- This Tuesday marked 25 years since I posted my very first blog post. It was the first of 84 entries on my travelblog which I updated as I spent a year travelling and living in New Zealand. In the days before Facebook, WhatsApp or smartphones, it was the best way to connect to my family and a few friends who read it. But I also wrote it for myself, a bit like these weeknotes.
- I used Blogger to publish. The service FTP’d HTML files to a directory on a server at my local university (I think http://rdiu.anglia.ac.uk/barry) where I had worked part-time. Simple, but it worked. The original host is long since dead, but it’s nice to see my raw content has been preserved by new (2003) owners Google when I log in.
- We had our lawn relaid. It’s now much wider and replaces the bumpy, patchy grass around where the play boat and flower beds were. The bad news for the boys is that we can’t play football on it until April.
- I had my final x-ray and consultation at the hospital for my broken elbow. It’s not completely healed after 4.5 months but they were happy enough to not need another visit. Phew. What a lot of faff for one little fall playing football.
- I drove H to the far side of the county for his football match against Ware. His team lost 1-2 but that was a big improvement over the 1-7 reverse fixture. It was notable for being recorded using special cameras on a pole at the side of the pitch. We got to rewatch the action, including when H comically collided with another boy off the ball.
- He had a busy Saturday: the football and two birthday parties. Sunday was a cosy, quiet day indoors while it rained. We all ate a big chicken pie and vegetables for lunch and snoozed on the sofa before Liverpool were beaten by Man United at home. Arsenal are firmly on top of the league. A splendid way to end the week.
