Hey! It is Second Week here in Oxford and things are steadily moving along. A-USA broke my heart and went back to America and I found myself pining poetically for her! I have also been finding things far too much fun resulting in little progression workwise. Having said that, the fun has come and bitten me in the butt and I have a cold today which might keep me inside and in my books for the next few days.
Anyway lets get back to what has been going on. It started with matriculation last Saturday. A true Hogwarts experience of dressing up in gowns (sub-fuscs) parading down to Sheldonian Theatre and receiving blessings in Latin. All wonderfully documented by Camera-M! It was a great night that ended in disaster at Strada restaurant where a friend was served walnuts despite telling the server of his severe nut allergy before-hand. Then there was the over-full sexy-sub-fusc mop that we were turned away from after sexily freezing our butts off for!
Sunday brought Harry Potter Society, a group of nerds that I am happy to be associated with (as a Potterhead myself). Then a swimming test for rowing that I went into feeling confident and came out bedraggled and a failure... (which Poppy laughed at! ... its ok we figured out she thought we were saying I farted not failed so she is not such a bad one year old). The three exercises seemed easy when said aloud but no one tells you they run consecutively without rest inbetween. Swimming 50 metres, treading water for 2 minutes and then diving to swim underwater for 5 meters killed me! Therefore... I failed! But, all is not bad on the sports front. I went to play polo this Friday. Being back in a stable yard was amazing... it literally took all my physical strength to resist rolling in the muck heap! Polo itself was fun, although I was on a rather bratty pony who after being smacked on the butt by the instructor decided to buck a few times... haven’t ridden in 4 years so I was pretty proud I did not fall. After the ride I made my way over to the groom and offered my services brushing down my particular pony- Ocean. Which almost got me left behind as everyone else handed over their ponies and walked to the cab!! It has resulted however, in a cowboy walk as my thighs and butt are a little stiff this morning.
This week has also been a collection of meetings and symposiums. The first being Pathways a youth outreach for Oxford University which brings up the brightest and best from local high schools 10, 11 and 12 years and results in graduates leading mini-lectures on their courses! Then on Thursday there was an incredible symposium on Nazi Germanys psychiatric warfare in World War 2- which was scary, and disgusting but once again led me to many a story. Then Friday was a seminar led by DAME PENELOPE LIVELY which rocked my world as she was talking about history and reading and its effects on a writer. What was even better was that Somerville students had tea with her this morning very much one-on-one. In which she wished me luck with my novels and hoped to read one one day! AHHHHHHH!
This afternoon however, is the most strange of my outings as I go to meet a friend from Burgate school who I have not seen since I moved to Canada in 2003. It will be really interesting to see how we have changed... and a little spooky! ... After the fact it was completely awesome!!
Anyway that is my second week busy and informative. This coming week I am hoping it will be a week of WRITING! Fingers-crossed!!
No comments:
Post a Comment