I know that you can serve less time for murder, however

tomorrow I will be celebrating 15 years with the company here in Switzerland. The really scary part is that one of my buddies on the desk is going to celebrate 35 years tomorrow. Good enough reason for a drink in my book  :-)

The sun is shining and hopefully I can get out for a bike ride

tomorrow is back to the office, so I need to keep training and getting my weight down after a massive holiday attack on the food and drink  :-) Fingers crossed that Catherine will come along with me- I think that it will do both of us the world of good.

BTW- dinner last night was good....... many thanks to Stevie and Nigella Lawson for the recipe/idea!

Leaving on a jet plane.......

after a great trip, I am preparing to fly out of Singapore at lunchtime on Thursday and head back to Zürich. It has been lots of fun catching up with family and friends and I have eaten and drunk far too much  :-)  Now comes the gym sessions and hopefully some bike riding too.

Fingers crossed that it is dry and not too cold in Zürich so that I can get out and about to burn some excess calories......... I will need to fit into some of my clothing again soon.

Anyone lose their keys between Pontresina and Niederglatt?

At least it is not -12° and snowing.......    :-)

If you are in Lindfield and looking for a restaurant,

don't go past Maureen Chan's. We went with the whole family last night for a fun reunion dinner- the food was great, it was good to catch up with Maureen again after many years and the children all enjoyed themselves. One of the things that I do miss about being here is the terrific variety of Asian food- a great advantage when you live in a large city....

Aaaarrrgghh!

It be that time of the year again..... aaarrrgghh! Today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day... aaaarrrrggh!

Happy Birthday Catherine

I know that you have to go to the office and I am not there to celebrate with you...... however, I am sure that you will manage to have a great day. Happy Birthday!  xxx
EDIT; some of us are not going to the office today!? :-)

Happy Birthday Stevie

I am really looking forward to your little gathering this evening- it should be lots of fun. Have a great day!

Happy Birthday to Campbell and Angus

I am looking forward to having dinner with you both this evening. Have a great day guys!

I'm appalled that RM Williams has become

a high street fashion label..... I went into one of their stores today and was terribly disheartened to hear that they only carry a very limited range of boots but "we also have seasonal specials which change on a regular basis". What the heck is that supposed to mean?? Sad to say, but I am sure that Reg would turn in his grave. Luckily I found a pair of boots that were a leftover from some season past and was able to exit the store having spent worthwhile time- it might be difficult to drag me in there again though.

Only a couple of days until les Chefs take over

the kitchen and turn on another extravaganza in our dining room  :-) I'm really looking forward to getting together with the guys and having a glass of wine or two while we do the prep work and start cooking. It might not be as much fun as Chef Enzo's in the winter (where the guests can sit in the hot tub) but I'm sure that we will all have a good time.

I'm not sure if my almost 24 hour flight the next day will be quite so much fun.......

London was good

and will hopefully prove to be successful over the next couple of months. After arriving home today, I am really looking forward to having a sleep in my own bed. Had a great night at the Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine concert on Wednesday night.

Oh Lord

won't you buy me a big diamond ring... I like pink, gorgeous darling man.

Hehehehehe xxxxxxxx

This is a busy week

I am off to a concert tomorrow night here in Zürich and then heading to London for a little business on Thursday and Friday before flying back on Saturday morning. Looking forward to London as the people that I am due to meet are all pleasant so it should be enjoyable.

As always there might be a small (maybe 10 minute long) window to do some personal shopping. What do I need to buy?  :-)

Well, the Poms are rubbish

but at the moment the Australians are even worse :-( After hearing bits and pieces from the first two days of the fifth Test it is hard not to start looking for that raindance again.
I had an enjoyable meeting with the lads on Thursday evening- I think that we have come up with a good plan for our next Cook Club meeting (one way or another, we will have a good time). Chef Giorgio was out of the country and couldn't join us but I feel sure that he would agree with our decisions and it will be good to catch up with him.
After being very tired on Friday night, I am up early and ready to attack the weekend. Gentle rain at the moment, which makes a nice noise on our roof and windows and will help to build an appetite for Schuppi's zopf!

Summer is here- the fifth Test starts tomorrow

so I guess that summer will come to an end very soon :-) Although the Australians only need to draw the Match to retain The Ashes, I believe (and certainly hope) that they will be out for some English blood and to win the last Test.
Catherine has already been at the new job for a couple of days and is appropriately tired. It will take a while to get right back into the swing of things- I guess that after the weekend things will be back to normal.
Tomorrow evening I have a small get-together with les Chefs Tomaso & Enzo in order that we can decide upon a menu for our next Cook Club extravaganza. I have a few ideas and with luck the others do as well- I'm confident that we will get something sorted.

Thank you

to all those who kept my spirits up during my recent unemployment and to those who have congratulated me on my new possie. Thanks to mum, in Chewton, who called me this morning wishing me well for my first day tomorrow and to family Moose, who sent a congratulatory SMS last week. Too bad I couldn't start on 1st September, the weather this week is going to be spectacular.

Thanks also to Eleanor for coming to visit recently. We had lots of fun, including a quick hop to France (Alsace) for the day for lunch in Riquewihr at Le Sarment d'Or, yummmmm. We also fitted in a trip to a health resort to bathe in the natural brine, at the spa center Rheinfelden.

Love to you all xxxxxxxx