I have a few Google Wave invitations, if anyone would like one.

This entry was originally posted at http://tobyaw.dreamwidth.org/166270.html.

Join kateaw, qidane and me for our annual Christmas carvery party lunch, to say “thank you” to our friends for another great year. We’ll be serving a traditional Christmas roast — the perfect way to get in the mood for Christmas.

Sunday 20 December, noon to 4pm. RSVP

If you prefer Facebook, the event is at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=185575526635

This entry was originally posted at http://tobyaw.dreamwidth.org/165899.html.

Sunday night viewing is a handful of episodes of UFO. We’ve been recording them from ITV4.

While having seen and greatly enjoyed pretty much everything else that Gerry Anderson made, somehow UFO passed me by. So here in 2009 we are enjoying the best that 1970 can offer us. And there is much to enjoy — the performances, the model work, the uniforms, the theme music, the hairstyles on moonbase, and the adult tone compared with his other work.

I guess like the rest of Anderson’s work these were made on 35mm, so I can hope for an HD release on Bluray at some point. Oh yes, I’d buy that.

This entry was originally posted at http://tobyaw.dreamwidth.org/165652.html.

I spent half the morning preparing lunch while Kate was busy sticking tiles on the loo floor. As Andrew was the only meat eater today, he roasted the lamb in his house (so we veggies didn’t have to deal with it), and then he decided that it wasn’t cooked sufficiently for his taste, so we all had a veggie roast lunch. (He left the lamb in for a while longer, and will lunch on it through the week.)

Pudding was cheese & biscuits. Red Leicester, Emmental, Pié d’Angloys, and a crumbly Lancashire were the cheeses of choice, with Hovis digestives and Carr’s water biscuits. Kate is a big fan of Lancashire cheese — having passed by a Booth’s on the way home from Wales last weekend, Kate was well supplied with her favourite (even better than Wensleydale, I am told). I prefer the Pié d’Angloys, which I think is the finest cheese that our local Morrisons stocks. Beth has developed a particular fondness for pickled onions with her cheese. Many were consumed.

I’ve spent the afternoon trying to get a VAT invoice out of Google Apps Premier, Andrew is copying some of his files onto my Drobo for a backup (or maybe a master copy), and Kate and Beth are doing a craft project, making something on the dining room table.

We’re heading out swimming shortly.

Next up: must plan our Christmas party lunch. Keep your diaries free for Sunday 20 December.

This entry was originally posted at http://tobyaw.dreamwidth.org/165476.html.

I signed up to Google Wave. Haven’t had much of a play with it yet. You can contact me on it as toby.atkin.w@googlewave.com

As Kate is away, tonight’s entertainment involves zombies — Diary of the Dead.

This entry was originally posted at http://tobyaw.dreamwidth.org/165346.html.

I’ve been playing FarmVille on Facebook recently. I haven’t had much time for Facebook apps until now — primarily I’ve used Facebook for planning BBQs and social lunches — but Kate ‘needed’ another neighbour on FarmVille. So I got dragged in. Then I got competitive.

I suppose it gives me something to do while Kate watches Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two.

I also picked up the Wiiware Contra Rebirth, which is amusingly hard in its retro way. I’m not dreadfully successful at it, though.

Kate, Andrew and Mary are off to Richard’s party in Wales for the weekend, so I’ll be having fun with Beth in their absence.

This entry was originally posted at http://tobyaw.dreamwidth.org/164901.html.

It is kateaw’s birthday on Sunday 25^th. To celebrate we’re planning to have lunch out at Pizza Express in St Andrews at 1pm, and then tea and cake at home at about 4.30pm.

All who know Kate are welcome to join us; please let me know if you’d like to come to lunch, tea, or both.

This entry was originally posted at http://tobyaw.dreamwidth.org/164644.html.

Beth has two weeks of half term. I am most reliably informed that the schools around here have two weeks off in the autumn term so the children can help with the potato harvest.

So I will be encouraging Kate and Beth to spend their time digging.

This entry was originally posted at http://tobyaw.dreamwidth.org/164410.html.

Thinking about buying a Drobo. Scan are doing a bundle with the DroboShare that looks reasonable.

I'd mostly be using it as an iTunes media server, and for Time Machine backups (for me, kateaw and qidane). Does anyone have any experience of Drobos, good or bad?

This entry was originally posted at http://tobyaw.dreamwidth.org/164307.html.