Alternative modernisms and quiet days

Morning all,
After 2 days of glorious sunshine, Lincolnshire weather has reverted to type and we have rain. The ducklings are quite jolly about it. This past week and a bit has been a combination of super busyness and peaceful home days. Straight after our departmental postgrad progress board, I ran off to Cardiff for the Alternative Modernisms conference. There were three great things about this trip: 1) I got to stay with Smelly sister and Stu (husband) which was so lovely. Generally at conferences you stay in uni accommodation or a hotel. How nice it was to have a little home from home where I could relax. 2) The scholarship was immense. I'm not sure what I was expecting from this conference but I certainly wasn't expecting to come away quite so inspired. Because of the word 'alternative' many modernists with more niche subject areas came out of the woodwork. This meant a refreshing lack of Joyce and Woolf and far more about obscure scout groups, the design of cruise liners and pottery. I loved it! My own panel went very well. To have 40 people at a modernism and theatre panel is, quiet frankly, unheard of! There was a brilliant spirit of joyful friendship which I appreciated very much indeed 3) I got to visit my bff in Ammanford (which is further from Cardiff than you'd think!) and meet her two sweet children for the first time. We lived together when we both worked for St Mikes in Aberystwyth but haven't actually seen each other since my wedding nearly 6 years ago although we've spoken on the phone a lot. It was simply brilliant to see her.

The only downside to all the revelry is that I got a horrid cold that I had to fight off for the entire week. Bravely battled through though in the power of Vicks First Defence.

Since then it has been marking all the way. Finished all first marking yesterday so now just need to do the final bits of moderation and we can put this term to bed. For a variety of reasons, this hasn't been the easiest term for me so I'm quite glad to venture on into a summer of research. That said, last week we said goodbye to our third years and I was very sad about it. They are the first group of students I have ever seen all the way through their course so I feel particularly attached to them. They are a really strong year group and, best of all, genuinely nice folks.

I have enjoyed a number of peaceful days at home which have reminded me how much I love sitting at my wee desk and just cracking on alone. I am really quite antisocial! As well as that over the past week and a half I have: carried on with Insanity (the second month is way tougher than the first - my muscles ache...a lot!), watched Shawshank Redemption for the first time (I know, I know...), watched a brilliant documentary called Searching for Sugarman, read Paul Coelho's The Alchemist (really excellent and thoughtful), worked on a chapter for a collection entitled Modernist World, done my first batch of healthy baking (verdict: carrot cake 'best I have ever eaten' (quote from D), but still need to find a way of getting my banana muffins to rise properly) and enjoyed two bbqs.

Summer research is approaching and I am so looking forward to the next 12 weeks. I have a whole book to write along with other projects but am excited about the challenge and about the long days at my laptop. All great fun. We also have a number of gigs and wee trips coming up to give us some time together away from D's revision books.

Hope life is treating you well wherever you are
CSW