2007-06-30 - 10:05 a.m.

...a short missive from Norwich...

I've almost made it through the most difficult travel portion of my trip, and I've definitely made it through the most mentally challenging part.

I gave my talk at the Royal Society of London on Wednesday, and after I stressed excessively over it, it was a swimming success. One person said it was the best presentation of the day; another told me that the work represented a 'paradigm shift' for the field. I had no lack of conversation over lunch, and was bombarded with questions and ideas. hee. I love coming to Europe. This scientific community feels like home.

On Thursday I traveled to Cambridge for an intense meeting at a research institute there, and then on to Norwich for meetings on Friday. And once again, all with colleagues who feel like close, old friends. It's been wonderful to produce ideas and watch them flourish and grow amongst the group here.

I'm now on my way back to London for the weekend, before hopping into a train to Germany on Monday. There I will spend roughly 24 hours with my in-laws before moving on to more research discussions in my former East German haunts.

The lavender is all in bloom, as is the honeysuckle. The gardens are rich and beautiful, and the air smells of rain. It's lovely to come back.

okay - it's probably time for me to scoot off to catch my bus to the station. much more later.