And breathe

Well, I made it to the end of the week. A week of rather too much "exposure" for my liking. That was what I wrote in my notebook at the beginning of the week, when preparing myself mentally for what I was about to face.

Today was all about graduation and celebration. I didn't have too much to do apart from that, although in and amongst I managed to get a regular small application for funds for a research infrastructure project ready to be submitted. I will check again on Monday and press "go".

Graduation time regularly gives me occasion to take some quite random and entertaining photographs, and yesterday was no different.

It was a busy graduation ceremony for me - I spent most of the time on my pins reading out (often quite challenging) names, before delivering a laureation for my colleague and friend, who was winning a Principal's Medal. You can see her here on this X post looking very pleased, with none other than the President of the Supreme Court of the UK (an alumnus and a recipient of an honorary degree) to her right in the picture, also applauding. It was quite an emotional moment. I got to the end of my bit and couldn't spit out the last couple of words, because I welled up a bit, and I could see the Principal willing me to get to the end. I'm not sure how much the hall noticed, but they certainly did on the platform. Quite a few of my colleagues on the second row were breaking the informal rule of not taking photographs when on the platform! I think we were all really delighted for Lindsay. So well deserved.

Other than that....well, we had a graduation photograph (both a collective one and millions of other photographs, a couple of which are in the extras, including one with the final (non-honorary) LLD graduate that we will ever confer - Iain Ramsay), a pair of graduation receptions in McEwan Hall and the Playfair, a graduation dinner in the Raeburn Room (currently lacking its Raeburns), and a lot of graduation chat. And then I had a graduation taxi home and collapsed into bed.