I'm too sexy....

I took this photo of Kieran posing earlier today and thought I would share it with you.

Kieran, showing of the latest Autumn, Winter fashions!!

Resident Evil 4 PS2 on PC?

I like emulators.... Great little things they are! I have a reasonable spec PC which can play all of the latest games, and a good GFX card too, but I tend to spend most of my time emulating Commodore 64s, Spectrums, Philips G7000's, Atari's etc.

I thought I'd try this one out... A PS2 emulator on the PC. I've got loads of great games on my PS2 which I'd love to play on my PC............

Yep, thats Resident Evil 4 running on my PC!! I downloaded the latest build of the PS2 emulator PCSX2, not expecting it to work as I thought we were still far away from a working emulator only to watch the opening sequence run, and then the title screen, and then the actual game, and it plays pretty well too!!! The sound isn't 100% (no speech) though, but the game runs at an ok speed... Playable at least!

I'm well chuffed!

I long for the day when we just have one system, rather than having to go out and buy different consoles and computers just to play certain games.

The USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Ladies and Gentlemen.... May I present the finished model!!

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Amazingly I was able to finish the model this evening (well, Michelle is at a nightclub with a friend and Kieran is fast asleep in our bed!)

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I've taken some low-light photographs of the model (above) to show just how fantastic the ship looks in the dark with all the lights switched on. The photos really do look like the real model used in the movies but HONESTLY, its the actual model I built!!

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It wasn't a difficult model to make to be honest, except for the wiring for the lights, but it all worked fine in the end and I'm really pleased with the result.

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Now.. maybe I can just finish the model of the original series Enterprise which I've had sitting in its box since before Michelle and I got married....... :)

These are the voyages....

Well, my first day of half-term is nearly over, and while Michelle has been at work, I've been at home with Kieran. Infact, he has been such an angel for me today that I've been able to make good progress on my USS Enterprise model kit. The model is an extremely hard to find Bandai model which apparently has been discontinued for quite some time. Although slightly smaller to the well known ERTL AMT model kits of the USS Enterprise NCC1701, the detail on this kit is incredible, right down to the aztec patterns found on the hull of the ship. It also lights up, and I've had right fun and games with the cabling. Still, as you can see from the pictures, I'm slowly getting there. The picture at the bottom is a shot of a finished model and I hope mine looks the same when its finished.

Beam me up Scotty!

I'm on holiday... again!

Well, the half-term holiday has begun at Evesham High (and most other schools around the country), which means I am officially on holiday from work for a week.. YIPPEEE

Not quite sure what I am going to do with myself mind you. I bought a fantastic model of the Starship Enterprise on eBay the other day, and that came through the post this morning, so I think I might work on that, assuming Kieran lets me. Might even fire up the ol' Gamecube and have a good round of Resident Evil as I haven't touched it in months (or the PS2 for that matter).

Stuarts' Guide to Jersey

Jersey…

I would strongly recommend visiting this wonderful little island to anyone who has never been before. Although our primary reason for going was to see my friend Fiona wed her (now husband) Peter, we still had one full day to go out and venture round the island.

We stayed at a lovely little B&B in the heart of St. Helier called Surrey Lodge. The location was perfect as we were mere minutes away from the main centre of town, with all the shops and restaurants within walking distance. The main bus station was located just a few minutes away next to the harbour where we were able to catch an EasyLink hop-on-hop-off bus which travels around the island, stopping at all the main landmarks and attractions at a cost of only £7.50 for an all day adult travel card... Children under 16 go for free!

Jersey has so much to offer, and time was limited, so we decided to visit Mont Orgueil Castle, and the Jersey Zoo.

Mont Orgueil Castle must be one of the best castles I have ever visited (and those of you that know me know that I have visited quite a few and how much I enjoy castles and ruins). The castle itself has only recently been re-opened to the public after some restoration work. Built in the 13th century, towering over the bay at Gorey, this apparently is one of the best preserved castles within the British Isles. With spectacular views over the island and across the sea to France, I would recommend this castle to anyone. Unfortunately, I had to leave Michelle and Kieran at the bottom while I explored the castle as there are quite a few steps to climb before actually reaching the entrance – pushchairs are a big no no. Still they found it fun wandering around the quaint little shops along the harbour.

So much of the castle is open to the public, and I found it great fun wandering around the grounds, through dark, damp corridors and eerie chambers. What made it even better was that because we travelled to Jersey out of the peak season, I must have only counted about 15 people or so visiting the castle which meant I could quite freely wander without seeing anyone (and that also meant I could take lots of pictures without tourists getting in the image!!!)

Jersey Zoo was a really great place to visit too. We went specifically for Kieran, and although I’m not a great animal lover, I did find the whole place interesting with a great variety of endangered animals on display. We could have quite easily spent an entire day there, but unfortunately we were limited by a few hours.

Of course, as I mentioned earlier, the real reason we went to Jersey was to be guests at my friend Fionas’ wedding. The wedding was a civil ceremony which took place in a lovely little hotel/pub/restaurant in St Aubins called the Old Courthouse, with beautiful views overlooking the bay. The weather was gorgeous, and although Kieran was the only child there, he had an effect on everyone and made lots of new friends!!

We are already planning our next visit to the island (hopefully sometime in early 2007).