Cumulis Humilis Congestis (?!)

When was the last time that you actually looked up and "saw" clouds? I don't mean just seeing if it was going to rain, but actually took a minute to look at all the different types of clouds in the sky? Think I've finally lost the plot?

As kids, I think we can all remember a time when an afternoon lying on our back and seeing what clouds resembled constituted a perfectly reasonable way to waste time. It was just such a fond and distant memory that came back to me when I came across this book on our recent holiday in Cornwall: The Cloudspotters Guide. As a result of reading it, I now look up in the sky every day to see what's up there (usually while driving, though not recommended) -- and bore senseless my friends with latin names that sound totally made up on the spot such as "Nimbocumulous Opacus" or "Stratus Fractus Translucidous". But I have to admit, if I'm not sure what a particular genus of cloud is that I'm looking at, it does get described as "Man with bird on shoulder" or "dragon eating a car".

You should read this delightful review of the book, and the author, in the Washington Post. And you can learn more by visiting the Cloud Appreciation Society web site. Needless to say, my membership is currently being processed and I hope to sport my saddo t-shirt soon!

The serious outcome of the book is that I will be able to (in a limited way) forecast the weather each day on my fast-approaching walk from Stratford to London. And when I don't have my head in a map navigating the route, I'll enjoy brushing up on my cloud spotting skills.

(I'll use this opportunity to clear my concience and apologise to a colleague at work who I recently bored rigid with talk of cloud varieties on a two hour flight back from Barcelona. Sadly for him, the fasten seat belt sign and a stern BA trolly-dolly prevented his numerous attempts at escaping. Sorry.)

Views along the run

Here's a few pictures that piece together the views along my usual run. It's totally blurred to me because a) I wear thick glasses and I don't run in them b) I'm usually "head down" trying to get to the end. But tonight I took a few pics along the way. The weather was foul, but it gives you an idea.

The run starts with Hobbes setting the pace down the street from our home behind Holy Trinity church to the theatre park by the river Avon (pic 1), through to the Swan Theatre (pic 2), then on to boat basin and over the bridge that overlooks the soon to be renovated Royal Shakespeare Theatre (pic 3), along the other side of the river Avon passing Holy Trinity church again on the right (pic 4) into the final iPod "power song" 1/4 mile stretch back to the house. Phew. Hobbes finds his own way to cool off (pic 5), thanks to our English summer rain.

Holy Trinity church is where William Shakespeare and his family are buried. It attracts about a quarter of a million tourists a year. The scaffolding around the spire (pictured above) has been up for about a year because there is an extensive amount of careful restoration work being done. The church was originally built in the early 13th century -- I guess it's about time it got a new roof.

The Route

At the weekend, I bought the maps to help me plan and navigate the walk. They are illustrated here, from Stratford on the left, through the Cotswolds, Oxford, Chilterns hills and finally London on the right. It's quite a hefty bunch of maps, which got me thinking about the amount of kit I'll need to carry on this journey. I'm already thinking about mailing pre-paid envelopes to the B&B's that I plan to stay at on the route so that I can mail back used maps... hmmm.... maybe I can simply mail back dirty laundry too so that my pack gets lighter the further I go? Wouldn't want to open those jiffy envelopes a week later!

Training for the walk is going well. Three weeks after starting to run again, I have shaved off seven minutes from my original time. I took a GPS with me during my lunchtime run today and recorded the details so that I can see improvements (anyone who works with me will audibly groan that I use metrics in my personal life too!) The stats were grim, but a hell of a lot better than three weeks ago. The GPS told me that my regular run is 1.26 miles long and I ran it today in 13 mins 27 seconds, which is an average of about 5 miles per hour. My fastest speed was 13 miles per hour, which I must confess probably coincided with running past the long queue of female university students waiting for returned tickets to see King Lear outside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Needless to say, I probably kept the pace until I turned the thankfully close corner.

Finally, I'm a little closer to my sponsorship target thanks to very first donation coming from Christy in California and, of course, thanks dad! There's a link now on this page to the "just giving" web site -- it's easy for anyone to donate from anywhere in the world.......

Sponsor Me Please!

If you'd like to sponsor my walk from Stratford to London (see below) in aid of the Shakespeare Hospice, you can do it quickly and easily by visiting my "Just Giving" web site with your credit card.

If you are in the UK, the tax man will add 28p to every penny you donate. If you are outside the UK, it's easy to donate with your credit card. My company will match all donations up to a limit of one thousand pounds. So, if I reach my target, we'll donate two thousand pounds to an incredible charity that makes a huge difference to those that need help at the end of their life.

Every penny counts, so please do sponsor me. Go on, be the first!!!

You Lied, Mr Nike Salesman

After a week of running (see previous post), I have shaved a gratifying 90 seconds off my usual run. But no, Mr. all-smiles-and-warm-reassurance-Nike-salesman, the running shoes you sold me have not miraculously transformed my out-of-shape hulk into the guy in your advert overnight. And given the constant embarrassment of puffing and panting past throngs of tourists representing every nation on earth here in my home town, I'll be more than happy with the "skin-deep-look-cool-when-running" you promised me over the "deep-down-working-damn-hard-to-actually-get-fitter" option I'm currently experiencing!

The bottom line? I guess adverts lie. As a man in PR, I find this shocking.

The implied message that I so gladly bought into was that, like the guy in their Nike TV commercial, one day (very soon) I'd throw on my new running shoes and go show off my incredible cardio fitness to admiring onlookers as I pound the city streets. How far from reality am I! But one thing I do agree with -- the influence of the "power track" on your iPod. I have quickly realized that my usual choice of music, jazz, isn't going to help me forget those worsening stomach cramps. Oh no. So I dug out what K affectionately terms "dad rock" ('90's band the"Primal Scream" - quite literally a good choice) and cranked it up loud. Yes, it took my mind off the pain and focused my thoughts better, but it also had another positive benefit; I could no longer hear myself gasping for air.

The Great Stratford Run

There's no way that I'll enjoy walking 146 miles in nine days if I'm not fit enough. So, with much ceremony, including the donning of new running shoes and strenuous looking stretches to impress the dog, I left the house yesterday lunchtime for my first training run.

Now, I used to be fit. I played hockey three times a week for Thames Valley and Wellington College, regularly biked for many-a-mile and still slog up the mountains of the British Isles on a fairly regular basis. But it was pretty darn obvious a quarter of a mile into my run that my mind was cashing cheques my body had no intention of cashing. I was honestly amazed that there were areas of my upper body that were moving to an independent rythmn from the rest of me. That belly wasn't there the last time I went for a run -- four years ago!

As I reached the half-mile stage, the endorphins were replacing oxygen in my lungs and brain, inducing a rapidly escalating sense of shock at my pitifully poor state of fitness.

By the three quarter mile stage, I realized that I had made a huge mistake in my route selection for this inaugral run. Working from home yesterday, I decided to run along the bank of the River Avon out of town, across a bridge and re-enter the town by the theatre and return home via the opposite bank. Sounds idillic, right? Wrong. Picture my alarm as I crossed the bridge into the summer throng of visitors to Stratford from every nation on earth. I tried my very best to straighten my back, tidy up my stride and look at least half-decent for a man of my relatively young age, but within a few yards I had reverted to my sweating, panting, half-deranged looking stupor. The Japanese coach party looked genuinely alarmed, the German family backed off and I could swear I heard an American tourist shout "it ain't worth it, buddy". OK, so I exaggerate, but I know I wasn't a pretty site weaving my way through the crowds.

This agony amd embarrassment lasted all of 18 minutes and about a mile. In a word, I'd sum up my start as rather pathetic. But, on the bright side as I sit here munching unrepentently on a bar of Green and Blacks chocolate, it can only get better. I plan to run 1 or 2 miles four times per week in June, increasing to three miles in July, ready for the walk in August. Starting was the hardest bit, and I'm determined to work at it to get fitter.

So yep -- my legs ache terribly today -- and I know that when I run tomorrow, I'm going to experience how it's going to get a whole lot harder before it gets better.

The Shakespeare's Way: Coming Summer '07

On August 4th, I plan to walk 146 miles from the birthplace of Shakespeare, about 600 yards from our house here in Stratford Upon Avon, to his first theatre situated on the South Bank of the river Thames in London.... in nine days.

It's a long distance path called, not unsurprisingly, "Shakespeare's Way". It meanders through, in my humble opinion, some of the most gloriously beautiful countryside in England called The Cotswolds, including towns such as Chipping Norton, Woodstock, Oxford, Marlow, Windsor and Kew, culminating in a final stretch along the Thames past Westminster to the Globe Theatre.

Linking this huge network of individual public right's of way together was the work of an incredible gentleman called Peter Titchmarsh, who lives in Stratford. He also founded the "MacMillan Way", a walk of 290 miles that links the west and east coast's of England. Both the "Shakespeare's Way" and "MacMillan Way" are dedicated to the work of two similar charitable organizations (Shakespeare Hospice and Macmillan Nurses) that provide palliative care to people with terminal illnesses, enabling people to receive the best possible hollistic support as they die. I'll be doing this walk to raise money for the Shakespeare Hospice, so be prepared to give generously!

Each day, I plan to walk between 15 and 20 miles, depending on the terrain and places to stay. I haven't decided yet whether I'll camp, B&B or do a combination of both. I need to spend a couple of evenings studying the maps.

The walk is nearly all through countryside, so it will take a lot of navigation. Anyone who has walked in "the real country" around England will know that there are occassional signs along fences, on gates and near roads, but the route will almost entirely require a large scale map, concentration and a bit of luck (aka a GPS!).

It will also require a better level of fitness than I currently have. Urgh. Most people, if not all, could walk 20 miles in a long day over a gently undulating landscape. But everything feels a little stiff the following day -- so after nine days of solid walking without a rest day, I fully expect that its going to be a little challenge.

So to ensure that it doesn't turn out to be a week of blisters and flayling legs (this is my idea of holiday, afterall!), I'm going to spend a couple of months getting in shape. How hilarious is that?!

Tomorrow, I'm going on my first run!!!

Barcelona, Spain

Last week, I spent a few days in Barcelona for one of our major European events. It was a real flying visit, cramming four days into two and a half. Barcelona is a gorgeous city -- or so they tell me. All I saw was the inside of taxi's, a hotel and the conference center. We did venture out for one evening and had a lovely dinner (at 8pm, which is really early by local standards -- they normally START at 10pm!!) by the harbour -- I don't recall the name. Other than that, I didn't have a chance to snap a pic, so I'll have to make do with this shot from the web to provide a taster for the city (it's really big!). I think we'll need to go back.

St. Ives, Cornwall

If Cornwall is God's country, St. Ives is the capital. We just love the place. Here's a couple of pictures that show why. Unfortunately, the weather was not so great this year -- actually, it was dreadful! But we had a good time despite being wet for a week.

English Country Life

K sent this short documentary film over this morning and it really does sum up English country life.

The Perfect Martini

A friend shared this article in the New York Times on the perfect Martini, as I do like a tipple of gin (or two) -- especially my favorite, Hendricks. After reading this review, I look forward to trying them all!

New York

I'm in New York and Stamford, Connecticut, all week this week. After flying home from San Francisco on Friday night and then flying back to the East Coast of the US on Sunday, I have no idea what day it is, nevermind what time it is. Boy, I miss the city -- the view in this photo shows why.

Can't wait for our holiday in Cornwall next week!!

Diet Coke & Mentos

A work of genuis - watch this video.

Movie: "Rocket Post"

Writing about "Starter for 10" below reminded me of another great little British film we saw recently called "Rocket Post". It's a true story about two German rocket scientists posted to the Outer Hebrides (remote islands off the West Coast of Scotland) in the late 1930's who believed that rockets carrying mail could help remote communities stay in touch with the mainland. It's a story about their decision whether to return home to inevitably develop weapons for Hitler's war machine or continue their humanitarian work, despite their nationality. Add beautiful Scottish scenery to the mix and you've got an enjoyable Saturday night movie.

Movie: "Starter for 10"

A real laugh for anyone who has watched University Challenge, this British film called "Starter for 10" had us in stitches. It's out on DVD and I'd really recommend it.

And congratulations to Warwick University, our local college, who recently won University Challenge 2007. I followed them for most of the series and they had a great (and highly entertaining) team. My own university, Keele, hasn't had any notable success in the competition since we won in 1968!!

Baseball and Footlongs!

I have to admit, there is something very special about a night of baseball, footlong hotdogs and cold beers on a spring evening!

On the last night of our event in San Francisco, we entertained a couple of journalists from the Financial Times, a couple from the Wall Street Journal and a handful of analysts with the purpose of developing stronger relationships for our company with the press. We saw the Oakland A's plan the Seattle Mariners -- sadly, the game only lasted a couple of hours and the A's lost. It turned out to be a rather uneventful eveving on the field -- but very good from a business perspective.

Homeward bound tomorrow!

San Francisco A.M.

On the way to grabbing my enormous life-giving coffee from Starbucks this morning, I took these snaps of the city. For me, the architecture reminds me of '70's cops movies and car chases down the hills!

San Francsico is a very "eco-concious" city. The air quality in the city is very, very good because cars are actively discouraged from entering the city and, most importantly, the public transport is 1) really good 2) the buses and trams run on electricity from overhead cables. The original trams still exist too, running on cables set within the road.

San Francisco, CA

I'm in San Francisco with my North American team all week for one of our major events. We have a few thousand attendees and 6o+ journalists onsite, so it always proves to be very hectic but rewarding.

Due to the availability of flights to the West Coast and the massive eight hour time difference, I did have a day to myself before mahem begins. I managed to squeeze in a very early morning game of golf with Tom and Frank at the gorgeous Presidio course within the National Park. It's located alongside the city (you can see the city through the trees in the picture above). From our previous experience of driving the 1000+ miles from San Diego to San Francisco along the coast on route 101, the cities are mearly dots in an otherwise seaminglessly endless landscape of beautiful countryside and ocean vistas. The picture below shows the proximity of the golf course, the downtown area of the city and the Golden Gate Bridge.

In the afternoon, fighting off the desire to sleep (body clock still on UK time), I visited the Museum of Modern Art SF (MoMASF). The interior architecture reminded me of the Guggenheim museum in New York. To be honest, I was pretty dissapointed by the range of art on display and the confined space to view them in. Compared to MoMA or the Tate Modern, this feels very provincial - an outpost of a bigger brother and not a museum in its own right. The Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto or even the Art Museum of New South Wales in Sydney had a much tighter focus/mission and sense of personal identity, even though their collections are considerably smaller than MoMASF. The bottom line is that I wouldn't a visit unless it's raining hard!

Walking back from dinner that evening, I took this picture. When K, B and I last visited SF, we had a car and, on the advice of our fantastic Lonely Planet guide book, parked our car with the front wheels facing the kerb. It's law in SF to do this because if the handbrake fails on your car whilst parked, the hills really are so steep that your motor would end up careering down the city! With the wheels facing the kerb, it acts as a gravity brake just in case.

Construction Update

At the weekend, we saw a lot of progress with the house. The builder, Sibbasbridge, have done exactly what they said they would do on time -- we're very happy with their work. Sadly, a few minor things have gone wrong that needed later correction, but this was due to sub-contractors that were not so particular as the builder.

We have now officially entered the phase called "lots of small stuff still to be done, very frustrating because it seems like it will never end". Floor and kitchen gets fitted next week, so there will be a huge difference to be seen then. All the applicances are filling up the rooms waiting for installation, including 47 boxes that contain our oak flooring and a garden full of oak planks for the deck. And our oven finally came from Sheffield -- it's a monster, but it didn't scare H!! Even the windows are being overhauled.

As it stands now, this is what it looks like.

Windsor, Legoland

On bank holiday Monday, B had a great time at Legoland in Windsor. Actually, we did too! Legoland is a great day out for children under 10 because all the rides and activities are designed specifically for them -- not andrenaline junky teenagers. A good example is the rollercoaster -- watch a movie of B & K taking a ride by clicking here. I'd really recommend it for families with small children above any other "theme park" day out. Miniland is great fun - guess how many Lego bricks it took to build the houses of parliament? A lot.

We have also been to Legoland in California when B was about 18 months old. He even had a great day at that age due to the "soft play" areas and sensory games. Weather was slightly better, though!