Beyond the Drawbridge

Those of you who have been paying attention will remember that I’ve been invited to London at the end of August. Between you, me and the wireless router, this is a bit of a jolly.

There’s the rather intriguing Blogging Conference organized by Nature, and the possibility of a Web 2.0 conference in Southampton the day after. Mr JM wouldn’t pay for me to go to them (and I don’t really blame him) but I did have the gall to approach the Dean of Science and ask for money.

Somewhat to my surprise, he agreed (after a ‘vigorous’ management meeting) — on condition that the School stumped up an equal forty ponies of your Ostraylian Dorrars. And even more to my surprise, the HoD agreed in a matter of minutes.

I have to prostitute myself for the Faculty and the Department, but it means I get a few days in London, perhaps give a seminar at my old gaff, and get to see my family — especially my dad, on his 64th birthday. Chuffed, we is. My tickets are booked.

All that remains is for me to figure out how to make the Dean and Arthur, King of the MMBians, feel like they’ve got their money’s worth.

So in a sudden fit of milky human kindness I’m going to celebrate one of our inner circle’s success.

(The Black Knight does not consider the previous sentence to be among his finest work.)

I am delighted to report that Brunhilde ven den Berg from our school was awarded an Excellence in Teaching Citation at the Faculty of Science Prizes Ceremony last night.

Yay! Someone who actually does something got a prize!

Drinks on Brunhilde then, chaps?