First Great Western Finally Modernises

First Great Western may be finally sorting themselves out. They have new led signs like they do at the stations along the Dart line in Ireland. Another thing they have finally done is an automated announcement when you get on the trian letting you know the destination of the train. Good thing really since I don't want to end up in Penzance when I'm heading home. Better late than never I hope they stick with the changes this time.

It's Been Awhile

It really has been along time since I've written to my blog. Since May there has been a huge amount of changes in the family. Clarah and I finally tied the knot, Clarah’s father sadly passed away, Tiernan’s started to walk, and we are finally moving house, so yes you could say it’s been fairly busy around the Carton household.

Very early at around 3’o clock on the morning of the 6th of July Clarah got the call we had always hoped that would never come. We could both feel it as the phone rang that this was it. John had gone. Clarah turned to me and her look confirmed it. Clarah was told by the paramedic that her mom was distraught and that she need to be there. Within fifteen minutes of the call Clarah was gone up to her moms to be there to support her. With two weeks to go to the big day Clarah split her time between preparing for a wedding and a funeral. For those two weeks Clarah was a rock to her mother and arranged everything, rarely stopping to think of her own feelings. I was and am extremely proud of my Clarah, it was very difficult decision to go ahead with the wedding without her father being there for her. Following the sad day of the funeral came one of the happiest or wedding day.

I woke up with my stomach in knots. Partially from the drinks the night before but mainly from the nerves. I really just wanted to get to the registry office at Shaw House and get on with it. Our son Ben was with me in The Bear Hotel while Tiernan and Beth where at home with the bride to be. First things first take the Imodium Plus, get the stomach settled, then get to the barbers and get the gruige trimmed and tidied. With Ben in tow reading his magazine and spinning in the chair next to me I got my hair trimmed in the Gentleman's Shop. After that it was back to The Bear for a big breakfast. Breakfast eaten it was time to get Ben and myself dressed in our finest suits. Then it was down to the lobby to wait with my parents, my brother, his girlfriend and Ben for the Taxis.

Once we arrived at Shaw House there was some waiting around until I got called into the little office for finally sanity checks. Checks such as "Are you sure you wish to get married for life, you do know life expectancy has been hugely prolonged since the invention of marriage." Yes sadly I was sure and there was now little hope of climbing out the window. Yet more standing around and waiting, chatting to my best man Mark and wondering just what it was that I was meant to be doing at that very moment other than planking it. The play button was pressed and the doors started opening to the sounds of "Falling Slowly" by "The Frames". I couldn't and didn't want to look back to see Clarah's approach. The first time I wanted to see her was when she was standing beside me. I could already tell that she looked beautiful by the expressions on my friends and family that were gathered around us. I was far from disappointed as I turned to look at the golden haired angel standing beside me. The moment hardly felt real as I tried to bring my body down from floating off in some dream, struggling to focus on my words. I could hear the words but had little control of how they left my lips. Holding hands throughout the ceremony we both managed to muddle our way through. Pretty quickly the vows had been said and we kissed our first kiss as a married couple.

A few weeks before hand I set about to try and get my hands on the Tom Dunne nudie pen. In a thrilling five all draw against a teacher from Dublin, I did it and got my nudie pen in the post a few days later. With nudie pen in my jacket pocket I summoned the power to mock up some photos after the real signing, such is the awesome power of the Tom Dunne Nudie Pen.

The day itself was brilliant, it was sunny for the most part and we got plenty of opportunities to have photographs taken in the garden at the back of the Red House which was our venue. The food was really well put together and all of it tasted wonderful. I was so stuffed I barely had room for the profiterole tower, which had earlier crumbled in the heat as the caramel had melted. A few hours after dessert we sad our goodbye and were off on the train to Bath for an all too short lived honeymoon.

Tiernan is now a proper little lad and started walking nearly a month a go. His first few steps were magical. He really does make us all smile and he is so excited and fascinated by everything. He has now progressed to sprinting about and bumping into the sofas or the TV. He points at pictures on the wall and tells Daddy and Mommy in his own language what they are. He laughs his head off at just about anything and claps when he's happy too. When he's tired he grabs and pulls at his ears and sometimes puts his head on a cushion before spotting something else he must investigate. He is a complete dustbin when it comes to food and was even eating Clarah’s squid rings yesterday. He will eat or try to eat anything that he can fit into his mouth. He really has helped Clarah a great deal over these last few months and brings us all together as one big family.

The next stage of our journey is finally out of our tiny two bedroom flat and into a three bedroom house with a huge hundred foot garden. I'm planning to start my own vegetable patch, there's certainly the room for it. Wish me look with the spuds. The Cartons in England are going places.

Rumours About Facebook

There have been a few rumours recently circulating about facebook. The first is that facebook will be charging, and the other is that they have started to share out personal information.

The top rumour is that they will be charging $4.99 from July for the service. This internet rumour has even spread as far as mainstream media sources such as the Telegraph. It seems the hoax started from an email sent around the site itself. Some groups have popped up to spread this story. It seems to me to be a chain. The motif behind it appears to be to link people to other sites that host malware, and on the back of this to try and sell security software. These kind of site set up to catch the unwary have been springing up in increasing number over the recent months. The site pretends to be scanning your hard drives and then reports that your computer is full of viruses, this is in an attempt to sell you their anti-virus software.

Thankfully facebook has become wise to these rumours and has closed the main groups that have been helping to spread these lies. One such group was called "300,000 member needed to stop facebook from charging £/$14.99". What a ridiculous and in-consistent name for a group anyway. First off the number should be $4.99 not $14.99 and secondly dollars are not going to be the same amount as pounds. Bloody fools. Come on do they take us for idiots. If a social network started charging they would overnight lose millions of users. If the internet has taught us anything, it is that people will not pay for something when they can get it for free elsewhere.

You can read more about the false rumours about the facebook charges here on The Register or on the Telegraph website.

The more worrying rumour is not a rumour it’s fact. Facebook's new revised privacy policy means that it can now share out your information with third party websites such as Pandora, Yelp and Microsoft Docs service. The new policy goes even further. These companies now no longer need to delete the information they hold on you after 24 hours. Users are now automatically included in this new scheme and have to actively opt out. How though do you opt out of a scheme that you’re not even aware of? It has fallen on US Senators to demand facebook change this recent change in the policy.

"Now, users have less control over private information, and it was done without the users' permission," said Senator Schumer. I can't blame them for calling for facebook to revert back to their previous policy. Since when does any Senator want it publicly know that they are a member of "International show us yer tits day" for example.

Stupid me and Stupid Penzance

I got a lift from Nic in work that got me to Newbury station just before 6. The train to Hungerford would arrive soon. I spotted my ex neighbour Steve and went over for a chat. During our conversation the train arrived. We both boarded and we were off. Off by a long way as we eventually twigged this train was going to Penzance and bloody hell the next stop wasn't until Taunton in Devon. Thats about an hour away. I had to wave goodbye to Hungerford as we zoomed by it in about 5 seconds flat. That was it I was stuck. I felt like pulling the chord. The train on the way back had problems and we were reduced to walking pace for 20mins. At one stage we'd come to a complete stop just 30 secs outside of Hungerford, but we were bound for Reading and they were letting no one off. Without boring you too much it would be 5 hours until I got home. I hope to never again make the same mistake, but you really think in this day and age they could do a little better to mark the destination of their trains than a little sticker every second carriage. I have to admit the ticket inspector's on First Great Western were very understanding, the Shek inspector on the way back just said 'Enjoy the view of the countryside'. It was beautiful, just take a look at the photo.

The Price of Apple's

What is going on in the world of supermarkets when the price of an exotic banana is cheaper than that of a common apple. The banana is a fruit with huge problems and has been hit with a genetic disease that could possibly see it disappearing from our shops. Should the price not represent this. The few extra pence could then go back down the line to help the growers in funding the ongoing research to eliminate this disease. Ok thats my morning rant over.