Back in the kitchen...

So, the oven's fixed and my kitchen is back in production. It was (as I'd thought) just the element for the main oven that had failed. Anyway, I was glad we'd got breakdown insurance as these things aren't that cheap, considering that they're really just a coil of wire that gets hot!

A good day writing (about writing) for the book and then dinner at a local Bangladeshi Restaurant the Sundarbon in Selly Oak. If anything, the food's better than ever and the service is fun!

Murphy's First Law

Sometimes quoted as If it can go wrong, it will, but, more properly as the perversity of the universe tends towards a maximum.

We had invited a Professor from Nankai University to dinner last night: he's great company and had been to the folk club and entertained us in Tianjin. So, we were cooking when - suddenly - all the power went off. I reset the circuit breaker and everything was fine, except the oven, which is deceased!

Nevertheless, we still produced some decent food. Now we just need to get the oven fixed!

Working at Home II

This is one of the nicer things about working from home - my view of the garden from my study.

Even though Autumn is well and truly here (and it feels as though winter isn't far away) the garden still looks pretty good.

So, while I'm working away writing (today about writing skills for research) all I have to do is turn my head for a bit of relaxation.

Oh well - back to work!

It feels like Autumn

It's finally started to get a bit colder. The leaves are beautiful - wonderful golds, browns and ambers. Bonfire night is past, so maybe there'll be fewer explosions tonight?

The weather today is beautiful. An almost cloudless blue sky and even though the temperature's only about 10C, it feels much warmer. There's a strong breeze though - enough to make it difficult to cycle. The forecast is for stronger winds tomorrow.

Of course, now that it's really Autumn, Winter is just around the corner ...

Working at Home

Now that I've returned from far-flung places, I've started my study leave in earnest and I'm making some great progress on the book.

This picture shows my study at home (it is probably the tidiest it has EVER been!) where I work -- with the added pleasure of being able to turn my head and look into the garden.