Gap in the wall

Since dawn the fields had baked in sunlight; the lake lay glassy; the sun was warped and reddish in the sky pale with heat.

The walk to FEUP takes me down cobbled streets, to a motorway. There’s a gap in the wall that gives access to a pedestrian bridge, which deposits me in another ancient part of town.

Dilapidated buildings, some derelict, give way to twentieth century, concrete modernity. Students swarm the campus, in the final week before their exams.

The keynote is from Prof Laurie Williams, an American academic. She urges us to be concerned about privacy and security. The practitioners in the audience voice their frustration.

Open space is opened by Charlie Poole, outside, in the sun. The session proposals are many and varied, despite a sub theme of “Diversity”. In many ways open space sounds more interesting than the formal program.

The afternoon is spent, not participating, but working. I close a sale and finish my slides for tomorrow. Matt and Steve work on fixing an elusive customer defect. Our accountant tells us, after two weeks of nagging, that they don’t think we should make the changes to the shareholders agreement that we want - another example of the unnecessary delay they bring to everything they touch.

Rob C arrives from London. He was delayed by the French air traffic control strike. We join Matt and Steve for a ridiculous eating experience nearby. The Cidade is a cross between a kebab shop and a posh restaurant. Upstairs, seated at perfectly laid tables, impeccably dressed waiters bring us fine wine and grilled meat. It’s a good night, despite the weariness of too little sleep, but I’m happy to get home before 11:00 and grab a full night of shuteye.