Sweetest. Note. Ever.

25 Nov 2006:

Things begin to take shape

23 Nov 2006: Well, progress might best be described as “steady” rather than sensational, but it has been raining, and the council inspectors’ lack of instant availability doesn’t help that much. However, we’ve got a lot of the brick and blockwork in place. Doesn’t it look nice? They’re going to have to leave the big gap to get the rubble out when they knock down the current kitchen wall, as the extension doesn’t have a door. With it all happening, suddenly things like getting the lighting sorted take on an additional urgency. Kitchen Extension series: Part 1 Kitchen Extension series: Part 2 Kitchen Extension series: Part 3 Kitchen Extension series: Part 4 Kitchen Extension series: Part 5 Kitchen Extension series: Part 6 Kitchen [...]

Webmasterworld Pubcon Las Vegas 2006: a strange world

18 Nov 2006: So, back from Webmasterworld Pubcon Las Vegas 2006, and my introduction to a very strange little world. A great conference, and almost certainly worth the time and expense flying across the Atlantic (and then some), if only for Guy Kawasaki‘s amusing and inspiring presentation. But a lot of people in this world of webmastering need to get out more. The cliques which exist, and the attempts to build a cult of personality, are risible. Brett Tabke, the organiser, introduced one of the keynote speakers, Danny Sullivan, in quite cringeworthy fashion: like Brett, Danny runs a search engine related online forum and offline conference series, although Danny recently sold his operation, and subsequently announced he would be leaving. In his preamble, [...]

Where’s the grass gone?

8 Nov 2006: It was quite nice turf, really. But you’ll have to take our word for it. Or, if it hasn’t been updated, the evidence is at Google Maps. Now there’s just mud, glorious mud. And some nice footings. And of course “the most difficult bit of drain to move I’ve ever, ever come across in all my years”. Why of course!

Quick. Fill in the hole while nobody’s looking.

2 Nov 2006: So when the neighbours were out at work, we blocked up the road for an hour with this huge great cement mixer, which discharged about fifty wheelbarrowloads (is that an imperial or metric unit?) of wet concrete and they went straight into our footings. All that digging, and the whole thing got filled up in 45 minutes. Great fun for five year olds to watch. Alex got all the builders a beer from the fridge afterwards.