Thursday, May 14th, 2009 05:15 pm
So I think my blogging presentation for my school went well this morning. It was much better attended than I expected, with my audience including the Dean as well as some loyal friends (including my dear [personal profile] lidocafe, who laughed at all the right places and gave me confidence) and quite a lot of people from other departments, which was great. Of course, afterwards, I thought of all the things that I should have said, and that I should have been better organized and blah, blah, blah, but overall I think it was okay.

The Dean's keynote speech was very good, and I also went to a presentation on teaching in Dubai which was interesting and incited my travel and adventure envy... (swift slap on the side of the head).

It is a lovely spring day, and I was tired and needed to de-stress, so I played hooky from everything this afternoon and took Robinson for a walk in the woods. Although the sun is bright, it's still not terribly warm. My garden seems to have leapt into bloom almost over-night, as if it was wearing its woollies during the grey cold days and now the sun's shining it's suddenly thrown on a t-shirt and shorts, just like we do. My icelandic poppies are suddenly out, and the wigelia is blooming (it's the one with variegated leaves and pink flowers) and the first cornflower is blooming in the perennial bed. I still have an awful lot of weeding and planting to do - well, it's a long weekend, so perhaps I'll have some time.

Just now I was watching two hummingbirds whizzing up and down in the sky, and a while ago I took some photographs of one and a Mysterious Yellow Bird that was lurking in my pear tree. I haven't downloaded and processed them yet, but will post anything interesting perhaps later.

Tomorrow there's a department meeting, and a contract management committee meeting, and then finally I'll have some time to myself for my own work (except that I now have agreed to meet with one of my audience members to talk about blogging, but not until the week after next).
Friday, May 15th, 2009 01:08 am (UTC)
I enjoyed your presentation. Of course, with me, you were preaching to the converted, but I've been meaning to investigate blogging for my classes and you inspired me to get on it.

It was a lovely afternoon, and I'm glad you got away. The moment I left the college, my spirits soared at the blue sky. I did drop by the pub on the way home and it was a small crowd, but I had a few laughs.

Sorry to have called a meeting tomorrow, but one needs a regular dose of outrage after all . . . :)
Sunday, May 17th, 2009 04:22 am (UTC)
Congratulations on the presentation!

Maybe your yellow bird is a yellow warbler?
Image
Sunday, May 17th, 2009 04:35 pm (UTC)
Actually, it was a Wilson's Warbler. My own photo of it is blurry, but I can see its black cap quite distinctly :)
Sunday, May 17th, 2009 05:00 pm (UTC)
I just Googled Wilson's Warbler--how pretty!