My bags are packed

I’m leaving. After nearly fourteen years it’s surprisingly hard to write those words without a twinge of regret. Museums have been my passion and working in East Lothian has been the largest chunk of my professional life. I will miss the place, the people, the collections, the things we have done and the exciting things we are planning to do. How could I not?

I’m leaving on a jet plane. Although I do know when I’ll be back again - in August, when I fly back to the UK to accompany the rest of my family back to New Zealand. And though I hate to leave, it’s also exciting: new job, new opportunities. One thing I have learned in my time here is that you have to grab oportunities when they present themselves - they may not recur. But as ever by doing one thing you close off the opportunity to do other things with the same resources of time or money. There’s no point worrying about what might have happened if other choices had been made. To quote CS Lewis in the Magician’s Nephew (and it’s not often that the Narnia books get quoted!):

Make your choice, adventurous stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger,
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had

Still, I’ll be able to keep in touch. East Lothian will be just a hyperlink away. Unlike Charn.

One Response to “My bags are packed”

  1. Ingrid Beazley Says:

    Just come across this post of yours. I was sorry for a moment that you had left for New Zealand, but then, practically, East Lothian is as far from London as where you are now. Hope everything is going well down there.
    If you have a chance, look at our new - ish Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery blog, Dulwich OnView. Its not only about the Gallery but its location and its community, and its run by the community and not reliant on Gallery employees for anything but articles. Just as well as we put up about 8 new ones a week! Check it out. http://dulwichonview.org.uk

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