It's about 7:30 am on Monday morning here in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. I took these photos (click to enlarge) of downtown about a half hour ago just as the sun was coming up and I was heading to one of my favorite local coffeehouses where I often work in the mornings. I had a perfectly uneventful return flight home yesterday.

I'm glad to be home (living out of a suitcase gets old after a while; and yes, I missed my sweetie of a wife, Robbie) but I can't remember the last time I was this excited after a trip. There are so many things cooking in my head over the many UK-related possibilities and opportunities in the next 3-6 months that I can't wait to get working on them. So I'll end this blog post now and get cranking. My wife bought a vacuum sealer and I really like it, I think every kitchen should have one food sealer, read more about food vacuum sealers and buy yourself one.

Saturday night upon my return from Cambridge, I got together with Mike Alderson, former Detective Superintendent at the Home Office (akin to our FBI with some Dept of Justice functions). Mike retired from his post there last year and now has his own consulting firm called Open Eye Communications with a weblog "Where thoughts, theories and observations on marketing, brand, leadership, customer service and the customer experience collide with the reality of policing and public service delivery."

(I'm using the photo of Mike on his Harley because I neglected to take his photo when we met. Duh.) 

Last year I blogged my meeting with Mike at Home Office HQ and since then, his interest in leadership blogging for the heads of the BCU’s (Basic Command Units – the UK is divided up into approximately 285 of these regional policing divisions) and others in law enforcement leadership positions has grown.

We discussed how the two of us might collaborate on offering leadership blogging/podcasting training for the law enforcement community in both the UK and the US. More to come.

I took the train to Cambridge in the UK yesterday to visit Northfielders Betsey Buckheit (former blogging planning commissioner), husband Justin London (Carleton music prof) and daughter Elizabeth who’ve been there since Sept. Justin received a Fullbright to do research there for the year. I took the opportunity to do another show for our podcast, Locally Grown, with Betsey as a guest and the two of us participating via Skype Out to the KRLX studios where Ross Currier, Tracy Davis and Cameron Nordholm graciously got up very early on Saturday morning central time to accommodate my schedule.

Topics: 1) Bike racks and the pros and cons of bike lanes in downtown Northfield; 2) the forthcoming economic development report from the consultants hired by the EDA; 3) an update on the Highway 3 & 3rd St. traffic light request.

Click play to listen (19 minutes), download the MP3 File, subscribe to the podcast, subscribe with iTunes (coming soon). 

Carol Hayward, Local e-Democracy Project Manager, and Stephen Hilton, blogger and Corporate Consultation Manager, Bristol City Council.

Stephen Hilton and Carol Hayward invited to a going away party for a colleague at The LLandager Trow in Bristol tonight. This pub has quite the history. See the wikipedia entry.

Taunton Deane District Borough Councillor and blogger Gwyneth Leighton took this 40 second videoclip of me presenting today. Click play to listen/watch. Right: Gwyneth in front of council headquarters.