Jack the Ripper Exhibit - 25th of October

Shortly after we started dating, Carolyn moved from her swanky apartment in Oxford Street to the East End of London. It's a very nice area now, but this is where the 'Jack the Ripper' murders occurred. Spending so much time there made us interested in the Ripper story. We've read Donald Rumbelow's book, traipsed around East London on Rumbelow's walking tour and this Saturday went to the exhibit at the Museum in Docklands which includes the original 'Dear Boss' letter as well as the James Maybrick diary. All very interesting.

Brussels - 20th to 24th of October

Over the last few months I've been working on a big Citrix project for the second largest bank in Brussels. I work in the sky scraper to the left. It's an impressive building but it really comes alive at night when it puts on an incredible light show - video. I wouldn't like to be working late when that show kicks off. The other thing to watch out for with this building are the revolving doors, check out this security camera video. Apart from the beer and the food, the best thing about Brussels is the architecture. The Grand Place is the most beautiful square I have ever seen:

Where's Wally/Waldo?

Can you find Wally/Waldo (AKA Andy)? Apparently the USA and Canada are the only countries who call him Waldo. Not the greatest photo and the President got my name wrong but apart from that it's pretty cool. Unfortunately some annoying bearded dwarf managed to push himself in front of Carolyn.

Cambridge - 18th of October

Despite spending most of the weekend catching up on work, Carolyn and I still found time to head down to Cambridge for a few hours. We wandered around for a while until we stumbled upon the Tourist Information centre where we signed up for a walking tour. Surprisingly, we were taken to the Bridge of Sighs. Could have sworn that was in Venice ;-) The highlight, for me anyway, was dinner in the Eagle Pub which has an RAF bar where Second World War airmen burnt their names and squadron numbers into the ceiling with lighters and lipstick (wonder where they got that from?).

Cork, Ireland - 13th to 16th of October

Top of the Morning to you! I'm working on a project in Cork; this is the second time I've worked over here now and I really love it. The Maryborough hotel is a real gem, it's located just outside Cork and is surrounded by very beautiful lush green gardens.
A couple of the guys from work showed me around Cork City on Wednesday night. I had a great time and particularly enjoyed the Hi-B bar, complete with a landlord who apparently throws you out if you don't drink fast enough - brilliant.

The White Cliffs of Dover - 12th of October

The National Trust has a brilliant website complete with top notch documents detailing various coastal walks. So last Sunday, Carolyn and I packed up a picnic and drove all the way down to Dover so we could hike along a four mile path on top of the White Cliffs of Dover. The views were nothing short of spectacular. Being male, I was particular transfixed by the ferries coming in and out of the port; it was a bit like watching a man sized playset. After a couple of miles we tucked into our picnic - close to the South Foreland Lighthouse. This was the scene of Marconi's first ship-to-shore wireless message and the first international wireless transmission. Carolyn and I seem to stalk the long dead Italian scientific genius - first the Twin Lights in Highlands New York, then Marconi House in London and now South Foreland.

Carolyn's grandfather remembers seeing the White Cliffs of Dover from the sea when he was in the Merchant Navy in World War II transporting vital supplies to the UK.

On the way home we took the coastal road to Hastings - somewhere I've always wanted to visit but never been. Turns out that nothing much has happened there since 1066.

AddisonLee = AWESOME Customer Service

I've been using AddisonLee Minicabs for a while now to take me on the first leg of work trips. That is until I discovered their AWESOME Customer Service Department.

A few weeks ago I was waiting for a car to take me to the train station - pickup was set at 3:30. The driver finally texted/called me at 3:43 to let me know that he had arrived. Not a big deal as I still made the train. A few weeks later I find a suspicious four pound charge on my credit card. The AWESOME customer service department tell me that this charge was for more than fifteen minutes of waiting time and e-mailed me the GPS track (shown) as proof. The AddisonLee 'proof' also shows their car touring around the area between 15:34:23 and 15:43:21 looking for my address (or hookers - who knows). This would be enough for most organisations to cough up but not good old AddisonLee who are still thinking about it whilst also telling me they don't care if I use them anymore.

Another time, Addison Lee sent me a text message saying the car would be 20 minutes late. With this delay I would miss my train and then flight so cancelled the booking over the phone. A few weeks later (you guessed it!) I spot another suspicious charge on my credit card. AddisonLee initially tried to tell me that this was because I kept their driver waiting but eventually changed their mind and gave me a refund after I pointed out that their car never arrived.

Yet another AWESOME experience was when an AddisonLee driver picked me up who could hardly speak English. He managed to drive on the wrong side of the road, shoot through stop lights, get stopped by the police and searched under the Terrorism Act.

I think I might find another minicab company, what do you think?

Go West - 28th of September

Carolyn and I look for any excuse to go for a drive these days thanks to our new MINI Cooper! So with this in mind we headed down to the South West of England to visit some of my old haunts, including a hill called Brent Knoll.

Carolyn even tried a wild Blackberry whilst climbing to the top. I think this might be the first wild food she has ever eaten ;-) On the way home we drove through Brean Sands and as luck would have it went right through a British Country and Western Festival. Here are some photos of the gun slinging Brits on their way to the O.K. Corral to have a gun fight and do some line dancing (AWESOME huh?):

UPDATE: I found a video of a flag march from the Country and Western Festival at Brean Sands on youtube. Is it just me or does the Pontins sign ruin the effect? The South will rise again (in South West England - some restrictions apply)!

Aussie Grandma Comes to Visit

My 86 year old Aussie Grandma came to visit us for a while. In what seemed like an interview process for the US Navy Seals, Aussie Grandma travelled across Europe to see my brother in Denmark (twice), my mother in Nunney (twice) and my sister and I in London (twice).

Whilst my Grandma was in London her itinerary included a trip to Brussels on the Eurostar (with a trip to Ghent and Bruges), watching the England Vs South Africa Test Match at the Oval, visiting Highgate Cemetery, taking a cruise down the Thames, looking around the O2 dome, watching Mamma Mia and a Brick Lane curry. I think that Aussie Grandma went home to give us a rest - she definitely didn't need one.

Bermondsey Street Festival - 13th of September

The annual Bermondsey Street Festival culminated in an outdoor screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show in Bermondsey Square (brand new development on the site of the old Bermondsey Antiques Market).

The warm up was a short movie by 'Shoot to Kill productions' called 'The Town that Boars Me'. The RPHS screening was complete with shadow actors and an original (drunk) cast member - Patricia Quinn (Megenta). We really enjoyed the whole show, especially this one guy who shouted out loads of funny comments - something of a RHPS tradition. Looking forward to all the future screenings at Bermondsey Square!

New Car - 6th of September

The day we've been waiting for! Carolyn and I were up bright and early for our ten thirty appointment at MINI Park Lane. The whole handover process was extremely slick and we were soon standing in the BMW underground car park learning everything our MINI can do (and there is quite a lot). Our first trip was a drive down to the West Country to meet up with my mum at the Somerset Arms. Could we have been more impressed? NO - I just wish we had made the jump sooner! My favourite features are the bluetooth, double sunroof, iPod connector, miles per gallon and the SatNav. Once you go MINI you never go back. The photos below highlight the massive contrast between old and new:

LA Dodgers Vs Phillies - 25th of August

Vince took us to see the Phillies take on the LA Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. Being the fourth time that I've been to see baseball I was just about beginning to pick up the rules and I really appreciated this game - especially as the Phillies kicked some LA ass. We had great seats and even had a close encounter with the Phillies Fanatic who went on to do some impressive pelvic thrusts:

Carolyn's 30th Birthday - 24th and 25th of August

Carolyn's family threw a great Birthday Party BBQ. It was a beautiful sunny day and Carolyn was in seventh heaven catching up with everyone. One of my presents was to fly Carolyn's sister home from Savannah and the other was a digital picture frame for Carolyn's desk at work, pre-loaded with some of our favourite photos. Phil and his band even prepared a special rendition of Happy Birthday. What a day!

Paul and Mel get Married - 23rd of August

Paul is a good friend of mine from University who moved out to New York for work. Paul and Mel's ceremony was in a beautiful church in Glen Cove Long Island and was followed by a great party at the Crest Hollow Country Club. I have never seen so much food at a wedding! Whilst at Uni, Paul came second in a national DJ competition run by Radio One and he treated us to an amazing set at the very end of the party.

We hired a Mustang to get to the wedding and back. It was our first time in a Stanger and Carolyn quickly learned that American sports cars can't go around corners without heading for the nearest tree.

Baltimore - 20th of August

On the way back from rafting in West Virgina we decided to take a driving break by checking out downtown Baltimore. I know what you are thinking but actually it was really nice. We could have definitely spent more time there but we had to get back to Philadelphia for a family dinner. I know that the nautical theme will impress my boat obsessed friend Simon ;-)