DATELINE MONDAY 5TH MARCH 2018

Happy Monday, what a week of weather it was! Did you have fun? Did you get stuck? Did you go to work?

OMG we got a little taster of what a Russian Winter must be like, can you imagine living through that type of weather week after frozen week I guess that it what Valeria, Olga, Veronika, the team at Russian Event DMC and their fellow citizens must endure for months on end in Moscow, St Petersburg and elsewhere. I have been to St Petersburg and Moscow a few times during their Russian Winter and each time I am there when it is minus 17-23 degrees C I ask them the same question how do you cope, they think I am mad as it is the norm for them. I don’t do cold very well give me heat over cold any day of the week I am certain that in a previous life I was a cactus in the Arizona Desert.

Did you have a terrific St David’s Day on Thursday 1st Marc, I have a wonderful Welsh friend her name is Nicola every St David’s Dad I make a point of calling her with a “yachida lovely one” type Welsh phrase, OK I do speak to her more often but on 1st March for sure.

How was the M&IT dinner of Friday night did you go? Tell me all the gossip, I was at home for family night

DMC News* MM and Company News * Destination News*

Slovakia This week weather permitting I am criss crossing the country meeting clients with Marek Farkas Managing Director of Enjoy Slovakia DMC. Really pleased Marek is here this week and not last week, he did phone up during last week to ask if he should bring his skis with him, funny!

Oman The Oman office of SNTTA Emir Conferences and Incentives the DMC MM and Company has been representing since 2000 have told us that there has been a change in the VISA rules for entry visa’s into OMAN physical applications will no longer be accepted this means you cannot get an entry visa at the immigration desk on arrival into Muscat Airport. All applications for tourist and express visas to Oman will only be accepted online via the Royal Oman Police website here.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi Sai Rattan Managing Director of SNTTA Tours has told us that he has appointed Ms. Manel Khemiri as Head of the Conference and Incentive Department of SNTTA. I am delighted with this news it clearly demonstrates what Sai said to me a few months ago about strengthening the DMC offering to our conference and incentive clients it also confirms SNTTA’s commitment to the development of the SNTTA DMC division.

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

Last week was the Jewish Holiday of PURIM it is a festival that commemorates the fact the ancient Persian Empire failed to destroy the Jewish People, it is a festival for the children to wear fancy dress, for the adults to get a little drunk and for everyone to give charity. Both girls go to Jewish schools the festival was celebrated with fun fairs, games, best school lunches ever that type of thing. The schools also have popcorn, candy floss, sweets, chocolate for sale. Leyla rings me up "Daddy come and pick me up from school, there are no lessons only Purim stuff I haven't got any money, I am bored." The fact that her school is an hour's drive away and I was at work did not factor into Leyla's thinking. I did not pick her up. At least a week before Purim I asked Leyla if she needed any money for Purim, she said she didn't. Hannah on the other hand managed to mug me £35.00, £20 was my charitable donation for her to use at school £15.00 was an advance on her pocket money that I know I will never see returne. Both girls got new onesies as dressing up outfits, Leyla got a care bear onesie, Hannah got herself a Winnie The Pooh onesie, both used my credit card to procure their onesie, this has got to stop.

We have a magnet on the fridge it reads "I love my rotten ungrateful children" never has a truer word been uttered. Leyla attends a youth group at 6PM every Sunday for an hour and a half. At 6PM she was still in front of the TV I asked her "Leyla are you going to JW3?"

"Yes Daddy" was her reply JW3 is a 15 minute walk from where we live I ended up taking her and collecting her at 7.30 she could have easily walked if she had left time oh and yes I guess I could have told her to walk home. Rotten ungrateful for sure totally love them both absobloominglootley.

Well that's it you are now up to date I hope you have a nice warm week ahead at work.