Just a short blog for this month as it is a quiet month, work-wise and I have some annual leave to finish off the academic year. Having done a good bit of travelling already in recent months, I am using my time off to spend some time at home, do some decorating and be with my family. I am also planning to tidy my office, both the office on campus and the office at home, ready for a fresh start for the new academic year in September.
July started with a few days well earned rest; following the ICED 2010 conference in Barcelona, I stayed on in Spain, but went down to the coast to a lovely fishing village called L’Escala – good weather, good food, good scenery, good company, just excellent! Back at work and July was partially filled with teaching and tutorials on the taught doctoral programme’s summer study schools. I also presented in two sessions at the HECU5 conference in Lancaster (see ‘Conference’ page of this website for details and photographs). Finally the month ended with our Social Work award board, always a really satifying culmination of a year of everyone’s hard work; students, tutors and support staff – great to see so many students progressing really well and others graduating having achieved so much, professionally and personally, over the period of their studies.
According to the American photographer, Edwin Way Teale, ‘The world’s favorite season is the spring’ and ‘all things seem possible in May’ – and certainly for me, I have achieved many things over the last month. I had a heavy workload of marking to do, alongside teaching and some external examining work to get through – everything has been completed, a good feeling. I also seem to have participated in more than my fair share of lengthy meetings over the last month! The book writing is continuing at a pace now, with the first full draft of the whole manuscript nearing completion – another good feeling 
This month I also enjoyed a very productive short visit to County Mayo in Ireland where I am part of a team undertaking an evaluative research study; this was an initial introductory visit, meeting key people and getting a feel for the context of the work to come. Finally, as the month closed, I had a short break from work, and spent a long weekend visiting Glasgow, the Trossachs, Loch Lomond and surrounding areas – such beautiful scenery. So to finish off this entry, here is a stunning picture of Loch Lomond in the sunshine … bliss!
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