what are everyone’s plans for summer? I think we should have some kind of a gathering, so write on here to say when you’re free. :]

I’m working weekdays at the mo as a cleaner at a school in penn, which is as fun as it sounds. howeverrr, in two weeks the school breaks up for summer so no more cleaning for soph. :] then I’ll be going up to warwick to sing at the graduation ceremonies (rosie, this means you get to hear us chamber choir lot singing the ‘warwick fanfare’ – it’s horrendous and has fake latin in it, so enjoy that!), then I’m free for a week again, then I’m going caravanning in wales with a group of uni friends, thennnn I’m free again, and thennnn I’m going to peruuuuu!

which is VERY exciting. :]

I’m going over there for a month (catching three separate planes to get there, which is the part I’m most nervous about currently :S), to do conservation work in the amazon forest. should be pretty great. :] I also get to do a little nip over to machu picchu while I’m there, which is equally exciting. so, I guess I’ll do a blog about that when I get back! I’m sure there will be lots to say and squeal about. like monkeys and parrots and pumas and things.

in the meantime, I’m keeping myself busy reading about a bazillion books for next year, and doing this online course in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (ie. TEFL). I’m hoping to be able to use the qualification I get from that to go and teach abroad after uni. fingers crossed. :]

so, that’s all my news really! let’s do summery things like picnics and barbeques. discuss.

over and out x

As many of you already know, I bought a new car about a month ago (see previour blog). Because of this, I am trying to sell my old car. I doubt any of you will be interested but you might know someone who is. I’ll give you a few details here and then if you know of anyone, please pass on my phone number. Thank you!

• Red Vauxhall Corsa 1998/S-reg
• 1.4 petrol engine
• 87,000 miles
• Good first car
• MOT until January
• Recent problem with the engine over-heating but now resolved
• £650 ONO

We would be happy for people to come and have a look at it first/test drive especially as it’s a fairly old car now. We’re live in Wooburn Green, near Beaconsfield, if you’ve forgotton!

Many thanks!!

Robyn

xxx

I think the title of this post is quite self-explanatory! Damian and I had been discussing for a while about getting me a new car. We had some savings left from pre-wedding savings (how we managed that I will never know!) so we decided to spend it on something we could use for a long time so it didn’t get spent on mundane things- more of an ‘investment’. We’d been looking for a while at various websites to see what was available in our price range. I wanted a 5-door hatchback, nothing too big and quite economical. Damian wanted me to get a diesel because of fuel economy as I’m driving much further since we’ve been married. And we found a 5 door Ford Fiesta 04 plate from near Wembley. So I’m very happy . It’s very nippy and even though I’ve only had it a week, it’s proving quite economical. My electronic fuel gauge has 8 bars. On Saturday I did 100 miles and it only used ‘one bar’ of diesel!! It might be one of those ones that empties slowly to begin with and then speeds up towards the end of the tank but apparently I should get 60-70 MPG!! Huzzah! Plus it’s only done 27,000 which is pretty good for a 6 year old car so hopefully it’ll last me a good few years. Apart from a few scratches, it looks almost brand new so I’m chuffed.

Damian is also in the process of modifying his car- I’m surprised you can’t hear it from where you are!! He’s just had the exhaust replaced and is getting it re-mapped on Wednesday so it should have around 140 HP ish. He can’t afford an R32 (Golf) so he’s modifying his car to look/sound like one! He’s enjoying it and I’m letting him get it out of his system while he’s young!

Anyway, hugs all round.

Robyn

xx

I HAVE A JOB!!!! After an epic year of job hunting I have finally found one. I will be a trainee auditor, clearly the coolest kind of bureaucrat. I am in a specialist team that only deals with the not for profit sector. That means that a large amount of the people I will work with are nuns, NUNS!!! I have been told that nuns are lovely but not always great at  understanding finance.  On the down side this has signed me up for another three years of exams. Working and studying at the same time sounds intense but hopefully it won’t be tooo stressful. The job is in London so not bad for meet ups (Especially you Tim, I will hunt you down.), but I will probably live in St Albans and join the army of commuters.

BUT before all that I still have my exams to get through. The first one is tomorrow (so I am currently procrastinating) but I am lucky enough to only have 3 and so finish on June 7th. Then freeedom!!, well until August.

I better get back to cramming.

P.S can someone forward me Robyn’s wedding photos, my email is rosie.day@tiscali.co.uk

I had a splendid trip to Arran again back in January, there’s photos on Facebook. And then after an exciting bout of family illness problems I had my work cut out for me with university this semester!

Still, my major project has come along fairly nicely:

SEE – Sneak Preview from John Kingsnorth on Vimeo.

Crikey, its strange to think I’ve handed in my last ever photography project…

And now we’re in the mad rush of Degree Show preparations! And they overlap! Which is exciting and hectic and daft.

So IF anyone wants to seeee the shows, which maybe we could do a nice gathering around, it is in Cambridge from the 3rd – 11th June. I am most free on the 5/6/7th for that one.

The show is also in LONDON and is called ‘Seeing the Ordinary’ (I designed the website for the show heeeere > http://www.seeingtheordinary.co.uk Woot woot.) We’re on there from the 11th – 14th June, and I’m invigilating at some point, so maybe we could meet up and the end of that and do a food, or something. Not sure on the exact date yet though.

OTHERWISE I think a meeting-up with punting is long overdue, so come to Cambridge! Provided I am unemployed, any time from the 17th June to the end of the month I will be doing very little =]

I have been doing a little bit of job-hunting, but its hampered by the craziness of exhibition preparation at the moment! There may be a slight chance of buggering off to Zambia for a while (madness?). We’ll see!

Hope everyone is well and fine and I look forward to hearing from you all again.

p.s. Robyn, your wedding photos look splendid, must be fairly chuffed with them =]

Edit: Oh yes, I went to Stockholm in February too. It was bloody cold. And we walked over the lakes. Because they had, like, ice on them, omg. It was cool, photos on facebook :]

The wedding was absolutely magical. The day went so fast but I enjoyed every second and did not stop smiling the entire day. The weather started off pretty lousy but by the time we actually got married, it had brightened up and we were able to have photos outside (when I get the link for the official photos, I’ll email it to anyone who’s interested). We have so many brilliant memories and I just wish we could do it all again.

The honeymoon was also fabulous. We had a great time exploring the little town where we were staying and the surrounding towns in both Spain and Portugal. As we were right on the coast, we ate lots of fresh fish (which was delicious) and walks along the sea front happened daily. It is weird living with someone new but it’s also exciting and we are having so much fun unwrapping presents and sorting out the home!

Sorry this has been short and sweet but time is of the essence!

Lots of love,

Robyn

xxxx

Since I haven’t blogged for what feels like ages, I thought I’d let you know what I was up to.

I’m just over six months into my placement and have pretty much settled in. I send emails to my ‘collegues’ saying bless you (when they sneeze), have a colourful array of temperature sensitive ducks along the top of my monitor and talk to pretty well everyone I meet in lifts and along corridors.

Life in a finance team can be hectic, demanding and admittedly, dull sometimes. On the other hand, I have to handle irate people demanding money a fair bit too and am learning to tough it up and try and remain patient with them. My manager gained ten points in my opinion when he recognised my ring-tone. It was Muse. He likes Muse! More so, he actually knows who they are, which many of the people I work with don’t. (Who is Muse? I hear Toby say. Very funny ).

The Health Service is undergoing mass restruturing, not least to deal with cuts in budgets. People start and move out a LOT. Every month, someone I’ve emailed or talked to has left-positions here are a lot more flexible than I thought they would be.

In terms of workload-it varies. Some days are much more relaxed, I can do stuff at an easier pace and the telephones are quiet. Other days like today, the phones don’t stop ringing, we get bombarded with emails and everyone delegates work onto someone else. Still, it’s a good insight into the working world…Ive learnt much (accountants may not like Star Wars or Doctor Who or know who Bill Bailey is!) but I can;t wait to go back to Oxford!!

How is everyone????  Feels like ages since I saw you all

Hugs to all

GOOD LUCK everyone for 2010, with whatever you’re up to during it. Hopefully see folks alltogether again in Easterly times (epic final deadlines (for those who have them) depending D:)

So please let us know what you think; do we have enough time to arrange/melon a murder mystery in a week (ish), or should we leave the murder mystery until Easter?

We could go for another impromptu winter gathering instead, involving  films, games, general merriment or whatever else anybody wants to do :) 

Thank yous!! Toodleoo

28/29th December (2009…)

As long as people have the time then we can do what we did last time and have folks arrive after lunch whenever suits and then staying overnight to leave the next morning as required/desired.

If people are lacking in time then we can make it one day, arriving late morning and staying until the evening.

Hopefully the snow will have gone away by then =]

Let me know how that date suits.