Feeling the need to blog more generally today. It's been a weird one today, both really quite good and really spectacularly bad
On the plus side, I got to work on time (ish) and the equipment has worked more than I expected it to. The experiments may or may not have worked, but that's always the way of it until you get to work up the data when you've finished. The flow meters I use to control the rate at which gas enters my cell have been causing me problems - they have an recurring fault but they're not like it all the time. So we're keeping a log to see if we can correlate when they go wrong with anything in particular we're doing. But, apart from throwing a hissy fit this morning, they've basically worked today. We're going out for dinner tonight also with the guys who play in the 10am music group at Ebbe's, so that should be a good time of getting to know each other better. We're taking some tortilla chips made out of lasagne, also some chicken drumsticks, if I can find free-range in the Co-op or Somerfield (M&S is an option, but it's sooo expensive...), and some vegetable stick things - carrots, peppers maybe, cucumber? Crudites, that's the word
And then it all goes pear-shaped. I'm not good at change. I'm really not good at change. I like things to stay the way they are, or to improve. I don't cope well when things change for the worse.
And that's what's happening just next door. We realised they were doing some work on the house (a fairly hideous 2 story thing) but it was still a shock to find it just gone when I got home from work. A bit weird, and it threw me a bit, but hey, it was pretty awful, so no loss, you could say
What is a loss is the fact that the beautiful Edwardian house (almost a mansion - well, not quite, but big and nice none the less) is ALSO going apparently. Even though when they sent the planning application form, I complained, as did many of the other residents in the road. So they resubmitted the application, showing just an extension, which was fine. But, unknown to me, they also appealed the first decision, but decided not to tell me. Other people found out, so I must have got missed, but still, I didn't have a chance to object
So this lovely old building is going to be torn down to make way for four semi-detached modern boxes, each with a tiny strip of land associated. And the Victorian boat-house is going too. For no good reason, except that it's in the garden and hey, people might not want it. I'm gutted, absolutely gutted. I don't know if it'll even be there when I get home - it might already be gone. If not, I put money on it vanishing by the end of the week
I don't hate progress, I really don't, and some development is fine. The ugly house going to make way for two smaller ones? OK, maybe a bit short sighted and not exactly pretty, but OK. But why should our council side with a developer over the wishes, clearly expressed, of the local community? It makes no sense to me
And to make matters worse, we've just signed on moving to a new property just down the road. I think, if I had known, I'd have pushed for moving to Jericho instead - we had the choice, and it was 51:49, not exactly a certainty either way. Too late now of course, so I have to live next to a building site, cycle past it every day, and generally be reminded of why Oxford is just getting more and more rubbish with every new building they put up. Nice one.
On the plus side, I got to work on time (ish) and the equipment has worked more than I expected it to. The experiments may or may not have worked, but that's always the way of it until you get to work up the data when you've finished. The flow meters I use to control the rate at which gas enters my cell have been causing me problems - they have an recurring fault but they're not like it all the time. So we're keeping a log to see if we can correlate when they go wrong with anything in particular we're doing. But, apart from throwing a hissy fit this morning, they've basically worked today. We're going out for dinner tonight also with the guys who play in the 10am music group at Ebbe's, so that should be a good time of getting to know each other better. We're taking some tortilla chips made out of lasagne, also some chicken drumsticks, if I can find free-range in the Co-op or Somerfield (M&S is an option, but it's sooo expensive...), and some vegetable stick things - carrots, peppers maybe, cucumber? Crudites, that's the word
And then it all goes pear-shaped. I'm not good at change. I'm really not good at change. I like things to stay the way they are, or to improve. I don't cope well when things change for the worse.
And that's what's happening just next door. We realised they were doing some work on the house (a fairly hideous 2 story thing) but it was still a shock to find it just gone when I got home from work. A bit weird, and it threw me a bit, but hey, it was pretty awful, so no loss, you could say
What is a loss is the fact that the beautiful Edwardian house (almost a mansion - well, not quite, but big and nice none the less) is ALSO going apparently. Even though when they sent the planning application form, I complained, as did many of the other residents in the road. So they resubmitted the application, showing just an extension, which was fine. But, unknown to me, they also appealed the first decision, but decided not to tell me. Other people found out, so I must have got missed, but still, I didn't have a chance to object
So this lovely old building is going to be torn down to make way for four semi-detached modern boxes, each with a tiny strip of land associated. And the Victorian boat-house is going too. For no good reason, except that it's in the garden and hey, people might not want it. I'm gutted, absolutely gutted. I don't know if it'll even be there when I get home - it might already be gone. If not, I put money on it vanishing by the end of the week
I don't hate progress, I really don't, and some development is fine. The ugly house going to make way for two smaller ones? OK, maybe a bit short sighted and not exactly pretty, but OK. But why should our council side with a developer over the wishes, clearly expressed, of the local community? It makes no sense to me
And to make matters worse, we've just signed on moving to a new property just down the road. I think, if I had known, I'd have pushed for moving to Jericho instead - we had the choice, and it was 51:49, not exactly a certainty either way. Too late now of course, so I have to live next to a building site, cycle past it every day, and generally be reminded of why Oxford is just getting more and more rubbish with every new building they put up. Nice one.
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