I’m in that mad ‘trying to get everything done before the holidays’ zone. The last few pieces of the jigsaw are starting to fall into place, so the stress is just starting to fade and I can look forward to my break.

One of the great reliefs was the plumber coming yesterday and fixing both our toilets and a dripping shower – for normal people the toilets would be the priority, but for a Sustainability professional, watching water dripping down the plug hole at a time of drought was a form of mental torture. I’m sure our house-sitting friends will appreciate both being fixed.

Tomorrow, I’m, whisper it, flying to Iceland for two weeks to see the eclipse. Again a dollop of guilt is the burden of the Sustainability Professional, but we haven’t flown anywhere for our holidays for as long as I can remember – it might be as long ago as 2018 – so I think we’re allowed a pass on that one. But there’s that illogical but pervasive social meme that if you have opposed airport expansion, as I have, you’re a hypocrite if you ever darken a departure gate. Fortunately I’m only likely to be challenged by my own conscience…

Housekeeping: I’ve scheduled a set of ‘Words of Wisdom’ compilation podcast episodes for why I’m away along with August’s Low Carbon Agenda. E-mail/phone responses, blogs and social media interventions will depend on time, inspiration and internet access etc.

See you when I get back!