As the cinemas prepare for the forthcoming 'hit' Happy Feet (in cinemas from the 26th...) I thought this would be a timely Christmas post.....



'Happy Feet' is set in the great nation of Emperor Penguins, deep in Antarctica, where you're nobody unless you can sing - which is unfortunate for Mumble (Elijah Wood or Frodo Baggins if you prefer), who is the worst singer in the world. He is born dancing to his own tune...tap dancing. Though Mumble's mom, Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman), thinks this little habit is cute, his dad, Memphis (Hugh Jackman), says it 'just ain't penguin.' Besides, they both know that without a Heartsong, Mumble may never find true love. Mumble is just too different - especially for Noah the Elder (Hugo Weaving), the stern leader of Emperor Land, who ultimately casts him out of the community. Mumble sets out across vast landscapes and, after some epic encounters, proves that by being true to yourself, you can make all the difference in the world.

Sounds awful.   Bah Humbug!

At this time of the year it is important to spend time with family and friends.   We have a quiet Christmas planned.... to be followed by a less quiet New Year celebrating the Fisherman's birthday down in Cornwall.

I've been somewhat slack in posting over the last week (don't ask, but suffice to say I need a holiday!) but did want to write a holiday message.   As usual, plagiarism came to the rescue and Shivs sent this over from Gordon in Hong Kong.....

I wanted to send some sort of end-of-the-year holiday greetings to my friends and colleagues, but it is so difficult in today's world to know exactly what to say without offending someone.

So I met with my lawyer yesterday and, on his advice, I wish to say the following:-

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practised with the most enjoyable traditions of religious persuasion or secular practices of your choice with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions have helped make our society both varied and interesting, and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting these greetings, you are accepting these terms:

This message of greetings is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Disclaimer: No trees were harmed in the sending of this message; however, a significant number of electrons were slightly inconvenienced.

This was sent to me from old pal David ex of Hong Kong and soon to be navigator extraordinaire on the Winter Trial.....    The Washington Post's Style Invitational asked readers to take any work from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting or changing one letter, and suppy a new definitions.

Here are some of the best entries:

1.  Bozone (n.)   The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating.   The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

2.  Cashtration (n.)   The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

3.  Giraffiti (n.)   Vandalism spray painted very, very high.

4.  Sarchasm (n.)  The gulf between auther of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

More tomorrow!

The motorist remains a soft and lucrative target for those seeking to raise more and more revenue... petrol was increased by 1.25p per litre last week by Greedy Gordy.

Safety Camera Partnerships (can you think of a more repugnant oxymoron?) do raise money, although not as much as you would think.   In 2004 they raised £112Million against an operating cost of £92Million, making a profit of just £20Million.

Many of the cameras are operated by third party companies and not by the police.

So someone is making a good living out of turning ordinary folks into criminals...... more on this one soon.... 

Last nights cooking shows on BBC2 provided a wonderful contrast of styles.

The ever so slightly over complex science as espoused by Heston Blumenthal (he of The Fat Duck and weird flavour ice cream fame) and Rick Stein from Padstow and Food Heroes and the Keep it (reasonably) Simple Stupid school.

Heston was searching for the recipe for the perfect roast chicken.   Crispy skin on the outside yet moist and tender on the inside.   He blanched it, iced it, dried it, slow cooked it and incinerated it by accident in a bin full of fat in the car park.   I can't recall the final steps to perfection - I had lapsed into a coma.

Half an hour earlier Rick was scouring the UK for perfect fresh foodstuffs - and advising on the best way to cook them.   He covered turkey and chicken and showed us his way of cooking the perfect roast bird for Christmas.   Very nice too.

Then he shared Escoffier's recipe for chicken:

Place the chicken in a medium hot oven and roast until cooked.

Eat your heart out Heston.

According to an article in Metro (quite good London freebie daily rag) research has shown than left handed people tend to think quicker and be better at sport than righties.   The study proves they are better at doing complex jobs like flying jet fighters for example.

The research was carried out by a Dr. Nick Cherbuin - who is right handed.

Of course he is.

We lefties could have saved him the bother of researching - all he had to do was ask.

This piece of news from the Torygraph made me spill my double expresso....

Gordon Brown told business leaders that he is determined to remove the burden of unnecessary regulation and "old-style routine inspection and enforcement".

Pretty good so far.......

In future, resources would be focused on areas where the risks to society were greatest, he said at the annual conference of the Confederation of British Industry yesterday.

OK... a bit light on specifics, but we're listening....

The Chancellor announced he had brought forward the timetable for establishing the Local Better Regulation Office from 2009 to next year.

Ahh!   So that's it!   Brilliant.   Absolutely Brilliant.   Cutting red tape by creating another Government Red Tape Department.   What a winner.

Just who does he think he is kidding?

At the risk of this blog becoming simply a facsimile of Quote / Unquote, I could not resist this one from Johnny 'Two Jag's'.   Opening his mouth once again to merely change feet our Deputy Prime Minister said:

The Green Belt is a Labour acheivement and we mean to build on it

Perfect.

This of course begs the question of how.   With the threatened Planning Gain supplement no developer is going to be running to build more houses than they need to keep their teams busy, this side of a General Election, hoping for a repeal of the bill next term.    Landowners will be disincentivised to put land up for sale as the rewards are reduced.

And the pundits say we need 30,000 homes per year to meet demand and to control house price rises.

I can see NuLabour has really thought this one through.   Again.

Regular readers will know I am a fan of quotes and Mr. FM's post yesterday from Winston Churchill, prompted me to share this.   Of the many memorable quotes about wine, this is one of my favourites; on Champagne:

I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad.   Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone.  When I have company I consider it obligatory, I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am.   Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty.

Madame Bollinger

It's official:  the start of the 'holiday season'.    We can't call it Christmas any more as it offends too many people of other faiths.   Odd that the athiests couldn't give a stuff.... anyway, I digress, for my regular American readers - yes there is more than one of you - I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, wherever you may be.

And there's a little bit of animated Turkey related fun attached too.

   more »

A long time ago at school - yes, I know, it is a scary thought - we had to read Voltaire's Candide and, as it is his birthday today I thought a few of his quotes would brighten your day.   Good quotes really do stand the test of time.... and these are immortal:

On Religion

Nothing can be more contrary to religion and the clergy than reason and common sense.

If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him. 

If God created us in his own image, we have more than reciprocated.

On Government

An ideal form of government is democracy tempered with assassination.

In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one class of citizens to give to another.

I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.

and one for my wife...

I hate women because they always know where things are.

Clever chap Voltaire.. and he's never even met her!

All of a sudden, navigating through London, with its collection of crazed mini-cab drivers, mad cyclists and scooter owners, wild white van men, aggressive joe public and diplomatically plated supercars, all driven with scant regard for either other road users or the Highway code, seems rather plain.

This is a fairly typical scene but, on any given highway in an Indian town you can see:   Bicycles, motorbikes, scooters, pedestrians, carts (horse, donkey, camel and even human powered), cows, chickens, vans, tuk-tuks, lorries, buses, taxis, jeeps and elephants.

Right of way is given to Cows first and then a rather practical system based - not on any form of code or rules - but on who's biggest and likely to cause me the most damage. 

If I see them.

If I can't see them, or alternatively am staring straight ahead, fixing my gaze resolutely at a point in the middle distance and absolutely refusing to acknowledge the approaching vehicle as I cross the road, then they are deemed to have seen me and must slow down / swerve violiently / hit me.   You have to see it to believe it, but trust me, it's true.

Watching the UK Music Industry's Hall of Fame last night, one of the quotes lauding Led Zeppelin, from Jack White of the White Stripes was:

I sort of don't trust anybody who doesn't like Led Zepelin

Quite so.

A long time ago in Hong Kong, a group of wine lovers got together to taste wine and have an enjoyable evening with friends.   At the time, The Hong Kong Wine Society met regularly and they took things somewhat seriously.

On the other hand... Not The Hong Kong Wine Society had a different approach.   There was only one rule:  No Spitting.   I have no proof, but there remains a suspicion that the rule had less to do with the prominent signs on the Star Ferry, than the idea that wine was to be drunk and not swilled and subsequently spat out.

It's now over 25 years since the inception of NTHKWS and the Society still thrives, both in Hong Kong and the UK.   With the return of members over the years, the UK chapter started meeting and now convenes twice a year, following the traditional format.   A home hosted evening of tasting, followed by dinner and a good catch up on the gossip.  There are now two rules as far as I can tell:  No spitting.   And to be a member you had to be a member in Hong Kong.   Good tradition in my book.

So, thinking we would have long moved house and be settled and ready to host the evening, yours truly said we would do the November event.   And in keeping with all the best laid plans, a month after we actually completed on our purchase, we entertained 18 friends from NTHKWS, at our house.

Amidst the preparation of food, arrangement of accommodation, redecoration of rooms so we could actually put up a few friends I had to think about what we should taste....

I consulted with the Oracle(s) and settled on Shiraz / Syrah from around the world.   One of the aims of the Society has always been to find interesting and good value wines so I sourced alternatives from Bowes Wine, Berry Bros, Odd Bins as well as Waitrose and Captain Cork's cellar.

Another of the traditions of the Society was that the expensive wines rarely did so well... to the point that we usually preferred the underdog.   Last weeks tasting was no different as, from 8 wines priced between 3.50 and 30 odd quid, the winner was almost the cheapest:

Result    Wine                                                Vintage       Price

1            Dona Paula, Los Cardos Shiraz        2004           6.00
2            EQ Syrah                                          2004          13.60
3            Joan D'Anguera, El Bugader            2001          25.00
4            InyconShiraz                                     2005          3.49
5            Qupe Syrah Bien Nacido                  2000          22.95
6            Rusden, Black Guts, Shiraz,             1999          30.00
7            Crozes Hermitage                             2004          12.95
              Domaine des Lises, Maxime Graillot
8            Kanonkop                                         1997          25.00

The Dona Paula is available from an Odd Bins near you.

I supposed it had to happen - but it came as quite a shock to read that the Star Ferry Pier in Central, together with the adjacent Queens Pier is to be demolished as a result of reclamation along the north shore of Hong Kong Island.  Both piers will be re-positioned further out into the harbour on newly reclaimed land

Why the nostalgia?   Well, it was my regular transport to work for most of the 9 years I worked in Tsim Sha Tsui and Queens Pier was the boarding point for many of the junk trips to Lamma.

(Looking north towards Tsim Sha Tsui, you can see the Star Ferry Pier on the left with Queens Pier on the right)

The Ferry has a unique place in Hong Kong's history.   In 1966 a fare increase of 10 cents sparked the 1966 Hong Kong riots and, until the opening of the Cross Harbour Tunnel in 1972, the Star Ferry was the main means of public transportation between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

The Star Ferry makes a "star turn" in the 1950s film The World of Suzie Wong.  In the beginning of the film, Robert Lomax (played by William Holden debarks from the USS President Harrison (an old American President Line transpacific passenger vessel) and takes the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island, and on the ferry meets Suzie Wong (played by Nancy Kwan who scorns his attentions as unwanted.

The ferry itself is completely recognizable, and the layout of the pier where William Holden debarks in Kowloon is familiar to the resident or denizen of Tsim Sha Tsui, but missing are the giant shopping malls of today.

From Wikipedia (with my edits..):  

The Star Ferry is a passenger ferry service operator and its' principal routes carry passengers across Victoria Harbour between Hong Kong island and Kowloon.   The company has been operating since the late 1880s. It was founded by Parsee Dorabjee Nowrojee as the Kowloon Ferry Company in 1888 and renamed it to Star Ferry in 1898. The name was inspired by his love of Tennyson's "Crossing the Bar", whose first line was Sunset and evening star, and one clear call for me!

The fleet of twelve ferries operates four routes across the harbour, carrying over 70,000 passengers a day, or 26 million a year. Even though there are now other ways to cross the harbour, by MTR (subway) and road tunnels, the Star Ferry continues to provide an efficient, popular and inexpensive mode of crossing the harbour. The company's main route runs between the main Central District and Tsim Sha Tsui which is what most people mean by "the Star Ferry" in common parlance. This route is also popular with tourists, and has become one of the icons of Hong Kong heritage in the eyes of tourists. From the ferry, one can take in the famous view of the harbour and the Hong Kong skyline.

(Hong Kong from Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, with the Star Ferry Pier in the Foreground)

Architects and conservationists state that the old piers have important architectural and cultural value to Hong Kong. For the past 50 years, it has witnessed dramatic changes and it plays an important part in their collective memory. Architecturally, the ferry pier is one of the last examples of a Streamline Modern public building in Hong Kong, along with the Central market and Wan Chai market also facing demolition.

Earlier, the Star Ferry Company carried out a technical feasibility study to see whether it could relocate the existing clock mechanism from the old pier. The clock is a precious antique mechanical clock. It was manufactured by the same UK company that provided the mechanical signature to Big Ben of London. However, an expert and specialist clock supplier advised against relocation as there was no guarantee the clock and chimes would continue to work after relocation, due to their age and obsolete components.

Ongoing maintenance of the ageing clock mechanism has also become difficult. Therefore, the company decided to replace the existing clock with a new set of five bells that sound similar to those of the old one.

(Meridian Star (午星號) heading for Central in the late afternoon sun)

Despite the Government's decision to relocate the ferry pier, there are local community efforts to save the Star Ferry Pier and the Clock Tower. Some members of the public call for the complete preservation of the structures. The Hong Kong Institute of Architects vice-president Mr. Vincent Ng Wing-shun, for example, warned that the government was destroying Hong Kong's heritage. "If the government moved a [proposed six-lane] road a little bit to the left or right, then we could save the pier," he said.

Part of the new pier for the Star Ferry will be an existing pier built at the time of the reclamation on which the Hong Kong Station of the Airport Express MTR line and the recently completed IFC (International Finance Centre) are built (i.e. no.7 of the outlying islands ferry piers).

This pier is being rebuilt and expanded eastwards to resemble a replica of the Star Ferry Pier in the early 20th century, rather than the existing, soon-to-be-demolished pier.

The Government accepted a proposal from Star Ferry to adopt a historical heritage design approach. It used the way the piers looked in 1912 as the blueprint for constructing the new piers and clock tower.

Construction began in mid-2003. As these structures occupy a prime waterfront site, the Government took the opportunity to try to develop the piers into a new landmark for public "enjoyment".

Unfortunately, the Government's attempt of trying to create a "historic" building has backfired with heavy criticism from the public of the design. This mock Edwardian design has been criticised as "a set from a film studio, and has been described as "dressing up a modern person in historical costume."

The choice of modern materials and the oversized proportions of the new design contrast with its mock-edwardian style, resulting in a "theme park" appearance. The government does not understand that they cannot recreate history and sense of place by mimicking old styles. The new pier will not stand the test of time as they are fundamentally dishonest, an imitation of the past without capturing the spirit of the past or present.

After the existing clock tower is demolished, the five old bells will be put on display in the new tower's hall and will be an ironic and sad reminder of its lost past.

By relocating the new piers 300m away, the Star Ferry could lose up to 30 percent of passengers due to its inconvenient location as passengers opt for alternative transport. There is a risk that in the long term, the Star Ferry will slowly be reduced to being just a tourist attraction.

The new terminal at Central Piers 7 and 8 will come into operation in November and tickets for the last ride are now all sold out - even at HK$88 a pop.

 

In April, a 16-year-old gang leader in Gloucestershire chalked up a record-breaking 400 anti-social incidents, and all within a prolific six-month period. As well as the standard complaints of threats and intimidation, overturning dustbins and hurling eggs, the juvenile delinquent achieved a rare Asbo double by having every single householder ...   more »

Posts may be a little thin on the ground this week as I'm in NY for a couple of days.....   I do want to post a couple of things about the weekend.   The first, an update on the NTHKWS (UK Chapter) tasting we hosted on Saturday... the results make interesting reading.

The second, the Avonvale Hunt, start of the season event meet next to us.    Mr FM has posted on this...

A fabulous start to the season, if a little sunny, but a beautiful collection of horses and hounds.   Good Tradition.

Shamelessly right clicked from the Torygraph.

We had our first shoot day of the season on Saturday which, whilst it got off to a good start, sadly ended with one of the dogs collapsing and subsequently having to be put down.

Daisy had worked well on the first 3 drives, retrieving downed birds, but keeled over at the end of the final drive and despite being rushed immediatley to the vet, could not be saved.   We decided to put an end to the day there and decanted to the pub.

But what of the shooting?   And more importantly, the birds.   Well, I missed several sitters, despite having been down to Urchfont for pre season practice: clearly must do more.   But the birds were fabulous.

Firstly, there were dozens.   On the second drive, as the beaters brought up one of the hedges and a strip of maize, we must have seen 50 - 60 birds run and fly across the top of the field into the adjacent maize.   This confirmed our approach of planting both more and better cover crops than last year.

On the third drive I walked up with the beaters, who flushed several flurries of birds out of the cover, only for me to miss them... Darn.

As I stood at the end of the drive waiting for more birds to emerge from the maize, out popped an adult fox, at full speed making for the hedge across the field.   In the distance Mr FM was urging me to shoot it, so I gave it both barrels, but sadly it was out of range.   More lamping needed!

Two minutes later after a few pheasant flurries, all further up the line beyond where I was standing, a young roe deer emerged and sprinted towards me, only changing course about 20 yards away.    Oh that our sporting rights included deer!

So all in all, the shooting was a great success.   Vastly more birds than we saw all of last year, vindicating our revised cover crop plan and, a reasonable bag of 9 from 3 drives.   The total bag should have been a dozen or more..... had we all shot better!

The evidence in the back of the landrover.   Now plucked and in the freezer for next weekends enjoyment!

From yesterdays annoying little teaser, these were the answers:

David Cameron, Pete Doherty, Margaret Thatcher, Charlotte Church. Bottom: Simon Cowell, Gordon Ramsay, Nikki Grahame, James Blunt

How did you do?

Illustrator and Marmite lover, Dermott Flynn has created these images from Marmite on Toast.....

Sad, but can you name them?

Answers tomorrow!

Reading the story of the Velux 5 Oceans race today, I was reminded that years ago at school, when I was part of the sailing team, we were denied the same recognition as the rugby team as we were not deemed to be a 'real' sport.   Hence we were not allowed the privilege of signing 'The Colours Book'.

We'd won every match that year:  the only school team so to do - a feat repeated for several successive seasons.

Needless to say this rather inflamed the Master i/c sailing, Mr Beach (no kidding) to the point of him threatening to 'deck' (geddit?) the Deputy Head.   He was not happy of the inference that Yachting was not adequately 'macho'.

Consequently several weeks later, when rugby was cancelled due to bad weather or something, I found myself the host of the First 15 down at the lake on games afternoon..... seems Bob Beach had a score to settle.....or at least we did - on his behalf.

It was a cracking day.  A tad wet, I'll concede, but blowing dogs of chains straight down the lake.   A yachties dream - we were in heaven - a good breeze was not a common occurrence on a small inland lake.

Pretty soon we wised up to our task:  to scare the proverbial out of the rugger buggers.

Easy peasy.    Screaming downwind, broad reaching across each others bow waves to increase the spray soaking the new crew, while we implored them to 'hike harder', lest we capsize.  It was a good afternoon.

I recall we signed The Colours Book quite soon after.

So, for anyone who still thinks yachting is for the faint hearted, take a look at this picture:



60 knot winds, with seas to match, you are racing downwind in excess of the urban speed limit in a 60 foot boat with no brakes.

On your own.   In the dark.

Rugby anyone?

Good news:   Honey has been found.   She hadn't been far at all.   In fact she was at home all the time:  locked in the barn.   Red faces all round for us... there we were combing the countryside waving her squeaker thingy and calling her name...

She's a bright dog:  if only she had the brains to BARK!

Nice to have her back though.

On the one hand the weekend was a great succes and, with the completion of the chicken run, we can look forward to a significant increase in the egg department.

On the other hand it was not, as our beloved Honey has absconded.   Always one eager to chase a rabbit, we fear she nipped out of the gate pursuing something of interest and has become lost and disoriented, in a new environment.   The heavy rain after lunch will have made it impossible for her to follow her scent home.

We've called all the local farmers, alerted the police and our neighbours and the kids have made 'Lost' posters for display in the village shop.   She's 'chipped' so hopefully will be found and returned to us.   Being a Hong Kong hill dog, we know she is quite resourceful and intelligent... as long as that does not extend to chasing local sheep....

On another note we had a visit from Mr and Mrs Panther, drank too much wine (and Armagnac in my case) and popped over to Urchfont on Sunday to smack a few clays.   For the record the results (out of the ususal 50) were:

Panther:   30    Tricky:   16    The Fisherman:   10

So, sitting there with a cup of tea looking a little smug it gave us some pleasure to hear that Top Gun of the morning was a pigeion shooter with a score of 47.  

Mornin'.   Hope you are all sitting comfortably with your morning vat of Starbucks.   Today's post is courtesy of Singapore Tim.   A story with a moral in it:

A wealthy old lady decides to go on a safari in Africa, taking her faithful, aged poodle named Cuddles along for company. 

One day the poodle starts chasing butterflies and before long,  Cuddles discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having him for lunch.

The old poodle thinks, "Oh, oh! I'm in deep doo-doo now!" Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap the old poodle exclaims loudly,

"Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder if there are any more around here?"

Hearing this, the young leopard halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees.

Whew!," says the leopard, "That was close! That old poodle nearly had me!"

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So off he goes, but the old poodle sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up.

The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.  The young leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here, monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!"

Now, the old poodle sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now?", but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old poodle says:

"Where's that darn monkey? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!"

Moral of this story...

Don't mess with old farts ... age and treachery will always overcome youth and inexperience!    B.S. and brilliance only come with age and experience!

Think about that as you go about your business today!

It was Oscar Wilde's birthday yesterday - well OK, it would have been were he still alive... so for the picky I'll start again:

It was the anniversary of Oscar Wilde's birth yesterday and I was reminded of a particularly good party about 15 years ago in Hong Kong. 

It was titled The Oscar Wilde and the Futurists Party and we all had T shirts for the event.   I still have no real understanding of what this was all about, but I do recall the evening quite vividly.

It was Andy's birthday and he and Frank (at the time they were or had variously been my flatmates) organised the event.   The night commenced on a Junk with a plentiful supply of booze as we cruised out to Po Toi for the ubiquitous banquet.    Vast quantities of Tsing Tao later - and clutching a case courtesy of the restaurant - we stumbled back to the boat and headed out into the darkness.   We anchored out in the bay and all went for a swim.   It was probably about midnight, pitch dark, we were all seriously the worse for wear.

And no one drowned or even died.

But the strongest memory I ...   more »

Friday 13th was not particularly memorable - unless you were in Hawaii.   San Fran Sean's evening went well and the weekend continued in fine style until Sunday morning... when the earth really shook for him:

The party started off in my hotel condo with 3-4 bottles of Bollinger... then to Vino's... great little wine bar... Chuck Furuya, the owner, did us proud... copious amounts of champagne... nightcaps on the beach at Duke's... great evening... The attached photos show we took over the bar!!!...
 
Then... I suppose it had to happen sometime... and natural disaster on a Friday 13th weekend!!!... On Sunday a 6.6 earthquake off the coast of Hawaii (the big island) at 7.08am... woke me up!!!...
 
It wasn't bad enough that a storm blew in on Saturday evening... very warm but raining... Plan A for Sunday was sailing if it was sunny... Plan B was go hang out in Hank's bar in old Honolulu if it was raining...
We didn't even have a Plan C!!!... Earthquake???... who plans for that!!!... 
Here's a few odd little facts... Power went out around 7.10am... came back on in Waikiki at 8.12pm... that's THIRTEEN hours....
Last big earthquake to affect Oahu/Honolulu... 1975... that's 31 years ago... and yes... reverse 31... THIRTEEN....!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
It rained on and off all day Sunday... I had Bollinger and caviar in the fridge... I was in great shape... after the sun went down Waikiki was crowded and DARK!!!... a few bars were open... cell phone networks were overloaded... Quaffed a few cold ones in the "Big Kahuna"... when the lights went on you could hear the cheering all over the city... very cool...
 
Needless to say, a Friday 13th to remember... Don't you just love it!!!!!....

How will he top that next Friday 13th?

The nanny state continues to be unable to resist interfering in all that they should not.   But their actions are of little consequence if common sense prevails and people get on with their lives.   Unfortunately there are plenty of muppets for whom the new rules are an opportunity to make a fuss over nothing.

The issue that has me wound up today is the insurance firm that has stopped the circulating of birthday cards for staff to sign, amid concern that light hearted "ageist" comments could unwittingly breach the new age discrimination laws.of 'ageist' comments.

The Employment Equality (Age) regulations 2006 came into force on Oct 1, prohibiting direct or indirect harassment or victimisation on the grounds of age.    If there are people who think that a birthday card could in any way constitue 'harassment' they are in need of help.

A member of staff said: "I think it's stupid really. People like to joke about other people getting older, and it's only a bit of fun."   Precisely.

An employment law specialist said: "Gags in birthday cards about people being 'over the hill' will need to be curbed."  Oh, get stuffed.

Are all the greetings card manufacturers are going to have to run the text past their legal departments to ensure compliance?   Are we going to have to buy cards with 'Warning: explicity material' labels on them?

This is pathetic.   Use common sense and good judgement:  legislation for such things is for the mindless.

Regular readers will recall my friend San Fran Sean who, rather than be miserable on Friday 13th, celebrates by hosting a party and only drinking Bollinger Champagne. 

He's sent me an invite, which I am happy to share..... If you are passing I'm sure he'd be delighted to share a glass...

In 2002 I celebrated both Friday 13^th in Hong Kong.

June 2003 was celebrated in San Francisco.

The two in 2004 were in Vancouver B.C. and Miami

May 2005 was in San Francisco and January 2006 was also in San Francisco, where we set a new record of 63 bottles of Bollinger.

October 2006 is in Hawaii

 

Some people consider this to be an unlucky day. I do not! In fact, I have been celebrating Friday 13^th for 29 years (May 1977) by sharing Champagne with friends.

 

October 2006 I will be hosting a party in Honolulu with friends and celebrating with copious amounts of Champagne.

 

Vino Wine Bar, Honolulu, Hawaii

8.00pm…. You know the date!

Why not celebrate Friday the 13th yourself?   We'll be raising a glass or two of Charles Heidseick this evening.

An interesting week at work, with overseas visitors and hence evening functions.   Our workaholic big boss does enjoy a decent dinner and bottle of wine after a full day.   Which is nice.

Dinners have included Chateau Talbot 1997, Cos D'Estournel 1988, a 2000 Soliaia and a 1998 Brunello Di Montalcino.

Thank heavens he does not visit too regularly - my liver could not handle it.

But I'd try.

I'll endeavour to do a more comprehensive post on this later.. with results.. and may even strive for a little more factual accuracy than last year as, allegedly, some of the reporting was sub-standard.

In the meantime I'm pleased to confirm the event was a big success.   Fantastic routes, tests, navigation challenges and timing constraints meant we all had to be on our toes.    The scenery, particularly in the Elan Valley and Black Mountains is quite breathtaking.

All cars completed the tour without mishap or breakdown, food and beverage arrangements worked out well and, even the weather cooperated - for the most part.

So a big thanks to those who took part and to Big Mike for Clerking so expertly.

Roll on 2007 when we can do it all again - somewhere different.

In the words of Basil Fawlty, 'Normal service has been resumed as soon as possible'.

Well, not quite.   We don't yet have full access to phones or broadband at the new house - once again, BT spectacularly failed to deliver on any pre-arranged services.   No wonder they are losing out to the competition.

But the move went well.   Sure, a lot of hard work, with Shivs and Paddy plus countless others working very hard, but we have unpacked a substantial amount of stuff and much of the house looks as though we've been there for months.

My workshop and cellar are almost finished - Big Mikes yet to be started on - stables and car barn coming together well.  

What has dawned on us is how much more we need to do, both in the house and the garden.

At present we're excited rather than daunted at the prospect.   More to come on this I expect!