test please delete

[ladymuck]

Morning all

A dull start but it seems to be brightening up with some gaps forming between the clouds. Currently 7 degrees with a high of 11 expected. Rain likely this afternoon. Barometer up to 1018 mBar.

Sunrise 07:05; Sunset 17:25 GMT

A much quieter day today. A meeting this morning then I'm off to the hairdresser to get the greys covered up then a couple of meetings this afternoon.

Gig3 has paid me for last week's efforts, so I think that means clientCo changing their mind about my IR35 status is less likely to happen

[NickFitz]

Home again after a considerably more active start than my usual Friday

I drove down and dropped the car off just after half eight. Then, as I was that side of the river, I walked up to the hairdresser’s - I’d made a minor detour on the drive over to check she was there. So I’ve had a haircut, which should see me through Easter

Then I walked back up towards town - this took me past the garage again, where I believe the car was up on the hoist, though I was across the road and they’re a bit of a way back across the yard in front of the units; so it may not have been. Anyway, I headed up past St. Nick’s church (c. AD 879) to the high street and into the shopping centre I hate (c. 1991-2008 depending on which bit you’re in) to collect some new AirPods Max from the Apple Store. Then onwards to the market, where I obtained various nice things from a couple of different butchers, and then set out for home.

I had been thinking of getting the bus back, something I haven’t done in many years. They now do tap on/tap off here, so at least there’s none of the hassle of fumbling for change and trying to remember the name of the stop you want. But the rain had stopped and the wind wasn’t too biting, so I decided to walk it

Most of the way back is up New Walk, a wide route lined with grand Victorian houses and the occasional incongruous new (c. 1970) block of offices. This has since its inception (c. 1785) been closed to all traffic (including bicycles) except carriages owned by residents of the houses. As few, if any, of the modern residents keep a stable of horses or a coachman, this effectively means it’s pedestrianised

And so home, where I now find that the car has passed its MOT!

The same advisories about some corrosion as last year and the year before, so it doesn’t seem to be getting any worse; and a couple of new ones about an imbalance in the brakes, which I assume they’ll fix as part of the service

[NickFitz]

Car’s ready!

I’ve only just recovered from walking about three miles earlier! Tempted to get the bus into town rather than adding another two mile walk. Rain’s due, so I could use that as an excuse, having already been drizzled on quite enough earlier

[NickFitz]

Home again, again - this time with the Corolla

I walked in the end. Turns out it’s under two miles via the shortest route, through the polytechnic, and it's downhill from here

I’ve only done just under 900 miles since last year and he felt there wasn’t much point giving it a full service. He’d adjusted the brakes for free as it only took him a few minutes, rather like the other year when one of the exhaust brackets was dodgy so he just welded it there and then rather than mucking about getting my approval for the work and calculating an estimate

So that was why it was ready by lunchtime rather than around teatime, as often happens. This meant I was able to pop along to Big Sainsbury’s while I was that side of the river, and get various bits and bobs that I would have had to get next week otherwise.

Upon finally returning home, not only was the preferred parking space free, but this entire edge of the lawn was empty, so I didn’t even have to parallel park. And just to round things off, the lift was on the ground floor, so I didn’t have to wait for that!

Time for lunch now; I’m quite peckish as I only had coffee for breakfast. Some hot wings (cold) await