Started this morning with coffee and breakfast for three. Did lots of accountancy things. I soon got up though and vanished to Argos to pick up a present for Jamie (I’m nice you see, I give random presents). We then went off to Swindon to the outlet centre, where he failed to buy anything and I bought some rice bowls and a vest. Came back and started looking at the GoPro video of mother from yesterday, one thing I can hear through all of it is her humming. And moaning about her bloody camera. The mid-position valve is shot on the heating again, I need to strip it down and have a look, so the hot water and heating are all on together. Had a bath, now I’m about to cook a curry for me and the dogs. A good week all in all, enjoyed it. Roll on the next one.

So after the usual coffee and paper reading I checked the weather. Tomorrow was not going to be great. I phoned mother and asked if she was available late afternoon, I got a bit of a diatribe about her having to pick her glasses up, but apart from that fine. I phoned Ben and he called me back forty minutes later, we were booked in for five fifteen. Went to the Mall with Jamie, looked at the new iPhone 6 SE, yep, thats for me. Came back, printed out a log and then went and picked mother up. I gave her a flight briefing in the car and we arrived at Staverton at five. Signed all the paperwork, walked her out to the aircraft. Surprisingly she managed to get into it without too many problems. I faffed about and did everything I needed to do. After engine start she started pissing about with her camera moaning that it wasn’t working. I would have thought that if you had an event coming up and you were unfamiliar with it, you would have perhaps tested it first? When I spoke to her in the morning I asked if she had charged it, she said it only used the battery for the flash. I rest my case. I took off, she looked somewhat panicked and was trying to grab hold of anything she could. By the time we were at about eight hundred feet she was fine. We had a hell of a head wind, so the journey down to the Severn bridge took ages. We got up to over three thousand feet and crossed it. Went up Filton airfield then got a view of her house and then over Stoke Gifford and a view of mine. Back up the M5 to Gloucester, that was lightening quick with a tailwind. Landed no problem. It was a great flight and all went according to plan.

Okay. There are not many people who can say, “I’ve flown my mother, over her house, in a helicopter.” So there’s one for the bucket list. All I have to do now is swim with dolphins, bang Dillon Samuels and lick chocolate off Adam Rickitts ab’s, then I can quite happily exit life with the ‘fulfilled’ tick-box, well and truly ticked.

To be honest, considering it was only my second flight with a passenger, I was as relaxed as hell, and that really helped. I knew what I was doing, was confident in it and more importantly I had faith in myself.

A good day. But thankfully, not a good day to die.

Started vaguely on time. Spent a long time finishing off some work. I’ve actually managed to get a hell of a lot done this week, quite pleased overall. We took both dogs out, Dillon lasted about ten minutes before Jamie took him home, I continued with Sasha. Walked to the gym, did Pump and a session with Laverne. Did a bit more work. Now fairly focused on this weekends weather forecast on wether I kill mother or not.

So started this morning at 7:30AM. For two reasons. One I wanted to knock off at 4PM and the other I wanted to be in a call queue at 9AM. First goal was achieved. I set up three phones cyclic calling the number, one finally started ringing, it got answered in four minutes. I put it on speaker and started the digital recorder. To cut a long story short I got the guy to state no less than three times that the payment would be made in this tax year, even if the payment isn’t taken until the next. It’s apparently all to do with tax dates, same as an invoice, when you issue an invoice the date it’s issued is the date on which you have to pay tax on the amount, not when you receive the money. The pension goes from the date they request the money, not when they get it. Anyway, I have the full twelve minute conversation on file. Rest of the work day was uneventful, I actually got a hell of a lot done. Walked Sasha and then drove up to Staverton at 4PM. Got there at just gone five and did the flight planning, we took off at about half-six. Nice flight, down the estuary, over the bridge, which we did at 4,000 feet, just so we could do an engine off autorotation from one side to the other. Interesting fact, with little wind you can cross it in about a 1,000 feet of altitude. Then flew up Filton airfield other mothers house and then probably within about 1,200 feet of mine before going back up the M5. A lovely flight, landing was way too fast, easier with a bit of wind, which there was none. Drove back and then went for a short run.

Spent far too long on the phone today talking to people who didn’t really know what they were talking about, which made it quite interesting. It’s all down to when a direct debit payment is going to be taken and it looks like it’s after the current tax year which is useless. I think I may have to cancel the direct debit instruction and just pay it manually. Although trying to get hold of anyone on the phone is neigh on impossible at the moment anyway. I’ll try and phone them again tomorrow and then give up.

Didn’t have a great nights sleep, actually I basically didn’t. Still had a load of work to crack on with though so just got stuck in. Walked Sasha, it was very cold but dry. Went out this evening for a run, the heavens opened with freezing hailstones on the way back, but nice that it’s light in the evenings again. Booked in with Ben for Thursday evening, get the planning out of the way.

So yesterday was all about food and drink, a lot of both were consumed. Very nice lunch at The Swan, great evening with my sister later.

So I decided to work today in thinking that I would not be disturbed and magically I wasn’t. So everything I’ve been thinking about since Thursday I implemented, tested and checked in. Only one minor moan from an artist and I even managed to sort him out as well. Walked Sasha, weather wasn’t too bad lunchtime. Took a short break early evening to walk down to a new Geocache, found someone there already signing the log, so always nice to meet a fellow cacher. Came back and did a bit more work and then finished quite early. Had a quick shower and downloaded my new FCPX plug-ins, I’ll need to look at the tutorial videos for them really. Gave Standard Life a call, didn’t think anyone would be there but answered straight away, looks like pension has been setup, but money is still currently in my bank account. So quite pleased with them so far. So normality will resume tomorrow and everyone will be annoying me again.

Today was a bit of an odd day. I knew the weather was going to be shit, and it didn’t disappoint. Had breakfast and lots of coffee, read the papers. Walked Sasha, although it was rather brief as storm ‘Kate’ or whatever the fuck it was called was heading in. I then had lunch and proceeded to spend the next god knows how many hours going through clips of the last USA adventure to turn into trailer for the new one. After I’d spent long enough we did have a bit a crises to do with taxi’s. Organising one’s social life can be a total pain in the ass so normally I just don’t bother and don’t have one. But tonight we’d been asked out so I though I’d make the effort. Anyway, that all got sorted, so suited and booted we headed out at about 8PM as the taxi was half hour late as he didn’t have a clue where he was going. I had to direct him to the venue, which didn’t end up being as packed as I thought it would be. It was the ‘Blue Lagoon’ on Gloucester road. The last time I’d been in here was about thirteen years ago, it hadn’t changed, you still stuck to the floor and it was still filled with an eclectic mix of very odd people from the local area. It’s still I find rather overpriced. Half of Tesco’s was there, so I was a bit pork chop at a Jewish wedding. The band performed a rather bizarre eccentric sound check and then pissed off for a pint. When they got going though I was really impressed, they pulled out a couple of Green Day numbers during their set plus a really good version of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’. We bailed out at 11PM, the taxi was waiting, this one knew where he was going. An odd evening all in all, we most do it all again in about ten years time.

So glad I took today off, the weather was just spectacular for March. Gave Sasha a nice long walk, even took Dillon out, okay, his wasn’t so long. Had a light lunch and then headed out. Dropped off a cake box at my sisters and then headed out for a couple of Geocaches. A truly beautiful day. Got back with the sun still shining and it still feeling warm. Sat down, had a coffee and watched a bit of telly, then had a bath. Pizza time and then early bed I think, I’ve walked over fourteen miles today. From here on, the weather just gets shit.

Not the earliest start of the week, but I’d already done enough over time anyway. Spent basically the whole day sorting out yet another DX buffer locking issue. How the hell it worked originally, well actually it didn’t some of the time. Weather not great, Jamie and I walked both dogs, but it wasn’t exactly long. Went for a run this evening in quite a pleasant drizzle. Ended up working almost nine hours, so almost up to 100 hours overtime this year so far. Still thinking about bloody buffer locking now. I’ve got tomorrow off anyway, weather due to be nice, so will get outside and do something.