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For 2023 (and 2024 ...) - we are now fully retired from IT training.
We have made many, many friends over 25 years of teaching about Python, Tcl, Perl, PHP, Lua, Java, C and C++ - and MySQL, Linux and Solaris/SunOS too. Our training notes are now very much out of date, but due to upward compatability most of our examples remain operational and even relevant ad you are welcome to make us if them "as seen" and at your own risk.

Lisa and I (Graham) now live in what was our training centre in Melksham - happy to meet with former delegates here - but do check ahead before coming round. We are far from inactive - rather, enjoying the times that we are retired but still healthy enough in mind and body to be active!

I am also active in many other area and still look after a lot of web sites - you can find an index ((here))
Cruising

Some things change ... and some things stay the same.

This is the third time I've cruised - 2000, 2004 and now 2011. I still walk around the ship, tripping over people - who seem to be 10% older, 20% smaller and 30% slower than I am. The age thing - more and more - has become a concept thing, I fear - I'm not really much younger than many people around me; I'm sure that the chap and chapess from Croydon who we shared a dinner table with last night were about our age, but where he was talking of doing one final house rennovation before he retired, I'm still excited by the things that I do and look back at the Tomcat Course I was doing last week at this time, and forward to the Java Bookcamp and Advanced Perl public courses I'll be running later this month, and the private Python Course I'm also scheduled to give.


Saturday's boarding process was ... much ... easier. I recall many fruitless hours spent sitting in a dockside shed in Venice in 2004, and a slow transfer in Vancouver in 2000. Southampton was much easier; the scanners and security were something that I don't recall from before (but then we get so used to those at airports that I may just have forgotten a quick check in the frustrtaion of a wait in both 2004 and 2000). No - these "Celebrity" folks have got the boarding much better; although we had to wait a couple of hours for the cabin, at least we were able to do so in the buffet. That's not to say there are no queues. We've gone for "any time dining" as we find the formal banquet settings, with fixed times, are "too early" and "too late" ... but "any time" meant last night that we could join the queue at any time or (put another way) we could eat whenever we liked during the evening, provided that we arrived 20 minutes or so ahead of that time and stood in line like penguins (formal night! :-( )


The ship is huge, and pretty new. We're still finding new corners across some dozen decks - with great for and aft open lift shafts and staircases to transfer up and down. But all in all the layout is striaghforward and simple, with easy directions possible by just giving a deck number and direction. For the most part, there aren't capacity limits on the facilities, even on "sea days" such as we've had so far as we sail down the Bay of Biscay. A comparison "this cruise" to "previous cruises" isn't practical here - both of our previous cruises were "Geek Cruises" where we were on board for "high level" training by the likes of Rasmus Lerdorf, Larry Wall and Monty Widenius - fathers of PHP, Perl and MySQL respectively. But this time it's a family event - an opportunity to spend some time with Lisa's siblings who have flown over from the USA to sail to the Med, and to recharge our own batteries far more fully than we've had a chance to do in a very long time. You'll note (from my viewpoint) that a "change is as good as a rest" and I'm not exactly stopped - indeed I'm relaxing by taking photos, and writing. I feel comfortable - VERY comfortable - leaving "Well House Manor" in the competent and professional hands of our team; the ringing endorsements of the way that family were looked after when they descended there last wek is further confirmation.


The biggest change? The staying in touch. I can recall on the 2000 Alaska trip how we made a beeline for the Internet Cafes in places like Ketchican, Juneau and Skagway to check in for course bookings. How on the 2004 trip from Venice to Izmir and Istanbul we all precipitated into the one bar that was internet enabled - at a huge price, and specially set up for the geeks. Now in 2011, we're online from the cabin. True, we have bought the biggest of the five connectivity packages and the speed is reminiscent of dialup as we upload, with emails and responses prepared offline - but we're so in touch and I'll confess I love it.


The day's starting ... I'm going to upload this article ... and point you at more pictures if you want to take a look ... [here]
(written 2011-07-04)

 
Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles
Z521 - Navigable waterways - Canals, Rivers and Sea
  [598] Should we cruise around the world? - (2006-02-09)
  [708] Linescapes of Mull - (2006-05-03)
  [776] Naming Rooms - (2006-06-24)
  [793] The Wilts and Berks Canal - (2006-07-05)
  [820] Robert and William Whitworth - (2006-08-01)
  [1657] Farewell, Newcastle to Stavanger, Haugsund and Bergen - (2008-05-29)
  [1986] Walk to Bowerhill - (2009-01-10)
  [2588] Freddies Wood and the K and A Canal - (2010-01-17)
  [2730] Bird Watching on the Melksham Avon - (2010-04-18)
  [2796] Sunday - waiting for the ferry. - (2010-06-06)
  [2807] Canal through Melksham - the options and issues - (2010-06-13)
  [2950] Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, turns first sod in Melksham Link Canal - (2010-09-09)
  [3023] Autumn walk from Bowerhill - (2010-10-31)
  [3157] A new monopoly on the ferry to Northern Ireland - (2011-02-04)
  [3183] Redevelopment on the banks of the Avon in Melksham - (2011-02-25)
  [3266] Easter on the Canal - near Melksham, Wiltshire - (2011-04-26)
  [3282] The future of canal management and charities - Kennet and Avon Canal bias - (2011-05-08)
  [3482] Taking a boat down Caen Hill Locks - (2011-10-15)
  [3483] Canals, watererways in the Melksham area - (2011-10-16)
  [3815] The Melksham News - July 2012 - Part 2, TransWilts Rail, Wilts and Berks Canal - (2012-07-23)
  [3998] Travelogue - from the Netherlands to London via Hook and Harwich - (2013-02-07)
  [4472] Rosslare to Fishguard - foot passenger on the ferry - (2015-04-24)
  [4577] An update - Melksham Link Canal and river - (2015-11-14)

Z201 - Holidays and Business Trips
  [65] Ireland - (2004-09-27)
  [81] Caf[83][c2]á keyboards - (2004-10-10)
  [368] Vacation Week - (2005-07-04)
  [370] From Iceland - (2005-07-06)
  [373] Vik, Iceland to Melksham, England - (2005-07-10)
  [374] Instant availability - (2005-07-11)
  [420] Towards Tebay - (2005-08-20)
  [518] Passport office - a much improved system - (2005-12-05)
  [548] San Francisco - (2005-12-30)
  [620] Familiar names, close to home - (2006-02-23)
  [684] Staying in the country - (2006-04-13)
  [878] Easy criteria to meet - (2006-09-25)
  [1004] Old dog, old tricks - (2006-12-22)
  [1025] Tomorrow's keywords - London, Training, Course, PHP, Ruby. - (2007-01-08)
  [1120] 1200 miles in 3 days - (2007-03-28)
  [1143] A course in Helsinki - (2007-04-11)
  [1150] Helsinki - what comes naturally - (2007-04-15)
  [1231] Sur le Continent - (2007-06-13)
  [1291] Day trip to Weymouth - (2007-08-05)
  [1293] Weymouth - Sunny Summer Sunday afternoon - (2007-08-07)
  [1299] In the USA for a few days - (2007-08-11)
  [1308] Good to be home - (2007-08-18)
  [1454] From Sunday to Monday, from Melksham to the Balkans - (2007-12-03)
  [1457] A day in Ljubljana - (2007-12-04)
  [1740] Vertical London - (2008-08-06)
  [1746] London for the visitor, for free - (2008-08-09)
  [1868] Liverpool - a friendly city - (2008-11-03)
  [1992] A good time to travel - (2009-01-14)
  [2030] The final step to being British - (2009-02-07)
  [2090] Melksham to Georgia - (2009-03-19)
  [2098] A room without a view - (2009-03-22)
  [2100] Visiting Family - (2009-03-23)
  [2101] A B C D of GA and TN - (2009-03-23)
  [2198] On the road, at a Service area thats a cut above the others - (2009-05-25)
  [2200] England, Scotland, Northern Ireland - (2009-05-26)
  [2208] A beautiful coastline - (2009-05-30)
  [2265] A chance to do the tourist thing - (2009-07-01)
  [2269] Sipping at York - (2009-07-05)
  [2306] Melksham to Mexico for the week - (2009-07-27)
  [2313] Seeing Guadalajara - a first glimpse downtown - (2009-08-01)
  [2469] Beyond the Pale - (2009-10-22)
  [2759] Touching base - (2010-05-10)
  [2797] Sur la T.G.V. - (2010-06-07)
  [2803] Travelling across Europe - (2010-06-12)
  [3300] Wildlife and other pictures from holiday - (2011-05-24)
  [3303] Flying tonight - (2011-05-26)
  [3306] Photogenic Place - (2011-05-28)
  [3321] Travelling around - (2011-06-09)
  [3346] Gibraltar - said to have a few residents less than Chippenham - (2011-07-05)
  [3372] Wearing the new London uniform - (2011-07-28)
  [3381] Report - day trip from Swindon / Chippenham / Melksham to Weymouth - (2011-08-07)
  [3681] Kicking up a stink, the Victorian way? - (2012-04-02)
  [3737] Postcards from Barmouth - (2012-05-20)
  [3742] Dysenni Valley, and nearby - (2012-05-24)
  [3853] Blanford Forum, Dorset - (2012-09-01)
  [4126] Where are we now? On holiday! - (2013-06-29)
  [4215] Great beauty, but great natural danger - (2013-11-26)
  [4249] An evening in Glasgow - (2014-03-19)
  [4433] Different views of a Welsh Valley - but headed home - (2015-02-20)
  [4471] Leopardstown to Rosslare by train - (2015-04-23)
  [4473] Fishguard to Melksham - third part of Dublin journey - (2015-04-25)
  [4478] Home in Melksham to Gatwick Airport - easy by public transport - (2015-04-29)
  [4513] Yesterday, Weymouth - (2015-08-02)
  [4643] From last July (2015) - (2016-02-08)
  [4728] Visiting Los Alamitos Bay Yacht Club - (2016-11-23)
  [4731] To Oceanside and San Clemente Pier - (2016-11-23)


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Repost - some useful pages on our site
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Forward to
Gibraltar - said to have a few residents less than Chippenham
Some other Articles
Formatting output in Python through str.format
List slices in Python - 2 and 3 values forms, with an uplifting example
The Anthony trial - Orange County, Florida. Thoughts on conclusion
Cruising
Repost - some useful pages on our site
Summer Sunday Train Service Starts - Swindon Chippenham and Melksham to Weymouth
A Holiday
Farewell to the Hercules?
Summer Sunday Timetable - TransWilts Trains
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This is a page archived from The Horse's Mouth at http://www.wellho.net/horse/ - the diary and writings of Graham Ellis. Every attempt was made to provide current information at the time the page was written, but things do move forward in our business - new software releases, price changes, new techniques. Please check back via our main site for current courses, prices, versions, etc - any mention of a price in "The Horse's Mouth" cannot be taken as an offer to supply at that price.

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