Of Late Last Night

Ok so we didn't win last night at the Irish News Awards. That honour went to multinational Allstate so well done to them. But my team were very gracious in defeat and we ended up having a great night - and a late one too. How late I can't be sure because I left well after midnight when others were still just warming up.

What I can be sure about is that when I was swimming my obligatory 30 lengths this morning others were nursing a hangover for there was much partaking in the liquid refereshments last night. Humorous comments were spilling out aplenty about things that were happening in the office - most of which I had no idea about. Oh how we laughed!

We didn't win last night but I came away feeling more proud about my staff than ever before and better about them than any year in which we've picked up an award for Best Place to Work.
I shoot out of bed every morning and I can't wait to go to work. That feeling is only possible when you have a great team of employees. And I do.

Team Legal-Island : Onwards!

Of Questions,Questions

I did a gig today in front of 120 school girls in Belfast. They were having an entrepreneurial day and I was the entrepreneur wheeled in to prove that if I could make it so could they!

Boy they were keen, attentive and hard working. When I asked them at the end if any of them had a question about 120 hands went in the air.

"Where are you from Mr obviously not Norn Iron?", "Where have you put all your money Sir?"

We have the Irish News Awards this Thursday.We're up for champion of champions. But how have we done? That is another interesting question.

Of Clever Ladies and Clever Chaps

Well I had a good weekend, I think. It was productive at least. On Friday night I went to see comedian Tommy Tiernan at the Ulster Hall. He was good but risque. His protestant jibes were close to the line and perhaps too close for a few but he's a master performer. He claims there's a sign by the titanic dock that says "Titanic - well it was alright when it left here".

On both Saturday and Sunday I worked full days trying to get ahead (or at least not fall behind) before I go away on leave. Over the weekend I watched Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry (a great movie and actor) and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights starring Lawrence Olivier. I had seen the film as a boy but it was only this time round that I realised what a great story it is and indeed how well Kate Bush's song of the same name captures the atmosphere, angst and tragedy of the novel. Clever lady that.

Finally last night I dipped into War and Peace to knock off another chapter. I still haven't broken through the first 100 pages but I plan to take it on holiday and give it a good go. He has an amazing writing style Tolstoy. Clever chap that.

Of Having the Balls...

I was watching Embarrassing Bodies the other night whilst waiting for the Apprentice to come on. This was their live show in which people zoomed in via Skype to talk to the two T.V doctors. I watched as Antonio in London Skyped in to explain that he has a nasty lump on his testicles. One of the TV doctors quite rightly asked him if he had been to his doctor and understandably he replied "No. I was too embarrassed to go see my doctor". He then promptly stood up at the request of the presenter dropped his trousers and showed 12 million people his lump. Why is it I find people so difficult to understand sometimes? Maybe it's our obsession with celebrity that makes us do things like this. "Hey that fella is quite ordinary but his balls have been on tele...."

The Apprentice was rubbish this week. They're a washy bunch all incapable of taking decisions and sticking to a proper plan. Jim's clearly going to win it. He's a great team player and the only one as far as I can see that has well dare I say it...balls..

Of Technically a Bit of A Disaster

Technically, I'm not having a good week. I'm talking about technology here for it is letting me down - or perhaps more truefully I am mistreating it. On Monday my MG failed its MOT. It broke down on the way to the test centre. "On the way" makes it sound as though there was a good attempt at the journey but there wasn't. I had barely got the car out the garage when the battery gave up on me. Not to be defeated I got the jump leads out again only for these to melt and deliver a terrible smell of burning as I tried the ignition and wonder why there was no response. I think I had short circuited something.

Never one to be easily defeated I then connected up the portable battery charger and the battery charged enough to make the indicators work (but only when the driver's door is open for some reason - work that one out!) but not enough to start an engine.
Time to call a man who knows what he's doing in my garage methinks.

Of Growing Old Disgracefully

I spent most of my birthday on Sunday with my Rels in Cheshire. I love visiting them and old haunts that prompt great memories of happy times together as a child.
One thing concerned me deeply however. I guess you might say that I use my cousins for a bit of bunch marking. Each time we meet (which is rarely more than once every two years) I compare how I'm doing in terms of my weight, my greyness and my wrinkles. I have to say this time round I did not do well for they were all looking in good shape with the boys sporting far too much hair of its original colour for my liking. You'd think on my birthday at least they'd have made more of an effort to make me feel better about growing old.
Pictured in the photo are back row : Peter (cousin Jen's partner), Richard (middle cousin (in D'artanian stance)) William (youngest cousin) and me. Front row : Jane (wife of Richard), Aunty Ann (without an "e"), Ben son of Richard and Jane Uncle Brian, oldest cousin Jen with Ewan son of William and Michelle peeping behind.

Of Four Great Dames

Wow! Four days for my birthday weekend in London being treated to performers in very different disciplines but each at the pinnacle of their career and each with remarkable stage presence.
On Thursday I went to see the Queen of Jazz, Dame Cleo Lane at the home of UK Jazz, Ronnie Scotts. This woman is 83 but can still cut it and wow can she connect and talk to an audience. She listens, she laughs, she converses and she sings.

Friday night and it was KD Lang's turn to impress at the Royal Festival Hall. I understood immediately why everyone says that you must go and see her live. Wow can this woman belt out the notes.

Saturday and it was Tamara Rojo principal ballerina at the Royal Ballet. She jumped and fluttered her way around the stage like she had wings on her shoulders and compressed air by her feet. She looked extraordinarily fit, supple and yes pale too - no doubt a result of the thousands of hours of practice in studios to get to the top of her game.

When people ask if I had a good birthday. I say No. I had a great birthday. Dames thank you.