Seasonal Paradise

The Blues Sisters

In Corfu on holiday after a long afternoons swimming and playing in a beachside pool.

Mum Starts Using Nike Fuelband

Mum's Nike profile picture. Got mum to start using a Nike Fuelband. She's so competitive. Got one for my sister Linda as well. This should be fun.

Dave and Neil

Friends are the family you choose. I chose Dave and Neil Bunn when I was age 11.

British Food

This is the food that built me. Mum made a plate of my old favorite. Yorkshire puddings n graaavy included.

Occidental Bar

Occidental Bar is the last cigar bar in San Fran. Cigar bars can't employ anyone. Only owners can work in cigar bars...as their health is under threat for working in a smokey environment.

Went with Justin Parfitt. Discovered Lagavulin Distillers Blend and enjoyed a Padron Anniversary series cigar.

Justin Parfitt, HeyLets

My very good friend and god parent of our daughters, Justin Parfitt. Enjoying a great steak in San Fran. Justin is pioneering a fascinating new startup called HeyLets. An app that is the next generation on from FourSquare.

Harvard Friends

Harvard Friends, on the Digital and Social Strategy course

Coffee Time In Malta

Snoring

 

First Bike Ride

 

Sasha & Vicki See Their New Bedroom For The First Time

 

Goofing Around With Vicki

 

Where's The Spider?

 

Role Reversal, Guys Experience The Pain Of Contractions

These two guys subject themselves to the pain of giving birth.

Mummy Is Out Of A Job

First Segway Ride

Cheeky Gregory's Coffee in New York

Gregorys Coffee in New York are very cheeky.  When they saw my Starbucks mug they pointed it out to me, and then after I left, I noticed the cheeky buggers had put a Gregory's sticker on my mug.  Outrageous.  Love it!  Good for them.  How can your company breed that kind of brand-pride amongst its employees?




They're the yin to Starbucks yang.  They've effectively looked at the flaws in Starbucks business and out-Starbucked them.  Here's the main things I've noticed.

Walk-in Experience
Starbucks: Long line.  Wait, kick heels, feel slightly neglected.
Gregory's: Long line, but crazy fast service.  Within 5 seconds of walking in the door someone has taken my order.  Definitely not feeling at all neglected here, and the people are a little more perky and happy, and enjoying the busy-ness.

Coffee
Starbucks: Consistently good.
Gregorys: Consistently great!

Look n Feel
Starbucks:  Green and brown.  Armchairs, wood chairs.  
Gregorys:  Gray, dark purple, black, bright lights. Benches and steel chairs.  Not necessarily better, just a contrast to Starbucks.

Baristas
Starbucks:  Sometimes a little tired. 
Gregorys:  They seem a bit more involved, fun and irreverant.

Food
Starbucks:  Caged, refrigerated and packaged.  
Gregorys:  Fresh baked, not packaged or refrigerated.  The one on 46th Avenue and 5th even has a bakery in the back...



Here's an example of how Gregory's one-ups employee morale.  Over Valentines they ran a promotion.  Bring in a Valentines card or gift for the baristas, and get a free coffee.  Showing the love.  Nice!  

Gregorys tagline is we 'see coffee differently.'  I think they do.  

 

Round The World Trip

On Sat 27th Oct Irena and I flew to Dubai for our 2nd honeymoon. We took a desert tour where we blazed over dunes and then dined under the stars while watching belly dancing and nearly having our fingers chewed off by a falcon. The highlight was sitting at the Mango Tree Thai restaurant looking out at the Dubai Fountains and up at the Burj Dubai. Later we took a tour up the Burj.

Then Irena left back to Malta, and I flew on to Sydney on Friday 2nd Nov, to speak at iDate Australia. The highlight was seeing 'School For Wives' at the Opera House, and hiking over the top of the Harbor Bridge. Tanya (CEO, Dating Factory) and I won our bet on the Melbourne Cup.

On Mon 12th Nov I flew to Vancouver to fly my mother back to the UK. My highlight was flying next to the pilot of a seaplane from Vancouver to Victoria.

On Wed 21st Nov mum and I flew back to the UK. I met up with Irena and we attended my nephews wedding at Hemswell Court. It was picture perfect.

Then on Tue 27th Nov Irena and I flew to Moscow to study AnastasiaDate. An amazing company. Our highlight was going to the Bolshoi theater and touring the Kremlin Armory where we managed to snap this shot of a 700 year old crown. ...I finally landed back in Malta on Sat 8th December.

 

Malta Hike, With Czech Hiking Club

Yup!  There's a Czech hiking club in Malta.  I took a trek out with them to the NW of the island and we had a BBQ on the beach.

Mopeds

We like to take the VFR800 out for our date nights, and park it in Paceville.  This was a particularly nice line up of bikes.  Our bike has 96hp which I put to good use on occasion.  The gold Hyabusa has twice that. Nutters!  Especially nuts in Malta!

Biscuit Heaven

Irena's home made biscuits were a hit over Xmas.

Vicki Wild Cat

 

Irena & Her 4 Identical Twins

Moscow's Lego Man

At Moscow airport you can find this lego man with a hole in his sock.

Red Square

After seeing richard and tammy get married, and settling mum back into England, Irena and I took off for Moscow for a couple of weeks.

Richard And Tammy

Nephew Richard and Tammy's wedding in the UK.  A very special occasion.  Mum, Irena and I were all able to attend.

Mum, Repatriating At 80

Mum, at 80, emigrating her back from Canada to England.  The journey went smoothly but I had a full load of luggage to lug for mum.

Victoria Seaplane Landing

After visiting PlentyofFish in Vancouver I took the seaplane to Victoria and rode next to the pilot.  Here's the landing in Victoria.

 

Sydney Opera House

Prior to iDate Sydney I paid the Opera House a visit to see School For Wives.  Originally the play was a French poem by Moliere from the 1660's.  Excellent, and a unique experience!

Dubai Honeymoon

"Thumb or finger, thumb or finger?"  This falcon was seriously contemplating removing a digit!  

Apparently, I was conceived in Dubai. My dad lived in Abu Dhabi for 25 years.  If I'd been born there and stayed in UAE perhaps Irena and I would look like this?   

Prior to our wedding we went on a 'pre-honeymoon' to Venice, but didn't take an official honeymoon after our wedding.  We finally took a week off to honeymoon in Dubai, prior to me flying off for iDate Sydney.  

Dune Diving In Dubai

Witness the birth of a new sport.  Dune diving.

 

Not All Camels Spit

I love the smell of Irena's hair as well.

Beautiful Belly Dancing

 

Dubai Creek

Crossing Dubai Creek on an Abra costs a mere 1 Dirham, about 30c USD.

 

Armani Coffee

Dubai Mall has an Armani Cafe with a beautiful view.