The Blog...

Southbourne Grove is finally coming to life. Has been a sleeping giant for a long time but I think the Ludo Lounge lit the flame and now we have a new deli, Costa, fishmongers and more on the way.

We just need a restaurant or two.

Earlier this year signified 15 years of living in Bournemouth. This is the longest I have lived anywhere and since making the long trip down from the North East it has been a brilliant time.

At first people wondered why I'd be moving to what was perceived as a resting place for the purple-rinse brigade. I took to his place straight away and that first summer in 96 was a fantastic sunny spell, that started around April if I recall. To be honest, we kept it as our little secret.

Funny how once our friends started to visit that they couldn't get enough of the place and our flat and then house became Hotel Fong. Some liked the place so much that they then bought a place of their own. A mini-influx of Northerners, and who could blame them.

The picture above was taken in October on what was still a warm and sunny day. Plenty of people out and about enjoying the beach and plenty of surfers bobbing in the water. I think it nicely captures one side of Bournemouth.

I was clearing out old items from Outlook application on my Mac and I stumbled across some old pricing quotes from BT for Internet leased lines.

I thought I would put them on here so people can have a laugh, and I can delete it from my machine.

BT Gold Flex
Come in on 30Mb bearer
£6,500 connection
£51,600 for 2Mb per year
£288,824 for 30Mb per year


WebStream (more throughput going out than in)
30Mb out
£6500 connection

512kbps in, £168,000 per year
1Mbps in, £174,000

It was 25 years ago around this time that I was dropped off by my dad, up in Griffin Close, Northfield and sat in my pokey room waiting for a first glimpse of a fellow student flatmate. Then there were 5: me, John, John, Duncan and Bong.

Quite timely that I was back at Birmingham University this week and was pitching a product from my company. How weird and actually quite fulfilling was that.

For old times sake I popped into the Chamon for a curry. That was my first ever sit down "Indian" curry. Young and fresh-faced, I am pretty sure my group said go for the Balti and naan.

I even emailed the waiter, Andy, the day before I left Bournemouth to drive up. I got a reply, but on the day I left saying he was going to pop in on the night. Maybe I should have given him more than a day's notice.

Here's to the Chamon Curry Restaurant in Selly Oak, Birmingham! Bless you and bless that fact that you are serving beefburgers and Chinese crisp duck and pancakes on your menu.

Great memories and those memories grow fonder as time passes by.