Hello 2020! As is tradition now, I thought I would post some things I am proud of this year. It has been tough and challenging but there have been moments of joy and happiness too.

We bought a house. I absolutely love it. I love being able to paint the walls and hang up pictures.

Because we bought our own house, we adopted Pan Cat. She of joy-filled play, squeaks, and midnight zoomies has utterly won our hearts.

I learnt to ask for help at work. And to set boundaries. The whole burnout debacle of mid-year changed the way I approach work, and is influencing decisions I make now.

We had a wonderful time visiting my family in South Africa. I only wish we could see them more often.

I took myself to Rome for a cooking day with Rachel Roddy and Carla Tomasi, at Latteria Studio. It was one of the highlights of my year, coming at precisely the time I needed to reflect on what was going on at work. It reminded me of why I love food, and food people.

I continued to extract myself from academic work, slowly but surely.

So that was 2019. I am looking forward to 2020, hoping it is slightly easier but ready to welcome whatever happens.

I have also decided to suspend writing here for a while. There is a lot going on at the moment and I feel I need one less thing needing doing each week. I am sure I will return, but until then, wishing you all a very happy 2020.