I’ve never neglected my blog for such a long time – although I continue to chatter on Twitter – but the last quarter of 2009 has been a period of stressful work deadlines followed by a string of difficulties that rendered me mute. I should note that it was not terrible all the time, because to indicate otherwise would be to present a one-sided picture of recent months. Life is a mixture of good and bad moments, although we tend to under-appreciate the good and over-emphasise the bad. So, I’m bidding 2009 farewell with a grateful heart that I’ve survived its tests, and with an appreciation of those friends and…