It has been a very long time and it is lateish so just a few words. The IT replacement project is going. I have promised to have most PCs rolled out before I go to Battle Mountain on the 5th. The build and group policy isn’t great. It takes about 15 mins setup for each new user. Most of that is importing setting from XP profiles, setting printers and program defaults and setting compatibility view on 4 sites.  Tomorrow we try and improve the build.

I am really looking forward to Battle Mountain. It looks like I will be travelling with Alan Grace and his handcycle. I didn’t really want to be with a team, but I am a sucker. Seems like a good bloke. Doesn’t really need Battle Mountain to break the record, but fair play if he goes to the effort.

I was an observer on a record attempt the weekend of the 9th and 10th. Can’t say anything but keep and eye on Channel 4 at the end of the year. Worked with a great team, including Alan Goodman. It was good to get to see eye to eye with him, when I feel I have not for a while. I felt like I was doing what I was good at, in a very colaborative atmosphere. Not much like going to work. 

Olly continues to be beautiful, but I had a bit of a scare with him last week. Normally he is awake at my least move. Last Thurs he wasn’t. I met a very drowsy cat as I left the bathroom. He didn’t like to be touched. He usually loves fuss. He didn’t want to eat, which is very unusual. I took him to the vets. They could not find anything significant wrong. He was looking perkier after fighting off all comers in the surgery. He had a slight temperature.  They gave me a pain killer to mix with his food. He ate it, and drugged food the next day, but then he was wary. Cats hate feeling at all drowsy.

The vets told me he is over weight, like his person. Owner doesn’t work with cats. I had not noticed his weight gain, but his favorite game is pouncing on cat treats thrown around the room. I had to stop that as they are very fattening. He did not eat at home for a few days. He was drinking, so I wasn’t too worried, but I did get concerned he was eating elsewhere. My old cat snacked out a lot, but he wasn’t gready and kept a reasonable weight, so this is new to me. Olly is a big chap, but 7Kg is too much. 

On Sunday night to Monday morning he woke me several times, seeming to want food, but not eating it. I got blase and ignored him. On Monday he really meant it. When I would not get up he bit me hard. I still have the marks from his canines (felines?) on the forearm. He ate a decent meal. Good for him as I was about to confine him to quarters.

Olly is causing trouble with a neighbour. We have always got on in the past. She is a hairdresser. I don’t know if it is connected but she is very protective of her garden, which is immaculate and has won local prizes. She found Olly’s collar at the side of her house, where he had been fighting. Quite a lot of cat fur too. They can lose loads without a sign on them. In addition, she told me he was shitting on her patio. I offered some repellant chemicals I bought when he was troubling another neighbour. I made the mistake of a slight shrug and saying ‘He’s a cat’. She stomped off and would not take what I offered.

My garden is really nice this year, even in her eyes.

OK – not just a few words.