Over my lunch break, I made the short walk from our office to Buckingham palace for the changing of the guard ceremony. Quite an elaborate and entertaining affair involving hundreds of participants and a dozen horses with the goal of changing out four guards who are on patrol at any given time.

I opted to walk to the office this morning by way of St. James Park rather than sharing a cab with my colleagues. This afforded me my only day time view of the city and was well worth the effort.

I am traveling with a contingent from the US including my boss and colleagues in finance and sales. After work, we were all invited to attend a holiday party being thrown by our UK public relations and marketing firm. It was held in a very posh underground club in the Covent Garden district. The entrance was totally nondescript with no signage or numbering of any kind. Once inside this private club, however, we were enveloped in elegance and sophistication. After making a dinner of the sushi appetizers, I invited two of my finance colleagues to join me for an extended walking tour. We made our way to Trafalgar Square and then on to the Savoy Hotel and Theater (the only place where it is legal to drive on the right hand side of the road in the UK). From there we walked along the Thames River for spectacular views of the Jewel Tower (Big Ben), Westminster Abbey and the London Eye.

An all-day meeting at iRobot’s UK office was the order of business today. I gave a one-hour presentation covering the changes and future plans for the Product Development organization and listened to presentations from my European colleagues. I came dressed for the cold damp weather even if I stuck out a bit.

I flew to London today for meetings in Europe this week arriving at the Grosvenor House at about 10 PM. With the five-hour time shift to my advantage, I went on a 2-hour midnight walking tour. My first stop was Wellington Arch and then on to Buckingham Palace. There was not a soul in sight allowing me to set up a 20-second exposure that really captured the ambient light beautifully. Next, on to the theater district of Piccadilly Circus and finally back by way of Oxford Circus where miles of ornamental lighting hung above the street.

Maya’s performed both a jazz number, I Want to be a Rockette, and a ballet piece, Scottish Dolls from Coppelia, in her winter dance recital. Maya has inherited the family genes for dancing and was in fine form despite suffering from a cold.

Jeanine danced her way onto the Board of Trustees for our Arrowhead Homeowner’s Association, elected by our neighbors at the annual meeting held at Vincenzo’s Restaurant.

I depart tomorrow for Europe and may not be able to post until my return at the end of the work week.

Today our neighborhood was invaded by a marauding rafter of wild turkeys. Eighteen in total, I was only able to capture a dozen in one frame. Nicolai was too slow to locate bow and arrow thwarting his plan to harvest one of the birds for Christmas dinner.

The varsity wrestling season opened today with a quad meet between Concord-Carlise, Lexington, Tyngsboro, and host Waltham. Nicolai weighed in at 112 pounds but was asked by the coach to wrestle up one weight class at 119 pounds. This is often done to improve the team line up relative to the opponents. Despite the weight disadvantage he was extremely competitive securing one win and coming very close to beating a very talented standout from Tyngsboro.

Kyle was feeling a little under the weather today. Nothing like a little dose of Hannah to cheer him up. She is good medicine for Kyle.

This morning I enjoyed a pastel sunrise. Morning light like this is common here but it only lasts for a few minutes.

Maya is now playing indoor soccer at a sports center which I pass each day on the way to and from work. Her game this evening ended at 7PM which coincided perfectly with my return commute. Her team won 6-3 due in no small part to her two friends Emma and Lucy who were part of our car pool. Maya had a terrific game demonstrating some fine ball control and strong shots.

Airing today is the Oprah Winfrey show to which Jeanine’s book group was invited. I had hoped to post some photos from the viewing party that Jeanine organized for her friends this afternoon. Alas, none were taken nor was the show recorded. Instead, I had to settle for close ups of a new floral arrangement that I found in the kitchen this evening.

The lighting of the Concord Christmas Tree brings out the entire town. Downtown traffic is suspended while a small parade ushers in Santa Claus who throws the switch to illuminate the live tree while residents enjoy each other’s company.

This evening Jeanine and I attended two parties. The first, a surprise birthday celebration for a dear friend, and the second a grand holiday gathering.