I recurved my pay award letter and I was chuffed to get 3.9% but noticed my bonus was wrong!! A quick email and I got it changed from 12% to 15% and an apology from HR!!!!!

I had some photos of a model locomotive published in a railway modelling mag a while ago. Didn't expect any payment, but I just discovered the loco's builder - whose article the images illustrated - was sent a cheque for £75 to be passed on to me.

I guess that makes me a professional photographer now.

That's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick! Well done

Always liked your photos so I guess you can say you're a professional and have a fan too.

I've passed my major exam.

Means the rest of the stuff I need to clear is essentially paperwork type stuff.

Congrats!

Well down that man. Capital work!

Cheers guys. The two largest hurdles in completing my training are out of the way. Just a few more bits. Could easily fly over them or I could mess up miserably and still not complete the year, though would be difficult to do.

Later today Best Beloved and I will be attending my parents' golden wedding anniversary do.

Fifty years they've been together, through thick and thin. They managed to make a go of life together, and raised two children into adulthood with some measure of success. I can't actually believe they're both in their seventies now. They still seem to be the same Mum and Dad I always knew.

I've had a quick squint at what was happening around the world in 1962.

Harold Macmillan was prime minister, Charles de Gaulle was French President, and John F Kennedy was US President, Nikita Kruschev headed up the Soviet Union.
Lawrence of Arabia was the biggest grossing movie of the year with over $20 million at the box office.
The Beatles were declined by Decca Records, but later released "Love Me Do" in October.
Cuba was the centre of world attention, as it looked very much like the third world war was about to kick off when the Russians decided to put some missiles there and the US objected in no uncertain terms.
Bits of the former British Empire were gaining their independence, while former French colony Algeria was tearing itself apart before it too became independent.

Our next door neighbours also got married, and moved into the house they still live in while the paint was still wet, in 1962!

We've just collected our 8 new ladies and introduced them to their new forever home. They're wandering around more space than they've seen in their lives, pecking at the grass and appearing to be a bit disorientated. They should settle in well enough and I'm very excited to be a chooky mummy!

A trip to Lahndahn to take photomographs? And they're paying my hotel and train fare?
Oh go on then.

Two wins today/
1) Got a letter saying my base salary is going up 2% (not inflation, but better than nothing).
2) Lost half a stone in the last three weeks.

I was a bit disappointed to find an egg with no shell squashed in the coop when I went to shuffle the ladies outside at 7am, however, since then we have been presented with a good half dozen eggs all in fab condition. I'm insanely pleased with the delivery of 6 eggs

You can go and spend your extra money on Cake and Pie

Just switched from a normal contract on Vodafone (subsidising my phone) to a SIM only contract.
I was paying £30 for 600 minutes, ??? texts and 500MB data.
Now I'm paying £13 for 300 minutes, unlimited texts, 500MB data and 750MB on BT Openzone.
Bargintastic!

The staff in the shop were really helpful and friendly. They logged in to show me how many of my minutes/MB's I'd been using over the last few months.
So that's another twelve months sorted (a monthly SIM only contract for the same deal would have been £20).
Let's hope there are some good new phones out this time next year.