Yes, I know, it’s ugly. It’s not going to get better very quickly. It’s like learning a foreign language from a guide book on how to programme a video recorder. I was never very good at languages and the video recorder is still a mystery to me.

I’d like to think that I can get the colour sorted (I remember changing things a couple of years ago and saving a link showing where I got the colour chart from), I may even be able to sort out the font (which is better in this theme, I have to say). I’d like to have a funky masthead (I got that far before my eyes started to cross) and a few other things. I’ll have to wait until someone can help me translate.

Bear with me!

So, how exciting is all this? New software and all sorts!

Needless to say, expect anything over the coming days whilst I try and work this thing out.

Many thanks to those who tried their best to help a luddite. However, as always, real humble devotion to My Dear Friend. He reached another milestone this week (he’s six months or so younger than me, so I’m not saying which) and I’m sure I will buyhim a cooking lager or three when we meet up later in the week to say thanks.

To anyone who understands the technical stuff behind this thing (you know who you are although I’m open to any help I can get), can you tell me how to stop these poker things advertising in my comments? And when I say “can you tell me” I mean in English. I understand NO computer language - no, not even html (waits for half of the viewing public to pass out and require reviving). As I understand it, and thanks for the previous comment, this doesn’t work in the same way as “Wordpress” - I can’t see where I can block comments!

I don’t particularly like Poker. I might beat the boys at it when drunk (no seriously, I become all reckless and start throwing 5p stakes in all willy nilly) but that doesn’t mean I want to give it free advertising space!

Thanks

Am ill. My voice is gone. Other Half thinks all his birthdays have come at once. Manc Scum came to watch the football on Sunday and though it was hysterical. Fell awful. Going to hide under my duvet until I can talk again!

The First Minister: Many of these targets cut across each other, when the peak in demand reaches the height that it usually does at this time of year. What is happening this year, perhaps for the first time, is that hospitals are continuing to treat people who are on waiting lists rather than stopping doing so when there is great pressure in terms of emergencies. Therefore, they must hit the target on emergencies, namely to treat up to 95 per cent of patients within four hours of their arrival at the accident and emergency department. The ambulance service also has a target, namely responding to 999 calls within eight minutes, and that has increased from 50 per cent to 59 per cent, which is a great improvement. However, the service is now concerned that it will not be able to achieve the new target of responding to 65 per cent of 999 calls if they are on the A scale, namely that there is a threat to human life, within eight minutes.

.. to Emily on realising a dream and having a book (or four) published.

Part of my job is to collate weekly issues from both the Welsh Assembly and the local press that link to the areas we are currently involved in. To give you a broad brush, this is around health, business development, science and technology and education. As part of this, I read the record of proceedings from the Welsh Assembly Government pertaining to the Plenary sessions held.

I thought I would bore you all with why it always takes me twice as long to do this, as it really needs to. The fact is that the Record has always been set out in two columns, one for the Welsh language translation and the other containing the English. This is to show what a truly inclusive nation we are as long as you speak some ancient gobble-de-gook (?sp) interspersed with English words. (It also means that Assembly Members and officials waste millions in public resources on publishing everything twice. Anyway. that’s just a little rant I have once in a while, where was I…). However, the really, really annoying thing about the Record is rather than keeping the two columns consistent, the first column reflects the language in which the question was asked. Therefore, if column 1 is English, column 2 translates this into Welsh. Unless, of course, the question was asked in Welsh and then the opposite occurs. It was always so frustrating.

So, last week I put the reminder to myself to have a little moan about this to you all. Lo and behold, I go into the Record of Proceedings for last week and the format seems to have changed - with the questions only shown in English unless they were asked in Welsh, when an English translation is also offered. Is this a sign of some sense being shown by the Assemby? I doubt it. More to the point, there is probably some committee clerk currently having his knuckles rapped and the next time I go into look at the Record the old insanity will be back.

And, whilst I’m on about insanity, Assembly Members spent part of the time they had to question the Minister of the Enviroment, Planning and the Countryside on the 26th January 2005 talking about Lapwing Populations in the Heads of the Valleys. I mean, seriously, I’m paying good money for this!

From sources at the Evolt Spool, why mixing alcohol, rugby and a knife is seldom a good idea.

Sorry about the lack of posts. We have a mini-crisis in the gene puddle around a small child and rather loose bowel movements. I won’t bore you. I realise some of you may be eating reading this.

Added to William’s “issues”, I have also had steroid injections into a tendon on my right hand. This is due to an RSI type problem I’ve had for about 6 months. I was told yesterday that the physio waiting list was 10 months, exploded, saw my GP who did the injection himself this morning. It’s currently very sore. I could look for sympathy, but won’t (*whimper*).

As a reminder, I must tell you about the debate at the Welsh Assembly about the decline in lapwings in Merthyr and also my frustrations around the way the Record of Proceedings is made.

I could also tell you about my amazement that the U2 gig is being held on a Wednesday, but that would just prove that I hadn’t looked at the day in correspondence to the date in the first place. Needless to say, I wasn’t alone!

Back as soon as the s**t stops hitting the fan!