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This day was made for me, and I for this day. 8.00 am: A communion. 8.30 am: Against the wind, under the rain, onto the streets, towards the School, via the shop, for Visiting Day. The weather had begun to churn. Within a few hours, the roads would be sprinkled with a confetti of twigs shaken from the trees. The…

7.00 am: For the first ten minutes of the day I tried to sense the level of my health and well-being. In the best of weather, this is a gruelling day. In the present circumstances, I’d need a strength not of my own to see me through. ‘Move through your commitments, one at a time, and with joy.’ And keep…

The storm may roar without me,my heart may low be laid;but God is round about me,and can I be dismayed?(Anna Letitia Waring, ‘In Heavenly Love Abiding’ (1850)) Sunday, February 9: Monday, February 10: 8.00 am: A Communion. 8.45 am: The daily and weekly overview. There was the possibility of achieving a balance between time allocated to teaching, research, and admin…

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man (Proverbs 24.33-34). 7.45 am: ‘Lazy, lazy, lazy, John!’, came the voice of chastening. But they were right: ars longa vita brevis. At 5.30 am, while still in bed, tossing and…

7.45 am: A communion. 8.30 am: We’d had the hardest frost of the winter so far. Roofs, grass, roads, and vehicle windscreens were sugar coated. This is the first day of the season that has felt and looked as it should. 9.00 am: The beginning of a day’s third-year painting tutorials. I struck out with determination and ferocity. These days,…

7.30 am: Morning-tide: 8.00 am: A communion. 8.30 am: Into the fray, a work-at-home day, admin to slay, opinions to weigh: It’s the facelessness of admin that galls me most: writing letters in response to letters posted by people I don’t even know. I dislike entering into protracted debates, remotely. Face-to-face encounters enable you to look the other person in…