Wednesday 15 July 2009

After an afternoon and evening spent at our Lifelong Learning Network’s conference at Dorney Lake last Thursday, I had to travel to Chatham on the Friday to represent us at Kent and Medway LLN’s annual conference. The Chatham Maritime project seems an impressive venture and probably much needed, as from a quick walk through both Gillingham and Chatham town centres, the area could do with a bit of perking up. The University of Greenwich’s Medway campus is certainly elegant and the conference itself was good, but the convoluted journey took me three hours each way. Have reached the decision that when the amount of time spent travelling equals the amount of time actually spent at the conference, it probably isn’t worth it. NB although Greenwich’s ‘Getting to Medway by public transport’ page claims that the campus is a 20-minute walk from Gillingham station, it’s more like 40 – unless there was a cunning shortcut I missed.

As part of a flying visit to my parents at the weekend, Mum and I visited the Linda Vista Gardens in Abergavenny. The gardens have apparently been open to the public since the mid-nineteenth century, although Mum claimed never to have noticed them before. Very pretty although we were puzzled to find grated cheese scattered around in several places.

Mildly shocked earlier this week while blearily making coffee to hear noise and scuffles from the next room and go in to find the rabbits viciously tearing clumps of fur out of each other. Seemingly, if caged at night, the combined scents of freedom and breakfast send them into a frenzy. Have been instructed that I need to feed and release them IMMEDIATELY on going downstairs in the morning – yes, before making coffee. I know. It’s outrageous.

RIP boiler. We have hopefully now spent our last night with the old Glow-Worm combi boiler referred to in my 29 April post. As of this morning, a new Worcester Bosch condensing combi is being installed, along with four new radiators. Hopefully this will mark an end to the recent exciting unpredictability of the hot water supply. Attaching a pic of the old boiler, before it is ripped off the wall and consigned to wherever it is that condemned boilers go. I will miss its banging noises and endless unsuccessful attempts to fire.