Susan Timberlake, Chief of the Human Rights and Law Division is celebrating her retirement after nearly 10 years with UNAIDS and nearly 30 within the UN system. She is an amazing inspiration. Born in Georgia, USA, she still retains that slight southern lilt despite her decades in Europe. Truthfully she gives me a touch of homesickness. Having played so many Southern women on the stage, not to mention having grown up in North Cackalaky, I have a penchant for that particular blend of sass, fierceness, and flirt that Southern US women manage to cultivate. Ms. Timberlake is a powerhouse in a tiny package. Be afraid any that underestimate her.

The whole programme turned out for Ms. Timberlake's going away party. My supervisor Richard hosted in a eye-catching suit, her department put on a play of their own creation, and even Michel Sidibé turned out to dance and say some lovely words. She was presented with a wild sculpture of a horse that I'm sure will find a prominent place in her home.