Oi hed a Suffolk Blonde oi ded!

With dissertation deadline zooming towards me it was emergency measures time as my continuing inability to concentrate locked tight. The slightest noise, the tiniest interruption and my mind immediately goes into earnest irritation mode, not the best framework in which to attempt to write about your creative influences in an academic essay.

One of the continuing factors I love about Suffolk is its capacity to remain sleepy. Having mum taking care of my food requirements was a boon too. That she let me try and get my head in some sort of working order on the dining room table was blissful. It took some time I have to say. Despite having a first draft the discussions with my supervisor were around decreasing my self deprecation and getting rid of the ‘interesting’ digressions for more comment on what was going on in my brain as I put the poetry together.

An intensive 48 hours saw me with a considerably improved version and off it flew to Siobhan for her thoughts with my insecurities attached naturally. Whilst waiting for her comments I delved into the Humanities Style Guide, what an officious little beast that is. Footnotes and bibliography, grammar and styling, took another 48 hours just about, but once done it does add authority to an essay that was crying out for some.

And just as I thought about an early night Siobhan’s reply hit the emails. I almost daren’t look at it, save it for the morning was my initial reaction. Not possible to have a quick glance though was it? So I did. And she liked it. Several grammar and footnote comments but they’d mostly been addressed in the meantime. And her three main points weren’t massive either, indeed one I had worded poorly but had found improving my comment difficult so her solution was appreciated. 

The following 24 hours saw the final revision. It’s reading fluently, makes some positive observations and demonstrates what an irresistible poet I have become, huzzah!

During that time mum dragged me out of the house and into the quaint town of Eye for a pub lunch.  The response to my request for pint of lager was the usual abomination of the species or a Suffolk Blonde. It’s full of flavour, local, and the prefect accompaniment for fish, chips and mushy peas.

Rare Breeds

Suffolk, just outside Diss. Despite the fact that this rural part of the country is decades ahead of it's northern counterpart, still struggles with the internet. I opt to be www free for five days. It's different, in all the wrong ways.

Still, with time on my hands I read a little, nothing of substance. Wrote a bit, one poem I like, and another couple of works to work upon, plus a couple of blog entries, one I'll add here next and another for another double entry tomorrow. Played games with the children, many games; The City, Hanabi, Cuatro and Battle Line. Fortunes couldn't have been more different with the first of those and the last. Played about six of each with Basti winning all of The City, how did he manage to get so many park and fountain combinations? Battle Line though, I could do no wrong. Now obviously both games are dependent on the luck of cards picked up. But clearly I've decided that there's more you can do to influence the Battle Line. We even played twice with the tactics cards. Basti was keen to try these out and I resisted them, which means he didn't get to play very many!

Cuatro is definitely better with more than two. Another dice fest but some interesting choices to be made. Not bad. Hanabi was, unbelievable. Two three-player games, one including Nana, and we managed to get all the cards out, both times. Never happened before. Spooky but relatively straight forward too. If it hadn't have happened again last night with three new players at the IBG (Isleworth Board Gamers) I would have been more than surprised. But now I'm wondering if it's very possible, every time? Concentration. Great fun too!!

Nana is always so very generous on our trips out so we travelled back on two trains, two tubes, heavily laden with goodies. Footwear, sundry clothes, a new iron, rucksack, lemon curd, marmalade, teabags, a small poetry library, my tutor's new thriller, and Basti's xbox and wide screen tv of course. Only he would think to lug those around the country for four hours plus.

The children and I have also managed to get Nana to commit to visiting us again in Hounslow. It's been at least seven years so that's quite something. Fingers crossed it actually happens, there are plenty of excuses to be found between now and the end of May!