ABSTRACT
In a matter of weeks after my return from East Africa in February 1985 I began to be aware that Sarah had found a partner, Michael Wilson, a microbiologist at the Eastman Dental Institute at the University of London, whom she would later marry. It took me some time to grasp the implications of this for my future life, but as I gradually did so, I realised that it must greatly affect the issue of when I should retire. I would reach the statutory age limit in three years in any case, but I could decide to go sooner, and the more I thought about it, the more attractive the prospect appeared. I did not really need to keep up two establishments just for myself, nor did I like the idea of daily commuting from Frilsham without a London base. Above all, I realised that I wanted as soon as possible to free myself from academic administration and to devote most of my working time to The African Experience. My presidency of the British Institute in Eastern Africa could go on and would provide me with the opportunities for further African travels. So could my chairmanship of the Minority Rights Group, which was beginning to acquire an international dimension with the formation of national groups in other countries. Above all, I was sure that I wanted to go on living at Frilsham. My books and papers were there. I loved my garden and my seasonally changing view of the Pang Valley. And, increasingly, I valued my proximity to Douai Abbey and the ecumenical values represented there. By November 1985 I felt sure enough of my decision to send in a letter of resignation, effective in September 1986.
