The end is nigh...

As I come to the end of my six weeks study leave it is time to give an update of where I'm at. These past weeks have been a very good opportunity for me to recover from the intensity of the previous two terms. The divorce and finance process was so incredibly difficult to cope with and really took a toll on me both physically and emotionally. That's not to say that there haven't been tricky times since - life still is tough, but with the financial hearing behind me and with, sadly, the divorce now finalised, I am hoping that the most intense times are now in the past.

I have got some work done on my dissertation, though I haven't managed to do as much as I would have liked, but I have also been doing some reading for my modules next term.

So, not so much time to loiter in the loggia from now on...but I am looking forward to my friends coming back from their placements and catching up with all their exciting news.

Glawster won - 23-21!

I enjoyed going to the rugby last Saturday - especially as Gloucester won! But I have to admit that I found the whole experience a little odd. There I was, surrounded by die-hard fans who knew exactly was was happening, when to shout, when to celebrate, when to try and drown out the chants of the opposition, when to jump up and down, etc., and I just felt a bit uncomfortable joining in. As I thought about it afterwards, I began to wonder how similar it might be to going to church for the first time. Church can be so familiar to us that it is hard to imagine what it might feel like to a new person. We stand, we sit, we sing, we pray - not thinking that our behaviour could appear to be odd or strange - and maybe just maybe new people find this a bit uncomfortable if they're not used to singing, or don't know the songs or if praying out loud is just something they've never even heard, let alone done and as for the standing and sitting at the right time - what is normal to those who are part of the church community could seem very odd indeed. Food for thought maybe?

As it is, I'm hoping to go to the rugby again, but first I'm cribbing up on the rules, etc. during the Six Nations so I've got a better idea of what's going on!