Overly opto...mistic

I tried to take the day off to reclaim the missed bank holiday while I was in Mozambique, but that strategy was unsuccessful. Yesterday's full day spent with the Mozambican government meant tying up other loose ends was critical before some official leave starting Thursday.

I did complete a bit of life admin, including calling the opticians for an overdue eye test. The woman on the phone tried to reference the optometrist: 'Opto... Optom... haha. I can't pronounce it that much.' Isn't it quite essential vocabulary for working at an opticians?

Our trustee meeting in the evening was a mixed bag of productive, hopeful and fraught. Many people in many groups, i.e. it's a trait of the human condition, do not embrace change. It may be true that we make progress over time, but we could be making more progress and working more effectively if we self-critique more and make bold decisions. As we walked home one of my fellow trustees said in reference to the progress comment, 'one millimetre of progress; ten kilometres of work.' Exactly right, especially when it comes to squeezing in this work around a demanding day job and heavy travel pattern. It has to feel like useful time spent.

At least the weather was excellent again, as demonstrated by Kings College in the sunshine.