Beside the seaside! Beside the sea!

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On Friday afternoon I was on the tube heading out of Hammersmith when a guy got on holding a bag of chips wrapped in newspaper and by the smell, I am guessing they had been smothered with vinegar and salt.

The smell that filled the entire train was just AMAZING and you could tell that everybody on the train was now envious of this highly unhealthy but mouth-wateringly delicious food.

Skip forward 24 hours and it’s a Saturday morning in January. It is a clear and sunny but very cold day. What are we going to do today?

My mind wandered back to the man with the chips. The thought of chips led my imagination to thoughts of sitting at the end of the pier eating chips from a newspaper because chips (and fish) always taste better at the seaside. Indeed the very smell conjures up images of beaches, amusement arcades and so on.

We’re going to the seaside!

Right now!

An hour later and we are in the wonderful English seaside town that is Skegness. Most of the arcades are closed for the winter but the important thing is that the fish and chip shops are open.

So here’s Sam tucking into a tray of chips in Skegness

Sam eating chips

For my American friends, what you see here are deep fried potato chips covered in something called curry sauce and in Sams case, accompanied by a fish cake. You then sprinkle with liberal amounts of salt and then splash lots of malt vinegar all over the top.

Unless you have been to the UK and tried this for yourself, just like mushy peas, you have no idea what you are missing.

We would have eaten them on the pier except Skegness pier is currently closed

Skegness Pier (closed)

So a quick stroll along the sea front (remember it is January thus whilst the sun is out, it is still cold enough to make your eyes water)

Skegness pier

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And like most people we weren’t brave enough to roll up our trousers and go for a paddle in the sea

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So back in the nice warm car and back home, full of chips eaten beside the seaside, beside the sea.

2012–Looking Forwards

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If you have read my post regarding 2011 then you will know, most things turned out well and I managed to tick off most of the stuff I wanted to do.

So now we are into 2012 and it’s time to look ahead and set some goals.

Travel

Heading off as a family somewhere special

We did a lot of this in 2011 and want to carry this on as much as possible. Exploring a new city with a different culture as a family has been fun for all of us.

So far this year we have a trip to Budapest in Hungary booked and our summer holiday is going to take us into Europe once again although this year it might not be France.

In addition I am looking to get away with my camera for a couple of days although haven’t quite worked out where yet and we should be able to sneak a couple of weekends away.

As for business travel, it’s all a bit early and there isn’t anything in my diary but I am sure something will come along

Work

I need to get out of here

To be honest, work is frustrating me at the moment so 2012 is the year I have to fix it. I have been in my current role for the last 11 years and had thought I had seen it all but over the last 24 months, things have really turned for the worse.

The good news is that we have a new CEO (fresh blood) with a new vision. We get to find out what that is in February.

In the meantime I am looking at some of the companies out there that are way ahead of us both with vision and strategy and wondering if this is the time to move. Certainly this is not something I intend to rush into and I have to be mindful that 11 years service is significant but I have to look to the future for both me and my family so watch this space.

Either I am able to fix some of the things that are frustrating me where I am or I need to move which in turn (I hope) will address that whole work/life balance thing that has eluded me over the last few years.

Health & Lifestyle

2011 wasn’t good health wise. At times I wondered what was going to stop working or start hurting next and due to all the medication I was on, I always felt tired.

So the doctor has now halved the medication that was making me tired and I am already feeling a lot more alive and better about myself. In addition the diet I started last year is working. I gave it a rest over Christmas but am now fully committed again. Over the next few weeks, I will be picking up the exercise piece as well.

Finally I am trying to change from being a night time person to a morning person. Easier said than done and I am well on the way but those early Friday mornings still hurt.

Fun

Reliant Robin Racing At Norfolk Arena

Last year Sam and I had some great days out including the Reliant Robin and Caravan racing (yes really) at the Norfolk Arena and also the BTCC at Silverstone. We also had a number of days out and trips abroad so as a family I think we managed to do a lot more fun things with less trips to Ikea.

This year I already have the 2012 motorsport calendar on my desk so hopefully I will get to have some fun with Sam again and with some decent trips lined up and plenty of ideas for days out, I think we are looking good for 2012.

Changes

I have spent a lot of my adult life worrying about how my actions impact those of others and trying to put other peoples feelings in front of my own.

Nowhere is this more apparent that with our summer family holidays over the lest 3 years.

On 3 separate occasions, I have planned and booked our family break to accommodate friends and family and on 2 of those 3, we have been dumped upon from a great height causing upset and expense and on at least one of those occasions putting me and my family in a very serious danger.

Those people are no longer part of my life but it has taught me to start thinking about me and my family more and getting my priorities right. If you want to join in, you fit in with us not the other way around.

Wish me luck

So 2011 was great. I am looking to 2012 to be even better.

I will keep you posted throughout the year but in the meantime wish me luck.

Blog stats for 2011

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It’s that time of year when WordPress (who host this blog) present me with some interesting statistics about my blog and those who have visited.

So just like last year, I am sharing these with you too.

Enjoy

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,700 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

2011 – Well?

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So back in January I blogged These are not my New Years resolutions and set out what I wanted to achieve and see in the coming 12 months and here we are at the end of 2011 so lets have a look at how the year turned out.

I wanted to travel more

I said as a family but also just on my own. I think it is fair to say this was a resounding success.

In April as a family we had Four amazing days in Prague

Prague 2011

In May work took me to a convention centre in Madrid Continue reading →