On the weekend, Barry and I went to Windsor to do a bit of shopping and see if they had my wedding ring in the shop there (they didn't, but they have it in the Georg Jensen on Bond Street, so we'll get it there). Anyway, while we were there, we saw these guys all dressed up in funny red and black and white clothing. They are called "Morris Dancers", and apparently this tradition dates back centuries. I videoed their first dance - click on the link below:
Morris Dancing Video
Pretty cool, eh?! We watched a few more dances and then went on our way.
Barry's surgery has finally been scheduled for the beginning of January. It's going to make it tight for him to fly out for the wedding, as he's not allowed to fly for 6 weeks after the surgery. I hope there are no complications!!
The weather has been quite wet and not particularly pleasant, I suppose winter is upon us. With any luck, we'll get a white Christmas, but I'm not holding my breath!
See you soon!
21 November 2007
16 November 2007
Homeward bound
Wow - I can't believe my last blog was so long ago! Sorry to any faithful readers left out there! I've let you down abysmally!
Where to begin. Hmmmm...well, work is going pretty good. It's been busy with getting the new office organized, HSE auditing and getting ready to release the third quarter earnings. The longer commute is starting to bother me, but I can't really see any solution to that, so I'll have to learn to live with it. It's hard to work while I'm commuting as well because the train is so rough and bounces around so much that concentrating on any reading or doing anything on my laptop is difficult. So I just end up reading the newspaper both ways. Boy, am I well informed these days! I've also taken to using my iPod, since I can listen to a whole album each direction.
The weather has really gotten colder here lately, so I've had to bundle up most mornings. Barry and Jan call my big black coat I wear my "bear coat". Jan says it looks like I'm wearing a duvet to work. I laughed as I watched him shiver in his thin coat and said that it was a lot like that - nice and cozy!
My back is slowly getting better and I want to start doing more exercise and working out, but it's hard because it's always dark outside of working hours, and the gym requires a 12-month committment and I really hate working out anyway! It gets dark here earlier than in Canada - by about 4:00 pm. I don't like it much, but the lights of Piccadilly Circus are definitely bright when I go home. Our new office is a block from the Circus, so I see them every day, and fight my way through the tourists to get home every night!
The Christmas decorations are starting to go up and it's very pretty. This area goes all out, being such a main intersection for tourists and Londoners alike. It's a big shopping area (Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, Oxford Street, Bond Street) and Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden are all close by. It's exciting and busy.
We leave for Canada a week from today. I'm very excited for everyone to meet my Barry. I'm been so happy and he is so good to me. He makes it his job to ensure that I am happy and takes it very seriously. It's about the only thing he takes seriously! haha! He recently had to get glasses, which he wasn't too happy about. I suppose this age thing gets to the best of us! He doesn't like that he has to wear glasses, but he likes the fact that he can see things so much better now. I think he looks quite cute in them, personally! But I might be a bit biased!
We were in Cornwall a few weekends ago visiting his family. I'm really starting to fit in there, and I adore them. We have such fun together, especially his mom and sister, Sonia, and I. We go shopping and laugh and bargain-hunt. They were helping me find things for the wedding - shoes and accessories for my dress, which I bought already.
The wedding plans are coming apace. Still lots to do, and a wedding on a budget is a challenge, but we'll be fine. All that matters is that we're getting married - I wouldn't care if we were by ourselves wearing rags! Honeymoon is going to be in Tuscany, Italy, where I've managed to procure a private winery villa from a friend here in London. We'll fly into Pisa or Rome and rent a car. Flights from London start at £95 return, which is about $200 Canadian. Nice deal, eh?!
I had better finish this off and get going. Hopefully see you all in Canada soon! Cheers!
Where to begin. Hmmmm...well, work is going pretty good. It's been busy with getting the new office organized, HSE auditing and getting ready to release the third quarter earnings. The longer commute is starting to bother me, but I can't really see any solution to that, so I'll have to learn to live with it. It's hard to work while I'm commuting as well because the train is so rough and bounces around so much that concentrating on any reading or doing anything on my laptop is difficult. So I just end up reading the newspaper both ways. Boy, am I well informed these days! I've also taken to using my iPod, since I can listen to a whole album each direction.
The weather has really gotten colder here lately, so I've had to bundle up most mornings. Barry and Jan call my big black coat I wear my "bear coat". Jan says it looks like I'm wearing a duvet to work. I laughed as I watched him shiver in his thin coat and said that it was a lot like that - nice and cozy!
My back is slowly getting better and I want to start doing more exercise and working out, but it's hard because it's always dark outside of working hours, and the gym requires a 12-month committment and I really hate working out anyway! It gets dark here earlier than in Canada - by about 4:00 pm. I don't like it much, but the lights of Piccadilly Circus are definitely bright when I go home. Our new office is a block from the Circus, so I see them every day, and fight my way through the tourists to get home every night!
The Christmas decorations are starting to go up and it's very pretty. This area goes all out, being such a main intersection for tourists and Londoners alike. It's a big shopping area (Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, Oxford Street, Bond Street) and Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden are all close by. It's exciting and busy.
We leave for Canada a week from today. I'm very excited for everyone to meet my Barry. I'm been so happy and he is so good to me. He makes it his job to ensure that I am happy and takes it very seriously. It's about the only thing he takes seriously! haha! He recently had to get glasses, which he wasn't too happy about. I suppose this age thing gets to the best of us! He doesn't like that he has to wear glasses, but he likes the fact that he can see things so much better now. I think he looks quite cute in them, personally! But I might be a bit biased!
We were in Cornwall a few weekends ago visiting his family. I'm really starting to fit in there, and I adore them. We have such fun together, especially his mom and sister, Sonia, and I. We go shopping and laugh and bargain-hunt. They were helping me find things for the wedding - shoes and accessories for my dress, which I bought already.
The wedding plans are coming apace. Still lots to do, and a wedding on a budget is a challenge, but we'll be fine. All that matters is that we're getting married - I wouldn't care if we were by ourselves wearing rags! Honeymoon is going to be in Tuscany, Italy, where I've managed to procure a private winery villa from a friend here in London. We'll fly into Pisa or Rome and rent a car. Flights from London start at £95 return, which is about $200 Canadian. Nice deal, eh?!
I had better finish this off and get going. Hopefully see you all in Canada soon! Cheers!
03 October 2007
Berlin & Environs
So Barry and I went to Berlin, Germany a few weeks ago. I managed to snag a really cheap fare with Ryanair - it ended up costing a total of £50 ($100) for the two of us.
We were only there for four days (3 nights). We found a lovely pension (bed & breakfast) run by a wonderful older lady, Frau Schwartzer. It was truly like staying with a favourite aunt. The bed was very comfortable, the room was large, the food was great, and it was very close to the city center. It was great! We rented a car, partially because the airport we were flying in and out of was quite a way out of the city. It was very nice to have our own wheels, although we still did a lot of walking!
We arrived 
on Sunday morning after a very early morning flight, which was delayed an hour while they kicked 8 passengers off for making racially offensive comments to a black passenger (although we didn't like the delay, we were glad they took the stand and banned them). We got to the pension and met Frau Swartzer and took a walk around the neighbourhood. We stayed close to the "Blue Church", more formally known as the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which is very interesting. It is a modern church building built up around the ruins of the old church, which was heavily damaged by bombs during World War II. At first, I didn't like the new building, but it kind of grew on me. Then we went inside - it is breathtaking. The blue glass in all the tiny windows bathes the sanctuary in a blue glow that is somehow warm (which is odd for the colour blue!). Coupled with the sad remnants of the previous church, which must have been quite something, given what is left, it was a moving tribute to the triumph of the human spirit after the devastation of war.
on Sunday morning after a very early morning flight, which was delayed an hour while they kicked 8 passengers off for making racially offensive comments to a black passenger (although we didn't like the delay, we were glad they took the stand and banned them). We got to the pension and met Frau Swartzer and took a walk around the neighbourhood. We stayed close to the "Blue Church", more formally known as the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which is very interesting. It is a modern church building built up around the ruins of the old church, which was heavily damaged by bombs during World War II. At first, I didn't like the new building, but it kind of grew on me. Then we went inside - it is breathtaking. The blue glass in all the tiny windows bathes the sanctuary in a blue glow that is somehow warm (which is odd for the colour blue!). Coupled with the sad remnants of the previous church, which must have been quite something, given what is left, it was a moving tribute to the triumph of the human spirit after the devastation of war.We did a lot of travelling around and saw a lot of things. Berlin is a fascinating mixture of ancient and recent history. There are still remnants of the division of the city and a lot of things celebrating the coming down of the wall. It sure made us feel old chatting with young people who weren't even born when the wall came down! Barry was stationed here when he was in the British army for three years, leaving in 1982. So this was quite a culture shock for him! He was quite moved to be able to freely walk through the Brandenberg Gate, which was previously walled off into East Berlin. Everywhere there was patches on buildings, fixing bullet damage. We visited where Barry used to live and the base where he used to work in Spandau. The base is mostly fenced off, with a few buildings being used for other things now.
We managed to find a section of the wall that was still up between a road and a river. They had taken part of it away so you could go down to the river. We stopped there to take so
me pictures of the wall, and went along it a little ways to break off our own piece. It was strangely satisfying to be breaking down the wall - as symbolic as it was. I felt that in a very small way we were protesting against injustice and tyranny and bigotry. We drove on a little further and found one of only three or four guard towers left standing. It's now listed (which means it's preserved as a historic site), but it was too late to go inside. The government has installed a double line of paving stones tracing the line of the wall across Berlin, so you can see where it went through buildings and across roads. It's kind of nuts!
We also went to "Checkpoint Charlie", which was the main gate between East and West Berlin. They have a replica guardhouse for tourists and there is a museum onsite that has been there since shortly after the wall went up! It originally was there as a protest against the wall, with photos and information about escapes and escapees, both successful and unsuccessful, as well as some of the actual cars and other methods they used for escape from East Berlin. Since the wall came down, it's been expanded to include the events surrounding that event and exhibitions on other human rights protests and violations around the world, such as Cech Republic and Lech Walesa in Poland. It was very interesting.
me pictures of the wall, and went along it a little ways to break off our own piece. It was strangely satisfying to be breaking down the wall - as symbolic as it was. I felt that in a very small way we were protesting against injustice and tyranny and bigotry. We drove on a little further and found one of only three or four guard towers left standing. It's now listed (which means it's preserved as a historic site), but it was too late to go inside. The government has installed a double line of paving stones tracing the line of the wall across Berlin, so you can see where it went through buildings and across roads. It's kind of nuts!
We also went to "Checkpoint Charlie", which was the main gate between East and West Berlin. They have a replica guardhouse for tourists and there is a museum onsite that has been there since shortly after the wall went up! It originally was there as a protest against the wall, with photos and information about escapes and escapees, both successful and unsuccessful, as well as some of the actual cars and other methods they used for escape from East Berlin. Since the wall came down, it's been expanded to include the events surrounding that event and exhibitions on other human rights protests and violations around the world, such as Cech Republic and Lech Walesa in Poland. It was very interesting.
Germany is a beautiful country, and we managed to see a fair bit of it. We took a boat trip down the Wannsee (pronounced "Vanzee") and spent our last day in Postdam. Some of my correspondence course German actually came back, which was good because Barry had forgotten most of his German! We also went to Potsdam, to a huge park there called Sanssouci Park. There were some spec
tacular palaces and houses there. The architecture is amazingly elaborate, as are the gardens. It really puts English stately homes in the shade! One of the palaces, called Neues Palais, had servants quarters opposite that were more beautiful that most places I've seen in England! Apparently, King Frederick didn't want to have ugly buildings outside his windows, but wanted the servants to be close, so he built this amazing servants quarters! Unfortunately they were doing some restoration on it, so you couldn't get the full appreciation of it.
tacular palaces and houses there. The architecture is amazingly elaborate, as are the gardens. It really puts English stately homes in the shade! One of the palaces, called Neues Palais, had servants quarters opposite that were more beautiful that most places I've seen in England! Apparently, King Frederick didn't want to have ugly buildings outside his windows, but wanted the servants to be close, so he built this amazing servants quarters! Unfortunately they were doing some restoration on it, so you couldn't get the full appreciation of it.It was a fantastic trip and we both thoroughly enjoyed it! Now it's back to the grind until our trip to Canada in November. I'm hoping to see everyone then, and introduce Barry to you all. We'll be in Linden and Calgary for about a week and a half, and then out to Toronto to see my brother and his family for a few days before flying back to London.
04 September 2007
Uxbridge Idyll
I'm really not doing so well keeping up with this thing lately! Sorry!
Hmmm....where to start. I moved into the house in Uxbridge a short time a
go, and I'm loving it! I have a lovely back garden and Barry has proved a dab hand with the gardening, so he is doing most of the upkeep! There is a stream out behind the garden that has a family of swans and lots of ducks. There are fish in the stream as well, and I've got myself a rod and reel and hope to catch supper sometime! The commute is much better than I thought and there is pretty much everything I need shopping-wise in the town. Barry and I love to eat outside and BBQ a lot as well. There is the occassional airplane overhead, but it is very peaceful for the most part.
go, and I'm loving it! I have a lovely back garden and Barry has proved a dab hand with the gardening, so he is doing most of the upkeep! There is a stream out behind the garden that has a family of swans and lots of ducks. There are fish in the stream as well, and I've got myself a rod and reel and hope to catch supper sometime! The commute is much better than I thought and there is pretty much everything I need shopping-wise in the town. Barry and I love to eat outside and BBQ a lot as well. There is the occassional airplane overhead, but it is very peaceful for the most part.Barry and I had a birthday/housewarming party the following weekend. It was a couple days before his birthday so we celebrated both at once. It was fun - lots of people came and everyone seemed to enjoy it. We BBQed and even though it was kinda drizzly and rainy, it was all good fun.
Barry has moved into Uxbridge with me as well. His housemate was moving out, so we just decided it made sense. He has a lot of stuff that he's accumulated over the years, so we're doing some car boot sales (kind of like a yard sale) to get rid of as much as we can. I do enjoy the car boot sales, and can never resist doing some shopping myself!!
Work is going ok, but I've been having a lot of back problems since we moved the office and I moved house, so I've started working from home a few days a week, and will probably take a few weeks off to rest my back, which means avoiding sitting, and walking and lying down a lot. Fortunately, the weather has been quite lovely over the last little while, so I've been lying out in the back yard and walking into town a fair bit. August was quite wet, so it's nice to have some sun in September. They are forecasting an "Indian Summer" and so far it's been good.
Barry and I are heading out to Berlin in a couple of weeks. We got super-duper cheap fares on Ryanair - £50 ($100) for the both of us! We're only there for 3 nights and Barry has booked us into a little B&B (called a Pension) run by a nice older lady. The reviews on it said that it's like staying with your great-aunt! We're renting a car from the airport so we can go where we want. Barry used to live in Berlin when he was in the army, back before the wall came down, so he's excited to see it now. I'm just excited to see it! I hear it's beautiful.
Well, I will close and apologize once again for my lack of blogging!!
09 August 2007
I'm Engaged!!
This post is long overdue, but I have been waiting for pictures!!
As many of you already know, Barry asked me to marry him at the Annual Summer Ball at the military base where he works! I'm very happy and hope you are all happy for me!
It went as follows:
The Sergeant’s Mess at the base has a Summer Ball every year for all the members. (The Sergeant’s Mess is like a club for non-commissioned officers ranked sergeant or higher. Barry is not military but was invited to join because of his popularity and the length of time he's worked there.) So he asked me to go months ago. It was a costume ball (called "fancy dress ball" over here) with a South Pacific tropical theme.
I bought a linen dress in tropical colours with wooden beading and got some flower leis and a grass skirt. Barry decided to go as the forgotten Japanese soldier, left on an island from WWII. So, we got some green trousers, t-shirt and army jacket from a charity shop and I shredded them and made them look old. Barry had a kamakaze-style headband from Japan, and we bought some little round wire-rimmed glasses and a rifle. He was original!
It was a lovely evening. The decorations were fantastic and there was a live steel drum band and a DJ. At the beginning of the evening, just after then asked everyone to find seats, Barry was called up to the DJ table. Then I was called up. Barry got down on one knee in front of all his friend and work colleagues and, very nervously, asked me to marry him!! It was so sweet and romantic! Of course I said yes!! It was such a wonderful evening - something I'll treasure for the rest of my life. I am such a lucky girl to have found such a wonderful guy!
The plan is to get married in Cornwall, here in England, which is where Barry's parents live. It is also a gorgeous area - very popular with tourists. That's why we plan to get married in February, during low season. We will be out in Canada at Christmas or possibly the end of November so Barry can meet my family and friends. I met his family a few weekends ago and we got on very well. They are very nice people and I really enjoyed spending time with them. They live in Falmouth, which is very quaint and pretty. He has four sisters, two of which are living overseas at the moment, and the other two I met in Cornwall. We all got on well, which is good!!
As many of you already know, Barry asked me to marry him at the Annual Summer Ball at the military base where he works! I'm very happy and hope you are all happy for me!
It went as follows:
The Sergeant’s Mess at the base has a Summer Ball every year for all the members. (The Sergeant’s Mess is like a club for non-commissioned officers ranked sergeant or higher. Barry is not military but was invited to join because of his popularity and the length of time he's worked there.) So he asked me to go months ago. It was a costume ball (called "fancy dress ball" over here) with a South Pacific tropical theme.
I bought a linen dress in tropical colours with wooden beading and got some flower leis and a grass skirt. Barry decided to go as the forgotten Japanese soldier, left on an island from WWII. So, we got some green trousers, t-shirt and army jacket from a charity shop and I shredded them and made them look old. Barry had a kamakaze-style headband from Japan, and we bought some little round wire-rimmed glasses and a rifle. He was original!
It was a lovely evening. The decorations were fantastic and there was a live steel drum band and a DJ. At the beginning of the evening, just after then asked everyone to find seats, Barry was called up to the DJ table. Then I was called up. Barry got down on one knee in front of all his friend and work colleagues and, very nervously, asked me to marry him!! It was so sweet and romantic! Of course I said yes!! It was such a wonderful evening - something I'll treasure for the rest of my life. I am such a lucky girl to have found such a wonderful guy!The plan is to get married in Cornwall, here in England, which is where Barry's parents live. It is also a gorgeous area - very popular with tourists. That's why we plan to get married in February, during low season. We will be out in Canada at Christmas or possibly the end of November so Barry can meet my family and friends. I met his family a few weekends ago and we got on very well. They are very nice people and I really enjoyed spending time with them. They live in Falmouth, which is very quaint and pretty. He has four sisters, two of which are living overseas at the moment, and the other two I met in Cornwall. We all got on well, which is good!!
Life has been busy since then, with the office move last weekend and my move this weekend! The office move went well and our premises are much larger and more professional (as you can see in the picture). Everyone seems to be fairly happy with it. We're still waiting for BT to sort out our phones - telecommunications here is appalling! We now have a proper kitchen and lunchroom now, so we don't have to eat at our desks anymore. Jade and I had to work the whole weekend, so we have Friday and Monday off this weekend, which is handy for my move to the terrace (townhouse) in Uxbridge! I have four whole days to get myself sorted and settled and get the old flat cleaned. I'm looking forward to relaxing in my back garden on my new patio furniture with a nice cup of tea!
Busy weekend ahead for the future Mrs. Coggins!!
20 July 2007
Friday!!
Well, I've got a bit of time this morning, so I figured a short blog was in order.
Uncle Jac came back to London on Tuesday, so we've had a fun week together, although I'm still working. Tuesday night we just chilled out. Barry came over and the three of us chatted over supper and a bottle of wine.
Wednesday Uncle Jac went off to Kensington Palace to check it out, and stopped by Harrod's and grabbed supper for us and brought it back. It was lovely! Crab cakes, seafood kababs, creamy coleslaw and a grilled mediterranean salad. And a bottle of wine to wash it all down!
Yesterday he came into the city and checked out the Royal Academy of Arts and we popped down to Leicester Square after work, got some half-price tickets for Chicago and grabbed some supper before the show. This was my second time going to Chicago, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time, maybe even more!
This weekend, Barry is taking me to the Summer Ball at his work. It's a tropical theme, so I found a lovely linen dress to wear. I'm really looking forward to it. Apparently it goes well into the night! Then on Sunday he and his housemate are coming over in a van to move a bunch of my stuff up to Uxbridge. It's going to be a busy weekend!
Uncle Jac came back to London on Tuesday, so we've had a fun week together, although I'm still working. Tuesday night we just chilled out. Barry came over and the three of us chatted over supper and a bottle of wine.
Wednesday Uncle Jac went off to Kensington Palace to check it out, and stopped by Harrod's and grabbed supper for us and brought it back. It was lovely! Crab cakes, seafood kababs, creamy coleslaw and a grilled mediterranean salad. And a bottle of wine to wash it all down!
Yesterday he came into the city and checked out the Royal Academy of Arts and we popped down to Leicester Square after work, got some half-price tickets for Chicago and grabbed some supper before the show. This was my second time going to Chicago, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time, maybe even more!
This weekend, Barry is taking me to the Summer Ball at his work. It's a tropical theme, so I found a lovely linen dress to wear. I'm really looking forward to it. Apparently it goes well into the night! Then on Sunday he and his housemate are coming over in a van to move a bunch of my stuff up to Uxbridge. It's going to be a busy weekend!
09 July 2007
Interesting times...
Has it really been a month since I last blogged? Tsk, tsk, tsk. My abject apologies!
However, I've had good reason! Settle in, children, and I'll tell you stories that will frighten and amaze you!
So, Stratic listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange on June 21, 2007. The weeks running up to that day were full to overflowing. I was mostly working on getting our new website populated and edited. I ended up working a lot of evenings. That was combined with the fact that we had to find find new office space for our ever growing employee base, which I found, but then had to get quotes and organize a company to do the fit out of the new space and sort out all the attendant issues with preparing to move. So it was a busy, busy time the beginning of June!
On June 22, Barry and I flew out to Menorca (a small Spanish island) for a week. We hired a car and travelled to different beaches and coves all around the island. It was a wonderful week! We slept in and relaxed and had yummy seafood. We stayed in a self-catered apartment, so could have meals there if we wanted, which we did a bit. I am going to try to post a photo album of pictures on my Facebook profile. The beaches were so great - the sand was soft and white on many of them. Menorca has an interesting history, as well, and we tramped around some neolithic ruins. It was just an amazing holiday!
We got home the next Friday, and on Saturday my Uncle Jac arrived in London to a mess of security given the incidents in London and Glasgow on the Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, Uncle Jac and Barry and I went to high tea in the English Tea Room at Brown's Hotel, and had a lovely time. It's so nice to spend time with Uncle Jac.
On Monday, U. Jac and I flew out to Prague. We didn't get in until late evening, so we just went straight to bed. In the morning, U. Jac had to go off to his conference so I got ready and headed downtown on the metro. Prague is a beautiful city, but bears the scars of its oppressive political history. It was occupied by the Nazis during the second world war, and was "liberated" by the Communists, who continued to oppress the people until 1989. The general atmosphere seems quite dour and the people didn't seem to have a great sense of humour (not that I blame them). Living in such a beautiful city, you would think they would be happier. I really enjoyed my time there, though. We went to a concert in a beautiful concert hall in Republic Square, and ate at the oldest Kosher restaurant in Prague, in the Jewish Quarter, called King Solomon. We went to a cocktail reception at Prague Castle and toured around it. I did most of the sightseeing on my own. I would love to go back as I didn't get to see everything I wanted to. Barry would really enjoy it as well, as he has a Bachelor's degree in eastern European politics. I plan to go back for a mini-break with him.
Oh, and another bit of news. I'm moving again! My lease is up in August, and my friend, Steve, has been wanting to rent out his house in Uxbridge, so I decided to rent it from him. It's much larger and nicer than where I am, with a little back yard and a stream behind it! It's a bit further of a commute from work, but there are lots of services and shops in the area and it's a nice area. There are also lots of country bike paths. And, it's still close to Heathrow - even closer, actually!
And now I'm back at work. It's hard to get back to the grind after two weeks of freedom, but it must be done! Uncle Jac will be back in London for a few days in a couple of weeks, and I have the Summer Ball to go to with Barry at the end of July (yes, a full-on formal dress ball!). In the meantime, I will beaver away and get the office moved to the new premises by the end of July, hopefully!
However, I've had good reason! Settle in, children, and I'll tell you stories that will frighten and amaze you!
So, Stratic listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange on June 21, 2007. The weeks running up to that day were full to overflowing. I was mostly working on getting our new website populated and edited. I ended up working a lot of evenings. That was combined with the fact that we had to find find new office space for our ever growing employee base, which I found, but then had to get quotes and organize a company to do the fit out of the new space and sort out all the attendant issues with preparing to move. So it was a busy, busy time the beginning of June!
On June 22, Barry and I flew out to Menorca (a small Spanish island) for a week. We hired a car and travelled to different beaches and coves all around the island. It was a wonderful week! We slept in and relaxed and had yummy seafood. We stayed in a self-catered apartment, so could have meals there if we wanted, which we did a bit. I am going to try to post a photo album of pictures on my Facebook profile. The beaches were so great - the sand was soft and white on many of them. Menorca has an interesting history, as well, and we tramped around some neolithic ruins. It was just an amazing holiday!
We got home the next Friday, and on Saturday my Uncle Jac arrived in London to a mess of security given the incidents in London and Glasgow on the Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, Uncle Jac and Barry and I went to high tea in the English Tea Room at Brown's Hotel, and had a lovely time. It's so nice to spend time with Uncle Jac.
On Monday, U. Jac and I flew out to Prague. We didn't get in until late evening, so we just went straight to bed. In the morning, U. Jac had to go off to his conference so I got ready and headed downtown on the metro. Prague is a beautiful city, but bears the scars of its oppressive political history. It was occupied by the Nazis during the second world war, and was "liberated" by the Communists, who continued to oppress the people until 1989. The general atmosphere seems quite dour and the people didn't seem to have a great sense of humour (not that I blame them). Living in such a beautiful city, you would think they would be happier. I really enjoyed my time there, though. We went to a concert in a beautiful concert hall in Republic Square, and ate at the oldest Kosher restaurant in Prague, in the Jewish Quarter, called King Solomon. We went to a cocktail reception at Prague Castle and toured around it. I did most of the sightseeing on my own. I would love to go back as I didn't get to see everything I wanted to. Barry would really enjoy it as well, as he has a Bachelor's degree in eastern European politics. I plan to go back for a mini-break with him.
Oh, and another bit of news. I'm moving again! My lease is up in August, and my friend, Steve, has been wanting to rent out his house in Uxbridge, so I decided to rent it from him. It's much larger and nicer than where I am, with a little back yard and a stream behind it! It's a bit further of a commute from work, but there are lots of services and shops in the area and it's a nice area. There are also lots of country bike paths. And, it's still close to Heathrow - even closer, actually!
And now I'm back at work. It's hard to get back to the grind after two weeks of freedom, but it must be done! Uncle Jac will be back in London for a few days in a couple of weeks, and I have the Summer Ball to go to with Barry at the end of July (yes, a full-on formal dress ball!). In the meantime, I will beaver away and get the office moved to the new premises by the end of July, hopefully!
04 June 2007
Wedding and Derby Day
*This blog is dedicated to my uncle, Clarence Esau, who passed away after a short battle with leukemia. He was my biggest blog fan and a wonderful human being. He will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him. His illness was mercifully short, but his life should have been longer.*
As many of you know, I was just in Canada for about a week, spending time with family in the wake of the death of my uncle and organizing meetings in Toronto for Stratic. Before I left, though, I attended the wedding of a Canadian friend, Shann
on, here in London. It was on a Tuesday; since most of the guests were from out of town it didn't need to be on a weekend and it is much less expensive that way. The wedding was simple, the bride was beautiful and the groom was handsome. After the ceremony, we all got onto a vintage double-decker bus for a tour around London all afternoon. Fortunately it was a sunny day! Everyone had a fanstastic time. The tour ended in Belgravia where we went to a very historic pub called the Grenadier and then to Mossiman's for dinner. Mossiman's is a very posh restaurant and the food was amazing. The groom, Patrick, has apprenticed there as a chef for the last year, so they treated him well! It was such a fantastic day and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, even though I broke the heel off my shoe halfway through the day!
on, here in London. It was on a Tuesday; since most of the guests were from out of town it didn't need to be on a weekend and it is much less expensive that way. The wedding was simple, the bride was beautiful and the groom was handsome. After the ceremony, we all got onto a vintage double-decker bus for a tour around London all afternoon. Fortunately it was a sunny day! Everyone had a fanstastic time. The tour ended in Belgravia where we went to a very historic pub called the Grenadier and then to Mossiman's for dinner. Mossiman's is a very posh restaurant and the food was amazing. The groom, Patrick, has apprenticed there as a chef for the last year, so they treated him well! It was such a fantastic day and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, even though I broke the heel off my shoe halfway through the day! I returned from Canada on Wednesday, tired and jet lagged. The following Saturday was Derby Day! Barry and I went to the Epsom Derby, just called The Derby, which is the other major horse racing event besides Ascot. It was a stunningly beautiful day - the sun was out and the sky was blue. We went with the Sergeant's Mess Club at the base where Barry works, as invited guests, and were in the Household Division enclosure, which was specially given to the Household Division in perpetuity by Queen Victoria. (The Household Division are the soldiers that guard the palaces and the royal family.)
There were seven races in all, with the fifth race being the main race, called the Derby. There were an amazing amount of people there, so I was glad we had our own enclosure with seats and all, even though it was a little ways away from the track itself. The Quartermaster of the base, is an avid racing follower, so he initiated us into the mysteries of betting and racing and strategy. We placed a few small bets, and I even won a little bit of money on an offspring of Northern Dancer, a very famouse Canadian racehorse.
We were expected to dress appropriately for the enclosure, so Barry wore a jacket and tie, and I wore a dress and a hat. It was really good fun! We sipped Pimm's and had a lovely luncheon of seafood and salads. It was all very civilized and lovely. Everyone looked so nice, with all the men in their jackets and ties (which, incidentally, they couldn't take off while then were in the enclosure so the poor things were roasting all day!) The women were expected to wear pantsuits at the very least, so most women were in dresses and heels, as I was. It is very tiring walking around on grass in heels because you are basically walking around on tiptoes so your heels don't sink into the grass, so I grabbed a chair early on and guarded it!
We all went by coach to the Derby, so it was nice and comfortable and someone else could do the driving! After the Derby, there was a BBQ at the Sergeant's Mess, which was a nice way to finish off the day. I was knackered!
Barry and I are now looking into holidays for the end of June. We're thinking Portugal or Spain or Turkey or Greece, but the current favourite is Portugal. Then my Uncle Jac is coming over from Australia on his summer European tour. He will be in London for a few days and then he and I are heading off to Prague for about 5 days. We're back on the 7th of July and then on the 8th I am a course marshall for the Tour de France, which is starting in London this year! It's all very exciting!! In the meantime, I have a lot of work to get done!
Ciao for now!!
21 May 2007
R.I.P. CuttySark
The Cutty Sark, the world's last remaining tea clipper at 138 years old, burned down on Monday.
Full Coverag Here
Full Coverag Here
12 May 2007
Army v Navy Rugby
And I thought Stampede was crazy!
Barry took me to the big annual Army vs. Navy rubgy game at Twickenham Stadium the Saturday before last. As you can imagine, it's quite the grudge match! What a fantastic day and a cultural experience!
We went to the army base where he works (Defense School of Languages) for breakfast. I met the RSM, who is in charge of the base. His name is Adam and he was organizing the trip. Super nice guy! So we had breakfast in the Sergeant's mess. Barry is civilian, but is a member of the mess. Then we all piled into a minibus and headed out to Twickenham. We passed tons of other coaches and minibuses on the way, all heading to the same place.
The minibus dropped us outside a fairly famous local pub called the Cabbage Patch. It was absolutely packed - you seriously could barely move. There was a big beer garden part as well, which was only marginally less crowded! We managed to get some pints, though. There was a decided dearth of toilets, and a few of us had to go, so we jumped over the stone wall enclosing the beer garden to go to the portable toilet on the street (yes, there are that many people wandering around that there are public portable toilets). When we got there, we discovered that it was only a men's loo - meaning it was just a couple of troughs. There was myself and one other girl, so after the guys with us were finished, we made them stand guard while we went in and improvised! That's a first for me!!
We had access to the Adjuta
nt General's bar, which is the most prestigious bar you can get into for the ArmyvNavy game, so we left the Cabbage patch and went there for a bit before the game started. The walk from the Cabbage Patch to the stadium was quite an experience. The sidewalks were full of people, and they spilled out onto the street in places. Everyone was in a party mood - yelling and waving flags for their side, mocking the other side. You know the drill!! There were portable toilets everywhere and lineups at them. Cars and buses full of people trying to find parking or just a spot to drop off their occupants. It was amazing! There were houses along the way, and where they could they were selling parking at obscene prices, just like in Calgary. However, some of the occupants of the houses had set up tables in their front yards and were selling food to the hungry rugby fans walking by! Sandwiches and baked goods and stuff. There were also a lot of food trucks and kiosks set up selling hamburgers, pasties, curries, etc.
The game was great - our seats weren't fantastic, but I could see everything (and it was small!) I was amazed to see that the stadium wasn't even 3/4 full - I can't imagine what the streets would be like with a full house! Army won; apparently they've won every year since 2001 or something. Afterwards we went back to the Adjutant General's bar for another drink and then headed out to meet the minibus that would take us back to the base. Once on base, we went to the Sergeant's mess again, and decided to order Chinese food as we were all hungry. So Barry went to pick it up and we all had a good feed, which made everyone tired and broke the party up.
It was a great day - lots of fun and very interesting.
Barry took me to the big annual Army vs. Navy rubgy game at Twickenham Stadium the Saturday before last. As you can imagine, it's quite the grudge match! What a fantastic day and a cultural experience!
We went to the army base where he works (Defense School of Languages) for breakfast. I met the RSM, who is in charge of the base. His name is Adam and he was organizing the trip. Super nice guy! So we had breakfast in the Sergeant's mess. Barry is civilian, but is a member of the mess. Then we all piled into a minibus and headed out to Twickenham. We passed tons of other coaches and minibuses on the way, all heading to the same place.
The minibus dropped us outside a fairly famous local pub called the Cabbage Patch. It was absolutely packed - you seriously could barely move. There was a big beer garden part as well, which was only marginally less crowded! We managed to get some pints, though. There was a decided dearth of toilets, and a few of us had to go, so we jumped over the stone wall enclosing the beer garden to go to the portable toilet on the street (yes, there are that many people wandering around that there are public portable toilets). When we got there, we discovered that it was only a men's loo - meaning it was just a couple of troughs. There was myself and one other girl, so after the guys with us were finished, we made them stand guard while we went in and improvised! That's a first for me!!
We had access to the Adjuta
nt General's bar, which is the most prestigious bar you can get into for the ArmyvNavy game, so we left the Cabbage patch and went there for a bit before the game started. The walk from the Cabbage Patch to the stadium was quite an experience. The sidewalks were full of people, and they spilled out onto the street in places. Everyone was in a party mood - yelling and waving flags for their side, mocking the other side. You know the drill!! There were portable toilets everywhere and lineups at them. Cars and buses full of people trying to find parking or just a spot to drop off their occupants. It was amazing! There were houses along the way, and where they could they were selling parking at obscene prices, just like in Calgary. However, some of the occupants of the houses had set up tables in their front yards and were selling food to the hungry rugby fans walking by! Sandwiches and baked goods and stuff. There were also a lot of food trucks and kiosks set up selling hamburgers, pasties, curries, etc.The game was great - our seats weren't fantastic, but I could see everything (and it was small!) I was amazed to see that the stadium wasn't even 3/4 full - I can't imagine what the streets would be like with a full house! Army won; apparently they've won every year since 2001 or something. Afterwards we went back to the Adjutant General's bar for another drink and then headed out to meet the minibus that would take us back to the base. Once on base, we went to the Sergeant's mess again, and decided to order Chinese food as we were all hungry. So Barry went to pick it up and we all had a good feed, which made everyone tired and broke the party up.
It was a great day - lots of fun and very interesting.
02 May 2007
My Birthday
It's my birthday today! I'm 39, which isn't particularly old, but feels old to me. Never really thought I would be single and childless and living in London, England at 39!! Things rarely turn out how you think they will.
Well, I got back from Canada ok, still a bit jet-lagged, but coping. Jumped right into the logistics of our merger - office space, furniture, staffing and duties allocations, etc. Plus we are working on getting our AIM listing by the end of May, so there's lots to do with that. AIM is the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange - kinda like the TSX-Venture to the TSX.
Anyway, I think the time has come to mention the new man that I'm dating. We've been seeing each other about a month, and we hit it off right away. He is sweet and caring and spoils me! His name is Barry and he lives about half an hour away from me, but he has a car, so we can spend a lot of time together. He trains guard dogs for the military. Anyway you'll be reading about him on here fairly frequently, I think!
On Saturday, Barry took me up to Birmingham, which is where he grew up. It used to be a centre for metallurgy, and still has a thriving Jewelry Quarter. He took me there so I could pick out my birthday present! After that we walked down by the canals and had some lunch, and then visited some friends of his. It was a lovely day. Birmingham isn't as nice as London, but a very interesting city, nonetheless.
On Sunday we went for a picnic with some other friends of his, Pete and Susanne, their son, James, and their dog, Mutley. We went to the Cliveden estate and had a proper blanket picnic by the Thames. We threw sticks into the river for the dog (who is completely mad!) and Barry brought his camp stove so we made tea. There were some posh ladies there with a picnic that looked like it had been packed by Harrod's. It was all in proper picnic baskets with wine glasses and holders that you anchored into the ground! It looked like a movie or television commercial. A posh little boat came to pick them up, too. It was all very amusing, especially since Mutley kept running by them, river water streaming off his back and spashing everyone around him!
It was such a perfect day - one of the most perfect days I've ever had.
Tonight I organized drinks and dinner at a well-known jazz club just down Dover Street called, appropriately enough, Dover Street Restaurant and Bar. They have a house jazz trio that plays during dinner and then a swing blues band will come on later. Should be a good time! Believe it or not, there will actually be 7 people there including me! I'm so blessed for the friends I've managed to make here.
Anyway, I should get going. Happy Birthday To Me!!!
Well, I got back from Canada ok, still a bit jet-lagged, but coping. Jumped right into the logistics of our merger - office space, furniture, staffing and duties allocations, etc. Plus we are working on getting our AIM listing by the end of May, so there's lots to do with that. AIM is the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange - kinda like the TSX-Venture to the TSX.
Anyway, I think the time has come to mention the new man that I'm dating. We've been seeing each other about a month, and we hit it off right away. He is sweet and caring and spoils me! His name is Barry and he lives about half an hour away from me, but he has a car, so we can spend a lot of time together. He trains guard dogs for the military. Anyway you'll be reading about him on here fairly frequently, I think!
On Saturday, Barry took me up to Birmingham, which is where he grew up. It used to be a centre for metallurgy, and still has a thriving Jewelry Quarter. He took me there so I could pick out my birthday present! After that we walked down by the canals and had some lunch, and then visited some friends of his. It was a lovely day. Birmingham isn't as nice as London, but a very interesting city, nonetheless.
On Sunday we went for a picnic with some other friends of his, Pete and Susanne, their son, James, and their dog, Mutley. We went to the Cliveden estate and had a proper blanket picnic by the Thames. We threw sticks into the river for the dog (who is completely mad!) and Barry brought his camp stove so we made tea. There were some posh ladies there with a picnic that looked like it had been packed by Harrod's. It was all in proper picnic baskets with wine glasses and holders that you anchored into the ground! It looked like a movie or television commercial. A posh little boat came to pick them up, too. It was all very amusing, especially since Mutley kept running by them, river water streaming off his back and spashing everyone around him!
It was such a perfect day - one of the most perfect days I've ever had.
Tonight I organized drinks and dinner at a well-known jazz club just down Dover Street called, appropriately enough, Dover Street Restaurant and Bar. They have a house jazz trio that plays during dinner and then a swing blues band will come on later. Should be a good time! Believe it or not, there will actually be 7 people there including me! I'm so blessed for the friends I've managed to make here.
Anyway, I should get going. Happy Birthday To Me!!!
19 April 2007
Wales, etc.
Well, I've been chastised by my faithful readers once again. And rightly so! You haven't heard about my trip to Wales!
Wales was great! So wild and beautiful in an untamed sort of way. I loved it!! The place I stayed was on a farm called Pembrokeshire Sheepdogs. It was an old stone farmhouse bed and breakfast. The hosts, Marion and Brian, were absolutely wonderful. Very welcoming and accommodating. She always had a cup of tea and a smile waiting. The farm had sheep, goats, dogs and ducks and chickens. I got to see newborn lambs and walked through the fields to the cliffs overlooking the ocean. It was a beautiful holiday. St. David's was fantastic - I went to the service at the Cathedral on Easter Sunday morning and it was beautiful. Such an old church, with so much history. It's considered the religious centre of Wales.
I did a lot of walking, which was good for me. I also ate a lot of Welsh cakes, which wasn't so good for me, but they are really yummy!! They are kind of like scones, only much better!
So, that was Easter weekend (which is a four day weekend here!). Work has been crazy with the merger and the annual report and everything. The following weekend the twins were over to give their mom and her fiance a weekend to themselves, which they haven't had since they met! We had lots of fun going shopping, painting ceramics, playing in the back garden and going to a fun fair that set up for the weekend in Chiswick.
Early the following Monday morning I left for Canada. We had meetings in Toronto, where I still am, and then next week I have to press check our annual report in Vancouver before heading back to London around the 26th. As I said, I am in Toronto now. I'm staying at Bryan and Stefani's place, and working from here to finalize the annual report. It's so nice to be able to spend some time with the kids - they are growing up so fast! Ironically, Bryan is gone this week - he left the day I arrived and he gets back the day I leave! I'm going on Saturday and flying to Calgary to see mom and dad for a few days and then on to Vancouver on Monday.
Oh right, the merger was approved with 99.95% of the votes cast in favour, so it was a huge result! The court is due to approve the merger tomorrow and the official closing is on Monday, the 23rd.
Well, that's me up to date. Sorry to keep you in suspense.
Oh yah, and to the smartass who wondered about my painting (and I think I know who you are!)...no, I haven't started yet! But I will. Soon. I hope. So there!
Wales was great! So wild and beautiful in an untamed sort of way. I loved it!! The place I stayed was on a farm called Pembrokeshire Sheepdogs. It was an old stone farmhouse bed and breakfast. The hosts, Marion and Brian, were absolutely wonderful. Very welcoming and accommodating. She always had a cup of tea and a smile waiting. The farm had sheep, goats, dogs and ducks and chickens. I got to see newborn lambs and walked through the fields to the cliffs overlooking the ocean. It was a beautiful holiday. St. David's was fantastic - I went to the service at the Cathedral on Easter Sunday morning and it was beautiful. Such an old church, with so much history. It's considered the religious centre of Wales.
I did a lot of walking, which was good for me. I also ate a lot of Welsh cakes, which wasn't so good for me, but they are really yummy!! They are kind of like scones, only much better!
So, that was Easter weekend (which is a four day weekend here!). Work has been crazy with the merger and the annual report and everything. The following weekend the twins were over to give their mom and her fiance a weekend to themselves, which they haven't had since they met! We had lots of fun going shopping, painting ceramics, playing in the back garden and going to a fun fair that set up for the weekend in Chiswick.
Early the following Monday morning I left for Canada. We had meetings in Toronto, where I still am, and then next week I have to press check our annual report in Vancouver before heading back to London around the 26th. As I said, I am in Toronto now. I'm staying at Bryan and Stefani's place, and working from here to finalize the annual report. It's so nice to be able to spend some time with the kids - they are growing up so fast! Ironically, Bryan is gone this week - he left the day I arrived and he gets back the day I leave! I'm going on Saturday and flying to Calgary to see mom and dad for a few days and then on to Vancouver on Monday.
Oh right, the merger was approved with 99.95% of the votes cast in favour, so it was a huge result! The court is due to approve the merger tomorrow and the official closing is on Monday, the 23rd.
Well, that's me up to date. Sorry to keep you in suspense.
Oh yah, and to the smartass who wondered about my painting (and I think I know who you are!)...no, I haven't started yet! But I will. Soon. I hope. So there!
28 March 2007
And Spring is Back!
For those who were worried about me, I'm feeling much better now. I worked from home on Friday and tried to take it easy over the weekend. The pain slowly went away. So that's good!
Last night, I attended a live TV show at the studio where it is produced. It is called The Underdog Show, and has celebrities (pretty Z-list ones; I had never heard of any of them) each picking a dog from the Dogs Trust, which is the largest dog shelter in the UK. They then work with a professional trainer to train the dog in obedience and agility. Every week there is a different agility course and obedience components that they have to do with their dog. There are professional judges, and every week one of the celebrity/dog teams gets eliminated. This is based 50% on the judges marks and 50% on phone-in votes. It was long but fun, and interesting to see how they put the show together. The presenter was Julian Clary, who is very camp but quite amusing. The show is great to really highlight the value of rescued and shelter dogs and dispel some common misconceptions, such as that they are hard to train or have all sorts of problems. Anyway, it was great fun! Unfortunately it wasn't over until 10:30 and then I had to take the tube home from the east side, so I didn't get home until midnight! I slept in this morning!
Saturday morning I have someone coming in to measure up for new flooring. My landlord has agreed to replace the flooring in my flat, if I pay for the install (which is the cheap bit). The carpet is really bad, and the lino in the kitchen is on it's last legs as well. There's carpet in the bathroom, too, which I think is just disgusting! So he's coming to measure and get an exact quote on the costs and whatnot. I think I'm going to paint my bedroom, too. I should really paint it before we put in the new carpet, because then it doesn't matter if I drip on the old carpet, and I'm not the cleanest painter (no smart remarks from you, Linda!). Anyway, I'm going to go get the paint on Thursday.
I can't go to get the paint on Friday because I'm going to attend another live TV show! I got on the site looking for The Underdog Show and found some more that I registered for, never dreaming I'd actually get tickets! It's a brand new show called Zane's World, presented by Alex Zane. It's described as "the perfect mix of mocking celebrities, up to the minute gags and biting satire for anyone who likes their humour with a topical bite". It looks cute and will be a laugh. I'm going with Nikki. I also registered for tickets to the Charlotte Church show, but I haven't heard anything yet.
Well, that's me up to date! Just over a week until Wales!
Last night, I attended a live TV show at the studio where it is produced. It is called The Underdog Show, and has celebrities (pretty Z-list ones; I had never heard of any of them) each picking a dog from the Dogs Trust, which is the largest dog shelter in the UK. They then work with a professional trainer to train the dog in obedience and agility. Every week there is a different agility course and obedience components that they have to do with their dog. There are professional judges, and every week one of the celebrity/dog teams gets eliminated. This is based 50% on the judges marks and 50% on phone-in votes. It was long but fun, and interesting to see how they put the show together. The presenter was Julian Clary, who is very camp but quite amusing. The show is great to really highlight the value of rescued and shelter dogs and dispel some common misconceptions, such as that they are hard to train or have all sorts of problems. Anyway, it was great fun! Unfortunately it wasn't over until 10:30 and then I had to take the tube home from the east side, so I didn't get home until midnight! I slept in this morning!
Saturday morning I have someone coming in to measure up for new flooring. My landlord has agreed to replace the flooring in my flat, if I pay for the install (which is the cheap bit). The carpet is really bad, and the lino in the kitchen is on it's last legs as well. There's carpet in the bathroom, too, which I think is just disgusting! So he's coming to measure and get an exact quote on the costs and whatnot. I think I'm going to paint my bedroom, too. I should really paint it before we put in the new carpet, because then it doesn't matter if I drip on the old carpet, and I'm not the cleanest painter (no smart remarks from you, Linda!). Anyway, I'm going to go get the paint on Thursday.
I can't go to get the paint on Friday because I'm going to attend another live TV show! I got on the site looking for The Underdog Show and found some more that I registered for, never dreaming I'd actually get tickets! It's a brand new show called Zane's World, presented by Alex Zane. It's described as "the perfect mix of mocking celebrities, up to the minute gags and biting satire for anyone who likes their humour with a topical bite". It looks cute and will be a laugh. I'm going with Nikki. I also registered for tickets to the Charlotte Church show, but I haven't heard anything yet.
Well, that's me up to date! Just over a week until Wales!
22 March 2007
Wow, that was fast...
And winter came back! The weekend was cold and windy and it's been miserable and snowy and rainy all week. Kind of like me! lol
I had a health scare yesterday. Tuesday evening I started getting mild pains on the left side of my chest. I've had this before, and it's just muscle spasms. But it didn't go away. By noon on Wednesday I decided to pop into a walk-in clinic and get it checked. They sent me to the emergency department of the nearest hospital (they call it A&E here, Accident & Emergency) for an EKG, given that it was in the region of where my heart is located. I was getting a bit worried as I have a lot of heart disease in my family history.
It's amazing how they will fast-track you through the system when you complain of chest pain on the left side! I was hustled in, put on a bed, blood pressure cuff on, fingertip pulse thingy on and hooked up to the EKG! Long story short, after 4 hours, an EKG, multiple blood pressures taken and a chest x-ray, they decided I was disgustingly healthy and it was just protracted muscle spasms and send me away with some ibuprofen. Whew!
It still hurts, but they said it might take weeks to go away and I just have to live on painkillers. Sigh. I hate taking painkillers, but I hate pain even worse! I think it's from stress - we're in a busy time and there's a lot of tension in the office.
I had the twins with me last weekend - it was pretty low key since I was tired. But we had fun, doing crafts and shopping. A friend of mine from Calgary, Allison, came to London on business and stayed with us on Saturday night. She is in Edinburgh this week, back tonight and hanging with me for the weekend. We're going to see Avenue Q on Friday night and then out to the Embassy afterwards for dinner and maybe a bit of dancing in the club. Embassy is well-known as a hangout for the famous, rich and/or beautiful.
Other than that, we don't have tons of plans. I want to take it easy because I really think I need to destress somehow, and I can't do anything too physical as it makes my chest hurt.
We didn't do anything wonderful on St. Paddy's day this year, but here is a picture of me last year on St. Paddy's day. I was in Banff with my friend Alanna for it. We had SO much fun!
I had a health scare yesterday. Tuesday evening I started getting mild pains on the left side of my chest. I've had this before, and it's just muscle spasms. But it didn't go away. By noon on Wednesday I decided to pop into a walk-in clinic and get it checked. They sent me to the emergency department of the nearest hospital (they call it A&E here, Accident & Emergency) for an EKG, given that it was in the region of where my heart is located. I was getting a bit worried as I have a lot of heart disease in my family history.
It's amazing how they will fast-track you through the system when you complain of chest pain on the left side! I was hustled in, put on a bed, blood pressure cuff on, fingertip pulse thingy on and hooked up to the EKG! Long story short, after 4 hours, an EKG, multiple blood pressures taken and a chest x-ray, they decided I was disgustingly healthy and it was just protracted muscle spasms and send me away with some ibuprofen. Whew!
It still hurts, but they said it might take weeks to go away and I just have to live on painkillers. Sigh. I hate taking painkillers, but I hate pain even worse! I think it's from stress - we're in a busy time and there's a lot of tension in the office.
I had the twins with me last weekend - it was pretty low key since I was tired. But we had fun, doing crafts and shopping. A friend of mine from Calgary, Allison, came to London on business and stayed with us on Saturday night. She is in Edinburgh this week, back tonight and hanging with me for the weekend. We're going to see Avenue Q on Friday night and then out to the Embassy afterwards for dinner and maybe a bit of dancing in the club. Embassy is well-known as a hangout for the famous, rich and/or beautiful.
Other than that, we don't have tons of plans. I want to take it easy because I really think I need to destress somehow, and I can't do anything too physical as it makes my chest hurt.
We didn't do anything wonderful on St. Paddy's day this year, but here is a picture of me last year on St. Paddy's day. I was in Banff with my friend Alanna for it. We had SO much fun!
15 March 2007
Spring iz sprung
Well it has in London, anyway! Sorry for you Calgarians!
It was such a stunning day today when I walked out the door to go to work that
I decided to take the long way to work - the one where I stay on the District line train until the St. James Park stop and then walk up to the office through St. James Park and Green Park, past Buckingham Palace. It was a wonderful way to start the day - very therapeutic! The crocuses were mostly finished, but the daffys were in full bloom, as was the apple or cherry tree. Not sure which, it had pink flowers anyway. I saw pelicans hanging out right by the pathway, posing for photos. So I obliged. Are they ever huge! It's the first time I've seen them that close up.
And then I saw a carriage go by on Pall Mall! Seriously - a carriage drawn by four chestnut horses, burgundy lacquer and brass fittings gleaming in the sunlight. I couldn't get a proper picture of it because I was too far away, but it was quite cool.
Today, I love living in London!
It was such a stunning day today when I walked out the door to go to work that
I decided to take the long way to work - the one where I stay on the District line train until the St. James Park stop and then walk up to the office through St. James Park and Green Park, past Buckingham Palace. It was a wonderful way to start the day - very therapeutic! The crocuses were mostly finished, but the daffys were in full bloom, as was the apple or cherry tree. Not sure which, it had pink flowers anyway. I saw pelicans hanging out right by the pathway, posing for photos. So I obliged. Are they ever huge! It's the first time I've seen them that close up.And then I saw a carriage go by on Pall Mall! Seriously - a carriage drawn by four chestnut horses, burgundy lacquer and brass fittings gleaming in the sunlight. I couldn't get a proper picture of it because I was too far away, but it was quite cool.
Today, I love living in London!
12 March 2007
The River
I rode my bike along the river on Sunday. It was a beautiful day - the sun was shining, the birds were singing, etc., etc. I snapped some photos of a few stately homes that I saw on my journey. Ok, admittedly they are probably flats or condos, and I know for a fact there is a pub in the bottom of at least one of those buildings, but they were probably houses at one time! Or maybe not. Anyway, they look cool. You'll notice the river is very low, but that's just because the tide 
was going out. There were some scullers (rowers) on the river and they were going upriver and fighting the outgoing tide. It looked like way too much work! Riding my bike was hard enough work, especially as the path was shared with pedestrians and it wasn't all that wide, with a steep slide into the river with one false move! So it wasn't a particularly fast ride as it was such a stunning day that lots of people were out.
Anyway, then I crossed the river and rode beside the "old cemetery" and stopped at the church attached to it. I have heard that Oliver Cromwell is buried there, so I was going to look for his tomb. I didn't find it, but I did find William Hogarth's. This is a picture of it, with part of the church in the background. The church is beautiful and the cemetery is huge and old - most are from the 1800s. Huge tombs and small tombstones and everything in between. I find cemeteries fascinating - I know it sounds macabre. It's my mom's fault. She reads the obituaries all the time!
Oh yeah, and here is a picture of my guinea pigs, Ant and Dec. Ant is the big one with the white stripe on his back. Dec is the little runty guy.
09 March 2007
Spamalot
Funny, funny, funny!!!
Spamalot was a fantastic show, from the opening scene with the Finnish dancers (if you want to know why, you'll have to go!) to the "ending that goes like this" and the audience sing-a-long to "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"! I am not the world's biggest Monty Python fan, although I do like their stuff. But this was hysterically funny, silly and intelligent all at the same time. I would highly recommend this show, even at full price. It is well worth the money.
We had great seats, thanks to my friend, Carole, who has a son-in-law in the cast (understudy to King Arthur and several of the knights), but they weren't cheap! The Palace Theatre is a gorgeous example of Victorian architecture and the sets were great.
We went to eat at a restaurant called Sugar Reef on a special dinner deal and it was great! The food was lovely, the waiter was delightfully Irish and mildly camp, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant. The service was slow, but that was because they were short-handed, apparently. This meant that we had to run for the theatre to make the 8:00 show and just made it in time.
So, there's my review of Spamalot. Look for upcoming reviews of "Sing-a-long Sound of Music" and "Avenue Q".
Spamalot was a fantastic show, from the opening scene with the Finnish dancers (if you want to know why, you'll have to go!) to the "ending that goes like this" and the audience sing-a-long to "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"! I am not the world's biggest Monty Python fan, although I do like their stuff. But this was hysterically funny, silly and intelligent all at the same time. I would highly recommend this show, even at full price. It is well worth the money.
We had great seats, thanks to my friend, Carole, who has a son-in-law in the cast (understudy to King Arthur and several of the knights), but they weren't cheap! The Palace Theatre is a gorgeous example of Victorian architecture and the sets were great.
We went to eat at a restaurant called Sugar Reef on a special dinner deal and it was great! The food was lovely, the waiter was delightfully Irish and mildly camp, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant. The service was slow, but that was because they were short-handed, apparently. This meant that we had to run for the theatre to make the 8:00 show and just made it in time.
So, there's my review of Spamalot. Look for upcoming reviews of "Sing-a-long Sound of Music" and "Avenue Q".
07 March 2007
Paris again...
Well, I've just come back from Paris again! Third time in less than a year!
A friend that I used to work with at Gentry in Calgary, Jane, came out on Friday morning for about 10 days. I had to go back to work on Friday afternoon so she did some sightseeing downtown and then we went to my favourite little curry house just off Piccadilly Circus for supper. £7.50 (approx. $16 CAD) for a three course set menu - can't beat it! I know you Canadians are thinking that's expensives, but not for London!
The next day we met up with the twins (it was so great to see them!) and their mom, Sharon, and her fiance, Jeff, at Hampton Court Palace. It was Sharon's idea to have a day out together. I love Hampton Court Palace and Jane was enthralled. The girls were great, but a bit hyper because I was there. We had a great time! Then Jeff drove us all in his people carrier (mini-van in Canadian) to the Chiselhurst Caves, over west of Bromley. They are a series of chalk caves that were mined hundreds of years ago. In WWII, they were used as alternative living quarters during the London Blitz. Up to 15,000 people lived there at a time. It must have been awful. A great day had by all, and then I went and spoiled it by getting car sick on the way home! First time ever. Not sure why, but there it is!
Early Sunday morning, Jane and I headed out to Paris on the Eurostar. I love taking the train - it's so much easier! We stayed at my favourite hotel - Roma Sacre Coeur. It's in the heart of Montmartre (think Moulin Rouge and Picasso), and right beside a Metro underground station that has two lines stopping there. We wondered through a district called Le Marais, which was very intriguing, and then across to Notre Dame. Jane was blown away by the sheer magnitude of it! We walked down to the Latin Quarter and came across a church called St. Severin, where mass was just starting. Jane is Catholic and wanted to attend, so I took her pack and amused myself for an hour (not hard for me in Paris!). I would have gone, but of course it's
all in French, so I wouldn't have understood a word. She know the mass, so it was at least familiar for her. Anyway, we went for supper then in the Latin Quarter and then jumped on the Metro to see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. It is quite spectacular and pictures just don't do it justice. Then we jumped back on the Metro, went a couple stops to l'Arc de Triomphe, which is also lit up at night, as is the Champs Elysees. Then back to the hotel and bed!
On Monday, we slept in a bit as neither of us had a good night (not the beds, they were comfortable, we just couldn't get to sleep!) and went to the Eiffel Tower. Jane went up by herself as I've already done that twice! She walked up, too! I went back to the Champs Elysees as my camera battery had died and I needed to get a charger (left mine at home...doh!). Couldn't buy one for love nor money! So, no pictures! Met her back at the Tower and we headed back to the Champs Elysees via the Pont Alexandre III. Up the Champs Elysees to the Arc, pictures and then down on the Metro to Montmartre. Toured around there some - Basilica de Sacre Coeur, Place du Tertre (artists market), windmills, hilly windy streets, Place des Abbesses, and ending up on the Avenue de Clichy, which is the red light district in the area (tons of sex shops, etc.) and also where Moulin Rouge is. We had supper down there waiting for it to get dark so the neon looks cooler and then walked along the street. Back to the hotel and bed early because we had an early train back. Which we missed because yours truly set the alarm wrong! So, we didn't get back into London until 11 am yesterday and I had to get to work! Jane went to the Tower of London for the rest of the day.
My friend Nicole came over last night for supper and we yacked. I discovered that Dec, one of my guinea pigs, has some sort of skin thing going one - lots of scabs and dry skin - so I'm taking him to the vet tomorrow morning. That's one thing cheaper here - it's only going to cost me about $28 CAD! In Calgary you paid $50 just to walk into the vet's office!
Anyway, I really have to get back to work! Just wanted to update everyone! Jane and I are going to Spamalot tonight, so I'll post a review tomorrow!!
A friend that I used to work with at Gentry in Calgary, Jane, came out on Friday morning for about 10 days. I had to go back to work on Friday afternoon so she did some sightseeing downtown and then we went to my favourite little curry house just off Piccadilly Circus for supper. £7.50 (approx. $16 CAD) for a three course set menu - can't beat it! I know you Canadians are thinking that's expensives, but not for London!
The next day we met up with the twins (it was so great to see them!) and their mom, Sharon, and her fiance, Jeff, at Hampton Court Palace. It was Sharon's idea to have a day out together. I love Hampton Court Palace and Jane was enthralled. The girls were great, but a bit hyper because I was there. We had a great time! Then Jeff drove us all in his people carrier (mini-van in Canadian) to the Chiselhurst Caves, over west of Bromley. They are a series of chalk caves that were mined hundreds of years ago. In WWII, they were used as alternative living quarters during the London Blitz. Up to 15,000 people lived there at a time. It must have been awful. A great day had by all, and then I went and spoiled it by getting car sick on the way home! First time ever. Not sure why, but there it is!
Early Sunday morning, Jane and I headed out to Paris on the Eurostar. I love taking the train - it's so much easier! We stayed at my favourite hotel - Roma Sacre Coeur. It's in the heart of Montmartre (think Moulin Rouge and Picasso), and right beside a Metro underground station that has two lines stopping there. We wondered through a district called Le Marais, which was very intriguing, and then across to Notre Dame. Jane was blown away by the sheer magnitude of it! We walked down to the Latin Quarter and came across a church called St. Severin, where mass was just starting. Jane is Catholic and wanted to attend, so I took her pack and amused myself for an hour (not hard for me in Paris!). I would have gone, but of course it's
all in French, so I wouldn't have understood a word. She know the mass, so it was at least familiar for her. Anyway, we went for supper then in the Latin Quarter and then jumped on the Metro to see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. It is quite spectacular and pictures just don't do it justice. Then we jumped back on the Metro, went a couple stops to l'Arc de Triomphe, which is also lit up at night, as is the Champs Elysees. Then back to the hotel and bed!On Monday, we slept in a bit as neither of us had a good night (not the beds, they were comfortable, we just couldn't get to sleep!) and went to the Eiffel Tower. Jane went up by herself as I've already done that twice! She walked up, too! I went back to the Champs Elysees as my camera battery had died and I needed to get a charger (left mine at home...doh!). Couldn't buy one for love nor money! So, no pictures! Met her back at the Tower and we headed back to the Champs Elysees via the Pont Alexandre III. Up the Champs Elysees to the Arc, pictures and then down on the Metro to Montmartre. Toured around there some - Basilica de Sacre Coeur, Place du Tertre (artists market), windmills, hilly windy streets, Place des Abbesses, and ending up on the Avenue de Clichy, which is the red light district in the area (tons of sex shops, etc.) and also where Moulin Rouge is. We had supper down there waiting for it to get dark so the neon looks cooler and then walked along the street. Back to the hotel and bed early because we had an early train back. Which we missed because yours truly set the alarm wrong! So, we didn't get back into London until 11 am yesterday and I had to get to work! Jane went to the Tower of London for the rest of the day.
My friend Nicole came over last night for supper and we yacked. I discovered that Dec, one of my guinea pigs, has some sort of skin thing going one - lots of scabs and dry skin - so I'm taking him to the vet tomorrow morning. That's one thing cheaper here - it's only going to cost me about $28 CAD! In Calgary you paid $50 just to walk into the vet's office!
Anyway, I really have to get back to work! Just wanted to update everyone! Jane and I are going to Spamalot tonight, so I'll post a review tomorrow!!
23 February 2007
Yummy Harry Potter
So I know that a couple of my readers are Harry Potter fans. Here is Harry as you've never seen him! I'm planning to go to this play, because it has horses in it, and because Daniel Radcliffe has a beautiful body - I can definitely appreciate beauty! The play that he's in is called "Equus".Enjoy!
21 February 2007
Busy but good
Wow, am I ever behind in my blog! Sorry, people!
I am busier than a one-armed paper hanger with a cold! I've been working a lot of evenings and from home a lot, too. With the merger due diligence and the financing due diligence, it's been busy. Combined with the audit (and they're new auditors so they need lots of old background info), it's completely mad! And I've barely even scratched the surface of annual report and year-end reporting! Not to mention the information circular that we have to prepare with Grove to send to their shareholders and the complete reorganization of the office, filing system, etc. to accommodate the combined workforce. It makes me tired just to type it!
Having said all that, I'm loving my increased responsibilities with these projects and feeling challenged and valued. I just need to be careful not to slip into laziness (which is my natural state, after all!). I don't have much of a personal life - mostly working and eating and sleeping, but I have managed to get out a bit. Two weekends ago (I am a bad blogger!) I had the twins over for the weekend. It was great just spending time with them. We had fun. We bought two guniea pigs and called them Ant and Dec (they are presenters over here that seem to be joined at the hip!). The girls loved them, although Leanne is definitely more of an animal person than Stephanie. And I am loving them too. I had been thinking about it for about a week, so it wasn't really spur of the moment. I'll post some pictures soon.
On that Sunday, my friend Donna came from Canada. She's leaving tomorrow, so was here for 12 days. We've had a fantastic time, although she has spend most of it on her own, poor girl. She came out for the Business Travel Show (she's Travel Manager with Fluor Canada) and I went to it as well because we are travelling more and more and it's getting hard to keep up with everything. We went for drinks on Valentine's day with my friend Steve - three singles thumbing their noses at all the couples (ok, actually we sat in the corner and moaned). We also did some shopping and wandering around. She's been cleaning the flat and doing laundry and making meals too. I like having her around!! I think I need a wife! But it all comes to an end tomorrow. We're going to see Porgy and Bess tonight (Gershwin!), after I have a drinks things with Grove - sort of a get to know each other thing.
So, that's my life up to day. Fairly boring for all you sad gits out there with no life, but that's how it is sometimes. I often have no life either! Ciao for now! I have more work to do!
I am busier than a one-armed paper hanger with a cold! I've been working a lot of evenings and from home a lot, too. With the merger due diligence and the financing due diligence, it's been busy. Combined with the audit (and they're new auditors so they need lots of old background info), it's completely mad! And I've barely even scratched the surface of annual report and year-end reporting! Not to mention the information circular that we have to prepare with Grove to send to their shareholders and the complete reorganization of the office, filing system, etc. to accommodate the combined workforce. It makes me tired just to type it!
Having said all that, I'm loving my increased responsibilities with these projects and feeling challenged and valued. I just need to be careful not to slip into laziness (which is my natural state, after all!). I don't have much of a personal life - mostly working and eating and sleeping, but I have managed to get out a bit. Two weekends ago (I am a bad blogger!) I had the twins over for the weekend. It was great just spending time with them. We had fun. We bought two guniea pigs and called them Ant and Dec (they are presenters over here that seem to be joined at the hip!). The girls loved them, although Leanne is definitely more of an animal person than Stephanie. And I am loving them too. I had been thinking about it for about a week, so it wasn't really spur of the moment. I'll post some pictures soon.
On that Sunday, my friend Donna came from Canada. She's leaving tomorrow, so was here for 12 days. We've had a fantastic time, although she has spend most of it on her own, poor girl. She came out for the Business Travel Show (she's Travel Manager with Fluor Canada) and I went to it as well because we are travelling more and more and it's getting hard to keep up with everything. We went for drinks on Valentine's day with my friend Steve - three singles thumbing their noses at all the couples (ok, actually we sat in the corner and moaned). We also did some shopping and wandering around. She's been cleaning the flat and doing laundry and making meals too. I like having her around!! I think I need a wife! But it all comes to an end tomorrow. We're going to see Porgy and Bess tonight (Gershwin!), after I have a drinks things with Grove - sort of a get to know each other thing.
So, that's my life up to day. Fairly boring for all you sad gits out there with no life, but that's how it is sometimes. I often have no life either! Ciao for now! I have more work to do!
07 February 2007
Merger...or takover?
I have a very good reason for not blogging lately! We've been very busy working on what is officially called a "business combination" at Stratic. But I couldn't say anything about it, so I thought it best not to blog at all!
But it's announced now, so here it is. Stratic is merging with Grove Energy, a company fairly similar to Stratic. It has assets in Italy, the Dutch North Sea, Tunisia, Romania and Albania. It's a similar size, and is listed on the TSX-Venture exchange and the Alternative Investment Market ("AIM") of the London Stock Exchange. In reality, it is more like a takeover, because we are staying as Stratic, and most of our management is staying the same. Their Chief Executive is coming over to us as Chief Operating Officer and I think we're taking on all their employees as well. And Stratic is actually buying their shares. So, it's like a very, very friendly takeover. Anyway, it's just been announced and now their shareholders have to approve the deal and we have to do the due diligence and so do they to make sure everyone is happy with everything. You can check out the press release on Stratic's website, or click here.
So, that has taken up a bit of my time lately, and is going to be taking up a lot more over the next few months, along with the annual report, and the annual general meeting and directors meetings. It is shaping up to be a busy spring!
I got a bicycle on Saturday (well, actually, I bought it the previous Sunday, but only picked it up on Saturday) and rode to Hyde Park. I'm told it's about 7 miles, mostly on streets. It was a little scary at times, and tiring, but it felt good to accomplish it. I met Shannon there and we went for breakfast and then to Kensington Palace, which is where Diana, Princess of Wales, used to live. There was a display of some of her dresses and photographs from the famous photo shoot by Mario Testino taken of her with her short fashionable hairstyle. There was also displays about court dress and how they used to have to dress to hang out with royalty. What a lot of work!! We also got to tour through Princess Margaret's apartment from when she lived there with Lord Snowdon. It was kind of cool since I don't really know that much about her. It was a great morning. Headed back to Chiswick on bike, stopped to pick up a couple of things at the market, and got home completely knackered! I knew my muscles would be sore, so I soaked in a hot bath with Dead Sea salts in it, and I had almost no muscle soreness the next day!
Sunday I had church and then went to Ann and Ron's place for dinner. They run the sound system in the church and are really warm and friendly people. Nicola came too, and a couple of other friends. It was a lovely afternoon - good food and good friends and lots of laughter.
This weekend I have the twins at my place again - I haven't seen them since before Christmas so I'm really looking forward to it! My church is having a family barn dance on Saturday night, so we're going to that, and on Saturday morning the church is doing a kids fun morning, with a bouncy castle and games and crafts and stuff. The girls will love that - especially the bouncy castle! So it should be a good weekend. We'll pick up a couple of movies and be set!
Weather is cold here now and we're supposed to get snow tomorrow. However, the daffy-dills are starting to bloom here and there, so spring is on the way! Time to start walking through St. James park again!
But it's announced now, so here it is. Stratic is merging with Grove Energy, a company fairly similar to Stratic. It has assets in Italy, the Dutch North Sea, Tunisia, Romania and Albania. It's a similar size, and is listed on the TSX-Venture exchange and the Alternative Investment Market ("AIM") of the London Stock Exchange. In reality, it is more like a takeover, because we are staying as Stratic, and most of our management is staying the same. Their Chief Executive is coming over to us as Chief Operating Officer and I think we're taking on all their employees as well. And Stratic is actually buying their shares. So, it's like a very, very friendly takeover. Anyway, it's just been announced and now their shareholders have to approve the deal and we have to do the due diligence and so do they to make sure everyone is happy with everything. You can check out the press release on Stratic's website, or click here.
So, that has taken up a bit of my time lately, and is going to be taking up a lot more over the next few months, along with the annual report, and the annual general meeting and directors meetings. It is shaping up to be a busy spring!
I got a bicycle on Saturday (well, actually, I bought it the previous Sunday, but only picked it up on Saturday) and rode to Hyde Park. I'm told it's about 7 miles, mostly on streets. It was a little scary at times, and tiring, but it felt good to accomplish it. I met Shannon there and we went for breakfast and then to Kensington Palace, which is where Diana, Princess of Wales, used to live. There was a display of some of her dresses and photographs from the famous photo shoot by Mario Testino taken of her with her short fashionable hairstyle. There was also displays about court dress and how they used to have to dress to hang out with royalty. What a lot of work!! We also got to tour through Princess Margaret's apartment from when she lived there with Lord Snowdon. It was kind of cool since I don't really know that much about her. It was a great morning. Headed back to Chiswick on bike, stopped to pick up a couple of things at the market, and got home completely knackered! I knew my muscles would be sore, so I soaked in a hot bath with Dead Sea salts in it, and I had almost no muscle soreness the next day!
Sunday I had church and then went to Ann and Ron's place for dinner. They run the sound system in the church and are really warm and friendly people. Nicola came too, and a couple of other friends. It was a lovely afternoon - good food and good friends and lots of laughter.
This weekend I have the twins at my place again - I haven't seen them since before Christmas so I'm really looking forward to it! My church is having a family barn dance on Saturday night, so we're going to that, and on Saturday morning the church is doing a kids fun morning, with a bouncy castle and games and crafts and stuff. The girls will love that - especially the bouncy castle! So it should be a good weekend. We'll pick up a couple of movies and be set!
Weather is cold here now and we're supposed to get snow tomorrow. However, the daffy-dills are starting to bloom here and there, so spring is on the way! Time to start walking through St. James park again!
19 January 2007
The time has come again to blog
Well, duty has once again driven me to blog. I really don't feel like it, but I don't like letting people down!
I'm back safe and sound in London. I had a fantastic vacation in Canada, and it was so great to see so many of you when I was out. For those I missed, I'm truly sorry. I thought 3 weeks would be lots of time, but apparently not! I barely got my shopping in (and not nearly as much as I wanted to!).
I had a great time with Bryan and Stef and the kids in Oakville (near Toronto). Charlotte is so funny! She's very active and high energy. She tired me out. Of course, it didn't help that I got tonsilitis as soon as I got there, so I was sick for the three days I was there! But it was nice anyway to be able to see Charlotte again, meet Davis my new nephew, and spend some time reading books to them, watching movies (Charlotte's current favourite is Stuart Little) and playing with them. It's pretty exhausting having two children to look after - Stefani does a really good job. I don't know if I
have the energy for that any more. I'm tired after just a few hours with them! I suppose it's probably different when they're your own. And when you're not sick! I will probably be back in Toronto in May, so I'll be able to spend some more time with them, although only a few days again. For those who don't know, the pictures on the right are my sister-in-law, Stefani, with my niece, Charlotte (almost 3 yrs), and my brother, Bryan, with my nephew, Davis (just over 5 months). As you can see, Charlotte is very busy picking the croutons out of mama's salad, while Davis is happy just sitting on Dad's lap and laughing. He laughs a lot - he's a very smiley baby.
My last night in Canada was spent at the Roughnecks home opener against San Jose, which they lost. It was a great game, went into some serious overtime and set a new record for the longest professional lacrosse game ever before San Jose finally put it into the net. I was with my friend, Simon, and we went to Duttons where we met up with a bunch of other friends of mine, Debbie, Susan, Nikki, Sheldon, Trevor, etc. who were at the game (but didn't have the awesome seats Simon and I have). So, we were there for a while, chatted with the announcer, who I knew from years and years ago (pre-lacrosse). Kaleb Toth, who I've become friends with, came over and we caught up since we hadn't managed to get together before. All in all, it was a spectacular end to my trip!
Work is busy, we've got some projects that I need to get finished asap so I can start on some new ones coming up. It's an exciting time for Stratic, that's for sure!
The weather is great today, but we had this crazy storm yesterday with insane winds and rain. It was knocking over trees and blowing sheds around. One guy even died when a tree fell over onto his windshield while he was driving! Apparently it was like this all over Europe, too. It wasn't especially cold, just stormy. It's about 13 degrees Celsius today, so it's quite nice.
I went to see the Rocky Horror Show on Wednesday night with Shannon. What fun! I loved it! It was crazy, and made no sense, but it was so much fun! I'll definitely be going again - especially when Susan comes out again, because I know she's a Rocky Horror fan (as in fanatic!).
Quiet weekend planned - I'm not feeling 100% so I think I'll take it easy and rest. I have no time to be sick! Anyway, time to get back to work!
I'm back safe and sound in London. I had a fantastic vacation in Canada, and it was so great to see so many of you when I was out. For those I missed, I'm truly sorry. I thought 3 weeks would be lots of time, but apparently not! I barely got my shopping in (and not nearly as much as I wanted to!).
I had a great time with Bryan and Stef and the kids in Oakville (near Toronto). Charlotte is so funny! She's very active and high energy. She tired me out. Of course, it didn't help that I got tonsilitis as soon as I got there, so I was sick for the three days I was there! But it was nice anyway to be able to see Charlotte again, meet Davis my new nephew, and spend some time reading books to them, watching movies (Charlotte's current favourite is Stuart Little) and playing with them. It's pretty exhausting having two children to look after - Stefani does a really good job. I don't know if I
have the energy for that any more. I'm tired after just a few hours with them! I suppose it's probably different when they're your own. And when you're not sick! I will probably be back in Toronto in May, so I'll be able to spend some more time with them, although only a few days again. For those who don't know, the pictures on the right are my sister-in-law, Stefani, with my niece, Charlotte (almost 3 yrs), and my brother, Bryan, with my nephew, Davis (just over 5 months). As you can see, Charlotte is very busy picking the croutons out of mama's salad, while Davis is happy just sitting on Dad's lap and laughing. He laughs a lot - he's a very smiley baby.My last night in Canada was spent at the Roughnecks home opener against San Jose, which they lost. It was a great game, went into some serious overtime and set a new record for the longest professional lacrosse game ever before San Jose finally put it into the net. I was with my friend, Simon, and we went to Duttons where we met up with a bunch of other friends of mine, Debbie, Susan, Nikki, Sheldon, Trevor, etc. who were at the game (but didn't have the awesome seats Simon and I have). So, we were there for a while, chatted with the announcer, who I knew from years and years ago (pre-lacrosse). Kaleb Toth, who I've become friends with, came over and we caught up since we hadn't managed to get together before. All in all, it was a spectacular end to my trip!
Work is busy, we've got some projects that I need to get finished asap so I can start on some new ones coming up. It's an exciting time for Stratic, that's for sure!
The weather is great today, but we had this crazy storm yesterday with insane winds and rain. It was knocking over trees and blowing sheds around. One guy even died when a tree fell over onto his windshield while he was driving! Apparently it was like this all over Europe, too. It wasn't especially cold, just stormy. It's about 13 degrees Celsius today, so it's quite nice.
I went to see the Rocky Horror Show on Wednesday night with Shannon. What fun! I loved it! It was crazy, and made no sense, but it was so much fun! I'll definitely be going again - especially when Susan comes out again, because I know she's a Rocky Horror fan (as in fanatic!).
Quiet weekend planned - I'm not feeling 100% so I think I'll take it easy and rest. I have no time to be sick! Anyway, time to get back to work!
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