Rainy weather and thesis writing joined forces to lock me up inside a bit more than I would like in the first months of 2018, yet that is a pattern that I am determined to break.

Because what is nicer than a stroll through a sun-blazed world? We did get lucky recently with some beautiful winter weather, in anticipation of what I strongly believe to become a perfect spring.

Next week, I will exchange the cold weather for the soft Mediterranean spring of Portugal, where I will be joining a meeting of the International Biogeographic Society, to discuss the recent state of our knowledge on species distributions.

No complaints about the beautiful nature of Flanders, but a bit of the Iberian peninsula will not hurt either, I suppose, so I hope I can soon offer you all some more exotic pictures and stories than those in this post.