Well it's the last day of 2008. An interesting one to be sure. I have lost some friends and gained a few. I finally made the decision to leave New York after living there for 30 years. I am excited about moving back to live in Europe, in the Spring of 2009, though I know there will be many thoughts of what I leave behind. In a way I have the same kind of feelings I had in my 20's, but as I have said before I always feel comfortable when I am in Europe.

Well the year is winding down, so of course that means last minute things are speeding up.
Had a busy morning with my nephew in Cannock, happy with the result. It's cold out though, -2 C. It didn't feel so bad once I was out there running this afternoon.
I am about 48 hrs away from flying to Slovenia, where I have a mixture of business and pleasure, both there and in Croatia.

I had to go to Cannock, which is a town not far from Penkridge, today. My nephew drove me over there. I was unable to get what I wanted and have to go back tomorrow.The temperature was actually at freezing and for some reason it felt really cold. I have the feeling that I have lost some fat on my body while I have been here and this is why I felt the cold more. I had a nice run out to second tree and actually saw someone out there running in shorts and a T shirt.

Went out for my run just as the Sun was coming up this morning. Unlike the last 2 weeks I did not see other runners out there on the roads. It was not too cold and the run was quite pleasant, running for just over an hour.On the way back I was running towards a golden Sun.

Because of the Boxing day fixtures there are no football games in England today. There was however a game in Scotland, a game between Celtic and Ranger, known as the old firm game.
It's been quite cold outside all day. Went out for my run this afternoon and yes it was cold. I have several routes that I can run in Penkridge and today I ran to second tree.

My sister has a hard time staying asleep for long on Christmas day, so we were up pretty early. Opening presents was in 2 sessions, with a breakfast break in the middle. I managed to get a run in before we were off to my nieces for the Christmas meal. There were 10 of us around the table and of course the food was excellent. We had the traditional turkey dinner, with soy turkey in my case. We are now home and will have a quiet evening.

I wish you all a Happy Christmas, Holiday Season. Be safe and well where ever you are.

The place in England where I grew up is called Gornal, name comes from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning 'The place with two windmills'. The local dialect is said to be the oldest surviving Anglo-Saxon language. I have many friends and family that live in Gornal. The area that includes Gornal is known as the Black Country, this said to be because of all the Coal and Steel industry that was in the area. However it may have some other meaning that dates back to Saxon times. I always feel very comfortable when I am in this place of my roots.
It's Christmas eve, there is no snow on the ground and the Sun is shining. Tonight I will go out to dinner with my sister, brother in-law and some friends then sttle down and wait for Christmas day.

Went shopping with my nephew in Stafford this morning, got the last present I needed to but. I think this is the last day of this mild spell we are having.
When I went out for my run in the afternoon it felt like a cool Spring day. I wore less clothes than I have been and was still too warm.. My nephews friend Paul, who boxes Mauy Thai in Thailand part of the year, stopped by. Utpal made a short video about him a couple of years ago. Check it out on youtube. look for the Utpal Marshal channel.

There is a 14th century church in Penkridge and for the last 200 years or so it has had mechanical clock in it's tower. Someone was required to wind this up. The health and safety has decided that the stairs up to the clock are now not safe. So they have suspended winding the clock up. The clock stopped 1 week before Christmas . The village council now has to find the money to make the steps safe before the clock will work again.

The weather is quite mild and it was quite pleasant for my run this morning. I got so warm that I had to remove my hat after just a few miles. I ran a little further than last week and I am quite pleased.

It's Saturday and there is a full slate of English football on.In fact as I write this post the second and third place teams in the Championship are playing each other.
While I sit here it is wet and overcast outside and it seems it is even colder and snowing in New York.
Later today David Beckham will be presented as n AC Milan player, which is big thing to those who follow football.
Yesterday I also found out that in the Christmas Doctor Who Special, all 10 Doctors will appear at some time, a big treat for the fans.

Yesterday while out on my run I saw a pheasant, he was in the hedgerow next to where I was running and would not stay still, long enough for me to take a photo.
Today was quite fruitful for me. I now have the money to buy the farm in Croatia and also booked a flight to go over there on January 1. So the New Year will truly be a new start for me. To top it off I bought some Cherry scones from the village bakery, they still warm! The weather has stayed quite mild, though it is overcast.

A nice morning here in England, at least where I am. Temperature is 10C ( about 50F). Went to do my Christmas shopping with my sister, just have to get her present now. Which I will get when I go with my nephew tomorrow or Saturday. I also managed to get some Soy turkey for my Christmas dinner, so that will be nice.

OK I have been back in the UK now for almost 1 week and I am settling in at my sisters. I am planning to go to Slovenia and Croatia in about 3 weeks time and have to sort out the traveling arrangement. I have made some progress, but need to finalize things. I am enjoying the peace and quiet and the chance to run in the countryside. Christmas is just a week away and it will of course be nice to spend it with my family, it has always been a big family thing in my life.

Though it is quite cold this morning, it is not raining and in fact as I write this the Sun is trying to come out. With the busy day I had yesterday I went out late for my run, it was dark out and that doesn't make it so easy in the country since there is not much street lighting. I did manage to run for 24 minutes without an unfortunate event. My sister has gone out shopping with a friend and everyone else is at work, so I am home alone at the moment. Got to watch some Bobsledding on Eurosport.

There was a nice frost on the ground this morning. My sister asked me to go with her into Stafford to help her with the shopping. It's a little warmer now that we are home. I have an appointment with the Bank manager in about an hours time. I keep an account here in the UK, but usually only get to talk to someone about it once a year. I am finally using my laptop, using my wifi to hook into my sisters network, which makes things a little easier.

My first Sunday run in the UK this trip was quite pleasant. With all the rain yesterday it was quite damp out there, but did not feel too cold. I went out at 8 am which is an hour later than I usually run on a Sunday in New York, of course in New York time it was 3 am in the morning. While out running I saw a lot of sheep and green fields. Running about 6 miles I did see 2 other runners out there. My first longish run was a good way to shake things up a bit.

Just before I left New York someone said to me," It rains all the time in England". To which I said, " Not all the time". I have been here 3 days and so far it has rained at least part of everyday I've been here. Near the end of my run yesterday the Sun did come out for about a minute. Today is Saturday, so I get to watch a lot of football, well English football.

Well the flight to London went wella and the flight to Manchester was even better. The transfer was a bit of a pain, but I survived and spent my Birthday in a state of semi sleep at my sisters. managed to stay awake with a run in the country and slept really well last night. It's cold and rainy here, but then this is England. Happy to be here.

Ran this morning,then had breakfast, finished my packing and last minute details. It was supposed to rain all day, but so far just some occasional showers, which is good. Leave for the airport i less than an hour. Next post will be from the UK.

Well this was my last work day for this year, I will be of to jolly old England tomorrow. I've just spent some time packing and trying up all the loose ends and finally have enough time to tell you about it.

The temperature dropped a lot more than they said it would last night.
When I walked out the door to walk to work it was 20 F. At first it did
not feel that cold, but it did not take long to start feeling it. Some
people have holiday decorations on their lawns, one of them had a
snowman with a sign above it that read Rosty, I think it was supposed
to read Frosty. Yes it was that cold.

There was a light snow last night and it was trying to snow as we went out for our run this morning. The temperature however was 35 F and the snow did not stick on anything but cars parked in the streets.. I was sore from my 2 runs yesterday and was kind of tired at the end of our 6 mile run. Stopped in at our local Cafe for a herb tea and a scone, which was most welcome. The Sun keeps coming out, but it is still cold out there and the strong wind makes it feel very Wintery.

28 F was the temperature at the start of the 2 mile race this morning, but with no breeze it did not feel that cold. My first mile was 7:41 and my finishing time was 15:29, giving me a second mile of 7:48. So a little better than the last couple of weeks. This was my last race of the year, as I will be in the UK in a few days for the rest of the year.
I needed to run an errand this afternoon, so I decided to do it literally and ran about 3 1/2 miles to a store to buy something and then ran back. While out there I saw a couple of gas stations selling gas at $1.99 a gallon for unleaded regular. The likes of which have not been sen for quite some time.
I also saw a police car that had crashed into a traffic light. I wanted to take a photograph, but thought they might not like it.

After running early this morning with my friend Utpal, it seems I spent the rest of the day talking with someone.Sometimes chatting with a family member on facebook, then talking with friends at both Breakfast and Lunch. Then talking with a friend in Slovenia, about my impending there. Before I knew it I was in the early evening. So many things to talk about and do, the important thing being to do.

Do not know why but was feeling really tired when I came home from work today. No work tomorrow, so just 1 and a bit work days left this year. Then it is off to England and Christmas with my family. Looking forward to it I have to say. Still felt a little tired when I went out for my run, but felt better after it.

A few years ago US airlines started charging really big passengers for 2 seats. Well I just heard that in Canada they passed a law that states, large passengers have the right to 2 seats if needed, but can only be charged for 1. I hope I will never be in that position, but it's good to know.
Also, when crude oil was at $147 a barrel, airlines started charging for baggage. I have not heard that this has been stopped now that crude is $47 a barrel.

"I need to get fit" is what Kenny said to me when I saw him out walking this morning, on my way to work. Kenny is about 60 or 70 pounds overweight, he used to work in the Deli near where I live and now drives a cab. He told me that he has been going out early the last few mornings and walking. He hopes to start running also soon. He has seen me out running many times and I think it has inspired him to try and get in to shape.

The Arsenal 'B' team lost to Burnley 2-0 in the Carling Cup Today.

I went to work today after not going the last couple of Mondays.Of course we have just had the long holiday and there were a few outstanding jobs that needed to be done. When I got home there were quite a few things to do there. So I have been quite busy all day and not had too much of a chance to get on my computer. I leave for the UK in 9 days time, so a lot of things to get sorted before I go.
It's hard to believe that it's December already.