[ 22:47 monday 1 january 2007 – shipton street, london ]

the light, crisp scoring of monteverdi’s “il combattimento di tancredi e clorinda” makes for an excellent hangover restorative, aided by the dark roast coffee beans joe brought with him yesterday evening. the turning of each year is a moment to which i find myself attaching considerable symbolic importance. the urge to mark it with a certain extravagance is perhaps in the manner of a votive, an invocation to the fates that they may send good fortune in the coming twelvemonth.

last night sergio, joe and i dined here at shipton street then set out by foot for dexter’s house near london fields, brisk-paced as midnight was fast approaching. our path took us by half a dozen pubs, each crammed with ruddy-faced celebrants with its tinselly glow and boisterous hubbub leaking out onto the street. we reached dexter’s with five minutes to spare and saw in the year together with a group of friends gathered there.

around two joe and i found ourselves in mile end so we dropped into a party in an abandoned pub inhabited by friends of his. it was splendidly boisterous and i finally staggered home around seven, decidedly the worse for wear. waking up today was a struggle. methinks a teetotal week beckons. thus the oblations are completed for another year and the fates, we hope, are satisfied.

every year is significant in its own way but two thousand and seven is particularly freighted for me. so many of my hopes and labours are bound up in trampoline and the year ahead is likely to be decisive for the company. i have written little over recent months as we have been working to raise several millions of pounds in investment at the same time as closing a deal to implement our new sonar platform with a large american firm. these are good developments but they have been exceedingly demanding on my energy and attention. i cannot say it has been entertaining. tomorrow battle resumes and january will be equally intense. i feel ready though, fortified by ten days away from the furnace. i spent a lovely week over christmas with mum, dad, granny, anna and adam at home in gloucestershire. there was a time when i found christmas excruciatingly dull but now i relish this time of shared celebration with my family.

i don’t know how much i’ll manage to write over the coming months. for now i pray that the year will bring joy and wisdom to us all.

: c :