"Thankful" - Josh Groban, 2007

John and I have lots to be thankful for, as we begin the final month of this year.

Firstly, John has accepted an IT position with a division of Oxford University, and he'll be starting this new job a week from today! After quite a few months of serious job hunting, he's very pleased...and I believe this will be an excellent opportunity for him!

Secondly, this Friday will be my final day of running training courses for my Oxford employer, after nearly six years of being part of the company's faculty. It will be my last trip to the same Canary Wharf client that I worked with early last week.

Now, I need to quickly say that I've really enjoyed teaching. I've met some very interesting people and have gone to some fascinating locations, all over the world. But the part I haven't enjoyed is being away from home so much. That's about to end, as a few months ago I requested a change of role to something purely office-based. So beginning in January, I will be helping write and edit courses, coach other faculty members, etc., etc. And the other piece of good news is that I'm cutting back my working hours to only three days/week! I've never been in a position to work only part-time before, so needless to say I'm really looking forward to having a bit more time for myself beginning next year.

And thirdly, my brother Larry (who lives in Texas) just spent the weekend with John and me. We had a really nice, relaxed weekend - getting caught up on family stories, enjoying the English countryside, and sharing good food and drink. For those of you who know my "little brother" (and, I guess, for those you don't as well), here are a few photos from yesterday...and you can click on any of them for a full-sized version.

Laughing siblings

My two favorite men, near our house - and note the very "British" weather!




Larry enjoyed his pint at the nearest of our community's multiple drinking establishments


Janet