For the first time in just over a decade of research and teaching, I have a sabbatical and the Sondheim lyric ‘excited and scared’ seriously applies here. The sabbatical has been awarded as I have a number of publications to finish and complete, and the extra time to work through them will eventually help develop my teaching practice.

But for now, as I walked to the coffee shop (I’m determined to keep step count up and keep moving) I wanted to call my Dad and tell him how excited I am. He died in July, and the gut instinct to call him first hasn’t gone yet, and I’m not sure it entirely will. But in the meantime, I’m sat in the coffee shop, with his old fountain pen and a large cup of tea. I mean, I’ve put my purple ink in his pen, but in a tiny way, he’s here at the beginning of this writing journey with me.