Tuesday in Norwich

Alexis was a bit distressed when I referred to him as "old man" -- as I am older then he, I suppose I am not the one to talk! And as we are only as old as we feel -- he is one of the younger characters in my life.

Another dry day in Norwich, although the cloud cover is rather thick. It has been dry since I have been back. I suspect the local authorities will declare a draught in due course, which will turn all of the British gardeners into criminals.

I believe (hope) that the jet lag is in full retreat. Still waking up at 0500, but that is probably because I am falling asleep about 2100... (my British life is pretty boring)

The Zurich trip has been cancelled due to a series of meetings next week. Not at all happy about it as my vacation was on the calendar far earlier than any of the meetings. Plus I have yet to attend any meeting where anything important is decided. So, more blah, blah. At least in London I will not be far from a good beer -- which I am likely to want.

I have achieved everything on the calendar for today -- so, I have a chance to work on a couple of pet projects.... Have a good week.

Such a beautiful day

Although the entrail readers keep issuing dire warnings of cold, fire from the sky, snow, wind, locusts, frogs, etc., etc. we are experiencing another very nice day. Yesterday's trip down to London was uneventful -- the trains ran more or less on time, and the countryside was beautiful. When England blooms, it BLOOMS. Called in at the Surrey when I got back for an early dinner and reacquainted my tastebuds with draft Kronenbourg (love at first taste).

Broke a tooth today on a Snickers bar -- if you can't trust American candy bars... A chance to experience yet another essential part of British society, the Dentist.

Yesterday was Alexis' birthday. Scottie arranged a surprise party (YES!, I missed yet another SoBe social event of the decade) and seems to have caught the old man unawares. hehe

I got stuck with tons of office crap to work through while everyone else is partying in Prague (or so I will claim!). Have been busy today doing things that I would not usually volunteer to do -- not that volunteering had anything to do with it. Anyway, it has all been dealt with (hopefully!!) and I can go back to concentrating on recovering from jet lag.

Back in Norwich

Back from Miami. Quite beautiful weather to welcome me back to Norwich – which after New York was quite nice.

The trip began well. Business class on SilverJet really is recommended. Good food, attentive service, etc. The trip was over before I noticed it had began. Overnight in New York also went well. Fun trip down to Splash, etc. Rather an indulgence, but what isn’t these days?

Everyone in Miami were in good form. Ran into most of those on the list. The first week, the city was overrun with a rather dreadful bunch of mid-western tourists. ARG! But was back in form for the second week.

Interesting that Happy Hour has clearly split between the Palace and Splash. Splash has some serious issues, not clear to me that it has staying power. However, with Ditmar running the show… The Palace has its own set of issues. Very clear to me that is has gone from a gay bar with a few straight bartenders into another realm – exactly what and where that realm is has me a bit confused. I kept having a niggling feeling that what I found special about SoBe was dying, but I was probably just having a bit of indigestion from Smith & Wollensky.

Patrick was in town from Zurich when I arrived. He was full of adventure stories from South America and, while a bit down due to a Peruvian stomach ailment, he was in good form. Very nice to see him.

The days streamed by and were over sooner than anticipated. As always, I had a very good time. This was more due to seeing friends than the old standbys, but doesn’t matter, a very good time.

Getting back here was somewhat more problematic. 5 hour delay getting up to New York. First a broken airplane necessitated a change of plane and then the weather turned against us. However, made it in time to call in on Michael at Splash. Visiting Michael is always a Michelin 3-star event (worth a special journey). Stayed at the Metro Hotel, which was Ok, but really nothing special. The return flight to London was also delayed (1.5 hours), but it was a very quick flight (6.5 hours).

I spent Saturday and most of yesterday in recovery mode. I will spend the Summer Bank Holiday in SoBe (21 – 29 July).

As things stand, I am looking forward to my next journey – Zurich for a birthday bash in early May. Will be quite special to see my Swiss friends and terrorize Cranberry at the same time.

Came back to a very quiet office. A conference in Praque has most of my colleagues on the road. The boss is in London, where I will be tomorrow, and so I am the Grand Fromage of the moment. (I never let my power go to my head!)

World events continue to bore. I did find the missing records incident to be amusing, but for all the wrong reasons… (shame on me) At least the financial markets provide food for thought.

With that happy thought, I am off. Everyone have a wonderful week!