Did I ever say an engagement was an elephant, madam?

Footnotes excepted, I've as good as finished the judicial chaper. All I need is a good translation of 'rechtsvrede' and I just can't find one anywhere.

Also, in the spirit of me starting Lent three weeks early, my mum is not making pancakes tonight. Sadness ensuing. Exactly a year since me and Matt's pancake tasting session and the subsequent korfball training session with very full bellies as well. Manchester I miss thee.

..nowhere better to get into the Christmas atmosphere. Especially with an account full of euros waiting to be spent on VATless 1,12 euro pounds. I've already bought so many beautiful things I'm a tad embarassed to admit it. Off to Manchester tomorrow, for a curry at Matt's, but not before a hearing some beautiful carols in York Minister. I've missed Manchester so much! So excited to be back there, and starting to be a bit freaked out about the ceremony now.. what if I mess up the protocol?

Monday's Steve's and Tuesday I'm meeting Emily in town. She's been so eager to have me staying at her parents' in Knutsford that I might give in.. if Steve won't be too insulted I'll only stay at his for one night. I'd love to see her old haunted house she's been bragging about since I've known her.

Oh, and I saw Chaucer's a Knight's Tale and a Merchant's Tale tonight, starring the fabulous Hsin-Chi and Merel, in a gorgeous tiny little church. Oh so lovely.

Dissertation Schmissertation. I want my cider in the sun.

I'm gutted I've still not seen Matt! I've hardly been home, and today I've even left my phone there so I can't text him to ask how his first day went. He left me a really sweet note in the mailbox when he came round the other day though, which I didn't find until the next morning.

Sarah is a star, helping me out with my big D! Yesterday we went through it for ages and then we had Ben&Jerries and watched a Doctor Who off one of my spanking new dvds I'm not allowed to touch until after hand in. I really want to ask both her and Matt to come join Helle, Anders and myself for dinner on Thursday, hope Helle's alright with that.

I'm actually quite excited about Craig coming back to Hollyoaks tomorrow.

As for other news, no other news.. maybe except for the fact that Matthew stole into my room while I was away today and stole back his stereo and duvet, and I still haven't seen him. Ah well.

I NEED a good first sentence for my intro. Aagh.

Oh, and Alice's friends Ellie and Jess, who've been staying here the last few days, are moving into our house next week. Alice is well pleased, and so is her dad. And I'm sort of happy as well, it would be sad leaving no one would move into my beloved huisje.

My power cord died yesterday. Panicked all night, slept badly.. decided to a find a uni computer cluster that would be open all day Saturday, but ended up cycling to Stockport instead to get a new charger. I could ave used Sarah's laptop all week, but its keys are all weird and annoying, and so is her new version of Word, I can't find anything.

Matthew's coming back today, yaay! I hope he won't mind waiting till Thursday before I give him all his stuff back (he can have his duvet because I'm in a good mood). Hmm, not sure what he's going to say about the state of this place. I know it's my room now but I still feel bad for having turned in into a pigsty.

Not allowed to spend any time on anything but the big D though... Rewriting my intro with J-M's instructions today, and hopefully get to the conclusion before tonight.

I love my random way of writing: I've only just formulated my thesis, and I found the key article to chapter three yesterday, by accident. I would say I love it when a plan comes together, but it's not so much a plan as a lot of chaotic effort and a tad of good luck.

Oh, mof, I've finally posted your charger as well, sorry it took so long!

Sarah and Rachel are going for a hike in the Peaks tomorrow. I really wish I could join them, and I wouldn't mind taking a day off from my dissertation, but with these dodgy knees of mine I better not. Probably going to the comedy night on Tuesday though, so at least that's something to look forward to. Matt's back in a week, so I might be doing two weeks in a row, woosh! Hopefully we can manage to squeeze in some joint cooking before I'm off, but with his placement and new housemates, he'll probably be a bit too busy for that.

I might try cycling tomorrow, if my cold's any better.

Oh, and for other news, I won't be homeless for a week. Alice's dad says we can stay for a bit longer if we want, without signing another contract, bless him. Wished I'd booked my flight after fresher's week now. Might be cheeky and change it.. no I can't, really. There's my doctor's appointment, and the Efeling plans of Hsins, Roes and myself of course!

So we did go walking in the Peaks today. Started in a forest and then did a bit of the pennine way and walked all the way back in a circle. I'll check with Matthew how much it actually was but we walked for five hours, without seeing a drop of rain! I'm EXHAUSTED. It was so nice though. We bought one of those detailed maps and got our inspiration from there. Matt wants to do the same route again when my knee's, as he said it, 'repaired' and see if we can do it in less but I'm thinking about taking it more up North. The Pennine way is going past Hadrian's wall so woo, walk to Schotland, I like it.

Also, despite all the 'if I crash my knee now, the helicopter heroes will actually come and save me, right?' comments, today's really helped me get more confident about my knee. I only needed a hand getting down a hill once or twice, and Matt even made a really good picture of me wading through a stream on my bare feet, so woo, confidence of the physique all round.

Tomorrow night we're having a bbq/small parteh. I can only hope some people show up because most are still revising. But Matt's off to his Swiss wedding on Tuesday so we've got no choice really. I'm a bit sad, but seeing as this week's been so amazing and Copenhagen is actually only a week off AND Glasto's drawing close as well, I've got no time to feel sad really.

Aww, however, Anders, Helle's boyfriend has gone and injured himself (not too sure how or why, the telephone died and neither me or Helle have credit) so she's flying off to Denmark tomorrow rather than come with us on Friday. I hope he's gonna be alright, and that we won't be too much in the way when we get there next week..

Sheffield and Preston, here I come!

Went to Rileys to get my arse kicked at pool yesterday night, good fun. I won one game out of ten though, not bad. And had such a good lie in this morning, you wouldn't believe!

Matt's shaved off his curls again. It's so funny, it's just like our friendship's gone back a whole year. Me and Joe were laughing at how tiny his head looks now, in comparison to his body. That may just be because we're used to his massive 'fro though, I don't know.

Ohh I'm so curious at what Hayley's got planned for us on Sunday..

Matthew's started his exam regime today, meaning leaving the house every morning and not coming back till late. Even though it's good for me, because it means less distraction, I'm also a bit gutted, because, well, I liked the last couple of days of distraction. There's still the minor ones though, which are just as nice really, as things like cycle routes and making Toad in the Hole after. Yesterday, for instance, we went for one pint of troff cider after we'd both had a long day of revision. Just the one, and a nice chat, so quite lovely really.

Max said I should give myself till THE FRIDAY after the week after the Tuesday deadline. That's no way to push me into writing this baby!

Hmm, I might go shopping for my wedding outfit on Monday rather than Wednesday. Don't want to risk not finding an outfit before I have to rush off to the airport. Besides, I need to pay attention to what I'm actually packing this time. I ALWAYS bring loads of rubbish I end up having to bring back again, and forget slightly more pressing matters such as m Dutch SIM, my phone charger or my ID-card.

Distraction, please. Reproachful indeed. I'm writing about the nature of innocence now, but I've got the feeling Jeremy's going to find my obervations rather shallow. SIGH.

To cycle down to Northenden, circle all the way around Wythenshawe park and back to Didsbury, find a really nice pub (With real adults, like, with jobs and, er, shit. Me and Matt agreed it was well scary.) and have a heavenly cold pint of cloudy cider, sitting on the grass in the beautiful sunshine.



I think seeing a statue of Cromwell might have been a hint of what I really should be doing. Because, whether I want it or not, King Charles's head is getting into my essay, woe is me.

Mind you, anything's better than writing essays right now. This was just a particularly blissful distraction. I just don't want this month to end.

(edit: the picture's Wythenshawe hall, not said pub. Lolz.)

Me and Matthew just went to the chippy, and then had some amazing vanilla ice-cream. Best meal everr or what?

Also, he gave me a belated birthday pressie; I think because he got Rachel a book for tomorrow, thinking he only baked me a cake for mine, bless him. So, now there's two really fancy bike lights on my fiets! I bet he was tempted to buy me a helmet, but I just wouldn't have worn it..

I installed the bike computer I got from Sint in December, so now my fietsje is looking pretty flash!

4-3.. Matt scored two though, can you believe it? Everyone loved me for bringing him along. I guess that's almost as good as being any good myself haha!

edit: it was 3-2, so he scored ALL our goals pft. Went to have drinks with the team last night, really good. Slowly getting to know more people a little better!