Been a while...

So it's been quite a while since the last update.. so let's just make a really quick resume of what's been happening...

January
Started out as the last year finished... on a plane! This time I spent a week in Romania, in Bucharest. Although i didn't see much of the town to be honest, as the hotel was a few miles outside and trips to it's heart were limited to a few meals and one evening watching the football in an Irish pub. A very nice one as it happens, with proper home cut chips!

February
A week in a very cold Moscow, a tie-in with a big food exhibition. Far too long to be in Moscow, with not enough to do, mainly due to my travelling companions contacts not showing up. Very frustrating, and it was so cold that jaunts out to the local tourist attractions was pretty limited. I did find a great Sports bar though to watch the Liverpool v Chelsea match. Sportsland... although it's probably spelt differently in Russian!

Got back from Moscow, and found myself looking for a new job! My boss handed over a P45 on my first day back, without much of an explanation... and certainly no warning whatsoever. But of a shock, but more funny than worrying. We'd been having departmental problems for about six months, and I'd been openly questioning some of the wilder decisions which were being taken. And also pointing out the severe lack of strategy. I knew that putting my head above the parapit would cause a reaction... and was prepared for this one. Although after a good meeting with the company CEO a week before Moscow, where we'd offered our solutions to the problem, I'd rather hoped that it would be changes at management level - and not at my level - which would suffice. No real worries though. I have 5 months contract to be paid out - plus a compensation claim for unreasonable dismissal.

After only a couple of weeks of looking, I've signed a contract to be a Business Manager with Arla Foods. A great job - better than the last one (on paper anyway) and something I was looking at before the walls crumbled at Tulip. Am REALLY looking forward to starting in mid April.