Edinburgh – My First Week

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I have started a four week project in Edinburgh, and will be flying up and down each week.  I will be staying at the Apex hotels.

Monday

Today ate at Hanams, a Kurdish restaurant  which serves no alcohol.  Yes the whole day went by without a drop of alcohol passing my lips. I went to Hanams several years ago when it was on Lothian Road.  The restaurant has moved closer and is now close to the Royal Mile and the castle.

Tuesday

Strange things happen.  I joined Linkedin a few months ago, and up pops someone who Rosemary and I saw when on holiday to Jordan in 2006.  I had an invite to visit Alistair and Jane in their home just south of Edinburgh.  I had a lovely evening. 

Wednesday

Hanams again.

Thursday

Petit Paris, and their post 7.00 meal.  Had the works, with wine.  Afraid no change out of £30.

Friday

Back home again, managed to get back for the dessert and cheese course of a dinner party we had been invited to in the village.

Bradford and the Giant Nan Bread

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I had a night away in Bradford, yes the early get up, the rush to Stevenage and train to Leeds, then on to Bradford.  At least I can get a couple of hours sleep on the train.

28012010061In the evening I did manage to get out and have a curry.  The first suggested curry house was rejected, lack of beers.  So Mike chose Omahs, a balti house, again dry, but what the hell, it was 9.00pm and we were hungry.

Started off with a mixed grill for a starters.  When I had finished eating that, a feeling of surfeit was already on the horizon.  Imagine my surprise at the Nan bread which accompanied my balti curry.  I was informed it was a small Nan. I should not have been surprised, on the door was a challenge, if you could eat one of their large Nans, then you could go away with £50.

We left having eaten well, leaving behind a substantial portion of food, all for £25.  Next week I will be a little more careful on choosing the quantities.

Edinburgh and Bradford

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It’s been a busy week using up my carbon credits; up before six to catch the Easyjet to Edinburgh to start a project with my favourite client.  I was back in their office in Dundas Street where I had started consulting for them more than six years ago.  The office has been renovated and was very smart, with a great canteen.

Evening I tried the Mussel and Steak on Grassmarket, where I had a memorable steak, and some red wine to wash it down.

I had forgotten all the hills in Edinburgh, and my recent sedentary life caused a certain stiffness to the legs in the two days I was there.

On Wednesday I flew home on a late flight arriving home at ten in the evening, quick nap in bed, and up at 4.45 in the morning to travel back up North to Bradford for a days consultancy.  Home again at ten in the evening.

I definitely feel retirement coming on.  Hopefully less travelling next week, or at least not having to rise so early in the morning.

Cold sweeps Buckinghamshire

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Wednesday produced another inch of snow during the day.  Not a nice day, always overcast, few photo opportunities.  As evening came, the sky started to clear and the mercury plummeted.  I have not seen minus 10 for many years.  The wood burner definitely had to be run a little higher last night to keep the house warm.

This morning Rosemary went to work, she did have to walk the last few hundred yards. Steve attempted to go to work, but failed the steep hill out of the drive onto the main road.  So yet again he is WFH in this ski clothes.  Given a chance the camera may be aired.

Snow at last

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Yesterday it started to snow at around five in the afternoon.  Today we have six inches of snow, measured with a ruler and measured in several places on flat hard ground away from walls.  This is not a Blasdale exaggeration, so no need to divide by 2.  Nice fluffy snow because the temperature is still below freezing.

I hope the sun will come out so I can get some nice photographs, but for the moment here are some I have taken.

Snow scene taken in Kingswood, Buckinghamshire on the 6th January 2010 after overnight snow fall of 6 inches.

Snow scene taken in Kingswood, Buckinghamshire on the 6th January 2010 after overnight snow fall of 6 inches.

Snow scene taken in Kingswood, Buckinghamshire on the 6th January 2010 after overnight snow fall of 6 inches.

Snow scene taken in Kingswood, Buckinghamshire on the 6th January 2010 after overnight snow fall of 6 inches.

Snow scene taken in Kingswood, Buckinghamshire on the 6th January 2010 after overnight snow fall of 6 inches.

Snow scene taken in Kingswood, Buckinghamshire on the 6th January 2010 after overnight snow fall of 6 inches.

Plough and Anchor, Kingswood, Buckinghamshire on the 6th January 2010 after overnight snow fall of 6 inches.

Plough and Anchor, Kingswood, Buckinghamshire on the 6th January 2010 after overnight snow fall of 6 inches.

The weather

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As soon as it gets a little cool, and that white stuff falls from the sky, chaos ensues. Here in the UK we have had some snow, I am sure you have all heard of  Eurostar and fluffy snow putting a hold on travel plans. The Eurostar operators blame a very cold France, where the weather has been the coldest for at least 15 years.  Interestingly I never realised how many people now traveled by Eurostar.

Closer to home Easyjet cancelled hundreds of flights from Luton.   I expect the cold will not last, and flights will be back to normal in January.  Important for me, because I have some work in Scotland starting in January.

Even closer to home, there are stories of people taking 2 hours to travel through Aylesbury.  I don’t understand that one, I see at most 2 centimeters of snow outside on the drive.

It is cool, last night was the coldest, going down to -6 Celsius on our thermometer.  (That’s outside, not inside our house.)   Google tells me Oxford was actually -9.  Rosemary’s brother living over in Canada sent a cutting from a local paper where the temperature had made a record low in the nearby city of Edmonton.  A minus 46.1 Celsius.  This record was 10 degrees colder than the previous record.  The previous record was set last year.

Europe is suffering the cold as well.  I suppose with global warming, there must be some places suffering incredible heat to make up for our record lows across Europe and Canada.

Christmas is now almost on us, so on a Christmas spirit thing, take a look at Santa’s check list.  This is suitable for children to view, as if I would put anything that was not 🙂  christmas-risk-assessment

Christmas is in a couple of days, rain is predicted for later today, so there will not be a white Christmas. 🙁

Bradford Curry

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I spent two days in Bradford, one night.  I did not sample the Bradford curry.  I am told they are very good in that town.  OK I did have one for lunch in the canteen of the uni.  It cost £3.90, and was a mixture of several different curries.  Not hot, but very much better than the normal curry sold in a pub.  Rice was not Basmati, but for under £4.00 can;t expect the world.  Alas having that curry at lunch meant I was not hungry for tea, hotel restaurant was closed for Christmas party, so ended up with a takeaway from Tesco.

No matter will be back there another time, so will do some Asian restaurant reviews.  Now is Bradford better for a curry than Birmingham.

On my way to Bradford

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Sitting here on the train to Leeds, the countryside looks so beautiful as the sun rises.  Yes the sun is shining.   Just about to pull into Leeds station on time, so better put away the laptop.  Then a quick trip to Bradford, where I shall spend a couple of days at the uni there.

Commuting to Broxbourne

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Last couple of days I have been driving around the M25 to Broxbourne.  Working on applying some modifications to a system there.  I find it amazing how you can be in a quite leafy town just a mile off the rush of the M25.

Its also amazing how that at rush hour the M25 is pretty free flowing with no delays.  I expect that though won’t last, but I will be away up to Bradford for the rest of the week.