First Trip on a Class 43

22 Feb 2013

Probably the most iconic of all British trains, the Class 43 is something to be proud of and we still are nearly 50 years later. Somehow I’ve never had the opportunity to travel on one, until this week. Atos have an office at Winnersh Triangle near Reading which fate had it I needed to visit, without a seconds thought my tickets were booked! I ... Read more

Holyhead Lifeboat

16 Feb 2013

What to do when in Bangor, Wales? Go and see Holyhead Lifeboat of course! The boat was spotlessly clean and very prominent in the small marina. To get to the marina involved a 10 minute walk from the train station, which was pretty cold for February. We weren’t able to get up close as the boat is moored on a private pontoon but luckily it was w... Read more

Running Again

11 Feb 2013

It’s been a while since I last did much running. There was that one time this year where I decided it would be a good idea to go running in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt in the freezing weather. I managed 3km in about 50mins I felt very, very ill afterwards. Not exactly my finest moment. But now, I’ve once again committed to a gym membership! ... Read more

Un très joyeux Noël

28 Dec 2012

Okay, yes, I had to translate that. My French language skills are nowhere near primed enough to string even the most basic of sentences together. Wish I could, mind, French is the most recommended language for native English speakers to learn. While it might not be the most widely spoken first language it is extensively spoken as a second langua... Read more

EU Passports

12 Nov 2012

Here’s something I didn’t know: Member states of the European Union are not permitted to place a stamp in the passport of a person who is not subject to immigration control, such as a national of that country, a national of another EU member state or a non-EU national family member of an EU national who is seeking entry in conformity with EU Dir... Read more

A Brief Overview of Firewalls

12 Nov 2012

Back in 1993, while I was busy being a toddler a chap at CheckPoint came up with something called ‘Stateful Packet Inspection’. Sounds terribly boring, but it isn’t. Stateful Firewalls are the unsung security guards of the internet, here’s how they work: A long, long time ago - all we had to protect our networks were packet filters. Packet filte... Read more