Bottom 3

One loss and one win this week was not enough for the Royals to lift themselves out of the relegation zone.

26 Jan:
Sheffield Wednesday 3 - 0 Reading

30 Jan:
Reading 1 - 0 Barnsley

Golden Ticket

They say in the end it's not necessarily the place or the work you miss but the people. For good or bad LOL.

So this is my last day in the office. I am the middle of three leaving over a three week period although there was no collusion, this was purely by chance. But as K- who left last Friday- said, we are each holders of Golden Tickets. I quite like that idea, next stop Willy Wonka's?

Anyway it's with mixed feelings that I'm moving on after three and a half years. While I'm looking forward to my new job and the challenges it will hold, I don't mind admitting it's not without a degree of trepidation. I have to admit my boss was really supportive when I spoke with him. Obviously he didn't want the headache of having to search for my replacement (sorry D, can't help much there) but he understood all my reasons for going. So as of Monday morning it will be on with the shirt, tie and a whole smarter working me, something I've not had to do in the current role.

Wish me luck.

Squashed Tomatoes And Stew*

Six today. Happy Birthday, LL.

Despite being very photogenic, we have to try really hard not to be silly in front of the camera.














* Happy Birthday to you,
   Squashed tomatoes and stew,
   Bread and butter,
   In the gutter,
   Happy Birthday to you.


LOL.

Nottingham Forest 2 - 1 Reading

Boo hoo.

Short Lived Good Samaritans

Isn't it amazing that when the heavy snows started falling nearly everyone rallied together to lend assistance. Strangers offered to help dig out trapped cars, people knocked on the doors of the elderly to make sure they were warm enough and had sufficient food stocks, even department stores opened their doors at night so stranded motorists had somewhere warm to stay. The media even dug deep in their Bag Of Clichés and found phrases like "spirit of the Blitz" when commenting on how generous the British people were.

How things have changed. The snow is melting and refreezing, on the un-cleared back roads and side roads, or just turning to a thick layer of slippery slush causing continuing difficulties for some. But are we bothering to stop and lend assistance? Yes: I was that frustrated motorist stuck in the middle of the road unable to go forward or back. Of the six cars lined up waiting impatiently to go past, can you guess how many offered to help?



On a more pleasant note, the Royals did rather well last night. I only normally make mention of Reading's league matches but I can't let their FA Cup replay away at (the mighty) Liverpool go unmentioned. I probably wouldn't be too far off the mark to suggest the salary of some of the individual Liverpool players is likely to equal or exceed the salary bill of the whole Reading squad. Nevertheless Reading came back late in the game to score 2 goals and progress to the next round, knocking the Reds out of the competition.

Liverpool 1 - 2 Reading.

Nice work boys.

Mister Bump

Received a call from Little Lad's mum to say he'd taken a tumble down the stairs and had quite badly banged his head. On inspection there certainly was a nice dent in the plaster board on the wall so I could imagine the force with which his head struck. Anyway I raced over this morning, after texting my boss to say I'd have to take some emergency time out, to look after him and speak with the GP. Long story short the doctor is happy enough that nothing serious has occurred: he didn't lose consciousness and hasn't been sick etc although he will probably complain of having headaches for a few days. Little Lad wasn't making too much of a fuss and seemed quite pleased to see me, so we settled down to spend some quality time doing some English and maths work.


















 
Now I absolutely promise I had nothing to do with this but I got a text from work mid morning telling me the office was closed due to a power cut. The electricity company were on site but not expecting to have a resolution until this evening. Couldn't have planned it if I'd tried, could I? LOL

Ice Ice Baby*

The cold weather continues with more snow (up to 8 inches/20 cm) promised over the next two nights. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has put out a number of warnings that our native wild birds will suffer in the cold snap from a lack of food and have opened a number of emergency feeding stations. They have also asked that home owners put out extra food and fresh water.

Impressive icicles hanging from the guttering outside my bedroom.

Little Lad, yesterday enjoying the snow.
























*Apologies  for the poor title- if anyone has a more suitable suggestion, musical or otherwise, please let me know. Write your answer on a postcard or back of a stuck down envelope and send to the usual competition address LOL.

Unexpected

Unexpectedly received one of these today. Goes very nicely with the new Mobile Phone I've just treated myself to.
















Life is good LOL.

It's A Play Day!

The snow kept falling last night and hasn't let up yet. As a result the office is closed for the day so I guess we all get to play.

This is the roof of my car this morning.

State of one of our local main roads today.

The following three images are of the Reading University grounds.

And Snow It Begins

Bang on cue snow has returned to Britain. My part of the UK is forecast to receive up to 30 cm (about 12 inches) of snowfall tonight. Already reports are coming in of people being stranded in their cars, unable to get to their destinations.

Look out for the car sliding onto the pavement. LOL

Number Ten Has Gone

The BBC present The Two Doctors..?









The David Tennant era, arguably the most popular and successful interpretation of the role, is now over and Matt Smith has uttered his first words as the Doctor. His first series will begin (probably) in the Spring with a new companion and new Executive Producers shaping the direction of the series.

But for the moment, just a little bit longer at least, the tenth Doctor is still supreme. Thank you David, you were brilliant.