Archive for December, 2004

Half-time Buzzard

My Dad works in the countryside and when people find sick or injured animals they usually give him a ring. Yesterday he was catching a swan that had got caught in an angler’s fishing line and today while I was listening to the football (less said about that the better!) Dad went to find an injured buzzard that a friend of my mum’s had seen.

I went along with him (and Mum) to the field where it had been seen, arriving at the stroke of half-time in the football. The only buzzard we could see was perfectly healthy but we went for a walk and our dogs soon found the injured bird in a hedge. Dad had to chase it, its feet were badly wounded but it could still stagger at a surprising speed. By the time we got back to the car with the bird, the football was just kicking off for the second half!

the injured buzzard

We have it in our utility room now (pictured above), the next step is to take it to an expert. The Hawk Conservancy and the “Ringwood Raptor and Reptile Centre” are both nearby. Our phone calls today were unsuccessful, I guess we’ll have to “hawk” it about tomorrow.

Here’s hoping with expert help he makes a full recovery!

Could CSS be more eudemonic?

Things have been progressing fast, I’ve now put down a deposit for a flat in Winchester, so much has changed since a week ago when I had no job, no car and no house. However, as I haven’t started my new job yet, I still have time to surf the web in a relaxed way.

Daniel Glazman has been calling for an improvement to CSS (the method used to style a web-site for non-authors) and it seems to have sparked some debate in his comments. I would particularly like to see his points 1-8 happen, we’ll see. I’ve also read this essay about improving web browsers which reminded me about the word eudemonic which I had seen on the web before but forgotten. It definately could be used more often!

New job, new car

I’ve decided which job offer I’m going to take. I’m going to be a trainee software engineer for IBM at Hursley. Really chuffed! I’ve bought a new car,


My new rover

It also means I have the money to go and watch Saints play Middleborough tomorrow. Very cool, next up I need to find somewhere to live!

RIP Taff

It’s been an emotional few days. Today our sixteen year old Jack Russell was put down. His kidneys had failed. He’d had a long life and he had a good life-style for a dog, able to roam the open countryside in which my Dad works, but it is extremely sad.

Update: I thought that I’d put a photo of Taff in his prime here. Click on the photo for a bigger version.



A young Taff

Job offers are like buses…

After being unemployed since I submited my thesis about two months ago, I received my first job offer today. I also received my second. A delightful dilemma. Keeping quiet about who until I’ve put pen to paper and committed to one.

Stay tuned for more information but it might be a few days.