Norovirus has found its way to our house.
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Life feed
A couple of times before Ellie was born, Susan and I would go down to Hythe Marina at midnight to see in the New Year. Looking across Southampton Water at the city skyline, you get to witness hundreds of firework shows all going off at the same time.
New Year's Eve celebrations don't really happen when you have young kids. But this year, now Ellie is six years old, we decided we would go and watch the fireworks again and she could experience it for the first time.
Ellie wasn't too happy about being woken up at 11:30pm to get in the car but by the time we got to the marina she was wide awake and excited to see the fireworks.
Happy New Year to you all. Here's to a great 2025!
Our shiny new diverter valve actuator motor arrived today and we have hot water again! It's only when you can't have a hot shower or run hot water to wash the dishes that you realise just how much we take it for granted.
Today, a rather important part of our boiler - the bit that controls whether heat is applied to the central heating system or to the taps - decided to die.
It died whilst set to heat the central heating, meaning that the house is lovely and warm but we have no hot water to wash with.
At least I now know what a diverter valve actuator motor is. Every cloud.
Used a curved monitor at the office today for the first time. Seems silly/obvious now that I've used one, but it didn't really occur to me that horizontal lines on the screen are slightly curved and I'm not sure I like it. Won't be rushing out to buy one anytime soon.
I find engineering videos like this fascinating. But it was the video thumbnail that piqued my interest because it just looks so wrong.
In the 1950’s Robert Thomas Jones, a brilliant NASA engineer, began developing a radical new wing arrangement called an oblique wing (also referred to as a skewed wing). The wing design was characterized by a wing that could pivot into a unique angled configuration in relation to the aircraft’s fuselage. The design offered several advantages over more conventional swept wings. An oblique wing’s ability to pivot into a straight wing made it ideal for low speed flight (improving efficiency and take-off/landing performance), but at transonic and supersonic speeds, the angled orientation minimized both wave and induced drag, leading to improved overall aerodynamic efficiency. With lower drag at higher speeds, oblique wing aircraft would require less thrust to maintain a given speed, resulting in reduced fuel consumption and operating costs. Compared to other variable geometry wings, oblique wings would also be lighter, less complex and have fewer drawbacks like a shifting center of lift.
A shoutout to the production quality of the Mustard YouTube videos, too. Well worth a subscribe.
Back in May, Ellie caught invasive Group A strep (iGAS) and was hospitalised twice during a nightmarish six-week period. She required multiple operations, chest and neck drains, and was kept asleep (for her comfort) for a total of 10 days in a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
Thankfully, Ellie made a full recovery. She is missing a front tooth that fell out because her breathing tube kept rubbing against it, and she has scars on her neck and chest from the operations and drains that were needed. They are small prices to pay for her recovery and constantly remind me to be grateful for every single day we've been able to spend together since.
A few months have now passed and Ellie is back to being a 'normal' kid again. She started school in September and has taken to it like a duck to water. Those six weeks back in May now feel like an age ago, with a lot of the details seeming hazy.
I decided that I was going to write about this ordeal whilst Ellie was in hospital, but it's taken me a long time to get around to doing it. My appetite for disclosing how much she went through has changed over time, and, where I originally wanted to cover all of the things that happened, now I don't feel like doing so. I've decided to talk about this whole ordeal now for a couple of reasons:
Firstly, it feels wrong to start posting about life and web development again without acknowledging what happened. After all, this was a major event in our lives, and even though it was truly horrible, to ignore it is like pretending that it never happened.
Secondly, I hope that posting this acts as a form of closure for my mind. It feels good to get these thoughts out of my head and onto paper.
I have to acknowledge the phenomenal care that Ellie received while in the hospital. Every nurse, doctor, and surgeon was amazing and the equipment in the intensive care unit was first-class. The NHS is always under scrutiny but it was there when we needed it the most. Our little girl is alive and well today because of it and the incredible people who work for it.
Finally, I want to give a huge shout-out to the Ronald McDonald House Charities, whose hotels allow families to stay close to their loved ones whilst they're in care. Susan and I were a five-minute walk away from Ellie the entire time she was in hospital and all the charity wanted from us was a £20 deposit for our room key - a fee I gladly let them keep. They provide an invaluable service and I will donate to them for life.
Sometimes things fall apart, so that better things can fall together.
Marilyn Monroe
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Some things have to end for better things to begin.
Unknown
Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles, it takes away today's peace.
Randy Armstrong
Susan and I were left feeling all warm and fuzzy inside this week when Ellie brought home her first family portrait from preschool.
All three of us have been drawn wearing red lipstick, so I can only assume that the one in the middle with the biggest belly and head is me!
