Pudding Noir

I am just finishing a week in the UK, working with colleagues on a summer school for MBA students. Touring factories (Siemens, BMW Mini Plant), lecturing, sharing, pushing, cajoling, learning, listening, laughing, drinking and other things ending in "ing".

Always surprises me how little many know about the UK, though this group had done their homework. Its the small things - language, history, food..

A good time was had by all.

For me, the trip around BMW's production centre for the Mini car was by far the most rewarding couple of hours. Some 600 cars a day are produced in the worlds state of the art, robotic-associate centre - each car customed made with parts from Brazil (engines), Romania (wiring) and some 58 other countries. A simply excellent process, which reminds us all what a global supply chain looks like.

The other nice thing was meeting up with old friends - Clare Hannah and Mike LeGoff - and blowing the breeze (or in the case of Clare, drinking down the sunshine).

Anyway, next is France. I gather that the security status in Paris has been moved from "hide" to "run" (joke) and that the pudding noir is all ready to go. So Bayeux it is.

Got my first job on a pay by word contract today - this time for a seniors magazine - getting on with it eh...