Florence

Well here i am in Florence. I've been here for just on five days with most of these taken up with the MIRCI conference.

Travel means pretty much heaps of walking so as usual this has been my pass-time. I spent much of the first day familiarizing myself with the area, and using a combination of a hard copy map and google maps i found the university campus - along the way being stunned by the Duomo.

Today,  Saturday I'll be visiting the Ufizzi gallery and tomorrow have a look inside the Duomo, the Bapistry and the associated museum.

But first up thought I'd give some overview thoughts on the conference. As per usual the conference was packed and intense. The organisers are strict about time and so generally after a quick coffee and snack the papers begin. There are usually parallel sessions with three or four papers in each. There is a fifteen minute break inbetween and one hour for lunch.

The keynotes Petra Bueskens, Genevieve Vaughan and Andrea OReilly were all engaging and had much to say. The parallel sessions cover a wide array of topics, disciplines and perspectives - all on the experience of women as mothers - theory or practice.

There was terrific energy and enthusiasm at the conference which leaves one with the feeling that there will be no holding back of such a movement.

I was delighted to have touched base with either health professionals or professors who are concerned with maternal health and wellbeing and as it turns out this is the theme for the next MIRCI conference that will take place in Toronto, Canada next year.

But i was also delighted to hear about the work of younger women, be they activists, artists or working on a PHD in literature who are all taken up on related topics. I've got to know new colleagues from Canada and the USA and strengthened connections with others I've known for some years.

Overall a wonderful experience and so glad i came.