Berlin to the Cotswolds and home again...

The news, well some of it, here in Berlin focuses on the aftermath of the World Cup; Germany’s young team and the weather. While Angel Merkel hot foots it across to China to enquire of the Great Wall whether it will allow German companies in through the front door – which she hopes if successful, will boost her flagging popularity at home...


She still tries, however in vain, to take inspiration from her team’s performance in South Africa the picture of her cheering at Germany’s performance against England – while all the local dignitaries looked on with blank smiles was one of many memorable images...but in the end her boys, team manager Oliver Bierhoff and Germany's head coach Joachim Loew lost to Spain.

We were told tired legs, but most agree they were a wee bit frightened of their opponents – but they can hold their heads up high – unlike our pathetic performance.

This image is doing the rounds when it can break the spam filters...

A much more positive note last month was the arrival of my Youngest son Jonathan...

He was here to spend two weeks working at our company as part of his school’s work experience programme.
He confided in me later that he had found it fascinating – seeing the development of client relationships at first hand, as well as learning about accounting, online content management systems and web communications.

He said he also learnt about the value of communication – not just good and bad communication – but the intrinsic value of communication.


PS - above is one of his great photos...well done Jono!!

He also spent time in this grand city of ours...


...and as the sun poked through the cloudes it became very obvious what a spectacularly it was to be.









Temperatures over the last couple of weeks have ranged from anything from 24 to 38 degrees c.

Good for the beer gardens and coffee shops...alas not for the wildlife...unless you have a special swimming teacher - flown in directly from Enlgand...

Sitting on the beach (yes the beach) by the See (River) near to where we live, Jonathan remarked on how those people back home in England would never believe he was on a beach in the heart of a city 100’s of KM from the actual sea front.

And there it was – it struck me like a street car...

It was a dream come true! We had all worked so hard to get Jonathan across to Berlin...

To a city where he is keen to learn about both the language and the culture too...

And then after we had ‘won’ everyone over to the idea...both Jonathan and I were to discover that was just the first step!

To celebrate a successful (AKA survival) of the last 6 months four of us flew to Newbury last weekend – and at the races I waved goodbye to £120 to charity, but took home the biggest box of chocolates I have ever seen. We Shopped in Newbury and then took a trip to the Cotswolds and visited the very beautiful Bourton-on-the-Water...it certainly does deserve its name of The Venice of the Cotswolds. I discovered later that it is also my mother’s best friends “most beautiful place in the whole world”. Delightful stone cottages, thatched roof houses and the Beautiful River Windrush; a real babbling brook!.
Ice cream parlours selling delicious English fresh Devon creamed flavours of Raspberry Ripple, Butterscotch and English Toffee Fudge. All amid, traditional sweetshops and charmingly served Tea rooms all with views of the river – it is a picture postcard of England at its most glorious.

We met some wonderful people. On the flight we met a personal shopper who had set up home and business in Brighten...and despite my pushy conversation – he lifted his impressive sunglasses and told me that Berlin was OK for a small town, from then on we didn’t stop laughing...go Igor go – what a great start to our weekend...

At the races we were invited by GT; a group of wounderfully inspiring people – and was truly welcomed by those of us just starting out with our own business...as well as an inspiration to the lovers of life and adventure.

Back in Berlin, as our friends’ jet off to Canada, New York and the Bahamas – we have storm warnings...should clear the air...giving us all time to reflect on the previous 6 months and plan for the next 6...