Crazy for...

Well will see if my memory is good enough to do this update, so much happened it is hard to keep it all in order as well!

I got back to the UK on Friday the 8th, unfortunately my hosts were going to be very busy on the Saturday and Sunday, so left to my own devices on Saturday and having not been able to arrange any meets for the day, I took off early from Amersham to spend the day in London town - no plan, just me, a camera and an idea that going to Greenwich might be nice at some point.
Luckily caught the Chiltern line to Marylebone as the Met line was shut - nothing changed since I lived here then!.

Arriving at the station, I decided to head towards the Embankment, so a couple of tubes later - and oh the joy of a still functioning Oyster card! - I arrived and took a wander up towards the London Eye across the river, first thing I found was the amazing Battle of Britain memorial, a superb piece of art and the start of a project for the day... all the photos are here

On reaching the London Eye it seems as if they have installed an "Extreme Pod" I guess for all those bungee jumping extreme sport type tourists...

During the day I came across some wonderful architectural displays, and some amazing "hidden" artworks, so what started as a stroll along the embankment turned into a hike all the way to Surrey Quays, then a tube to Greenwich Peninsular and the Dome, then another hike up to Greenwich Observatory.

Some selected images from the day here, more at the album

Oh dear, four months past...

Well I really am going to have to try and get back in the habit here! Have just set up the "Visitors blog" to collate shared weekends, photos and experiences out here - so will post to there for the people who have been over here.

So I guess I need to sit down now and do July - October, will try and do a post for each month - although not 100% how the memory will serve me to get it all in the right order.

So first up will be July... and the three B's...

November 09 - Present

Well I promised to jot down a few highlights of the last six months, as I have been pretty lax in updating this thing.

Not that I seem to remember that much happening...
On the Theatre side of things, completed - along with help from the UK based team - the design, layout and production of the programme for CMTC Spring show Sweet Charity - by all accounts a great show, and I was very pleased with the final copy of the programme. Which I collected a few of after driving up to Brittany - so a sort of courier role played by Mr and Mrs C, and a jolly weekend was had along the way! Best G&T this side of the channel, alhough the supplies of T must be restricted judging by their strength - not that I am complaining!

Work has been manic, with plenty to keep me busy this year, and hopefully all sorted now so a quieter six months for the remainder of the year with any luck.

Have had a few weekends away, one up near Rodez, for the Rallye du Marcillac, which was a great weekend with the Rally team from Beauzelle Renault. Great company, fab food, and plenty of laughs - albeit in French and I was invariably laughing some way behind everyone else, but at least I am getting there in the same evening now!!

Later in the year was a weekend in Nay - maybe where the knights come from... any Monty Python fans...? - this is between Lourdes and Pau, and at the foot of the Pyrenees, for the Rallye Du Bearne - another fab weekend, and also the first chance to see the car with a logo I designed displayed prominently on the side, front and back of the motor.

I still think William was ill advised to take up a new "Navigator" position during the day, and luckily saw sense and left the boot to use the seat up front.

Now I am just waiting for the global take off of the drink and my 25% - although it seems to be less each time I mention it...

A couple of shots here from Parc Ferme and also out on the course.

You don't quite get the sense of speed on these shots, I have some others - on the laptop - that I will add later as they do really give the impression of the speed they are doing.

One thing I have not touched on was the closing of our London Office - this was a complete shock to everyone and totally out of the blue, in fact you could almost say it went against what the bosses had reassured everyone in November on the longevity of their jobs.
Fortunately so far this has not had any direct impact on me - other than not really having a position to return to in the UK... there is now just a small office of 5/6 people and that may be further reduced in the coming weeks.

So keeping my fingers crossed that things don't change to much over here for me... watch this space I guess...



View the original blog here http://toulousearlydays.blogspot.com/