I have managed to squeeze another handbell ringing session into our already packed schedule. One of our ringers in Glasgow, Iain, has returned to ringing in his retirement after learning to handle at Inveraray a long time ago and then spending many years working abroad. He is keen on trying handbells, so yesterday I invited him and Seph to my office for the first of what I hope will become a regular session before the tower bell practice.

We had a good session and Iain got to grips with the coursing position for plain hunting on six, on both the trebles and the tenors. We also spent some time on a ringing theory tutorial, explaining dodging, place-making, bobs and place bells. We don't get enough opportunities to systematically cover those kind of points during the tower bell practices.

Thinking ahead and dreaming of future glory, I am already pondering a dilemma about how to report any hypothetical publishable performances that might take place in my office. The traditional address of the department is 17 Lilybank Gardens, but due to the construction of our new extension a few years ago, we are now officially in the Sir Alwyn Williams Building. However, internally we still use the numbering system of the original row of terraced houses, so there is an argument for 14 Lilybank Gardens as the address of my office. Naturally, it is vitally important to pick one address and use it consistently for all reports... but it's probably safe to postpone further deliberation until we can at least ring a touch of Bob Minor with the newly constituted office band.