Moving

This will be my last post from Leicester. I leave for Bristol on Sunday. Right now my room looks like a storm has been through with things everywhere. I can't believe how much I have. I've already given a large amount of stuff to charity and today drove a car load of possessions to Chorleywood to stay in David Young's loft, and yet i still seem to have far too much to fit in the suitcases I have. Thankfully I had already planned on returning to leicester for the weekend in about two weeks. That way I can take a second load of things to Bristol on the train. Trying to travel with too many bags is just asking for trouble. However I think the second trip will be bigger than i orginally hoped.

Other than that I have been mourning the Socceroos controversial exit from the world cup and trying to fit in some more thesis study. There really isn't much excitment in my life at the moment. Ah well, back to packing and sorting.

Socceroos!!!!

I know i should be studying, packing etc etc, but when there is such amazing football to watch I can be excused can't I? Can't believe we are through to the final 16. It is just incredible. I really wish I was home, in London, in Germany, anywhere really where there are more Aussies than Leicester.

Watched the match last night in a pub in town, there was one other Aussie there. We celebrated as best we could, made a stack of noise and generally let everyone know how happy we were, but it wasn't the same. Nearly had several heart-attacks during the match and the refereeing in the last 10 minutes was a bit of a joke, but we got the result we needed. Still got a goofy grin on my face and want to tell everyone how brilliant the Socceroos are. Here's hoping the same brilliance, guts and determination sees off Italy.

Go Socceroos!

Football and Frisbee

The last few weeks have been pretty much taken up with sporting type pursuits. Watching the World Cup and playing in Frisbee tournaments at weekends. It's wonderful to see Australia doing quite well at the world cup, fingers crossed for a draw or a win against Croatia on thursday so that we make it to the 2nd round. England aren't playing that well, but they are through. There have been some really good matches and i'm really annoyed that i missed the 6 goal game by Argentina. ah well, can't watch every match.

Frisbee has been good. i played with the Galahs (London team) a two weekends ago as part of the mixed tour. A friend from home who plays with them had damaged her knee slightly, so i got roped in to help make up numbers. This weekend just gone was Jestival, a tournament organised by my own club the Jesters. It was great fun with uni teams from all over the UK competing. there were about 130 frisbee players in Leicester for the weekend and the weather was pretty decent so it was lots of fun.



Other than that I have been trying to sort out my room. I leave leicester in about 2 weeks, so packing up and sending things home has become a bit of a priority. Thesis work is coming along slowly, but there really isn't much else to report.

Go the Socceroos!!

Rotary

I've had four Rotary functions over the last two weeks. Three presentations with different clubs, and a wine and cheese night with Leicester club. It's been lots of fun seeing different parts of the district and meeting so many different Rotarians. I've been to Wreake Valley Club, Ashby de-la-Zouch club and Huntingdon club. It's interesting to see how each club has its own style, while still following the same basic set of routines.

There was a slight mix up that meant that all three of the scholars here at Leicester went out to Ashby. It worked well as the club usually meet at lunchtimes, but we went on one of their evening meetings when partners are invited and the night is generally a bit less formal. We were given a wonderful reception and the club were really friendly (as they all are). Over dinner I sat next to a gentleman who has a farm outside of Ashby. He was telling me about the national forest scheme, where farmers are encouraged, and paid, to return part of their land to forests. It sounded really interesting.

At Huntingdon I was on a table with a Rotarian who was on the committee for the local museum. When he found out that i was doing museum studies he was very keen to grill me about various aspects and after the presentation took me over to the local museum to see what i thought. The museum is all about Cromwell as apparently he was born there and went to school in the buildilng that is now the museum. It wasn't as bad as i thought it might be, certainly not as bad as the tea and coffee museum i saw in london a few weeks back, but it did have a lot of the hallmarks of a small, poorly funded museum. The main problem was that those who know nothing about Cromwell would leave the museum still having no idea why there was a museum about him. I suggested that the committee look at getting in touch with the museum studies deptartment and submit a project for next years work placement. That way they get a free worker for 8 weeks and someone with new ideas might help give the museum the little kick it needs.

Other than Rotary things I have been studying and playing frisbee. The last few days have been decent weather - up around the 20s, so there has been a little bit more frisbee than study. However the thesis work is going well and I have set myself a goal of having the first two chapters written by the end of this month. I guess that means that i have to start doing some writing soon, although with the world cup starting friday who knows if that will happen.

Not sure how much I'll update this over the next month - when not stuck in front of a TV watching the world cup I'll be doing thesis work. Sorry to be so boring. I'll be moving to Bristol at the start of July and should have something interesting to write then.