Mix and Match

It's been a very intense day, starting at 7am with a run before breakfast to see a bit more of the countryside here. I knew there was going to be no other chance today. That was followed by another productive morning and afternoon session around the table with the project team. I was fine when I was leading the discussion around the software, but I must admit that I almost dozed off when the talking went off on the odd less than relevant tangent!

Once again, we worked hard and got through the agenda on schedule, but we also enjoyed a lot of laughs along the way, especially towards the end as we all got tired. The little misinterpretations around terms got sillier and descended into hysterics on a couple of occasions! We then travelled to Maastricht for an evening meeting around another project, followed by dinner in a restaurant off the main square. A short walk revealed this to be a beautiful city with a really vibrant feel to it, an energy that often results from the combination of a great history and a large student population. I think it's to our credit that we managed to entirely avoid talking shop over dinner. It made for a very stimulating evening.

Although our clients here feel more like friends, it's still the case that you're switched on and I've been in that state for over 15 hours now. I'm exhausted, with just enough energy left to select a blip before retiring for the night. This shot was taken from the bigger of the two conference rooms here at the Auberge de Smockelaer in Heijenrath. We've been in the smaller one, but all the chairs are of the same design, each upholstered in its own unique way. It's a bit out of character for me, but this is for Friedaquilter who has let me know that she was brought up in this area. I very much thought of you when I took this shot. I also rather like it that not a single person here will have guessed that this is my blip from the thumbnail!