Every May my family and I go to the Isle of Wight (in the UK, just off the bottom of the mainland of England) for a weekend mountain biking event/festival. In recent years we've spent the whole week there, chilling on the island. Here are a few of my favourite snaps:
We love going to Calbourne Mill. It's a great historical water mill, but also home to some interesting birds, like this beautiful peahen (don't we see enough of the male of the species?)
and this chicken...
...and this cockerel.
This sums up the entertainment of the first evening. The band played modern songs (like Amy Winehouse's) and rock classics (This pic is the start of Hotel California) in a style like the Shadows. VERY entertaining. =D Our family all dressed up in hawaiian shirts and fezzes (maybe some pics of this at a later date haha).
Mum and I explored a manor house and its gardens.
The Manor's entrance was guarded with two Roman-style wolf-hounds...
and was surrounded by beautiful and stunning knot and parterre gardens (pictured) and a maze!
The island has some gorgeous views, this is the coastline near Ventnor
and my favourite dessert - chocolate 'puddle' pudding as I know it and 'chocolate fondant' on the menu - yummy by either name.
so.. first exam. Yeah. My answers were a lot shorter than previous exams, but considering the circumstances I did ok. I remembered everything I'd revised and managed to write 4 (total amount) answers, although one of them especially was only about 5 paragraphs long =S but hey... this is to be expected. I'm amazed that I got 4 answers actually considering I'd only revised 7 topics out of a total 20 and there were only 8 questions of which I had to answer 4. And 4 that I'd revised came up! Yay. I was so shattered this morning (the exam was in the afternoon) that I ended up going back to bed after doing an hour's studying and sleeping for a bit before doing a bit more. anyways, in short my answers were ok but not great, but then if the mark comes out terrible it doesn't matter anyway, so I dunno why I'm worrying! (Because I'm a perfectionist cries the inner voice)
Just before the exam I saw a terrible thing though. There are three main roads in St Andrews which run parallel to each other with smaller roads that run perpendicular inbetween to join them up. There are also a lot of alleyways linking the main roads up. The third main street, North street, separates the alleyways/roads to the main high-street, and the university library and computer labs. There's a crossing halfway up the road, but a lot of students can't be bothered to walk up one side of the road, cross at the crossing and then walk down the otherside of the road to get to the shops, so they cut across the road from the library exit to the alleyway opposite. The road is busy, but the traffic doesn't move fast, so generally it's safe to get across as long as you pay attention.
Anyways, I guess you know what's coming... I emerged from the alleyway opposite the library and there was a girl lying in the road, just beyond the parked cars which line the road. She'd obviously *just* tried to cross from the alleyway to the library and a car had hit her. She must not have looked properly, as like I said the cars don't go that fast, but I'm guessing if she stepped out from behind a parked car then the driver wouldn't have had much chance to stop/swerve. It must have happened pretty much just as I'd arrived because people were running to the police station (which thank God is actually on that street) and crouching over her screaming 'are you ok?' like it had just happened. She seemed in a very bad way - drifting in and out of conciousness maybe as her movements were a bit weird. I didn't get too close or stay too long as it's not really my business and I'd have probably just been in the way of the police and ambulance-people. There was no sign of the car that had hit her though, so I dunno whether it was a hit-and-run, or whether they parked the car further up the road. When I walked back that way about 20 mins later, the ambulance was still there, just about to pull off, so I dunno whether that means bad news (the ambulances arrive fast as it's a tiny town with the ambulance-park very central - why weren't they rushing her to the hospital?) or whether they just spent that amount of time getting her into the ambulance and plugging her into support machines or something. I hope she's ok.
another day of revision tomorrow and then final, final exam on wednesday. phew. I cannot wait for it all to be over, I can tell you... although it really will be a shame to leave st andrews and my friends.
If my grades weren't protected (the university has safeguarded them because of my health) I'd be screaming and crying right about now. I'm trying to revise for my exam (which is tomorrow afternoon) and I'm battling:
- pain in my wrists, fingers, elbows, and shoulders which increases with prolonged typing. - pain in my legs every time I stand up to get a drink or go to toilet (increases with prolonged sitting still at desk) - pain everywhere else just for the damn hell of it - side effects of medication including drowsiness, decreased concentration and nausea. - my period (stomach cramps, increased toilet visits, bad and low mood, bad concentration, general sick feeling, lower back pain) - fatigue, increased by the fact that I didn't sleep well last night due to pain. - stress of all of this plus exams.
Do you think you've written an awesome rant, a fantastic piece of fiction, a terrific description of your holiday or posted a beautiful photograph or piece of artwork? Would you like to show others this blog? Put your work out there to be seen and admired and maybe even gain a few new subscribers?
Maybe you're tired of reading the same old blogs all time, are looking for something fresh and exciting to read, but don't know where to start. Xanga featured isn't giving you want you want to read?
Well, look no further guys, because the ZangaZine is back! Go HERE to check it out.
You can submit your own work, nominate a worthy piece by someone else or just read through the Zine to find something interesting.
It used to be a big hit and hopefully it can come back with a bang. I'd love to see it publicised, so please, please, please mention it on your own blog and then go nominate/submit a couple of blogs. =D
I'm reading Harry Pooter books (for an essay I'm writing!), watching Red Dwarf and countless CSI miami episodes, eating chocolate, drinking Dr Pepper, sleeping badly (as always), walking in the sunshine, listening to my own yelps of pain, playing nothing =( and wishing for... good health... oh and world peace -.O.
I should be thankful for: finally getting diagnosed.
