Added by Mark on 12th July 2007
Total loss
The garage has now told me that the Land Rover is
a total loss :( So, we've got to go through finding another one now, for
the value that the insurance offer... don't fancy our chances much. We'll
probably go for a turbo diesel one this time though, as while LPG is cheap,
and the V8 makes sweet music, not enough petrol stations sell LPG. Come
on, UK, LPG is a clean fuel, why not support it?
I have to give the hire car back today, so I'm working on some designs for a cart for Dungfeet, it's about time he took us for a walk...
Dungfeet, by the way, is now famous, as he comes up no.1 in a google search. It's not because it is the only reference either, because there is one other obscure use of the word in a bizarre piece of web-based literature.
I have to give the hire car back today, so I'm working on some designs for a cart for Dungfeet, it's about time he took us for a walk...
Dungfeet, by the way, is now famous, as he comes up no.1 in a google search. It's not because it is the only reference either, because there is one other obscure use of the word in a bizarre piece of web-based literature.
Added by Mark on 9th July 2007
The Land Rover has gone
The garage came to pick up the Land Rover today,
and the chap at the bodyshop thinks that it is a total loss, which is
rather upsetting, guess I won't see it again. I have a courtesy car, but
only until Thursday, then I'm on my own. This whole affair is complete
hassle, thanks to the driver of the Fiesta. Seeth.
Added by Mark on 8th July 2007
Almost finished the kennel
We had a busy weekend: It was Andy and Kelly's wedding, so I popped out for a beer
with Andy on Friday, and we all went to the evening do on Saturday - it was an excellent do.
The rest of the weekend I spent building Dungfeet's kennel. It is looking
great now, and very solid. I think it will outlive me by a long while...
See it here.
Dungfeet did the run between the two tellegraph poles in 5.57 seconds today - that's an amazing 30.35 mph!!!
The rest of the weekend I spent building Dungfeet's kennel. It is looking
great now, and very solid. I think it will outlive me by a long while...
See it here.Dungfeet did the run between the two tellegraph poles in 5.57 seconds today - that's an amazing 30.35 mph!!!
Added by Mark on 5th July 2007
The Land Rover is no more!!
Well, I was driving home for lunch today, along the lanes near our house,
went round a corner, and "ARRGHH", an old Ford Fiesta was hurtling the other way,
with no hope of stopping. I stopped the Land Rover and waited...
"Screeeeeeeeeech - BANG - Tinkle"
A young girl was driving the car, in a hurry "to get to Yeovil". Luckily, no one was hurt, even though she wasn't wearing a seatbelt, but both cars, I think, are written off. So, I'm looking forwards to months of wrangling with insurance companies having no car and then being completely stuffed on the value of my car so that I cannot afford another one. Great. I now get even more wound up at the sight of boy (and girl) racers screaming round our roads with not a care for anyone but themselves. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!
One rather frustrating feature of all this - because the engine of the Land Rover would not start, the Police arranged a recovery lorry to come from Wincanton, to carry it to our home a couple of hundred yards away, and charge us a VERY large sum for the pleasure. Then, another lorry has to pick it up from our house to take it a couple of hundred yards to a garage to have it assessed. Then, no doubt, another lorry will bring it back again. Seems very lucrative to run a business off the back of someone's misfortune...
"Screeeeeeeeeech - BANG - Tinkle"
A young girl was driving the car, in a hurry "to get to Yeovil". Luckily, no one was hurt, even though she wasn't wearing a seatbelt, but both cars, I think, are written off. So, I'm looking forwards to months of wrangling with insurance companies having no car and then being completely stuffed on the value of my car so that I cannot afford another one. Great. I now get even more wound up at the sight of boy (and girl) racers screaming round our roads with not a care for anyone but themselves. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!
One rather frustrating feature of all this - because the engine of the Land Rover would not start, the Police arranged a recovery lorry to come from Wincanton, to carry it to our home a couple of hundred yards away, and charge us a VERY large sum for the pleasure. Then, another lorry has to pick it up from our house to take it a couple of hundred yards to a garage to have it assessed. Then, no doubt, another lorry will bring it back again. Seems very lucrative to run a business off the back of someone's misfortune...
Added by Mark on 3rd July 2007
Ajax - for a cleaner website
Do you like this blog item? Click below...
You will have noticed by the change in URL
for this blog page, and the slightly dodgy looking poll thingy next to this
entry, that I have gone all modern, and started adding some server side
scripting to our website. The poll
is implemented using Ajax with PHP, and has necessitated the move to a PHP
enabled server. The one I chose provides free PHP hosting, but puts an
advertising banner on the page. It is also rather slow. However, please look
out for some rather self indulgent web design from now on...
Added by Mark on 1st July 2007
The weekend
Kev came over with Milo (jack russel) last night, and
it was teeth and fur right from the start. We had to segregate the various
dogs - it was like the logic problem of getting a fox, a chicken and a bag
of grain across a river in a boat (without anything being eaten). They were
all barking so much, we were
glad to go out for a meal and leave them to it. This morning, we all went
of for a walk but not before Maddie firmly attached herself to Milo's neck
by her teeth. Dungfeet, whilst only 'playing', has been winding them all
up, but he did get on the wrong end of Milo's teeth and one point, and now
has a bald patch for his trouble. Freddie, of course, has been winging and
howling continuously throughout, and Wilf has just been putting up with
it all.
I actually managed to start work on Dungfeet's kennel when we got back. I have the base and the framework finished, and will finish the roof and walls this week, weather permitting. I think it may be over-engineered though, as it is already a two man lift...
I actually managed to start work on Dungfeet's kennel when we got back. I have the base and the framework finished, and will finish the roof and walls this week, weather permitting. I think it may be over-engineered though, as it is already a two man lift...
Added by Mark on 29th June 2007
Finished the fence
Half day today! Hoorah!!! Tonight we completed the
fence between our garden and the neighbours. We have reused the framework
from the existing fence, but nailed featheredge over it, to cover the wicker
that various dogs had battered their way through. Got some bits of featheredge
left that I will incorporate into the kennel that I am going to build tomorrow.
The kennel is to be of traditional design, and designed to fit Dungfeet.
It will, however, be the prototype for one of our future product lines.
Lookout for it soon on our project pages...
Added by Mark on 29th June 2007
More speed for Dungfeet?
Just a thought, I have found a supplier of the curved springs
that you can attach to your feet to allow you to run faster.
Maybe I could make a set of four smaller ones for the dog?
On a more realistic note, I should mow the grass between the
telegraph poles, and have been thinking I could make a mechanical
rabbit...
Added by Jess on 28th June 2007
Maddie goes walkabout
Maddie did a runner again tonight, during the Dungfeet speed trials.
We looked for her for half an hour, then I went out in the car to find
her whilst Mark stayed at the house in case she came back... all to no avail.
She came back a while later, toddling down the drive as if nothing had
happened. It seems that she has been up to no good though, as she
is an awful lot fatter than when she went out... That's it now, she will have
to stay on the lead as she is completely untrustworthy.
Blocked Ear (left). A few weeks ago I had a virus and got a sloshy ear (my ears have always been rather too waxy for my liking). Anyway I decided (stupidly) to stick an earbud down there, as it was all itchy and irritating and yes, you guessed it, it is now blocked. You don't realise how much you rely on your ears. I am disorientated and depressed and have to keep saying 'do-wot?'. So Advice; when you have waxy ears don't put earbuds down them, buy some OTEX and loosen the wax, then book yourself in for an ear syringing with the nurse. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Still you live and learn. I should be not-so-hard-of-hearing by friday! Hurrah! (having a blocked ear has had its advantages - as I can't hear Freddie the whippet winging at night - which believe me is sooooooooooo annoying you want to kill yourself to escape it.
Blocked Ear (left). A few weeks ago I had a virus and got a sloshy ear (my ears have always been rather too waxy for my liking). Anyway I decided (stupidly) to stick an earbud down there, as it was all itchy and irritating and yes, you guessed it, it is now blocked. You don't realise how much you rely on your ears. I am disorientated and depressed and have to keep saying 'do-wot?'. So Advice; when you have waxy ears don't put earbuds down them, buy some OTEX and loosen the wax, then book yourself in for an ear syringing with the nurse. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Still you live and learn. I should be not-so-hard-of-hearing by friday! Hurrah! (having a blocked ear has had its advantages - as I can't hear Freddie the whippet winging at night - which believe me is sooooooooooo annoying you want to kill yourself to escape it.
Added by Mark on 28th June 2007
The Hound
Well, we thought that Dungfeet's ears were getting
smaller, but on reviewing some older photographs it turns out that we were
wrong and it is the rest of him getting bigger! We are looking after Maddie
and the whippets again, and Dungfeet just dwarfs them. Now when he wants
to play, the other dogs have to take notice! I now want to create a measured
course in the field over which we can time him - i'm sure he must be doing
well over 30mph.
Update: I have measured the speed of Dungfeet between two telegraph
poles in the field. He covered the distance in 6.98 seconds. I have paced
the distance out at 78 paces, with each pace being 35 inches. I've
done the calculation, and it comes out at 22.2 mph.
This is from a standing start, in long grass.
We've only done one run so far, we'll try and get some more speed out of him...
Update: I have measured the speed of Dungfeet between two telegraph
poles in the field. He covered the distance in 6.98 seconds. I have paced
the distance out at 78 paces, with each pace being 35 inches. I've
done the calculation, and it comes out at 22.2 mph.
This is from a standing start, in long grass.
We've only done one run so far, we'll try and get some more speed out of him...
Added by Jess on 27th June 2007
Today...
My ear hurts!!!
Added by Mark on 26th June 2007
Jess' birthday today!!!!
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...
It's Jess' significant birthday today. We're off to a swanky Italian restaurant in town tonight. I have also promised her a holiday in Scotland. However, due to my career issues at the moment, I'm not sure when this will be feasible.
It's Jess' significant birthday today. We're off to a swanky Italian restaurant in town tonight. I have also promised her a holiday in Scotland. However, due to my career issues at the moment, I'm not sure when this will be feasible.
Added by Mark on 25th June 2007
The decision is made
Well, today I have handed in my notice. It has been
a BIG decision - to give up a well paid job in search of more personal satisfaction
and a better way of life. Jess and I are to start up a new business centered
around property development services. We don't know if it will work yet
but we must do it - we want to spend more time together and work towards
a common goal. I've had enough of being office based, and want to see a
bit more of that wide world out there...
Added by Mark on 16th May 2007
Welcome to our blog!!
Hello. This page will build up over the coming months, to
contain our news, ramblings and views.