I’ve been quiet on here for a good while as the realities of online teaching bit towards the end of last term, and spill over marking coupled with another lockdown made January a rather bleak month. I sense from the less-frequent diary posts of others that everyone is feeling the weight of it all. Understandably so, given that we’re expected t...  Read this >>

Ten days ago, I helped my sister move into halls at a university in Scotland, where she has just started an undergraduate degree. As expected, it was a surreal experience. She was given a one-hour slot in which to arrive, and we barely saw a soul as we lugged those big blue IKEA bags with pots, pans, duvet, laundry basket and more student essentials up th...  Read this >>

“When do you think we’ll see a return to normality?” “As soon as the vaccine comes out.” “Yeah, sounds like the Oxford one is showing promise. Seems like it might even be out before Christmas.” This is an approximation of conversations I, and I’m sure others, have overheard or been involved in over the la...  Read this >>

I felt quite a bit of trepidation ahead of writing my first post: Do I write something personal and profound? Searing and insightful political analysis? (Whether I could execute either of these is another matter entirely). In the end, I’ve settled on something in between as I realised that the trepidation I felt is caused precisely by my personal si...  Read this >>