Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. (Buddha)

Some quotes on data that I quite like:

• The plural of anecdote is not data. (Frank Kotsonis)
• Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts. (Daniel Moynihan)
• Errors using inadequate data are much less than those using no data at all. (Charles Babbage)
• All information is imperfect. We have to treat it with humility. (Jacob Bronowski)
• It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. (“Sherlock Holmes”)
• Intuition becomes increasingly valuable in the new information society precisely because there is so much data. (John Naisbitt)
• The idea is to try to give all the information to help others to judge the value of your contribution; not just the information that leads to judgment in one particular direction or another. (Richard Feynman)
• I don’t see the logic of rejecting data just because they seem incredible. (Fred Hoyle)
• If you torture data sufficiently, it will confess to almost anything. (Fred Menger)
• Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please. (Mark Twain)
• Science is organized common sense where many a beautiful theory was killed by an ugly fact. (Thomas H Huxley)

and finally…

• There’s no sense being exact about something if you don’t even know what you’re talking about. (John von Neumann)

Ian Jones

….A lone tumbleweed drifts through the forums.

“crickets chirping”

Its pretty quiet in here nowdays… how is everyone?

Mike Jones

Hi All,

Just thought I would drop in here and say hello!! Lost everyone’s numbers and most email addresses Pretty slack hey… Lucky for www.timhanley.com!

Heard that Bob and Nic have had a baby! Congratulations guys, hope you are all doing well.

It would be great to catch up, should organise something so we can all have an excuse to GET ON IT! Haha, like ya need an excuse…

Cheers, Mike.

Hi all,

I started writing this post over 10 months ago, but life has been so hectic that I’ve only just got around to finishing it. Much has happened during that time, so settle into a comfy chair, this could take awhile.

Biggest news for me is that I became an uncle recently. Taia Jade Hanley, born March 21 2004, to Scotty & Cin. It’s a very strange feeling to know that there is a new member of your family on the other side of the world that you are not able to easily meet. Also strange to know that so much family celebrations are going on and that you feel at arms length from it all. Well, roll on December I say!

Photos 16 & 17

Travel bits:

Prague:

Vics & I tried for a long weekend in Prague some time ago, flights sorted, nice hotel booked and both of us very excited to be going to one of the most beautiful & interesting cities in Europe. Well all the best laid plans hey. We arrived at the airport after skiving off work early & spending 45mins on the shuttle train only for me to find that I needed a Visa & that there was no way I was going to be allowed to board the plane without one. Of course the process to obtain a Visa required 7 days & involved the embassy back in central London. Vics (being a British passport holder) had no such issue, but chose not to go without me. Dog house for the weekend, actually I’m not sure if where I was relegated would meet those standards! We plan to go again – once the ache caused to the back pocket subsides. :-[

Newcastle:

I think I was writing my last post whilst on a train to Newcastle to visit Vic’s sister & to go to the wedding of one of Vic’s friends. Had a great time, Newcastle is a city doing a good job of re-inventing itself. It comes from a mining background & thus had fallen on hard times throughout the 70s, 80s & 90s. The city centre (riverside) is undergoing a sympathetic regeneration, with many of the old buildings being freshened whilst still maintaining their character. These now co-habit with striking modern icons. The Baltic Mill gallery beside the millennium bridge is a great example of old and new. The wedding we attended was in a very impressive traditional old country manor. On arrival I wasn’t sure I would be able to cope with what appeared to be very stuffy upper class folk intent on being all rather this & that. Although true for some of the guests, Vic’s friends turned out to be very down to earth even if they were very well heeled.

Photos 27 to 32

Barcelona:

Took a trip to Barcelona for Vics birthday last year. What a cool place. We stayed in the middle of the marina and I especially enjoyed being by water again & watching the boats about their business. Barcelona is a beautiful city and one of contrast, from the chaos & touristiness of Las Rambla to the uniqueness & timelessness of Gaudi’s buildings, the modern vibrance of the Waterfront, to the eeriness of the almost deserted Olympic Venues. We had a wonderful time just wondering around and taking the place in. The Olympic Stadium came as a little bit of a surprise I must say. The outside presents itself as a large grandeous & imposing building, but I guess following the Sydney Olympic stadium & the football stadiums I have seen since being in the UK I was expecting one of more ample internal proportions. What we were faced with instead once we walked inside was little more than you could expect to see at your kid’s school athletics day back home. Well maybe more like a rugby league match then.

Photos

Thailand:

Towards the end of last year, Vics & I took off to Thailand for a couple of weeks of much needed R&R. We spent a few days in Bangkok, followed by some walking in the hills north of Chiang Mai & then spent a week on the beaches of Phuket. This was Vics’ first trip to Thailand and she was really bowled over by just how frenetic Bangkok can be. We had a great time wandering around, looking at an incredible number of Buddhas & temples. Made it to the wonderful weekend markets, which sell everything from food to very well executed clothing rip-offs. If you looked hard enough, you could even find a large number of exotic animals for sale – although don’t tell anyone I told you!

From Bangkok, we ducked up to Chiang Mai for a few days. Chiang Mai is a lovely city that is far less polluted & frantic than Bangkok. We spent most of our time not in the city itself, but wandering in the northern hills & sleeping in local villages where we froze our bollicks off at night (well I did at least, but I’m sure Vics was just as cold). I also found out just how unpleasant having a tummy bug can be when hiking & using the great outdoors for an outhouse – I’ll leave the rest to your imagination. We had an opportunity to ride for a few hours on a tame elephant; it was the nuts – which I can assure you means very cool in English (they seem to have a male genitalia theme running through their slang over here). Anyways, I discovered that the elephant I was riding knew a few tricks. I would puck some leaves from an overhanging branch then tap him on the head a couple of times. He’d then reach up with his trunk & take the proffered leaves. After munching away, he would put his trunk back up & tap me & breath on me in what I’m sure was his way of saying thanks. Also did some bamboo rafting on a river down from the hills. Unfortunately the river was quite shallow & it seemed that our raft had an unwavering attraction & devotion to the rocks of the rapids that only rarely telegraphed their mal-intent by showing their mischievous little heads above the surface. I will always liken this raft ride to being in a car crash without a seatbelt, over & over & over again. We also plucked up the courage to do some riding of a different kind back in Chiang Mai, so hired a moped for a day. The freedom to explore it gave us was fantastic and we had a ball dodging in & out of the random lanes of traffic. I think the rental dude was almost as surprised as we were to see us back in one piece.

From Chiang Mai to Phuket and from the cool dry highlands air to the hot & humid tropical islands. Apart from a day trip to Phi Phi that warrants a mention, this week was lazed away doing resort type things. The trip to Phi Phi would have to be the roughest boat ride I have ever experienced. The tour we did obviously ran to a very tight schedule as we went hammer and tong at the two-hour channel crossing from Phuket through some very rough water. Believe me when I say this was a bone shattering experience – I have never wished more for a kidney belt in my life. Needless to say we stayed on schedule for the day even if it did mean that the tour company had to replace the vessel as a result. Did have a great time though once we were safely across the channel.

Maya beach on Phi Phi Leh really is as stunning as it appeared in the movie The Beach. Picture towering limestone cliffs falling into crystal clear lagoon waters that lap blissfully upon pure white sands shaded by overhanging palms – paradise! However, it seems that nothing that beautiful could be left that perfect so the Thai authorities have allowed exploitation by tourism to reach incredible levels. A backpacker village has ruined the northern Island Phi Phi Don, and although bustling with tourists during the day, thankfully permanent buildings & overnight stays have been banned on Maya meaning it retains some of its beauty. Anyways, apart from complete overcrowding by tourists, it would have to be one of the most beautiful costal sights I have ever seen. We went snorkelling in Maya lagoon with huge shoals of fish swimming all around us. In fact there were such incredible numbers of fish it was more like swimming in a closing fishing net than in open water. It was a brilliant experience even with much bumping & nibbling going on.

If you remember the days of airline travel in the 1980′s with fondness, & would give your left leg to be able to experience it again, fear not Thai Airlines have a deal for you.
Picture an airfare priced in line with all the other major carriers – no bargain here. Then picture a brand spanking new 747 that has literally rolled off the production line in the last few months. In this spanking new plane, picture the Thai Airlines penny pincher officials electing to install the ultimate in 21st century entertainment poverty packs. Not just no personal in back TV, but not even the ones that drop down from the ceiling close by. The aircraft had only the main screen in each cabin, meaning as I’m sure you will know – absolutely no chance of seeing any of the movie that you didn’t get a chance to select anyway – ahhh that authentic 80′s air travel feel for 12 hours of your life at a time – priceless.

Photos

India:

Had a work trip out to Delhi in India recently. I had never been to India before & although it was a very short trip & we spent a lot of the time working I did manage to duck out to see the Taj Mahal in Agra, which really is breathtaking. The area surrounding the Taj is typical Indian chaos, buildings, roads & people higgledy-piggledy everywhere with an amazing amount of humanity packed into a really small space. The Taj on the other hand is an oasis of clam in this sea of chaos. You enter through an arch in the gatehouse & look down the length of the reflecting pool to the Taj about 200m away. From this vantage point the building looks 2 dimensional as if it had simply been painted onto the deep blue sky backdrop. The building is as breathtaking in its grandeur as in its intricate detail. I loved it. Not only was the visit to the Taj Mahal an experience I will never forget, but so too was the drive there & back. I have been to a lot of countries where driving defies any law written & any real sense of self preservation – kinda like a really scary amusement park ride, but where there is no predictability about whether it will finish without loss of life or at least grievous bodily harm. My time in a car in India surpassed anything I have ever experienced before – a reason in itself to visit the country I believe. The other highlight of that trip was I was able to have my first taste of flying first class – British Airways style no less. There really is something to be said for going to sleep on a flat bed at departure, complete with pyjamas, duvet & pillows, and being woken at the other end with a breakfast individually cooked to your specification. Economy long haul is now harder to face than ever!

India Photos: http://hanley.ws/v/Tim_Vicky/travel/india/
BA First Photos: http://hanley.ws/v/Tim_Vicky/flying/?g2_page=2 Photos 17 & 18.

Sweden:

We are in Stockholm in Sweden as I write, enjoying this lovely city. Amazing how clean & organised the place is, a really far cry from the grot that is London. The city is built on islands between the sea & lake Malaren and is surrounded by a stunning archipelago & scattered Viking settlements. An amazing blend of lovely old buildings & lanes alongside the clean & pleasing lines of ultra modern Swedish architecture exists with in the city, causing you to gaze with admiration until your eyes alight on block after block of 1960′s architecture that can only be described a hideous & able to make even a blind man cringe! What were the town planners thinking? So much done so well & then blighted by so little. The people are lovely though & seem to delight in providing customer service, another trait sadly lacking in their British counterparts.

Photos

Living in England:

Had a chance to go sailing in the middle of the winter. This was sailing re-defined for me. First instance of expectation setting occurred when I was asked what waterproofs I owned. I said, given we would be on a 30+ footer I didn’t understand the need for them. I was gently reminded that it was rain & not seawater I needed them for. I said I only had my ski gear & asked if that would do the trick, response was that would be great as it would solve the warmth issue as well, obviating the need for a dry suit – expectation reset #2, so much for the usual shorts & tee-shirt at home. On arriving at the marina I was asked what I would be wearing on my feet. I’d forgotten about them, being used to bare feet on board – I soon found myself in the chandlers buying a lovely pair of wellies (my second pair – first lot was acquired in flooded Venice)! So, I found that sailing in England is for real sailing, not for enjoying the great outdoors. To make my sailing enjoyment complete, I was struck by food poisoning on the first morning & so found myself unable to go more than a few minutes at a time without throwing up. This of course was fine whilst we were out sailing (as long as I managed to reach the leeward rail) but was not so well received when we tied up for the night at a rather nice yacht club. Yep, I was the guy hurling for Britain in the bushes in front of a crowd of well-healed diners arriving for dinner and desperately trying to ignore me. Anyways, my cab to the train station finally came, enabling me to make an early departure. Not sure if I will ever be invited again?!?

Being an Aussie in London after the World Cup final was incredibly hard to swallow. As my team is quite multinational, there had been much friendly rivalry in the office through out the cup. We have representation from the Aussies, Kiwis, South Africans, Irish & of course the English (all of whom have more than a passing interest in rugby). As the final series came to a climax, the friendly rivalry became a little more pointed & turbulent. The final post match barrage consisted of covering every inch of my desk & the surrounding area with press articles of the victory, the subsequent tickertape parade & the presentations by Her Majesty to the victorious English team. Day after day, this barrage was born with good humour by my Aussie colleagues & I, until it moved on to a new & I believe immoral level – cruelty to an animal. I guess I’d better not leave that hanging & explain… Some time ago I received a joke award from our CEO, a mechanical hamster in a wheel (please don’t ask, it’s a long story). Anyways, some humorous chap decided that the white ‘fur’ of this hamster resembled the background of the English flag and so proceeded to scribe a bright red cross from head to tail & side to side. To say ‘we were not amused’ would be a lie, as it was rather funny. Although I do to this day still publicly proclaim that the action constituted cruelty to an animal – namely me!

As time marches by, I find that my new home demands more & more of me. Recently I was required to surrender my Australian drivers licence in favour of a British one if I wanted to continue to be able to drive. To subject you to the details of this tale of excruciating bureaucracy, misinformation at every turn & completely unfathomable ill-logic would, I fear, be cruel beyond belief. Well, except for one detail I’ll share that will, I believe, make you smile inwardly that you live in a country that exists without the shackles of traditional thinking. A few years ago, Britain introduced photo driver’s licences (much like the ones at home). However, obviously not comfortable with just doing away with the paper ones that had been a household favourite for so many years, they chose to keep these & call them a “companion” to the photo card. Sounds sort of ok I guess until you learn that the photo card is not valid unless presented with the paper counterpart, thus ensuring that any portability benefits were dispensed with immediately. Also, instead of simply keeping offence records electronically, the paper counterpart must be returned to the department of road stuff if you receive an infringement so that the infringement can be recorded on it. Oh, and of course your photo card is not valid by itself during the time that the paper companion is away. Ahhh the efficiencies!

As well as my new EU drivers licence, I’m also the proud owner of a bona-fide Work Permit for the UK. Given my working holiday visa recently expired (didn’t those two years fly by) this one allows me to stay & work for the next four years – after that I will be eligible for residency & a British passport. Not sure what the future holds at this stage but it’s nice to have options.

Vics & I went up for her first flying lesson over London the other weekend. I went along as a back seat passenger. Vics took to the air like a duck to water, conducting her first takeoff with aplomb & then proceeded to command for all but the landing for the remainder of the flight. I was well impressed and enjoyed being free to take in the views.

Photos 19 to 22

One of the great things about London is that there is always something going on to tickle your fancy:

Recently saw the Lord of the Rings exhibition at the British Science Museum where we came face to face with the one ring to rule them all – bit of a wedding washer really.

Caught We Will Rock You (a musical based on the music of Queen) with Matt & Kim whilst they were over. Had a good if not mentally taxing time. Worthy of mention would have to be the lead lady who, as a cockney wide girl, brought a wonderful & very amusing level of sarcasm & cynicism to the show – a real insight to British culture for Mat & Kim!

I was walking through the ‘city’ (financial precinct) of London the other day on my way to a meeting & found myself face to face with a strangely dressed bloke getting into a Bentley with his rather large golden sceptre. Turns out it was the Lord Chancellor off to open Parliament for the next session. Quite a bizarre encounter for an unsuspecting foreigner but fun nonetheless to have so much tradition & history blended into everyday life.

We still have cracker night over here – personal crackers I mean – they haven’t been banned yet. It is amazing where people let them off – in a city where there is very little open space, crackers go off in the middle of busy streets, between houses, basically anywhere a patch of sky can be seen.

Other big news is that Vics & I have just bought a house. We are over the moon as it is a first for both of us. Renting in London is hideously expensive, often more than paying a mortgage so we decided to take the plunge. We are still in the middle of doing all the contract stuff etc. so I don’t want to count our chickens, but couldn’t resist sharing our excitement with you. I won’t tempt fate by posting photos or giving more detail until the deal is done. Watch this space!

Work Stuff:

Work is going really well & I am still with the Cabinet Office. Have been through a couple of promotions since last I wrote and I’m finding that I’m learning plenty. Work has allowed me to do quite a lot of travelling, mostly within, but sometimes outside the country. One memorable trip was to a supplier’s premises outside Brum, inside the Cadbury factory. Received the insider’s view, which was well impressive & quite sickening at the same time. Amazing just how much chocolate the world consumes. Also got the fringe benefit of a trip to the staff shop. I’ve never seen so much chocolate at such bargain prices. Needless to say that my bag was full to bursting on the way home.

Had the great fortune to go to one of the best restaurants in London recently for a work thing – Petrus, a Markus Warring French affair for the culinary inclined of you. We had the special treat of dining at the chef’s table, which believe me is no ordinary experience. The table is actually in the kitchen recessed into a wall, but over looking & listening to all the goings on. Had a wonderful time & some fantastic food – I got to don an apron & was shown how to prepare a sauce properly. A great night, and my introduction to French wine.

Photos 13 to 15

Coming Home:

As hinted in my opening paragraph, I’m coming home at the end of the year for Christmas. Vics & I arrive in Syd on Dec 23rd & fly back to London on Jan 16th. I hope that we will be able to meet up with all of you during that time to catch up on the latest goings on in your lives.

Until then (or my next post – could be a close run thing based on my current form) take care.

Stay well,
T.

Hi all,

A quick post to let you know that Vics & I have finally moved into our new home. We completed about a week ago & have since moved in and embarked on a painting epic – many hours of fun!

It’s a Mews house, which means it is in a private gated drive and is much like a terrace house in Aus (three stories with no one above or below – woo hoo, no more noisy neighbours!). The place is in Balham, which is about 10-15 mins train or tube ride from the city and just one suburb on from our last place, so it’s nice and central.

The other huge benefit to this over our last is that it has a roof terrace, and thus room for a Barbie! I am frantically looking for just the right one (not easy in the UK as the selection is rather stunted) so that I can hopefully get a couple in before the weather turns poorly for the next 10 months. The race is on…

According to the English, we are now Landed Gentry (always wanted a title ) & are both loving the feeling of owning our own home for the first time, even if it is slightly tinged with fear for me, given I am living on a work permit basis.

It’s amazing just how far back the land deeds/titles stretch. Our place is built on the site of a very old dairy and as such our deeds forbid us from conducting any business that relates to the manufacture of dairy products (esp. drinks containing fruit & milk for some reason). Such a shame, I know when I was initially thinking of buying a home I had a hankering for the smell of souring milk in my front room???

As always I have some pics (and even a floor plan) for you:
Photos 56 to 67

Hope all is well with you guys, spare a thought for us painting our lives away over the next few weeks!

Stay well,
T.

Hi all,

Tim… Tim who? Oh yeah, I remember that guy who never writes any more!
I wouldn’t blame you if this thought were going through your mind. Sorry again for such a long pause between posts. Good news is I’ve got a lot to tell you this time.

Firstly, I couldn’t let a post go by with out an observation on the weather. I guess it’s a British trait I must have picked up along the way. Well it’s bloody boiling over here! 37C as I sit here & write – never thought I’d ever say that about my current home. It seems really strange to be experiencing temperatures that any self-respecting summer would be proud of, but without a beach or bay in sight (summer & water have always been synonymous to me). Londoners, however don’t equate the heat with the beach and instead cope the only way they know how. They take to the parks to sunbath in bikinis (now that’s a strange sight) & think nothing of wandering around city streets, department stores etc. & even riding the tube with as little clothing on as possible. I don’t even blink anymore whilst commuting to work (wearing a suit), when a guy sits down next to me in shorts & no shirt. There seems to be an insatiable need in the British to get their kit off given a semblance of justification – go figure?

There really is no infrastructure in this city to cope with the heat. Vicky, for example works in a building with no air con at all, so swelters over her desk each day. Unfortunately this scenario is far more common than not, so each summer ads pop up all over the place for portable air conditioners – an absolute bargain at only £2.99 (AU$7.40) a day – plus running costs – paraphrased: Please bend over London, this won’t hurt a bit!

Anyways, having now fulfilled my obligations to my host country’s culture, that’s enough about the weather. Have had a lot of fun over the past few months. Here are some of the highlights:

Tracy Chapman at the Royal Albert Hall:
It was amazing to go to this venue & especially to see a really good unaccompanied artist. Capacity is about 5000 odd in terraces with absolutely stunning decoration dating back to the 1870′s. The acoustics in the hall are amazing. Imagine being in a room with so many people & being able to hear each intake of the artists breath and the sound of each ‘t’ being enunciated with minimal amplification. It really was a brilliant experience. I’m hoping to get back there for the Proms, but time’s running out this season.

Some pictures

Paris:
I mentioned we were off to Paris last time I wrote. What a fantastic trip. Really enjoyed the train ride, so much less hassle than flying. Managed an upgrade to first class so really did it in style. The train travels at truly breathtaking speeds – it really has the wow factor – but only on the French side as the English rails are so shite that they can only just cope with what feels like walking pace in comparison. In addition to the poor rails, we also have speed restrictions in England for each season, in Autumn we have slippery leaves on the rails, in Winter the wrong type of snow, Spring it’s the wrong type of rain & Summer the rails get too hot. It never ceases to amaze me that the rail staff are able to do deadpan announcements providing these reasons by way of explanation for delays. Opps, went off on a bit of a tangent there, now back to Paris…

Paris is a really lovely city, one to which I would really like to return to spend some time. I think the key difference between London & Paris is that London on the whole has quite a claustrophobic feel to it whilst Paris is saved this fate by its wide sweeping boulevards that draw the eye out to the horizon creating an orderly & spacious feel. Vics & I had a wonderful weekend, strolling along the Seine, lunching in small cafe’s in the Latin Quarter or on the river, visiting the Louvre & Musee d’Orsay and seeing all the usual sights. I was well impressed by the Mona Lisa. I’m not usually taken by portraits & thus didn’t expect much from this one. As always, when your expectations are lowest you are pleasantly surprised and it is true what they say about her eyes following you around the room.

As always I have a load of photos to share but unfortunately the gallery on my website is broken & I’ve spent more time trying to fix it that it probably warrants. It’s still not sorted so I will have to post pictures at a later date.

Scotland:
Had a week off work to travel around Scotland with my folks whilst they were over. We managed to drive around most of the country, starting in Glasgow, heading up the east cost to the amazingly dreary silver city of Aberdeen, through some stunningly pretty little towns in the centre, up to the charming town of Inverness, circumnavigating the Ness-less Loch on the way, ’round the barren northern loop, including a stop at John O’Groats (the most Northern town in the UK), down to the lovely mountain & sea scapes on the Isle of Skye, and the plentiful fresh sea food in the fishing town of Oban (yet another gastronomic scarcity in the UK) and finally back to Glasgow to fly home. It was a whirlwind tour, but one that gave me a great insight into Scotland & helped me answer a question I have held unresolved for a very long time. What is it about Northern Scotland that is so attractive that people are willing to endure such bleak conditions? Turns out it’s got nothing to do with the attractiveness of the countryside, but is rather the nature of the people & their culture that they seem to genuinely enjoy hardship. Yet another thing about the UK that I will never fully understand. Whilst on the West coast had my first face to face with an Otter. First from a distance in the wild & later up close in an enclosure. Between the two, we managed to while away the best part of half a day watching them play. They are endearingly cute creatures until they start ripping into baby chickens & mice for lunch.

Apart from a few days of fog (named a Haagh by the locals and pronounced correctly when the lining of your lungs suddenly appears in your mouth), I understand that we had the only completely blue-sky week in the history of Scotland. As a result, I have a somewhat unconventional memory of the place. To me it will always be a bright & cheerful country with amazing scenery – a far different picture than what others had painted.

Unfortunately the trip was somewhat marred by me needing to attend daily teleconference calls due to the imminent release of a particularly large development project. The calls seemed to always coincide with us being in the car on the way home from somewhere so invariably Mum & Dad ended up parking on the side of the road in some of the most random places so I could get reception and would then sit patiently for an hour or so listening to me rabbit on. They now tell me that they are quite up on the latest IT speak including how to escalate & what to do with pointy things.

Ireland:
Have had a few business trips to Northern Ireland over the last few months. One memorable trip, a colleague & I decided to head over on the Sunday before our Monday meeting for a bit of a Gunnies session In Dublin. Had a great afternoon & evening seeing almost none of the sights but plenty of the black stuff. Also had my first good steak since I left home at a place called FXBs. The memory of an Irish fillet melting in my mouth should see me though the next six months or so till next I have an opportunity – a sorry state of affairs.

The ‘fun’ really started the morning after the session when we had planned to catch the high-speed shuttle train up to Belfast for our meeting. Feeling slightly second hand, we lobbed at the station only to find all trains had been cancelled due to a bomb scare on the tracks in a small town we would have passed through (they take those rather seriously over there for some reason!) We found ourselves facing the dilemma of having to explain how we had flown over to Ireland early & then not made it to the meeting we had been sent for. Not a prospect either of us relished, so we flagged a cab for the two-hour journey. The cab ride turned out to be a great way to see the countryside. When transiting from the Republic to Northern Ireland, it was really interesting to see the old boarder posts with gun emplacements and checkpoints on each side. They aren’t in operation anymore but you can still feel the threatening atmosphere. It’s strange as you cross the boarder, the colour of the lines on the road changes, along with the types of road signs. More remarkably though is that The Republic of Ireland uses metric measures & Northern Ireland (like the rest of the UK) the imperial system. So as you cross the border the distances on the road signs suddenly alter dramatically in size (kms to miles), without any obvious explanation for the unaware punter. It must make life just that little bit more unnecessarily complicated. All the way the cabbie regaled us, his somewhat green looking charges, with stories of smuggling goods across the boarder from south to north using some amazingly ingenious and often dangerous methods. Smuggling, although far less prevalent now, still occurs to this day due to the economic differences between the regions.

Anyways, we just managed to make it to Belfast in time for our meeting, but with our wallets considerably lighter. As we drove through the city streets we passed convoy after convoy of armoured personnel carriers & armed forces personnel. Apparently they had been deployed due to concerns over troubles being started as a result of a big vote to decide whether UK rule should continue or not. As a result, staying in the city didn’t feel overly comfortable! Due to the heightened security, we were subjected to special interrogation at the check point on entering the Stormont grounds (the Northern Ireland Assembly) in our cab, and after all our hungover troubles that morning were almost denied entry to attend our meeting – I suspect it might have been something to do with the Dublin number plates we were sporting. All in all a fun & eventful trip but not one I wish to repeat in the near term!

Number 10:
I got to go to Number 10 for a meeting a couple of weeks ago. It was an experience I will never forget. We (my boss, his boss & I) presented ourselves at the front gates of Downing Street, with all the congregated tourists oohing & ahhing, wondering who we might be. Little did they know that we were nobody important!

We went through the usual security checkpoint (similar to that you would see at an airport) complete with metal detector & x-ray machine.

Walking through the famous front door & seeing the inside for the first time was a dreamlike experience. I couldn’t quite believe I was there. The place is massive, much, much larger than you would guess from seeing the outside. We were escorted up the main stairs, which have portraits of Prime Ministers since time began hung all the way to the top, to a lavishly & traditionally furnished room with no board table but rather settees and a coffee table. I found out later it’s called the white room.

Interesting observation, the walls where the prime minister portraits hang has space for only one more… Blair… Do you think he might have engineered that?

As we were walking out to the main gates, my boss snuck a quick and elicit picture of me out the front of the building, which I have linked to below. He titled it ‘Timothy goes to London’. Unfortunately it is the only photo I have of the place as they confiscated our phones in the foyer.

Photo

I loved the whole experience & still can’t quite believe I was there, it will be one of my enduring memories of London. Something very few people get to do.

Stomp & Bombay dreams:
Stomp is one of the oddest shows I’ve ever been to. It’s a group of guys & girls on stage banging away on anything they can get their hands on. Sounds pants but is actually one of the best choreographed displays I’ve seen, coupled with driving rhythms and perfectly timed & synchronised percussion it was a brilliant night out – I never new a water cooler bottle could make so many different sounds! Also caught Bombay Dreams in the last few weeks. An enjoyable show with the classic boy meets girl, girl kinda maybe likes guy, some people die, guy gets girl cheesy story line. A fun, but not mentally taxing experience.

Kensington Roof Gardens:
Had a Cabinet Office bash at the Kensington Roof Gardens during the week to celebrate the success of some challenging projects. What an amazing venue… One and a half acres of formal and ancient gardens with stunning views across the city from it’s roof top location. Even has two resident flamingos to complete the package. Had a wonderful time at the party, a chance for every one to let their hair down and relax. If you are ever in London, I highly recommend visiting for a sundowner: website

Where to next?
Vics & I are on a train to Newcastle-upon-Tyne as I write this. We’re off to see her sister for the weekend & to attend the wedding of an old friend of Vics. I haven’t been to Newcastle before but hear it’s a fun place so am looking forward to it. Apart from anything else it’s a welcome chance to escape the Summer tourist crowd in London for a short spell.

Have a couple of trips planned in the next few months, we’re off to Prague for the August bank holiday weekend and are currently planning a trip to Thailand in December. We haven’t been away for a while so I’m looking forward to both with great expectations.

We’re finding ourselves feeling a lot more settled now in London with the flat really starting to feel homely and the pace of city life finally starting to strike a balance. Hope this finds you all in good fettle, and enjoying the Tri Nations & ski season.

Stay well,
T.

Hi all,

Sorry it’s been so long since last I wrote. I’ve been having a pretty demanding but fun time over the last two months. Before I begin with what I’ve been playing at, I thought you would all be as happy as I to hear that we have made it back into double digits over here… just. It felt positively balmy the other day… I really must be acclimatising.

Last time I wrote I mentioned we were off to Switzerland. We had a brilliant time. Turns out the small alpine village we were staying in was hosting their annual Inferno week when we were there, resulting in skiers from all over Europe & the US turning up to take part in slalom, downhill & cross country events – Swiss style. The village was buzzing with a continuous party atmosphere and all sorts of aprËs-ski festivities. But best of all, I experienced my first true powder snow & understood for the first time what ‘off piste’ is really all about. I can’t describe how fantastic this was. Picture a steep slope in front of you covered with over 50cm of fresh fall, huge sheer rock faces behind you and breathtaking views across a valley thousands of feet below. A crystal clear blue sky and not a single track in the snow rounded off the best boarding I have ever had. It was almost a religious experience! Anyway, ’nuff said.

From holidays back to the more mundane – earning a crust. I’ve been given another promotion at work. This time to Head of Live Services (the Service Management division of the e-Delivery team), meaning I am responsible for management of two services that have been categorised as critical national infrastructure. But no pressure though!

More info: http://www.e-envoy.gov.uk/Responsibilities/ElectronicDelivery/fs/en

Even with a demanding work schedule, Vics & I have found time over the last couple of months to look for a new place to live. With both of us being new to the city this has been a real adventure, at first with many trips around inner London to find an area we liked. From places with catchy names such as Elephant & Castle (the best thing about the place!) to the posh West End, to Gangsteresque East London. We finally settled on Clapham & Hammersmith and then started the un-enviable search for ‘just the right place’ requiring a frantic schedule of viewings. We soon discovered that the saturated London rental market contains a few gems amongst a great many, with the gems being greatly in demand. Anyways, we finally found our new home last week. It’s a two bedroom flat in the heart of Clapham Common. Clapham is a vibrant area brimming with great restaurants & a relatively young population that is minutes by tube from the City centre. It also boasts a huge common (park) that should be lovely in Summer. We are currently going through the reference checks & contract signing process and plan to move in later this month. We are both really looking forward to having some living space and being in the thick of things.

Back to travel. We are soon to depart on our next trip abroad, this time by Eurostar for a weekend in Paris. I can’t wait to visit this city as it has had so much said about it by so many, from the well know land marks, to the restaurants, romance & Gallic culture. Also, as an added bonus we will be travelling through the Chunnel – the first time for both of us! I’ll be sure to take lots of photos to share with you.

I hope this finds you all well & making the most of the last weeks of warmth – I hear from my brother that it’s still boardies weather at the beach – not that I’m envious or anything.

Stay well,
T.

Hi all,

Well, I’m back in Blighty after a wonderful couple of weeks in the Lucky Country, and I’m pretty sure from a quality of life perspective it is! Had a brilliant time catching up with you all and enjoying the sun, salt air, sailing & riding. It was definitely a system shock returning to the minuses in London (below freezing that is). It was quite comedy to watch a Mexican wave of involuntary shivers wash through the plane when the Captain smugly announced the weather that was forecast for our arrival in London. Had a great flight home, including stopping in for a night in Tokyo. Unfortunately saw very little due to the hour but did have a much anticipated rest before being bundled back on a plane. Having recommended Singapore Air to you all in the past I think I’ll now renege and back JAL for fantastic long haul – the free night in Hotel Nikko enroute being the clincher.

I arrived back in town in time for full Chrimbo festivities & a night out on the boss in well-known restaurant. Apparently rated in the top four in the world (or so I was told many times) it didn’t make a hugh impact on me, but that may well have been due to the fact that I was asleep on my feet – sleep deprivation & timezones can really be pants.

After returning to work for a few short days, I caught an intercity train up to the West Midlands to spend Chrimbo with Vic’s family. My first cold Christmas, complete with open fire & roast Turkey, basically the whole nine yards. I had a great time, and was able to relax into the measured pace that is an English Christmas. This experience was made even better by the fact that I was asked to observe a Civil Service “Privileged day”, meaning I didn’t need to break from the festivities to return to the office on the Friday following Boxing day. So, by the time new years rolled around I’d worked a total of 3 days in the month. Not good when you are paid by the hour!

On the topic of New Years and more importantly the eve, I had a proper London one consisting of being jammed into a pub in Covent Garden with lots of other punters. The night progressed much like any other in a reputable drinking establishment, ’till a subdued countdown was heard, followed by much hugging, kissing and a rapid return to ever more drinking. It really was a far cry from fireworks on the Harbour or a Barbie with friends in 20+ degrees. I know where I’d rather have been! Even so, was pretty great as my little brother had landed in London but days before, so I was able to spend NYE with him plotting the mischief he could reek in Europe.

Have finally made it up the London Eye and even managed to fluke a beautiful blue-sky day for our booking. It provided a great new perspective on London, allowing me to piece together the geographical locations of all the places I’d popped up in from the Underground. As always I have some photos, 35 to 51

It snowed the other night!!! My first in a city I’ve lived in. I opened the door to leave for work and was greeted with five cms of fresh. Everything looked bright & clean, which is a real accomplishment for the area I live in. I strolled up the road to the tube in a daze, marvelling at the transformation and thinking how wonderful it would be if it were like this everyday. Well, marvelling that is until a car coming down the road towards me turned to take a bend in the road, continued in a straight line and bounced of a couple of parked cars (now I’m a seasoned Londoner I can safely tell you that this is a common occurrence when it snows). In crashing back down to earth, I also fell past normal tube operations & ease of walking down footpaths when the snow has melted & refrozen into ice. Well, at least the experience was wonderful for the first few minutes!

Time to run, off to Switzerland this weekend for a week skiing and need to pack some stuff. Thanks again for everyone’s hospitality whilst I was in town, it really was great to catch up. I’ll write again soon.

Stay well,
T.

Hi all,

Well, it’s an action packed trip note this month, my Rugby experience & a drought in Venice.

Rugby:
This was a really amazing day. I had been offered “corporate hospitality”, so found myself in a private marquee enjoying a great lunch, plenty of social lubricant & often-funny English rugby speakers, followed by a seat in Twickenham stadium to watch England take on the usually mighty All Blacks. The game was good, even if the result not, but for me this day will always remain in my memory for two reasons. Firstly the feeling generated by entering the stadium & gazing at the vast crowd gathered around this hollowed turf, got me thinking I was going to witness a really passionate grudge match (from an English perspective at least). And secondly, as the teams ran on over a huge St Georges’ Cross that was draped across the pitch, the All Blacks lined up to goad the English with the traditional Maori Haka, but found that no sooner had they opened their mouths, the 70,000+ fans launched into song… “Swing low, sweet chariots, coming forth to carry me home…” which completely drowned out the Kiwi’s impassioned performance. Granted the song is shite, but the atmosphere created by this act is imprinted on my forgetful mind indelibly.

I have a few photos to help you picture the scene: Photos 30 to 34.

Venice:
Did I say drought? Well I guess by Venetian standards when you say the 10th highest water levels in recorded history it could be interpreted that way! Vics & I got off the waterbus from the airport to Venice to find water lapping over the wharf. This was a little perturbing, but nothing we as intrepid adventurers couldn’t handle, so we set off in search of our lodgings. We must have appeared quite comical to the residents as we took one narrow alleyway after another, each time to find our way blocked by calf high floods. After exhausting our options we gallantly hiked up our trousers & ventured into the cold in the vain hope that the rest of the weekend would prove less soggy. Little did we know! After mastering the Venice winter gait (shuffle, shuffle, splash) we arrived at out B&B to be greeted by our host with apologies about the water level, and the recommendation to form firm plans to procure a sturdy set of Wellies each. This interesting & somewhat unique start to the weekend aside, Venice proved to be a captivating city. We spent many wonderful hours traipsing around the fondamentas and canals, riding the vaporettos, and taking in canal side life whilst enjoying Italian espressos. On the second night we managed to find a local restaurant that was well off the beaten track, where no English was visible, but the food & vino exceptional, if not surprising given we really had a time figuring out just what we were ordering. St Marks Square (well know and always heaving) was a real sight, completely empty & almost knee high in water. If you ever plan to go to Venice, I can recommend a wonderful B&B as well as a great restaurant – let me know & I will send you details. As usual I have a number of photos to share, these can be seen at: Photos

Better go as I have a lot of loose ends to sort before I catch the big bad bird.

3 sleeps to go!
T.