St.Andrew's Day

It seems that the Scots don't generally do a huge amount to celebrate St.Andrew's Day, and unfortunately there is no public holiday. So all I could do today to mark the occasion was to have haggis, neeps and tatties at the pub at lunchtime. All washed down with a pint of Guinness (so that takes care of St.Patrick's Day next March as well!)

Not quite so easy-Jet

Saturday's flight down south to Gatwick turned out to be quite eventful. I'd booked a ticket a few weeks ago with easyJet - and to be fair, at this time of year, I expect delays due to bad weather etc. Anyhow, once we'd boarded the flight we were told that there was a technical hitch - during his pre-flight inspection of the outside of the plane, the captain had spotted a minor dent on the side of the engine casing. This meant that an engineer had to be called to assess the damage, and to confirm that the plane was still able to fly. Anyhow, this assessment happened fairly quickly, but we were delayed further as a second (more senior) engineer had to be called in to sign-off the paperwork. No problem from my perspective - I'd rather know that the plane (once airborne) had a 100% chance of landing safely. You'd be amazed though at the attitude of some of the other passengers. No-one likes to be delayed if at all possible. But I felt really sorry for the cabin crew, especially when one fairly elderly lady got up, started shouting, demanded compensation, and then slammed the door as she disappeared into the toilet. For those people who don't travel often, get a grip! You're travelling because you have somewhere to go. It's a good idea to always arrive in one piece, and certainly not surrounded by a wooden box. So, next time you encounter delays, remember (1) there's nothing you can do about it, (2) it is not the fault of the flight crew, (3) it is not the fault of the cabin crew, (4) safety IS important, so (5) CHILL OUT!

England fail to qualify

Just watched the England v Croatia game from Wembley. Disastrous first half (ending with England two goals down) followed by a lot of hope and anticipation in the second half with England getting back to two all. But Croatia scored a third goal which meant that (with Andorra failing to score a miraculous goal against Russia) England failed to qualify for the Euro 2008 championship. Final Score England 2 Croatia 3. A sad day for English football. With neither England nor Scotland qualifying, I'll have to think very carefully which team I'll support next year in Euro 2008.

A data remember!

Just heard the news that HM Revenue & Customs have miraculously lost two discs of data, containing information on millions of the UK's population (more than 7m families who are in receipt of child benefit), including names, addresses, dates of birth, national insurance numbers and bank account details. What an absolute mess! Let's hope the discs don't fall into the hands of identity fraudsters. Everyone should always check their bank and credit card statements, but now so more than ever. Be vigilant.
I've worked in the financial services industry for over 20 years, so am fully aware of the importance of protecting sensitive data - coincidentally, this morning I did my annual refresher on the subject of the Data Protection Act. Oops, I think I may have just shared too much information.

Diamond Wedding Congratulations

Congratulations to
HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh on the celebration of their diamond wedding anniversary.
God save the Queen!

I've been clubbing this morning

Today was my first time using the City Car Club. It's a great scheme in Edinburgh (and a few other locations around the UK). For a one-off membership set-up cost of £75, and a monthly fee of £15, I can now hire a car for about £3 an hour. The charges include all insurance, as well as petrol for up to 50 miles. Of course, I don't have to pay road tax, car depreciation, recovery service, MOTs, servicing or repairs either. And the great thing is that cars are situated all over the city, with dedicated parking spaces available, and can be be reserved online around the clock. There's a car just round the corner from my apartment, so the whole thing is really convenient. You use a smart card to enter the vehicle, tap in a PIN into the onboard computer, and away you go. And the great thing is that the onboard computer sends you messages as your reserved time is running out, so that you can avoid paying any penalties for returning the car late.
For anybody reading this Blog, who does not wish to run a car themselves, and lives in any of the following locations, I definitely recommend this brilliant scheme: London, Bath, Bristol, Poole, Reading, Brighton, Norwich, Portsmouth, Camberley. Just check it out at http://www.citycarclub.co.uk/

Birds'-eye view

I like this picture... a crowd of geese in an open-air enclosure on a farm in Kuhhorst, eastern Germany. Unfortunately for the geese, most will end up as roasts for the traditional St Martin's Day festival.

They think it's all over...

... it is now! Scotland have unfortunately just lost 2-1 against Italy in the Euro 2008 qualifying match at Hampden Park. A shame, as the match was very enjoyable - real "edge of the seat" stuff. Even though Italy scored their first goal within a couple of minutes of the start of the match, there was hope of a fight back. There had been great anticipation all across Scotland throughout all of last week that the national team had a chance to qualify. Needless to say, the result has been met with huge disappointment. Even as an Englishman, I was sorry that Scotland have not qualified - having lived up here for six years, and having made some truly great friends, I do feel like an adopted Scot. Strong words for someone born south of the River Thames!!

We will remember them

Chip & PIN

It's chip and PIN. Not "chip and PIN Number".
A PIN IS a number, since PIN stands for Personal Identification Number. Asking me for my PIN Number is the same as asking me for my Personal Identification Number Number, which is of course ridiculous.
Now, repeat together after me:
Please enter your PIN, NOT Please enter your PIN Number.
Please enter your PIN, NOT Please enter your PIN Number.
Please enter your PIN, NOT Please enter your PIN Number.
Please enter your PIN, NOT Please enter your PIN Number.
(that's once for every digit).
Thank you.