The reception itself was actually a whole lot more fun than I had expected. After Nate dragged me over to meet Luis, and we then bumped into Chris, and Euan and . . . (well you get the idea). For those of you who have not lived this site, you may not be aware that the band of dedicated folk who write here have, in many cases, not ever met. We send e-mails, read each other’s posts, and it was therefore, I hope, too great a let down when they all got to discover who I am (grin). The food and wine were a great lubricant to get conversations started (Secretary Schlesinger was there and easily accessible). And for those who wonder about the initial photo Dr Campbell was not only on hand to greet us all, but had arranged that a couple of Falconers bring their birds to join in the welcome. Customs are different in Ireland (where the birds are domestically raised) than they are in the United States (where the birds are taken from the wild, trained and ultimately released back) but many of the regulations and restrictions are common – it is not a hobby for the faint-at-heart.

And so, after a fine start (there were somewhat more than a hundred at this reception) we headed back for a “family dinner” of the TOD contributors (and if we missed dragging you along it was my fault – except I wasn’t sure who all was here). (And Prof G - we drank a toast to absent friends, with you very much in mind). I won’t share those photos with you (grin – just remember that I have them), but there is a synergetic boost that comes from meeting others as informed and committed as yourself to an idea that has to be experienced – it was a great start. Now if I could just survive the wine, tomorrow should be even better.