The Proverbial Christmas Party

Every year there is the work Christmas Do.  This is the 2nd year I've been involved.  Each time it is a headache trying to work around the politics, policies and payments to make sure that the event is a great night for around 150 people.  Despite the last minute issues, the team always seems to pull through and people always look to be having a great time.

This year the Christmas Do was held at Fazeley Studios.  A quaint little venue a stones throw away from Birmingham City Centre and around the corner from the famous Custard Factory.

We had mulled wine on entry and a sit down 3 course meal and the usual DJ that got people on their feet and busting out a move.  The point of difference was the Photo Booth, which was a great hit.  Any opportunity for us scientist types to use different props and to pose for silly shots in front of the camera.

As per usual the do ended just as we were getting into the swing of things and so whisperings of an after party came shortly after.  We ended up in a bar called Indiebar, which is in the heart of the Chinese Quarter.

One of the manager's paid for a bottle of Vodka and so we had a few drinks on the house, plus a private area where we could get our boogie on.

The Christmas festivities have officially begun.

Merry Christmas.

Capitale de Noel

There are several things that mark the start of the Christmas season, building Christmas festive spirit; the coca-cola advert "holidays are coming, holidays are coming" is a classic filling the ad breaks in-between your favourite shows; Mariah Carey singing "All I want for Christmas is you" over the radio; the  christmas lights adorning the streets like glittering jewels and for those that live in cities, the German Christmas markets.

There is something about crowded streets with bustling shoppers in need of a tasty Gluhwein/Vin Chaude/Mulled Wine, the festive smells of cinnamon, spices and bratwurst that fill the air that just seems to build christmas spirit and remind us that Christmas is not that far away.

This year Berliner's are a big thing of the market.  They are filled doughnuts if you don't know what they are.  And it is taking every ounce of strength not to succumb to the craving every time I see one covered in icing and sprinkles.  They are massive too, no doubt full of a days worth of calories!

Every city seems to claim that they are the best German Christmas market.  Strasbourg is famous for having the best German market in Europe and boasts having 12 christmas markets around its prestigious cathedral.

With the massive christmas tree in Place Kleber, it is a sight to be seen.  It is the tallest natural christmas tree in Europe at 30m in height.  And it does stand quite majestically in the city centre.  It is definitely a welcome sight after a hard days work, uplifting spirits.

Happy Holidays.

Remember, Remember the 5th of November

Actually I'm a couple of days early; 4 to be precise.  I'm away in Zurich on the 5th November, so I and a group of others braved the cold and dodged the rain to attend a firework display in Vale at the University of Birmingham.

When we entered the site, the music was blazing and there were fire dancers dancing by the water.  The actual fireworks started at 9pm and the rain held off until the display had finished.

Taking pictures of fireworks are not easy.  They often turn out blurry or look like random bright dots against the night sky, rather than the amazing multicoloured pyrotechnics that it is in reality.

This time round I think they have turned out quite well.  Some look like an explosion in the night sky, whilst others look like a UFO is about to land.

Without the need to celebrate Guy Fawkes we wouldn't see fireworks other than the 1st January to celebrate the start of the new year.  So I am happy that we have this tradition in the UK.  Happy 5th November.

Hot, Cold and Creamy

One of the perks of the job is that I get to travel abroad, which means that I get to see lots of little snippets of the world.  This week I'm in the Netherlands for a training course called "Hot, Cold and Creamy".  Although this title is dripping with innuendo, I assure you it was very innocent!

On one evening during the course, the hosts took us into Amsterdam and we got to have a little tour.  Unfortunately I didn't have space in my luggage to bring my digital SLR, but hopefully the camera on my phone will do the city justice.

Keeping in theme with the title of the course, our hosts first took us into an ice cream parlour/chocolatier, where they roasted their own chocolate and made their ice creams from scratch.

They had every variety of ice cream you could imagine and all were amazingly tasty.  My favourite was the Cinnamon flavour.  But then again I am addicted to this spice.

They even had chocolate in all kinds of formats; spreadable, dipping, standard bars, powder for drinking and snorting with rolled up money!  We were definitely in the party capital.

We then made our way to the canal where we were to start our boat trip.  To get there we had to walk through the red light district.  Some could say this was the "hot" part of the trip!

I was quite surprised at how blatant and in your face it was.  Buildings had floor to ceiling windows with women behind them of all shapes and sizes flaunting their assets, trying to get punters.  There was even one lady who looked like she could have been a school teacher and looked very out of place next to all the other women that were quite heavily done up.

The whole thing is very hard to imagine if you have never been before.  One of the girls in the group tried to take a picture of them, which had them banging on the windows and shaking their fingers at her.

The boat trip was an amazing way to see Amsterdam and I recommend it to anyone.  The canal tunnels had lights on them which looked beautiful under the dark sky.  The houses that lined the canal were huge and had high ceilings ornately decorated with chandeliers.  No doubt living by the canal is expensive business.

Butterfly Galore

Inspired by the exhibition in the Botanical Gardens and wanting to further play with my new camera, I decided to go to the Butterfly Garden in Stratford-Upon-Avon this weekend.

This place was huge and there were thousands of Butterflies fluttering around everywhere.  It was also very humid.  I had to wait 10 minutes for my lenses to de-steam, before I could start taking pictures.  It was very toasty.

The Butterflies also seemed more used to being around people as they were quite content sitting on your head, arm, leg or any other part of the body that they could perch themselves on.

The colours of the Butterflies were also more vivid and vibrant.  And I hope that my pictures do them justice.

Birmingham's Hidden Treasure

I have a new toy; a new Canon digital SLR.  I was itching to use it and to have a play, so I decided to go to the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham, which has fast become my favourite place in this city.

This hidden treasure is just outside the confines of the city centre and is a beautiful place.  Walking among the flowers and different gardens you would never guess that you were in Birmingham.

It has somewhat a Central Park feel to it, but it is only a fraction of the size and it's also not free.  But it is the closest thing we have to it and it does remind me of my time in NYC.  I think I will be a frequent visitor.

The gardens are quite British.  Full of roses and wild flowers that you see in the British countryside.

There are also lots of animals.  They had a Butterfly exhibition, which was nearing it's end.  There weren't many Butterflies fluttering around.  Sadly many had died.  But I did manage to get a few snaps.

In addition they had a bird sanctuary, where I got greeted by several parrots, and my favourite was this Tom Cat; sweeping the benches and rummaging around to see what was left by the visitors of the Gardens.