I (David) have just returned from a trip to England, and to Paris – the latter destination was to attend an Interventional Cardiology conference, and no more needs be said about that.

The trip to England started with the rather sad event of attending the celebration of Aram Rudenski’s life.  He died last year and David his partner had arranged this celebration of all he did and achieved.  Aram had, indeed, done a great deal.  He was probably the brightest person I will ever meet in terms of raw intelligence.  I am proud that he considered me a good friend.  Even during his long and often distressing illness he always asked about me and my family, taking a great interest in the boys achievements and joy in their successes.  I had not realised some of his abilities, or at least the magnitude of his abilities.  He turned down an Open Scholarship in mathematics in order to study medicine at Cambridge.  He still was awarded a First, even after only doing the final year in maths.  his DPhil. was awarded for mathematical modelling of diabetes, and remains the cornerstone of that form of analysis of the disease.

On a more cheeful note, I went walking in the hills of the Lake District again.

With younger brother John, we climbed over Burnmoor to Eskdale, from Wasdale.  A very wet walk.  I was calf-deep in the bog at one point!

We also went on a walk around Malham Cove, the three brothers.

Also we went on a long train ride over the pass via Bethgelert from Caernarfon to Porthmadoc in Snowdonia.  This was on the Welsh Highland Railway, restored now to carry tourists over that journey, and truly spectacular it is.  We were hauled by one of the last Beyer-Garratts ever made.