DATELINE MONDAY 4TH JANUARY 2016

Happy New Year, Monday morning greetings come to you from a very quiet London W10, I hope you are well and that you had an awesome Christmas and New Year break. If however you are reading this overlooking some tropical beach somewhere or gazing at snowless ski slopes then at the clear blue snow cloudless sky then back at the snowless ski slopes hoping it will snow before the airlines makes the announcement for the final call before they close the gate of your departing plane home then I hope you are still enjoying your end of year break.

My Christmas and New Year arrangements did not go according to plan by any stretch of the imagination more of that in the Leyla and Hannah bit of this e mail.

DMC News* MM and Company News * Destination News* MM and Company News *

To be honest there is no news whatsoever from our DMCs they are enjoying a well-earned end of year vacation.

MM and Company News

It is our colleague Katharine‘s birthday today so her celebrations are still on going.

We are celebrating because as of today MM and Company have agreed to represent ITC DMC PRAGUE, we have known Daniel and the team at ITC for many years, we have discussed the opportunities that exist for MM and Company to work together with ITC DMC Prague, Daniel and the team have delivered a number of very successful events for our Conference and Incentives clients over the past few years, who know they operate to a very high standard and we are all delighted that ITC DMC Prague have joined our portfolio of

A List World Class DMCs represented by MM and Company

Leyla and Hannah’s twitter and witter bit of the Monday morning e mail

So much to tell you in so little time before you hit the delete button

Our Christmas plans were all sorted weeks ago, what we would do, where we would go, who we would spend time with then the phone rang on Wednesday 23rd December, it was Ayşe’s sister Defne saying that their Mum (Gul my mother in law in Istanbul) had been rushed to hospital and the prognosis was not good, in fact the prognosis turned out to be awful.

Gul had been suffering from cancer for a few years, the cancer had got hold and spread big time. To cut a long story short Gul died on Christmas eve morning, thankfully Ayse had flown out to Istanbul, she arrived Wednesday night at about midnight went straight to the hospital to join her two sisters at their mother’s bedside. I got the news on Thursday morning and by 4PM me and my two girls were on a plane to Istanbul, there were five seats left on the Turkish Airlines flight we got three of them, British Airways had no availability whatsoever. The funeral was on Saturday, Leyla, Hannah and I returned to London last Tuesday.

Both girls came to the funeral service but did not progress onto the burial. Hannah was extremely upset and was very, very clingy not letting me go for a moment. Leyla decided that she would not show any emotion whatsoever and was very cool in the way only a teenager can be. I was told that on her way back to the apartment after the service she was very upset.

The girls were both brilliant, very compliant to whatever I needed them to do which is not always the case. Their cheeks were pinched and kissed by many, many close and distant Turkish relatives which they bore with fortitude.

My girls and I got back on Tuesday evening, I declared Wednesday a day when NO did not exist. They could do WHATEVER they liked and I would not say no. The “5 Cs” chocolate, coke, crisps, cake and cookies were all OK. Leyla decided she wanted to nothing at all except stay at home, just Leyla and her i phone, Hannah had a full day planned, we went out to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park I was subjected to a number of roller coasters and spinning rides to which I could not say no. Then it was candy floss, chips and other normally “no” stuff. We rushed back from Winter Wonderland to watch Star Wars in 3D accompanied by Tango Ice Blast drink and a colossal bucket of popcorn. Star Wars ended then I deposited Hannah with prearranged friends who took her to Pizza Express and I went home to spend time with Leyla. I opened the front door and I swear Leyla had not moved, she was on the couch with her phone, the TV was on and she was surrounded by snack wrappers and various other food and beverage debris.

Clearly both girls did exactly what they wanted to do on that day.

Today as you read this Hannah is sitting her first entrance exam for BIG school which she starts in September

That’s it you are fully up to date, all that remains for me to do is to wish you, your colleagues, family and friends a happy, healthy, safe and successful 2016.