You may note from bkkeepr that I have started reading the PRINCE2 manual. It's heavy going, but not too unfamiliar. I go on the course in early October, hoping to walk away with the 'practitioner' badge.

Also reading 'the Oxford Handbook of Byzantine Studies' but I haven't put that on bkkeepr yet.

Currently sitting with Jessica on Hilbre Island watching seals through binoculars. Will need to leave in about an hour before the tide comes in. The seals are fantastic, lazing around on a sandbank and bobbing around in the water in front of us. Jessica is writing notes in her seal diary.

Pictures of us on today's walk in the Clywdian Range. Fabulous walking in early autumn sunshine. Note Alex pretending to be Indiana Jones in my new silly hat.

I can't note what I'm currently reading through bkkeepr. It's "The Imperial Administrative System in the Ninth Century" by J B Bury. Still the book on the middle Byzantine civil service, but not in print. I found a pdf for free download. I'll have to root out the URL and post it. Anyway, I've nearly finished and I'm then moving onto "The Oxford Handbook of Byzantine Studies".

Will post on the kids school progress later (on the bus perhaps?).

Jessica is home, and it sounds like the first day has gone very well. She said everyone was friendly and helped her find her way around. I haven't found out much about her classes yet, but at least she's happy about the whole thing. Great relief all around!

Put Jessica on the bus to new school this morning. She was incredibly nervous. Fingers crossed it went OK.

Back at work now, haven't really posted over my leave period - been too busy! The holiday in Northumbria was magnificent. The weather just about held for us, and the coastline was wonderful. I'll post some pictures of it some other time.

Alex is now back at his new school, and Jessica begins secondary school (!) tomorrow. She's very nervous, but is holding it in well. We chose the school for it's pastoral care, so fingers crossed everything will be OK. I'll post an update after tomorrow with how it went.

Work is quite quiet, although my project rumbles on, having been off for a couple of weeks quite a bit has been picked up by others, so it will take a while to reintegrate myself.

And Deb has now begun her leave. She doesn't go back to work until December!

So it's all go here.