Preparation

After four days at work this week, today I decided to work at home. This enabled me to do much needed preparation for tomorrow's departure to Finland. I also spent a little bit of the day thinking about how I might rearrange my study slightly to maximise the number of functions I can use it for (presently it is study, library and bike store; I reckon there's one more function to squeeze in there...TBA). So far, I've just rearranged the books and in the meantime managed to locate a book I've spent weeks searching for, so that was a result. I also read a short piece on the Guardian website about the Wellcome Trust moving to four day working. As an academic, with the capacity to work at home at least one day a week, I already benefit from the sort of flexibility which reduces the stress that five day a week presenteeism gives rise to, because of the lack of balance between work and home life. Equally, that type of flexibility is one reason why it can be very hard indeed to make academic part time working function properly.

It was a lovely sunny day, but bitterly cold, as yesterday. All the more reason to be happy indoors. I popped out on the balcony to get a blip, and it amuses me to focus on the Nelson Monument in the thumbnail, as that's where Winsford photographed her extra from today. A little bit to the left on that photograph, and you'd have our building in shot.

I now have some packing to complete, and we'll be all set.