Journal Entries

In other news ...

Have just had a week's holiday in/on the Ile de Ré, a beautiful (if rather flat) island just off La Rochelle. Stayed in the same hotel as last year, and they also gave me the same room. Hired a bike again and did lots ot cycling around, including doing almost the whole tour of the island one day - about 40 miles. This is a lot for me!

Arrived home on Sunday, back at work on Monday, and by some miscalculation had arranged to do something nearly every day this week after work, so feeling knackered already and it's only Wednesday!

Discuss this Journal entry [1]

Latest reply: Sep 11, 2013

Summer review

I seem to have been absent from here for a very long time! Too long to catch up on everybody's journals, sorry. Hope you are all having a reasonable summer.

Spent a few days in Edinburgh in July: Edinburgh was as beautiful as usual, and even hot and sunny (apart from one day when we went to S Queensferry, but I have it on good authority that it's often a bit misty there). Had a lovely lunch with L. Train somewhat delayed on the way back, and I then developed a vile summer cold, with sore throat and cough, which ended up keeping me off work for a whole week - unheard of for me! The cough lasted several weeks, but has cleared up now, thank goodness.

Went to north Norfolk for a long weekend at the beginning August, which was great - swam in the sea twice.

Then came the A-level results, which went remarkably smoothly. Only one irate dad on the phone, and he calmed down eventually (suspect daughter in the background going 'oh FGS dad, give it a rest!'). Now busy preparing files etc for the incoming first-years, and fielding queries from sixth-formers who've just got their AS results.

Next week I'm having my usual break before the whole merry-go-round of applications starts again: going back to the same hotel at La Flotte, Ile de Ré, as last year. Let's hope the weather is as good, and I can potter round by bike to beaches, markets, restaurants etc ...

Discuss this Journal entry [1]

Latest reply: Aug 24, 2013

Sniffling and sneezing

Hayfever this year is the worst I remember it. smiley - sadface

In other news, we have got through two out of three Open Days relatively successfully.

Yesterday we had our College Open Afternoon: 55 registered to attend, after multiple cancellations in the last couple of days. 43 actually turned up. Among the non-appearances was one from a private school who had booked twice, and whose mother had also phoned to confirm the booking ... smiley - sigh

Today was the first of the University-wide Open Days. We have 'open house' for drop-in visitors from 9 to 5, and for the first time this year had a banner on our front gate advertising the fact. Result seemed to be that we got more than the usual quota of boys wandering in, not having done their research (we are a women's college). Suspect they came out of a subject talk in the lecture theatre across the road, saw the banner and thought 'oh, there's a college, not too far to walk' ... But we may be misjudging them entirely.

On duty again all day tomorrow. Monday will be clearing up and filing etc, then I've got a week or so holiday. Meeting a Puerto Rican friend with whom I used to share a house in Nicaragua, and going to Edinburgh with him for a few days.

Discuss this Journal entry [1]

Latest reply: Jul 4, 2013

Wordfest and waxwings

This morning, on the way to the supermarket, I saw a flock of about 8 or 9 birds fly out of a bush and into a tree. Wouldn't have paid much attention, except that a neighbour had told me recently she had seen waxwings in that tree - and that's what they were! So pretty: http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/w/waxwing/index.aspx

After the shopping and a few other chores, went to Wordfest. Three talks today: James Buchan on the history of the Iranian revolution (particularly interesting for me as I visited Iran in 1978); Robert Macfarlane on his book 'The Old Ways'; Alexander Danchev on the life of Cézanne. All good, but the last one was in the rather overheated ADC theatre, and I found my eyes closing from time to time. More tomorrow.

Discuss this Journal entry [1]

Latest reply: Apr 13, 2013

Quick catch-up

Haven't written a journal for some time, here's a brief summary of what's been going on.

It's FREEZING here, and tried to snow again today. Fed up with this, it's time for spring.

Had planned to go to London for the w/e of my birthday (24 March). On Thursday started having runny nose, and by Friday had headache and sore throat, so had the day off work and stayed in bed. Went to London on Saturday afternoon, but didn't feel like going out in the evening, so G cooked and we stayed in. On Sunday he went to church for the long Palm Sunday service, got back at 1.30. We went out for lunch and then to the Mughal manuscripts exhibition at the British Library - exquisite, but we didn't really have long enough to see everything properly.

On Sunday morning I got an email telling me a former colleague (and friend) had died in Strasbourg; after a bit of swithering, decided to go to the funeral on Thursday. Several other mutual friends I contacted couldn't go, so I was glad I had made the effort, although it was quite stressful. M (the woman who had died) was only 50, and had had cancer for the last 8 years. Flights betw Stansted and Strasbourg only 3 times a week, so couldn't come back till Saturday afternoon.

M had been a colleague when I worked in the European Youth Centre (part of the Council of Europe), and I lived in Strasbourg for 4 years. Not the happiest time of my life, and I still find it quite a depressing place. But at least the transport system has improved radically - trams run all over town, and are cheap! Also train shuttle from airport to town central station only takes about 10 minutes. Of course on Good Friday most places were closed (museums etc) but luckily the weather was reasonable, so I spent time in the Parc de l'Orangerie and watched the storks in the conservation area, and in the afternoon went on a boat trip. Woke up to snow on Saturday morning, but had planned to do bookshops, and anyway it dried up pretty quickly, so that was OK. Couldn't find a particular book I was looking for in any of the many bookshops - must have been to 6 or 7 ...

Rest of Easter weekend quite relaxing, apart from boring chores on Monday. Nice Sunday roast with the usual crew at the Oliver Cromwell in St Ives.

Discuss this Journal entry [1]

Latest reply: Apr 4, 2013


Back to annie_cambridge's Personal Space Home

annie_cambridge

Researcher U1483753

Write an Entry

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."

Write an entry
Read more