Millions on the move

Authorities predict that the Christmas traffic exodus will peak on Britain's roads at 3:00pm this afternoon. At least 18 million cars are expected to be on the road today. The airports won't be any better. At least 3.5 million people, including Garry and I, are scheduled to fly overseas during the festive season. That's almost the entire population of New Zealand disappearing for two weeks. Heathrow alone expects to process 1.2 million departing passengers between now and 2 January. I hope Santa knows where to find everyone.

All the news that's fit to print

I had dinner last night with a work colleague living in the USA. She was amused by UK news headline compared with those in America. While much of the USA media targets global issues and political debate, UK news stories tend to focus on celebrity, scandal and petty Government shortcomings. It was hard not to agree. Today’s headlines are filled with stories about royalty, foolhardy football players, lost data files and a failing regional bank.

Stories are breaking on a weekly basis of another Government department losing sensitive personal data files in the mail. On Monday we learnt that the details of three million candidates for the driving theory test were missing. Earlier this month the tax office lost discs containing financial records and private address details of 25 million people.

Prince William’s long time girlfriend, Kate Middleton, has reportedly moved into Clarence House. The couple split earlier this year after weeks of media speculation that a royal engagement was eminent. They reconciled in July when William invited his ex to a memorial concert staged in memory of his mother. The papers claim Kate has handed over the keys of her Chelsea flat to her sister.

A coroner’s inquest into the death of Princess Diana is also dominating headlines. So far we’ve heard the Diana wanted another marriage “like a rash on her face,” while today’s papers told us how she left used contraception pill packets lying around the cabin of Dodi Al Fayed’s yacht. Even the inquest’s scope reads like an editorial plan for a weekly gossip rag.

I find it staggering that yet another official enquiry is being conducted into her death. Since 1997 at least three official investigations have been held. A two-year French investigation concluded that chauffeur Henri Paul was drunk, on prescription drugs and driving too fast, after hearing evidence from 300 witnesses and filing 6,000 page of evidence.

UK Police then investigated allegations that her death was not an accident. Their report, published last year, ran to some 832 pages and concluded that nothing more than a tragic accident had occurred. Sir Gordon Downey also conducted a UK Parliamentary Inquiry in media standards following the publication of photos from the Paris crash scene.


While too many UK news stories are simply tabloid journalism, the English clearly encourage such a tone with some odd behaviour. Perhaps the most staggering story making headlines this evening is a rape allegation involving Manchester United Football Club. The club staged a festive function for its players, to which several hundred young female guests were invited. Wives and girlfriend were not invited.

Where else in the world would Christmas be considered a credible excuse to lock dozens of testosterone-fueled sportsmen in a room filled with unlimited alcohol and hand-picked women? One cannot help wondering what club management were thinking as they organized the event. Staff Christmas parties in this country seem to be unusually debauched drunken affairs - more so than anything I’ve experienced elsewhere.

I've also noticed that the English have an odd obsession with fancy dress at this time of year. Few Christmas functions pass without some form of costume play. In recent weeks I’ve watched armies of Santa’s and other associated characters wander by most evenings. My company’s own party had a nautical theme this year. I went dressed as a Fishmonger complete with stripped apron, beanie and gumboots. Last year’s theme was “Las Vegas”. On this occasional I dressed as a package tour tourist in sandals, loud Hawaiian shirt and baseball cap. They don't call it the 'silly season' for nothing.

Going north for winter

Scotland during my first visit in 1990

In a moment of madness we’ve organized a seven-day road tour of Northern England and Scotland to welcome in the New Year. We've decided that London is so bitterly cold at the moment that it matters little if we head north. Today we endured a high of 4 °C, with a low of 1 °C currently outside. Fort William, 500 miles north, had the same temperature range today.

Last night we booked hotels and planned highway routes to take us first to Liverpool for New Year’s Eve, then on to Blackpool and Hexham near Hadrian’s Wall, before heading into Scottish Highlands for several days.

We’ve booked a surprisingly cheap hotel near Fort Williams that offers spectacular lochside views. The location looks stunning online. The Ballachulish is an 18th Century listed building, considered one of Scotland’s finest hotels. However, given that its off-peak season, the rates are one-third the usual price. From this base we’re hoping to explore Loch Ness, see Ben Nevis in the snow and explore the highland’s spectacular scenery. We’ll then make our way back south via Edinburgh and York.

We’ll spend our first night of 2008 sleeping in a restored medieval castle, nestled in a huge four-poster bed. Langley Castle was built in 1350, during the reign of Edward III. It thrived for several hundred years until a series of owners fell out of favour with the king; one had the castle confiscated, while two were beheaded. The castle was abandoned in the 18th Century and left to decay until 1882. A former county sheriff then bought the property and set about restoring the premises to its former glory. The photos on the web look simply stunning.

In preparation for our travels I took the car in for a check-up today. The last of our hotel bookings were confirmed late this afternoon. After so many international holidays I'm looking forward to seeing a little more of our host nation. We're now praying for clear, ice-free driving weather.

Year Three Begins

Today Garry and I celebrate the second anniversary of our arrival in London. It's extraordinary to discover how swiftly two years have passed. As I read through this blog I am reminded once again that so much has happened. As you'd expect, our relocation has had its ups and downs. However, Garry and I look back on the last two years as an amazing experience. No doubt there are plenty more adventures ahead. Dubai, Scotland, Helsinki, Iceland, Panama and Mexico are already pencilled in for 2008.

Welcome to winter

It was literally freezing cold last night. This morning we woke to a heavy frost. Tonight the current temperature is 1°C, with an overnight low of -5°C forecast on eastern edge of London. Night time temperatures are forecast to remain at this level for the rest of week. Mainly sunny skies are expected during the day so there's no hope of snow before Christmas. It's just cold, cold, cold.

UPDATE
Today's paper reported that last night was the coldest so far this winter. London also recorded the coldest temperature nation-wide and we woke to another heavy frost. There's even talk of a white Christmas as the cold spell continues.

The Jolly Season

Christmas is upon us. The signs are every where. After two weeks in the USA I arrived home yesterday to find our Christmas assembled and taking pride of place in the living room. Garry had clearly been busy while I was away. I was able to complete its decoration with a special purchase from New York – a large, silver star from Macy’s Department Store’s Christmas Shop.

Earlier in the week I’d dropped into Macy’s to purchase some leather gloves. The store was decked out in all manner of Christmas garlands including a spectacular central aisle on the ground floor. The aisle had been transformed into a glittering red carpet lane framed by row after row of red ribbon arches and potted poinsettias.


Macy’s Christmas Shop was simply dazzling. Dozens of brightly decorated Christmas trees lined another red carpet aisle, each displaying a unique seasonal theme. Here you could purchase a traditional tree tastefully covered in delicate silver baubles; or perhaps a tree smothered in tiny Santas, porcelain angels or any other combination of glittering ornament. The Yuletide fare on offer was staggering.

Perhaps the most unexpected display in store was New York’s famous New Year’s Eve Times Square Ball. For 99 years, at 11:59pm, a giant ball has descended a mast atop the One Times Square building counting down the final moments of the old year. Millions of America's traditionally welcome in the New Year by watching the event on television. To mark the ball’s 100th anniversary, Waterford Crystal has created a spectacular new ball for 2008.


This new ball is made from 672 crystal triangles crafted in Ireland, each lit by a sophisticated LED coloured lighting system. The new system allows the ball to project 16 million vibrant colors and billions of unique patterns. The resulting light show is truly mesmerizing.

A day on the Bay

Several inches of snow fell on New York City last weekend, the city’s first snow of the season. The US mid-West and Great Lakes endured even heavier falls – up to several feet in places. The resulting chaos caused flight delays and cancellations nationwide. More than 400 flights were cancelled from Chicago’s O’Hare airport alone. Naturally these cancellations affected onward flights scheduled elsewhere as aircraft failed to arrive. My flight from San Francisco to New York was one such cancellation. As a result I found myself stranded in San Francisco for a day.

I decided to take advantage of this unexpected Sunday break by walking along the city foreshore to the Golden Gate Bridge. Without a doubt this is one of the most scenic urban walks in America. A three-mile route takes you past some of the city’s historic locations, while the majestic Golden Gate Bridge slowly grows in prominence.


I began my outdoor adventure by catching the historic Powell Street cable car along the crest of Russian Hill and on to Hyde Street at Fisherman’s Wharf. San Francisco’s first cable car began service in 1873. Three routes remain today, carrying 700,000 passengers every day on 37 restored cars. Garry and I visited the cable car museum in 2005 where you can watch machinery hauling four long cables under local streets. On Sunday morning I read a fascinating article over breakfast about the ongoing restoration of the car cable system. Apparently, each wooden vehicle lasts at least 100 years, with an overhauled scheduled about every 40 years.

Upon arrival at Fisherman’s Wharf I made my way past Hyde Wharf towards Fort Mason Park. A small bluff in the park gives you your first dramatic panorama of the Golden Gate Bridge. As you glimpse between trees, the bridge stands proudly over the Bay, while directly below you, the yellow and red painted wharves of a former naval base catch your eye. These wharves were the main embarkation point for troops and supplies shipped to the Pacific during World War II and the Korean War. However, today’s crowds had a less deadly mission in mind. I watched them swarm around fresh cut Christmas trees displayed outside a warehouse that was clearly filled to the rafters with Christmas paraphernalia.


On the edge of Fort Mason Park stands a statue of a man, his arms outstretched towards the city. As I approached I was amused to see a lone Tai Chi enthusiast mimicking the statue’s stance. This is Congressman Phillip Burton, the sponsor of legislation that created the Golden Gate National Parks in 1972. I later discovered that the National Park area encompasses more than 30 separate sites around San Francisco Bay and the Pacific West Coast, including Alcatraz, Golden Gate Park and Muir Woods, home to a grove of towering Redwood trees.


From here it was on to Marina Green, a long, narrow ribbon of parkland along the Bay. This park is a favourite haunt of joggers, bikers, kite flyers, volleyball players and romping dogs. The park also offers stunning views across the harbour to infamous Alcatraz Island, the former prison home of mafia boss, Al Capone. Seagulls seemed more interested in the passing traffic than the island view.


The Palace of Fine Arts was my next stop. This building and its colonnaded surrounds were constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. This was a grand fair celebrating the discovery of the Pacific Ocean and the recent completion of the Panama Canal. Most of the fair’s buildings were designed as temporary structures. However the Palace of Fine Arts survived, its continuing presence assured in 1960s by a comprehensive reconstruction project. Today, the Palace’s dramatic orange rotunda stands out from surrounding treetops, a faux classical building inspired by Greco-roman design.


My final stop enroute to the bridge was Crissy Airfield. This expansive grass strip was part of the United States' Presidio Army Base until the 1990s. It was named after Major Dana H. Crissy, a military aviator who lost his life during a pioneering 1919 cross-country flight. At its peak the airfield was the main departure point for early aircraft crossings of the Pacific and the American continent. It offered a unique combination of facilities; supporting either flying boats or land-based aircraft. Early trans-continental airmail services were also based here. Today hangers and coast guards buildings line its perimeter, most build in a classic 1920s style. Their presence makes it easy to step back in time and imagine a long forgotten era of air travel.

I reached Fort Point as the sun was sinking low. Here a bland angled building sits in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge. From its wind-swept stone promenade you can look up at the bold red deck of the bridge itself and marvel as its central span soars across the harbour entrance. At the time of its completion in 1937, the 1280 metre span was the longest in the world. Its 227 metre high towers were also the tallest structures on the West Coast. Today it remains the second longest bridge in the USA. The last of the bonds used to finance its construction were only retired in 1971.


I love coming out to this point to witness the majesty of the bridge, the fresh salt air and the stunning harbour views. Standing here it’s easy to compare San Francisco with Sydney and wonder which is the better city?

Food, glorious seafood

Fresh seafood. It's the one thing I miss most about life in London. Of course you can get perfectly edible seafood here. However its often thawed from frozen, or is dominated by less appealing cold water species inhabiting the frigid North Atlantic and North Sea. Spending a week in San Francisco gave me an opportunity to sample some of the city's fresh ocean produce.

On Saturday evening I caught a cable car down to Fisherman's Wharf to enjoy creamy Clam Chowder and fresh, meaty Crab Cakes. Earlier in the day I'd enjoyed Poke Tuna Bowl at Mr Hana in Westfield Shopping Centre. This is a simple Japanese fusion salad made of marinated tuna chunks, avocado, nori, cucumber and sushi rice. Very tasty!


On Sunday evening I caught the F-street car along Embarcadaro to the restored Ferry Building. I sat at the marble counter-top in Hog Island Oyster Bar with a large glass of wine, savouring another bowl of fresh, creamy clam chowder and a delicious salad piled high with a mound of fresh crab meat. As I left the Ferry Building I was captivated by Christmas lights framing the nearby Embarcadaro Centre. The effect left me wondering if I'd ventured into a Disney theme park.


Earlier in the week I'd enjoyed an evening meal at Betelnut on Union Street. This is another venue offering a mouth-watering menu of Asia fusion dishes in a relaxed diner-style location. It was clearly popular as crowds waited at the bar for the next available table. We waited at least 40 minutes. However the wait was worth it. The oven smoked seabass with ginger-cucumber namasu literally melted in our mouths.

Leaving on a jet plane

This morning I fly to the USA for two weeks on business - first to San Francisco, then on to New York. It's been quite a while since I've been on the road for such a lenghty period. Two and three week jaunts use to be the norm when I was based in Asia, but have become something of an oddity while living in Europe. I'm looking forward to being back in Bay Area. It's been almost three years since I was there. San Francisco use to remind me of home (Sydney). I'll be curious to see if it still has the same impact.

I am flying Virgin Atlantic. This will be my first time in the air as a Gold Member with Virgin. I'll be able to try out its famous 'Clubhouse' lounge at Heathrow. The lounge was recently upgraded and features a Hairdresser, spa and private dining room. Virgin claims that the queues for immigration and security are also swifter. Here's hoping!

A vote for homesickness

Every so often events provoke an unexpected twinge of homesickness. During our first year away from Australia I rarely missed Down Under. I thought I’d somehow managed to avoid the emotional pain of relocation. However our second year has been a different story. I've often found myself thinking of Australia, resulting in a subtle, but growing, reticence about life in London. Today, those feelings welled up again with overnight news on the Australian Federal Election.

After 11.5 years the conservative Coalition parties have lost their bid for a fifth term in Government. Prime Minister, John Howard, has conceded defeat and appears likely to lose his own seat in Parliament. I wish I’d been in Australia to experience this watershed moment for myself. Since relocating to Australia more than 17 years ago I’ve only ever know three Australian Prime Ministers; Bob Hawke, Paul Keating and John Howard. I've always admired the first two, but never cared much for the third.

While Howard always made me cringe, I voted for the Coalition during its first two terms. I supported many of it promised tax reforms including a value-add tax (GST) and changes to marginal tax rates that often penalised middle-class Australia. However, I soon grew tired of an increasingly manipulative Government willing to use bigotry and FUD to maintain office. The "Children Overboard' scandal is a case in point. The Government's flagrant manipulation of this story to support oppressive immigration policies was an international embarrassment and did nothing to promote Australia’s global reputation for tolerance.

Equally shameful was it’s manipulation of the Republican debate. Howard's cynical approach to the 1998 constitutional convention ensured its eventual defeat despite a majority of Australian's favouring change. A decade later, it’s impossible to explain to people in London why Australians would endorse a constitution enshrining England's Queen as their head of state.

Howard's defeat has filled UK headlines today; every newspaper has led with this story online, as has the BCC and CNN. Howard's concession speech was a remarkable moment in Australian politics as he demonstrated a rare spirit of true statesmanship. I was impressed. If only he'd been bold enough to act this way in earlier times.

I’m happy to leave the last word to a woman in Brisbane who wrote to the BCC simply saying, “After too many years I can finally hold my head up and be proud to call myself Australian again.” Now, how do we get that Constitution sorted once and for all?

Restless nights

Garry got his annual flu shot last week. It was offered under subsidy by his employer. I wish I’d done the same. I’ve been feeling rather off-colour since Monday, suffering various aches, pains and restless nights. This time it’s not gout. However, I doubt that a flu shot would have helped. A survey in 2005 found that only 13% of people tested actually had the flu despite suffering a flu-like illness. It seems that most people actually catch a cold. At last count there were at least 200 cold viruses, each constantly mutating, thus making colds the more common aliment.

It costs the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) at least £115 million every year to vaccine people against the flu. The NHS provides vaccinations free of charge to people aged 65 years and over, as well as certain at-risk groups under 65 years of age. Last year’s uptake by those over 65 reached 74% of the population. This year the NHS ordered more than 15 million vaccine doses.

Those doses may be needed. Currently infections are increasing faster than at the same time last year. It seems that last year’s mild winter helped reduce the nation’s annual flu count. Perhaps Garry really was the sensible one this year?

Another flu outbreak was also in the news this week. On Tuesday an outbreak of bird flu was reported in eastern England at a poultry farm. About 5,000 free-range turkeys, 1,000 ducks and 500 geese on the affected farm were culled. The papers have been full of stories about a potential turkey shortage for this year’s Christmas dinner. It seems that bird flu, much like its human counterpart, has become a seasonal event in the UK.

I have to end this blog post with an interesting piece of trivia. The name, influenza, can be traced back to a time when people believed that epidemics were caused by the stars' influence. Language can be a fascinating window into history.

It's cold out there

It's 1.30pm on Sunday afternoon in London. The temperature outside is 6°C, only one degree off the predicted high for today. The sky is grey and overcast. We're expecting rain and a low of 4°C overnight. Winter has arrived!

Today's paper is full of stories about 80cms of fresh snow that's fallen in Kitzbuhel, Austria. They say its the biggest November fall for more than 30 years. As a result the ski season opened at Kitzbuhel last weekend, six weeks ahead of schedule.

Chief Operating Officer

I can finally share news I've been waiting months to announce. I've been promoted. I'm now the global Chief Operating Officier (COO) for my company. The news was announced worldwide earlier this week during a series of conference calls. It looks like we'll be spending at least another 12 months living in London. In less than four weeks we'll celebrate the second anniversary of our arrival in the UK. Time has flown by.

London lights up for Christmas

Christmas is coming! Tonight Garry and I ventured down Oxford after dark to view the Christmas lights along London's most popular shopping strip. I was rather disappointed by what we saw. I'm sure the lights were more spectacular in previous years.

In fact, I found myself far more fascinated by the giant video screens in Piccadilly Circus. I learnt recently that the earliest signs used incandescent light bulbs. They must have been a nightmare to maintain. The bulbs were eventually replaced by neon, which in turn was converted to the current LED screens in 2005. Traditional Christmas lights simply can't compete.


Garry and I had gone into town to see In the Shadow of the Moon, a documentary on the Apollo manned missions to the Moon. The film is narrated by the astronaunts themselves interspersed with restored footage from NASA's archives. It seemed appropriate to see this film given that the 5oth anniversary of Sputnik's launch was held last month.

I was surprised to see how old the astronauts looked. I shouldn't have been surprised, Neil Armstrong turned 77 in August. Somehow I'd expected these modern heroes to remain ageless. It's hard to believe that we'll celebrate the 4oth anniversary of man's first steps on the moon barely 18 months from now.

Marsaxlokk

Marsaxlokk was an unexpected highlight of Malta. This tongue-twisting fishing village sits on the south-east corner of the main island on the edge of a sheltered bay. On our second day in Malta Garry and I caught a local bus to explore the village's popular Sunday market. After a bone-shaking journey we arrived in a picturesque bay filled with colourful fishing boats.

While we'd heard about these boats, nothing could prepare us for the sight of these delightful vessels dotting an azure-blue harbour. Each boat is painted blue and lined with bright stripes of yellow, red and white. The bow of each boat has an eye painted on each side. This tradition, inherited from the Phoenicians, is designed to wards off harm each time local fishermen venture from the harbour.


We stopped for lunch at Ron's Fish Cafe, enjoying fresh fish and an uninterrupted view of the colourful bay before venturing back to Sliema. Later that evening we wandered down to TGI Friday's for dinner. However, this was no ordinary TDI Friday's. The restaurant sits inside a 19th Century stone fort built on the Sliema coast.


Our final day in Malta, Garry's birthday, was largely spent on a bus tour, traversing much of the island's Eastern extremities. Garry and I sat on the top deck of an open-air double-decker bus watching some of Malta's most fascinating sights pass by. The Three Cities waterfront was a definite highlight, as was the desolate coastline surrounding the Blue Grotto. Time and time again we were reminded of how much history has shaped, and reshaped this tiny island in the Mediterranean Sea.

Valletta - the jewel of Malta

In December 1522 Ottoman Turks under the command of Suleiman the Magnificent conquered the island of Rhodes. The defeated Christian forces of the Knights Hospitaller retreated to Sicily. In 1530, Charles V of Spain gave the islands of Malta to the Knights in perpetual lease. Malta was soon transformed into a naval base, preying of Islamic shipping in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

The resurgence of the Knights, now known as the Knight of Malta, understandably attracted the attention of the Ottomans. In May 1565, they besieged the island and five bloody months of fighting ensued. By the time the Turks retreated Malta has lost a third of its inhabitants and a similar number of Knights were dead.


In the years that followed, led by Grand Master Jean de la Valette, the Knights built a new, heavily fortified city in Malta’s inner harbour. The city was named Valletta after the Grand Master himself. The Knights reined until Malta was captured by Napoleon enroute to Egypt in 1798. Two years later the British blockaded the islands, forced the French to surrender and claimed the island for its Empire.

Today, Malta is an independent republic and one of the EU most recent member states. It joined the Union on May 1, 2004. On January next year it joins the Eurozone, becoming the 14th nations to use this currency.


Without a doubt Malta has enjoyed a colourful history, much of which is still clearly evident today. Last weekend Garry and I enjoyed three days exploring some of the island’s most historic sights. Our first day, Saturday, saw us wake to brilliant sunshine and a stunning view across the rooftops of Sliema towards the fortified city of Valletta. We decided to make this magnificent sight our destination for the day.


Before making our way to Valletta, we took a leisurely stroll along the ocean promenade of Sliema, watching white-capped waves break along the rocky foreshore. It was here we discovered Snoopy’s, an unassuming, dimly lit restaurant that served some of the most divine food we’ve tasted in years. Garry tucked into an enormous steak for lunch, while I enjoyed mouth-watering Tandoori chicken.


After lunch we made our way to the Sliema ferry wharf hoping to catch a boat to Valletta. After some delay, and confusion, it became clear that the ferry wasn’t running. We flagged a taxi and made our way by land. Our first stop in Valletta was St John’s Co-Cathedral, the Malta’s Knight’s main church.

The squat, rather plain building was competed in 1577. However, looks can be deceiving. Once inside the building, visitors are quickly drawn into one of the most ornate buildings I’ve ever encountered. The church’s once plain wall have been carved with the most elaborate Baroque motifs, the floor inlaid with colourful marble artwork and the barrel vault decorated by grand paintings.


No a single wall, nock or arch has been left untouched. Each side chapel is equally emblazoned creating the most extraordinary visual feast. Off to one side sits the Oratory. This private room houses the building’s main attraction, an enormous painting, by the artist Caravaggio, of the beheading of St John the Baptist. An amazingly captivating, simple image.


We then spent the remainder of the afternoon wandering the straight, narrow streets of Valletta. We were constantly confronted by one astounding view after another. Two views stand out. First, the vista from the northern fortifications across the eastern flank of the city taking in the grand dome of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Second, the view across the Grand Harbour to the nearby Three Cities of of Senglea, Vittoriosa and Cospicua. Valletta, without doubt, sits in a beautiful location.

The Big Five Zero

Garry and I are waiting to board our flight home from Malta. We've spent three relaxing days on the main island for Garry's birthday. This is also the 50th country I've visited.

Malta is a facinating place. Over the centuries it's wonderfully sheltered natural harbours have been heavily fortified by successive generations of the Knights of St John. It's capital, Valleta, is a long, narrow penisular jutting out into the Grand Harbour. Its coastal rocks have long since been modified by grand, towering walls of light brown stone - close to six kilometres in total.


In fact, almost every building in Malta is constructed from the same brown limestone, quarried from the opposite side of the island. We've spent days wandering delightful narrow laneways lined with brown stone buildings. The typical Maltese house also include a small enclosed balcony on the first floor, jutting out over the sidewalk. The effect is incredibly quaint, giving character to an otherwise featureless street.

This wasn't the only quaint experience in Malta. Marsaxlokk, a nearby fishing village, seemed straight out of an old travel brochure. More about that tomorrow.

Oh the humilation...

It's official. I have gout. I hobbled down the road for a consultation with the doctor this morning after enduring 1.5 days of throbbing, aching pain in the big toe of my left foot. I thought I might have sprained it in New York last week as it had started to ache on my final day in town. However the pain cleared up over the weekend and I thought nothing more of it. On Tuesday evening it started to ache again and with hours was racked with pain I'd never experienced before.

It seems that this probably isn't my first bout of gout. I had a painful couple of days with same toe while we were in the Amazon. At the time I simply assumed I'd sprained it given the volume of walking we were doing. However, the same toe has gone on to experience twinges at regular intervals ever since.

Tomorrow I'll be getting some blood tests done. In the mean time the doctor has given me some potent anti-inflamatory drugs. They work! Tonight I can walk again. Thank goodness. We are off to Malta for Garry's birthday tomorrow. I was starting to think I'd get no further than our hotel room without a pair of crutches. Oh the humiliation.

Solving life's little mysteries

Every so often I discover the answer to some of life’s more vexing questions. For example, how do you obtain a permit to busk at London’s Underground stations? Since 2001 buskers have been legally allowed perform at 22 central London stations by booking one of 33 designated sites. At last count more than 356 buskers provided commuters with 3,000 hours of entertainment each week. How do they get their lucky break?

My question was answered by a story in today's paper. Budding musicians and street entertainers must submit an application, then pass a police background check. Screened applicants are welcome to attend auditions held on a disused platform at Charing Cross station. A panel of judges reviews each performer, granting two-hour slots to those passing muster. Each slot is highly coveted as the panel convenes only twice a year. The next audition will happen in March next year. I can't see myself giving up my day job just yet.

36 tonnes of carbon

Accounting firm KPMG says that the Green Technology is now the third largest sector for venture capital investment. I believe it. Sustainability is big news in London. Not a day goes by without a news story or advertisement focused on the reduction of carbon emissions. There’s even a website available where you can calculate your carbon footprint, make an offset payment and receive a certificate confirming your now carbon neutral status.

On whim I had a go at calculating my carbon footprint. My footprint is estimated to be 35.68 tonnes of CO2 per year. At least 70% of this total (25.60 tonnes) is created by the many business and personal flights I make each year. Unsurprisingly, my contribution to global warming is about three times the average for a UK resident. However, were I not to fly for a year, my footprint would fall below the national average.

I was curious to set how much it would cost to offset my carbon footprint. Two options were offered by this site. £257.70 offsets 36 tonnes of carbon by planting native broad leaved trees in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley. Alternatively, £295.50 funds verified carbon reduction projects around the world. I was surprised to see how relatively inexpensive it was to offset my personal footprint, given its estimated size. If global warming truly is an impending disaster of epic proportions then I’d happily have a small carbon tax levied on my polluting activities.

Halloween in New York

Since 1973 New York City has played host to the nation's largest night parade on October 31. Anyone in costume can join the parade. More than 50,000 do every year, watched by more than two million people. I'd never heard of the event until this week when several of us went down to Greenwich Village to witness the festivities for ourselves.

Streets in the village were blocked off allowing costumed revellers to take over the area. As more and more people gathered the streets became increasingly festive. Tribes of skeletons wandered by, followed by pregnant nuns, zombies and Grim Reapers in numbers that can't be healthy. Homer Simpson also wandered by at one point, along with Spiderman, Batman and Superman. Mozart and dozens of Southern Belles were out on the town - at least half were drag queens.


Earlier in the day debate had raged over the meaning of Halloween. Some quick internet research revealed that its origins trace back to the ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain. This festival celebrated the end of the harvest season. The Gaels believed that on October 31 the worlds of the living and the dead briefly overlapped enabling the dead to live again. This cross-over was believed to cause disease, pestilence and crop failure. Halloween took hold in the USA after two million Irish migrated while escaping the Irish Potato Famine (1845-1849). I doubt these migrants would recognise their festival today.

Meanwhile, back here in London, festivities are in full swing for Guy Fawkes. Our weekend evenings have been filled with the sound of exploding gunpowder as backyard pyrotechnics take to the sky. It seems that everyone loves a good party no matter where you go.

Gold, gold, gold

Virgin Atlantic upgraded my frequent flyer status to Gold this week. Qantas has also renewed my Platinum status for another year. I am now a top level air points member with two airlines; Qantas and Virgin Atlantic. Garry is also a Platinum member with Qantas. As you'd expect, we're gathering a growing mass of air miles. I expect to pass 600,000 miles with Qantas before Christmas. I also have enough points with Virgin Atlantic now to fly Garry and I free to the Caribbean.

I've clocked up an astonishing 55 flights so far this year, flying more than 150,000kms across five continents. I have four additional flights already booked before the end of the year and anticipate a futher three will be added to this tally before I'm done. By the time we're back from Dubai I will have been out of the UK for more than 100 days in 2007 .

In the dark of night

Yesterday's sunset over New York

Daylight Saving Time has finished for another year. Our clocks have gone back an hour. The difference is quite a shock. At 3:00pm this afternoon I found myself turning on the lights at Swiss Cottage in an attempt to alleviate the gloom. By 5:00pm it was dark outside. Winter is clearly on its way.

I saw some interesting statistics on the duration of daylight at different times of the year yesterday. USA Today published a chart which showed Daylight in Minneapolis lasting 10 hours and 8 minutes on November 2, compared with 15 hours and 33 minutes on July 1. The difference is even more extreme in London. Summer's daylight hours extend up to 17 hours, falling to less then 8 hours in winter (shown below).

I read this week that much of the UK and other Northern Europe nations suffer Vitamin D deficiency thanks to winter darkness. Our skin requires UVB rays to make Vitamin D. Most fair-skinned people require at least 15 minutes of sunlight at midday to maintain good health. However, at higher latitudes UVB rays struggle to penetrate the atomsphere in sufficient quantities for much of the year. Food supplements are the only alternative vitamin source. Vitamin D deficiency is one health risk I never anticipated when relocating to London.

Grand Central Terminal

Grand Central Terminal is one of New York’s hidden wonders. Set in the heart of Manhattan, this train station is home to an incredible 44 underground platforms, providing access to 67 separate tracks. The tracks themselves are split into two underground levels, with 41 tracks on the upper level and another 26 on the lower level. Trains departing from here travel along tunnels that run below Park Avenue to Harlem before surfacing.

Earlier this month I caught a train from Grand Central enroute to Greenwich in Connecticut for a day of business meetings. This was the first time I’d ever caught a train from this iconic building. I was astonished to discover just how many platforms and trains were in service, all situated under my feet, right in the heart of one of the world’s largest cities. Every day 660 commuter trains terminate here, disgorging more than 125,000 people into Manhattan.


The current terminal building and underground platforms were built between 1903 and 1913. The main concourse is one of New York’s iconic locations. The space fills almost an entire city block, lit by rows of towering arched windows, with a ceiling that soars an impressive 150 feet overhead. Access to the main floor is via a grand, sweeping marble staircase.

In the centre of the concourse sits a small information booth, crowned by a four-face brass clock. This clock is considered one of New York’s classic meeting places. When I stand here it’s easy to imagine Audrey Hepburn meeting a trench coat wearing Cary Grant. Grand Central has been described as a cathedral for trains. I can see why.

Next generation expands, current generation ages

Exciting news for the family this week. I became an Uncle for the fourth time on Tuesday. My brother Matt and his wife Shelly had a baby boy, Keenan. All is well.

On the opposite side of the planet, Hamish - my middle brother, turned 40 today. Two of us have now crossed over to the dark side.