Last week was my first in the “cottage” in Yarm that I’ve rented. The main issue on moving in is trying to figure out what stuff I need to buy and what I can manage without - for instance thinking the kitchen reasonably well equipped it wasn’t until I started frying some bacon that I discovered I had no fish slice to turn it with – so had to cope with a wooden spoon.
The place has a large and a small bedroom. I at first tried the small bedroom with the single bed – but after a few nights decided I’d rather have a larger room with more solid furniture and moved to the large room with double bed. This has entailed buying two lots of bed linen – but thankfully there is a “Boyes” store within 100 yards where you can get all that sort of stuff at very good prices.
This weekend saw my first trip back to my flat in Reading. Leaving Yarm about 3.00 pm on Friday I managed to reach Reading by 7.30 in the evening – so not a bad run despite variable weather. My weekend comprised mainly of re-organising my flat back to the way it was before I went to India.
I also rooted out the rice cooker and slow cooker left over from my time in China to bring back to Yarm with me – so I can get back to the serious business of cooking chilli-con-carne at weekends.
I also collected the stack of books I’d got delivered to my mother’s – I had been going to take them to India but decided against it given the hassle one of our number had with the Customs.
So with my Economist, New Statesman, a couple of books on Nelson and the complete set of Flashman novels I shouldn’t be short of things to read.
Sunday, 8 August 2010
Sunday, 25 July 2010
Returning to England
It being over four weeks now since my departure from India it already seems a lifetime ago. I spent almost two weeks back in Pattaya on vacation before returning to the UK on the morning of 14 July.
Apparently the UK had been having some hot weather – certainly the grass looked brown – but it rained the day I got back.
The first issue on returning to Reading was to buy a car. This was already more or less done as having been in correspondence with my usual garage by e-mail I already had a second hand car lined up – so it was simply a matter of insuring it and driving off.
Then there’s the issue of food – knowing one isn’t going to be in Reading long makes it tricky to judge quantities as one normally buys vegetables, pasta, rice and other such stuff with the long term in view.
After that came setting up a mobile broadband account – do I sign up for 18 months or take it on a month by month basis. Month by month is slightly more expensive – but given that I’m rarely in the same place or country for long enough 18 months would probably exceed my needs.
On the Friday I departed Reading again to head to my new work location in Teesside via my sister’s and my mother’s.
As mentioned in previous post I worked in our company’s Teesside offices for four months in 2002 – so going back there wasn’t that hard although some of the road layouts have changed. The problem of getting round York when driving from Selby however hasn’t.
I get two weeks in a hotel and then have to find my own place. This I’ve hopefully done with a small two bedroom “cottage” in Yarm, not far from the centre of town.
Yarm has a very wide high street surrounded by shops and pubs – so it looks like it could be a reasonable place to live for the next six months.
And as the place I’m renting doesn’t appear to have a TV it could be a good chance to catch up on my reading – not like I will be missing anything on TV though better get my radio so as to listen to the Test Matches.
Apparently the UK had been having some hot weather – certainly the grass looked brown – but it rained the day I got back.
The first issue on returning to Reading was to buy a car. This was already more or less done as having been in correspondence with my usual garage by e-mail I already had a second hand car lined up – so it was simply a matter of insuring it and driving off.
Then there’s the issue of food – knowing one isn’t going to be in Reading long makes it tricky to judge quantities as one normally buys vegetables, pasta, rice and other such stuff with the long term in view.
After that came setting up a mobile broadband account – do I sign up for 18 months or take it on a month by month basis. Month by month is slightly more expensive – but given that I’m rarely in the same place or country for long enough 18 months would probably exceed my needs.
On the Friday I departed Reading again to head to my new work location in Teesside via my sister’s and my mother’s.
As mentioned in previous post I worked in our company’s Teesside offices for four months in 2002 – so going back there wasn’t that hard although some of the road layouts have changed. The problem of getting round York when driving from Selby however hasn’t.
I get two weeks in a hotel and then have to find my own place. This I’ve hopefully done with a small two bedroom “cottage” in Yarm, not far from the centre of town.
Yarm has a very wide high street surrounded by shops and pubs – so it looks like it could be a reasonable place to live for the next six months.
And as the place I’m renting doesn’t appear to have a TV it could be a good chance to catch up on my reading – not like I will be missing anything on TV though better get my radio so as to listen to the Test Matches.
Sunday, 4 July 2010
Leaving India
One benefit of knowing that I was departing India a month before I actually did so was that it enabled me to hand over my workload in a more organised manner than the usual last minute rush. For my last week I more or less acted as a spectator – fielding the odd query and reminding suppliers who obviously never read previous instructions that they should address messages to my successor.
Meanwhile on the home front my next assignment will be to our company’s offices in Teesside – not as exotic as some of the places I’ve been but much closer to my “home” in Yorkshire. I did four months there in 2002 – so it’s not like I’m unfamiliar with the territory and seem to recall that you could get some decent fish & chips along with a beer in the pubs of Yarm.
One of the other blokes being de-mobbed from Chennai has accepted an assignment in South Africa – which meant that rather than leave at the end of August as originally planned he de-mobbed much quicker and left on 27 June. We celebrated in a place called The Bike & Barrel – an attempt at imitating an English pub. The decor works but the volume of music and the bouncers on the doors reluctance to let in other than “couples” indicates that they haven’t quite got the idea.
Tuesday 29th saw me saying goodbye to the folk I’ve worked with in India and eating possibly my last chapattis for some time as I had my last veggie meal before heading for the airport at 8.00pm.
Thankfully the plane to Bangkok wasn’t full and Thai Airways allowed my case – weighing in at 32 kg – on board without extra charges.
So now it’s a two week vacation in Thailand before a brief visit to Reading to dump some stuff and pick up other stuff – then off to Teesside and whatever awaits me there.
Meanwhile on the home front my next assignment will be to our company’s offices in Teesside – not as exotic as some of the places I’ve been but much closer to my “home” in Yorkshire. I did four months there in 2002 – so it’s not like I’m unfamiliar with the territory and seem to recall that you could get some decent fish & chips along with a beer in the pubs of Yarm.
One of the other blokes being de-mobbed from Chennai has accepted an assignment in South Africa – which meant that rather than leave at the end of August as originally planned he de-mobbed much quicker and left on 27 June. We celebrated in a place called The Bike & Barrel – an attempt at imitating an English pub. The decor works but the volume of music and the bouncers on the doors reluctance to let in other than “couples” indicates that they haven’t quite got the idea.
Tuesday 29th saw me saying goodbye to the folk I’ve worked with in India and eating possibly my last chapattis for some time as I had my last veggie meal before heading for the airport at 8.00pm.
Thankfully the plane to Bangkok wasn’t full and Thai Airways allowed my case – weighing in at 32 kg – on board without extra charges.
So now it’s a two week vacation in Thailand before a brief visit to Reading to dump some stuff and pick up other stuff – then off to Teesside and whatever awaits me there.
Saturday, 12 June 2010
The end comes forward
On Tuesday 1 June my boss here told me that my assignment here in India was going to end on 30 June – some seven months before the previously expected date of 1 February 2011. Thankfully this isn’t because of anything I have done (or not done) – it’s a client decision as regards the number of ex-patriates working on the project.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised – looking back over the past assignments I have done at least a quarter of them ended unexpectedly early for one reason or another. The main question that arises as a result is as to whether or not I will be returning to the office in the UK – assuming they have some work – or whether I will need to go somewhere else. Going somewhere else is OK provided one wants to go there and has sufficient time to adjust. The last thing you want to do is come back to the UK, settle back in, buy a new car and stock up on food and beer only to be asked a few weeks later to go on another assignment when a few weeks notice of this would have spared you the expense and enabled you instead to take a holiday between assignments.
The situation this time around is that I am returning to the UK. I was asked if I wanted to go to South Africa – but I turned it down as Johannesburg has never been on my must see before I die list of places to visit.
So come 29 June it will be goodbye to work in Chennai. It will have been just over a year here – looking back it hardly seems five minutes since I got here – yet back then a year here looked like eternity. I’m guessing that I may have to visit here again as the Chennai office is an integral part of the company’s set up – but hopefully any future visits will be “business trips” of only a week or so in duration.
Wait and see I guess. The immediate problem is what to take home and whether it will all get in my suitcase.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised – looking back over the past assignments I have done at least a quarter of them ended unexpectedly early for one reason or another. The main question that arises as a result is as to whether or not I will be returning to the office in the UK – assuming they have some work – or whether I will need to go somewhere else. Going somewhere else is OK provided one wants to go there and has sufficient time to adjust. The last thing you want to do is come back to the UK, settle back in, buy a new car and stock up on food and beer only to be asked a few weeks later to go on another assignment when a few weeks notice of this would have spared you the expense and enabled you instead to take a holiday between assignments.
The situation this time around is that I am returning to the UK. I was asked if I wanted to go to South Africa – but I turned it down as Johannesburg has never been on my must see before I die list of places to visit.
So come 29 June it will be goodbye to work in Chennai. It will have been just over a year here – looking back it hardly seems five minutes since I got here – yet back then a year here looked like eternity. I’m guessing that I may have to visit here again as the Chennai office is an integral part of the company’s set up – but hopefully any future visits will be “business trips” of only a week or so in duration.
Wait and see I guess. The immediate problem is what to take home and whether it will all get in my suitcase.
Monday, 31 May 2010
Hot weather
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About this time last year back in the UK I drove from Northampton to Reading in my Peugeot 206cc with the roof down. It was fun and as it were a final goodbye to the car which I had to sell due to taking up an assignment in India.
Here in Chennai I reckon you’d have to be crackers to drive an open top car. Far from having a cooling effect you would probably end up hotter than ever. After a few days of rain as Chennai caught the edge of a cyclone the daytime temperature has been hitting 40 C. Air conditioning in both the home and the car is more or less essential to survival – especially when you come from a country with a climate like England.
I did have a worrying moment last Friday when a fuse blew in my flat and the living room was deprived of air conditioning. I did wonder if I was going to have to spend the weekend in the bedroom (where it still worked) but the landlord got it fixed the next day.
This meant I was still able to watch the England versus Bangladesh cricket on TV. Not the most exciting cricket – but credit to Bangladesh for a good effort. The only problem with cricket on TV over here is the repetitive adverts – at the end of every over, at the fall of a wicket, at the time of a drinks break, or even when a batsman makes a 50 or 100 and is stopping for the applause.
And it’s the same set of adverts every time – as if repeating the same thing will make me buy a TV recorder, a mobile telephone or some fruit juice.
Probably the worst of the lot are ones for some football tournament in South Africa. Like I care – who needs football when you can watch cricket?
Here in Chennai I reckon you’d have to be crackers to drive an open top car. Far from having a cooling effect you would probably end up hotter than ever. After a few days of rain as Chennai caught the edge of a cyclone the daytime temperature has been hitting 40 C. Air conditioning in both the home and the car is more or less essential to survival – especially when you come from a country with a climate like England.
I did have a worrying moment last Friday when a fuse blew in my flat and the living room was deprived of air conditioning. I did wonder if I was going to have to spend the weekend in the bedroom (where it still worked) but the landlord got it fixed the next day.
This meant I was still able to watch the England versus Bangladesh cricket on TV. Not the most exciting cricket – but credit to Bangladesh for a good effort. The only problem with cricket on TV over here is the repetitive adverts – at the end of every over, at the fall of a wicket, at the time of a drinks break, or even when a batsman makes a 50 or 100 and is stopping for the applause.
And it’s the same set of adverts every time – as if repeating the same thing will make me buy a TV recorder, a mobile telephone or some fruit juice.
Probably the worst of the lot are ones for some football tournament in South Africa. Like I care – who needs football when you can watch cricket?
Saturday, 15 May 2010
Life goes on as normal
Whislst HMG advises against travel to Thailand and events in Bangkok seem to be taking a turn for the worse Pattaya (where I'm on vacation) seems to be splendidly indifferent to it all. Other than a few less people the nightlife continues just as it always has.
24 Hour News
Trying to figure out what was going on in the UK Election from afar isn’t easy – especially if you are not permanently wired to the net and travelling from country to country.
I’m not sure whether the “24 Hour” news channels are a help or a hindrance either.
When I left India on Friday night it was fairly obvious that there were three alternatives – a minority Conservative Government, or a Coalition/Alliance of either Conservatives & Liberal Democrats or Labour & Liberal Democrats.
Yet somehow the news channels managed a nonstop stream of pundits, experts, ex- MPs, activists, political hacks and activists endlessly speculating and offering their ten pennyworth as to what was going to be the outcome.
So it came as something of a surprise to get an e-mail asking my opinion of the new government on Wednesday morning as I’d gone to bed the night before assuming that we were in for more of the same.
Back in 1997 I was on vacation in Phuket and came back from the beach to see pictures of Princess Diana on the TV screens. As anyone reading this probably knows she died in a car crash in Paris. This didn’t stop one of the “24 Hour” news channels posting a man outside Buckingham Palace at seven o’clock in the morning.
So what did he have to report at that time of day on a Sunday? A bus load of Japanese Tourists had turned up, had their photographs taken, and gone.
Such is the nature of 24 hour news.............................
I’m not sure whether the “24 Hour” news channels are a help or a hindrance either.
When I left India on Friday night it was fairly obvious that there were three alternatives – a minority Conservative Government, or a Coalition/Alliance of either Conservatives & Liberal Democrats or Labour & Liberal Democrats.
Yet somehow the news channels managed a nonstop stream of pundits, experts, ex- MPs, activists, political hacks and activists endlessly speculating and offering their ten pennyworth as to what was going to be the outcome.
So it came as something of a surprise to get an e-mail asking my opinion of the new government on Wednesday morning as I’d gone to bed the night before assuming that we were in for more of the same.
Back in 1997 I was on vacation in Phuket and came back from the beach to see pictures of Princess Diana on the TV screens. As anyone reading this probably knows she died in a car crash in Paris. This didn’t stop one of the “24 Hour” news channels posting a man outside Buckingham Palace at seven o’clock in the morning.
So what did he have to report at that time of day on a Sunday? A bus load of Japanese Tourists had turned up, had their photographs taken, and gone.
Such is the nature of 24 hour news.............................
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Getting the Vote in
This is not a political blog – so I’m not going to discuss who I vote for or why – but as one who takes a keen interest in such matters I find myself once again out of the UK at the time of a General Election.
The first General Election in which I qualified to vote was in 1979 when I was still a student at University College Cardiff. In order to get a postal vote I had to visit the Council Offices in Selby, obtain and fill in some forms, and a postal vote duly arrived when I was back at university for me to fill in.
This time around I’m trying to organise it via the internet. I downloaded what I thought were the right forms for a postal vote and a proxy vote from Reading Borough Council’s website and e-mailed them in.
I got a response on Friday telling me these weren’t the right forms – I have to register as an Overseas Voter – and fill in some different forms.
They will accept them by e-mail provided they are in by Tuesday evening and I send them a hard copy to follow – given current stoppage of flights to Europe due to the volcanic cloud who knows when that will be.
But at least I should still be able to have my vote. Just to be hoped it’s worth it!
The first General Election in which I qualified to vote was in 1979 when I was still a student at University College Cardiff. In order to get a postal vote I had to visit the Council Offices in Selby, obtain and fill in some forms, and a postal vote duly arrived when I was back at university for me to fill in.
This time around I’m trying to organise it via the internet. I downloaded what I thought were the right forms for a postal vote and a proxy vote from Reading Borough Council’s website and e-mailed them in.
I got a response on Friday telling me these weren’t the right forms – I have to register as an Overseas Voter – and fill in some different forms.
They will accept them by e-mail provided they are in by Tuesday evening and I send them a hard copy to follow – given current stoppage of flights to Europe due to the volcanic cloud who knows when that will be.
But at least I should still be able to have my vote. Just to be hoped it’s worth it!
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
Being John Lennon
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There are lots of people in Thailand who want to be or think they are someone or something else.
When I first encountered the chap pictured above I wondered whether it was John Lennon or Ozzy Osbourne that he fancied himself as. He started his singing routine with a couple of Rolling Stones numbers before doing some CCR.
Then he came to find out where I came from – he claimed to be from Liverpool. So John Lennon it was. He insisted on singing “Imagine” - something I’d rather he didn’t as I can’t really stand the song.
So when he asked for requests I asked for “Paranoid”.
He may think he’s John Lennon – but I much prefer it when he’s Ozzy!
Saturday, 27 March 2010
Foreigners Regional Registration Office Revisited
As it stands my current Indian visa expires in May. There being about twenty ex-pats here the company decided that we would follow the “local” route – rather than “visa runs” as has happened when there have only been two or three here.
Nobody quite knew what it was going to involve – the first person to go through the process went last week. Her first trip lasted about five hours – due to wrong information on the cost of the visa, the need to get a new direct bankers draft, and the need to have more copies of everything.
About five days later she went back and successfully returned with a three month visa extension.
This week it was my turn. My first trip involved the usual sitting around for about forty minutes in order to hand over a big wodge of papers to an official – who took about five minutes thumbing through them before sending me to another official who did the same,
I then went to the room full of counters to hand over the entire heap of papers – and acquire a slip telling me to come back in two days.
So on Friday there I was again in the room full of counters. I was summoned after ten minutes, had to sign various bits of paper and got my passport stamped with a three month visa extension.
The next challenge will be to get a year’s extension. The local FRRO can’t give us this on its own authority – it has to be referred to authorities in New Delhi and the possibility exists that we will have to go for an interview.
Nobody quite knew what it was going to involve – the first person to go through the process went last week. Her first trip lasted about five hours – due to wrong information on the cost of the visa, the need to get a new direct bankers draft, and the need to have more copies of everything.
About five days later she went back and successfully returned with a three month visa extension.
This week it was my turn. My first trip involved the usual sitting around for about forty minutes in order to hand over a big wodge of papers to an official – who took about five minutes thumbing through them before sending me to another official who did the same,
I then went to the room full of counters to hand over the entire heap of papers – and acquire a slip telling me to come back in two days.
So on Friday there I was again in the room full of counters. I was summoned after ten minutes, had to sign various bits of paper and got my passport stamped with a three month visa extension.
The next challenge will be to get a year’s extension. The local FRRO can’t give us this on its own authority – it has to be referred to authorities in New Delhi and the possibility exists that we will have to go for an interview.
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Eaten alive by fish
I arrived back in Thailand on Saturday. The weather is certainly heating up – and although my favourite bar isn’t as packed as a month ago the beach certainly seems crowded.
Yesterday after an afternoon on the beach I tried the new craze for “Dr Fish”. For 150 Baht you put your feet into a tank full of “nibble fish “that (according to the brochure) eat away the dead skin and in doing so release an enzyme that is good for the skin.
The sensation was at first extremely ticklish – I had difficulty not laughing as a swarm of fish descended on my feet and started to nibble away. Once the initial shock was over I sat there for twenty minutes as the fish did their job.
Afterwards my feet certainly felt a lot fresher. Whether it’s done any real good I can’t say – it was an interesting way to spend twenty minutes. I also know I wouldn’t want to fall into a tank full of these fish – they might not nibble you to death but they might tickle you there.
Yesterday after an afternoon on the beach I tried the new craze for “Dr Fish”. For 150 Baht you put your feet into a tank full of “nibble fish “that (according to the brochure) eat away the dead skin and in doing so release an enzyme that is good for the skin.
The sensation was at first extremely ticklish – I had difficulty not laughing as a swarm of fish descended on my feet and started to nibble away. Once the initial shock was over I sat there for twenty minutes as the fish did their job.
Afterwards my feet certainly felt a lot fresher. Whether it’s done any real good I can’t say – it was an interesting way to spend twenty minutes. I also know I wouldn’t want to fall into a tank full of these fish – they might not nibble you to death but they might tickle you there.
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Kolkata
As usual it was one of those last minute decisions – at 5pm on Thursday the other week I’m asked to get suppliers into our offices in Kolkata for meetings on Tuesday & Wednesday – as well as be there to conduct them.
It didn’t work out that way – the dictum “no plan survives contact with the enemy” – certainly applied as none of them wanted to go there. So instead I ended up going there and conducting teleconferences. At least it was easier than a three way teleconference................
Getting there meant an early flight from Chennai at 8.15 – arriving there 10.30. I was picked up and taken to the hotel – the Grand Hyatt Regency – before arriving our offices in Salt Lake about midday. It seems we are very much on the outskirts of the city – there appears to be a lot of scattered big buildings being put up all over the place. There didn’t seem to be quite as much traffic – but the quality of driving was just the same.
The hotel itself is very nice – just one odd compliant – the washbasin in the bathroom had no plug – which makes having a wet shave difficult.
I quite enjoyed the mixed buffet – plus the Kingfisher Beer – and had that well known British delicacy Bread Pudding for desert.
Coming back I realised that Kolkata Airport makes Chennai look modern. Checking in you put your luggage on the scale – it’s then passed to some chap with a trolley who wheels it off to wherever.
Nevertheless both luggage and myself made it back into Chennai around 8.30 pm – so two days back in Chennai office before packing my bags yet again.
But this time it’s for a week’s vacation in Thailand.
It didn’t work out that way – the dictum “no plan survives contact with the enemy” – certainly applied as none of them wanted to go there. So instead I ended up going there and conducting teleconferences. At least it was easier than a three way teleconference................
Getting there meant an early flight from Chennai at 8.15 – arriving there 10.30. I was picked up and taken to the hotel – the Grand Hyatt Regency – before arriving our offices in Salt Lake about midday. It seems we are very much on the outskirts of the city – there appears to be a lot of scattered big buildings being put up all over the place. There didn’t seem to be quite as much traffic – but the quality of driving was just the same.
The hotel itself is very nice – just one odd compliant – the washbasin in the bathroom had no plug – which makes having a wet shave difficult.
I quite enjoyed the mixed buffet – plus the Kingfisher Beer – and had that well known British delicacy Bread Pudding for desert.
Coming back I realised that Kolkata Airport makes Chennai look modern. Checking in you put your luggage on the scale – it’s then passed to some chap with a trolley who wheels it off to wherever.
Nevertheless both luggage and myself made it back into Chennai around 8.30 pm – so two days back in Chennai office before packing my bags yet again.
But this time it’s for a week’s vacation in Thailand.
Saturday, 6 February 2010
Getting through January
There’s not really much to report from India as regards January. I returned to work to face the usual 200 or more e-mails – though quite a few of those were Christmas & New Year Greetings.
There was a “Festival Holiday” on Thursday 14th – Tamil New Year I believe – but as us ex-pats are only allowed eight of the ten holidays the locals get we were allowed to work this one.
After all, only 1 ½ weeks after Christmas a Thursday off in Chennai isn’t that attractive a prospect.
In the final week of January India had a National Day Holiday – which meant we had to take the day off. So I used up 4 days of my R&R allowance and went to Thailand for the week. The Thais were complaining it was cold – can’t say I noticed – and it rained three of the afternoons when I was on the beach.
The place was still quite busy – though some people are worried by threats that “the Red Shirts” and “the Yellow Shirts” are going to kick off protesting against each other soon and try and close the airport at the end of February.
Friday, 8 January 2010
New Year in Thailand
My Thai Airways flight took off from Heathrow at 10.10 pm on the Sunday and touched down in Bangkok about 3.30 pm the next day. I'd managed to get a window seat so slept as best I could most of the journey. I also declined the aircraft food as usual as it usually gives me wind and isn't that great to begin with. Plus it's always a struggle to eat it without making a mess everywhere.
I got the airport limo to Pattaya - the driver expected a tip. I offered him 20 baht - he muttered - so I gave him 40 - at which he said he expected 100 - so I told him it was tough and went off to the hotel reception.
Pattaya was well geared up for Christmas with plenty of tourists - and it was almost "standing room only" at my usual bar one night. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day were (I believe) public holidays so there were a lot of local folk from Bangkok having a day on the beach.
New Year's eve the traffic was absolutely solid - I saw in the New Year with friends (and Jameson 12 Year Old) at the hotel before a 30 minute walk to the bar. Leaving there at about 2.30 instead of the usual "Baht Bus" a motorcycle taxi was called for. I'm not usually in favour of these but I wasn't going to walk back. As we weaved through the traffic I realised that Thai motorcyclists drive in just the same manner as our Indian drivers in Chennai!
Christmas in England
Viewed from Chennai the news of snow in the UK on Friday 18 December was not encouraging. On arrival at Heathrow at about 10.00 am the next day it certainly felt very cold (after six months in the Tropics) and I was glad I'd packed a sweater, fleece and cagoule in my hand luggage.
I caught the bus to the car hire location, scraped snow off the hire car, and was on my way in bright sunny weather by 10.45. Other than a delay near Luton due to an accident it wasn't such a bad drive and I was back in civilisation by 3.00 pm.
I spent until the Wednesday in Yorkshire - I took a walk to the River Ouse on the Sunday and took photographs of the frozen landscape - which actually makes some of it seem quite pretty!
On the Wednesday I drove south again to St Albans for Christmas at my sister's. I somehow found my way to Luton Airport to dump the car - where a nice young Bulgarian lady took the keys, complimented me on not scratching it, and gave me some free sweets.
On the morning of Christmas day we went for a walk into St Albans as an appetizer for the Christmas Dinner. It was pretty cold outside so it certainly did the trick.
Christmas in the UK came to an end on the Sunday as I took an hour long taxi journey to Heathrow and a flight to Thailand for the New Year.
All in all - despite the cold - it was a good Christmas. Unlike most other foreign assignments there was no feeling of Christmas at all in Chennai - even in such "non Christian countries" (whatever that means) as Malaysia and Thailand there were celebrations, parties, decorations etc during my time there. Of course some of this is driven by the tourist trade - but in Kuala Lumpur the locals all seemed quite keen on it.
It was also a chance to catch up on all the food I've been missing - pork chops, roast beef, Yorkshire Puddings, fish & chips - as well as a pork pie and a Cornish Pasty. Some Bushmills 10 Year Old, Newcastle Brown Ale and Theakston's Old Peculiar did not come amiss either!
So whilst some may decry the commercialisation of Christmas I still enjoy it as it's the best time of year to see friends, stay with family and do nothing useful for a whole week!
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