Friday, May 31, 2013

Memorial Day Weekend




Memorial Day weekend was lovely.  Fran and I celebrated an anniversary on Friday.  We looked at houses on Saturday, and Sunday we headed to the car boot sale.  I found a 1950s CLUE (or Cluedo) board game which made me real excited.  And a US to metric converting bowl.  Yuss! The amount of meals I've ruined by not getting them right is pretty embarrassing. Monday we headed to a country park around Morpeth and drove along some of the roads Fran cycled last fall in his epic trip from Edinburgh to Newcastle.  We fought a load of angry swans for our picnic and found some geese and their little goslings! So cute.

This week has seen an end to invigilation. The library is now quiet again. Preparing for conferences over the summer. Still in a reading funk, but tepidly making my way through Crime and Punishment.  I love them Russians.  So wonderfully good. Missing the heat from home and wishing I were there to pick strawberries. 

Monday, May 20, 2013

A Scottish wedding

At Alex and Shona's wedding-- May 18, 2013

On Saturday we headed up to Edinburgh for our first Scottish wedding. It was so lovely. We saw so many familiar faces, had so many hugs and catch-ups, so many congratulations-- it made us realize how very long indeed it has been since we did live in Edinburgh (July 2012) and far too long since we visited our church. Such a family, such a home.

The wedding itself was lovely.  I cried more than once.  I loved the kilts and the bagpipes, the lovely bridal attire, the bridesmaids dresses. The service, the hymns. My first British wedding cake. The reception was in stunning grounds. But more than all that, was simply thrilled for Alex and Shona.  It's exciting to share in someone else's brimming happiness.

---
Lately. I haven't blogged much.  I don't seem to know what to say or write.  My time is also more, compressed.  And when I write now, it's more to sort things out, to sift my thoughts. 

The things we're up to.  We're looking for a place to live come January.  And I'm plodding along on my doctorate. I've invigilated (ie proctored) a handful of exams. I've finished my teaching. Several conferences simmer on the horizon. 

I'm in a bit of a reading lull.  After Anna Karenina, I've tried to pick up Crime and Punishment, but it's not taking.  I'm thinking I ought to try some F Scott Fitzgerald.  Fran is tearing his way through Gatsby just now.  We've made a deal to try not to see films before we've read the books.

We've talked a lot lately about what we want things to look like. Organizing and planning others.  Dead excited for a bank holiday weekend next week.  It also marks four years since we began our travels around Europe.  The passing of time never ceases to amaze me.  And yet here we are, here we are now. I would never have fathomed it.  It's probably that which makes life so much better than books or films, that you could never have guessed it, infinitely variable, infinitely surprising.



Tuesday, May 7, 2013

April 11-19

April 11: Fran off to work

April 12: Flat white

April 13: Off sea faring

April 14: Mauritius
April 16: Off to snorkel


April 17: Our Save the Dates

April 18: The beach

April 19


 Not quite a photo-a-day, but this glimpses just a bit of our week back in England, working in Durham, and then jetting off again to Mauritius.

I must say, the weather recently has been just beautiful. Simply beautiful.  This morning it was warm enough that I sweated through a t-shirt. Come one for a proper summer, England!

Monday, May 6, 2013

March 28- April 9

March 28: Train to London

March 29: Cafe in London (writing card to Thing 1)

March 30: Trip to Rumps, Cornwall

March 31 (Easter Sunday): Family engagement party for us


April 2: Body boarding in Polzeath

April 3: The Pig restaurant

April 4: Charles Dickens writing desk, London

April 5: Drive to the highalnds

April 6: Saturday in highlands with Uni friends

April 7: Some of my old flatmates

April 8: Match box seeds


April 9: View from College (courtesy of S. Royal)

Here are some photos from my attempt of 'photo a day' during this engagement.  Not sure I'm doing swimmingly and am really behind.  I apologize for my lack of blogging. Every time I think of coming to write something I just feel like I have nothing to say.  So perhaps, for a time, some photos will make up for my lack of words.