"unfortunately we did not decide in your favour"

Ouch. Would have been the perfect setting to celebrate good news, but in the end what can you do. Two years on from the Camino and I had thought things were lining up nicely. Oh well. All not lost and a good time in Banff all told. Now time to see if you can convince any other of the European schools to take a flyer. The experience in the application process was valuable, though, and hopefully it can assist in landing, as G. says "something as interesting or better."

What has resulted from all this, I think, is the decision to pursue the PhD soon. Given the state of this year, might make sense to hold out for another bonus, although sadly that means further delays until at least February. Contingent on offers, I guess, so no decision needed yet. It will be interesting to see if anything emerges in the next month as you wait for Cuba.