Well, that’s it for 2015 where David and I have survived this year’s challenge of living on a £1 a day each for seven days without straying. We also managed to raise over £300 for OXFAM too – £381 at the time of writing (and I lost 6.5 pounds in weight too!). Thanks for your …
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Category:Personal
Walkies!
Another perfect day for sitting having a beer and generally doing nothing – so we met up with David and Valerie and went for a mega-walk. And when I say mega, I use the term in a relative way – it was mega for me!!! We started by walking down across the meadow, passed The …
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Lent Spent – 2015
Well, here are again. my self-imposed 45-day Lent period is over for another year. I managed to resist my banned list for 2015 without too much trouble – and there’s a smug look about me this morning! All-in-all, I lost around 11lbs, which was more-or-less the same as last year – and that’s pretty pleasing, …
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Website Makeover
Desktop View With Google announcing that websites that are NOT ‘mobile-friendly’ will be penalised in search engine rankings later this April, I thought it was about time I got around to ensuring my personal website – StevePalmer.com – is compliant. Above is the standard ‘desktop’ homepage, whilst below is the vertical-scrollable version you’ll see, if …
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The SA and PCs
Today, I started my first volunteer PC-coaching session for the Salvation Army in Rothwell. It felt great! Four delegates came to today’s inaugural session, and we spent our time working out what everyone wanted in terms of help, confidence and guidance. There was also plenty of ‘hands-on’ too using the SA’s on-site PCs. The session …
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Lent Boy 2015
Yes, it’s that time of year again where I frustrate the hell out of those around me, and try to stick my self-enforced ‘Lent diet’. Depending on what you read, and where you read it, Lent seems to FINISH on different days. I’m working with the Ash-Wednesday-to-Holy-Saturday version, and although technically, I can give myself …
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Incurable Romantic?
If you’re an incurable romantic like me, then how’s this for a cheeky gift for Valentine’s Day? Courtesy of those very nice people at Boomf, simply upload a maximum of 9 of your most romantic pics, relieve yourself of £15, and they’ll ‘print’ them onto marshmallows, pop them in a nice box and send them …
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Erotic?
There’s a lot of talk about this at the moment, so I went to Homebase and B & Q today to find out more, but they couldn’t explain it either. Am I missing something? Steve PalmerI got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! …
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Steve’s Culinary Tip No. 277
Tip No. 277: “When cleaning the food processor, do NOT try and remove debris from the blade using your thumb…” Today’s tip was sponsored by Elastoplast and Steri-Strips …and brought to you by the colour, red! Steve PalmerI got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into …
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Eat-for-a-£1-a-Day (2014) – How did we do?
The Ingredients (minus the Tea-bag!) The Result – Spicy Meatballs & Pasta Bake Well, David and I have just finished our last meal at the end of our seven day: Eat-for-a-£1-a-Day Challenge. Actually, we’re quite pleased with ourselves – we had more-or-less the right amount of food. I say ‘more-or-less’ because we ended up with …
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Lent… Spent!
OK, so here we are, with just 1 minute left to go, I’m at the end of the Lent period for 2014. And, as the clock strikes midnight, it’s then end to my 44-day enforced denial of all the food and drink I really love! After nearly caving in LAST year, trying to do the …
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RIP – Eileen Mabel Palmer
b: 1 July 1927, d: 2 April 2014 Mum passed away in the early hours of this morning, after sustaining serious burns last Friday in an accident at her Flat. We visited her at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital on Sunday, where she had been admitted to the Specialist Burns Unit. Thankfully, due to the medication they’d …
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Lent Boy 2014
Yes, it’s almost that time of year again, and those that know me, know that since 2010, I’ve been using the Lent period to deny myself all the food and drink that I enjoy. I try to add a few items each year to make the experience even tougher, but it’s getting to the stage …
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The Generosity of Friends
VW Polo – ‘Marco’ We’re lucky enough to have lots of friends – friends, who over the years, have been very generous to us. Today was another of those times when we were ‘bowled-over’ by a someone’s actions. Lee, our good friend of many years, told us today, that after a lifetime of driving, she’s …
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Website Relaunched
After what seems like an infinite amount of time ‘faffing’ around, I have finally completed the redesign of my website – StevePalmer.com. If anyone spots any typos, or something’s not working, I’ll be pleased to hear from you! Thanks! Steve PalmerI got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 …
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Valentine’s Day 2014 – mmmmmm and mmmmmm
Ten-out-of-ten for originality this year as I surprised Ann with a box of personalised M&Ms (courtesy of https://www.mymms.co.uk/). …and by personalised, I mean it’s a photograph and words of your choice etched onto an individual M&M – unfortunately though, they don’t come with reading-glasses! Luckily, a book of love poems and a single red-rose were …
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Website Makeover
The last time I gave my website a makeover was in 2010 – so it’s time for a rethink. Hard to believe, I’ve been working on it since Christmas – and it’s still not quite finished! 😲 Anyway, with the major structure and content now completed (apart from my ‘photography’ page where I still haven’t …
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A Tough Month Ahead
Warning! Smug comment alert!!! Looks like a tough month ahead as I try and wade through all the DVDs from Christmas!!! Steve PalmerI got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with …
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The Year of the DoDO – 2013
Warning: This blog contains overt references to Doctor Who – those of a nervous disposition should hide behind the sofa! The recent 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who – ‘The Day of the Doctor’ – may have been a global hit, but much more important to me was my first year in retirement – The …
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Time Travelling – for real!
In spite of my near-obsession with Doctor Who, I was transported back in time today without the need for the TARDIS! How? By looking at some up-to-date photographs of the house where I grew up with Mum, Dad and my Brother. The two-bedroom semi is up for sale for 190k and Neil had found them …
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Too Early to Mention ‘Christmas’?
Yes, quite possibly! Today, we began to get into ‘Christmas-mode’. First task of the day was to review our Christmas card address list. This is always worthwhile, but always takes far longer than I think it’s going to. Every year, I think ‘Oh, there won’t be many address changes’, and every year, I discover there …
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Taxidermy
Is ‘Taxidermy’ 1. A ‘skinny’ mode of transport? 2. The craft of preserving dead things? 3. Getting ‘stuffed’ with a tax bill by the Taxman? I’m opting for ‘3’: My last obligation to the Business is sorted – I’ve paid the final Corporation Tax bill this morning! Steve PalmerI got into blogging quite late …
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The Last Temptation
Well, that’s my major will-power testing exercise completed for another year and I’m chuffed that I managed to avoid all my self-imposed 23 ‘banned substances’ for the whole period of Lent (13th February – 30th March) without too much trouble at all… and that included the strongest temptation – CHOCOLATE!!! I’m now thinking ahead to …
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Plague!
Those that know me, know that I don’t ‘do’ illness – it’s such a waste of time! Well, I’ve picked up a bug sometime in the past week that has now absolutely crippled me! I’ve got a cough that sounds like I’m on 50 Navy Cut a day; aches and pains all over – arms, …
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Handbags at Noon!
Well, not quite as is was just ONE handbag and only 11.45! Carluccio’s, St Pancras I set off for London to meet up with my old friend, Peter J at our regular haunt – Carluccio’s at St Pancras. As I was waiting outside for Peter’s arrival, I noticed something a little odd about The Lovers …
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Lent Boy 2013
OK, here we are again, another year where I try and discipline myself to avoid certain foodstuffs during the period of Lent (starts tomorrow and finishes on the 30th March). Not sure how I’ll do this year, as last year was a real challenge (even with a slightly shorter list). So, please don’t feed …
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DoDO – Easy-Peasy Creasy?
Since the major management restructure here at the beginning of the year where I took the developmental position of DoDO (De Ad) – Director of Domestic Operations (Detail & Admin), I’m enjoying the new responsibilities. After a full TNA revealed a number of competency areas where I’m overskilled (IT Support and Car Fleet Valeting to …
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The Need for Speed
Those that know (and/or live in) the immediate area will already be aware of the crappy internet speed we get locally. For houses that are less than 20 years old, the connection opportunities are very limited. The bad news, looking forward, is there’s no opportunity to have a fibre optic connection installed here either… ever!, …
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Ra-Ra Juno!
I wouldn’t normally visit RADA, but I’d been invited to Juno’s first Associates’ Get-Together since the company was formed last year. I’m acting as volunteer Tech Support for their venture, and yesterday was the first time the two owners: Shirley and Sally, had met all the Associates together in one place. It was a great …
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Life of the DoDO – Iron Man
It’s been my first full week as the DoDO (Director of Domestic Operations) here – having retired on 31st December. A year ago I’d be ironing out performance problems – now It’s just the performance of the iron that gets my attention! Well, what’s it been like. Early days yet, but no signs of ‘cabin …
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