Settling in, or, everything is broken

We arrived back very late Wednesday night, or, more specifically, early Thursday morning, after discovering the car had flat batteries (brand new batteries, as it turns out, after the old ones died decisively during the relentless months of snow). Anyway, the car park attendant helped us out and the car seems fine now.
But the washing [...]

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Many wonderful things

I am in Austria. Very close to Switzerland. If you climb a mountain – or, with much less effort, take a chairlift – you can see into a lake that touches Austria, Germany, Switzerland. I am surrounded by improbable lushness: meadows peppered with dandelions, mountains swathed in patterned cloaks of dark and bright green, the [...]

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Small things

This week I ate porridge for breakfast every day
There is thick snow outside and it’s still snowing
My three day plan became a five day plan
I went for a swim for the first time in years (not counting splashing around in lakes and beaches)
We found and lost the house of our dreams
I decided two warm jumpers [...]

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Chimneys and words and packages

Here’s another view of the Bingley chimneys. And the semi-frozen canal. The ducks promonade around here much as they do in Halden. The thesis chugs along. I reckon I’ll get it finished in early February, or possibly late January. I got my chapter one (extension of intro) nearly written. I felt like I was juggling [...]

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The Wallet Fairy

I arrived back in Leeds this evening feeling slightly sheepish and very grateful. After lugging my heavy backpack and overstuffed shoulder bag all over the station, I finally got on my train. And left my wallet sitting on the bench outside. With my money and credit card and student card and train ticket. Some nice [...]

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Doctor Update

I went back. Eye is healing excruciatingly slowly. Turns out the doctor’s Mum was my first primary school teacher. Tis a small world, this city.

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Soaring with seaguls at Seaford

has been one of the highlights of our time in Adelaide. There have also been some minor disasters, including gliders tangled in trees and drenched with sea water (not as bad as it sounds, but time-consuming). Oh, and bad storms hitting Queensland which meant we decided not to go there…
It’s always slightly strange coming home, [...]

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Of Disappearing Deposits

The company who rented us our problematic last house owes students over 200,000 pounds in unreturned deposits. Including ours. We plan to fight it.
While I was desperately and unsuccessfully looking for a copy of the contract among my, er, perfectly ordered important documents, I came across a copy of the letter informing me of [...]

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Murphy’s Law

Just when you get the internet working, your computer breaks. Expensively.

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And you say I’m absent minded?

me: Um, my library card isn’t working on the machines. It’s a temporary library card, cos I left my wallet in America. But they’re posting it back to me.
man at desk: Right. Ok. It’s probably overriding, but we’ll have a look. What’s your home address?
me: Um, Oatland road.
man: No, your home home.
me: Oh. Australia. Belair. [...]

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