This Week: October 2012

the group (sans carrie) at drooothy neebors

the flat pack society aka the simple touch. probs playing lady gaga

first day of work!

am I one happy girl or what?

I put it together all by myself

It does feel a bit like home. Taken from Old Elvet bike path

FALL

felix in his new territory

both bunnies. eyeing me suspicously.

Indy and Felix: they make my heart beat.  Despite the fact I think they don't like me, and come up with escape plans. Most days I feel like we're playing Colditz Castle, where I'm the Nazi and they're the escaping Americans. Since moving in, they have rolled their food bowl down their new ramp and decided not to pee in the litter tray. Oh me.  Next time I'll have to tell you about the party they threw while Fran and I were out for dinner.

Happy Friday! I'm off to Newcastle for the evening, with many sweet welcoming engagements this weekend. Enjoy xo

lifeindurhamsofar

a sampling of dresses

I have come back from Iona in a bit of a whirlwind. We got all our my things out of storage and I opened them to find them rather wet.  I thought they needed a good airing and were only slightly musty smelling. I skyped mom and showed her bed of strewn clothes and she kindly told me it was mildew.  Feel really smart for not being able to put two and two together myself. [Face palm] So for the past few days I have washed about 18 loads of clothes to get mildew out of them. 

I also came back from Iona with a nasty cold, and did something a bit different. I tried herbal remedies.  And you know what? It works. I feel like me mema, chopping up a clove of garlic and swallowing it in honey, and despite the fact it's outright disgusting, feel a little proud of myself.

A part from that, Fran started his new job this week, which is great.  He uses a mapping program to place wind farms.  He's good, too.  It's just bizarre as it's real adult life, which I've not encountered yet. [The life of a perpetual student.] He has two days of holiday between now and Christmas.  I'm planning my flight home around his office Christmas party.  I think that's the threshold to adult hood: office Christmas parties.

I've been busy writing up reports, emailing my new students (whom I will see next week!), and attending lectures.  I haven't attended lectures in what feels like ages, and it's comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time.  I began French today and my professor is so lovely. It's so much easier than Mandarin. [Highschool Natalie: what were you doing spending 7 years learning something you'll never speak well?!]  I've also attended poetry readings on T.S. Eliot, met the writer in residence at St. Chads, eaten at the closest thing to Mexican I can find, sought out my tutorial room (rabbit warren to find it!), and met other English PhDs.

I've also been sussing this 9-5 routine. Think I like it, but will let you know once I finally put all my laundry away and beast this cold. Happy Thursday! xo

Iona

The Mull busride

The ferry to Iona

a stone

the abbey and cross

the abbey with mull across the sea

the boats

a rainbow

a climb to Dun I

a looming sky

a pilgrimage

a trip to St Columba's Bay

a distant view of the paps of Jura

a hazy self-portrait

an unabashed sheep

a post-card quality chicken-on-tub

some cow lovin'

lighting the tapers in the abbey for service

a cheeky trip to the pub

the abbey

the cloister

the cathedral cat

the abandoned nunnery

Iona was gorgeous.  We had a stretch of lovely weather-- 4 unblemished days.  And then 2 of incessant rain, but it's the glorious ones that stay in memory.  Each day we woke up, had breakfast, went to Morning Service, did chores-- clean bathrooms and showers, headed to Bible Study sessions, had tea and coffee, prepared, served, and cleaned lunch, walks in the afternoon, dinner, Evening Service, and final activity.  We spent time in the common room reading papers or building fires.  We went on long walks around the island and its numerous sandy or pebbly beaches.  We went on a pilgrimage to St Columba's bay.  I made candles.  I wrote and read and prayed and listened and sang. I volunteered and lit candles, run church bells, and directed seating.  I danced at a ceilidh.

I met lovely people.  Many of them were retired.  Many were from America. Many were lovely and it felt like home.  A few were even from Durham and happened to be in my college and reside in my very own common room there.  The world is a very tiny place.  I can't say it was spiritual ground-breaking, but it did cause me to consider and suspend judgement. My favorite service was the one of healing. The food was wonderful.  Three meals a day, all hot and prepared by someone else, to dine in the terms of fellowship.

There are no monks or nuns there now.  Just people who want to live a religious life as a part of the Iona Community.  They love social justice, equality, and peace.  Their faith is active and outward, rather than deeply introspective.  But it is one that is ready to make a visible difference, and though they may differ in personal beliefs from mine, I have no doubt they are living out their faith in the manner that is best to them, and they put me to shame in their earnest and eager desire to preserve the earth and its inhabitants from the all types of harm.

The highlight of my experience my seem small, but it was that I could see the paps of Jura from Iona.  It has long been etched in my family history that we descended from Jura and although it is so American to say I'm from there, I visited with my mom and dad when they visited, and it's something of legend amongst our family.  So seeing it brought them all a bit closer and made me feel like I was possibly sharing part of this experience with them.

All in all a wide experience and I'm very grateful. How were your weeks and weekends? Hope they were as fab as fabs. Happy Monday!

Papers and Possessions

Hello! This week has flew by faster than light years.  I gave a paper that went well, I think. In Newcastle, I spoke in the Literature and Philosophic Society which was lovely.  In that very room, I spoke where the likes of G. K. Chesterton, Ezra Pound, and Dorothy L. Sayers had presented before.  But never fear, with my ego running away in the light such great predecessors, for a grand total of nine people were present in the room, only three of which were completely unaffiliated with us before hand. But one of those people was Fran.  He had moved up to Durham that very morning, unloaded his things in his new flat (which is a dream: it's the top floor of a retired professor's mansion), parked his car, and then hopped on the train with me to go to Newcastle.  We were completely delirious post-paper and headed to Chinatown (there is a Chinatown! God does exist!) and gorged ourselves on noodles and tea.

Today. Today we head up to Edinburgh.  From there I'll leave for a full whole week in Iona, while Fran, meanwhile, will hopefully be cycling down from  Edinburgh to Durham. So exciting! He'll train back up to meet me and then we'll be touting our things from storage in Edinburgh to Durham. Possessions are such a burden. No wonder Jesus was like, sell all of your stuff. So there: that's a goal for the future life-- not to be weighed down by possessions, not to let them rule me. In this professor's house, the books completely run the place.  It's like they've come alive and bred, and their offspring now reside in every nook and cranny. The ball room is a library, the library is an archive, the master bedroom bed is pulled into the center of the room so books can line all four walls.  I swear if the AGA wouldn't burn a book, there'd be some tucked in there too. As much as I like books, this frightens me a little. In fact, it would make for a delightful short horror story.

Happy Friday!!

What Durham Is Like

Durham is the sort of town where The Wind and the Willows could have been set.  There's lots I don't know.  The river defines it's structure, and to that extent, is quite like Paris, just at the bit with the Notre Dame.  The River cuts it into an island and one can only reach it by bridges.  It is a hilly city.  Very steep hills that slope drastically up and down, around and away from the river.  It is small and cosy, and very old. It feels old.  The Cathedral and Castle take up the skyline and every morning that view greets you as you walk into town, going to the Library or College.  It's a religious town, with churches in every crevice, churches older than the discovery of America.  And it's a smart town.  It's a University town.  People walk about in their black, college robes.  The colleges dot the campus maps and provide the backbone for the University social life.  And most days, it is wonderful, but at the same time, all rather intimidating.

Hit the Ground Running

London: September 22, 2012

 Durham, England:

Friendly place, Durham.

Glorious afternoon

The perfect card

One's dreams on one's sheets

glimpse from my desk

sunset

 

 

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1. I traveled up with one suitcase. I'm eagerly looking forward to getting some of my things when Fran comes up (Tuesday!) and even more excited to get stuff out of storage in Edinburgh.  I am learning to be content in being unsettled.

2. Teacher Training Day was last week.   The general aura in the air was intimidation.  But I just felt ready. I've been waiting so long to get to do what I love, and now it's here. I am unbelievable eager to begin.

3. This will be a full week.  I will give one paper twice this week, and oh I am nervous. I will see my advisor, I will attend more training, I will help Fran move in, I will go to Newcastle and speak, and I will go up to Edinburgh on Friday.

4.  On Saturday I will go to Iona Abbey for a week. It is ill-timed, but I am looking forward to an experience on an isolated island in the Hebrides which was one of the leading centers of manuscript production in the Middle Ages by Benedictine monks.  Each day, I will chop carrots, clean floors, attend services, and go on walks with people I have never before met. You can pray for me to be brave.

Badgers and papers and fridays

click for source

It's Friday.  Today I handed in a paper I've been working on for months to my supervisor, ate 3 oatmeal raisin cookies, and sat by the river in the afternoon sunshine. There's a documentary on badgers I want to see on BBC iplayer. Ya'll, if that's not a Friday I don't know what is. Enjoy your weekend!