…travelled to Rome in the last couple of days for a work meeting with other European Universities regarding a joint degree we are teaching.  It was a great couple of days, even though completely exhausting. Actually, now I’m back again (I went straighth into work from the airport) I feel as though it never really happened.  Was it only two days ago that I met the course leader at Stansted and he had many cosmetics over 100 Ml confiscated from his airport securoty bag as we went through to the  gate???  Only to have to re-buy the same items, about 50 feet  from where they were taken away.

The Hob is a venue in Forest Hill and the Rock Choir performed there Sunday last – May 20th.
It was a great afternoon and not just because I relinquished driving duties and could have a drink.
Here they are doing Big Yellow Taxi…

Quite a lot of thinking about course design and a whole other blog

Bernie would have been 79 today. Not 80. I rang my Dad to check. So bad is my own memory lately that I just couldn’t remember how old she was when she died in 1990. It was 62 in fact, not 63 as I half-guessed, and I was able to tell Jack.
So it’s been a day with memories flitting in and out and maybe appropriate to start a diary again. Certainly she would have been impressed had she ever known her grandchildren. One in Germany on an exchange, watching Miss Congeniality in German and visiting Aachen and Colgne. The other playing midfield in a local football team of a Sunday and scoring not one but two great goals. Her own son still not a newsreader though –and I think this might have produced some disappointment.

Work – not at all bad today. Met a new colleague who is going to be doing some work with me next term. Should be good.

Noticed – man with rucksack staring up a Holborn side street and ducking repeatedly behind the railings as though he was being followed.

Travelled – with happy people mostly – non-stop back home. The evenings are getting lighter again

Just took this out of the window on the 7th looking back across London from my office.
Feeling suitably stunned and very worried about loved ones and friends.

It was all happening somewhere over there.

In streets that I walk down often and on trains and buses that I travel on.
Later, felt the way that a lot of Londoners did:
Shock, outrage etc. but also that whoever thay are they won’t stop us being who we are – an accepting, tolerant, multiracial city, multi-faith and no-faith, rich and poor, young and old, side by side.  Going to work each day together.  The vast majority of us – as Ken reminded us all afterwards – anti -war, peace-loving, just getting on with our lives.  It just goes on.

And finally on the Friday,
there we were watching the wonderful M.Ward.

It will be a while until the next gig I guess.

In the same week, Teenage Fanclub at the Astoria.
See post entitled 3 gigs…
You can’t see much but it was, well, joyous