HELLO THERE!

Hello!  I guess I ought to start by explaining why I'm bothering to write this blog...

I am fellow and tutor in medieval history at St John's College, Oxford.  I love my job, and fourteen months ago, I was blessed with a wonderful little boy.  It was a real wrench going back to work, and two weeks later, I became very ill and had to spend a long time in hospital - I'm lucky now to be alive.  All this has shifted my perspective somewhat.  Most of all, it has reminded me why I do what I do - and it was my brother's idea to try to express that on a day-to-day basis in a blog.  I'll be exploring how the perspectives and ways of thinking afforded by the study of medieval history can shape our reactions to current events and our sense of how we should behave in the modern world.  

This doesn't mean that I'm claiming we can straightforwardly learn from the mistakes of history, nor does it mean that history can be reified into some kind of edifying moral tale.  And I certainly reserve the right to say not particularly intelligent things sometimes!  

But the idea is that I will share my responses to current events, to books I have read (not necessarily medieval), and talk a little about the experience of being a working mum who loves and believes in her work, but misses being with her little boy the entire time!