Summer recess / the silly season when nothing much of import seems to happen and when we should all probably adopt the French tradition of loosing ourselves with the entire family in some quiet little spot in Provence. No such luck however - some of us have to battle on in particularly hot and humid units and look forward to a fresh start in September. Well this year - having been freshly inspired and reinvigorated by our 17th Annual Conference - I shall not let the silly season pass and go to waste without quietly planning for our next years activities. Melanie is writing up the conference report and I do not want to steal her thunder - but I will say how delighted I was with the conference. We tried for a ‘new look’ and I believe we largely succeeded. It was wonderful to share the platform with our friends from ASPAN and welcome the nurse leaders from IARNA and SSARN. We had an excellent timeand taking them all to the Shepherd and Dog via narrow country lanes that the bus could hardly navigate was a definite master stroke.