I just gathered the dough, Hollis I think was the addressee for the bear swag. We were only down for a year iirc.
The badger loot I still have in a Paypal hole, didn't find an equivalently straightforward sponsorship option at the time. If one now exists, it can go thattaway.
Back from London last night. Went to the protest on Saturday, which was OK. There's always a lack of real anger at these things, which doesn't seem right somehow. Anyway, about 10k people turned up (according to my best guess), so that's not bad.
Good to see everyone on Friday. Shame I couldn't stay longer, and I probably owe everyone a drink. Next time.
But seriously, it was lovely to meet you, and Mrs B too, who put up with a table full of geeks gamely, and who gave me the opportunity to break out my extensive Turkish skills.
But yes: to echo others - really good to meet you Jon, and your missus was indeed surprisingly tolerant of the chat! You done good, and I think her admiration of my pile of shame softened her attitude somewhat: she obviously realised she could do a lot worse than she's managed.
Grats also on the viva going well. Hope that helps with nailing down a postdoc place somewhere; do let us know if you're passing through the big smoke again, as further invites to beer would be well received.