Yesterday my dad told me about something really stupid that happened in my village. In the church of St. Lucy, (the small church where during the summer we celebrate mass and where my sister got married) someone stole the gold votive things ( I don't know the word in English) that people left to ask for grace or to thank for grace received. There are 2 window cases at the side of the big crucifix which my village worships and they stole the content of one of them. I'm so angry! It's such a stupid, stupid thing!

Now I'm packing because tomorrow we are going to Hull for the baptism of baby Leona. And because of the rain I 've just bought my first pair of wellies. It's been quite hard to find them because now (being summer) you can find only flip flops and ballerina shoes. I bought them in Accessorize, I don't really like them, they've got big black dots, but I need them. I've always dreamt about buying something nice in Accesorize, like a treat, and I ended up buying these wellies. Anyway, I need them.

I've just got the results from the Uni and I've passed and I'm soooooooooooo happy!!!! I had a high mark on oral Spanish and did quite well at the written exam. My translation was good it never was so good during the year. I'm so happy!

Passed!

I've given in the required hardbound copies, having recieved a grade of "Pass with no further corrections" from the second submission. I will graduate in July (Friday 13th in fact). In case you're wondering what I've been doing all this time here's the final version of my thesis.

I'm off to the pub.

Just logging in before flying home. In case you hadn't noticed yet, Amnesty International have changed their policy on abortion now - it was in the pipeline for some time I think.

Habemus datam! - cough.

We're getting married on the 23rd August 2008. We looked at one nice restaurant, where Monica's sister Vane had her meal when she married Lorenzo, and it seems to have been enough, 'cos that's where we're going. After that, we checked with the priest. In Italy, the restaurants tend to be booked up pretty early - Vane booked it two years in advance, so people book the restaurant first and then the church. This is known to wind Don Giuseppe (the priest) up, so we neglected to mention it.

Besides that...

I finished reading two books while I've been here, Rough Ways in Prayer: How can I pray when I feel spiritually dead? which I'd recommend, though it's probably a bit hard to get hold of - this one was published in 1991 and came courtesy of Sacred Heart's lending library. Readable and practical. Key encouraging and helpful thing to remember - Christians are in Christ, who intercedes for us to the Father, and the Spirit prays in us. We are also one, in Christ and in his love, with the whole Church, past, present and future and have the benefit of each others' prayers.

Then there was The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware (Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia) which was very interesting. I gather it's the standard book when one wishes to know about the church which goes by the name of Orthodox. It's divided into two sections, firstly history and then doctrine. History is first - I wonder why? They're certainly not against doctrine. Anyway, too much subject matter to review.

Went to the Corpus Christi procession, as stated, and followed a tent under which was the Blessed Sacrament, saying part of a rosary and singing, and strewing petals all over the shop. Apparently Italian Catholics aren't mad keen on singing either. I bet they used to be.

Went to the beach a couple of times. I'm a shade darker, just about.

Got an amazing analogue thingy to practise Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring on. You can hear the circuits thinking and muttering between themselves, and only one of the F#s works, which I think means you can only play it in C major really.

Umm....

Mostly been dossing really. I don't think it's done my Italian a great deal of good - I've been a bit too tired to try - not used to all this warm weather. Piano piano, as Monica always says. I'm hoping the Rai podcasts I'm subscribed to will help a bit. Rai is Italian state telly. ITV and Rai made Jesus of Nazareth together back in the day I think. And speaking of podcasts, I must give Audible's Jesus of Nazareth (Pope Benedict's one) a try when I get back.

Right, I think I'll pop off now - I'll be flying back tomorrow.

Catch bus, train, tube, train, plane, taxi and train to Ancona:

Well, almost. It was a pretty good journey - one of the best flights I've had with Monica. She was fine. The fly in the ointment, speaking personally, was that I missed my bus.

I know that the H buses usually leave from a stop near the Pyramids, round the corner from where Monica told me that the bus would be. I was assuming that, this latter stop being the main stop by the coach station, it would be fine.

Never assume - it makes people resort to cheesy mnemonics.

Of course it wasn't, and I missed the bus. I thought I'd be ok as I asked Monica for the times of two buses - I might make mistakes, but I do endeavour not to be a fool. Sadly, traveline.org did not agree with the bus timetable before my eyes at the bus stop. This being a matter of more than academic interest, I deemed it expedient to peg it all the way from the coach station to St. David's Station, in the hope I could get a taxi at a midpoint of Central Station. This is a course I would hesitate to recommend.


I was a trifle discomposed when I got to the station, sweating like a man who's woken at 5:30 and skipped breakfast to move as quickly as tenable with luggage for about half an hour. As I say however, the journey was fine by and large. I had a few headaches, had to wait around in numerous public spaces and Monica almost scalded my groin with hot camomile, but these are all things one learns to take in one's stride with the passage of time.

I even tried out some Italian with the train-ticket-selling-man at Pescara train station. I did ok, but he worked out I was English and told me the train left from "platform three" with a wink and a smile, both of epic proportions.

Having been in Italy for about half an hour, I saw about 5 nuns, 1 monk and a lady crossing herself as she walked through the city. Perhaps I ought to make some sort of graph. Should see a few more of those this evening, as we're off to the Corpus Christi procession this evening. Before that, mass and then we're going to hit the beach with Vane e Lorenzo.

I've lost your phone number

My phone died. I've bought a new one (and have just moved the sim card over meaning my number's not changed), but I'd stored everybody else's numbers on the phone, so can't get them any more.

So please let me know your number again, or I'll be very confused when you ring me, and completely unable to ring/text you.

Cheers.

Saddleworth Beer Walk

Day: Saturday.
Clothing: Village People
Beer drunk: lots
Money raised for charity: quite a lot, I think

A full write up will follow (I'm off to hockey in a moment), but here are Mahinda's photos of the event: link, and a video of us after the finish: link. Unfortunately you can't hear the music in the latter.

Adrian 1 - Trees 0

Courtesy of half an hour's effort with a bowsaw, we suddenly have one less tree in the garden, and a significantly improved view from the kitchen window. Now I just need to dig the stump out and think of something nice to go there instead.

For those of you wondering whether I'm procastinating from reading through my thesis one last time: add a point to your score.

Finished

That was hard work. I've spent the last two weeks of working 9-5, while working on my thesis during lunch breaks, evenings and weekends. It's fortunate that my brain wasn't required at work. Temping isn't all bad.

Emma was off go-karting with teachers last night, so I (eventually - popped into uni on the way home to print off a copy to read over. I only had the last 7 pages to sort anyway) was set up nicely for the final battle with my thesis. Unfortunately it turned out I was too tired to get the last bit done, so I gave up, watched Have I Got News for You (nice timing, I thought) in the company of a beer. After briefly scribbling down some notes (my brain kept working regardless), I stuck Hannibal on. Having read the book, I think they wimped out a little with the ending. Despite being one of the better books, I think it made the weakest of the four films (I'm including Manhunter here but excluding the film/book of Hannibal Rising, neither of which I've seen/read). Still perfectly entertaining though.

Got up and finished my corrections this morning.
Now I've got the remains of a three day weekend with no work (well, I'm going to read through it just to make sure I've not done anything dumb) to do, and Emma's on half term, so we're both free for once! Lovely. I can start doing things like choir (not been for a month or so), hockey (not made it once this year) and badminton (missed it this week) again. I think I might give Emma a hand with marking SATS papers too.

I should mention that Emma got home towards the end of the film with a bottle of champagne, having made the highest finish of all the girls and was the only girl to win a race. They'd not let her spray it everywhere unfortunately.

Today I had my Spanish oral exam which went OK I think. I'm quite ( I can never remember which quite is which!!!) happy with what I've done and I'm really happy is over. What a relief!

Tonight I've phoned my friend Marghe, her mum got a cancer. I thought it was going to be a hard phone call but it wasn't. She is serene, she feels the Holy Spirit giving her the strength to face it and the peace she needs not to go mad in the convent. She said she can see good things in what's happening and she is feeling God really close to her and to her family. I phoned so that maybe I could ease her pain a bit and she consoled me instead, she gave me such strength and faith in prayer. She said that she can feel all the prayers people are saying for her and for her mum, that's why she is so strong.

I've got good news from my uncle, my mum's brother. He and his wife where trying to have a baby for 10 years now they've got twins coming soon!!! I'm really happy! Twins run in the family Mark, you know that, but I wouldn't mind with 1 pregnancy I got 2!

Life has been a bit hard in these weeks, between exam and good and bad news. But Mark was there for me with his patience and his love. So Mark....... I think I'll keep you!!!

Thesis Countdown

I'm just keeping track of my progress; the aim is to graduate 13th July, so if I can get done before the end of May, my chances improve.

Important dates
Planned date of submission: 30th May (Finished Saturday at 1:00 (pm, you'll be glad to know). Just need to do a final read through over the weekend, binding and submission on Tuesday 29th. Thanks to both Anna and Craig for letting me know that one of the major binding services is shut for a week soon! I have alternative plans, and have told work that I'll be in late on Tuesday)
Deadline for getting examiners' approval and two hardbound copies handed in: 22nd June

Amendments Completed?
Chapter 1: Done
Chapter 2: Done
Chapter 3: Done (13/05 pending approval of method - Method approved 15/05. Get in!)
Chapter 4: Done (14/05 + finishing touches 15/05.)
Chapter 5: Done (16/05 + Sorting out typos 17/05.)
Chapter 6: None required
Chapter 7: Done (Started 19/05, completed 21/05, with some further minor amendments as a result of emails from John and Peter 23/05.)
Chapter 8: Done (Started 21/05, completed 26/05.)

Currently it looks like I'll make it. John's happy with my approach so I've only got to worry about stuff taking too long going through university admin. My examiners are lovely and will be pretty quick once they get the stuff, but three weeks is a quick turnaround when the uni usually gives them six. In case you're wondering "three weeks to do what?":
I submit two copies (planned 30th May), which the uni send to the examiners, asking them to return their recommendations (e.g. thesis is fine / thesis needs more corrections / etc) within six weeks. Once the recommendations are back, assuming no further changes are required (there shouldn't be any - I've got nice examiners and have been running various versions past them over the last couple of months), they'll be ok'd by a committee, then I'll need to get two hardbound copies submitted. As long as this happens by 22nd June then I can graduate in July.

I've come to the conclusion that I just need to get finished. I've got a compromise approach whereby I don't throw any of my results out, but I don't state them in quite the nice succinct way I'd originally intended. I think my external examiner and I have come to the conclusion that this doesn't really matter. If getting them stated "properly" is worthwhile (it does appear to be quite a subtle task. Whether that makes it interesting, I'll let Nige (supervisor) and John (external examiner) decide), it can go in a paper.

Erm, ok

It's been well documented that Richard Hammond (of Brainiac and Top Gear fame) took quite a knock to the head, but even so.