Bank Holiday Monday. A quiet day. Got a visit from a friend who has a car converted for wheelchair use and we tried it out with Pádraig and his wheelchair. It’s just that little bit bigger than the Doblo that changed his life giving him great mobility.

One evening, I’ll write about what can happen to your job if you go on carer’s leave – and you don’t have to be in the cut-throat high tech business to experience that. I’m thinking of work because last Saturday, I received a phone call from a former PhD student of mine who had had his viva and will soon graduate with a PhD, expressing his thanks that I had believed in him and his abilities to get through those tough years of study. I had handed over his supervision to a colleague and together they managed to bring that student over the line. It was like a blast from the past. Nice to hear about his success, touched to hear about research and academic life…

I’m up late. From tomorrow, life will be different.