), followed by dinner with my mate Kev McG at The Bear in Burwash. Got back to W2 at 10.20 for a quick beer with Joel, Jenny, Sal, Paul F and Arron. Time for bed.