Just a quick note of celebration. The stars have aligned so far for this trip to Penn State and Ontario - about 70% work and 30% family. Yesterday I got a text to say my points upgrade to premium economy came through, so a bit of space and comfort for the long haul. Then, one of the benefits of our new address, from calling the cab to emerging from customs and immigration it was just on an hour. Alleluia. So even if LAX is at its ugly best, we're off to a good s...

M: Well... It's a week since we flew back into Sydney, and a few hours since Marthese and Elias and Beth did likewise. I've been back at work for a week, and Anne has been fully occupied (and preoccupied) with looking after her mother. We have more or less settled back into the house, are becoming accustomed to proper breakfasts again, are tuned back into Aussie accents and are catching up with the cricket. It's time to wrap up this blog. The journey from Ho C...

Happy Fathers' Day Just a quick note today - Fathers' Day here in Oz. The four of us shared a home made pancake breakfast, and Beth now understands the attractions of bacon and maple syrup together! We had a gathering of the Bezzina clan here so it was all hands on deck for a meal of gourmet sausages, salad and Granny's timpana. As the father of fathers, Nannu got to wear the funny hat! QF007 here I come!

The first six weeks of my study leave have gone by in a blur. Visions of serene days spent in highbrow writing never came true, but I have been very busy! I've drafted parts of articles, delivered papers, planned the trip, facilitated processes, planned the trip, worked on an evaluation, planned ... (you get the idea!). I marked my last batch of assignments today - small one, which, if not perfectly formed, at least showed promise. There are still a few loose...

Friday evening passed in the hotel room as I spent the time doing some analysis of the EREA review data. I figured I might as well do it when there were no alternatives! Saturday dawned - the last day of the course. It was an easier day for me on two scores. First of all, it would finish a bit early in order to accommodate another class at 2pm. Secondly, I didn't have to "perform" - simply keep three parallel groups of presentations on time and keep an eye ...