more superpowers

I had an NHS health check today.  Apparently I should have been invited every 5 years since turning 40, but the invitation letter I got a few weeks ago was the first I'd heard of it.  So I went along, had my height, weight, and blood pressure measured, answered some questions about exercise and diet, and had a couple of vials of blood taken for a set of tests.  I should get those results the end of next week.

Then they said I was eligible for the pneumococcal vaccine, and did I want it?  Of course!  After all, who wants pneumonia?  (I had my Covid and flu boosters a couple of months ago.)  When I got back home, I looked it up.  Not only does it protect against pneumonia, but also meningitis, sepsis, sinusitis and ear infections!  And it lasts forever: it doesn't have to be boosted annually.  Excellent.

view from a hotel window

I've just arrived in Dublin for a project meeting.  Yes, I know I'm supposed to have retired, but I'm finishing off a few existing commitments ... before I start some new ones.

This will be our last trip to Dublin on this particular project, so we need to wrap up who's writing which paper, have a nice meal, and say goodbye to some great colleagues.

tis the season to bring trees indoors

We got our tree a few days ago, but left it in the conservatory for a few days, before bringing it in to be dressed.

tree indoors

with lights, tinsel, baubles, and lametta

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CXLVI

If you follow my book reviews over on my website, you may have noticed several reviews for Great Courses lecture series.  Each course is 12-48 lectures, on DVD, accompanied by a coursebook.  These make great watching while, say, eating lunch.  We wait until interesting courses are on special offer, and have watched many of these, from science and economics to literature and history.

Recently, Great Courses decided to discontinue several of their DVDs, leaving only streaming options.  We dislike this, so have bought up a load of cheap courses while they are still available.  These should last us a while!

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CXLV

I am beginning to catch up with my book databasing backlog.  Here's the batch from the end of October.

Doctor Who meets Rocky Horror

I am in awe of the effort that must go into this.  It's brilliant -- especially the two different "jump to the left" scenes.

sequestering carbon, several books at a time CXLIV

These are some books we bought in York on the way home from our Scottish holiday in August, some undatabased books I discovered when I packed up my office in October, plus a few maths books related to a potential retirement project I'm thinking about.