Mind broadening

Travel broadens the mind according to some, no doubt, Thomas Cook sponsored pundit of yesteryear. If that really was the case I wouldn't be able get my head through the door the amount of globe trotting I have done recently in the interests of umbrellas. But my head stays pleasingly just the right side of very big. The way I see it, the more I travel, the more I realise that my own prejudiced narrow world view is indeed correct. The States has been a real eye opener and the more someone tries to get me to eat some ghastly crab or slurp some Californian wine, the more I realise that new experiences are not all they are cracked up to be.

I muse on this as I blog while travelling on a train to New York City, the so called Gravy Train. I am told the view on this bit of coast is breathtaking in parts but I see none of it as I am avidly glued to that little Blackberry screen which is my real window on the world. I suppose I should be excited about a trip to that largest of apples but am feeling underwhelmed....(another skyscraper? Purleease...)

The Blackberry tells me that a BUBB conference on umbrellas and the health sector went well. Donald Holding, umbrella matching specialist and formerly of Spokespools has moved to a new organisation called Feudal. He really is the best in the job. This has nothing to do with the aforementioned conference but I do like to sneak a blatant plug in for Donald whenever I can.

I then get really excited when I get what looks like an invitation to the White House, to be quizzed, probably on the mooted umbrella initiative I mentioned last week. The time has come to meet the chosen one, is what Barack must be thinking. But I am mightily disappointed to realise that it is an invite to a quiz night at the White Horse, a pub in Blacbury. Oh well, I will soon be home and I ponder what present to get Barkles. Apparently there are vendors selling dog-related merchandise on every corner of Manhattan. And you can choose whether to get mustard or ketchup with every purchase. Sounds perfect.