An update...

Back in my earlier post in June that there were changes afoot here. It's time to update what's happening. I got the word in June that I was being made redundant. This after 12 years working for the company. As you can imagine, it was a real kick in the gut. As things stand, I'm on "gardening leave" now until the end of the month. After that, I'm officially out of work.

I'm currently looking into various options job-wise. I'm waiting to hear about one potential opening, but it would involve moving house, and the way things are at the moment isn't particularly conducive to selling a house. There's other things I'm working on, but nothing definite. So, it's a fun time here...

Still, I'm glad I'd already booked and paid for the holiday before all this happened. Krakow was lovely. I ended up getting sunburn, when they forecast rain most of the time. Plus, it was nice to have a "frog-fest" straight after. I think I'll have to practice my guitar playing before the next one!

After Krakow

The Town Hall Tower at Dusk
Originally uploaded by Fearless Fred

I'm back from Krakow now. For all the gloomy forecasts, I had maybe 30 minutes of rain while I was there. As a place, Krakow if gorgeous, an I can certainly recommend it. I didn't get a chance to go out to all the places on my list, but I covered most of them. Next time I visit, I'll try to get round to the rest. I'm still sorting through all the photos, so there may be a few more going up on Flickr in the near future. Now to decide where to go next year! Hmmm Budapest? Bratislava? Vienna? Dubrovnik? Split? Sofia? Bucharest? Too many to choose from!

Krakow

The Church of St Mary at night
Originally uploaded by Fearless Fred

Well, here I am in Krakow! I'm here for a few days as a holiday (at last). First impressions are great, but don't believe the weather forecasts. All the forecasts said for Monday & Tuesday to be rainy, but I've actually got some sunburn instead. Of course, I've probably jinxed myself now. Today it's a trip to the Salt Mines.....

After the rain

After the rain
Originally uploaded by Fearless Fred

I realise it's been a few months since I last posted. There's a lot of things afoot here at the moment, and there's going to be some changes coming up. I can't say much at the moment, as it's all up in the air, but I'll post more when things settle into shape.

Meanwhile, I've got a holiday coming up in Krakow, so expect a post or two from there. In the meantime, here's a photo I took oer the w/e, trying out my new camera....

Reading the newspaper this morning.....

.....I came across this report. Now, as I said in an earlier entry, I suffer from psoriasis myself, so you can imagine the way my heart leapt when I read the article. I honestly hadn't realised that so many people are affected by this illness, but I hope that this advance in treatment makes it's way into the mainstream NHS soon. As alluded to in this BBC article, whilst it may not be a life threatening illness, it is a life-altering one. It affects how you perceive yourself, and can colour your interaction with others. Roll on the day when they have a cure....

Budapest again

Budapest at night
Originally uploaded by Fearless Fred

Well, I had to do another trip to Budapest this week, to follow up with one of the new accounts I met last time I was over there. This time it was a "there'n'back" trip (where I fly out and back the same day) so I didn't get any chance to see any sights. Instead, here's a photo from my trip last month...

As for the travel, it all went well, until I left Luton to drive home. Not only are the roadworks on the M1 *still* going on, but they also decided to close part of it southbound that night. The detour may only have been a few miles, but the traffic slowed to about walking pace. I think it must've added about 45 minutes to the drive, so I got home close to 1am Friday morning. Of course, by the time you've driven for a few hours, you're awake from the concentration, so sleep doesn't come easily, even if you're tired.

Rugby

Well, it's been a tumultuous few days in English rugby.I'm not going to come down off the fence bout the changes until after they've played under the new system. No, what this posting is really about is me with a big smile on my face as I've got a ticket to see 'Quins play their last home math of the season! Now, here's to a good day out (and hoping we beat Sale that day)...