A bed of roses

 A year ago I was pondering the image of Christians as manure, challenging myself to reject the scarcity model, playing Coffee Talk 2, and cooking a roast.

Today started with making beds, laundry and washing up. Talk about doing a day's work before you even start work!

My first 'meeting' was a webinar about the timeline of AI - beginning 2.5k years ago with the Ancient Greeks and Talos! It felt rather like a live version of James Burke's Connections, not least because it included a brief discussion about the Jacquard weaving machine that used punch cards to create the pattern. The presenter also recommended three people to follow - all global majority women. I'm now following them all on LinkedIn.

Then it was over to church for the Transition Team meeting, where I discovered that tonight's meeting was cancelled. Hooray! Because the person leading it was off sick... ummm...

We had someone from the Diocese with us to talk about how the LSP gets funded once it 'goes live', which caused some consternation. One of the people thought we would get 100% of the funding not 80%. They (rightly) pointed out that we're six very not-rich parishes and even a few thousand pounds would be difficult for us to raise. I reminded them that we worship a generous God and this exercise is an opportunity to put our trust in that generosity. Someone else said that if we didn't go forward, there was a pretty good chance none of us would survive for very much longer. The original team has been expanded for us to come up with a proposal for a Support Services Team, who are employed by the LSP, but the scarcity model(!) thinker asked how we could afford them without working out how we were going to raise the money for them? I replied that we need them in place to lift the admin burden so that we can get creative about raising funds!

As an aside, there were lots of comments from the Diocese people about lifting the admin burden off the clergy. Scarcity-Model pointed out that a lot of that burden also falls on volunteers, and I said the SST had to help there, too, which seemed to reassure them.

The extended discussion around funding meant we didn't get to the end of the official agenda, which included picking a Team Leader for taking the SST proposal forward. I felt that was a role I could do but I didn't put myself forward - someone else did that and I accepted. I'll get them organised if it's the last thing I do! I asked Copilot for a suitable Bible verse and it came up with Proverbs 16:3 - 'Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.', which I want to use next week. I also want to write a little prayer for us to use at the beginning of the meeting. We are there as people of God - let's act like it!

This afternoon, I did another async unit for my AI course, which was all about risk. The thing that really stuck with me was to treat AI like an open forum - don't put anything out there that you wouldn't say out loud in a work meeting. It's a good rule of thumb.

No gaming or telly, but I have just watched a YT video about 'ancient' MMOs that are still alive and even have players. I missed that whole 'bubble' because we only had dial-up and it was less than reliable - and I didn't have the hours necessary to spend on a game.

So, that was today. Now for bed.

This time last year I was pondering other job roles and PMO stuff we don't do because we're IT, clearing out another cupboard, and finishing up GoW:R.

Today started with real coffee and crumpets. I had a conversation on Thursday about instant coffee brands. L'Or and Douwe Egberts are drinkable, Nescafe is vile, and Mellow Birds is... well NOT coffee.

Then we sat outside in the spring sunshine. Such a different day from yesterday when the fog was so thick I couldn't see the Anglican Cathedral from across the road! I pulled up a few more weeds from the gravel. They are definitely playing hide-and-seek with me...

Liverpool were the early kick-off, so I finished Season: A Letter to the Future. It is the kind of game that values your time. I got all the trophies, just by being curious and poking around - but there was no Plat 'you got all the trophies' trophy, just a gold 'you finished the game' trophy. I think it took 7-8 hours...? I could have finished it quicker if I hadn't investigated so much, and I could have taken longer to finish all the pages in my journal. Oh, and I am very comfortable with my final choice - and I don't think I'll find a video showing the other one. It feels... unnecessary. It's a beautifully crafted little game with a sense of melancholy hanging over everything - but there's hope there, too. And definitely scope for a sequel.

Tonight I started a new playthrough for Veilguard. I'm a male elf mage from the Lords of Fortune. I had expected him to be a bit of a wimp but... turns out he's snarky and hits first, asks questions later. He can still be overawed by Solas as time goes on, though. Oh, and being from LoF, he's definitely amoral, so I'm going to have him flirt with EVERYONE ;)

I've just watched another couple of episodes of Watson. Don't know what his sidekick's up to, or why...

We had a video call with Daughter and the kidlings. As an aside, apparently Elder Grandson recently had a girlfriend - for a whole 2 days! Daughter's description of her suggests EG was punching above his weight. Not sure how it went south so quickly, though.

Granddaughter continues to be very chatty without using recognisable words. As D put it, she doesn't talk but definitely answers back! She and Younger Grandson were playing on their little slide, which they're already growing out of. At first, they both sat on it to go down, but then YG decided to go down face-first - quickly followed by GD! Next thing, YG is lying at full stretch on the slide but not sliding, and GD lifted up his feet and pushed him down! Dragon, daughter of a Dragon, AND a Leo...

Some faith-adjacent thoughts that have been rattling round my head the last couple of days. Firstly... The March with Jesus, which apparently had more people protesting it than joining it. Which is a Good Thing. Jesus would not recognise these people as being in any way connected to him. In what universe do you think Jesus HATES people?! Let alone immigrants (remember Jesus was a refugee...) or, indeed, anyone on the margins (you know who Jesus hung out with, right?). I will never understand how people read the same Bible I read and come to such different conclusions.

Secondly, the government has decriminalised abortion up to full term, which the RC church is speaking out against. Now, I admit it makes me uncomfortable to think of someone having a termination that late, but what must their circumstances be for that to be their only option? I maintain that nobody thinks abortion is a GOOD thing - but sometimes it's necessary. And in the majority of cases, it's a failure of society to be able to support it's citizens, rather than a personal failing on the part of the person selecting that option.  

A year ago I was making sense of Power BI reports, remembering I had a project board to convene, getting my monthly report done early, chatting to the boys, and wanting an illegal school and an empire in Nova's story.

Today started with Kirana's character chart, which I found I'd already made a start on. There were some good ideas in there, but things have moved on, so I saved it and then did the 'proper' one. Now I'm wondering how I get an illegal school in there...

I had a quiet morning work-wise, so I went to St Margaret's for morning prayer. There was someone there that I've met a couple of times but never really spoken to but after I'd realised who they were we got chatting. 'What's the necklace?' they asked. 'This is Griever and it's worn by a character in FF8,' and I then prattled on for about 10 minutes about games. 'I wouldn't have thought you were a gamer!' they said. Result! I like to take people by surprise. Then someone else asked if I liked The Witcher and we agreed the telly show isn't the same without Henry ;( Then we did some praying!

In the office, I created my very first AI agent that looks like it's working OK. The real test will come when someone asks me a proper question. And LM was very excited that they'd used AI to produce their project status report - I mentioned that to you at our last 1:1, you know? I also managed to wrangle information out of a spreadsheet and into Word. Copilot is great for doing stuff in a spreadsheet like removing lines you don't want or comparing columns on different sheets in the same workbook, but if you want it to change the font in a Word document it creates a whole new document O_o I don't want a NEW document, I want you to make this one right. In the end, I did ctrl A and used the font picker at the top of the document. I also learned today that Find & Replace can amend font, not just change words. Every day's a school day!

Tonight's take away took AGES and the place is literally a 20 minute walk. I did a double-take when the person delivering it was the person who usually delivers from China Panda! The food's nice when you get it, but it shouldn't take so long... We did get to finish Handcuffed, though, which was one of the more interesting things we've watched.

Then we had a bit of a chat before Son went off to the quiz night at a local pub. No games or telly tonight but that's OK - I'd rather be in bed at a sensible time.

This time last year I was marking symmetries, going to morning prayer, cleaning another drawer (and dreading the cup cupboard), watching someone renovate an old convent, and thinking about Nova & co.

Today started with me making some notes about Kirana and Jerrick's great-grandmother and grandmother, and deciding that the older warrior who accompanies them is their grandfather rather than their uncle. 

Husband still wasn't quite right this morning but was definitely cheerier than yesterday.

I met up with a colleague for a catch up and then headed to the office. I made good use of AI to fill in some stuff on a spreadsheet that would have taken me AGES! And I 'attended' a number of sessions for the AI conference.

On the way home, I had to fight my way through the hoards of people out for St Patrick's Day. Lots of green rugby shirts and teeny, tiny shorts - Ireland's new national dress, perhaps? I've never taken much notice of it and since our niece's accident 8 years ago, I'd rather ignore it altogether.

This evening was PCC, which I thought was at St Bride's. I was nearly there when another member called to me from their car saying it had been moved to St Michael's. It was very lucky that our paths crossed at that particular moment! It was a good meeting but it just wipes out my evening.

A year ago I was watching Adolescence and getting my heart broken by GoW:R *sobs at the memory*.

Today I had a nice lie in then made waffles and proper coffee for breakfast. Then I popped into the front garden to deal with some weeds and made it back inside just before the rain started.

We had an early dinner, and then I came upstairs for some Season: ALTTF. I thought we were going on a trip through the world but it seems we're only going to explore a single valley. At least, I've got 10/16 trophies already... I have met more people, though, and helped someone decide what to pack! Why is that MY job?! Because video games, I know... I can hear what the flowers are saying! I can't help feeling rather anxious about how it's all going to end.

Son paid for tea, which we ate whilst watching some old game shows. They don't make them like that any more! And just how long has Bradley Walsh been around...?! Then Husband launched into one of his rants about... I don't even know what, really. Even Son was confused and he speaks Husband much better than I do!

So, Husband went to bed, I washed up and then watched the first two episodes of The Other Bennett Sister, which tells the story of Mary. Richard E Grant makes an excellent Mr Bennett. 

I'm back at work tomorrow, so I'm heading for bed now.

Today hasn't been the best Mother's Day I ever had - but it's a LONG way from being the worst.

A year ago I was prepping for lots of meetings, learning about putting passwords on OneNote tabs (which I don't think I've thought about since!), cleaning out the cutlery drawer, and exploring a new area in GoW:R.

Today I allowed myself a longer lie in and felt better for it. Then I put a load of washing in the machine and did breakfast. After that, I hoovered the living room floor and cleaned the bathroom and toilet, and then collapsed into my armchair with a cuppa.

Daughter and kidlings survived the bus journey in one piece. Their bus drops them off at the other end of Hope Street and Younger Grandson walked most of the way - they have a little sit-on thing attached to the pram if he needs it. Both kids were full-on as usual. Granddaughter has decided that licking people's faces is a fun thing - no idea why! She pulled faces when she tried lemon cheesecake, but YG enjoyed it. GD also had a go at cleaning the coffee table, which got covered in cheese, using a whole handful of wipes. Daughter suggested accessories for her baby doll - crib, pram, etc.

Mother survived her trip to the dentist, which lasted over 2 hours! She's a post-war baby, so her teeth are low on calcium. I've never known her have any problems but the last couple of years she seems to have had a lot of work done. If I'd realised she was going for more than a check-up I would have suggested they come tomorrow, even though I'm really glad we got all the family stuff done today! They're having problems with their new smart meter. British Gas are getting the readings but the meter itself says 'no data', or something like that. They've raised it with BG but don't seem to be getting anywhere. They wanted the address for Money Box - some sort of consumer rights service from the BBC...?

After a late dinner, and a quick trip to the shop, I settled down to some Granblue Fantasy. Chapter 8 was the Chapter of the Bosses! Thankfully, you get healed in between - and I'm guessing there are checkpoints even if there aren't specific save points. I am so glad I put the auto-battle thing on - combat is chaotic enough! I'm now heading for the end of Chapter 9 - the characters are talking about the final battle, which would make Chapter 10 what happens after...?

The boys and I watched the final of Traitors: Ireland, which was strangely anti-climactic, and I've watched some random stuff on YT. And now it's time for bed.

This time last year, I was pondering Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 as my birthday game, playing GoW:R, wresting with Power BI, and cleaning out another cupboard.

After breakfast, I headed into town to do some shopping before my dental check-up. I managed to get everything I wanted including a Mother's Day present for my mother - a set of cute measuring spoons! And, of course, there was the annual trauma of finding a card that just says, 'Happy Mother's Day'. Why is it so hard? Of course she's 'special' and 'lovely' and 'the best' - she's the only mother I've got! I did approve of the collection of cards saying 'Mam' rather than 'Mum', though, given we're in Liverpool :D. 

I also picked up a very pretty dress - with pockets! Husband looked blank when I told him. Men just don't understand what it's like to live life without pockets, and the joy of finding a dress or skirt that does have them.

At the dentist, I told them about my sore gum but they felt it was probably just a temporary thing. There's no pain in the tooth itself and it's alive. They did prescribe me some toothpaste with extra fluoride to help with the sensitivity, though.

I managed quite a bit of Granblue Fantasy. It seems the story is quite short, which is keeping me playing. There's a lot of side content, of course, but I'll only engage with what comes up directly - I won't go out of my way. I've been meaning to say that Vyrn reminds me of Fidget, but isn't nearly as cute.

The boys and I watched an episode of Traitors: Ireland and then Handcuffed. One of the pairs is a Green Party Counsellor and a Reform voter - who is a PoC and voted for Brexit.  Now I'm watching the end of my current Doctor Who story - The Masque of Mandragora. I was going to watch Dallas Buyers Club but 2 hours is too long. 

A year ago I was making a start on digging up the garden, enjoying discussions at church, watching Dancing on Ice, and enjoying Kratos and Atreus reuniting.

Today I cleaned the kitchen after breakfast. With that out of the way, I entered the final dungeon in TTPII. The first puzzle was tricksy but I got through it. Then... All the puzzles had logic to them, so the only problem was getting my brain around them. The final set turned into the 'WTF were the devs on when they came up with this nonsense' type - so I used a guide. No way was I working that out. I stuck to my decision for the ending. There's sooo much I didn't do - but it's a one and done for me. I did watch a YT video of all the endings - I don't regret my choices.

After the midday meeting at church, we had dinner and then I came upstairs for my spiritual direction session - but the SD didn't turn up. I've emailed them - hopefully we can reschedule.

Instead, I started Granblue Fantasy, which reminds me of Atelier Ryza 3. I bounced off that a few hours in - we'll see how I get on with this.

We watched the final of The Floor. I'm highly unlikely to apply for any quiz show, but I definitely wouldn't go for that - I can't get the answers from my brain to my tongue just watching it on the telly!

Now I'm watching The Crystal Cuckoo. The dubbing is really good.

 A year ago I was tidying up Teams sites, continuing with the Great Cupboard Cleaning of 2025, and making progress with GoW:R.

Today started with a relaxed breakfast, and then SiL brought the kidlings. They are so much fun - but so full of energy! Granddaughter applauded Younger Grandson when he used the toilet. YG commented that we had a big bath like his other grandparents. They 'helped' Husband make fried eggs on toast, and then ate it all up. When they left, YG ran round all of us giving big hugs.

This afternoon I made some progress with TTPII - but not much. I managed to work one puzzle out but the solution to the rest still eludes me.

Now I'm watching some more of His & Hers. I'm kinda committed to watching it to the end, now...

A year ago I had my first taste of glitter ash, sorry at someone defacing a drag club, helping someone to food and drink, wrestling with Power BI, deleting old Teams sites, encouraging a colleague to play Veilguard (they now have a copy!), watching SkadiLP play Cyberpunk 2077 (still watching it!), and leaving Rex Sterling (got a reply to my message not long ago that was not worth the time it took to read it).

I had a very disciplined Lent last year - no telly and cleaning lots of cupboards. This year, I'm doing a virtual pilgrimage but I did want to clear out the old airing cupboard. There's still time before Easter, but it's not the regular practice I did last year. Maybe it's something to think about in Advent...

Today began with a look at my chapter breakdowns - it's going to take some detangling...

I headed to the office through beautiful spring sunshine. Autumn will always be my favourite season, but the returning warmth feels good.

The first thing in my calendar was a session on running better meetings. I liked the suggestions - having questions instead of agenda items, sharing the job of chairing, making sure everyone gets an input - but I find the presenter too much. They talk and talk and talk - and when they ask for other people's thoughts, they respond to every comment, at great length. I get that they want everyone to feel heard... but it's just tedious. They could have asked for comments and then summarised, and they would have achieved the same result.

The House of PMO meeting got reduced to an hour, so I shuffled my lunch to 11.30am and headed out to Abakhan Fabrics for buttons. I got some that were a shinier gold than I'd planned on, but they'll do for now. Abakhan has reduced it's in-store offering down to one floor, which is a shame but presumably all they need now they have the website. They did have some very nice fake fur that would make some rather nifty throws, but that's for another day.

I also walked past the TJ's building - it's sad to see it all stripped back but it will have a new lease of life as flats.

After the HPMO meeting, I finished the first draft of my first project, then asked Atlas for suggestions. It provided some feedback and I adjusted the draft, then sent it to my LM. We'll discuss it at my 1:1 tomorrow, all being well.

Then I had a relaxed end to the afternoon and came home to last night's left-overs.

And now I'm watching the end of an old Doctor Who story.