The weather forecast said that it was going to be sunny all morning on Saturday, with heavy rain in the afternoon. I based my day around these assumptions, and ended up getting everything wildly wrong. I set out to polish my car on Saturday morning only to be caught in a rain shower, then in the afternoon we were treated to sunny, clear blue skies. That just goes to show you that you can’t trust the weathermen.

Determined to take advantage of the afternoon sunshine, I fired up the barbeque and we had some steaks with Anne Laure and Neil. At least we got to enjoy a little of the sunshine.

Anne Laure and Neil at the BHRA Show

Showing the Corvette at the BHRA show

Showing the Corvette at the BHRA show

We’re just back from the British Hot Rod Association’s South East Custom & Classic Show in Paddock Wood. I had the car detailed on Friday and it’s come up beautifully, so I thought I would take the opportunity to enjoy the good weather with some other enthusiasts. As an added benefit, the car was granted entry into the show and I didn’t have to pay to get in.

The first days of spring are finally upon us. Having spent all day yesterday stuck inside building a website for our wedding, I declared today a wedding-free zone. After a long lie-in, Aude suggested we go down to St Margaret’s to have some lunch by the seaside – it would be a good chance to enjoy the good weather, take the Corvette for a spin, and generally get out of the house.

The Coast Guard – Between the bottom of the hill and the deep blue sea

Turns out it wasn’t an original idea. After waiting 20 minutes to place my order (with the typical surly English service that implies that being a customer of their establishment is some sort of great privilege) and nearly giving up the will to live, we finally had our order taken – only to be told that they had sold out of nearly everything that was on the menu. So we had two portions of mackerel, because that’s what they had left. It took bloody ages to arrive, and in the end, we were tempted to leave without paying because it was taking so long to get the bill.

Never mind, it was a beautiful day out and a good chance to stretch the Corvette’s legs. It’s been sitting for a while, but after a little TLC and coaxing, it burbled into life and ran absolutely perfectly. Fingers crossed for more warm weather next weekend – it would be great to take the car out two weekends in a row!

The cliffs at St Margaret’s

Boats at St Margaret’s

Another boat at St Margaret’s

Everyone’s a photographer these days!

Holding on to the railing to keep from being blown out to sea!

Clean, shiny, and ready for a long drive to the coast!

Another shot of the Corvette…

It was a beautiful Sunday. But you’ll have to take my word for it…

Apologies for this picture-free update. Chalk it up to old-age senility.

Sunday was predicted to be a beautiful morning, and it lived up to expectation. We woke up early to a crisp morning with clear, sunny skies – something you would expect in September, but an unexpected surprise in the middle of January. I hadn’t taken the Corvette out in a while, so we decided to drive it up to Whitstable, on the coast, for lunch.

I figured that a day out would be an ideal time to take some photos – of the car, of the beach, of the countryside. I charged the batteries, selected and packed the lenses, and packed my camera bag.

In a moment of laziness, we decided to jump into Aude’s car to drive up to the garage where I keep the Corvette. In the ensuing car-swap, I managed to leave the camera in Aude’s car – hence no photos for my blog entry today.

Never mind, my colourful descriptions will have to suffice! We took the car out for a lovely drive, then ended up having lunch at the Hotel Continental where I had a wonderful pot of moules frites worthy of France. They were absolutely delicious. The place was obviously popular, as every table was full when we turned up. I thought we might be turned away for not being properly attired – everyone else seemed to have little kids in tow!

After lunch we took a nice, long walk down the beach and enjoyed the sunshine. Quite a few people were out doing the same thing – when you don’t get good weather very often, you’ve got to enjoy it when you get it.

It has been a while since I last updated my blog, and for good reason. I have just started working with a new client which is taking up most of my time. But I do have time for a brief recap of the past week or two before I head off for my Christmas holidays.

The weekend after my Christmas party was absolutely beautiful – it remains unseasonably warm over here, apparently the warmest year in the recorded history of the UK. I took the chance to take the Corvette out for a good wash and a quick drive to the coast – a plan somewhat flawed by the fact that I didn’t account for the short days. We were halfway to the coast and found ourselves driving in total darkness.

Sunday night I drove back to London to get ready for a series of client workshops on Monday and Tuesday with my new client. We’d had no notice of them (contract signed late on the Friday night) so it was a case of “turn up and wing it”. Luckily that seems to be one of our core strengths. The rest of the week was primarily made up of me forgetting the names of the 40-or-so delegates.

I hosted a dinner for a number of new graduate recruits on Wednesday night at our offices – the highlights of which were a stunning meal in an amazing setting (our 9th floor boardroom overlooking the river, with one of the best views in London) and seeing the genuine excitement and enthusiasm on their faces as they enter the job world for the first time. The graduate market is becoming more competitive, and my company puts on a pretty impressive show to try to win the best talent. It’s fun to be part of the process, even if it meant dragging myself in from Heathrow.

Having dragged myself in from Heathrow, it seemed only right that I accepted Mike’s invitation to go out for a few Christmas drinks with several of my old colleagues – cue 2am taxi back to Heathrow and working the next day on about 4 hours sleep!

Friday night was Aude’s Christmas party at the University of Canterbury, where pleasantly we witnessed no assaults at all. Saturday we went to Whitstable for a friend’s birthday party – and despite being in a harbour with some of the freshest fish in the UK, I managed to order a fish that had been flown in from Australia.

Woke up on Monday morning to discover that winter had finally arrived – for the first time this year, I had to scrape the frost off my car before driving up to London.

Six more days until Christmas. I suppose I’d better pull my finger out and get some shopping done.

These pictures are from earlier this summer, but Aude’s only just sent them through to me. Here’s what the Vette looks like when it’s not on the back of a tow truck.

My fingers are crossed for a speedy recovery — I’d love to take the car out a couple more times before the nice weather is gone for another year….

It’s Saturday morning and the start to an exciting week. There seems to be activity in most corners of my life right now — great for keeping me busy, not so great for keeping me well rested.

Got up very early this morning to get the Corvette shipped off to the repair shop, and crossing my fingers that it’s nothing terribly serious or expensive. My experience tells me that when something works perfectly one minute, then not-at-all the next minute, the damage is generally not too bad — usually down to the failure of a single component. I’m hoping it’s the electronic ignition unit — spares go on eBay for about $100 each.

In other news, SAIC board of directors have finally approved their IPO. Initially rumoured to take place on Friday, 13 October, it now looks like they’ve brought the date forward to the 12th to avoid superstition. Business Week have covered the IPO in this week’s edition, saying:

SAIC
This is the biggest and best-known name in the bunch. With revenues of almost $7.8 billion for the year ended Jan. 31, SAIC is not your typical IPO. The San Diego–based outfit offers an array of engineering, scientific, and logistic products and services, primarily to the U.S. Government. With product groups including transport and software, its clients include the Defense Dept. and other agencies. Led by Morgan Stanley and Bear Stearns (BSC), the company expects shares to price between $13 and $15.

Because the company is already well established, InvestorOffering’s Taulli sees the company as more of a long-term play than a chance for quick cash. Despite the headlines that accompany big debuts, he doesn’t see a “barn burner.” So investors shouldn’t fret if they can’t get in on day 1. “These types of businesses will be needed for a long time.”

Work is really busy as well. After completing the last of my induction courses (thank goodness — I’ve never had so much training in my life!) I was worried that I wouldn’t have anything to do. I needn’t have worried — I’ve ended up working on two bids with key clients, both of which have high win probabilities. It’s a great way to start a new role at a new company!

Just to round it all off, it’s an absolutely beautiful autumn day here today — sunny and crisp. I’m not normally a fan of 7am starts on a Saturday, but today I don’t mind.