Autumn 2001

As always I started writing this over three months ago and now I am finally getting around to finishing it off – so excuse the disjointedness…below are August’s and Septembers contributions….

 Due to the outstanding reception my last piece of news got (over a 100 hits on the web site – ok so most of them were me checking to see how many of you had gone to see the site) I felt motivated to write once again about the goings on of the Brizzi household (well not all of them - only those suitable for a family audience). Well that and the fact that August tends to be a much quieter month work wise thus giving me the opportunity to dedicate a bit more time to personal matters. Although having said that, I write this from a hot, blue-skied Madrid. Due to the flight schedules I have arrived an hour ahead of time for a business meeting and as I sit here and wait for it to start I felt the urge to write a few lines. I am on a “rare” business trip, what with the world economy in a recession (is it official yet I never know) and severe cost reduction efforts on the part of CGEY, business trips have become somewhat of a rarity. But every now and again there are incontestable reasons to travel and after going through the approval procedure in triplicate (the process probably costs as much as the trip) here I am.

I must admit it has been a pleasure not travelling, as it has meant that I have spent a lot of time at home which has allowed me, through a combination of not eating on the road and being able to get home at a decent hour, to get back into shape. Working as I do a lot with the USA I find the opportunity to do a lot of work later at night and this leaves me free to arrange the odd ride in the early evening. Also with Cindy and the Kids in South Africa the weekends have been free to go for long rides without feeling like I am neglecting the famdamily.

 Talking of which Cindy and the kids got back from SA on Sunday. I missed them a lot (there are always pro’s and con’s to having them away – it is nice to be selfish and spend a whole Sunday going for a ride - but you can only ride for so long and when you get home and the house is empty it is rather lonely). Anyway they had a great time saw all the family and other connections and brought back the essential supplies of Biltong, Rooibos tea and Chutney. Since she got back Cindy has been laid flat (literally flat) but some kind of a flu virus. She has zero energy and spends her whole time coughing and trying to get rid of seriously bad headaches. This week I worked from home on Monday and Tuesday so that I could look after her and the kids (nice to feel needed). Typical that when I finally had to travel the timing was crap. Anyway it seems a good time was had by all in SA, though the Cindy and kids are now happy to be back. Summer in Italy is very special – maybe it is the cold winters that make you appreciate it so much more. I don’t know how to describe it, but there is a very definite vibe in the air, all the scantily clad, tanned ladies, the talk of the traditional summer trips to the seaside or the mountains, the way everyone suddenly becomes so body conscious and light healthy meals become the order of the day. I love it in a way I never loved summer in SA, maybe I just never appreciated it because summer in SA was really was no different to any other time.

 Talking of traditional summer - next week is Ferragosto in Italy, so the 15^th is a Holiday and I have taken the week off. Whilst most of August is dead in Italy (away from the holiday destinations that is) the week of the 15^th is deader – hard to imagine I know - something being deader than dead but next week is probably the only time of the year you could drive around the tangenziale (ring road) of Milan at any time (8am or 6pm) and have the have the whole 3 lane highway to yourself – no mean feat when you think that come the first week of September it once again becomes a three lane 100km long parking lot (quick calculation at 2m per car that is around 150000 cars on that road at any one time on a normal work day) . If Cindy recovers (she has been really ill with some mystery virus that has knocked her for six) we are going to spend the weekend of Ferragosto with Raymond and Karen in Zurich. I may have to go to Belfort in France on Friday and if that happens we will all drive there first as it is only 200km from Zurich.

Although I am normally the shy retiring type I have to brag a little as I am so bucked with myself. I have set up a network at home. We had an ADSL line installed and I now have 3 computers connected to a network – so no more arguing about whose turn it is to go on the net. The kids have their pc, Cindy hers and I mine. All our printers, scanners, palm cradles etc are also all connected to my lan so I feel quite the techie (Bill Gates watch out..). If any of you need to know about hubs, gateways, IP addresses, transfer protocols, subnet masks or the like feel free to call me and for a small fee I will give you a consultation.  

 In my last mail in the summer I wanted to mention something, which then slipped my mind (given that I was writing at 3 am in the morning and my mind is not watertight at the best of times that was not entirely surprising) – whilst on holiday in Sardinia it dawned on me how much Nicola has grown up. She was 16 this June – wow I do not feel old enough to have a 16-year-old daughter. Anyway one evening as I watched Cindy and her talk about what they were going to wear and exchanging tops and skirts I realized one of my babies was had grown up and this made me feel a bit sad. On the other hand I also realized I am lucky enough to be sleeping with a woman who still has the body of a 16 year old – and that cheered me up no end. Just thought I would share that observation with you all.

The last part of this letter I have been writing at the airport and they are now calling the flight and having consumed a metric ton of business class snacks (what was I saying about traveling and keeping in shape) I need to start heading towards the tin can destined to take me to Amsterdam and from there by train to Utrecht – yes I know some of us are so lucky I bet you all wish you were on your way to Utrecht.

As they say it never rains but it pours – two news updates in as many weeks – that should keep you all going for the next year (I don’t want to mess up my average too much).

…….and so the saga continues – it is now November and we have just come back from a fantastic long weekend with Karen and Raymond in Zurich. Yes we eventually got there a few months later than planned but we got there. We left the kids behind with my folks who are visiting and headed off on Thursday which was a holiday here. On Friday we took our MTB’s headed for the Rhine Falls (biggest waterfall in Europe – quite spectacular I suppose but about a tenth of the height and width of the Victoria falls.) After a quick look at the falls we headed on our bikes up the Rhine to a very very beautiful place called Stein Am Rhine. The ride was some 25km through some of the most beautiful countryside – the forests were full of autumn colours and the path along the river filled with natural and man made delights (like a small medieval village with a covered bridge) It was amusing (as we did not have any documents with us) to cross the border between Switzerland and Germany several times with no more than an open gate across the bike path and a sign telling you that you were entering or leaving Deutschland. After a great lunch on the banks of the Rhine we rode back on the other side of the river with me trying my best to keep down my apple strudel (giant lunches and Mtbiking don’t really go hand in hand). On Saturday we did the shopping thing and then with Cindy and Raymond claiming sore tushies Karen and I went out for another ride around one of the hills surrounding Zurich – again truly breathtaking riding through the autumn forests – I can say this with hand on my heart that on our ride we even saw a real live tiger – one of the bike paths goes along the back of the Zoo and we could see into the tiger enclosure heh heh heh.

Other news is that I spent a week in the US – fun with the current state of the world and the anthrax scare (boy was I glad to get home from that trip – it coincided with the worst ever air crash at Linate in which 118 people died. The crash happened the morning after I left and hit really close to home. In addition the bombing in Afghanistan started whilst I was on the flight over). Whilst it was a hectic trip I did get to see Laura for a drink in Atlanta. On my return Danny was over from the states for business so he stayed with us for one night and it was great to see him. The kids are doing great and Cindy having discovered she is suffering from Gilberts syndrome is able to better manage her health challenges. .

Well we are patiently waiting for the snow to fall (stop press the first snow fell last night and the mountains around our home are all white :-) – once again we are blessed that a whole bunch people are going to be joining us for ski season so here is hoping for some serious snow.

Love to you all

The Brizzi’s