Moving on

This was the conclusion of my very last professional action before retiring. We were in Athens for the biennial conference of the European Sociological Association. For the past four years I and my Flemish colleague Griet (see extra) have been convenors of Research Network 4 (Sociology of Children and Childhood). We stepped down at the end of the Network business meeting, at 8.30 pm local time, succeeded by Cath (left in picture) and two colleagues from Geneva and Seville. Griet made a lovely speech and gave me a small (cabin baggage only) gift and a card signed by everyone in the meeting. Five and a half hours later (midnight UK time) I officially retired (and my email account was immediately cut off until I got to Heathrow the next morning and started yelling at people - a Professor Emeritus should not be treated so casually).
The picture shows me with three former PhD students, Cath and Vicky who are both now Senior Research Fellows, and Deb who graduated this summer. All three were presenting papers at the conference.