Of Flights Home and All that Jazz

It's been a really eclectic weekend. I spent a good part of yesterday at a James Caan seminar. I like this guy a lot. He's sincere, passionate and speaks an awful lot of sense. He came across just as dapper as he is on Dragon's Den and a little more camp.

I spent yesterday evening in the intimate surroundings of Ronnie Scott's jazz cafe in Soho in the company of Carleen Andersen. I've never heard such a fine pair of lungs on such a small woman. Wow could she sing. I've not enjoyed a London night out so much in a long time.

I struggled to make it out my bed this morning at 6.30a.m. to get to Heathrow in time for the flight. I managed it early (of course) only to find my flight has been delayed by an hour.

Of Hurray n Hurrah

The Story So Far

Hurray! Hurrah! We went to the Centre of Competitiveness Awards Night last night in Belfast and came away with another trophy. The European Mark of Excellence. Well done the Islanders say I!

We've been lucky enough never to go to an awards evening and come away with nothing and I could see the team as they left thinking "What's Next?"

So what is next? I guess a load of hard work as we enter GB, develop our training centre, improve on our software, our networking and, how shall I say, our office environment and surroundings.

Onwards Islanders!

Of Crimewatch & Baywatch

I curled up on the sofa last night to watch Crimewatch. Accidentally, my hand fell upon the open box of chocolates that I had forgotten to give to the cleaner for Christmas. Naturally, I had to have one, then another and a few after that. To my horror I thought I had finished the box only to discover another layer of chocolates below. I promised myself I could have one or two from there if I swam an extra 10 lengths in the pool this morning as a penance.

I did manage a full 30 lengths today but boy was it boring. I was racing the lady in the lane next to me just to distract me from the monotony. She reminds me of someone I once saw on TV possibly even Baywatch but I can't just place whom. She was holding her own doing breast stroke to my front crawl. She has a very unusual style. She seems to kick from the hips so it's less like a frog but a mermaid kicking. She seems to glide through the water much better than I do. Probably something to do with a lot more training and most importantly of all, no chocolate.

Of random thoughts

I'm a lucky hoofer. I've a great team at Legal-Island at the moment - best there's ever been. We work hard. We play hard. We network. We question. We support each other. We're committed. We're driven and I'm a lucky hoofer.

Of Half a Half Day Event

I was up at the crack of dawn today to get into Belfast in time to chair a breakfast seminar at 8a.m. I thought no-one would show up on account of the early start and the pouring rain but I was wrong 50 times over...

The seminar topic was "Workplace Mediation in Northern Ireland". In the audience was a number of nervous looking lawyers concerned no doubt that the popularisation of mediation could damage their income. But there were other lawyers there too no doubt excited by the idea that mediation could in present no opportunities for them and new business. Is the glass half full or half empty I wondered?

Of Nature's Best and Worst

I head into the week off a mixed weekend. On Saturday night I went to see "I, Elizabeth". This was one and a half hours of one person throwing out line after line. The actress was good but the script was just not entertaining enough for me, my friend and at a guess just about everyone else in the audience.

Yesterday I headed out to the North Antrim Coast and walked along some of the Ulster Way with a couple of friends. The scenery was staggeringly beautiful. We joked that we'd go looking for some brunch and bad service in the local hotel afterwards. We did and we found both. It made me so cross while my friends found it highly amusing. Why is it that the only thing reliable about service to the public nowadays is that it is likely to be plain rude?

More cheering was the sight of a school of dolphins racing along the coast line as we drove back to Belfast. Give me a sea based mammal in preference to a land one any day.

Of Home and at the Office

Morning Metzingen! It seems Brazil and New Zealand are in the mix too now according to Google Analytics not to mention old faithfuls in Warrington and London. It makes me ask am I blogging for myself or for others? Can I use local English, British English or only International?

I woke late this morning to a very misty day outside. It's really cold too. Nature is dressed in a gentle silver white and looks beautiful especially from my lounge balcony.

It doesn't look quite as good as from my office desk but hey ho that's the price you pay for having to work all day....