Basket.

Yes, that is a cowboy hat I am wearing below, which I decided to let remain on my head, which is an act of silliness I usually only tend to indulge in when there is a considerable amount of alcohol flowing through my veins (none that day). I guess I was too happy.

I have discovered that I have a very solid reputation as a bookworm because people automatically assume I'm actually reading something at the moment. Not technically true - my habit is to read more than one book at any given time, picking each one up randomly when it strikes my fancy. It can take anything from a couple of days to half a year or more for me to finish a book, because my attention span is irrepairably erratic, the result of years of frenetic nocturnal multi-tasking. For the record, I'm currently on something of a civil war binge, with one work on the English Civil War and one on the Spanish.

For the record too, personal update for everyone who wishes to know but still doesn't: I will not be returning to teaching next term and currently I earn my keep through teaching tuition. It is likely that I will get a job in July which I will continue to do in the mid-long term, after starting school. It is highly possible that I will return to teaching on the next long university break; where, I do not yet know but a return to Whitley I will not rule out. Call me a masochist.

And I realise that's actually the first time I've mentioned the school name here.

In any case it has been a very peaceable June, a good break with many gatherings and much catching up done with more to come. Hope that everyone now knows what is going on with me, but that can only mean our supply of small talk is strangled. More on that, another day.