So tomorrow I return to India and I must say I don’t really want to go back. Not for any really negative reasons, but just because I have so many things going on back here at the moment. I am enjoying my new job, despite it being extreamly busy, and have just started making arrangments to sort the work on the house out. Taking two weeks out now is just a pain in the backside.

I fly tomorrow morning at 10:00 arriving at 23:00 IST tomorrow night, after being Duty Manager all weekend. I am looking forward to catching up with the team again and saying goodbye properly but it’s going to be difficult managing my now UK based diary with the time difference. The saving grace is its only for two weeks.

On the home front it’s been really nice catching up with family and friends again after so long, and the sun has been out which has made doing things possible. It’s been really nice on the weekend sitting in a beer garden putting the world to rights before tucking into some good old English food. What’s been even nicer is the peace and quiet when I get home from work. No horn’s sounding, no dogs barking!

Tags: Family, Food, Friends, Travel

Okay so I arrived back in the UK Friday afternoon and was met on time by my taxi for the 40 minute run down the M25 / M3 to Basingstoke. Walking through the door I felt I could finally relax and kicked off my shoes and through myself on the sofa with a cold beer. I chilled out for about 30 minutes before I grabbed a shower and changed my clothes which made me feel about 10 times better, but I still couldn’t face unpacking so resigned to leave that until Saturday. I grabbed another beer and through myself back on the sofa. I managed to last until about 19:30 before I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer and headed for bed. It was so nice being back in my own bed with big soft pillows I fell straight to sleep.

Saturday morning I was awake at 04:00 and ready to go. I had a bunch of shopping to do and Williams 3rd Birthday at 14:00. Then I remembered that the shops didn’t open at 04:00 so settled on unpacking my case. Now one thing I am not going to miss about India is the dust and dirt. This time around I brought the majority of my electronic equipment home. However before I could set it up I had to wash everything down as it was coated in a fine layer of dust. This is made even more fustrating when your an apple fan and most of the kit is white, well was white when I brought it. Once I had done this I needed to let everything dry off so I laid a big towel out on the landing and set everything up so it could dry.

At 09:00 I headed into town as another side effect of being away is that I have lost a lot of weight and none of my clothes fit me. So after buying a couple of new suits and half a dozen shirts I was feeling a little peckish. I headed to nearest cafe, where I found Mum & Dad just finishing lunch and joined them for Sausage, Egg, Chips, and beans. After lunch and catching up with the folks I had the energy to finish my shopping so headed back into the crowd and cringed everytime I handed over my credit card. It’s going to take some time getting used to spending in pounds again!

13:00 Mum & Dad picked me up and we headed to Katrina & Rob’s for Williams 3rd Birthday party (Photo’s here). Katrina & Rob had setup an big marquee and laid out sandwiches, crisps, and a variety of sweets. The kids all had fun playing with Williams toys and playing the party games that Katrina had organised, while the adults enjoyed a few beers and chatted. About 16:00 we set off as I was feeling knackered and Mum & Dad had things they needed to do. I got back home and had a couple more beers and contemplated how I was going to try and stay awake. I ended up washing down all the electronic’s equipment again as it all still looked dirty. I managed to stay awake until 21:00 but once again had no problems getting to sleep.

Sunday I managed to lay in until a respectable 09:30, and actually felt a little more human. I finished unpacking my suitcase and set about setting up my electronic equipment. I then set about catching up on my personal email and sorting through my post. By 13:00 I was about 50% of the way there but decided to head up to Mum & Dad’s as Mum was cooking Roast Beer and I thought it would give us chance to catch up. We had dinner about 15:00 and then were joined by Clive & Sue (Friends of Mum & Dad’s). I walked home about 17:00 feeling tired but mainly because I had eaten a big meal and enjoyed a few beers. I set about finishing sorting out my email and post and then sat and watched TV for an hour. I lasted until about 21:30 before I felt my eye’s straining to stay open and decided it was better to not fight it.

Monday I woke up at 08:00 and headed into town as I had realised that I needed a few more bits and pieces. I was finished by 10:30 and decided to take the car for a spin as it had been sat there for a while. I headed home for lunch and enjoyed my first salad since coming back. It was paradise! I spend the rest of the day sorting out the house, and a few personal things with the bank and insurance companies before chilling out on the sofa and watching a couple of films.

Today I woke at 09:00 and feel that I am back in the mix. I had a few personal things to sort out and it was nice to have the extra days to do them properly. It’s back to work tomorrow and I am looking forward to being back in London, if not the commute. It’s going to be slightly strange going back and picking up my new responsibilities, espcially now that former peers are reporting to me. I think the saving grace however is I know they are professional people and honestly don’t believe they will have any issues, as they are as eager as I am to see improvements, but I’ll let you know how it goes.

Tags: Beer, Birthdays, Family, Food, Friends, Party, Shopping

So while I was waiting to board the ferry from Koh Tao to Koh Sumai I made the school boy error of checking my BlackBerry. I had an urgent mail stating the I was needed (Work) back in the UK. So after arriving Sunday night I went into the office on Monday morning to say hello to everyone, pick up my plane tickets, and then say goodbye again.

I flew out of New Delhi Tuesday afternoon and arrived about 19:00 BST that night. It was about 20:30 by the time I got home. By this time my body didn’t know what time of what day it was, or if it was time for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I resolved myself to get something to eat and go to bed.

Wednesday morning I woke up about 04:30 and got ready for work. It was lovely being in my own house with all my own stuff around but reality set in as I drove to the train station and tried to find a parking space. After finding one the horror set in as I realised it was now £6 per day to park. I purchased my train ticket and (another horror) and boarded the train. It felt kind of strange but I did enjoy seeing the lush countryside whisk by. I arrived at Londaon Waterloo and boarded the drain to Bank and then walked the 10 minutes to the office.

All the time it felt kind of strange, as if I was a visitor or maybe even a tourist. I arrived at the office and said hello to the guys and girls I haven’t seen in a year and then went into three days of meetings.

By the time Saturday arrived I was just getting used to the time zone but was dreading the flight back and adjusting to IST again. I decided to worry about that when it came and met up with friends and family. The last time I had seen my niece she was only a week old and she had grown quite a bit. My nephew was the monster I had left behind and some, although he didn’t need anytime to get used to me this time.

It was great to see everyone again and as I left for Heathrow on Sunday I was aware that it was only two months until I return home. As I arrived a New Delhi IGI I felt strangly comfortable. I would go as far as saying more comfortable that I felt arriving at London Heathrow.

The last two weeks have been work, work, and more work, with a duty manager shift last weekend. This means I hadn’t had a day off in three weeks. So yesterday I took a day off. I needed to get my foot checked as I had cut it while diving and I think all the walking around London had opened it back up to the point where I have spent the last two weeks hobbling around the office like a 90 year old man. The doctor gave (well sold) me some cream and bandages but told me to keep it open to the air as much as possible and told me to stop wearing shoes until hit had healed more. The rest of the day I spent shopping as I have been living on takeouts and fast ood for the last too weeks and really need some wholesome food, and catching up on personal stuff.

I have a bunch of work todo before Monday, and am going to do a couple of hours today before going for dinner and then the cinema with Laurence. Tomorrow will be a work day.

Tags: Beer, Family, Food, Friends, Travel

Wow, it has been over a month since my last entry but at least I have something to blog about. Well that’s not quite true, I actually have a lot to blog about! Now the hard bit is deciding where to start.

So in my last post I was Duty Manager and trapped in my apartment in India planning my trip to Thailand, so let’s start there. Well on the Monday Chris Gothard, a collegue from the UK arrived in order to meet the team and discuss a few organisation changes. It was a great week and Chris enjoyed putting names to faces and catching up with people that he had only spoken to previously via the phone and email. It was a busy week with a lot of stuff to cover but we got through everything and even resolved some long outstanding issues. Sometimes its just so much easier when you can sit down and discuss things. Friday was Chris and Sandra’s last day in India before they flew back to the UK so there was a big party to see them off. I think most people from the team in India made it along at some point and judging by the fact you couldn’t get on the dance floor I think everybody had a great time.

Saturday morning I woke up feeling a lot better than I expected to given the amount I had poured down my neck. I love a free bar! Karan was prompt as usual and after manhandeling my suit case into the car we headed for Delhi’s IGI Airport. I arrived with plenty of time to spare but I was in holiday mode and didn’t care as I sat there listening to my iPod watching the world go by. We boarded the plane, and my backside struggled to get use to the economy seats. Thankfully it was only a three hour flight and after few beers to top up Friday nights quota I was soon asleep.

We touched down at Bangkok’s International Airport about 20 minutes late and disembarked straight away. I sailed through passport control and my bag was on the belt waiting for me. Perfect! I headed out and grabbed the first taxi I could find and gave him the address of the Hotel and we set off. As we drove the 40 minutes to the hotel I answered the normal question on where I was from, how I was here on holiday, and yes I liked beautiful women. I looked out of the window at the high rise skyscrappers and felt very much at home even though there was palm trees everywhere. We arrived at the hotel and I checked in, grabbed a shower, and changed my clothes. Unpacking would have to wait as I had spotted a McDonalds across from the hotel as we arrived. As I walked in through the big glass doors I am sure I looked insane with the smile I was wearing, as I ordered I must have looked like a raving lunatic. As I approached the counter thoughts raced through my mind, how many Big Mac’s did they have in stock? Would I be allowed to order them all? Would they deliver to India? I approached with caution and ordered a large Big Mac meal. I don’t remember the next 3.6 minutes as I was in a “Happy Place”. As I liked my fingers and drained my full fat coke I could only think of one thing. A Cheese Burger Meal! So back at the counter and then back to my table and the “Happy Place”. After eating I just felt really tired, but knew if I went to bed to early I would be awake early hours so I went for a wander. It didn’t take me to long to find a bar and as I walked in I was welcomed by 3 or 4 very beautiful girls. I sat at the bar and ordered a beer and two of the girls sat down with me. They asked me the same questions the cab driver had asked me and made general chit chat. By the time I finished my beer one of the girls was sat on my lap and the other one rubbing my shoulders. I made my excuses, well they weren’t really excuses as I was totally knackered, and headed back to the hotel alone. I grabbed a quick drink in the bar and then headed to bed.

Over the next few days I enjoyed laying in, usually until 10:00 before venturing out to for breakfast. After breakfast I would do a little shopping and generally look around before heading in search of Lunch. Lunch usually focused around beef in one form or another. After lunch I would head back to the hotel to drop my bags off and would then spend a few hours by the pool. Around 15:00 I would generally doze off and wake a couple of hours later ready to eat. I would grab a shower and change, not that it was really worth it as I within 30 seconds of leaving the hotel I would be sweating profoundly. I would then enjoy a few drinks and make small talk with the girls. They tried to teach me Thai and laughed at my mispronunciation.

Tuesday night I caught the night train from Bangkok to Champon. It was very similar to the train I caught from Mumbia to Goa although there were less bunks per carriage and a lot more space. I arrived in Chanpon about 04:30 Wednesday morning and was meet at the train station by the company that runs one of the ferries between Champon and Koh Tao. It was about a 20 minute drive from the train station to the ferry terminal and then we had an hours wait until the ferry left. Luckily there was a cafe which sold coffee and snacks.

The ferry took about 3 hours and I got talking to one of the deck hands who spoke very good English which passed the time. We reached the island of Koh Tao about 11:00 and it was a short walk along the beach to the dive school. Once at the school I filled in the paperwork and checked into my room. The room was quite basic, bathroom, double bed, TV, but it would do. I grabbed a shower and then headed off in search of some lunch. It wasn’t hard as there were only two main streets and every other building was a resturant which sold good old English food. It was fantastic sat in shorts and t-shirts looking out at the beach eating Sausage and Mash. After lunch I headed back to my room and grabbed a few hours sleep. I woke up and headed to the bar grabbed a drink and got chatting to the other people that would be on my course. We all had a few beers and then headed off for dinner.

The second day we all met up at 09:00 and headed for the class room and a morning of video’s and tests. We finished about 14:00 by which time I was starving so headed in search of lunch. The afternoon was spent in the swimming pool running through some of the basic skills. Over the next few days we headed out to sea a practices our skills before diving the various reefs and huntng down different fish, stingyrays, and turtles. The last dive of the PADI Open Water exam was a night dive, which was in my view one of the best. We headed out about 18:00 and arrived at the dive site just as the sun was setting. We entered the water, turned on our torches and desended. It was amazing as there seems to be a lot more around. As we surfaced we all looked up and the stars seemed so bright. We bobbed around for about 10 minutes just staring at the sky before returning to the boat.

The next day we started our advanced course, and more book work. Luckily it was just the morning and in the afternoon we headed out to do our first two dives. The first was fish ID, which as it says was all about identifying underwater sea life, whilst the second was navigation, and I think my sailing helped a little as I was familiar with a compass and found the tasks no problem at all. When we got back I elected to do another course, NITROX, which allows you to dive on a mixture of Oxygen and Nitrogen rather than air. The benefit of this is that you can stay under for longer periods. There was another exam but it was basically algothrims so was pretty easy.

The folowing day was the last two dives of the advanced course and probably the most fun after the night dive. The first was the deep dive, which basically sees how you are affected by Narcoisis. We reached just over 30 metres and nobody showed any signs. Quite disappointing really. The last dive I did with a Dive Propelled Vehicle. This allowed us to cover an awful lot more ground and use a lot less air as we weren’t expending as much energy. As I had completed the NITROX course we completed the last two dives on Nitrox we were down for about 40 minutes on each dive and still came up with enough for another 20 minutes, but had to surface as others were low on air. That afternoon we completed all our paperwork and recieved our tempory certificates.

The following day was my birthday so I decided on a different type of sporting activity, namely drinking until I fell down. I was accompanied by a number of the Dive Master and Instructors and got to bed about 01:00 the following morning after basically crawling my way around pubs all day. I was surprised when I woke up at 10:00 the following morning with only a mild headache, which was quickly resolved after a visit to the NITROX tank building. That afternoon I signed up for two last fun dives. We went back to places I had seen before but it was a lot more fun as we didn’t have to practice all the skills and I was put with an experienced diver. We were on air for both of these dives but were down for over 50 minutes each time. When we surfaced I still had enough for another 15-20 minutes. That evening I went for drinks with some of the Dive Masters and long term visitors who just couldn’t bring themselves to leave.

The following morning I packed, ate some lunch and then headed for the ferry port as my time on Koh Tao was over. As I sat there watching the ferry pull in I checked my BlackBerry and saw an email saying that I was needed in the UK as soon as possible. I made a couple of calls to find out what was going on, and then returned to my holiday. The ferry ride took about two hours and when I arrived at the ferry port in Koh Sumai I was greated by GIANT. No kidding you this guy was about 40” Tall and like 18 tons. Okay maybe not quite but you get the picture. I swallowed hard when he held up a card with the name of my hotel on it. I wanded over and said “Hi!” He introduced himself as Vince and lifed my suitcase, which by now did weight at least a ton, cleanly onto his shoulder. I followed him to the minibus, where he loaded my case into the back and then waved goodbye. It was about a 30 minute ride to the hotel and I was pretty knackered. Koh Sumia according to everyone is very touristy, and that’s the impression I got as we drove through what looked like little spain. We arrived at the hotel, which was right on the beach and I checked before grabbing a shower and change of clothes. I went for a short walk, but there wasn’t much about, apart from the normal gift shops. I headed to the hotel bar and order a drink and something to eat but struggled to finish them both, so called it quits and headed to bed.

The following morning I woke up about 10:00 felling a lot better but didn’t really have time to do anything as my flight was at 15:00. It was only 15 Minutes to the airport so I opted for a morning by the pool. I arrived at the airport on time, and enjoyed the whole experieince. Seriously I have never seen an airport like it. You felt as if you were on the beech. They even had free fruit juice, fruit, and pasteries.

We departed on time and 2 hours later landed back in Bangkok where I repeated the actions of my first day and grabbed a cab to the hotel. I had a 18:00 flight the following day but a 14:00 checkout and 3 hour airport checkin, so I grabbed something to eat and then hit the bars for one last night in Thailand, and the last steak for a while. I got to bed about 02:00 and woke about 11:00 the next day. After showing and packing I had a quick brunch and then checked out and headed back to the airport.

I arrived back in New Delhi at 21:00 Sunday night and was met by a very happy Karan. He couldn’t wait to tell me the good news about he and his wife having a baby son. I got back to the apartment about 22:00 and unpacked. Well I think most of the clothes walked to the laundry basket themselves. Then headed to bed.

See the Thailand Photos.

Tags: Beer, Birthdays, Family, Food, Friends, Fun, Holiday, Party, Photography, Shopping, Travel

Well it has been two weeks since I flew back to the UK for a short break and time has really flown by. I have spent most of my time catching up with friends and family, eating, drinking and generally relaxing. I did manage to get down to Boscombe Beech and took a few pictures, and I also managed to get into the office one day and meet up with a few people, although I didn't take any pictures there as most of them would of just been people drinking.

Well now it's time to do some last minute shopping and pack my case before I fly out on Sunday. Its been nice being back, but I have missed the sunshine. It's a little over four months until I return to the UK permanently and have quite a bit of work and travel to do before I eventually return.

Tags: Beer, Family, Food, Friends, Photography, Relaxing, Shopping

Okay so the week dragged, mainly as all I could think about was my trip home, but Thursday came before I knew it. I left the office and headed back to the apartment for a little lay down before grabbing a shower and a change of clothes. Karan picked me and my luggage up and we headed off to Dine Estey, where I met up with Laurence and Vikram for a few beers. I headed over to the Crown Plaza as I needed to see a friend of mine there, and there were a bunch of COLT people staying there who were on the same flight as me. I bumped into them just as I was leaving for the Airport and met them again in the check in queue.

After checking in and blagging a pass to the Business Lounge we had a few more beers before clearing security and boarding the plane. We took off on time and I had just enough energy to consume a few bottles of red wine and watch a film before passing out. I woke up about an hour from Heathrow and had enough time to have a coffee and a quick wash before we landed.

We landed on time and it all went pretty smoothly as I cleared immigration and collected my case. I exited the terminal and had about 10 minutes until the Rail Air coach arrived which was just enough time to get my nicotine levels back up to normal. The coach trip to Woking, and then the train trip to Basingstoke was straight forward with no waiting about and I was back at home about 10:00.

I grabbed a quick shower and changed, unpacked my bag, and then headed round to Mum and Dad's to say hello. Katrina and the kids dropped round about an hour later and I got to say hello to everybody. By the time lunch time arrived I didn't really know what planet I was on and decided to take a walk into town to get some fresh air. It was certainly fresh, so much so that my teeth chattered as i walked, but after I got going I warmed up a little and soon started to feel comfortable.

I walked around town not really looking at anything in particular, although I did stop off at Jessops to take a look at camera's before walking home via McDonalds and a large Big Mac Meal. I got home and laid on the couch watching TV, but could feel myself drifting off so decided to settle in the study and sort some of my post out. I got about 80% of it done, and realized that I needed a clear head to focus on the rest so started to take a look around the house and asses the work that needed doing.

The kitchen waste water system has fallen to pieces, and the garden fences came down in the storm a few weeks ago. The freezer had defrosted but thankfully Mum and Dad had thrown away the contents and installed 5000 air fresheners to get rid of the smell. The driveway and patio need weeding and cleaning, but otherwise things were in pretty good shape. The kitchen has needed redoing since I purchased the place, but has been usable, but I know that I will need to gut it and redo it completely when I return in August. Time to start saving!

So this morning (I think it's Saturday today) I woke up at 06:00 and thought I would take the car out for a run as it's been stood for a while. My suspicions where confirmed when I got in and tried to start it and the battery was flat. So I rang Jaguar and am now waiting for the man that can to turn up and sort it out. Once that's done I think I will take a drive to the supermarket and stock up on provisions. The only real plan after that is to meet up with Dad for a few beers.

Tags: Beer, Family, Food, Relaxing, Shopping, Travel

Okay well it's all confirmed and my flights are booked back to the UK for this Friday. I leave new Delhi on BA 0142 at 03:25 Friday 21st March and arrive at London Heathrow at 07:25 also on Friday (You got to love Time Zones some times), and I return to New Delhi on the 17:20 flight on the 6th April which gives me pretty much 17 days at home.

I am really looking forward to seeing everybody again and catching up on all the news and gossip, together with the odd home cooked meal.

Tags: Family, Travel

Okay Mum and Dad arrived back from Goa on the 14th February. They had both caught the sun and looked a lot more relaxed. I was working so after work I returned to the apartment and we caught up over a few beers before heading out to dinner at a restaurant called Earth. Now none of use had even given the date a second thought (14th February) but it soon became apparent when we arrived at the restaurant, as there were heart shaped balloons all over the place. We didn't have a reservation but the waiter said he would try and find us a table. We sat down at the bar and had a few drinks arriving at the conclusion that everywhere would be the same. Finally, about 22:00, we sat down for dinner. We were all starving and tired by the time the main course came, we just ate and then headed for home.

Friday was back to work for me and I also had to go to the ministry to re-register but after that I sent Karan back to the apartment to pick up Mum & Dad who then went off shopping. Friday night was the start of my first Duty Manager shift so Mum cooked at home (Home cooking). I eventually finished work at 04:30 Saturday morning. Mum and Dad had arranged for Karan to pick them up at 10:00 and they headed off to spend some more money. I woke up about 10:30 and resumed working. Mum cooked again and we had another evening in. About 04:30 my internet line stopped working and I was left working on my BlackBerry, eventually getting to bed about 05:30.

Sunday I still had no internet connectivity so went around to Laurence's where I camped until about midnight. Lucky things were going largely to plan and I finished about 01:30 Monday morning. I grabbed a few hours sleep and then Mum, Dad, and I headed off the Delhi, in particular the old part. We went straight to Karims for lunch before touring the narrow side streets, stopping off so Mum could buy ribbons and other handy craft bit's and pieces and so Dad could take a look around a Jain temple. We headed back towards the point we had agreed to call Karan from but he found us before we could get there. We headed back to the apartment for a shower and a change of clothes and then to Dine Estey for dinner. Tuesday morning Karan picked us all up at 11:00 and we headed to the City Center mall were we left Mum to have a Manicure and Pedicure. Dad and I headed to the gym, where Dad had a massage and we both had a Sauna. We then headed back to the City Center mall and met up with Mum at Ruby Tuesday's for lunch, before returning to the apartment for a sleep as Mum and Dad had an early morning flight. We woke up about 19:30 and headed to TGI Friday's for dinner.

Mum and Dad left at 03:00 Wednesday morning, and me, well I went back to bed. I woke up at 11:30 and opted for a lazy day, chilling out on the sofa. Thursday morning Karan picked me up at 11:00 and I opted for another me day. I headed to the City Center mall where I had my first every manicure and pedicure. I then headed to the gym where I had a Balinese massage, and a sauna, before returning home for an afternoon nap. I woke up about 18:00 and Laurence and I headed to Italiano for dinner and a bottle of wine.

This morning I had another lay-in (Something to do with the bottle of wine) and headed to the Metropolitan Mall to do some shopping. I have had my eye on a pair of Bose headphones for a while now and finally took the plunge. They weren't cheap, but I figured I was owed a treat. So now I am back at the apartment. Karan is due to pick me up at 16:30 so I can goto the gym and then tonight I am off out with my team leaders for our monthly offsite team dinner.

Not sure what the plan is for the weekend yet, but it's warming up here now (28 Degrees) so am contemplating sitting by the pool at one of the hotels, but then it depends largely on alcohol consumption this evening.

Tags: Family, Relaxing, Shopping, Food, Gym

Okay so I have confirmed that I am not renewing my contract here beyond August and a number of people have asked me why, and have spent a lot of time convincing me to stay.

I could go into all the things I love about India, like the people, the Sun, the friendships I have made, but instead I am going to provide the two main reasons I have for returning.

Tags: Family

Okay so Thursday morning Mum was pretty rough. She had an awful night and couldn't keep anything down and was extremely dehydrated. We immediately decided that she needed to see a doctor and after a few phone calls I was advised the best thing was to take her to the MAX Hospital down the road from my apartment.

We arrived at the emergency department and Mum was seen by the doctor straight away and within a minute or two the decision was taken to admit her. Dad and I waited in the waiting room for about 10 minutes and then were guided to admissions to complete the paperwork. Once that was done we accompanied Mum up to her room where she was made comfortable.

After a hour or two Dad and I returned to the apartment for some lunch and packed a bag for Mum. We returned later that evening but she was still in a bad way. Friday Mum was still not feeling great allow she did look a little brighter but she hadn't had a very good night and the hospital isn't the quietest of places. The staff were taking good care of her and there wasn't much we could do so we headed into Delhi for a couple of hours and looked around the home of former prime minister Indira Gandhi. Friday evening Mum was looking and feeling a lot brighter and was ready to come home. the doctors however wanted to keep her in one more night.

Saturday morning we were there when the doctor did his morning rounds He was happy that Mum was on the mend and ordered one more set of tests before ordering the IV drip be removed. It was gong to be a couple more hours until they released her so Dad and I headed to the gym for a sauna, and then back to the apartment for lunch, via Galleria for provisions.

Mum was released about 3pm on Saturday and we all returned to the apartment and a relaxing evening and some home cooked plan food. Sunday morning Mum was back to her normal self but opted for one last quiet day.

Monday was back to work for me, so Karan picked me up from the office and then went off to sort out the brakes on the car, before returning to pick Mum and Dad up and take them shopping in Delhi. The rest of the week is a blur for me as it's been back to work with a vengeance, but Thursday morning after dropping me off at the office, Karan drove Mum & Dad to the domestic airport for a flight down to Goa and 7 days of Sun and relaxation. They are due back on the 14th so I will get Mum to let you all know via the blog how they got on!

For me it's a quiet weekend on the couch with a few cold beers.

Tags: Beer, Family, Sickness, Sightseeing

Okay so it has been a little while, but I do have an excuse, well kind of.

So after the visit down to Pune I went into preparation mode for Mum and Dad's arrival. To be honest there wasn't to much to do but I think it was the anticipation more than anything. So Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were normal days in the office. Thursday Mum and Dad were due to land at 10:20 IST so Karan picked me up at 08:30 and we headed for the airport. We arrived in good time and missed the normal Delhi traffic. Mum & Dad's plane had made up the little time it has lost and was showing on time, so Karan and I joined the mass of people assembled at the arrivals gate and waited.

About 11:30-12:00 Mum and Dad emerged and I managed to grab Mum's arm (Having pushed my way to the front). We quickly made our way through the throng of people and to the car, where we said hello for the first time in 2 months.

Getting into the car Mum and Dad started striping off the jumpers and Karan put the air conditioning on. The fact he and I were still wearing jumpers and coats and were freezing was of great amusement to Karan.

We made our way back from Delhi along to NH8 to Gurgaon with Mum and Dad taking in as much as they could. Once at the apartment I gave them a quick tour and settled them in before grabbing some lunch and heading back to the office. The rest of the day was hectic as I still had so much to do before going on leave, and to be honest my mind wasn't really engaged, but I struggled through. I finished at 18:00 and went back to the apartment for a beer and Mum and Dad looked a lot more relaxed if a little tired. About 19:30 we headed off to Harriez, a restaurant located in my gym complex and enjoyed chicken sizzlers and chips, after booking Mum and Dad in for a massage the following day.

Friday morning I left for work at 08:30 leaving Mum and Dad in bed. Karan picked them up at 11:45 and they met me at the office, where I learnt they had only been woken up by the cleaners at 11:00 (I think they have got accustomed to Indian life already). We headed to a local shopping center, where i showed them around the shops they would need before grabbing a subway for lunch. After lunch Mum and Dad dropped me back at the office and headed for the gym for there massage.

Karan picked me up from work at 18:00 and I returned home to find Mum and Dad well and truly at home with a glass of wine. After a couple of beers we headed off for dinner with Chris, Sandra, and Laurance at a restaurant called Park Balucshi where Mum and Dad tried there first Indian meal in India. After a very nice meal (if a little rich) we headed back to the apartment via the Crowne Plaza, where I had spent my first 3 weeks for a night cap. I think we sat up until 02:00-03:00 Saturday morning talking and catching up.

Saturday was a gentle day. Karan picked us up at 13:00 and we went for a drive around Old Gurgaon before having some lunch at one of the malls (McChicken Sandwich Meal). After that we took a nice walk around Leisure Valley Park before returning to the apartment where we had a few drinks and ordered Pizza.

Sunday Karan picked us up at 11:00 and we drove into Delhi via the Diplomatic area and Parliament house, stopping off at India gate. We then headed to Connaught Place (CP) touring the inner and outer ring where we stopped off at Blues for a quick beer (Well sightseeing is thirsty work). We then drove to the Red Fort but Mum wasn't feeling too great, add to that it's extremely big we didn't think we would have time to have a proper look anyway. We headed back to Gurgaon and at about 20:00 Dad and I headed off to Sweet Obsession for a mexican, leaving Mum resting up on the sofa. We returned about about 22:30 and enjoyed a nightcap.

Monday Karan picked Dad and I up at 10:00 Monday and we headed for the Red Fort, leaving Mum on the sofa still not feeing great. Karan advised that the Red Fort was closed, Doh!. I had asked him Sunday when Delhi was closed, but I had asked while touring CP and he had correctly stated Sunday's, What I should have asked of course is what is closed on what day's, but live and learn. So Dad and I stopped off at a crafts market and has a 30 minute look around, but it really wasn't something we were into. We then drove to Lodi Gardens where we spent about 2 hours walking around, trying to find the sunshine and avoid the shade of the tree's. We then headed back to Gurgaon on the MG Road stopping off at a rather impressive temple on the way. We arrived back at the apartment at about 18:00 and cooked dinner and enjoyed a beer.

Tuesday Mum still wasn't feeling great and I had a stinking cold so Dad headed of towards Delhi with Karan and visited Qutub Minar, the Lotus Temple, and Humayun's Tomb. He arrived back about 18:00 and I was feeling a lot brighter, but Mum still wasn't feeling so good. About 19:30 Dad and I headed to a Punjab restaurant for dinner, after which we dropped in on Vikram for a night cap.

This morning Mum was still feeling awful and hadn't slept much so we opted for a quiet day. Dad and I did however go for a brief drive out into the country side this afternoon and on returning found Mum to be a little brighter. We are going to have another quiet night in tonight and see how she is tomorrow before making any firm plans.

Well that's it for now, hopefully a little more as the week goes on and Mum gets better.

Tags: Beer, Architecture, Family, Food, Fun, Sightseeing

Okay so it's been quiet this end, in more ways than one. To start with my Internet connection has been up and down since last weekend which has left me feeling like my hands have been cut off. I knew I shouldn't have asked for the phone to be moved.

It has been quiet socially to however. I think people are recovering from the Christmas / New Year hangover, but know a lot of people are also planning the next holiday. How do I know this? Well I am one of them.

Well let me start at the beginning, Monday Laurence arrived back and we had some catching up to do. We were both pretty knackered so settled on a local restaurant called Bar-B-Q-Nation, we had a good meal and a few beers and then headed home. Tuesday was a normal day, you know fireworks, several fire's, and the odd fallen comrade, but about 16:00 I developed a headache that i just couldn't shift. I got home about 19:00 and went straight to bed, by this time with a sore throat. I woke up Wednesday morning feeling *crap*. Sore throat, headache, and general "please take me now" sentiments. I settled on a day in bed and slept for about 14 hours, only waking for a drink of water and to see what the time was. Thursday morning I woke and still didn't feel great but headed for the office and limped through the day.

Friday I felt a lot better and Friday night I had my first Team Leader offsite meeting and headed to the MGF Mall for dinner and drinks with the team. We finished up about 22:00 and I called Laurence to see what he was up to. A few beers later (01:00) I headed for home, with that warm fuzzy feeling.

Saturday morning I had a nice long lay in and finally got up about 13:00. Sandra had emailed me earlier saying they were heading to the cinema and it seemed like a perfectly lazy thing to do on a Saturday afternoon so Laurence and I tagged along. We watched The Golden Compass which was good but I didn't particularly like the way it ended, mainly as I now know I have to watch the sequel. After the show we headed for TGIF for dinner.

Sunday I decided I needed to get back to the gym so about 15:00 left the apartment picking up laurence on the way, hoping Amit wasn't on duty (I knew I would get told off), he wasn't thankfully and I had a 45 minute workout (which hurt) and hit the sauna. After the workout we grabbed dinner and then headed for home.

This morning I woke, after having the best nights sleep in a while, and headed for work, committing to getting back in to the gym routine.

Tonight my Internet connection is working so I am catching up with email, and this (my blog), and preparing for my next holiday. Yes I said holiday!

So here is the plan. This weekend I am off heading towards Pune, Vikram's home town (or where his wife is currently living) so we are going to try and hook up. Then Mum and Dad are due on the 24th so I have booked the first week off to show them around, which will actually be cool as it will encourage me to get out and about and show them the sights i have seen and some I haven't. I have also booked the last week of there visit off to do some more sightseeing and spend some quality time with them. There are a number of tentative plans (these are the ones I need to firm up) to head off with Chris, Sandra, and Laurence during this period too.

Then at the beginning of March Chris, Sandra, Laurence, and myself are off to Goa via Mumbai (formally Bombay) for 4-5 days before I head back to the UK for a week or two.

Well as you can see I have a bit of planning to do, but if the Internet gods are on my side it should all be very interesting. I'll keep you posted on the plans as they develop or fall apart.

Tags: Beer, Family, Friends, Cinema, Gym, Sightseeing

One of the hardest things about being away from home is missing out on those family occasions, but if nothing else distance makes you really appreciate friends and family.

So today is my fathers birthday and I couldn't let it pass with out saying Happy Birthday Dad. I also can't let it pass Dad without putting your mind at rest, and letting you know I have just taken the cork out of a nice bottle of Bushmills 16 year old Whiskey, and am toasting you while listening to the Pogues at full blast.

Dam the Neighbors....

Tags: Family

Okay so it's nearly time to fly back to India and I must say I am looking forward to the sunshine, but am going to miss my family. The last few days have been fairly hectic as I always leave things in my personal life until the last minute, that is if I do them at all (I haven't got a suitcase yet).

So what have I been doing. Well here are the bits that I can tell you about without compromising myself to much. Wednesday I finished off my Christmas shopping before heading up to London to meet up with some friends for a few drinks. It was good to see everybody again and they were all as busy as when I left. The thing I did notice this time however was how many more people there were in the office. After catching up a few of us headed out to one of the many bar's and enjoyed several beers. I'll admit by the time I thought of taking the camera out I was a little to foggy and the "Vegas" rule kicked in. We had a good chat however and most importantly arranged the next time we would meet up (drinking session).

I was supposed to meet up with some other friends later that evening, but couldn't raise any of them on the phone so I decided to walk back to London Waterloo stationalong the south bank. It was nice seeing the regular sights, and I must admit I probably took more notice of them that evening than I have done for the last seven years. I got home about midnight and had no problem getting to sleep.

Thursday was a farce. I got a phone call about 09:30 advising me that there was a problem with my Visa and that I had to attend in person. So after canceling a bunch of things I couldn't / shouldn't really of canceled I made my way to the office. I picked up my paperwork and was in and out in the space of 15 minutes. I then grabbed a taxi down to India House and stood by the little "door" waiting for "the man". Now you have to understand India to understand the importance of the "little man", but I'll attempt to explain.

Every place you go there is a "little man". He is never taller than 5 ft and is usually softly spoken. He is however "the man". You give him your paperwork, and he vanishes. That's it; It really is that simple. What goes on when he vanishes I like to think of as magic. I imagine that he immediately reads through the paperwork and follows the processes set down by the Indian Government, and if and only if, you meet the criteria he approves it. He backs this up with the latest in computer technology and makes several phones calls to secret government agencies.

This is what happened. I stood by the "door" with about 6 other people. The "little man" came out and looked at one lady then her paper work, said NO you need a bank statement and sent her away, she tried to protest but she had been dealt with and there was no appeal. He looked at me and then took another ladies paperwork as it was thrust in his face. He looked at it, at her, at the paperwork again, and then me. I simply said "Employment Visa". He took her paperwork and then my paperwork and closed the door. About 15 minutes later he appeared again with the ladies paperwork, said no, said something about Tax and told her to wait in another queue. He then handed me my paperwork, which he had scribbled something on that i couldn't make out and simply said counter 5. The looks I got made me feel like I knew the secret and I all I could say was, "It's a simply renewal", smile, and walk towards counter number 5.

As I got to the counter a lady was waiting (Yes I think everybody sends the wife). Just as she was about to pass her paperwork over the young lady behind the counter closed her cash tin, and simply said "After my Lunch" and left.

ARHHHHHHH 13:00 and the Indian Lunch Hour.

Another thing to note about India, and I quite like this one. Nobody misses their lunch (If they can help it). We are terrible working on through our breaks. In the UK it's quite acceptable (expected) for you eat at your desk while working on.

Anyway 14:00 (ish) they open back up and I push my way to the front (pi$$ed off now). I hand over my paperwork and she looks it over, she then looks at me and says very clearly "ONE YEAR?". I smile and say "365 days!", not the smartest answer in retrospect, did I mention I was Pi$$ed off? She wanders out the back and the people around me sigh. Two minutes later she is back, requests £50, hands me a ticket and tells me to come back in half an hour.

Twenty Nine minutes and fifty seven seconds later I am stood my the little vent in the wall marked counter number 7 and they call my number, I grab my passport and make a break for freedom.

Slightly vexed I decided as I have wasted a day to walk back via Waterloo bridge. I stood on Waterloo bridge for about 15 minutes watching the RLNI practicing in a RIB and then made my way to Waterloo station. I have missed my sailing this year, and decided then to take care of that while I am in warmer climates.

Today I made sure I caught up with my "things to do list", I did pretty well but have a couple of things left for tomorrow, but this was the last chance I had to see my sister and Eleanor before I leave. I decided I had enough time for lunch but what to have? I don't have any craving's left but I fancied a salad but couldn't see the point in buying the individual items so opted for a Morrisions take away. I stocked up on pasta and potato and sausage salad and enjoyed it a little too much I think.

Just as I was about to get ready to leave Mum popped round with William. He walked straight in like he owned the place and immediately started to roll around on the floor with the stuffed dog that I have. Once William and Mum left (Not an easy thing as William was now on the look out for owls, I am going to miss him!!!) I made my way to Katrina's.

Eleanor was asleep when I got there, but was all in pink. She looked so peaceful asleep. Katrina and I had a coffee and a chat and then Eleanor decided it was time for snacks. Katrina is a lot more mobile now, although she can't lift anything heavier than Eleanor (who would want to?) or drive. I got to hold Eleanor one last time before I left and told her the same secret I told William when he was born [Don't ask I am not telling you]. Mum and William arrived and it was time to say my goodbyes.

I had a final goodbye hug and kiss from Katrina and she insisted I leave, I was quite glad really as I was finding it really hard to walk away. I was about 15 minutes down the A303 when I remembered I hadn't picked up my Christmas presents. Katrina had given me a bunch of presents to take back with me but one of the most important ones was a snow globe with Williams picture in it. I couldn't go back tonight, it would be to hard on both of us. I phoned Rob and he told me Mum had picked it up and had it with her.

So that's it my last day is tomorrow and my Cab is booked for Sunday. My Dad has this evening driven to North Wales to pick up my Nan and bring her back for Christmas. Tomorrow night we have a family dinner.

I'll post one more time, but I am not sure if that will be tomorrow or from the airport, or during the flight. Tonight however I am done!

Check out the Photo Gallery as i have updated it with photo's of Eleanor that you might not have seen.

Tags: Baby, Family, Friends, Sightseeing

So what's been going on. Well I thought about writing about my Christmas shopping and how I haven't had the time to do all the things that I wanted to do while I was home, but it just seems so irrelevant now!

Why? Well today Katrina came home with Eleanor and it just makes everything else seem so unimportant. First things first Katrina is looking a lot brighter, but is still in pain (Not surprising really). Katrina has been told that she can't drive for a while, which given her independent nature doesn't sit well, but she is