David Young - Tuesday 27th December 2011

Heading home to Scotland for Christmas I had felt glad to be out of London. There seems to be such a grim atmosphere everywhere –what with economic doom- and- gloom- mongering and the bleak grey weather. In stark contrast to the freezing conditions experienced last winter - it has been unseasonably mild. I would much rather have severe cold if it comes with bright sunshine and blue skies!

Christmas day at home was spent in the usual way with family. The service at St. Giles in the morning, grandmother and great aunt Meg joining us, followed by lunch at our house prepared by my stressed Mother. The usual pattern of Sherries, Charades and the Queens annual speech on TV.

Grandmother seemed a little frailer than when I last saw her-I think she may actually be shrinking? She is still very fit though, quite sprightly in fact and by the time she and great aunt Meg had finished the first bottle of sherry between them, I definitely detected a mischievous twinkle in the eyes of the two old sisters. As they chatted merrily, about people long dead and retold stories of shared adventures had in their youth, I was sure they were having more fun than anybody else.

Douglas is still talking about moving south and was determined to talk about life in London. He did mention job prospects being better in Manchester too and I urged him to talk to Tom …….so I remain hopeful.

My mind drifted back to last year. ….my first Christmas spent away from home confined to London because of the adverse travel conditions. The carols in the square on Christmas eve, with the collection going to help the homeless. Christmas lunch with Nico, Jin & Hansun, Freyda, and of course dear Lucy...remembering the hours of daft games and helpless laughter- such fun -it was a great Christmas!

Christmas –traditionally the time for families to be together-some people travelling from the four corners of the globe to do so. I wonder though, if truth be told, how many people might rather be somewhere else-with friends of their choosing?

David Young - Monday 14th November 2011

Credit Suisse analysts announced today that Royal Bank of Scotland is the "most vulnerable" bank in Europe.

In a new round of Europe-wide industry stress tests it is estimated that RBS might be facing a capital shortfall of £16.9bn and could be forced to raise £17bn in new money to shore up its capital ratios, more than any other major European lender. The taxpayer already owns 83% of the state backed bank and if Credit Suisse are right would very likely have to be fully nationalised.

No comment from RBS of course but what can really be said?

Meantime,German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Europe faces its toughest hour since the war:
"Europe is in one of its toughest, perhaps the toughest hour, since the Second World War. If the euro fails then Europe fails, and we want to prevent and we will prevent this, this is what we are working for, because it is such a huge historical project."

David Young - Tuesday 18th September 2011

I am feeling quite refreshed after my trip to Portugal. I had been considering it as destination, for a taste of some Sun before another winter sets in, but as the weather here had suddenly turned so warm I might have forgotten had Duncan not called to invite me over to stay with them at Quinta do Lago. He and Vanessa had her parents villa for a few weeks (as it transpired this was to be a last break together as a couple, since Vanessa is pregnant!.) some of the others would be there too and I was easily persuaded.

The journey couldn't have been easier with a direct flight from London city to Faro. It was my first time in the country and as it had all been very last minute I hadn't done much preparation. Of course I knew the area to be an exclusive golf resort with championship links and, as I had imagined, a residential estate comprised of quite majestic villas and first class hotels, all very luxurious. I had thought it would be a good opportunity to recharge my batteries, perhaps improve my handicap and just catch up with old friends.

I was very pleasantly surprised then, to learn that the resort is located inside the Ria Formosa Nature Reserve. Whoever said that golf courses are green deserts, needs to see the marvelous array of southern European and North African birdlife here. Formed within a system of barrier islands with five natural inlets and a sixth, designed to ease access to the port of Faro, it is a true sanctuary of nature. Visited annually by about thirty thousand different species of birds it provides something of a migratory corridor and stopping place during spring and autumn periods.

When I arrived Stuart was already there and with our shared interest it didn't take us long to arrange a guided bird watch tour. Duncan and Vanessa declined to join us, as they were just there to chill, but didn't mind our going off a bit. Over an area about three miles square comprising pine trees, scrub, saltpans and lagoon we were simply amazed at the sights.

In one pan of the binoculars we were able to see Flamingos, roosting Storks and Osprey! Pedro, our guide, may not have spoken good English but he certainly did his job well and with gestures, indicating 5am on his watch, we arranged to set out with him, for a second time, and headed for the hills at dawn the next day. Our efforts were well rewarded with the sight of rarities such as a Little Bustard and the faintest glimpse of wolves.

The weather was perfect; we swam, played tennis, a little golf and dined out on excellent seafood. It was so good to be with my oldest friends!

On the Friday Andrew arrived with Jane, just for the weekend. I had only met Jane once before, in fact at Duncan and Vanessa's wedding last year, so it was a chance to get to know her a little. She seems very pleasant, teaches at a comprehensive school, but if I'm honest the conversation revolved around babies a little too much for my taste and I sensed for Andrew as well, he managed to change the focus though, when he produced a Monopoly board exclaiming "Let battle commence!". I felt a little sorry for her then, clearly the outsider with none of the groups shared history. As play commenced and I had landed on Park Lane, she started to turn the conversation towards the current economic crisis and the difficulties for couples trying to get on the housing ladder.

We all glanced at each other before announcing in unison, "It's only a game!" our traditional remedy for when things got even slightly serious and at such spontaneity we all broke into helpless laughter. Jane, poor girl, had seemed taken aback momentarily and blushed profusely before laughing herself. Andrew on the other hand, though laughing along with the rest of us, seemed to have turned quite pale.

Stuart remarked to me later that he thought she was displaying the Hallmark signs of wanting to settle down and have kids and that it was "make-your-mind-up-time" for Stu

I think he's probably right.

David Young - Monday 5th September 2011

Official records have now confirmed that this summer has been one of the coldest across the UK for something like 18yrs.

Some of the most shocking weather of course was in Scotland. The Scottish open golf tournament was completely washed out. Monsoon like down-pours ruined the beer gardens and outdoor venues of the Edinburgh Festival which has been recorded as one of the wettest on record. Certainly the old saying was proved right this year as it did rain on St. Swithin's Day (July 15th) and then rained for forty more!

Thinking I will perhaps try and catch some Sun before the winter sets in again -have heard good reports about Portugal...maybe in October.

David Young - Wednesday 17th August 2011

The riots have shown just how sensitive the media have to be in their use of language. The BBC in particular came under pressure after receiving a barrage of complaints from residents of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who, quite rightly, objected to the riots being referred to as "UK riots" as a result of which they are now calling them "England riots" The 'beeb' was also criticised for calling the looters "protestors" and conceded that they had been wrong to do so after the initial peaceful protest on the Saturday which had triggered events.

What's in a name-indeed.

David Young - Wednesday 10th August 2011

The news recently has made grim reading.Famine in Somalia, the prevailing sovereign debt crisis and the dreadful rioting which has now apparently spread beyond London.

I am therefore slightly ashamed at my own feelings of annoyance on reading today that Beinn a Chlaidheimh - a Munro situated between Loch Maree and Little Loch Broom in Wester Ross - has had its status reduced to that of Corbett. It is among several mountains to have been re-measured last month by the Munro Society. Using the latest satellite technology - of course much more advanced than the system used by Sir Hugh Munro in 1891 - it is no longer 3004 feet as per previous official measurements but is now 29977 feet. Duncan and I climbed this two years ago I think and while the new findings will in no way diminish the pleasure to be had from ascending these hills I am a bit miffed to find my 216 Munro's bagged reduced by one for the sake of a measly 3 feet!

David Young - Wednesday 3rd August 2011

I'm finding it quite difficult to settle back into things. Two weeks spent in Scotland - particularly the islands - has made London seem something of a prison!

On the last few days of my holiday, spent in Edinburgh, I made the mistake of saying to Douglas (in earshot of my mother) that London life is not all that it's made out to be. Of course I was really trying to dissuade him from the idea that if he relocated south for a job, he would be moving in with me! It certainly seemed to set her off!

She brought up my father's disappointment, (at my not joining his firm-again!) and kept insisting she could tell I wasn't happy.  Why doesn't father ask Douglas to join him, I felt like saying - but of course the answer is obvious. Two gap years, seemingly uncontrolled debts and a penchant for the student high-life have culminated in a spurious 2-2 degree in Media studies or some such........

On Friday I had decided to go for a run and as luck would have it set out for the Queens Park and Arthur's seat. As I crossed Northbridge I thought of the impending Royal nuptials i.e. Zara Phillips wedding!

The Queen's granddaughter was due to marry England rugby player Mike Tindall, at the Canongate Kirk on Saturday- making it the first royal wedding in Scotland for 20 years. I have always found her immensely likeable- probably for her down-to-earth approach and slightly rebellious attitude - but not least for her looks - she's incredibly photogenic! As I turned left into the Canongate I couldn't help thinking that her mother, Princess Anne, should be congratulated for her decision that her children would bear no 'title' and have as near normal an upbringing as is possible for any Royal. I could hardly believe my luck when, nearing the church, I noticed a small crowd beginning to gather and stopped dead in amazement to see Zara and Mike smiling and waving happily as they left the church where they had just had their final rehearsal.

It surely made my day and I wish them every happiness!

David - Sat 23rd July 2011

Have had a great week on the Isle of Skye though there are a great many more hill walkers than the last time I was here, but I suppose it is peak holiday time. Spent a few days at the Duntulm Castle Hotel, right on the sea's edge in the northern Trotternish Peninsula.

Walks of 10K - 14K, were not that demanding but in the main, I had been hoping to see the wildlife and I was not disappointed. Along the coast, I saw seals, minke whales, basking sharks and even spotted some dolphins swimming by! I was on the lookout for otters too but no luck. Inland, buzzards and several eagles kept me busy clicking my camera.

I enjoyed the luxury of the hotel - the food was excellent and it was a great way to "wind down" quickly from the pace of life in London. Nothing compares however, with the sense of freedom to be had (from all the cares and the world) when curled up in a warm sleeping bag in a dry tent!

Called in at the local pub last night, which is always welcoming to visitors. I got chatting to a chap from Seoul, who reminded me a lot of my friend Jin -same mannerisms etc. He had heard of 'Munro bagging'and was unclear as to what it was? This, much to the amusement of the company. After offering a brief explanation i.e. a 'Munro' being a hill or Mt over 3000 feet in height of which there are 284 to be climbed or 'bagged' in Scotland, he became quite excited. As the drink flowed and the night went on he persisted with questions and on hearing that there were a dozen or so on Skye, became obsessed with the idea of 'bagging' his first Munro. So it was, this morning that I headed out with him to the Cuillin mountain ranges, which are just beautiful. The Red Cuillins, capped with red granite and the black Cuillins, capped with black granite create the most amazing scenery!

Heading home from the pub at closing time the sun was finally just setting....

Work and London seem 1,000,000 miles away now and my only thought is of the 'Sgurr Dearg' or 'Inaccessible Pinnacle' on the Cuillin Ridge here on Skye which I have, thus far, not conquered!

David - Mon 6th June 2011

Japan seems to be on the verge of inflation.

That's quite alarming, after years of printing money QE style and almost zero interest rates in an attempt to kick start the economy. Here, we keep hearing conflicting things:

One moment we hear inflation is under control and the next it is not. The next moment we hear interest rates will stay low and then they will have to go up very soon. Tom insists that Mervyn King and the MPC should have retired years ago and I'm afraid I am inclined to agree.

A very enjoyable lunch today! Some Asian clients wanted to sample English fish and chips, which caused some slight consternation at first. All the sit-in places I knew of were in far away places like Lauriston village in Hackney or the Sea Fish at Highbury. Our visitors were staying at the Langham in Portland place and I suddenly remembered Jin talking about a great fish'n'chip restaurant in Marylebone. A quick call to him and I had secured a table at the Golden Hind, a cosy restaurant off the beaten track but just minutes from Oxford Street and Bond Street Station. Frequented by fish and chip lovers, as well as locals and office workers in the area, it was absolutely packed, with a long queue waiting for take-away orders. In Scotland the most common fish served in Chip shops would be Haddock and since arriving in London I have enjoyed trying out Cod, Plaice, Skate and Cod Roe-which I had never tasted. Today I had the Cod, chips and mushy peas as did our guests, who insisted on photographing everything from the dishes to us, before during and after the meal, but everyone seemed to have enjoyed it. I shall definitely visit again as I think it was the best I have tasted to date.

David - Sat 7th May 2011

Headed off this morning for a long run over to the Lea valley route- recently discovered while Marathon training. I find running to be such an antidote to a weeks working........

This week Portugal became the third debt laden country, after Greece and Ireland, to reach a bailout agreement from the EU and the IMF to the tune of some £69 billion. All eyes are now turned towards Spain!

I heard yesterday that RBS is to be renamed ITB (Irish toxic bank) due to the hefty Irish loan losses incurred. Royal Bank of Scotland had a first-quarter group loss of £528 million - £1.3 billion racked up in bad debts at Ulster bank! However profits in its main retail and investment banking arms (excluding businesses to be sold off) rose 25% from the final quarter in 20 10 to 2.1 billion with increased profit margins. By yesterday afternoon RBS shares were up 6.4%

In addition, this week came the news that, after a failed court case, Lloyds will have to pay out £3.2 billion as compensation for insurance mis-selling. Basically, millions of people were sold insurance - payment protection insurance (PPI) - they could either never claim or didn't know they were buying!

RBS with a roughly 10% market share in that sector could face a £1 billion hit. In total it is likely, the whole debacle could cost British banks around £8 billion all told. Meantime we're still waiting for the Financial Services Authority report into the near failure of RBS which required the government to pump in £45 billion. Apparently, there have been legal complications holding things up but on Thursday, two senior corporate governance experts were appointed to address the issues causing the delay. Britain hopes to sell off its RBS and Lloyds shares but there is no word of that happening any time soon.

This mess hasn't left much for many to laugh about but I suppose making `jokes' is all there is for it at present.

David - Tues 19th April 2011

Yesterday, the day after the race, my legs had stiffened so badly that climbing stairs felt like mountaineering. But oh my goodness - I really hadn't expected still to feel quite as bad today! My only consolation is that between us Tom and I have raised over £7000 for very worthy causes. With the 2020 vision that comes only with hindsight, I can see now that I should have trusted more to the advice given me by Kieran and not least by Tom. I had found it so difficult to believe that if I hadn't kept training quite intensely right up to the race that I would be able to complete the marathon - which I suppose was just my ego but biggest fear. "Tapering" my training i.e. reducing the distance of runs was just something I couldn't embrace?

The day of the race had started positively with Emma offering to drive us over to Greenwich - which was great. Arriving early let us take in the atmosphere and I was fascinated by the cross-section of people taking part-from professional sportsmen and women, celebrities and national heroes to the most ordinary of folk. One chap, in his mid 40s was running after literally becoming half the man he used to be. He had shed some 12 stone seven pounds (79 kg) in three years winning the title `slimmer of the year' in so doing. Embarrassingly for me, he completed the race in four hours 33 min - faster than my time-but I don't grudge him how good he must be feeling. My race number was perfectly pinned, Vaseline copiously applied and yes, I confess, nipple pads were in place and by 8.45am I was warmed up and ready to run! I had studied the Virgin London Marathon guide to race etiquette - which covered everything I needed to know on the day, from good manners to personal safety. The Race Marshals - most of whom are volunteers- were very helpful.

The women's elite athletes with the first to set off at 9 am.

I was slightly anxious about my starting position as this would usually be based on the expected finishing time, with faster runners towards the front. I suppose I shouldn't have let Tom persuade me to start with him but that's what happened. The Marathon is a great event with more than 35,000 participants and spectators drawn from far beyond London and it felt quite special just being a part of it. Despite the heat, which I really hadn't taken into account, I kept pace with Tom and thought myself to be doing quite well. It must have been about mile 18 when I began to slow rapidly and I started feeling lightheaded.

I watched helplessly as Tom forged ahead? I pushed myself on to mile 23, with hopes of finishing under four hours gone and three and a half just a dream. Fortunately for me, I now believe, (but not for him) I saw a poor chap laid on the side of the road, wearing an oxygen mask and being attended by first-aiders. The thought of perhaps not completing the race at all made me slow down and walk/run the remainder to ensure I got to the finish- which I eventually did in 4hrs:35min.

I was disappointed of course, but there was something surprisingly cheering about receiving the medal.

Both the men's and women's elite races were won by Kenyan's: Emmanuel Mutai crossed the finish line in a record-breaking 2 hrs 4 min 39 seconds and Mary Keitany clocked a time of 2 hrs 19 min and 17 seconds. It was a pretty disappointing day for Britain's men, and I think Andrew Lemoncello will be less than satisfied with finishing 15th in a time of 2hrs:15min. Just missing the Olympic qualifying time of 2hrs:12min -ouch! That had to hurt.

Emma and Victoria were there to greet us at the end and had brought food & drink which was very welcome. Emma had followed the whole marathon and told us of one couple who had left the race at Canary Wharf to get married? I know there was a couple running wearing Kate and Wills masks but she didn't think they were the same. Emma was in very good spirits-noticeably changed since her party I think.

Victoria was very sweet and by way of trying to console me, announced that David Gandy (who is apparently a supermodel and of whom I'd never heard) had also completed in 4 hours 35 min. Through the pain and cramping I tried to look pleased, however, by that time I was just happy to have done it at all!

David - Thurs 24th Mar 2011

In today's budget, the Chancellor told Parliament that UK economic growth is to be lower than expected in 2011. The independent office of budget responsibility had revised this year's growth rate down to 1.7% from the previous 2.5% after the service sector had been hit by snowy weather this winter. Government borrowing will be 146 billion this year and is also falling more slowly than hoped with 142 billion predicted next year and in 2015/16, the final year of deficit reduction it will still be 29 billion.

The OBR expects growth to be 2.5% in 2012, rising to 2.9% in 2013 and 2014 and falling slightly to 2.8% in 2015.

UK national debt as a share of national income will be 60% this year, before peaking at 71% and falling marginally to 69% by the end of the period.

Economic forecasting of course is not an exact science but it seems clear that there is no alternative to deep deficit reduction now.

David - Mon 14th Mar 2011

Our Marathon training is now in the capable hands of a fitness professional i.e. Kieran Penderville, friend of Tom's and personal trainer to the stressed inhabitants of Canary Wharf.

I am relieved to know that our training schedule is now much more structured and although I'm finding it much harder going in general I'm growing in confidence and now very hopeful of finishing the race. Working to a strict diet regime, though I'd like to think my eating habits had already been quite healthy (eating five a day has long been the norm for me) Kieran encouraged us to experiment with foods and as a result we are eating fish three times a week and have switched all carbs consumed to those less refined such as; whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa, etc.

Our weekly exercise programme now consists of two short runs, one long run, two cross training sessions, a recovery day and two rest days. Recovery Sessions are done on the days after running days - when we are usually quite stiff and often sore - to help the body rejuvenate and dispel waste products like lactic acid that apparently lingers in the muscles, causing soreness. The key is light aerobic exercise but it must be low intensity, I favour walking or gentle cycling.

Short runs have thus far consisted of 3 to 5 mile treks with the pace fairly stepped up, while long runs, though slower, started at around 7 miles and seem to have increased weekly.

We have been cross training on Thursdays and were introduced to Fartlek training-the word comes from the Swedish meaning to play-it has certainly been fun with a kind of 'follow my leader' game which can include sudden sprints-longer strides-even racing each other to the next lamp post or some other landmark.

Before the big event the target is to have completed three long runs of 15 to 20 miles duration, this to ensure completion of the actual marathon as likely.

Yesterday, we completed 20 miles over an area of east London that I simply never knew existed, almost completely off-road, very flat and with little traffic. Maybe it was the fact that Kieran accompanied us, albeit on his bike, or the conditions, or a little of both but it was not as difficult as I had anticipated. By the time we got home I was of course fairly exhausted but satisfied. I later went online to research the area we had run through and I was fascinated to find such a lot of local history:-

• Victoria Park is of considerable historical interest, designed in 1842 by a James Pennethorne, as the first the Victorian Park designed for recreational use and to be owned by the public
• The River Lee and Stort Navigation have been used as a means of commercial navigation since Roman times.
• From Limehouse Basin to Hertford the River Lee is almost 28 miles long with 19 locks. Now a designated site of special scientific interest,
• Walthamstow Marsh has become an untouched refuge for wildlife, crossed only by the railway lines in 1840 and 1870. It is the home to many birds including a large number of herons.
• This was the site of Alliott Verdon Roe's later attempts to build and fly his early aeroplanes and despite many failed attempts, there is now a blue plaque commemorating his first successful flight in 1909, on one of the railway arches.
• Hackney Marsh, now one of London's largest playing fields, was a former haunt of highwaymen.

I think Tom enjoyed the route as much as I and we are agreed in our choice, that it should be our third and final 20 mile run. Apart from a few aches and pains I suffered no ill effects save for a slightly embarrassing problem of chafing skin and sore nipples! Kieran advises applying Vaseline to the area before running next time and says these are common problems. Tom, I should have known, already takes precautions and was happy to discuss my condition with the girls. Victoria suggested using cotton wool pads secured with masking tape while Emma insisted that nipple plasters, such as women wear for breastfeeding, would be the only solution. She said she would buy some for me - though I'm not altogether certain that she was serious.

David - Mon 14th Feb 2011

A Valentines card arrived from Lucy this morning and I'm glad now that I sent her the book of Burns poetry. We speak on Skype quite often but I am definitely not comfortable with the idea of a video camera. She has just started a new job and seems to be settling, though she says she'll be happier when she has her own apartment which is understandable.

Work for me has become hugely interesting lately. I am now included in the team that is responsible for servicing clients in Scandinavia- so many high net worth individuals. Norway's Oil wealth fund, I find fascinating.

Tom and I have stepped up our training programme and after a somewhat shaky beginning we are really getting into our running. There is no shortage of parks and I don't think I quite appreciated how well the city was planned out and built with so many green spaces, even in the less illustrious parts. We are discovering new routes all the time. Hampstead Heath is a weekly favourite, though Tom has a list of places we have yet to try. I think Regents Park, Primrose Hill, Greenwich and Richmond Park all await us.

Our run yesterday took in Hyde Park, St James's and Green Park. The total distance around the three being 7.5 miles we had to go round again as it was a designated Long run and we completed 14 miles our longest to date. Tom has planned out our running schedule in preparation for the Marathon in consultation with a personal trainer-friend of his. We are working to quite a strict structure but I am sure we are in safe hands.

Despite a little pain, there are certain benefits-it is a very good way of getting to know more of London and I have noticed lately that I feel more alert and energetic in the mornings.

David - Mon 10th Jan 2011

Lucy left yesterday-back to her Fathers house in Washington where she has a couple of upcoming job interviews. I will certainly miss her. I don't think I have ever known anybody quite like her -so much energy and enthusiasm for well - everything.

We're going to stay in touch, of course we shall, but when we said our farewells yesterday at Heathrow, it was the oddest feeling. I had thought it only right to see her off, that tube journey is a very long one if you are on your own. She was her usual cheerful bubbly self and over several coffees in Starbucks, we had reminisced over events of the past year. Ending with my Birthday just last week which had proved to be the farewell to our MBA chums we hadn't really managed at the graduation. Had it not been for the severe weather, which had so badly disrupted travel, that would not have happened and we agreed that it's funny how things work out.

When her flight came up on screen showing the gate for boarding it was time for goodbye. She embraced me and kissed me - not an air kiss-not on the cheek -but full on lips. "Goodbye my beautiful Braveheart Buddy" she whispered so sweetly so so tenderly and I wish there had been someone there to kick me hard as the only stupid response I could muster was

"Give my regards to Bill" her Father. She laughed and waved "Be good kiddo" and then she was gone.....

My heart goes out to Emma such betrayal by someone you love....

I am afterall, not without some experience of this myself. How to trust anyone ever again? That's how a chap is left. Moreover how, in all reality, can you trust your own feelings.....?

David - Sat 1st Jan 2011

It's been a very tiring twenty four hours!! From the minute I stepped off the plane, yesterday afternoon, I literally haven't had a minute to myself! Grandma Baird, who isn't usually around for Hogmanay, is staying over and Great Aunt Meg joined us too. That meant that Douglas had to bunk in with me which frankly also meant no peace at all!

Grandma has been giving some cause for concern - having ordered a delivery from Waitrose which arrived here yesterday and included, amongst other things, a large Turkey and three bottles of sherry. Maybe, as was suggested she did get the dates mixed up with Christmas. Mother insists she is getting more confused though but she had seemed fine in London last month. By the time they had finished the first bottle of sherry between them, I definitely detected a mischievous twinkle in the eyes of the two old sisters. As they chatted merrily, about people long dead and retold stories of shared adventures had in their youth, I was sure they were having more fun than anybody else!

The atmosphere over lunch today was particularly strained, with Douglas due to depart next week, (finally) for his `Gap' year of travel. I can't blame him though as prospects for graduates are pretty grim and it should do him some good. I tried to give him some encouragement by enquiring as to his plans, what route he would be taking etc. He just managed to get out that he would probably be heading first to India, (which triggered a hugely enthusiastic response from Grandma and Great Aunt Meg) before Mother burst into tears and leaving the table rushed from the room.

My mind drifted back to last week. Lucy had stayed-over at the house, as Victoria kindly offered her room for use in her absence, which was most convenient. On Christmas Eve there had been Carol singing in the gardens of our square, organised by the residents, which was followed by hot mince pies and mulled wine. There was a tin for donations and almost two hundred pounds was raised for a local project for the homeless. On Christmas day, we were six for lunch. There was Nico, from Brazil-Jin and partner Hansun from S.Korea- Lucy's former flatmate Freyda, from Norway and us two. I can't say I have ever done much cooking and we did buy a lot of ready prepared food from M&S, but I really enjoyed preparing Christmas lunch and would love to do it again. Everybody just got on so well. The jokes in the Crackers caused much hilarity -well at the best of times they are questionable but I hadn't quite appreciated that they are surely the greatest of challenges for non native English speakers. With everybody undeterred by language difficulties we continued with hours of games- some dafter than others. Monopoly of course- played competitively, a couple of instantly forgettable board games and finishing as two sides with trivial pursuits. I was not, unfortunately, on the winning team but that mattered little.....it was tremendous fun. My first Christmas spent away from family and I hardly dare say it aloud- but it was great!

I hope that I shall be able to catch up with friends here in Edinburgh tomorrow- though I am not sure who will be around. Andrew just texted from the Cairngorms: - "same cabin we had last year-snow spectacular-get here fast"

I think the phrase Lucy might use is "In my Dreams!!"

David - Sun 19th December 2010

Have just had a rather strained conversation, first with my Father who hadn't spoken to me for some weeks and then with my Mother who reacted very badly, I thought, to my telling her that I wouldn't be coming up to Edinburgh for Christmas. This of course due mainly to the severe weather conditions that are making travel plans just so difficult. London has had heavy snowfall coupled with ice and with hazardous driving conditions things have almost ground to a halt. The runways at Heathrow have closed and there are delays at all London airports. Lucy has decided just to stay put in London and make the best of it for Christmas and with the weather forecast warning of more to come I don't blame her ......

According to meteorological experts this is set to be the coldest December in 120 years with average temperatures of just -0.6C. I think the whole country has been affected by heavy snowfall and travel disruption. Freezing temperatures are unusual for London certainly, but even rarer I think for Cornwall. I consoled Victoria as she was heading off for the Penzance train yesterday that things were really not that bad and to spare a thought for the folks up in Altnaharra in Sutherland, where on December 1st they had the coldest temperature recorded at -21.1C. !!

Mother calmed down slightly when I told her I should definitely get home for New Year as there is a predicted thaw from Christmas day onwards.

Meantime, I have offered to play host for Christmas lunch here at the house. Lucy has already agreed to come and in the true spirit of Christmas we shall extend the invitation to any other stranded friends!

David - Thurs 9th December 2010

It's been a very long day!!

Lucy came round last night to check that my gown and everything else was O.K. and we ended up having a few drinks with Tom and Victoria-not sure where Emma was. I owe my being organised at all for the graduation ceremony today, entirely to her! She it was who took my measurements: height, chest - head circumference too and telephoned the order through to suppliers Ede & Ravenscroft in good time. Had it not been for her many reminders, I should have missed the September deadline submissions date to the Yearbook for sure. She even helped with my profile as well, supplying `photos-many of which have been taken by her throughout the year long course.

The day could have started better! I really hadn't expected my Mother and Gran' to be coming here to the house at all. I thought they would be making their way directly to Guildhall and we'd all meet up after the graduation ceremony, but no they arrived here just before 9am. Everyone had left for work and I had already had breakfast- but they came laden with croissants and still warm, freshly baked bread. By the time I had made teas, coffee, stuffed myself with more food to please them and shown them the tour of the house I was running pretty late??We travelled to Guildhall in a taxi that simply snailed it's way through the heavy traffic, complete with road works and endless red lights! A chance meeting with a neighbour, plus their insistence on a tour of the square and gardens, had taken another seventeen minutes that I had not factored-in and I feared we were running really late. However, while I was getting slightly anxious I was apparently the only one with the driver totally relaxed and happy to engage Gran' in conversation. Harking back to a time when driving conditions in London were so much easier and drawing the, rather obvious, I thought, conclusion that in olden days hardly anybody owned a car? My mother meanwhile, wanted to discuss my future, stressing how very upset my Father still was and when I said I really didn't want to talk about it, especially now, she looked hurt, fell silent and I felt like a louse!! By the time we arrived, I was starting to perspire and I couldn't help thinking of the workshop I had attended recently on pressure in the workplace. Where, I asked myself were the coping mechanisms for dealing with the stress of family?

Graduations tend to be notoriously long affairs and one is really sufficient but it was quite rewarding to see my Grandmother so obviously delighted with it all and my Mother too seemed to recover and looked happier than I have seen her of late. We went for a `High Tea' to a nearby restaurant and were joined by Lucy and her Father Bill, who hails from Boston and now lives and works in Washington. He was very good company and the old girls found him to be `perfectly charming' with my Mother commenting that those coming from the East Coast are `not like other Americans' .When I told her later, Lucy was amused by this and agreed! Her Mother, who called off attending today at the last minute, is apparently living in Los Angeles with her third Husband who is a cosmetic surgeon and a very wealthy man. Lucy maintains that everyone in .LA. is, as she puts it, `Nuts' and refers to it mockingly as La-La Land? Bill is staying at the Langham hotel but he insisted on dropping my Mother and Gran' off first at the Royal Overseas club in St.James which is not on his route and it was very good of him.

Lucy and I then headed back to the celebrations over at Wax Chandlers hall and caught the last half hour or so??I shall miss my MBA chums and hope to stay in touch with most of them.

David - Tues 16th November 2010

Woke up this morning feeling really good and I am glad now that I let Tom persuade me to train for the London Marathon next spring. When he called me in Scotland to tell me he had drawn a ballot entry I had definitely not been keen, but well, I bought some new trainers and after I'd worked out a few times with my old chum Gordon I started to rethink.

He is a member of the rather swish `One Spa' in Edinburgh and has also run several Marathons in London and New York. In recounting his experiences he painted a great picture and so I was persuaded. As a result Tom and I have been running regularly since I got back. Apparently, there were still places available if you run for a Charity so I, for my efforts, shall be running for a London based charity that works with deprived teenagers. These are youngsters who have been, or are in danger of, getting into trouble: crime, drink, drugs etc. They are helped to get their lives back on track -it seems very worthwhile to me and I think I'd like to find out more?..

My Mother and Gran are coming to London for the graduation ceremony next month- I really would have preferred no fuss- in fact I would not have attended myself at all but my Grandmother funded my M.B.A and I am rather indebted to her .I shall just have to grin and bear it?the girls think it's fun and Emma has suggested they can stay at the House but I think an hotel would be more appropriate.

On the up-side the new job seems to be working out really well. I was told on Friday that I have already made `good and reliable contributions' to the work with which I am involved and that I should be pleased. Having met deadlines and presented to members of a client organisation only last week - I think in all modesty, I am pretty delighted!

David - Tues 12th October 2010

Things are a little bit strained here with my Father-Mother says he is very disappointed that I accepted my new post in London without even consulting him. How was I to know that he had been intending to offer me a place within his own firm of accountants? I do feel slightly bad about it but in any case I really don't think it would have appealed to me ?.I shall have to try to talk things through properly before I leave at the weekend?.

Duncan and Vanessa's wedding which took place in Glasgow last Saturday went very well I think. I felt slightly self-conscious of the fact that I was not taking a partner. I might have asked Lucy had she not already booked a flight back to the U.S. She's returning in December for the graduation though.

However I travelled through with Stuart, who was also unaccompanied and Andrew with his new partner Jane so I wasn't the only soloist. The ceremony was held in a picturesque church on the outskirts of the city with the reception in a nearby Castle-now-hotel. It was a pleasantly traditional affair, replete with pipes and highland dress -a kilt occasion always relieves the burden of what to wear.

Andrews's family hail from Argyll and showed in great numbers -most of them had made a weekend out of the trip and many stayed at the castle. Somebody said there were two hundred and fifty guests but the service was nonetheless very good and the food excellent. I saw a number of people I hadn't seen for sometime and had rehearsed in my head seeing Sophie who had been quite close to Vanessa at St. Andrews. However, when our paths did cross - I was making my way to the bar between dances - I was surprised at how unaffected I was. She introduced me to her "date for the day" Brogan and after a minute or so of small talk I simply said I needed to get back as I was needed to make up the numbers for strip-the-willow the next dance about to start. Lucy, my long-time confidante in heart matters, would be so proud I thought and at that moment I felt quite sorry that she wasn't there.

David - Thurs 7th October 2010

I think last night was the first full night's sleep I have had in ages! I believe it has taken this long for me to wind down after months of working on my dissertation `Wealth and Asset management in the face of a Downturn'. My 20,000 word thesis, which had occupied my every waking moment, has been hard to forget - I keep replaying the final presentation in my head-things I could have done better etc.??.that said, everybody seemed happy with it except for me? As Lucy says I am my harshest critic - I don't recall ever having felt that bad at any time during my years at St. Andrews -but then those were very different times for me and everyone else! Definitely time to switch off from studying??

Under duress I have registered for inclusion in the University year book?Lucy is going to help with my submission, which is fair I think as she was so insistent I be included.

Our graduation ceremony is to take place in early December. I had not given much thought to attending - certificates can be sent out of course, so being present is not, strictly speaking, necessary. My mother has hinted though that Gran' might be keen to come down. If that is the case and after her great generosity, which allowed me to do this MBA, I could hardly object. We can discuss it when I go up at the weekend

I haven't yet told my Father that I have already accepted the job offer from Magennis Friel. I thoroughly enjoyed my internship over the summer and their very generous offer, even though they were going to give me time to consider my options, seemed just too good to pass up and so I accepted two days later. As I have had no real holiday to speak of in the past year or so they have agreed that I take a month off and so I begin work officially on the 1st November-employed initially as an `Analyst' and frankly I am delighted.

David - Thurs 16th Sept 2010

I haven't been sleeping well of late-finding myself awake most mornings an hour before my alarm clock goes off.

This morning I woke even earlier at 5.45am and it was still dark. I usually just start the day and check over some notes but today I found Emma was up too and in the kitchen.

"I'm making coffee -do you want some"? indeed I did as I have never quite mastered the machine and since I was ridiculed for having a jar of `instant' I have resigned myself, when not in the company of a barista otherwise housemate, to drinking tea.

There was a slightly awkward silence-it was common knowledge in the house that my insomnia was because of the impending submission due date for my dissertation but what was ailing Emma I wondered.

In not having a sister I have never been sure whether I have been disadvantaged or blessed. Oh dear I thought- shall I have to say something?

"Are you feeling alright"? it seemed only polite to enquire??.

"Dear David" she said "Do you believe in true love and destiny ?is there really a special one for each of us ? a single soul mate to spend the rest of your life with?..?"

there didn't seem to be time for me to consider let alone reply-she went on "0r are we all just deluding ourselves?"

My mind raced but the thoughts couldn't manage to arrange themselves into words - I am hardly a poet -but then I remembered something

"Well" I said

"There is a Sonnet that I rather think encapsulates what I think and er' hope for really?"

"Which one? Do tell" I was hoping the title would be enough

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments?"

"Oh yes, of course"

She seemed satisfied I thought and poured me another Coffee, but then her parting words didn't make much sense and her voice was low and strained:

"I don't think Americans get Shakespeare though?"

David - Tues 5th Aug 2010

I have now reached the last segment of the M.B.A. programme. This final part, which will count substantially towards my final degree, is a business consultancy project which has been set for me entitled: `Wealth and Asset management in the face of a Downturn'.

My research and analysis over the summer must culminate in the production of a 20,000 word thesis and presentation. I am completely engrossed and it is crucial that I remain focussed.

It's clear that I won't have any time for socialising in the near future and simply cannot think about weekends away now.

I have been invited to a friends wedding in October in Glasgow so I should get to see my folks then.

David - Thurs 8th July 2010

Coming to the last part of the MBA and have started my `summer internship' with Magennis-Friel, -a company of whom I confess I had never heard. They are a private funds & assets manager -with their roots in Singapore and Hong Kong and although small they operate worldwide. My time there, until September, will form part of my final result and so naturally I am keen to do well. So far this week though I am just enjoying being back in a workplace. Located just off Paternoster square I couldn't have wished for an easier commute. I have thus far taken to walking to and from work wearing the MBTs I bought at the weekend on Tom's recommendation. They are supposed to improve posture and provide something of a workout? I can certainly feel my calves working overtime and quite enjoy the springy sensation of each step-though I can't help wondering if it appears to others as somewhat overly animated-like the Herge adventures of Tin Tin!

I am somewhat anxious as to my options beyond the summer but I'm trying not to let it occupy my thoughts too much. As Lucy keeps reminding me we have to `Live for the moment'-quite!

David - Tues 1st June 2010

Of the many and varied things I have learnt whilst studying for my MBA ,this last project has been the most interesting and has helped me envisage myself five years hence. Analysing authentic `Financial statements' and examining `performance measurement' methods of a real co. has been immensely enjoyable and I am realising where my strengths lie within Accounting and Finance. In fact after hearing the speech given by HSBC Chairman Stephen Green at the IOD Annual conference last month, in which he delivered a robust and convincing defence of the UK Banking System, I was convinced of his integrity and felt my faith somewhat restored. I think I could happily see myself involved in Private Equity Investments /fundraising /valuations in some capacity, Perhaps as an analyst and possibly even with H.S.B.C.?

David - Sun 2nd May 2010

Just posted off a thank you note to Mr Gilchrist, my fathers former associate - I really can't thank him enough for having me as his guest at the Institute of Directors Annual Conference last Wednesday. Father had told him I was doing an MBA and he thought the day would be useful to me? Absolutely-yes it was !

I know student groups do attend but I was thrilled to have been given the opportunity, not just to be attending such a prestigious event in the business calendar, but to find myself in such good company. Held at the majestic Royal Albert Hall over in Kensington, with guest speakers from the worlds of the arts and sport as well as politics and business. Coming this year only a week before the general election, the role of Government was one of several themes of the days programme. I had expected there would be politicians but what a line up!: Vince Cable, George Osborne and Peter Mandelson spoke at various times throughout the day.

Lord Mandelson displayed his sense of humour when he told us that his last appearance at the convention was as secretary of state for the DTI in 1998 "I very much hope that these appearances do not represent bookends to my ministerial career" The audience responded with what was, I think, the biggest laugh of the day -given the current polls it looks like that may well be the case?.

I was greatly impressed by three speakers in particular: Sir Martin Sorrell-chairman of WPP- made realistic points about how the global economy bail-out and financial crisis had moved the West into a kind of state-directed capitalism.

Despite this though, recovery in Europe is still way behind expectations. Adding to earlier comments from the IOD Director general, Miles Templeman (who had stressed that economies like India and China were no longer competing merely on price but increasingly now in high-tech innovations) he stressed that the balance of power was moving south as well, thanks to South America and Africa.

Most memorable for me was his statement "We are moving back to the future-in the 19th century China and South America accounted for 40per cent of global GDP and they will soon do so again"

Stephen Green -the Chairman of HSBC eloquently defended the UK banking community asserting that the authorities need to widen their approach to monitoring the flow of credit across different asset classes in order to identify and stop the build up of bubbles in the future. He stressed that social responsibility is no longer an optional extra but a necessity for all companies, including HSBC who he said had a responsibility to do more than simply make money.

A recurring theme was 'giving back to the community' and `doing well by doing good' Major Phil Packer spoke movingly of how after his own terrible injuries- sustained while a serving soldier in Iraq- he determined to help "others less fortunate" I was already in awe of this man who I knew from the extensive media coverage at the time, had completed a Marathon! He is now dedicated to providing hope and inspiration to the disabled and disadvantaged and outlined plans for his newly established British Inspiration Trust He deservedly got the biggest applause of the whole day -you simply could not fail to be moved by that mans courage and determination?..

There was a good discussion featuring a panel of successful entrepreneurs -some better known than others- and a pre-recorded interview with Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu in which he talked engagingly of the future for South Africa and commenting on the election of Barack Obama as U.S. president he said "People of colour all over the world walk a little taller" he is a truly endearing character.

Among several athletes was sprinter Dame Kelly Holmes who used the occasion to rally some business support for the commonwealth games. The launch of `Team England' drew some private comments -the name was thought ,by some, to be slightly in question -excluding as it does by definition, the Welsh, Irish and us Scots?

More than 2000 delegates attended what was the 60th I.O.D annual convention - it was a day of insight and inspiration and I felt privileged and delighted to have been there?

David - Thurs 21st April 2010

Glad to be back in Blighty -well I never thought I would hear myself say that!! Our trip to Poland turned into something of an adventure? we were due to fly back last Saturday but because of the Icelandic volcanic ash all flights had been cancelled - an unprecedented situation in the U.K. At first we hadn't realised quite how serious the situation was having not heard much news in English but by Sat. afternoon we knew it was more than a few hours delay??Tom had sent several texts with current info and updates but when Emma texted and advised we should hire a car or take a taxi I thought it was a joke-but we later heard in the news of a family who had paid 1000Euros? By Sunday morning we needed a plan and it was Stefan who organised our train journey-he drove us to Warsaw Centralna which took just under four hours-he wasn't going to take a penny for it either but we insisted he cover himself ,at least for petrol and under protest he accepted 100 Euros. We hastily bought tickets for the `Jan Kiepura' sleeper train, which left at 17:55 and arrived next morning in Cologne at 06:14

It was a pretty good journey -after the confines of the car we stretched our legs, had dinner in the fairly acceptable restaurant car and got our heads down in the 4 berth cabin with basic bunks but decent toilet and shower facilities.

We understood we were to join the Brussels train next where Eurostar would have us in London that day but Stefan had been unable to book us right through and so it was in Cologne we discovered that there was chaos at the Channel tunnel and we wouldn't get a ticket any time soon ?We decided not to be too downhearted but that proved difficult when we learnt that the train we had just got off would have taken us to Amsterdam and the hook of Holland ferry port. So it was that we came to spend the day in Cologne -which is a beautiful city it must be said- and the night too, squeezed into one family room at a Gasthaus close to K�ln Hauptbahnhof The funds we saved on the room however were spent that night in the pubs of the mediaeval Alstadt.

On Tuesday Morning we re-joined the `Jan Kiepura' train which took us to Amsterdam where, by now hung over and weary, we spent a bleak afternoon. Uncertainty weighed heavily on everybody and it was plain to see some travellers were finding it very difficult - families with young children especially -though a few were treating it as an adventure and an extension to the Easter school holidays. However having queued for what seemed hours we finally got on board the overnight Ferry ??.after a pretty sleepless night in a stuffy cabin where Jin was snoring loudly and Nico was suffering from sea sickness we arrived at Harwich. To my delight Tom, who had kept track of us, was waiting to take us to London "What are mates for" he grinned -I could have kissed him but settled for an enthusiastic hand shake and for once I didn't care how fast he was driving on the journey home.

David - Fri 15th April 2010

Today we made our presentation which was very well received indeed and we were taken for a celebration meal attended by all the team we had consulted with as well as Piotr and his beautiful wife Monika. Timothy seemed pleased with our work too and congratulated us on the fact that some of our ideas were actually going to be given serious consideration. We had made several suggestions including that in the U.K. one product range, might be trialled -namely the External Roller shutters for domestic use. Despite the popularity of new build kits coming from Germany we were surprised that these shutters have never been featured for use in the U.K. Given the current appeal of enhanced home security and the topical energy efficiency discussions surrounding insulation properties we believe a marketing and advertising campaign could prove successful. We also identified opportunities-we think for overall expansion into Norway and Sweden.

Our experience here has been invaluable and we applaud the Entrepreneurial spirit and work ethic we have witnessed here.

As a relatively new member of the European Union there has been a trend of increased emigration of skilled labour which undoubtedly affected Polish industry-but in the last year, because of the global recession, there has been an increase especially from the U.K. of `returners'. No doubt these workers will bring their experience of other cultures to a country whose demographics must be among the least diverse in Europe.

We will remember the genuine friendliness of everyone we've met and the respect shown to us was indeed reciprocated. Most of all we will recall the warmth and hospitality of Dagmara and Stefan -and all are agreed- we shall be seeking out Polish restaurants back in London.

David - Mon 10th April 2010

Arrived here in Poland last Wednesday and happily everything went to plan. We were met at Krakow airport by Timothy the Tutor who was coordinating the placement consultancy projects for the groups of MBA students, of which we were the second this year. He took the four of us Nico, Jin, Philip and me to what was to be home for the next ten days- a very attractive house in the Kliny district, a residential area in the south part of Krakow. Dagmara, our hostess and her husband Stefan, are wonderful. Our rooms are at the top of the house and we have our own bathroom and shower facilities. We come home each night to an evening meal which is great and at the weekend we were served up a veritable feast!

The company we are working with is a manufacturer of Industrial doors, windows, rolling grilles, and shutters etc. They supply for warehouses and factories, workshops, showrooms and offices but most recently, having acquired technical approval for external roller blind systems, have developed into domestic, residential use.

The company- L.K.P. - was started in 2001by two brothers and to date has customers in Poland, Czech Republic and Belgium. This for us is part of our `Real World' consultancy project -the opportunity to gain first hand experience of a working organisation. Our remit is clear - the company is looking at where to go next. Convinced that standing still is not an option - they would be very interested in the U.K. but fear failure there would damage their reputation. We have had several meetings now with Piotr one of the brothers, and the senior management team so in the course of the next week we will work on the issues raised. It is amazing to have already discovered just how much we have all learnt since starting our course?.

Having gained an overview of the competition we will now endeavour to carry out research looking at the U.K. and Scandinavian markets, in which we can hopefully identify opportunities, then examining potential problems we shall put together our conclusions and possibly some recommendations?..

David - Mon 5th April 2010

I am really glad I stayed in London for the Easter weekend. It has been thoroughly enjoyable. Of course I had to make my excuses, for Mother especially, but travelling up to Edinburgh would have left me short of time to prepare for my trip to Poland on Wednesday which is, after all, part of my studies and that's the truth. Tom and Victoria went home on Thursday and I only saw Emma very briefly before she left for her skiing holiday yesterday so the house was quiet -just the cat and me.

I have always had an interest in the Oxford/Cambridge annual boat race as a rower myself and so I relished the opportunity to watch it live.

It was originally an idea between two friends Charles Wordsworth (nephew of the famous poet William Wordsworth) who had gone to Oxford and his old school chum also Charles -surname Merivale I think, who was a student at Cambridge Cambridge sent a challenge to Oxford in March 1829 and so the tradition began and continues to this day. The race itself is much the same but it is now an international sporting occasion with world wide TV coverage and millions of viewers! Though wind and rain had been forecast it had stayed quite calm-the weather really can affect the river conditions and it can get very choppy - in fact boats have been known to sink!

I met up with colleagues Nico, from Brazil and Jin from S.Korea at Hammersmith. They too were keen to experience the race live. We had a pub lunch in the Rutland arms which, packed out with spectators had a great atmosphere, before witnessing what was described as a `truly epic battle on the Tideway' Despite the fact that Oxford, winners of the 2009 race, were the bookies favourite-and a win would have given them a hat trick- Cambridge came from behind to defiantly win the I56TH boat race in 17 mins and 35 secs.

The winning Light Blues now have overall advantage in the series - with Cambridge having now won 80 races against Oxford's 75.

David - Mon 15th Mar 2010

Last night I received a telephone call from my cousin Caitlin-which completely took me by surprise. Seemingly, Gran had given her my contact details and told her I would be well placed to give her financial advice! I couldn't remember the last time I had even seen her (possibly Grandfathers funeral?) so it was all very odd. Apparently she had been living in Aberdeen, having been at University there, but was now about to sell her flat and was thinking of renting for a year or two in Edinburgh with a view to buying when the property prices had fallen further again and what did I think? After my initial shock I asked what she intended to do with the money she would receive in the interim. She said she didn't quite know but a friend had suggested putting it into dollars? Well, of course the dollar is up against the Euro at present -10% since December I think and it is, for the time being anyway, the world's reserve currency and if I were to speculate ?. But this was the last thing I thought I should say - so I told her that considering this was potentially her home she would be betting with -that it was not a good idea. Instead I suggested she shop around for the highest yields in short term savings accounts -given that she will have to divide the money into �50,000 chunks if it is to be protected under the financial services compensation scheme in the event of Bank failure. I also stressed that inflation would impact negatively but that if property prices should fall this could balance out any loss. To my astonishment she did not seem very happy at all and our conversation ended shortly after. I don't think she even asked anything about me after her opening line "Hi I hear you're doing an MBA - I need some business advice?"

Tom who was in the room and had overheard the whole thing and recognising my rising indignation grinned and said "Welcome to the club mate- that's families for ya!" Indeed!

David - Mon 15th Feb 2010

Started the day early with a game of squash at the school sports centre - I felt I needed to clear my head and unwind to prepare for a tough marketing exercise being set for us today.

It was a real buzz two teams were in competition in a simulation of a new company start -up. We had to produce a successful marketing-mix taking in costing, distribution, advertising etc. While working in a realistic, high pressured environment.

The day ended with each team making a presentation which we happened to win!

It was then off to the pub to celebrate but I hadn't imagined Lucy would come -afterall she'd been on the losing side?.. It felt terribly awkward at first and when I got up to go to the bar, when my round came, she stood up too with an offer of help. I honestly didn't know what to say -I had no idea she would be sending me a Valentines Day card and maybe I could have accepted it a little more graciously -the truth is I just don't send cards like that -of course when I was with Sophie ?.but that was different. It isn't that I wasn't flattered she's a very attractive girl it's just well? a bit sudden?

However, before there was any more time to think ,Lucy caught up with me at the bar, linked her arm through mine and whispered "It was just a bit of fun my little Scottish Braveheart Buddy" and kissed me on the cheek??'Phew!

David - Mon 8th Feb 2010

I Met with Helen, my `career coach', today. I had been slightly apprehensive being unsure what she could do for me but I was pleasantly surprised - she was so nice and talking came easily to me for once. One of the things she advised, which I would never have thought of doing, is to include my GMAT score (700 is above average) on my C.V.

Quite honestly I have been having such a great time here that life after my M.B.A. has been hard to imagine-So it was very helpful to discuss my future plans and she really gave me a lot to think about. I came away knowing that I have to decide, and soon -whether I am looking for just a new role or a new industry altogether!

David - Mon 11th Jan 2010

The `Drinks party' here on Saturday was largely Emma's idea and she did most of the organising. I'm glad she coaxed me into inviting some friends from my course and I was surprised they all came - It was great to see Simon and Chen - (who had never been at the house) and of course the girls -with Lucy, as ever, the life and soul of the party. She got on extremely well with Victoria and Emma and I think may be linking up with them for a girl's night out. One can't help noticing how cheery Emma has become since taking up with her new beau-this is not her usual demeanour and I am happy for her.

David - Thurs 7th Jan 2010

Have to say I was glad to get back to London. Christmas day at home was spent in the usual way with family. Attended the service at St.Giles in the morning where we met up with Grandmother and Great Aunt Meg followed by lunch prepared at our house by Mother. The usual pattern of Sherries, Charades and the Queens annual speech on TV was only slightly interrupted by Douglas, who caused a bit of a stir , announcing that when he finishes his studies this year he intends to travel, for a year at least, or until the job prospects improve. This set the old man off but the `girls' (not Mother) thought it very exciting and suggested they should meet up with him in China ,or somewhere else en route, which made me smile?? By Hogmanay I had come down with some sort of virus -a streaming cold and headache - so I just about managed to stay up for the `bells' then slept through most of New Years day.

Mother had become quite upset when I had said I was booking my return ticket for the 2nd of Jan' and insisted I stay for my birthday on the 5th - for a "special meal with the family" so that's what happened and I got the train down yesterday.

It was good to see friends though and catch up with all the news .Duncan and Vanessa are to tie the knot in September and gave me the date for the diary. Come to think of it I would not have missed the Skiing in the Cairngorms for the world??

David - Mon 21st Dec 2009

This is another world - there has been the `right' kind of snow here in the Cairngorms and we have had just the best conditions for Skiing over the weekend. I must admit last Thursday when the guys called me I was not keen on the idea of coming up here. I had just arrived back in Edinburgh and after such a busy term I confess I had been ready to vedge-out at my parents for a bit, but I am glad I was persuaded. Never known it quite this cold -last night it went 16 below, still we were in a heated cabin with adequate facilities and plentiful supplies of food and adult beverages. The Scottish Highlands are great at any time but with the strong light and blue skies it is an incredible scene. Andrew did point out at breakfast today that we should be thinking of heading down to Edinburgh soon, just in case the weather really sets in and we get stuck here for Christmas??.certainly my parents would be upset but on the other hand ?.Christmas day with a few of my oldest friends and no hassles - what a deliciously tempting prospect!

David - Mon 16th Nov 2009

Read in the papers last week that UK unemployment has hit its highest level since 1995, according to official figures. I certainly Know a number of people who are in dire straits at the moment. Attended a talk recently by Dr Adam Posen a member of the new Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee.

He discussed some of the issues arising from the introduction of quantitative easing this year -thinks there is no evidence to support the conclusion that quantitative easing will lead to unacceptably high inflation. He argued that the impact of the unconventional monetary policy on the economy is likely to be positive even though it is not possible to be precise but adding that policy should be considered in terms of its effect on specific credit markets as well as the total sums spent.

The ability of the financial sector to support recovery was for him a key concern he said "?the relative limits in the UK on availability of non-bank financing for smaller companies may constrain emergence of a sustainable private-sector led recovery". It's a fact - when the major banks are troubled, the structure of the UK financial system provides few alternative means of financing for businesses. There was lively chat in the pub afterwards not least about the disturbing parallel to Japan in the 1990s which we all agreed was a point that should not be exaggerated but neither overlooked. We felt strongly too that there had to be a restructuring of the UK financial system to allow for more banking competition and more access to non-bank financing in the interests of economic recovery as well as of financial stability. Dr Posen's view was that "?the banking system must be largely fixed before the macroeconomic stimulus is needed to be withdrawn." We all drank to that!

0n Saturday night I went to Ronnie Scotts with James -friend and former colleague from the bank- who loves his Jazz nearly as much as I do ?It was a sellout night for Bobby Hutcherson, one of only a handful of vibraphonists to enjoy success as both a jazz instrumentalist and a composer. Hutcherson's music is just wonderful - so compelling and full of joy but almost impossible to put into words without resorting to clich�s- you just had to listen to hear the magic - a really great night!

David - Mon 19th Oct 2009

I can only say that after a busy start to my MBA things have settled to a `hectic pace' which I suppose is fair for what is after all an accelerated 12 month programme!

I got a lot out of the initial two week orientation which included the leadership and team building weekend workshop and was a really good way to get to know the other students and our tutors too!

I was amazed at the group-mix which includes American, Korean, Chinese and Brazilian as well as several chaps who had found their `employment options limited' like me.

A fairly competitive and mostly outgoing bunch - one of the first topics was our Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) Apparently the class average for last years intakes was a score of 640 so I was quite willing to say I had notched up 700 !

Am quite confident about the first term core modules, for which my current background and experience will stand me in good stead. Socially I have been kept very busy- mostly by Lucy who is from the U.S. and seems to crave company nearly all the time. Among other things she has insisted on us all being involved in a creative photography competition for students (as in we have been her subjects!) including being part of a Video which is by now, I fear, on show to the whole world ??

Along with a few others I have put my name down for the Credit Crunch Society- the aim of the group being to gain a better understanding of the events that have caused the current economic downturn and its repercussions both in the short and long term. A series of seminars are planned which will feature speakers who have experienced and been at the forefront of these developments over the last year and earlier.

Fellow student Eduardo, from Brazil, has promised to ensure that we shall not be `down-turned' by the downturn and that attendance at these events must be sandwiched between study tours of London Public houses as a safeguard against our depression! Likewise he has insisted on our all joining the `Real ale society' as a medicinal measure against the general `doom and gloom' of the economic climate?.I think it could work!

David - Mon 14th September 2009

Have had a busy couple of weeks since starting my MBA. I expected to find things a bit hectic especially having had such a long break from working ??.the `Bank' already seems a lifetime ago. Great start though. On the weekend prior to the beginning of term all the full time M.B.A. students went down to a Naval base in Portsmouth for a bit of team-building. All sorts of problem solving /thinking skills involved in the exercises. It was really terrific! I especially enjoyed the `sinking ship' simulator where we had to stop the ship going down -all frighteningly real and exciting stuff! It was definitely bonding; there were certainly no strangers in the team after that exercise!

The first term involves core subjects and I'm steadily getting back into study mode again. There are at least a few dozen clubs and societies but so far I have just stuck to the sports centre. I think I need to get my fitness and stamina up a bit ?.besides I'd like to settle in with my course group first.

All in all I am very glad I decided to stay on in London-despite family ties or maybe because of them! My visit to Australia earlier this year has certainly given me a different perspective on distances and Edinburgh is only a couple of hours away.

David - April 2009

Back in Edinburgh for Easter?.it must be said the city looks a mess-total chaos because of a new tramline system being developed. Princes Street is closed to traffic-while diversions and subsequent traffic jams along George Street have added to the commuters' misery. Have yet to hear from any native of the city who is in favour of the plan or can see any need for one and (to top it all) the whole project is running ridiculously over budget. ?

Sunday service at St.Giles Cathedral followed by lunch with Grandma Baird ??..bit of a strain for all of us as she seems to repeat things a lot now but particularly difficult for my mother who could seemingly do nothing right. I thanked her again for the very generous cheque I had received for my Birthday back in January (-although I had of course written at the time I hadn't seen her personally to thank her) but was quite taken aback when she leaned over and whispered "It was my pleasure dear and school trips really are very important -travel broadens the mind you know"? Thankfully her poor hearing and inability to adjust her hearing aid saved her from hearing my idiot brother ask "Hey Gran what planet are you on?" though she must surely have seen him laughing. I suppose at eighty two we may expect our faculties to have faded somewhat but later I felt a little sad - I had believed that she knew that her `gift' was enabling me to take the MBA course?-my mother says at the time she did and not to fret. I think maybe I should start sending her postcards??.

Spent a few days up with Alex, Stuart and co. in St. Andrews-they insisted on covering all the old haunts and I ended up drinking too much and eating the carry out/throw away food that inevitably ensues. When I got back to Edinburgh I decided a run through Inverleith park might get me back on track and just as I was on my way home (and of course sweating buckets) I was literally stopped in my tracks by Sophie!! Of all the people in all the parks???? I was speechless anyway panting for breath and could manage only the briefest of exchanges?.I heard myself bumble out a few words something about how sorry I was that I couldn't stop but it would be bad for my heart rate ?..I felt myself cringing as I spoke but her voice ?..her words I wanted to cling on to!

"David?..hi, how are you? sooo strange bumping into you like this????.. I was just thinking about you ???..call me?

She Iooked fantastic her face as lovely as ever and I spent the next few days pondering whether to call. We had not remained friends thus far - well there had been no question of it -when she had announced her relationship with JAKE or whatever his name was it had been pretty self explanatory - I was a loser!? Should we, could we be friends had not even been subject for discussion at the time so why now? Could I really envisage -lunch at Urban Angel or some such current place-to-be-seen? Sophie, Jake and me sharing jolly anecdotes and amicably splitting the bill? No, as Emma would say `the Past is a foreign land darling-move on with your life!'

I never called and I returned to London feeling a little lighter!.

David - March 2009

It feels very good to have the exam over now in the knowledge that I will be starting an M.B.A. with Cass. here in September. I must confess things have felt a bit strange since I finished up with the bank - no daily routine to work around and I had quite forgotten what it felt like to focus on studying. Still, greatly looking forward to the autumn term - what to do meantime though. Will spend some time at home over Easter and sort out the summer??..meantime back to training. Thanks to Tom's insistence I train with him twice a week and though I say it myself am in quite good shape now. Started running more seriously and go out with the group from the health club too -which was a good way of getting out of Tom's five-a-side team. Those guys are just crazy and if the matches played are `friendlies' then I just shudder to think??..

David - January 2009

I think last night made me realise how good it is to live with people I can really talk too-something I haven't perhaps appreciated until now.

The conversation really started to flow when I announced that I had tendered my notice to the Bank and my decision to go for a full time MBA. at Cass Business here in London.

Looking back at last years Diary it was clear that things had gone from bad to worse and when I went home to Edinburgh at Christmas I had long discussions with my Family in particular as well as former colleagues and friends. Of course the rumours were rife, the media were and still are having a field day with allegations and accusations- everybody and their granny had an opinion of how things had happened with the Banks and could've- should've - would've been avoided. I was quite taken aback by the public response and the emotion generated -not just amongst shareholders who would understandably be angry but right across the nation -genuine upset at the untimely demise of the two banks -Bank of Scotland was after all a great national institution of 300 yrs standing .

Anyway I had to conclude that I just didn't want to continue as an employee -whether in the longer term they wanted me or not-and though I am still not clear about the future-as nobody can be- I think it's right for me to know I am on a track that will reap benefits when things settle again .

Listening to my Father and Uncle in particular discussing the failure of Banks to exercise the necessary caution and integrity leaves me wondering whether it is a profession I wish to be a part of anymore.

Anyway now that I have taken the steps to changing course and with something definite to focus on I am starting to feel positive again. I must say it was good to really chat without the girls too last night- I can't remember the last time we did that -at least not without someone getting upset-often Tom and or Emma who do seem to like winding each other up-but for once we had good chat, good wine and what more do you want from your Housemates??.

David - 16th September 2008

I think Tom got that right - though it's been tough out there and we have had problems too but the shares reissue helped and I am cautiously optimistic. One of my best friends from Uni 'Peter ended up with the Bank of Scotland (latterly HBOS ) and he is now unemployed??His wedding , planned for next year, will now have to be put on hold and he doesn't know how well that's going to go down with Catriona. I thought her Father was paying for everything but as Peter pointed out what's the point if they can't afford to buy somewhere to live? Most of my contemporaries are of the view that Bank of Scotland did not have an external perspective on things - with a global outlook that was limited- apparently they didn't even have anything solid going on in China?