Well, these have not been the years any of  us had expected or planned for. But I've certainly been one of the lucky ones. I could not go to Hong Kong during March/April, but have been able to sit in my garden room and work quietly. Thinking about it, I'm not sure when I would have finished Women, Crime and the Courts if it had been a normal year!
 
I had been looking forward to going to the wonderful West Cork History Festival 2020 in Skibbereen at the beginning of August, but the organisers had to (reluctantly) decide to postpone it until next year. I'm delighted that they still want me to talk at it then. Meanwhile there is lots on their website, including a weekly round-up, and they plan to have some talks online this year. I was going to stay at my lovely Gladstone's Library on the way back from Cork, but that, sadly, is closed at the moment. It is the most wonderful resource, where you can actually sleep with the books (good accommodation in the library itself) and well worth a trip to north Wales when its back up and running.
 
The Naval Dockyards Society is holding its re-scheduled conference for 2020, on 31st October. It was to have been at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, but now online. Entitled 'Where empires collide', programme and joining details here.
 
Between 4th and 7th August, a joint project of the (Centre for Catholic Studies), Chinese University of Hong Kong, Kung Kao Po (newspaper) and the Catholic Diocesan Archives hosts an online conference entitled The History of the Hong Kong Catholic Church in the 20th century. I was due to speak at this on the lay contribution to the church in the years up to and including the occupation of Hong Kong, but having lost my spring trip, was unfortunately unable to complete the research needed. But the conference looks interesting and is free to attend on Facebook Live (link on the poster) although the timings are quite late for those in Europe!