Summer Break

This year, I've decided to give the blog a holiday over the summer, as of tomorrow. I should be back, Blogger and other capricious deities willing, sometime in late September. By all means comment on the existing posts, but don't expect any replies.

These three months are -- popular perception aside -- the busiest of all for us. The university financial year ends in July, so a lot of last minute spending and accounting gets done. Plus everyone expects all upgrades, improvements, building works, stock moves, etc., etc., to be finished by the start of the new session in October. Coordinating all that Stuff with people taking summer leave all over the place is always a bit fraught, and this year is no exception.

Plus the summer "vacation" is the main window of opportunity for most academic staff to do the research they're paid to do, not to mention hosting the conferences where they get to show off last year's research. And the huge numbers of overseas students start to arrive right now for their pre-Sessional English As She Is Spoke, Innit courses. If "vacation" means "emptying the place of people" then it's time we thought of another name. If it means "holiday" then we should definitely think of another name.

But my main reason for having a blog-break is that I want to use my own time to attend to a number of neglected personal projects, not least of which is getting my webpage back up and running -- it's been years since I updated it properly. Webpages are not really where the action is, these days, but it's good to have a reference site where people can see the full range of what you get up to. I also fancy doing a bit of "proper" writing.

So, have a good summer in the Northern Hemisphere, a good winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and good luck to all you people in the permanently hot bit in the middle.