ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER COUNTRY

AND now for a bit of business. As I write this post our first ever player to be signed by a club in Lithuania (that's their flag above) is in the air, on her way to the Arvi club in the city of Marjampole. Her name is Tamika Drinks, she is from Georgia in the USA. Join us in wishing her all the luck in the world.

GASTRONOMY FOR ROMANTICS

UNLIKE in Saudi Arabia, Valentine's Day is an accepted part of life in Budapest. No problems with red roses and the like and, thankfully, no religious police to hassle romantically inclined natives.

So, with Maggie and Den away in his home village in Bohemia, I grabbed Fran, she got herself dressed up in her fur coat, we got on the #6 tram along the main boulevard and got ourselves along to the Carinthia Grand Royal, a spectacular hostelry with very nice restaurants. Our choice - the Rickshaw and its special menu for the day.

Lovely food, lovely setting, very nice service, good company, champagne, long stemmed red rose, the works! Hope to have many more like this in the future.

(NOTE: The pic at the hotel was taken in April 2004, when we were there for the Embassy's Anzac Day dinner.)