The moment has finally arrived (although at least 2 months later than promissed) and HTC have released the Windows Mobile 6.1 update for the TyTN II. I am installing as we speak as it offers several benefits: improved bluetooth, threaded SMS, more stability, etc etc. It takes about 10 mins to upgrade... Almost a shame I only have the phone a few more weeks before the Diamond arrives.
K and I went to the Doctors today for our vaccinations. We needed HepA and Typhoid boosters and then Diptheria and Tetanus. One in each arm. I am sore...
The order for the A-Class went in today - woohoo. Now I just have to wait for the engine option to become available and then Personal Collection will contact me. Can't wait!
I should have the order for my next work car in by then end of this week. As a bit of fun I am going to use the Mercedes Personal Collection service. They'll fly me business to Germany, taxi me from the airport to the hotel, provide dinner and breakfast with overnight accomodation. In the morning they'll taxi me to the factory and give me a tour. I then pick up the car and get to drive it home with insurance, transit plates and Eurotunnel included. The best bit - it is free!
I've once again been nominated for a Police Award. This time the county Safer Neighbourhoods Awards to be held in County Hall, Hertford. I am to be presented with a certificate and then, if I win the nominations also get a trophy. Sounds all very posh :)
I had to re-spec the Merc as a load of options changed with the new-look car coming in Sept. A shame as I lost some good options (climate control), but gained others (auto-parking) :) The new spec is:
A150 Classic SE, black with black
Exterior sight and light pack (auto wipers, lights, mirror)
Seat comfort pack (adjustable lumbar and cushion angle)
Cruise Control/limiter
Leather wheel, gear and handbrake
Centre arm rest
Panoramic fixed glass roof
Multi-contour driver's seat
Active park-assist
Adjustable steering column
6CD changer with multimedia interface (iPod control)
Here's a demo of the 'Active park assist' :)
Our final stop of the day was in London to wish T&H a happy move to Denmark. Great party even if I was the only one who ended up in the Jacuzzi :)
After the tea rooms we continued to Ely where we med T (just bought new flat) and J (down from Aberdeen). Strolled down to a river-side pub where we ate and drank and generally enjoyed the heat and the sun.
K and I popped in to the Orchard Tea Rooms en-route to T's this weekend. We enjoyed some cold drinks surrounded by beautiful surroundings. A suitable place to take the Swedes when they next visit methinks! Thanks to Mel from Uni for the tip.
At 15:15 yesterday I completed my last exam for this year's MSc course. A load of us drove to the Brocket Arms afterwards for a few drinks and to relax in the sun. Most of these guys are full time and as such this is the end of their degree - me, I'll be back next year for round 2.
Excuse my absence for the last week but I have been somewhat busy. After Prague I found myself presenting a large piece of coursework on Mon, followed by Swansea on Tue/Wed and then Aberdeen Thu/Fri. I got back home for midnight on Fri and have since been studying hard for my two end-of-year MSc exams (the last of which is today).
However, in a small fit of celebration for completing the year I have pre-ordered this little gem. The HTC Touch Diamond will be their new flagship model complete with all the usual extras such as GPS, Wifi, Bluetooth, etc but also a VGA screen for the first time and a 3.2MPix camera - nice! It has a novel new 3D GUI that should be interesting too but best of all it is much slimmer that the TyTN II I currently have. It is released on the 19th June...)
We went to Prague for the weekend to celebrate N's 30th birthday. Had a fantastic time, went karting, drank beers, did tours, drank beers, saw the castle, drank beers, ate great food, drank beers, watched the F1, drank beers and soaked up the cluture (and drank beers). Brilliant! More pics on Flickr - link in title.
J and I went to see a Pink Floyd covers band on Fri. OffTheWall were playing at Stevenage and for £16 we thought it'd be fun. The band were excellent and I managed to get a front row seat right by the lead guitarist. The only let down was the venue - it was an indoor gym hall with seats and worst of all, no drink allowed in!!
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Had a manic lunchtime today, acomplished the following: jabs for holiday booked, medical travel questionaire picked up, passport/visa photos taken, passport renewal form picked up, visa forms downloaded. I have to get my passport renewed before I can send off for the Egypt visa, we have plenty of time but better to get this all done earlier than later! We also had the holiday docs and the travel guide and DVDs about Egypt delivered this morning. Busy busy busy...
So, I made my mind up for my next car. I went for the Mercedes (a close contender last time actually). The new new MINI was good but just not as exciting as the last. The Merc is obviously quite different but the major benefits are how quiet it is on the motorway and how comfortable it is over long distances. In fact one of the main reasons for this decision is that the Merc has a place for your right foot when you are on the motorway with cruise on. The MINI had none so your foot was hooked uneder the clutch/break pedals. This meant you sat with a twist - not nice to your right knee in the long term.
As standard the car comes with fogs, ABS/ESP, Hill-Start, selective damping suspension, one-touch direction indicators, multi-function steering wheel, parametric steering, trip computer, lots of airbags and a tyre pressure loss warning system. The new 2009 MY that I am getting also comes with a stop-start engine management with regenerative breaking to cut down emissions.
Here's the car I have chosen: Mercedes Benz A-Class A150 3-door
Classic SE in Night Black with Black Interior
Exterior Sight and Light Pack (auto mirror/lights/wipers)
Seat Comfort Pack
Speedtronic Cruise Control and Limiter
Leather Steering Wheel, Gearknob and Handbreak
Central Arm Rest with Storage
Luxury Dual-Zone Climate Control
Parktronic (front/rear audio/visual parking sensors)
Steering Column Adjustable for Reach
Speaker System Upgrade with Centre Speaker and Bass
iPod Integration
I know, I know - the Sat-Nav is missing but I am going to get a TomTom 930T this time round. I also had to forego heated seats - to be fair I hardly use them on the MINI. The car will be delivered September 1st (first day of new 58 registration plates) - can't wait!
I had to go to the dentist this morning to get an old filling replaced. Those of you that know me will know that I am a little bit of a big girl's blouse when it comes to dentists. I have been dreading it! However, I explained my worries to the dentist (the fact that usually the numbing injections hardly work) and she took it into account (or used a horse tranquiliser). I felt nothing! It was brilliant! Downside - the whole right side of my face is now so numb I can hardly talk :)
It is all very exciting - K and I have booked a holiday in Egypt. We will cruise along the nile, spend days visiting pyramids and tombs and relax on the beaches of the Red Sea. We will visit Luxor, Aswan, Ciaro, Sharm El Sheik and a few other places in between. I think the camera is gonna be on overtime!
I was presented with an award today by the Chief Superintendent of the Eastern Area Police. I was given the award for being the Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator of the year. Very nice! Presented at a local hotel and I believe pictures going into the press - could I be in the paper twice in one month???
K an I went to Sweden last weekend for a surprise. Turned out the surprise was an ELK SAFARI! How awesome! We spent the weekend travelling the length of south-west Sweden and stayed in a hotel/spa overnight. Check out my flickr for photos (link in title). Caught up with K's folks on Sun night for a meal before jetting back home. Unfortunately we then spent the next 3 days being VERY ill (hence this post being so late). Think we got a bug at the airport.
After litterally years of trying (well, ok, not that hard) I made it into a newspaper. I am featured in the local Comet (link in title) as part of my Neighbourhood Watch activities. I think you'll agree I look suitably cheesy in the photo :)
FINALLY I managed to go and get a haircut - it was somewhat overdue! K will now be happy :) Here is before and after - ooOOOoo, don't I look nice!
Huzzah - just booked tickets for a Pink Floyd covers band playing in Stevenage on the 25th April. J is coming with seeing as K cannot stand them. Link in title...
Canon released a new firmware for the 40D today. It fixes some problems with IS lenses, an issue with the image preview and some language issues. Get it from the Canon website.
Well, it is early April and of course - it is snowing! Rasmus has been a little more brave this time and has ventured out to see what this white thing is all about - although he looks a little guilty in this shot?! Forecast is for more later - if I get my work done in time I might even be able to go out and play :)
A new toy arrived yesterday - an Apple Time Capsule (500GB). Before OS X 10.5.2 I was happily using a network share and with a small hack to get Time Machine to work on K's laptop. I figure Apple got wise to this and the 10.5.2 update killed it. So, I took the plunge and ordered this. It is about the size of the Apple TV but a LOT louder when in full swing (there is a fan inside). It took nearly 4 hours to create the initial snapshot from K's Mac but it seems to be working just fine. Only annoyance is that (for an unknown reason) my Axis 207W IP-Cam cannot see the radio on it??? Very strange - am all over the forums at the moment trying to figure it out. Currently have two wifi routers in the network to get everything to work - K's is called VIKING and mine SAXON :)
