What a sweltering summer! My family and I are coming to the end of our sabbatical in Cambridge, where there has been no let-up and almost no rain for months. I’ve learnt to be like Greek island women, getting up early and doing anything which involves heat—cooking, dog-walking, gardening, washing and ironing—well before breakfast. I shall be back in Somerset, fully prepared for a degree of moisture, by the time this Diary is published. Please note my new address on the list of officers on the admin page.
Clare’s editorial will tell you about changes to the committee and some new vacancies for county representatives. Please do consider taking on this role if there is a vacancy in your area. It is interesting, sociable and not burdensome, unless you are inclined to make it so.
I am also seeking to relinquish my rôle as diary editor from June of next year. I shall have held the post for five years and edited 21 diaries. I feel it is now time for a fresh look at the Diary and its continued function. I won’t pretend it isn’t a busy job, but as electronic technology becomes increasingly the first call for information, the place of the Diary in published form is bound to change. It would be possible for a new person to have a dynamic relationship with our wonderful webmaster, Sara Scorey, and publish in a more immediate way in partnership with the website. This is all for the next person to fathom. If you are interested in taking over as editor, do please contact me, if you would like more information, or Clare Griffel if you would like to offer your time, ideas and expertise.
– Lindsey Shaw-Miller