Polar returns

As Nokve Viking descended towards Umeå Airport last night, I was struck not only by the bright white glow of Venus in the western sky but also by a sudden awareness that we are all hurtling through space on a fragile, molten rock (to paraphrase John Lithgow).

Once on the ground, it was -11 degrees, and southern England – with its hibernating palm trees –  suddenly felt very far away. I now have eight weeks here in Umeå, weeks that will be filled mostly with teaching and grading (and perhaps a little running) before I head across to Vaasa for that conference on social science didactics.

Just today, I spent five hours in the classroom discussing everything from perfectionism to constitutionalism, which made a mini bottle of cheap Pinot Grigio from Marks & Spencer feel entirely justified. And of course, I could not resist taking a photo of my medal from South Devon Ultra ;-)