What better way to finish off a lovely evening meal on the patio in Bicester than for a large bird to do a big poo and wee on you as you drink your cup of tea. I was laughing so hard I could barely take this picture!
Of course, it wouldn't have been anywhere near as funny if I had been on the receiving end of the pooing and weeing. :)
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Ready to Eat
Just in case some of you were wondering... I did partake in a sandwich from Pret-a-Manger whilst in London on this trip. And, before you ask, the fine only applies when you say it out loud.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Clarification: Coming Home
No picture today I'm afraid as I didn't have my camera with me for my latest pop star sighting.
Instead, I would like to take this opportunity to clarify a potential misconception that may be shared by some of you. I had originally been scheduled to return home tomorrow evening - arriving at around 9:30pm into Fresno - but have instead had to extend my trip by one day and will be back home on Friday afternoon. Those of you who thought I was always going to be returning home on Friday were therefore mistaken.
I hope this post clears things up.
:)
Instead, I would like to take this opportunity to clarify a potential misconception that may be shared by some of you. I had originally been scheduled to return home tomorrow evening - arriving at around 9:30pm into Fresno - but have instead had to extend my trip by one day and will be back home on Friday afternoon. Those of you who thought I was always going to be returning home on Friday were therefore mistaken.
I hope this post clears things up.
:)
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Breakfast in Brackley
Today is a wonderful day. Not only is the sun shining and the birds singing but Neil russled up this wonderful breakfast for me. Today is a wonderful day.
Dusk over Oxfordshire
I took this quick snap late one night while driving back from the NetSuite office in Maidenhead to Bicester. Once I got through the hills you could see the sunset spanning the entire horizon below the almost completely clear sky. Do you know what I thinking? I was thinking that it would be dark by now in California. ;)
Monday, May 14, 2007
O2 Arena August 3rd
After a scare on Friday when it turns out he sold 140,000 tickets in just 20 minutes and I wasn't able to get the Ticketmaster site to find any tickets I am happy to report that I have since been able to get 2 pairs of tickets.
The ones featured here I had to get on eBay and pay a bit extra to get good seats. But not until after I was lucky enough to grab a pair in the upper level on Saturday at face value. Anybody interested in taking them off our hands?
Now all we have to do is figure out flights, hotels and spending money!
The ones featured here I had to get on eBay and pay a bit extra to get good seats. But not until after I was lucky enough to grab a pair in the upper level on Saturday at face value. Anybody interested in taking them off our hands?
Now all we have to do is figure out flights, hotels and spending money!
Chores
When you're taking advantage of the hospitality of relatives while travelling on business it is only fair that you pull your weight and perform your fair share of household chores when you can. As you can see from the picture, today I was only too happy to prepare and cook dinner at Maya's request.
I will be re-locating to a hotel as of tomorrow.
I will be re-locating to a hotel as of tomorrow.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Suspects
It is my sad duty to report that the (not) Robin chicks are no longer with us. I received the news from Michelle in a phone call last night after arriving in the UK.
From what I can gather, one or both of our cats - pictured here in an archive photo - had been biding their time and pounced when the babies made their first attempts to leave the nest and figure out how to fly.
We are pretty upset about this actually. After all the excitement and joy of seeing their nesting efforts be successful this year for it to all end in this way is, well, I'm speechless actually.
From what I can gather, one or both of our cats - pictured here in an archive photo - had been biding their time and pounced when the babies made their first attempts to leave the nest and figure out how to fly.
We are pretty upset about this actually. After all the excitement and joy of seeing their nesting efforts be successful this year for it to all end in this way is, well, I'm speechless actually.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Hanging with Thai Pop Stars
I went to a bbq in Bangkok on Tuesday night follow a nightmare experiene of delayed/cancelled flights and missed connections. Some of the people at the bbq have been doing work on over-dubbing Shrek 3 in Thai for DreamWorks and I was introduced to the guy that has been doing the voice of Shrek.
It turns out - as I was informed later on in the evening - that it was a guy called Tik Shiro who happens to be a very famous Thai pop star (pictured here arriving at an MTV Asia Award Show). He apparently has a citroen that is encrusted inside and out with swarovski-like crystals.
So feeling like I should learn a bit more about him, I did some research and found that he has a number of videos available on YouTube - Click Here for an example of his work. I think it's fairly clear why Thai Pop Stars generally don't end up being famous outside of their home country. Apparently, he's also a painter.
It turns out - as I was informed later on in the evening - that it was a guy called Tik Shiro who happens to be a very famous Thai pop star (pictured here arriving at an MTV Asia Award Show). He apparently has a citroen that is encrusted inside and out with swarovski-like crystals.
So feeling like I should learn a bit more about him, I did some research and found that he has a number of videos available on YouTube - Click Here for an example of his work. I think it's fairly clear why Thai Pop Stars generally don't end up being famous outside of their home country. Apparently, he's also a painter.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Imposters?
I am pleased to report that our bird friends are doing well. The chicks are very good at keeping still when they sense humans around them, to the point that I had started to worry that they might not have survived the recent cold spell here. However, we witnessed the Mummy bird feeding them again today so it looks like all is well.
On a less pleasing topic it appears that they might not actually be Robins after all, but some other kind of bird altogether. Here is a, admittedly blurry, picture of the Male bird on one of his infrequent visits - cue joke about men having to provide for the family, etc. - and if you look closely you can see that he has red coloring on both his neck and his head. That is definitely not what an American Robin looks like.
So, what kind of birds are they? What are their values? What are their politics? Will we regret allowing them (aiding them, even) to move into the neighbourhood? All suggestions are welcome at this point, as I'm stumped.
On a less pleasing topic it appears that they might not actually be Robins after all, but some other kind of bird altogether. Here is a, admittedly blurry, picture of the Male bird on one of his infrequent visits - cue joke about men having to provide for the family, etc. - and if you look closely you can see that he has red coloring on both his neck and his head. That is definitely not what an American Robin looks like.
So, what kind of birds are they? What are their values? What are their politics? Will we regret allowing them (aiding them, even) to move into the neighbourhood? All suggestions are welcome at this point, as I'm stumped.