The snowday was a bother. We intended to go to Leeds, for my book talk, via Chester to visit my cousin and then via elderly friends in Yorkshire. I was feeling overwhelmed by impending deadlines so we dropped the Chester visit. Then Julian got a cold and it didn’t seem fair to inflict that on the elderly friends and then it began to snow. I booked a train to Leeds but on Sunday morning it was snowing heavily and the Cross Country Trains website warned of severe delays and cancellations, so I decided to stay home. Luckily I had recorded my 15 minute presentation and sent it to the FEPOW History team so that they could at least play that. I was very sad to miss the opportunity to meet them all though.

So, I had Saturday to Tuesday free to prepare my lecture on vascular changes at birth and to read the proofs for Stranger In My Heart. Phew! The proofs are my final chance to make any changes and correct any errors and it was essential to read all 75,000 words very carefully. It’s done and returned to the editorial department, along with all the permissions from other publishers allowing me to quote copyrighted works in my book. For my lecture I have to do a lot of research and it takes time to find relevant papers, read and understand them and then convert them into a clinically relevant presentation. I’m not there yet but I have made a good start. Best of all, it feels like the pressure is off a bit.

In other news, I’ve seen some draft designs for my book cover, but we’re not quite finalised yet. I’m also busy planning a party to celebrate the launch of the book. Exciting times!