Forty years ago about this time I had my nice-est ever educational experience when, to my complete surprise, I won the P3 Christmas story prize in Mrs MacManus’s class in Holy Child Primary School. I still remember the way disappointment at not coming third or second was turned into pure joy by actually winning, and being able to go home and tell my mother and show her the prize (some chocolate I think).
Twelve years later I remember the last Friday of my first (not very happy) term at Edinburgh University. I had no lectures to go to and a small amount of money to spend – my mother sent me a cheque which was enough to allow me to get more money from the bank, and that too was a care-free and happy day.
Today is another last Friday of term. I have just presented my literature review seminar to the real time systems group here at York and it was deemed more than acceptable, so I have made it through the first stage of the PhD process.
But care-free? Not really, because it is absolutely bucketing with rain outside (I am sitting in the library) and the BBC forecast is that this will go on all day. Even the 1km between here and my supervisor’s office on the eastern campus is going to see me absolutely drenched.
Cannot win them all.
