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Returned from a very successful business trip in Croatia. On the business side I achieved about 90% of what I went out there to do, with the remaining 10% going to be achieved once the client gets into production in the August timeframe.

Not only that, but after dropping K off at school on Weds morning I was insanely late for Heathrow, after being stopped and checked at security (grr, embarrassing!) I arrived at my gate at 11:50 for a flight that was due to depart at 11:50 ! Fortunately the flight was delayed and I got straight on and it took off.

Everyone was very welcoming in Croatia, taking me out for dinner and lunches, one of which I stumped up for. A critical situation got resolved whilst I was on the plane going out there - if it hadn't the entire trip would have had a different feel.

Coming back, I was late meeting a connecting flight in Vienna due to delays in Zagreb, so I was informed (with great regret) that my bag would not be on my flight and would be Fed-Ex'd to me in a few days. Fortunately I had remembered to take everything of value out of it (like keys, money, thinkpad, pcmcia GSM card etc) so I wasn't too worried, I could afford to lose some used undies! At Heathrow I took a punt to look for said bag on the carousel and there it was with a "HOT" sticker on it! Haha.

Usually when things go so right in my life something really bad happens, so I'm worried.

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Not bad but good. K's sister E is coming to live with us in 1 week! I have many preparations to make, I need to unconvert my study back into a bedroom for starters. I wonder how their mother must feel? Although I have to say she seemed quite pleased on the phone, "Oh but don't forget to keep sending me the money". I am reminded of the song that John Lennon wrote about Paul McCartney after the acrimonious divorce of The Beatles. The song was called "How do you sleep?" and it eventually appeared on Lennon's Imagine album.

I wonder if I can push UK law, but is it worth it?

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[ I had some things here, but upon reflection I decided it was best to remove them]

So I go away and miss all the juicy stuff!

Thanks for your words of support for me. I am not sure what you had written but I can take some guesses, the words that come to mind are:

1. Mother
2. Walking on eggshells
3. Girl on bus
4. Hooters
5. Divorce
6. Turn left or right?
7. Your missus
8. Guinness
9. Betrayal
10. Sales

and the last one ..

11. A father who could not cope

Am I anywhere close?

The last one I remember most about your formative-year descriptions, because it is my greatest fear. And the fact that you have mentioned it (even if only in passing) helps me a great deal - it's a warning to not cut off when I am stressed, but instead to engage with my children. Your experience taught me that. I'm sorry that you had to go through it but thank you for sharing it. It helped one family at least :)

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For posterity:

"How do you sleep?" -- John Lennon

So Sgt. Pepper took you by surprise
You better see right through that mother's eyes

Those freaks was right when they said you was dead
The one mistake you made was in your head

Oh, how do you sleep?
Oh, how do you sleep at night?

You live with straights who tell you, you was king
Jump when your momma tell you anything

The only thing you done was "yesterday"
And since you're gone you're just another day

Oh, how do you sleep?
Oh, how do you sleep at night?

A pretty face may last a year or two
But pretty soon they'll see what you can do

The sound you make is muzak to my ears
You must have learned something in all those years

Oh, how do you sleep?
Oh, how do you sleep at night?

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Pretty caustic. The reference to Paul being dead is because some fans thought that

a) because Paul was the only one with bare feet on the cover of Abbey Road

and

b) At the end of "Strawberry Fields Forever" John says "Cranberry Sauce" into the mike which was translated by some fans as "I buried Paul".

For me, the kicker of a line is "You must have learned something in all those years" which is a reference to the fact that John thought he taught Paul everything about music, but it was probably not quite like that :)