Weeknote 176

Tuesday I was Edinburgh-bound ahead of three days at the Service Design in Government conference. The journey north was a smooth four hours by train along the scenic East Coast route, followed by dinner with former colleagues. From there, it was a short bus ride to my hotel on the waterfront in Leith. Wednesday and Thursday were spent attending a range of talks across the conference's multiple tracks. I also took time out between sessions to walk in nearby Holyrood Park and prepare for my presentation later in the week. A good number of my colleagues also attended this year so it was nice to spend some time with them for dinner at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant. Friday was the day allocated for my presentation. Predictably, it was the least well attended day of the event, but nevertheless a reasonable crowd turned up for my session. The lectern microphone failed and I always dislike having to use a handheld microphone, particularly when there isn't a lapel mic available. It threw me…