Christmas party postponed

I had a week and a half between my return from the US and a trip to London for a delayed PRI Christmas party. During that interlude, I played golf a few times, met a few work deadlines, cleaned the house, walked the dog – in other words back in the harness.

I flew to London 17 Jan, returning 19 Jan. It was great to be in London with all the bright young mission-driven people at PRI. They are like a shot in the arm for me. Editing alone in my house isn't exactly energising. I met with one of the people who works directly with signatories (Annaig, who is French and stunning). Also with the lovely lively young Nigerian woman who handles social media. And the English woman working on multi-asset strategies on the guidance team. And the American (from Boston) handling development of PRI Academy courses (one of which I'm to edit). And the English man who is our fixed income expert (who is my favourite writer and who is leaving to join Columbia Threadneedle :-(.

I had a 41-page board document dumped on me – with a request for a one-day review. Ha ha. I met with the CEO's aide to explain the fundamental problems with the document (after getting through 16 pages) and asked the writers to take another crack at it.

After two days of networking & editing, on to the party on the 12th floor/roof of a hotel near our office. It started at 6pm and I left at 9:15 pm. I was networked out (the party went on until midnight with an after party until 3 a.m.– as I said, it's a very young demographic).

I had three Very Important Conversations during my London visit. I have a 5-week sabbatical this year and I have half-baked plans to write a book on environmental issues in Ulster. I didn't realise how much knowledge is sitting around at PRI just waiting to be tapped. I got one great idea from a woman who has written 17 books (on architecture and design), another from a woman who spent 20 years at DEPRA (Rural Affairs being the last two letters of the acronym), and another idea from a woman who worked for the Royal Statistical Society. What a gold mine! My half-baked idea feels a bit more like I have a lot of the ingredients and the oven is preheating.

Below are the members of what once was the Communications team, now dispersed to four other teams (and not entirely happy about it). PRI parties have an obligatory photo booth.

Back at home, on Saturday morning, Paddy visited the vet after a bit of stick was caught in the teeth at the back of his mouth. Luckily Catherine, his housesitter, was there, so he stayed calm and he was sorted quickly. Then to a French bakery, then brunch with Ben (QUB student), then a visit with Ann, whose dad died a week ago and who was offered eclairs and a croissant. We talked of her travels in Uganda, from where she returned early to see her dad, and of her dad's funeral, held at the church I attended in Derry in the late 1970s.

Saturday afternoon and Sunday, I did a lot of nothing. My London trip kind of caught up with me. And the wind and rain meant staying close to home. Below, an arrangement from the lobby in my London office building.

21 Jan.