Pint-sized Britain

It was recently announced that the eurocrats in Brussels have abandoned their desire to turn Britain into a 100% metric country. This means that we won't now have to give up our traditional imperial measurements such as pints and miles. The EU commission had kept extending the deadline for the UK to complete the full transition to the metric system, first mooted in 1965, with the most recent deadline being 2010. Thank goodness common sense has prevailed. It would have cost a fortune to update every one of the UK's road signs, as well as replace all those pint-sized glasses in pubs. Personally, I'm happy to use the metric system - but I am also happy if we can continue to buy a pound of apples and a pint of milk in the shops and a pint of beer at the pub.

It's a crime

I have just finished watching ITV's adaptation of "At Bertram's Hotel", one of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple mysteries. I don't know what the producers and directors were thinking, but I've just witnessed one of the most overacted and corny versions of the murder mystery ever seen. Perhaps I was just expecting too much. The light on the top of the taxi right at the end of the programme, illuminated with the words "The end" summed up the whole experience for me. If all adaptations follow the same route, I fear it is the end for people's understanding of the brilliance of Agatha's original stories. For all that Geraldine McEwan brings to the role of Jane Marple, I regret to inform the world that there will never be an actress who excels in the role in the way that the late Joan Hickson did. In fact, Agatha Christie herself told Ms Hickson that she would be perfect for the role. She was right. The versions produced by the BBC in the 1980s and early 1990s were true to the original books and in my opinion are the definitive adaptations. ITV simply murdered the story, a truly criminal affair.

Lost for words

It's just been announced that French mime artist Marcel Marceau has died. He was famous around the world for his clown character 'Bip'. I'm not sure about you, but his performances always left me speechless.

I'm still too young to become an orphan

Glad to report that my mum is now making a good (albeit slow) recovery from her recent heart attack. It certainly gave everyone a bit of a shock, as it was totally unexpected bearing in mind she's always had a healthy diet, takes plenty of exercise and doesn't smoke. A few weeks of quiet recouperation is what the doctor has ordered, along with a cocktail of medication - some of which may need to continue for the rest of her life. My thanks to the paramedics, as well as to all of the medical team at the East Surrey hospital's coronary care unit at Redhill.

Banking on a long career

Exactly 22 years ago today, I started my career in the world of financial services. Having been offered jobs with both Lloyds Bank (now Lloyds TSB) and Midland Bank (now part of HSBC) during the summer of 1985, I opted for the former - a decision based in the end purely on transport links, as Lloyds in Horsham was accessible to me by train. Back then, Lloyds certainly had a bit of a 'more posh than other high street banks' reputation and, arguably, was a bit stuffy and set in its ways. How things have changed! As far as my career is concerned, I never would've imagined that I would end up living and working in Scotland. It's been quite a journey, and for the most part enjoyable. I've also become friends with some truly great people along the way. To mark today's anniversary I decided to see if I could hunt down any of the old Lloyds Bank TV adverts, and see whether they would bring back any memories. A number of 'YouTube' searches later, and I present to you a few classics. Enjoy! Even though they're only from the late 80s or early 90s, they have definitely dated. Debit cards were in their infancy, and the world of internet banking was still some distance away in the future. Oh, and the final clip may no longer be relevant due to all the offshoring of customer call centres!!!

Something a bit fishy...

Click your mouse to feed the fish (they'll try and follow your cursor).

Who do you think you are?

Last evening saw the return of one of my favourite TV programmes, 'Who do you think you are?". It's the family history programme where well-known celebrities search out their origins. Enjoyable for me as I've spent the past 15 years tracing my own family tree. The first programme of this fourth series focused on the ancestry of newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky, so a double bonus for me! A visit to South Africa provided answers to why her father had emigrated to England and the visit to Belarus gave Natasha an emotional insight into the fate of some of her Jewish relatives at the hands of the Nazis in 1942. There are 7 more programmes to follow in the series, so it's clear what I'll be doing on Thursday evenings until the end of October. Tracing your own family tree can become quite an addictive hobby - give it a go, as you'll be amazed at what you could discover about your family. I'm very lucky to have a few living relatives at various places around the globe who are also keen to trace our ancestors, and with the explosion of family tree sites on the worldwide web, it's never been easier. Good luck in your search!

Pavarotti

Just heard the announcement that the Italian opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti has died. Whether you're a lover of classical music or not, no-one can escape the fact that Pavarotti was a worldwide star. Whilst he was well known throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, it was his performances back in 1990 for the Italian World Cup that made him a household name across the globe, introducing many people to the less high-brow sort of classical music. A larger-than-life character, who will no doubt be remembered for many years to come. Ciao.

How time flies...

It suddenly dawned on me today that a year has now passed since I returned to work (well, when I say returned, I mean started work again after a 4-month break during the summer of 2006). Time certainly flies... I can't believe how quickly. The funny thing is that I was only asked to return for a 6-8 week spell. For various reasons, work has continued to come my way. I do think myself very fortunate, but I also never forget that work could quite as easily dry up with very little notice. So I'm making the most of it. The only thing I've forgotten to do is to take more breaks. Fortunately, in 5 weeks' time, I'm off for a week in the sun in Portugal. That'll be a new country for me to cross off the list, increasing my total to 23. Still plenty more to visit after that, so my aim in 2008 is to embark on another big trip. Watch this space... as it won't just be time that flies.

It's time...

Miracle of Stairway B

I'm watching an amazing programme on Channel 4 called "9/11: the Miracle of Stairway B". It explains how 14 people miraculously survived the collapse of the World Trade Center's North Tower. I hadn't realised until now that some people inside the twin towers had escaped with their lives once the towers had collapsed - all the more incredible bearing in mind that they had been buried under half a million tonnes of debris. We're approaching the sixth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, and I'm sure everyone who reads this entry well remembers where they were when it happened (I was on holiday in Majorca). There'll obviously be a lot of TV coverage over the next couple of weeks, giving people a chance to understand more about what occurred on that day. My visit to the WTC site earlier this year hit home to me the scale of the disaster. No-one should ever forget what happened on that day, and the fact that nearly 3,000 innocent people perished in the terrorist attack on the twin towers.

Festival fireworks

A few pictures from this evening's fireworks at Edinburgh Castle.

Pick up a penguin

Just a bit of fun - click on a penguin and drag it anywhere - alternatively, watch them move as you move your cursor around !