KL

In true international man of mystery style, after getting off the plane from Riga, I got straight on a plane for Malaysia, where I am now. Wasn’t knackered at all (yes, it is silly o'clock here).

Update: views at various times from my hotel room.

Latvia

Just back from Riga on NickyG’s stag. Top weekend in an interesting place. Highlights included going down a bobsleigh run in a rubber dingy. More details and pictures here.

Intelligence?

There was an interesting and moving programme on last night on BBC1 about the London bombings on 7 July 2005. I was slightly concerned about Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair’s comment to the effect that when he was informed that something was going on, “like everyone else” he “switched on Sky” to find out what was happening. One would have hoped that Sky would be getting their information about these sorts of events from, among others, the police, rather than the other way around. Slightly worrying to think that the police should be “like everyone else” in this respect.

This post about dogs cracked me up.

Berlin

Went to see friends in Berlin this weekend. A nice relaxing time. Interesting place. Obviously much as changed since reunification. Amazing, though, to contemplate how recently this nearby country was split in half, with the other half under the grip of a totalitarian regime. Still doesn’t feel like a capital city in the way that London does, somehow.

Wine whine

After a few years of good service and good wine, Chateau Online are proving to be total jesters when it comes to delivering my latest order. The process began in May when I was advised the case was ready for delivery. It still has not turned up.

Confident that this was no more than a temporary blip in their service, early correspondence was light–hearted and whimsical, referring for example to the time required by D'Artagnan to deliver his letter to the Duke of Buckingham by way of comparison. I have now stopped with the literary references and have moved on to referring to my legal rights… Expressions such as “extraordinarily protracted”, “title passed on payment by me”, “risk remains with you under the contract until delivery” and “I know wine improves with age, but 5 months for delivery is taking the rise” have been deployed.

It is still not clear to me, or, I suspect, to Chateau Online, where the hell my wine is. Come on guys, sort it out and don’t spoil (any further) what had previously been a convenient and hassle–free customer experience.