Phew I am exhausted! The conference was great, it was very good to see a lot, and I mean a lot of old friends from all over the world and have time to talk to them. Scotland was beautiful, it is a stunning country and it was lovely to stay at my sister's cottage in the wilds opposite Loch Tummel. It was interesting in some ways how the papers at the conferences have changed though and I am not convinced that biologistists will actually have any legs by the end of the century, because many fo them are papers written with data from computers. So many of the papers were completely mystifying models of stuff, with spatial variations and temporal something or others and probably a time space continueum as well!! At least half the time I had no idea what the hell they were talking about. I used to be able to go to papers and learn about species, now I am damned if I know what I learn! But it was the in between bits that are always important and they were the same as ever. I think my paper went OK, I hope so anyway.

I had a good trip back, although the wind on the way down through scotland and northern england was vicious. I had to fight to hold the car on the road in several places, and as I approached the Forth Road Bridge the signs kept changing, first it was closed to High sided vehicles, then high vehicles, then vans, then caravans, then motorbikes, I thought I was not going to get over the damn thing. However I made it back ................. just, the bloody Range Rover died on the last mile - again. I hope I can get it fixed, normally I can't break Range Rovers

You might remember the phone - and the lack of it last week. Well, when Colin came to fix it, after a few minutes he came out with a big grin on his face and I knew instantly that it was something silly!! I had checked the plug and all the obvious things, however he took me by the arm and led me into my office and pointed out that the cable going to the underneath of the works box was not happy. The Puppies had obviously pulled at it and not quite unplugged it, but moved it enough that the connection was no longer working!!

Puppies who would have them!! Actually they were very pleased to see me and I was very pleased to see them and all the other dogs as well. They, the puppies that is are now curled up behind me on my office chair, which gives me little room I have to say.

The weather is set fair for tomorrow, I will see all the birds and fly as many as I can, walk the dogs, do the washing, try to sort out the damn car and be glad to be home. Every time I drive back here, after having had no home for myself, the birds or the dogs for so long I thank the Chenevix Trench family for helping us all to get back here.