2026 Summer session: Week 4

Hello!

Thank you all so much for sharing the small beautiful things you noticed this week. I really enjoyed reading them, sorry for not getting comments in for everyone earlier in the week, it has been a long week…

I’m still traveling and have jumped forward in time to a full spring with blossoms everywhere, amazing what being on a slightly more southerly island can do. So, the picture of the week is two of my favourite blossoms: apple and ornamental plum. I love the colour contrasts between the outside and inside petals of the apple blossom, and between the leaves and the blossoms of the ornamental plum. Somehow the contrast makes both colours for each shine.

So, from that… The theme of the week is contrast and harmony… Do you have two or more contrasting things/themes/approaches in your work that brings out the best in both? Do you have two contrasting parts of your personality that make a good pair? Do you have a colleague with a contrasting style of working that somehow fits with yours and creates a dream team of collaboration?

 Goals below as always... Have a great week!

 JaneB

SELF-CARE:
* 3x20 intentional movement, 1 x making, 2 x small things with people, reading every day (with dinner, in waiting times)
** make pretty list of different making methods and projects I might play with this summer: pick up one thing from it I haven't done for a while
HOME AND ENVIRONMENT:
* 75% of chores
** make nice looking lists of the steps for the living room, the smaller tasks and the finances
** braindump the clothes projects
** think generally about what might get done when
TEACHING AND ADMIN:
* more assessment-related bureaucracy
* one block of summer teaching tasks (which may need to be squeezed in in hours here and there around the meetings, sigh)
* one block of time on Icky Admin Task
* roughly map out what might get done when this summer, and prioritise if needed
RESEARCH:
* submit small group paper if people reply
* continue calm systematic exploration of the laptop problem.
* write draft text for second set of results from modelling problem
** schedule meeting for teaching related project

Susan

1. Finish microfilms
2. Clear out office
3. Meet with incoming chair to go over looming issues.
4. Have fun with friends
5. Make sure final pieces are in place for condo purchase
6. Set up internet, electricity, and gas for the condo.
6. Stay zen

Julie

1. Three days on Big Article
2. Meeting with one mentee, email the other.
3. Print reviewers' comments on 5,000 piece & decide on responses (revising piece is something to add to Session goals).
4. House/life admin: travel insurance, research activities for summer trip, post book club swap, look for new chair, FIL's birthday.
5. Self-care/fun: run x 3, find weights/pilates class, read, journal, carry on watching addictive TV series

DEH

-file travel voucher
-get mulch for veg patch
-finish Overdue Essay (now TRQ)
-produce readable conference paper (also now TRQ)
-regular PT exercises, swim x2, bike x2, weights x2
-finish booking August trip

heu mihi
1. Add last few article summaries to Festschrift intro
2. Process two Festschrift article revisions
3. Process new journal submission
4. Write 5000 words (let's be bold!)
5. Italian x 5, exercise x usual, sit x 3
6. Clean my house a little more thoroughly than usual ahead of weekend visit from parents

Daisy

Stay on top of admin 
Continue planning and get a summer schedule sorted
Review data and future publication plans with field trip people
Eat a few salads