Missing in Action

Well, how long has it been since I have written to my blog?. The answer is bloody ages and the reason is work. LDC has simply been flat out with work. With both day work and all nighters. The months have been stuffed with a mixture of major client work, smaller independent projects and community actions such as presentations for conferences such as UKlug and IBM connect. ( which I will talk about In the next blog entry) in fact I am writing this entry sat in bed as I can’t sleep on my first early night in months which strikes me as bloody dumb.

Anyway this entry is mainly a year in review and a look to the future in case people read my blog during IBM connect and wonder why I have been so lazy.

This year has been quite amazing, with the work I have been doing at LDC really showing me where I want to go in the future. The variety of work as well as the variety of clients has been staggering from hideously complex websites to training, from nasty nasty Java to Amazon Web services consultation

Most of all I have been very lucky with the people I have been working with, its quite the most amazing thing to be the dumbest person on the team as you learn shit loads on each project (although it’s terrifying to see how fast Julian can Code, the quality of Matts design and the fact that that even the bloody wretch Ben Poole is getting even better at UI design) and that’s not even including the partners we have worked with such as Gab and Mike from the Turtle partnership ( if anyone says they can keep up with Gab or know a better project manager than Mike then they are a fibber and need a kick in the fork)

Continuing on with this theme will be 2013. Keeping up with all the tech and business design that clients seem to need at the drop of a hat, though I’m fairly sure my brain won’t hold much more than it currently seems to be stuffed with but what is life with out the odd challenge

🙂

Arcachon Bay

Arcachon Bay is one of our favourite areas in France, It is about 10 ml long and great for biking. On the map all the solid red lines are purpose made tarmac bike tracks.

We managed to cycled around most of the bay, this is a pic of Dune Du Pilat the tallest sand dune in Europe 108m.

We particular liked the Cape Ferret area of the bay

Well that will probably be it for this year we are going to Liz and Brians tomorrow (it will take 2 days) for a week then back home.

You know the summer has finished when Lidl has Xmas paper and decorations in.

P.S. as requested you can right click on a pic and open it larger in a new tab.

What a difference a year makes

last year at the Canadienne Arcachon bay.

this year

It was a wild night last night. It was a fantastic aire 9 individual bays with picnic seats facing the canal but in trees.

During the might the wind got up and bits of branches were dropping on the roof, waking us up with a start. There were 7 campers in when we went to bed by morning there were only 3. This is a picture of the camper roof in the morning the bigger branches had bounced off.

like of the day

Pizza take away in front of the aire.

dislike of the day

Cockerels on site that crow at 5am

The river Garonne

top tip

If the only map you have of a area is a very large and heavy road map. Take a pic with your phone, and you can just zoom in to see your route. We stayed at Villeton on the canal side.

We are now down on the river Garonne and canal that runs from Borbeaux through to the Med. They have made a fantastic tarmac cycle path that runs its full length, and great aires with good views of the
canal.

I visited a rural French car showroom and they some of there latest models out on the forecourt.

We had a funny day yesterday, we went for a great bike ride up the Lot and got back to St-Cirq about 2 so we decided to leave for the next aire, which we didn’t like nor the 2 after that. We ended up in a aire attached to a camp site that was closed. The 2 guys in the office were just leaving and didn’t seem interested, but they decided it was ok for us to stay and they turned the electric on for us. But best of all they gave me a free bottle of wine from the vineyard 100yds away, all in all pretty good for 8 euros.

St Cirq Lapopie

St-Cirq-Lapopie is the prettiest village in France and not a tourist shop to be seen only Artisan shops selling there own goods, and fantastic views.

The Lot valley is very dramatic, we walked down river this part of the path is cut into the cliff and a artist has cut shapes in the rock.

We drove along this road and through many arches like this. (this is the main road)

I think the building inspector missed the back of this house, when he checked the foundations.

They also grow tobacco but nobody is selling it on the roadside.

Rocamadour is noted as being one of the prettiest towns in France, well it is from a distance

It is full of tourist shops, Americans by the bus load are dropped of at the chateau at the top and picked up at the riverside car park. We were conned out of 8 euro, we parked at the aire at the top and the only way down looked like the funicular railway. We got on it took us half way down only 50m. Then we found out you can walk but there are no signs to tell you where the stairs are. The only good point was the aire was free (i’m getting a real cheapskate)