Hockey on horseback ...

Last Sunday was Father's Day and I was back home in the UK to see my family, including having lunch with Dad, Mum and my sister. We met in Midhurst, a small market town in the West Sussex countryside and had a very pleasant lunch at Seven Fish.

After lunch, at Dad's suggestion, we went to watch a polo match at nearby Cowdray Park. It was a first for Stephanie and me, though Mum and Dad had been many years before. Dad noted that the last time he was there, it was possible to get closer to the action (curse those modern health and safety rules). He recalled that he had been close enough to hear the Duke of Edinburgh, then a keen player himself, swearing.

We were able to drive in and park close by the edge of the playing field; I reversed the Land Rover in to the space so that I was able to open the tailgate and provide seating with a windbreak for two of us! But the weather was kind; a bright sunny day with a few fluffy clouds and little wind, so it was perfect for watching the action.

We were there to watch the Midhurst Town Cup, played between "Silver Spring 1870" and "Salkeld". Each team has four players, there are also two mounted umpires on the field. Here you see one of the players executing a back pass. As my regular readers will know, sport and me are not best friends, so I think it best that I forego any further attempt to explain the game, but instead I refer you to the Hurlingham Polo Association web site has a great explanation of the rules and regulations of polo.

However, one element which may be familiar even to those with only a passing knowledge of the game is the half time audience participation. A pitch invasion is then positively encouraged, unlike football in which such behaviour is somewhat frowned upon. This is for the stamping down of the divots - the pieces of turf kicked up by the ponies' hooves. Those who have seen the film "Pretty Woman" will remember the announcer's advice to "avoid the steaming divot"! The last picture shows my mum and sister indulging in this public spirited activity.

But, dear reader, I do realise that you may be thinking that this is all very interesting, but what does it have to do with Finland? After all, the blog is supposed to have a Finnish flavour. Well, as we wandered around the few stalls selling merchandise, we came across Hoads of Horsham, there selling wonderful outdoor bean bags and hammocks made by Fatboy. A Finnish company. And how we spotted them in the first place was because of their (Finnish) Marimekko design parasols. So, that's alright then!

A working weekend ...

This has been my desk for the last two evenings, as I am running the lighting for the first four shows of the Finn-Brit Players' production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Q-Teatteri in Töölö. It's the story on which the 1988 film Dangerous Liasons was based and our talented director and cast have created a very watchable performance.

It's my second time on the lighting desk, back at the same theatre, so it feels very familiar. In the picture you see the ADB Tango 48 control desk, which is hooked up to the various lights within the theatre. During the rigging process, the levels for each light for each change, together with the transition time, from zero seconds for a fast blackout to seven seconds for bringing the house lights up or down, are set and then programmed into the desk's memory. Altogether, there are more than seventy changes during the play.

During the show, it is theoretically straightforward to move to the next scene by press the red button, outlined in yellow tape on the picture. On top of the deck are my notes, which tell me when during the action to make the next change. And most of the time it works, though sometimes pressing the button doesn't actually seem to work. It doesn't happen often, but just enough to keep me at a high level of tension throughout the 3 hours that the show runs (including an interval).

However, the cast and director are being kind and have only made gentle suggestions on how I could improve things, there has been no shouting so far! It has been great to be involved with this production, though it has fired my desire to get back on stage; I have not done so since I moved to Finland three years ago. Perhaps I will try my hand at the next auditions.

Taking a break ...

My apologies for my rather poor performance in updating the blog recently, things have been rather busy over the last few weeks. However, last weekend saw our annual city break with friends Graham, Barbara, Jim and Linda and our destination this year was Barcelona, capital of the Catalan region of Spain.

I have been visiting Barcelona each February for the past five years, to participate in the Mobile World Congress, one of the biggest trade shows in our industry. So, for me, the city felt more like a workplace than a leisure destination. Fortunately, this weekend reset that feeling and I am now a convert to the many delights of this city.

It's going to be hard to do justice to the weekend without writing loads, so in the interest of brevity, I will list our main activities with links for those of you who may also want to visit.

Friday - I arrived in time for breakfast, only 12 hours after Blue1 were supposed to get me there (the letter of complaint is next on the to do list after this post). We took the red route on the Bus Turistic to get our bearings. Tapas and Sangria for lunch in the Bari Gotic, then to the Sagrada Familia and Casa Mila (two of the most famous Antoni Gaudi designed landmarks in the city). Dinner in a harbourside restaurant at the port.

Saturday - up and off for the blue route. Stopped off at Parc Guell for more Gaudi design, then the Blue Tram and funicular railway up to Tibidabo. Walked back down to the bus and home for a rest before dinner at Les Quinze Nits, great food at very good prices (though you need to queue for around half an hour to get in).

Sunday - walked down the Ramblas in the rain, great Tapas and Cava for lunch at El Xampanyet, exploring Port Vell and then back to meet up with ex Round Table buddy Ian, who was in town before heading off on a cruise. Dinner at Les Quinze Nits again, was just as good.

Monday - walked to the funicular railway up to Montjuic, then took the cable car to the castle at the top. Back for a very long and excellent lunch at El Xalet (where I had a dinner with my former Motorola team in 2005) next to the Olympic diving pools on the side of Montjuic. Walked back down the hill taking in the Olympic stadium, Poble Espanyol and through the Fira de Montjuic without all of the paraphernalia of Mobile World Congress.

Tuesday - a stroll around the city before lunch at Tapa Tapa at maremagnum, overlooking the sea. Back to the hotel, then off to the airport and home.

All in all, despite the worst efforts of Blue1, a great weekend with great friends. I can't wait for next year's!