End of year missive 2006

"Year of the dog..."
what a year. business all over the place and an emotional roller coaster with the arrival of Charlie. a 18 month rescue dog - a german shepard cross who became my best chum. early morning walks on the beach. however if for 99% of the time he was a great dog there was a sadness about him. he was a doomed dog with arrested development. he had been in a kennel for most of most young life and had not know love or friendship. i had to have him put down after 8 months of struggling to get him to relate to others..including the cat - although i soon realised that as going to be impossible. after he had attached joans friend and then joan i realised that it couldn't go on. we had tried a behavourist and nothing seemed to work. a great sad event which neither of us have really got over.
on the rebound as it were and to heal the wounds of sadness we aquired a wonderful golden retriver puppy called Frankie (or Cubby). he is a delight but very pretty and the total opposite to the underdog Craken that had claimed our love.
frankie grows in front of your very eyes. LJ is full of distaine especially when junior has an accident! but his reconciled to the situation and is just making sure he is the boss when all Frankie wants to do is play.
pacificstream has been difficult and stressful and would have given it all up if the big EU project hadn't come in. This EU project is with 12 partners and is looking at developing a virtual business incubator for the creative industries. one director was sent packing after she was discovered taking money out of the company without permission and had also had a detremental effect on work and getting other projects. she turned out to be a walter mitty character and a blagger with a disarming front then my long time colleague had a nervous breakdown. so its just me doing everything!
so far ok but hard work but the books are now straight I think! moved out of the incubator and into a new office sharing with a gaggle of young companies. good exciting atmosphere.
eventually got back to Siberia after my first planned visit had been canceled due to joan ending up in hospital with a frozen back. i have never seen someone in so much pain. the paramedics had to give her gas & air. so I made it to Krasnoyarsk in September the weather was mild and sunny and this time made it to Stolby National Park. the Russians came to Liverpool on two occasions. went too see the Antony Gormleys. I also made it to Antwerp twice ( two different EU projects with the university - one about language and culture support for medics on PDAs) and Warsaw where my wallet was stolen.
joan got her MPhil and at graduation was hugged and kissed by Cheri Blair. i was on the front row with the past Lord Liutenants of Merseyside. It was also good to see Mathew - he of The Little Flames and Colin. It looks as if Ellen has had a good year, good results, a great week in the Lakes with her mates, a week in S.France with her boyfriend Leo and Reading Festival. Arctic Monkeys and all that. ellen was successful with her A levels and got into UCL after a difficult interview " what is the link between the Summer of Love exhibition and New Wave French cinema?"!
However she has decided to go to Shrewsbury Tech to do Foundation Art but fortunately she doesn't like it and will be taking up her defered place in London - I hope!
a very busy year ended with joan and i having a long weekend in London for a bit of culture. holbien, renassiance interiors and the V & A. we hadn't been way together for over three years didn't even get to St Michaels. things will have to change.