Thanks to our contributors
February is a strange month to produce a magazine. Of course, for most of us, by this time, the festive period has long since drifted into the past; but for us ever-industrious editors, it’s not so simple.
You see the gestation period for a magazine is a long one. People often send me stories and expect them to appear in the next issue, even if that’s only a week or two later. It’s probably because we are all conditioned now to online communications that can be virtually instantaneous. But a magazine is different. It has to be compiled, photos collected, designed, proofed, and then prepared for digital publishing – and all the stories have to come together at the same time. That’s why, the ‘copy date’ for this issue, the date by which everything has to be with me, was very early in January.
Now that’s a very long way of explaining why, producing a magazine in February, is tricky. All the information must be gathered while half the world is stuffing turkeys or watching re-runs of It’s a Wonderful Life. And so, I offer a particularly heart-felt thank you to those who have contributed to this issue. Despite the obvious challenges, it seems we have packed in plenty of stuff to tickle your fancy.
If you are in the UK, you’ll be interested in the report on the property market and, I hope, you will pay particular attention to the story about the new removals apprenticeship: it’s been a long time coming but very welcome now it’s here. Those in the US will, I am sure, be interested in reading John Chipman’s piece about the GHC. If you are up on all things sustainable, I know you’ll want to read the story about green methanol – sounds too good to be true, and might be, but fascinating anyway. Our cover story from Brielle Jones potentially offers an element of diversification for some. It seems, also, that Gen Z (twenty-somethings I think), might not be quite as au fait with AI as older generations might have expected. Oh dear!
By the time you get to read this you will be on the cusp of, what I hope, is a new and profitable ‘silly season’. I wish you all good fortune and look forward to receiving your stories, for future issues, as we all find a way to navigate our way through.