Happy Birthday Helena

we hope that you have a great day and enjoy the evening out with your girlfriends, Dad and Campbell. Sorry that we can't be there to celebrate with you but I am sure that you will have more fun without us anyway!

much love,

Uncle David and Aunty Catherine xxxx

Happy Birthday Georgette

we know that you have already had a party and we hope that you have a great day today. Of course you will have lots of fun with Mum, Dad, Angus and Jacqueline and a big birthday cake too.

much love,

Uncle David and Aunty Catherine xxxx

Happy Birthday Lisa

sorry that we can't be there to celebrate with you, but I am sure that you will all have a great day in any case. Catherine and I sat on the balcony this evening and cooked a steak, opened a bottle and took a few photos to share with you..........

It has been a pretty enjoyable Easter weekend-

I managed to catch up with my brothers for a chat, attend the 72 hour bbq party across the way, ride my bike a few times, take a few photos and open a couple of nice bottles of wine. Thanks as well to the Mooses for calling from Oz and to Noel and Tiffany for coming around for lunch yesterday. Hard to believe that we have had a 4 day weekend and really only seen sunshine!
Going back to the office in the morning will be a struggle, but it is only a short week and we have a couple of concerts to look forward to on Friday and Saturday nights. I am also hoping to get back into the swing with my camera and start to take some worthwhile photos again. That alone would be reason enough to keep posting some stuff here on the blog.......

I'm going to call it a creative block

but for whatever reason it has been a couple of weeks since I have managed to post anything on my blog. In the meantime plenty has been happening...... I have been able to sort my head out somewhat, have been riding my bike regularly, went to Baselworld to see the people and look at watches (the people were more interesting!) and have even taken a few photos. Thanks to the friends who helped me to keep the ship upright- now that bbq season is here I might be able to repay a few debts with an invitation or two :-)
Going to summer time has made a big difference to things- it was nice to light the bbq and be outside at 7:30 this evening. It wasn't exactly sweltering but at least pleasant and still bright and sunny....... perfect for a glass of wine and taking it easy. Tonight will be early to bed and then I hope to get a bit of running around done in town tomorrow before hosting some of the neighbours for a bbq on Sunday. It shouldn't be too late or heavy as I am back to work on Monday........

I hope that you managed to dig yourself out of the coalmine Moose

it sounds as if things are getting pretty dark and dusty in there. Fingers crossed that the markets are a little steadier in Asia for the next few days and you can devote some more time to your on-going projects.
Still struggling here- not sure if I am Arthur or Martha half of the time and really don't know where I am headed. With luck I can get into the gym this evening and do a spinning class and blast a few cobwebs out of my head........ if it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger.
I am enjoying the longer days and this week we have had milder temperatures as well. It is meant to get a little cooler again tomorrow and for the weekend, but I am still planning on getting out and going for a good bike ride. It might nearly be time for the first ride around the lake for 2009.

Rolling, rolling, rolling

another bike ride today...... sure it could have been longer and faster but hey, the Tour de France is still months away :-) At least I was out getting some fresh air and moving myself about- and after a quick visit to the gym this morning that means that I have had a successful weekend of sport.
Today is also a great day on the photography front- I have spent the best part of the last week tearing out the remains of my hair and trying to work out why I was unable to transfer photos from my camera's memory card onto my laptop. After uninstalling and re-installing software, running scans and checking drivers it finally dawned on me that the problem was likely to be the memory card itself (light bulb goes on!!) Grabbing another card, I took a couple of quick frames to test the theory and baboom- with a different card, everything works smoothly again. Luckily there was nothing of significance on the old card (and seeing as they cost next-to-nothing these days) it was tossed out. I went for a short walk around earlier to celebrate and shoot a few pictures to try to get myself back into the mood.
Have a good week-it should be a better one for a lot of reasons.

After a couple of weeks of keeping my appetite well under control

I have lost a few kgs and am feeling better when I exercise. Sadly, looking at Club Moose my appetite is coming storming back! It looks as if a good time was had by all in Singapore and that there were enough calories around to keep an army happy......
Looking forward to a relaxing weekend and hopefully a good bike ride tomorrow. The weather forecast is for 14° and slightly overcast so it should be a perfect day to get out and do a few hours of exercise. The evening will be a chance to catch up with a friend and hit "The Chief's" for sushi.
There is a rumour that we might be having visitors from Oz later on in the year....... we will have to wait and see how that turns out. It would be fun to catch up with the gang but it is still a long way away.
Primavera wine show starts in Zürich next week and we will probably pop along for a look to see what is new and what we would like to taste. Last year was a good evening out for us- we discovered a few new importers and bought quite a bit of wine........ fingers crossed that this time it is at least half as good.

Well, I survived the lightning visit to London

and had what I believe was a successful meeting on Friday evening. It remains to be seen how things turn out over the next few months, but hopefully it will all be very worthwhile. The rest of the weekend has been pretty steady- Catherine has arrived safely in Singapore and is now making the island very nervous! I have already heard enough about the food exploits to last me for a whole year...
My visit to the gym this morning was early and quick and I bumped into Noel and his child-bride Tiffany (who has just arrived back in town) and they were both in good form. After my little strength workout, I dashed back home and got some machines running again before heading out for a bike ride. The temperature was quite OK but it was windy and quite tough out there- at least I have a few miles under my belt now and the next ride will be that much easier.
There was some good news in the newspaper last week- a concert here in Zürich on Saturday 18th April by Raphael Saadiq. I bought his album last year and think that it is a lot of fun and am looking forward to gathering a few people together to enjoy the show next month.
This coming week is pretty quiet- apart from Catherine arriving back on Wednesday morning there is not too much to report.
Greetings to Mr Butter Chicken!! By the way Marty....... did I tell you that this one was pretty good? :-)

I have been having a sleep nightmare

over the last few nights and haven't had a proper sleep since Saturday. I don't know if I am burning any more calories because of it, however I can't imagine that it is doing me too much good. I had a quick coffee in town this evening and returned some CDs that I had been lent but sadly afterwards I was too tired to spend any meaningful time in the gym.
Since arriving home I have been running around getting organised for a trip to London, synching some new music to my iPod and getting the washing machine going again. Fingers crossed that in an hour or so I will be in the mood to hit the feathers for a good night's sleep.
Not too much to report at the moment- at least the first few days of the month have been more positive than February as far as business is concerned (which is a good thing) and the days keep getting longer! Don't get me wrong: I do enjoy winter, but after a certain amount of cold weather and long, dark nights it is time for the arrival of spring.
Look out Singapore!

It has been a good weekend

and I am sitting here on Sunday evening gathering my thoughts and preparing for the week ahead. I guess that it will hold a lot of the same stuff- and hopefully will be enjoyable. Managed to finish the old month off in style with a beautiful sunny day and a visit to the Chief in the evening. Always a good way to round out a Saturday in the city.
Word from Oz is that Brian's birthday party was enjoyable and it was good to speak with him yesterday. Happy Birthday again Brian- not every day that someone turns 80. Hope that things keep going along nicely in that part of the world and that the bushfires that have caused death and destruction don't come back to visit.
March is a new month- good luck out there!

One of these nights I will have a proper sleep

as I am getting pretty annoyed at being awake 5 times during the night. Why is it that the best part of your sleep is the 10 minutes before the alarm clock screams?
My plans for getting to the gym regularly during Catherine's absence are going well- I am starting to feel a bit fitter and stronger and plan on attending another spinning class this evening. Hopefully this will translate to some more weight loss over the next few weeks as that helps with the motivation as well.
Not too much to report- looking forward to a warmer weekend here in Zürich and I plan on getting out with my camera to try to get some more photos. It has been a very quiet time on that front and with the days getting longer it is time to get stuck in again.
Happy Birthday Nicole! Hope that you have a great day and enjoy your planned festivities. I look forward to speaking with you a little later.

Dinner was lots of fun- thanks gentlemen!

I certainly enjoyed the company and the wines and I hope that the others found the food to be acceptable...... all in all, a great evening. Relatively early to bed and up this morning to get started on the Sunday chores before heading off to the gym. The snow lying around this morning was a surprise but luckily it wasn't a problem at all and around here most of it seems to have disappeared during the day.
It is going to be another tough week- the banking sector of the economy is still struggling under the weight of the problems that have emerged in the last 18 months and it is really starting to take a toll in other areas. The city of Zürich looked like a ghost town when I was in there yesterday- sure it is holiday time and some people are away, but there were very few shoppers around. Hopefully things will begin to improve sooner rather than later and we can get on with our lives before too much more damage is done to morale and bank balances.
Hopefully the Moose Man is all tuned up and ready to rock in Singapore.......

I am looking forward to the weekend

although I have been quite successful getting into the gym this week, having more time on the weekend makes things easier and somewhat more enjoyable too. It was nice to get into a spinning class this evening and with luck I can manage a couple of good training sessions over the weekend too which will help to get my weight moving in the right direction.
Hosting dinner for Chef Enzo, Chef Giorgio and Captain Pipo on Saturday which will be lots of fun and I am sure that we will have a proper boy's evening together. There will be enough red meat and red wine to keep everyone happy :-)
Catherine seems to be having a good time in Australia and I hope that things continue in that vein.
Since the snow fall earlier in the week, things around here have remained pretty cool....... sort of makes me think about summer again!

Happy Birthday Jacqueline

Hi Gorgeous, hope that you had a great Sunday with Aunty Catherine and the rest of the family. Your birthday party looks like it was a lot of fun and I am sorry that I couldn't be there too. I hope to speak with you later to wish you a proper happy birthday.
much love, Uncle David xxxxx

I have managed to get to the gym a couple of times over

the weekend so I guess that should be seen as some kind of success. The weight is certainly not falling off me, but at least I feel better from week-to-week and can train a little harder than I could a month ago.
Catherine has arrived safely in Sydney and seems to be settling in quickly. Yumcha with the family and then Jacqueline's birthday party on Sunday afternoon- getting off to a fast start!
Not a lot more to report but I hope to have something more positive to say later on in the week...

In another 24 hours, Catherine will be in the air

and on her way to Oz to visit all of the gang and have a well-earned holiday. I am staying behind this time and will work and also keep an eye on our wine cellar :-) Fingers crossed that the dreadful weather and frightful fires are finished in Victoria so that Catherine and the family can take it easy and celebrate Brian's birthday in style.
This evening was another visit to the gym and I am planning on keeping up the rhythm in order that I can lose a little weight while Catherine is away and get fit for the coming summer. Hope to be able to take a lot of photos too- the last month has been awful in that department and maybe the break will do my creativity some good.
By the way- dinner on Saturday night was good (and I don't have to say so myself) and the wine was fantastic as well. We all had lots of fun and I hope that we can get the group together again at some point for a re-match.
See ya later, alligator! xx