As we set off for our trip to Victoria BC on the Clipper, I ran upstairs on deck and took these dramatic photos of the Seattle skyline.

Quite by chance, I managed to get the entire vista just as the sun was peeking over the top of the buildings with my Panasonic Lumix G2 camera.

I also whipped out my Windows Phone and snapped the above…

….using the fab Apict App to create the above.

So many people who don’t live here seem to think Seattle is a dreary, rainy city. These photos show it’s not!

Another highlight on our trip to Victoria was dinner at steak and seafood restaurant, Nautical Nellies.

We started our meal with crab cakes the Ashley described as, “The best I’ve ever had!”

We’d asked our waiter (or “server” over here) what he recommended wine-wise as I wanted to try some local Canadian vintages.

Ashley was not impressed I was asking, but the guy swore we’d love the pinot noir from Cassini Cellars and it was delicious. You can buy it from the winery for $20 a bottle which is way worth it given the prices we were charged down in Oregon!

The food got better and better. Ashley went for a sirloin steak in a wine sauce and a mountain of perfectly cooked onion rings.

And I plumped (literally) for a huge, perfectly cooked steak with a creamy bacon and scallop sauce.

Just divine!

The manager had bent over backwards to get us a seat where we could have Maggie near us, and I had pointed out that their Foursquare deal was out of date by about a year, so we were nicely surprised when they said dessert – cheesecake – was on them.

We walked out with change from $150, which given the quality of everything we experienced was fabulous.

If you’re in Victoria and need a GREAT place to eat, then try Nautical Nellies, they have an oyster and sushi bar too, so there’s really something for everyone!

As you can see, Maggie was in awe at the sight of her first cup of tea.

As part of a birthday trip (mine not hers) to Victoria, British Columbia in Canada, Ashley suggested we go for afternoon tea at The Fairmont Empress Hotel.

A grand affair, punctuated with fabulous service and scrummy grub, we were treated like royalty which is just as well, as a huge portrait of Queen Victoria gazes down one you while you sip from a range of about 6 different teas.

For commoners, you start with tea and a chocolate dipped strawberry, before the cake plate stand turns up. If you’re Ashley, you start with a large glass of fizz!

We started savoury and rattled through egg croissants, cucumber sarnies and smoked salmon rolls, before hammering into the scones with cream and strawberry jam.

Once you get onto the sweet stuff, you’ll start slowing down believe me….

Which is just as well, as being North American, the hotel doesn’t bat an eyelid at you asking for a box to take a few bits and bobs home. 

Maggie was fascinated (and not as bored as she looks here I promise) by all the trimmings in the room and the staff were fantastic – we were a bit nervous they’d be a bit “hoighty toighty” (is that how you spell that?) but really, they were very accommodating so thumbs up for kid-friendly.

The price at nearly $50 per person may seem a little steep, but actually we felt well worth paying for the experience. We were in there for a good two hours and it was a really tasty treat.

Next stop for Maggie and her developing tea palate? The Ritz? The Savoy?

OK, you know I work for the company, but that doesn’t mean I’m always rah-rah, especially given my under-stated Britishness.

But Ashley, Maggie and I made a lunchtime trip down to Seattle’s University Village shopping mall to take a look at the new store that opened yesterday.

Firstly it’s big and you can’t miss it! Love the logo!

The colourful staff were enthusiastic, but not overly annoying. They were knowledgeable and  if they weren’t sure about my more obtuse questions, they went away and asked.

You’ll find all manner of desktop, laptop and tablet computers for sale, as well as Windows Phones, Kinect for Xbox 360s to to play with, software, printers, and all manner of mice and peripherals.

It’s my 40th birthday today, and I was not going to buy myself anything this year as I’m about to take 2 months of paternity leave. But we spotted a deal where we can recycle our 2 years old Dell laptop and get at least a $150 credit. That plus the 15% discount Microsoft is giving employees ins tore for the rest of the  month means we can get this little beauty for a song! [Update: We got the Toshiba, but you can't use more than one promo at a time, so we actually got a 20% discount!]

We nipped next door for a delish mocha at Fran’s when we were finished.

I Tweeted the photos and the Microsoft Store social media team picked it up and wished me happy birthday.

There are some days I’m proud to work at Microsoft, and there are some days I’m REALLY proud. This is a REALLY one.

Nice job guys!

One of the nicest people I know is my brother-in-law, Josh LaBelle.

Josh is married to Ashley’s sister, Colleen, and runs the Seattle Theatre Group which includes the Paramount, Moore and Neptune theatres in the city.

A couple of weeks ago, Barak Obama was in town for a whirlwind visit, which included a fundraising lunch at The Paramount.

Josh got to meet him backstage and said he was delightful!

I’ve never met a head of state, although I was looking at some leather wallets in a tent at the Windsor Horse Show in 1997 and heard a familiar voice next to me ask the local craftsmen, “Do you make these yourselves?”

It was The Queen of England!

Went to a fab gig last night with the wife, her sister Colleen and brother-in-law Josh who’s been spearheading the Seattle Theatre Group’s revival of the Neptune Theatre in the U District.

I first came across the Irish band The Script back in 2008 after hearing them on a BBC Radio 2 session. Give they’re so good, I was surprised they had to downsize from the 3000 seater Paramount to a smaller venue, but the crowd wasn’t bothered one bit!

They whooped and screamed their way through the band’s excellent hour-plus long set as lead singer Danny O’Donaghue strutted around the stage with Gaelic charm.

The venue is tremendous. For gigs like this, you can get as close to the action as you like or sit upstairs and get a birds-eye view. Look skyward and ornate plaster Neptunes are keeping their eye on you!

They’ve even done a “grand opening video” to create a bit of buzz as the season-proper starts on 25th September with a week of FREE events – so get booking!

Well done to the band and well done to STG for an excellent addition to the Seattle arts scene!

Spotted on my walk to work, the sign says:

“Garden in Progress – Please Be Kind To the Plants”

These guys have obviously had the problems I suggested might arise for these street vegetable growers….

Maggie is one week old today and it’s been a fun-filled few days for our little girl since she was born….

She met her doting Auntie Aubrey….

She had her first car ride in the rain as we left the hospital exactly 24 hours after she was born….

She met her cousin Julia, grandma Nancy, great grandma Betty, and great aunts Libby and Pam, singing her joy at the top of her lungs.

She went on her first walk with mummy, daddy, Jewel and Michael….

She helped daddy cook eggs for mummy….

We took her to her first coffee shop after a successful doctor’s appointment where she was given an A1 bill of health.

She swung….

She contemplated….

She wailed and….

….she slept.

It’s been quite the most amazing and exhilarating week of our lives, and what makes it all the better, is knowing we have the rest of our lives to get to know and love this little bundle of fun even more!

Thanks so much of all the kind words of welcome and well wishes. So nice to know there are so many people around the world supporting us on our trip through parenthood.

If you’ve not had enough of a Maggie-fix, there are more photos on Facebook!

We spent the evening celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary at the tres bon bistro – Luc on Madison….

Not only was it two years since our marriage in Gig Harbor, but it was also the due date of our little munchkin.

Luc is 3 minute drive from our house and conjures up some fine, reasonably priced French fodder.

Divine Homemade Lamb Sausage

Ashley started with a nice salad as I dived in with the meat – a lamb sausage with some cabbage jam plus some creamy other stuff and pesto. They were both spot on. In fact, if they’d given me a pile of fries, that would have done me proud for the evening.

Onglet Steak and Frites

Alas, that wasn’t to be.

Ashley plumped (!) for their signature beef bourguignon which slipped down like rich, red velvet and I was presented with a perfectly cooked onglet steak swimming in a peppery infused jus and some very naughty frites.

A non-alcoholic beer, a Guinness and a celebratory glass of Bordeaux washed down the feast in time for us to make a hurried exit as the little blighter looked like he maybe trying a little harder to exit than normal.

$80 including tip was the damage, and given the quality of the food and service it was well worth it!

If you’re a Franco-aficionado, get your derriere down there because, like the French beauty brand keeps telling us, it’s worth it!

So this is the longest post I’ve ever written!

Above is a snazzy infographic our US team designed to demonstrate how “social” the MSN audience is.

In advertising world dominated by the buzz around social media, and budgets drifting that way from “traditional” digital channels, it’s important to show that stalwarts like MSN still have the necessary clout to start and prolong word-of-mouth discussion about consumer products and services.

Read the blog post here where you can get our social media/word-of-mouth research paper.