ITV Dramas - Introduction!:

This has to be the best thing shown on television that I can remember. It's called "After Thomas" and was screened on Boxing Day on ITV1. It's about a young couples struggle to cope with their son with autism.

Kyle (the child in question) is probably a bit lower-functioning that Alex. But it really struck a chord with Deb and me. It was finally something on TV relevant to our lives. In fact, I think it was probably the closest television representation of our life that I can imagine. It wasn't complete, but everything presented was pretty accurate for at least our experience of being parents of a child with autism - the little victories and defeats, the breakthroughs that lead nowhere, the difficulty of going shoe shopping.

The bits that got missed out were the trauma of the diagnosis (although it was referred to by the mother, who stated that she'd been accused of having Munchausen's syndrome) and the statementing process - with easy assumptions made about their ability to change Kyle's school.

Well, I hope you watched it. A regular complaint by me is the failure of television to really screen drama that feels relevant. Well this was it - probably have to wait another 10 years for anything this good.

Ecumenical Patriarchate:

Oh, and it's kinda nice to know that there's still an Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople/Instanbul.

vladmir.gif (GIF Image, 239x327 pixels):

And while we're on the subject of Byzantium, I may as well post this. Mostly because I can, and it's pretty much the most famous icon of them all.

Dionysios Of Zakynthos:

Apparently, today is the feast day of Saint Dionysius of Zakynthos in the Greek Orthodox church. At least according to www.iconograms.org I'm currently listening to the monks and choirs of Kiev Pechersk Lavra - streaming over the internet on my laptop from Magnatune:

Monks and Choirs of Kiev Pechersk Lavra: Chants of the Russian Orthodox Church:

I've been doing some Byzantine reading to follow up on my reading of Psellus, so I thought I'd get in the mood. After reading the relevant bits of Ostrogorsky and Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World by John Haldon I do have some thoughts on the lead up to Manzikert and collapse. May have to blog about this sometime - perhaps over Christmas. I'm not sure I agree with Ostrogorsky and the 'standard' interpretation. Will keep you posted.

I think the retreat into Byzantium is a desperate attempt to ignore what's happening in the Ashes.

By the way, Alex was a 'greeter' at his school play, dressed as Father Christmas. Not, as we thought, having lines in the play itself. Bit disappointed. Then again, he did fine the first time, but ran off and hid on the second time (when Deb wasn't there). Guess he hasn't come that far after all.

Roll on Christmas!

Had a visit by my parents over last weekend. I thought it went really well. It's taken me a while to blog about it because of our normally busy week.

(What with Brownies, Judo, and other stuff - I wish I had my kids' social life!)

On top of all that, Alex hasn't been very well. He took Wednesday off school because he was sick during the night, and didn't feel too good in the morning. He's back in school today, and I shall have to add blog entry later to update with how he got on in the school play (he's got the part of Santa Claus, and has therefore been practising his "ho's" for a while).

Back to the parental visit. It was a little mini Christmas. Something we've done for a few years now, where my parents will visit in the run up to Christmas to bring the kids presents. Mainly because the journey over to them is just too long around this time of year for the kids (4 hours plus in the car).

So, a nice day out together, and a nice evening meal in the pub down the road. Alex over the moon with his new model of Mallard, and Jessica enjoying her Clarice Bean book, among other presents.

I'll let you know how Alex got on as Father Christmas later (ho, ho, ho...).

BBC NEWS | UK | Tough new powers on child support:

Another thought. Does this mean I need to alter the CSA contribution to the "Three Peaks Challenge"? (See below).

BBC NEWS | UK | Tough new powers on child support:

Well, here's the big news of the day for me. I understand that all the staff currently working for the Child Support Agency will transfer over to the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission on it's inception in 2008-2009. However, CMEC will be a "Non Departmental Government Body" (Quango to you and me). This means that all the staff will cease to be civil servants on transfer - of which the main concern is the access to easy transfers to other departments, and whether the pension will still be supported.

CMEC itself sounds to me like the way it should have been done first time around, so I'm quite positive about it. I'm not convinced I agree with the additional enforcement powers - but a revitalised commitment to delivering maintenance rather than to protecting the benefit system is something I could definitely support.

It does mean another whole change agenda for the Child Support Agency - but hey, change can be a good thing. Change can bring opportunities.


So on the whole, I feel quite positive about the whole thing.

Amazon.co.uk: Fourteen Byzantine Rulers: The Chronographia of Michael Psellus (Classics): Books: Michael Psellus,E.R.A. Sewter:

Currently reading this. I've been meaning to read it for a while, as a classic Byzantine text. For something written in the 11th century, it's surprisingly engaging, although I don't think Psellus comes across as a particularly likeable chap. He's also a bit of a gossipy old woman, although his pen pictures of individuals at court can be very well drawn.

RFC1925:

This RFS is titled "Fundamental Truths of Networking". Really tickled me. I particularly like number 3 - which I first saw attached to someone's email sig on a technical FreeBSD mailing list.

Blair: we must renew Trident | Special Reports | Guardian Unlimited Politics:

Why do we need to renew Trident? In the modern world, what threat does Blair think will be mitigated by possessing such a weapon? I grew up in a family deeply opposed to nuclear weapons in the first place - and even by that standard buying a replacement seems to be an expensive folly utterly out of place with Britain's current role in the world.

Frozen Bubble, what a game! Must be about as addictive as it gets. Loaded this onto Jessica's PC over the weekend (it's the one in her bedroom running Edubuntu 6.06, but that's another story), and spent a chunk of Sunday playing it.