End of another week

Evening folks,
So it's the end of a slightly strange but certainly educational week. Academia (and life in general) can be odd at times. Anyone else noticed? Anyways, many wonderful things to rejoice in including my first real Zumba class (I've been doing Zumba for a couple of weeks with the Wii at home but this is the first time I've made a fool of myself in public - fortunately there were lots of other happy fools there too!), burgers at our new favourite Homemade Burger Co, playing a couple of games of Rayman with D (I like computer games where I get to help!), looking forward to the Royal Rumble at the weekend and listening to Australian radio for the tennis. The more I sit here and think about my little world, the more happy I get!

Tomorrow night I am off to watch Encore, our student-led production at the LPAC. They have all worked super hard and I'm looking forward to a couple of musical numbers. Before that I'm hoping to manufacture a tidy house (I think that involves me actually getting the duster out though I live in hope that my special cleaning fairy will arrive) and eat breakfast somewhere delicious with D. We have been discussing this year's holidays and, after the adventurous travels of last year, we are hoping to explore some new corners of the globe and, in true Warden style, meet some new great people. This week I came across Tolkien's great quote again: "Not all who wander are lost". I think that's probably true of me in many ways. I am a bit of a wanderer by nature (not an intrepid traveller, you understand, just a wanderer) and am hoping for some new inspirational wanders in 2012.

Have a brilliant weekend.
CSW

Borgen and Bullseye...

...this has been the slightly odd televisual combination chez Warden this week. Last week was a great start back to university. There were some brilliant classes with some inspiring students. And then two (count them) full research days. I sent off three articles and nearly finished the fourth. On a roll! And then we had a very happy weekend looking at cars, eating at Uncle Henry's and stroking beautiful horses.

And so to our TV watching. I am a little obsessed with Borgen, the Danish political series. It is incredibly acted and avoids cliche very effectively. I'm in love with the fabulous Birgitte and, at one point today, actually thought 'how would Birgitte respond to this?' Hmm... They are showing Bullseye late at night on Challenge and it makes us feel all nostalgic, even though I didn't catch it first time round. Great jumpers, magnificent hairdos and the marvellously natural Jim Bowen at the helm. Watching this shows you, not just how much television has changed, but how much society has changed.

This evening I am crashing on with reading book proofs, watching University Challenge and preparing for tomorrow's documentary theatre class. All fun and games.

CSW

Saturday morning in front of a screen

So, I am currently jiggling around with an application for a research opportunity (ooo, that sounds cryptic) so I thought I'd take a quick head-space break and write a post.

The flat may still be in a bit of a mess but our tree is now up, complete with home-made fairy (the nearest I get to craft!). I'm not feeling particularly festive but preparations are getting done, slowly but surely. The second half of the week was spent calming dissertation students (I was only partly successful with this role!), filling in more grant applications, writing module handbooks, reading Romantic Moderns and catching up with the washing. Today's jobs are: tidy house, make macaroons (the easy way - cheers Nigella!), do the ironing, work on applications, rejiggle a journal article, and go out for dinner with friends. A lovely, varied day in store. The wind has abated here which is certainly good for us residing, as we do, on the third floor.

And the big question of the day - can you make ground almonds by just grinding almonds in my food processor? I will try it out and report back.

Anyways, on with the application. I feel as if I am waiting for so many reviewer's reports and grant decisions at the moment. It does make checking your inbox slightly more exciting! Hope you enjoy a peaceful Saturday.

CSW

Post-show sleepiness

If you were to walk around the University of Lincoln's Performing Arts department today you would find a great crowd of folks wandering about like zombies, perhaps searching for a last minute costume or perfecting a dance move. This goes for staff and students alike. The tech team seem particularly worn out. We are gradually reaching the end of a mammoth two weeks of performances. Late nights, early mornings and (last night) running around trying to find cardboard boxes to make into robots! But it has been a lot of fun despite the general exhaustion and we have seen some great performances. I was particularly proud of my first year class last night who pulled off a really interesting version of Capek's R.U.R. complete with blue robot blood!

What else has happened in the past week? Well, the Christmas Market came and went. We had two wonderful girlies from my undergrad days to stay. It was so good to see them. There is something about spending a couple of days with people who know you so well! The market was unbelievably busy but we did have a go on the dodgems which was fun (D drove, I had my foot on the accelerator!) and ate chestnuts in the cold. Other than that, I've been reading the wonderful Romantic Moderns by Alexandra Harris: an incredible, inspiring book! I also had a new article posted at PhD2Published. Check it out, particularly if you haven't read through this remarkably useful and well-edited website. I have lost a number of ladder matches on WWE12, have had my heating on a little too much and have eaten just a little too often at the Engine Shed, Lincoln's student union.

And that is my world up to tonight! Research time is on its way. I still have two articles to finish before Christmas, as well as a couple of grant applications. Our house remains undecorated, although I might shove the tree up tonight. We spent Saturday night watching Peter Gabriel on DVD and making snow flakes so I might stick those up too.

Hope everyone is getting in the festive spirit. If you are in Edinburgh or Stockport then we are so looking forward to seeing you over the Christmas period. If you are awaiting a card from me then I promise they are on their way. And if you, like me, are crawling towards the end of term then "strengthen ye the feeble hands and confirm the weak knees"...

CSW

Is that term over?

Well, the answer is 'yes' insofar as teaching has come to an end. This term has been a little on the crazy side so, I must admit, I'm glad to get back to a little research. And, with my first years doing such an incredible job with R.U.R., I don't even have a performance to worry about! So looking forward to seeing the final production! I've continued my ponderings that began in Edinburgh, though I haven't come to any particular conclusions yet. That's tomorrow's job. I have four projects to finish before Christmas. It might be a little ambitious!

We've had a couple of happy days with our friends this week. Last night we enjoyed the Bellowhead gig at the Engine Shed with Darren, Ally and familia. Today the wonderful Luehrmanns travelled down from Leeds. It was so good to see them all and to meet baby Liam for the first time. We feel very fortunate to have such good mates. Tonight is peaceful - online food order, a bit of music, a bit of left-over work, and perhaps a film. It is much colder than it has been and I'm afraid I have succumbed to the central heating. Saying that, I really like the hot water bottle and rug approach.

And, apart from setting myself the challenge of re-learning a beautiful Gaelic Christmas song called Taladh Chriosa in time for the festive season avec guitar chords, that is about it. This week it is meetings, tech rehearsals (nothing more exciting than getting the studio lights on!) and research projects, including the very final read through of the Book. Oh and someone's birthday...though this has passed me by entirely up to this point.

Hope everyone is having a great Fall/Autumn
CSW

Wonderous Stories

And yes the title is right, before you ask. So, I am feeling loads better although my throat is still a little dodgy. Health always feels brilliant after you've been sick. I even played netball tonight for the first time in probably 17 years! Woah, how old am I! Any old hockey friends reading this, I should say that I did let out a wee smirk when they told me you couldn't take more than one step and there was to be no contact. We always used to mock netball girls as wimps. Tonight, however, my legs are pretty sore!

We had the most wonderful weekend in Edinburgh. Sorry to all those I wasn't able to catch up with! We enjoyed seeing friends and family so much. I had the most fabulous of days in the National Library reading some plays and, most importantly, reconsidering my research ideas. In typical Dickensian fashion I went for a walk around my favourite thinking space: the Museum of Scotland. It is a great place full of shadowy corridors and places to hide. I did so much thinking and reassessing over the weekend about a whole load of stuff. It was encouraging, challenging, inspiring and fun. I might blog later about all the things I have learned.

Saturday night we headed over to Glasgow for a Yes gig. Man, those guys played well! Geoff Downes was on fire and had on a lovely pair of trousers. We had a great night and, as I sat in the SECC, I turned to D and said, 'I am about as happy as a person can be'. I just felt overwhelmingly blessed in every way.

So, here we are in the final week of teaching. Inevitably my flat is a bit of a heap. But D and I are enjoying a replay of Monday Night Raw (wrestling) amid the mess while drinking tea and eating Tunnocks tea cakes (a wee nod to Auld Reekie there).

Hope everyone is feeling really good.
CSW

Hot water bottles and woolly hats

So, autumn has arrived. The wind is cold and I wore double jumper layers today. Always glad for hot tea and hot water bottles. Anyways, we had a rather excellent and chilled out weekend, drinking coffee and eating Chinese food with friends, coming third in a quiz, looking at houses (just being nosy) and listening to a couple of great preaches. All in all it was exactly what I needed. This is, rather unbelievably, week 4 which means that we are nearly halfway through teaching for this term. Madness! It is all going well and last night was topped off by our journal reading group where we discussed a guy that actually looks like a cat. Academia!

Tonight I'm finally getting to do a bit of work on a grant application I've been meaning to sort out for a while. And I think an early night might go down well, especially given that I am turning all Simon Cowell tomorrow night as I judge the drama competition at Queen Elizabeth High School, Gainsborough. Last year the standard was remarkably high so I'm looking forward to it. Another relatively quiet weekend in store. I am loving relaxing weekends at the moment. D and I are just spending a lot of time hanging out, watching films, doing household chores and reading stuff.

We are also really enjoying our new box set Treme.  It is set in New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina and, as usual for a David Simon/HBO combo it is thought-provoking, challenging and uplifting in equal measure. These HBO series are often a bit bleak and sweary but they provide such a wonderful insight into communities and their issues. Not knowing a great deal about the Hurricane and the devastation it caused, I have really been struck by the unbelievable decisions, oversights and social problems. Unusually for TV, this series does not try to provide easy answers or to romanticise society. Like The Wire it challenges your expectation of television in profoundly disturbing ways.

Other than that it's been work all the way really. Not even watched University Challenge yet as I was at the gym last night while D and his buddy played squash. After a couple of wee frustrations during the day I ran on the treadmill until I could run no further. Exercise is just mega! In total agreement with good ol' Apostle Paul.

Anyways, onwards. Peter Gabriel's super-duper new album New Blood is in the background. I have tea and a hottie. Everything is ready for a couple of quiet hours of grant application. It's at times like this that I feel so unbelievably blessed to have a cosy peaceful house, to know that D is working his way through the Smiths' back catalogue in the other room, and to just feel that everything is working together for good. Ace, huh?

Hope everyone is doing really well.
CSW

Autumn arrives

I has rained all day in bonny Lincolnshire and the temperature must have gone down 20 degrees in a week. I wore my cape today for the first time this autumn. Hoping to be able to wear boots and tights next week. I love autumn clothes! We paid a visit to Louth today after a morning game of squash. It's quite a sweet little place and we had a lovely day.

This week I have been very thankful for my Apple products. D and I are total Mac-heads and we were both very sad to hear of Steve Jobs' death. He seemed to be a wonderfully inspiring guy, able to provide techy goods for techy idiots like me. We watched his Stanford commencement speech this week and much of it has remained with me all week. I particularly like his view of death - it means that we have a limited time to accomplish everything. Urgency leads to great things!

Teaching has been fun this week, by and large. I am particularly chuffed with my first years who fully understood semiotics on Thursday morning and even managed to produce some great practical work that explored the ideas. It is really lovely to work with them and I'm looking forward to our version of R.U.R. This week the Times World Uni Rankings came out which was as exciting as election night. Harvard was pipped to the post by Cal Tech, Edinburgh did wonderfully well as always, Aber (my undergraduate institution) was on the long list and there was a good showing from our Pacific North West (Go Dawgs!) and Canuck friends (BC). Lincoln isn't on there quite yet. There were two post-92s on the long list so they proved it is possible to break through. I was talking to a colleague the other day about the amazing progress Lincoln has made in the ten years it has been around. Really outstanding for such a young institution!

Research-wise I have been reading a lot of depressing (in some cases very depressing) plays about Iraq. They are mostly incredibly bleak with startlingly terrible language because, apparently, (and I can't quite believe this) all soldiers are unbelievably foul-mouthed. Ho hum! Some of them, that said, are quite interesting. And they make fascinating contrasts with the 1914 Flecker play Hassan. Boring bit over!


It's Saturday night and I am sorting out my research submissions. D is listening to some terrible, little-known 80s music. Both these things mean that all reality TV passes us by. I'm going to do a little house sorting, read some books, probably challenge D to a PS3 game and drink some more tea. Let me tell you, this is what aspirational twenty-/thirty-somethings do with their Saturday evenings.

CSW

Photos are up!

Hey all,
Just to let you know, the photos from our trip are now up on Picasa. Follow the 'photos' link above. Sorry that there aren't the customary little comments or indeed a proper blog post about our travels yet. This week has gone past in a bit of a blur! I will get to this job some time next week in case you're interested.

This week there have been a lot of meetings and chats. It's all been very positive and I'm excited about the new term. We've been particularly glad to welcome three new members of staff all of whom are fabulous additions to the department. I've been trying to get to grips with the new courses I am teaching and can't wait to get back in with the students. It is quite difficult to fully plan classes until you start interacting with students again. I love the university atmosphere-it is so vibrant and exciting! Anyways, I've started the preparation and feel pretty calm about it all.

Today has been spent sleeping, working, doing the washing (I can nearly see the bottom of the laundry pile which is exciting) and visiting friends. It has been just lovely but has gone too fast. Tomorrow we have church lunch (I shamefully admit that I sent D out to buy cake rather than make anything) and then I am off to Stockport. On Monday I am heading into Manchester for a day with the BBC. This comes out of a project earlier this summer called New Generation Thinkers. We get to pitch our ideas for new programmes and learn from some great Beeb folks. It should be really exciting. I don't expect to become the next Prof Brian Cox but it is really useful to have some media training. I'll write about it on my Lincoln blog next week.

Anyways, it is late, I am sleepy and I still have some jobs to do before bed in preparation for my trip. Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and feeling positive about the oncoming autumn chill.

Rock on friends
CSW

On the range and the court

So, since my last post the riots have calmed down and we are in the 'coming up with simplistic answers' phase which I am trying to ignore. Instead of pondering the ins and outs of it all, D and I have been indulging a few sporting passions. We enjoyed a bit of tennis this week. Lincoln has some free (yes, really free) courts near the common so D and I dusted off our rackets and did our best Federer impressions. After a couple of games of utter rubbish, we started to improve a bit. Two summers ago we played loads of tennis so it was good to get back out there. Yesterday we took to the driving range and hit a few balls. I have to say I was ten times better than I thought I'd be. It's been a good long time since I played so I was quite pleased. My trouble is that whatever the club, the ball always goes about 100yards. It doesn't matter if it's a driver or a 9iron. And today we visited my horse friends at Bransby. This horse home is one of my favourite places to go. D and I remembered what a great place Lincoln is to live. Yes, it is a bit dull but you can be in the country so quickly and just take a peaceful walk with some fresh air. Lovely.

Anyways, we are beginning to plan our trip to the States/Canada and are looking forward to seeing our friends and enjoying two weeks of food and fun. Before then I have two weeks of new projects (all seem to be going well) and organising. I am in the middle of a big house reshuffle at the moment that I might have mentioned briefly before. This week I took four big bags of clothes to Barnados and threw out some old stuff that really wasn't worth keeping. So now my wardrobe feels a whole heap better. I've got to do the kitchen and the office this week. I have dreams of a lovely, peaceful minimalist household but I don't actually have the heart for it. I am a sentimental hoarder by nature! But I have good intentions!

Anyways, tea beckons before a snooze. D is shouting at Match of the Day which must mean that the Premier League has started again. I have no interest in football any more. I used to love it but money and moany players have taken over the game and I just don't care very much anymore. Every time I see my beloved Eric Cantona on the telly promoting hair products or sporting goods or whatever, I feel a strange twinge of nostalgia for happier footballing days when my bedroom was covered in posters and you could still bump into David Beckham in HMV in Manchester. Ah well.

Have a great week folks.
CSW

Fair thee weel thou first and fairest

On Saturday night we arrived back from lovely Chequers near Belvoir, where we had a delicious meal, and enjoyed a bit of Scottish folk singing.  This was in honour of the visit of Charlie and Liz, D's aunty and uncle. We went from Killicrankie to Ae Fond Kiss via Shoals of Herring. A wee taste of the Highlands in the centre of Lincoln. We had a very jolly weekend with them. You can really find some great old folkie stuff on YouTube! Check it out!

Friday was a momentous day - I sent the final draft of the book to Palgrave. I can't quite believe that I've done it! I am proud of the final result and full of thanks to everyone who has helped me on the way. To remind me of happy days at IASH where this project started, I listened to a collection of Trevor Rabin soundtracks before switching to a bit of John Wetton for the final push. Celebrated with scampi and chips at the Elite. Too yum! I've spent the last couple of days on a forthcoming paper for the International Journal of Scottish Theatre and a book chapter for a collected edited edition due out next year. For the next few weeks I am finishing a range of projects, sending papers off, finalising drafts etc. All good fun.

But tomorrow I have taken a day of annual leave so I can reorganise the flat. I have wanted to do this job for a while now and have reorganised some corners already. The aim is to get the whole flat done before we go away in three weeks. So tomorrow is sort of a kick start for this process. Looking forward to listening to some tunes and getting the duster out. Tonight, however, is going to be taken up with dinner (in the oven), University Challenge (my favourite), a short workout and watching the highlights from the Wigan game. Lovely!

CSW

Happy days

Apologies for the lack of posts this week. I've spent most days chained to my computer proofreading so by the evening I've been less than keen to stare at a screen! But here we are. Today was spent with our dear friends from LEC. They have two children so we took them water skiing at Holme Pierrepoint. It was brilliant fun, though I was rubbish. D persevered and definitely got the 'crash of the day' award. It is a really intense sport and you go extremely quickly. Developed a love of wet suits - surely the world's most comfortable garment. We came back for computer games, pizza and homemade ice-cream. A great day, though I must admit I feel pretty sleepy this evening.

So, what else has been occurring in Lincoln? Well, University Challenge is back and we've been enjoying the new series, I've started my flat declutter and feel better about it all already and we've sorted out some of the arrangements for our forthcoming trip Stateside. I am so looking forward to seeing our friends and enjoying two weeks across the pond. It's going to be a very chilled out time of baseball, music festivals and exploring. Lovely! Apart from that it has mostly been work. It seems as if a lot of new projects are coming up at the moment, all with deadlines in the next two weeks. On top of the final book read it is all feeling pretty busy. It is brilliant to feel as if things are really taking off and I'm so glad for all the opportunities.

Anyways, I'm off for a rest and another cuppa. I might even watch telly for a bit. Saturday night chez Warden.
CSW

Not another wipeout! 

Like a bridge over troubled water

Evening friends,
We had a great time with the family at the weekend - the sun shone and all was well. Since then it has been two days of little faffy book jobs and new projects. I've got three new articles in the pipeline. Spent the morning feeling passionate about the first paper which is based on our spring student project. It connects with the brilliant student as producer initiative at the University.

Apart from that it has been super quiet. We watched a silly film, 'Knight and Day', last night. Thoroughly enjoyable rubbish! And I've been busying myself with house tasks and little jobs (phone calls, booking train tickets and the like). We're off to Edinburgh tomorrow for a work/leisure combo trip and there seem to be a lot of wee jobs to get finished before then. Glad to have one more day of faffing before we head off. As usual I'm looking forward to nearly five hours worth of musical gems as we head up the A1. D has been working on his iPod playlist this evening. I've heard wafts of Simon and Garfunkel and Dave Gilmour so it seems fairly promising!

Hope everyone has a great end of week/weekend. Lots of exciting stuff coming up over the next few weeks so I promise that more exciting blog posts are on their way about such varied subjects as academic blogging, the end of the book, America, BBC workshops and...Iron Maiden. Where else could you find such a mix?

CSW

The Wow Factor

The title of today's blog is my least favourite aphorism in the English language. My hatred for this expression has been exacerbated recently by BBC Two's evening show, the Great British Menu. It is always quite fun to watch this while eating dinner (tonight it was hummus, falafel and salad pittas and frozen yogurt) but the frequent use of this cliche is driving me crazy. Tonight it was used five times...in a half hour show! Insane! What does it mean?!

I followed that up with a lovely workout. Getting a bit sweaty every day is definitely the key. I wore my Lincoln City away shirt, still in mourning for the Imps' relegation nightmare. And (what is now a Monday night ritual) we watched Game of Thrones. It was a particularly brutal episode with slightly too much tomato ketchup for my liking. But this series continues to impress. Tyrion Lannister is still my favourite. He has all the best lines. As I said before, be warned if you are going to give this series a go! But it is a fascinating exploration of power and court corruption.

We had a great Sunday with a preach on election - all very interesting, particularly for me as a four and a half pointer! This after a terrific meal at Doddington Hall with our friends. I was very glad to see the ribs on the menu. I've been eating far more veggie food recently as it is better for me and for the world, but those ribs are just too delish!

Today I have been holed up in my office in my old jeans working through my marking pile. It isn't going too badly and, as usual, there are some very bright moments. One strong filter coffee, lots of water, a selection of tunes (from Zimmer's soundtrack to Modern Warfare to Asia's Omega) and the sound of Lincoln rain battering the window helped me through, that and the gradual countdown to concert excitement and our Beijing trip. We have now booked a trip to the Great Wall (figured it would be better to hike up with folks who knew what they were doing than wander around on our own) and a day exploring the lesser-known parts of the city off the tourist trail. It's going to be amazing. I can't believe it's just around the corner now. I feel as if I have a lot of work to do before heading off!

Well, D is watching Muse concerts on youtube and I fancy a cuppa before bed. More marking tomorrow, though I'm hoping to get some Book in as well. D has found a new cafe (now our beloved Portico has changed hands) called the Angel so I might give that a go for a couple of hours and crack on with the redrafting. Hope everyone is having a great week.

CSW

Mancunian triumphs and Warden excitement

Saturday is here again and it's been a week of meetings, research and marking. The Book is coming on well, although I am at the stage of deleting words before I can write more. I've enjoyed a number of research-related meetings this week and feel thoroughly inspired. There are lots of little projects on the go and I've got a good plan for the summer.

Excitement is building for the Roger Waters' gig on Friday. We booked tickets for this ages ago and I haven't been allowed to watch any video clips on youtube. It's going to be mega, though I must admit I'm slightly nervous. At least we won't be waiting for Dave Gilmour to join him on stage. This historic event occured this week, unfortunately. D is off to watch Rush the night before. As part of my recent music education D has also booked tickets for, of all things, Iron Maiden in July. That should be a gig! You'll get full reviews, you lucky people.

To celebrate the start of a research summer, D and I want to the cinema on Wednesday night to watch Thor. I have a bit of a thing for these intelligent Marvel comic films and this was a good addition to the canon. He is a very striking young gentleman which only added to the general enjoyment.

And our China trip is just round the corner. We received our visas this week after a bit of faffing about in consulates. So it feels as if we can finally make some plans. Beijing just looks amazing. Be warned, there will be a lot of pictures to wade through.

Today is a lovely day of weekend relaxation. We started off with a game of squash (which D won) and then nipped into Waitrose on our way home. By this stage it became clear that Man United had won the league. Now I used to be a HUGE Man U fan but my fervour has waned over the past few years as money, spoilt superstars and foul-mouthed fans have ruined the game. Always good to see the Reds pick up another victory though. It was also delight for the team in blue as City won the FA cup. Manchester rules the footballing world! Tonight we are off for a jolly dinner at Doddington Hall.

And finally congratulations to our lovely friends Matt and Daisy on the birth of their wee girlie, Elloise. Hoorah and hooray.

CSW

Sunny Edinburgh

So, here I sit in Edinburgh doing a little work after a great meal with friends at The Plumed Horse. All too yummy! It's been a funny type of week really - a couple of days back at work, a trip to Edinburgh, a day at the library, a couple of meetings, a faff with our Chinese visas, a visit to Glasgow...oh and a Royal Wedding, of course. Despite the impenetrable sermon we (that does not include D I hasten to add) enjoyed Kate's dress and the balcony kiss. I have no interest in royals or weddings really, but they looked like a happy couple and I hope they enjoy married life. Our highlight of yesterday was traveling through to Glasgow and seeing our good friends, Matthew and Daisy and their gorgeous son, wee Matthew. It was brilliant to see them all.

And, of course, this week saw the return of the first draft of the Book. Despite the abundance of red pen notes, all seems very positive and I'm really looking forward to getting back into it. There is probably another two months of real hard work to be done on it, so the end is in sight. I've really enjoyed this Easter break and have finally stopped dreaming about work. Assessment week coming up so don't expect anything coherent until next weekend. I always enjoy assessment week, but it all looks a little hectic this time. A nice, straight-forward, happy week would suit me just fine. I'll let you know how The Adding Machine goes on Wednesday morning.

Anyways, I'm going to do a little work before D arrives back. I'm watching Sky Sports news at the same time and following the football scores. It's all getting close to the end of the season now and it's a little tense at the bottom of every league. Go mighty Imps!

CSW

Visiting my horsey friends

After a lovely Saturday, Sunday was equally sunny so, after morning service, we headed out to Uncle Henry's for lunch. We have passed this place so many times but have never been in. It is a farm shop with a lovely cafe attached. We had a great meal and D even said that the wedges were the best he'd ever eaten...which is saying something. With the sun shining, D took me on a magical mystery tour and we ended up at Bransby Home of Rest for Horses. Now I am quite a horsey girl so this was perfect for me. This place takes in injured or maltreated horses and gives them a quiet place of peace and tranquility. It is just a lovely place. We wandered round and saw all the horses. They also have a few donkeys. D loves donkeys so he was delighted. He's spent today researching donkeys...watch out for the day the Wardens buy a bit of land! It was such a lovely Sunday.

Today has been back to university with rehearsals, admin galore, student meetings and the start of the Caryl Churchill festival. All fun and games. And tonight we finally got our internet working properly again (actually D finally got our internet working again along with a nice man from Virgin) so here's hoping it'll stay strong. And to celebrate we did the P90X ab ripper, a hard core exercise routine that we haven't done in a while. It is a total killer but great for your core muscles. I'm looking forward to a half research day and a Creation/Realisation rehearsal tomorrow. The flat is looking progressively tidier and cleaner in preparation for Spring and the arrival of my parents on Wednesday. Can't wait to see you both! I have taken a bona fide day of annual leave this week (what!?) and Mum and I are off to Eden Hall Spa. So excited! Then we have D's aunt, uncle and cousins arriving for the day on Sunday. As we drove about yesterday, D turned to me and said, 'what a lot of things we have to look forward to over the next few months' and he's absolutely right: a few days in Norfolk, family visits, concerts (including Roger Waters, of course), a trip to Edinburgh, the production of The Adding Machine, some exciting research to look forward to (OK, so D is not quite as excited about these last two as I am!), Easter (my absolute favourite time of the year) and, finally at the end of May, our trip to Beijing. Phew! Some life we live :-)

Hope everyone is doing well. I'm off for a snooze.
CSW

Weekend sunshine

This morning I cleaned my little kitchen from top to bottom. What a great feeling! We celebrated by buying a picnic from Waitrose and heading out to Hartsholme park for a walk round the lake. I had such a holiday feeling that I even bought some olives! D wore his pink shorts - actually, they are cooler than they sound.

Well, as the week progressed I finally stopped dreaming about work. I finished teaching on Friday and that's it for official classes until September - unbelievable! Fortunately on my research day I had two plays to read which meant I could take a hour or so outside on my balcony. I have a great job! The first play was David Hare's take on the lead up to the Iraq war, Stuff Happens and the second was Alan Bennett's The Habit of Art, a play based on the rather colourful lives of W.H. Auden and Benjamin Britten. Both relatively interesting. I've been exploring a little more contemporary theatre recently as I have felt a little stuck in the early twentieth century. I'm still a confirmed modernist at heart, though.

This week I also started to finalise my summer plans. This is always an exciting time of year. It's a month of planning and organising, of diary-keeping and new stationary...and, of course, a chance to find a good local cafe for those hours when you need to get out of your home office. I'm in a bit of a quandary with this one as our favourite cafe is just about to close (boo hiss!) so I'm on the lookout for somewhere else. All in all, plans are coming along well. I've still got to sort out my reading list though. I like creating summer reading lists and generally work my way through a broad range of texts over the sunny months. I'll keep posting on what I'm reading. It'll probably be a mixture of C17,18,19 plays (in preparation for our Restoration to Melodrama course) and modern British plays (in my attempt to stay 'down with the kids'!).

If you are anywhere near Lincoln this week then come and enjoy our Caryl Churchill festival. Now, I have to admit that Churchill is not my favourite writer. I have tried to like her work but I find it all a little dull and old-fashioned. That said, this week you can enjoy a range of her plays for free at the LPAC. That has to be worth a look.

Anyways, I'm off to think about dinner. Enjoy the weekend.
CSW

Lovely weekends, shining sun and victorious Magdalen

Goodness, where has the week gone? Well, Saturday saw us heading up to Yorkshire for a special day with the Luehrmanns. It's great to see our friends so settled and happy. And yesterday, after the service, D and I went back to Whisby nature reserve for a wander round the lakes. In fact we walked and talked for so long that we didn't even bother to go home before the evening service. The weather was beautiful and I got to wear my white jeans and new stripy shirt combo for the first time this Spring.

Today, however, is a different story. Winter has returned and I (boo hiss!) have turned the heat on again just to warm the place through. Man, it is freezing here! But it's been a great day of student meetings and rehashing the book proposal. All looks positive on that front. I have taken to hanging out in the Enterprise cafe. Enterprise is Lincoln's version of a career centre but it is really rather exciting and dynamic...and has the best coffee on campus. It is also quiet with BBC news rolling in the background and lots of space to work peacefully, away from the madness of the LPAC.

Tonight we went to another university lecture. Two BBC reporters were discussing the Wikileaks phenomenon and it was all rather inspiring and exciting, particularly for the undergraduate journalism students present. D asked a question about perceived bias in BBC reporting...which went down a treat, as you can imagine :-) Brilliant! And then it was back home to see Magdalen College, Oxford triumph on University Challenge. What a great team!

Actually, I am quite impressed that I'm still up and about, and writing in sane fashion after watching the first part of Wrestlemania last night. This is the most exciting wrestling event of the year. I wasn't totally blown away by what I saw before I finally drifted off at about 2am. D watched it through to the end and says that things improved. I don't know the final results and am particularly looking forward to watching the Undertaker v HHH later on tonight if I can find it online.

Anyways, this week is relatively calm with teaching, book proposals, play reading and many student meetings. And there is a peaceful weekend coming up. The Masters Golf will probably dominate chez Warden. In fact, it feels as if we are slowly winding down for the term. That is a pleasant but sad feeling as our third years will be flying the nest.

I'm off to find out if Cena beat the Miz (!) and drink another cuppa.

CSW

Where are the Wardens?

Happy Saturday one and all! I start with apologies for a distinct lack of posts this week. It has been a nicely busy one of rehearsals, teaching and exciting research plans. And then my Dad reminded me tonight that I hadn't written a post all week. Ooops. So here I sit watching Quantum of Solace out of the corner of my eye. I had forgotten how terrible the camera work was in this film. It doesn't let you focus on anything for more than a split second together. That fascinating opening fight on the scaffolding is made virtually incomprehensible. It begins to feel as if you are on a rollercoster after drinking three espressos. What were they thinking?

Anyways, I am home alone as D has travelled down to London to watch Scotland v Brazil with some old school chums. It always feels very odd without him but I've made the most of a quiet weekend. I'm finally starting to get to grips with a play called Hassan by James Elroy Flecker. It is a very weird play...very weird! But I am interested in it as a presentation of Iraq on the Western stage. I finished my second reading of the play this evening and now just need a couple of weeks of cogitating time. 

So this week we mostly...booked a wee holiday to Norfolk for our Easter break, ate sushi with friends, played a new tennis game on the PS3 and listened to Iron Maiden's rather good new album, With 100% attendance, I was prouder than ever of my gorgeous first years. And I've got back to a book I started a good long while ago, Battle Cry for Freedom. It is all about the American Civil War, a topic I know very little about really. Very interesting but a little dense for pre-bed time reading. Another quiet day in store tomorrow, awaiting the return of D.

Enjoy the rest of the evening. I'm off to make a cuppa in the break.

CSW