I've been incredibly busy with stuff, so I've missed a couple of weeks. Actually, I can feel a blogging famine coming. The 1MAD project is nearing it's 100 days and I'm not sure whether to continue it. I have some other ideas, but it really is a function of time.

1. Quote of the week

"No one creed has a monopoly on spiritual truth." — Jonathan Sacks

Rabbi Sacks has adopted a more open view of world religion and has previously got into minor trouble over it. I was saddened that his Spectator event with Doug Murray was cancelled this week. Hopefully, it will be rescheduled soon.

2. What I'm reading

I have parked Thatcher: The Downing Street Years again. I will get around to it - it's a heavy read and you have to be in the right mood.

The week before last I attended a seminar about the BBC. Tom Mills has spent significant time researching the independence of the BBC. In his book The BBC he argues that the BBC has never been an independent organisation. It is an interesting read and I'm in the middle of it. You can purchase it from Amazon, but the Kindle edition is behind the print edition which has been revised with an additional chapter. If you purchase it from the link above from Verso books direct, you can get an e-book for free with the print copy - both have the new chapter.

3. What I'm doing in my free time/ENJOYING

Last weekend, I managed to cook a proper breakfast of Eggs Royale and a proper roast dinner. My arm ached during the day because it is not used to the motion. However the next day it was fine, which suggests that it was the right thing to exercise it. I successfully made Yorkshire Puddings, even whisking with my bad arm. The only thing I could not do is carve the meat. Cooking is something I love doing and I wish I could do more of it (and be better at it).

4. What I'm learning more about

Since I wrote one of these posts on Thinking Points, I obtained my Award in Education and Training. I didn't strictly need to do it, but I was able to get it with about four weeks of effort. I read and researched from well-known educational books, wrote approximately 36 essays of 400 words and prepared a micro-teach session, which I wrote about last time. It is an A-level equivalent level 3 qualification.

Most of the material is about tailoring the course to individual needs, being inclusive, respecting diversity and although these are important topics, I would have preferred to spend more time on actual teaching techniques.

So going forward in terms of study and learning: the material in my micro-teach session will eventually form part of a presentation on Mathematics in Brewing which I hope to give somewhere when the COVID crisis is over. Failing that I'll do it online.

In addition, last year I brewed a Barley Wine with one of the top brewers in London. We split the batch into six and pitched different yeast. We are still in the process of finishing the experiment because we need to beer to age a bit, but we will be writing this up as a paper.

There's always something to learn.