I took a whole fortnight off. First proper holiday since the house move.
Week 1 floating in the Ionian sea, lying on stoney beaches, scrambling up and down rocky paths, and some inept hire boatmanship.
I always go on holiday with an e-reader full of good intentions. Of course everywhere has wifi these days so the infinite scroll of the smaller glowing rectangle mostly wins out. I did manage to finish Audrey Tang’s thought-provoking ‘Plurality: The Future of Collaborative Technology and Democracy‘, and made a start on ‘Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity‘ by Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson.
Week 2 pottering around the house and garden in a heatwave before heading to Edinburgh for our middle child’s graduation. We stopped at Corbridge Roman Town on the way up.
Boy #2 was duly tapped on the head with a bonnet made of John Knox’s breeches (allegedly). We’re all very proud of him.
On the way back, we stopped for fish and chips and a browse at Barter Books in Alnwick. Our new graduate picked up a pile of worthy paperbacks while I bought a slim volume on the care of camellias. We have some mature plants in the garden at the new house. I’d hate for them to expire on my watch.
While I was away, the Prime Minister and health secretary launched the long-awaited 10 Year Health Plan for England. I read it on my e-reader last night after the drive home from Edinburgh, dragging my finger to highlight the bits most relevant to my own work.
Back in the (London) office on Monday. We have lots to do!
Matt Edgar writes here 