I’m not sure this guy understands the rules

21 Dec 2006: Look carefully. It’s a builder working …at five o’clock. See, I told you these guys were good. Even if this guy (who will have to remain anonymous in case he gets thrown out of the builders’ union) missed the first day of college where they teach you that the number one rule of construction is that you have to leave at three o’clock “to go and, er, pick some stuff up”. Haha! We’ve got the best builders in the world and you can’t have them!

There’s a hole in my kitchen

19 Dec 2006: Of course you were all wondering what was going on inside the extension, weren’t you? No? Well, here it is anyway. Twice the kitchen! 100% less worktop and storage space (for now). The wiring is all in place for the groovy lighting, and once the plumber is happy, they’ll be boarding up. Mustn’t forget my speakers in the ceiling though. 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 Extension series: Part 7

Google does not want structured points of reference on the web

14 Dec 2006: I just had a rant on Webmasterworld. Someone asked if it was a good idea to publish press releases – would Google index them? Don’t get me started. OK, do get me started: As someone whose sites contain tens of thousands of press releases, painstakingly compiled over seven years, who then found some of the sites unceremoniously dumped from Google this summer, for a while at least, I’d say …there’s no point any more. Never mind that all of the press releases we’d brought together and categorised in one place had become an essential industry resource. Never mind that we’d hired some of the best-known editors in our sectors to put these resources together. Google decided, in its infinite wisdom, [...]

We hit the roof

14 Dec 2006: Now that’s looking like an extension. The lads done great. Windows, roof …it could almost be finished. Except for the small matter of the internals. But now the inner wall has come down and we have an idea of what the new kitchen space will look like. It’s exactly twice the size of the old one, but if you think about it, if half of a kitchen our (old) size is taken up with the entrance and thoroughfare, then doubling the size should give us three times the working area. We’ll see. Next up: internal walls, ceilings, electrics, plumbing and lighting. Sure it’ll all be done by Christmas. It’s still a week away. Kitchen Extension series: Part 1 Kitchen Extension [...]

It’d never happen in Milton Keynes

9 Dec 2006: A few years ago, just before the UEFA Cup draw, a fellow Ipswich supporter said “you do know we could get Dukla Prague, don’t you?”. I couldn’t see them in the list of remaining teams, which is how I found out that the former Czech army side, immortalised by Half Man Half Biscuit, had long since disappeared off the scene and been merged into another club. Years later, Biscuit gigs are still full of fans in Dukla Prague away shirts, and there’s a roaring trade in them from replica kit manufacturers. But it looks like Dukla Prague are returning. The whole thing turns out to be a bit of a Wimbledon/Franchise FC situation, with Dukla Prague having been bought, moved [...]

Up, up and away

1 Dec 2006: Yay. The extension continues to soar skywards. The builders seem to be doing a great job (yeah, like I’m some sort of expert who’s qualified to judge) and they hope to be starting on the roof this weekend. Now we can see the size of the extremely large windows we specified, they’re admittedly huge, but it’ll allow us to see “through” the corner of the extension from the dining room, and I think it’ll work.

All the way from Tuam

1 Dec 2006: The Saw Doctors returned here to Cambridge last night, where I imagine they have a particularly strong following, thanks to their regular appearances at the Cambridge Folk Festival over the past ten years. These guys really know how to put on a good show. And the funny thing is, you seem to be able to sing along with all of their songs, even if you don’t know them. How do they do that? “It’s pop music scored for a rock band, isn’t it?”, said Paul. They played my favourite song – To Win Just Once – so how can I say anything except …great gig, guys.

Half man, half robot

1 Dec 2006: It’s been an odd week for Alex. After the triumph of Emma’s birthday party at the weekend, where he won a certificate for his full-on, virtuoso air guitar performance (not to mention a lorryload of fatherly pride), yesterday he had to go in to Addenbrooke’s to have both his legs plastered up for a fortnight. This is in an attempt to correct a slight muscular deficiency in the lower legs which has been leading to his feet progressively turning over more. Apparently they’ve had some success with this treatment, so fingers crossed. Meanwhile, he’s being spoiled rotten by everyone, of course.