Back on 19 March I wrote in my offline diary "when we come out of this I will be close to 40"... for those who don't know me, my 40th birthday is end of November 2021... (some time to go still...)

That was 7 months ago, and probably the easier 7 months, considering the 7 months to come here in the UK until Easter 2021 - which is as far as my horizons take me for today. Today is really the first day of awful weather - pouring with rain, miserably gray sky and almost at the temperature where the heating needs to be switched on. I'm reflecting on how fortunate we have been in the UK to have had a really uncharacteristically sunny year! In terms of mental health and fitness, this has helped a lot, even during the stricter parts of lockdown. I wonder if that has also played a role in the complacency that is now widely prevalent. I am not looking forward to the winter months, especially if we have long stretches of weather like today! On the other hand, I have a home, safety, warmth, security, protection... and those are huge privileges at times like these. 

Reflecting on my own relative comfort - despite some tough times - as compared to billions of others around the world is what continues to drive me on this academic journey. In view of that, I best return to writing that bid now after this brief interlude - wish me luck!!