It has been a quietly emotional – and long – morning. It started at eight with a Presidency breakfast (the President, Vice-Presidents and Group Presidents, meeting together with the SG to discuss any problematic issues on the agendas of the forthcoming Bureau and Plenary Session meetings). Both the outgoing (Dimitris Dimitriadis) and the incoming (Mario Sepi) Presidents were present, and there was a gentle sense of the baton being passed. Dimitris called me in afterwards to give me a good luck present, a beautiful pen. I was deeply touched. Our Greek members have been very attentive to me. The incoming Vice-President Irini Pari, for example, gave me a good luck charm of a pomegranite badge. Clearly, the beginnings of things are very important to them, and I am touched by their supportive attentiveness. I keep the charm in my wallet and flash it at Irini whenever I have to participate in important meetings. This morning I was flashing it like Billyo because I had my first Bureau meeting. I had to take a solemn oath and then help the President as he chaired the meeting. Occasionally I took the floor but, in truth, the meeting passed off well and peaceably. As I write, the three Groups are meeting to prepare their lists of candidates for election to the various offices and bodies of the Committee. Tomorrow morning the ‘renewal’ plenary session will meet to elect the Committee’s office holders and then the new Bureau meets. It’s a hectic and exciting period in the Committee’s lifecycle. Watch this spot!