Our Hostess with the Mostess 

The Hat Party 

Niagara Falls 

Cocktails at 11 am 

Canada Rocks!

Had a great time in Canada - we were marched around every inch of Toronto's streets by Ryan (and, for the first time in my life, I was accused of being lazy for still being in bed at 5.40 am!). The highlight of the holiday was being asked for ID and refused entry to the casino in Naigara because they didn't believe Sophie and I were over 19. I declared my undying love for the doorman, while Sophie was trying to show him a wrinkle or two to convince him she was really 28. But he was having none of it. I've never been so happy being refused entry to a place!

I'm now back at Wolfson preparing for the start of Michaelmas term and I'm also busy moving into the flat. It's amazing how much stuff I've managed to accumulate in such a tiny room in such a short space of time. We will spend our first night in the flat tonight - probably surrounded by all our junk that we have yet to find a place for - and I can't wait to be living with my Perfectly Dreamy Boyfriend. Life is pretty good right now.

Getting Ready for the Awf

This will probably be my last blog for a while, as I am off to sunny Canada - land of the big-haired bear wrestlers - on Thursday morning. As usual, I'm reluctant to leave Cambridge (it's my safe place and I feel so warm and cosy here!) but I'm reeeeally looking forward to a proper holiday, especially with Sophie, James and Ryan. Lord Byron will also be accompanying me - I hope he will prove to be an agreeable travelling companion and not as mad, bad and dangerous to know as certain other people coming on holiday with me! Getting ready for the dissertation next year - this mainly invovles panic reading, pulling my hair out and thinking "I'll never find anything to write about - this is it: I'm going to be exposed as a fraud!". Same old, same old ... but I'm sure it will all come out in the wash. Either that, or I'll be exposed as a fraud and sent down!

Things I must read before Michaelmas Term:

- Don Juan (holiday reading)
- The Faerie Queene (I've read the same 8 pages several times before falling soundly asleep! Who needs Night Nurse?)
- Terry Eagleton's "Literary Theory" (part of James's bed-time reading regime)
- Piers Plowman (I wrote an essay on it last year and never actually read it)
- Morte Darthur (ditto)
- The Stripping of the Alters
- Empson's "Essays on Shakespeare"
- Andromaque
- The Cat in the Hat (just to help me get over my Dr Seuss phobia)

Things I have managed to read over the past 3 months:

- Troilus
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
- Um, that's about it, actually!

Summer holidays pass too quickly! So much to do, so little time...! Eek! Right - I'm off to the bar.

Nocturnal Hilarity

So, there James and I are, cuddled up in each other's arms at 2.30 am. He is awoken by my cry of "BEAR!!!", and tries to comfort me and calm me down by lovingly stroking my arm. This apparently led to a bit of giggling, followed by half an hour of talking utter gibberish. When I was finally woken up by the sound of my own laughter, I explained to James that I had been having a terrific dream about someone to whom I could only refer as Mr Pointy-Arms-Red-Cap, a superhero-type character who spent his days doing funny elbow dancing in pub car parks. In my dream, a crowd had gathered to watch one of his impromptu performances, and the other spectators whispered in amazement: "just look at him go". He was dressed from head to toe in Rohan pink and was sporting a red waterproof hat. In my half awake and half asleep state, I found this the funniest thing ever, and was unable to sleep for the next half hour because I was in hysterics. James didn't get much sleep at all.

The next day, we were greeted with the wondrous news that we will be able to move into one of the Wolfson flats at the end of the month. James must be delighted. Or kicking himself and planning a cunning escape back to Australia. Watch this space!

Sunshine and Lollipops

Summer has returned to Cambridge, so once more we can laugh and sing in the sunshine like we have not a care in the world (unlike the Wolfson squirrels who are busy gathering nuts and berries for the winter). Nikki Front Bottom is visiting today and we're taking her Cunting on the River Pam. But not before we've had a huge fuck-off fried breakfast at Martin's cafe to combat the effect of rather too much beer last night!

I've been neglecting my blog recently, mainly due to the fact that I'm spending every waking (and sleeping) moment with my Shiny New Boyfriend. If I don't post on here for a few days, it's only because he's so, sooooo gorgeous that I can't tear myself away from him!