Welcome to the wonderful world of Maddle

4 exams in 3 days
    starting with 2 tomorrow
        followed by 1 on wednesday
           and the last in thursday
              then 3rd yr over!

Merry Christmas everyone

I don't just mean the weather (although it has been awful until the last few days) but summer just doesn't seem to have happened.

Start of July I went to Andorra for 5 weeks to do an Independent mapping project,  which when you look back on it (& forget all the bad bits (being ill, steep mountains, being burnt by a spark, nearly treading on an Adder, etc))  it wasn't too bad  just a lot of hard work.   I still have a lot of work to finish from it before having to write my dissertation on it :(

Got home at the beginning of August  & started work the next day. Worked random hours all through the rest of August & 1st week of Sept, then spent a week in Cornwall with my parent.  Twas good but somehow not quite the break I needed.
Now I have this week to (try) to finish my work, move the last of my things into our new uni house, then Fresher's week starts next monday.  I seem to be rushing backwards & forwards between home & uni & various other events over the next few weeks, i just don't know how I'm going to get everything done.

I seem to have mixed feeling about going back for this year... I'm really looking forward to going back & seeing people, but i'm not looking forward to all the work I'm going to have to do, I don't know how its all going to get done especially as I'm soooooooooooooooooo confused over my mapping work.  I can't really believe this is my 3rd year about to start... & I've now switched to do the 4yr course. 

What has everyone been upto this summer?  I know various people have been traveling & in America etc but i don't seem to have seen anyone for ages & now it looks as christmas will be the next time everyone will be home.  Think I've only been out to see friends 3 times this summer which is quite depressing.  Hope everyone is well & still alive.
I miss you all

busy busy week...
spent most of the week working on various attempts at creating a base map - finally finished at 6pm on friday night & printed it out on A1 paper, packed up most of my room & went home friday night.  
Went to the fete & saw Natalie + Ali on saturday.

Today (sunday) back down to uni house packed up final bits & cleaned house with help from mum & couple of others.
Get the keys to the new house at 9am tomorrow & have to be out of the old house by 10am so will be a quick rush to move things across. the landlord then has to look round so hopefully we will get our deposits back. Also need to find a colour photocopier to make copies of the base map now its been cut down to 6 sheets of A4.

Tuesday is packing & fairly early wednesday morning we leave for Andorra to start our 5 week independent mapping projects. so wont be back till the 6th August!   then summer can begin...

5 weeks of mapping mountains to come... lets hope it doesn't rain!

see you in August


 

I have just spent nearly 3 hours staring at a computer screen & all I have really accomplished is drawing a road & finding a couple of images that may or may not be useful! :(

Why does uni give us assessments so close to exams?  They tell us that its only a small part of one module & not to send every waking minute on it, however it is 40% of a 100% practical module & many of us have been sat in-front of computers every day for the last week or longer & are still no-where near finishing!  A lot of us seem to have got so far & are now stuck.  

So much for concentration on revision!! Also means we are stuck inside on computers during all the nice weather :( 

Have a driving lesson soon so am going to get even less work done this afternoon

They say time flies when you're having fun, it now also seems to apply to the less fun parts as well.

Easter came & went in a blur.  Probably didn't help that i was out of the country for 3 weeks (not all in one go)
Went to Tenerife with Natalie for a week - was great fun & a nice relaxing end to a very stressful end of term. 3 days after returning i left on a field trip with the uni for 2 weeks to SE Spain.  Tis one of the wonderful things about memories when you look back & forget all the bad bits (not sleeping properly for 2weeks, lack of self-catering facilities, hills, work etc)  it will probably be remembered as quite a good trip! 
We spent ~8 days going to different locations looking at different rocks & deposits, identifying then & how they formed etc. had a "consolidation day" = day off to catch up on work & prepare for test in evening.  Then did 4 days independent mapping - in pairs as health & safety wont allow us to go off on our own!  Then a final day of panic writing up and finishing off maps & cross sections.  Nearly all the work done on the trip is assessed & forms the majority of a module.

I was 20 while we were out there.  Tis kind of scary in someways.  Doesn't feel much different.  A small group of us went out in the evening for dinner, but then that happened most nights as there were no self catering facilites at the hostel (except a BBQ).  Was nice that it didn't rain while we were there.

Got back late & 4 days later (monday) lectures started again - so much for easter.
Did get to see a few people on the friday in b'stoke which was great fun & nice to see people again!  was a shame more people couldn't make it. 

I passed my Driving Theory test today.   :)

oh the joy of exam time is once again here.
have been trying to do revision but just seem to lack any concentration... tis not good.
2 practical exams next week, then 3 exams the following week & one more the week after. not looking forward to them.

Christmas was good fun, even if it was a bit quieter than usual.  had a great time New Year's eve! It was lovely to see everyone one again & catch up on what has been going on.  unfortunately i probably wont get to see many people over Easter :(  
I'm on holiday the 1st week, have 4 days then go off on a field trip for 2 weeks.  Get back & 4 days later lectures start again. 
will have to try to arrange something during the 8 days i'm back  otherwise i wont get to see anyone :(  also means i'm away for my birthday again

christmas is coming .... time is going tooo quickly... deadlines are approaching & passing... shopping needs to be done 
& there just doesn't seem to be enough time to do it all
i shall be glad when we break for xmas but at the same time it doesn't seem like we've been back long enough for it to be xmas.
will be nice to see people again
Twas great to see suzi, rich, james & chris the other week at Bill Bailey

 

Woo Hoo we finally have internet!!  only took a month longer than they said it would, as apparently there was a fault on the line which BT had to sort out & seemed to take forever to do it.
However I cannot pick up the signal from the router in my room, so an currently sat in the lounge (as its more comfortable than the top of the stairs!)  hopefully we will get an extension lead & move the router to somewhere I'll be able to pick up the signal.
Anyway hopefully I shall be on-line a bit more now, no more going to the library to check emails. Yay!

Uni has started with the usual madness & has been quite good fun so far. Been out or doing things most nights since we got back, so keeping busy but rather tired.  Lectures aren't too bad except for Exploration Geophysics, which involves too much maths/physics :(
Had a field trip to Osminton Mills today, was good looking at cliffs etc.  Twas annoying it was on a saturday as I was hoping to go to Bath with Natalie to see Laura, will have to see them another day.

For those who don't know yet Richard & I broke up nearly a month ago now.

 

Oh time does fly!  It doesn't seem a year since uni started & now everyone is getting ready to go back or to move in!

Summer in someways doesn't seem to have gone so fast, I suppose working nearly everyday in august kept me busy, although it doesn't seem like it should be over either.
Haven't seen as many people as i would have liked, but its been good fun when we have all met up!
The girl's night out was brilliant! Thanks to sarah, suzi, sam, jo & Natalie for making it such fun!  it was a lovely way to say goodbye till probably christmas, (which is a scary thought in itself). 

Parents are planning on going down to cornwall for a week & a bit on the 14th or 15th, so hopefully i'll get to see everyone before then as i think most people will have disappeared off to uni by the time i get back.  Hint - someone organise something! lol

Good Luck to everyone starting new courses/unis soon, i'm sure you'll have a wonderful time.  Just be yourself & remember everyone is in the same boat & just as scared as you are :)
 

Just got back from a fieldtrip to Ingeton in North Yorkshire
twas generally good, only rained 3 days! Lovely scenery!
We were mapping a river valley, so kept getting warned about flash floods, etc but luckily they stayed in South Yorkshire.  Lots of waterfalls & caves in the area.  the walk was 4.5 miles round & we did it everyday (&
 probably a bit extra, as we kept wandering off the path) & went to 2 quarries. I stayed in a bunkhouse which was great fun as there was ~20 of us sharing, annoying it was ~1mile away from where we were mapping, but the walk was nice.

Off to Orkney with parents next week so lots more rain to look forward to!
Waterproof trousers are wonderful things!!

Ooooo got the keys to our house for next year now! so can gradually move in over the summer.
There are 6 of us sharing, 4 girls & 2 guys.  The girls all do the same course, so when we're off on fieldtrips the guys get the house to themselves! could be interesting!!

Wow doesn't time fly!!!  End of 1st yr of uni already!

Last exam was on friday! so Yay all finished now!! 
Got the Halls Ball tomorrow, really looking forward to it as lots of people are going. apparent ly we have "Klaxons DJ set, Judge Jules, Six Nation State & a whole lot more" so hopefully should be good!

Got a field trip to Yorkshire at the end of the month - will be mapping (hopefully not in the rain) not  sure if I'm looking forward to it or not. Oh well will have to wait & see what its like.

Got no laptop at the moment - had to be sent off to be fixed, as wouldn't write disks. so I wont be on msn etc for a while probably. Hope I get it back soon!!

had a field trip to Brittany last weekend - twas good but could have been much better.
got the 8.30pm ferry to st marlo on thursday evening
didn't sleep at all on ferry. docked ~8am
dumped stuff at hostel & went to the coast. 
spent the day mapping & did a quadrat
left ~5.30 & back to hostel. dinned & worked. slept
left hostel at 9am, continued mapping & did some magnetometry work.
finished at 5.30 & drove for nearly 3 hours to ferry port. ate & finished maps.
got 11.30pm ferry - again didn't sleep. docked at 7am sunday morning

so overall ~ 7hours sleep in 3 days, but at least we didnt have to carry our hammers round all weekend!

wow now have been 19 for 6 days, how quickly time passes!

Tenby was interesting & quite  fun but cold.
we had 2 days of nice weather & when we were tucked out the wind behind the rocks it was warm enough to walk round in t-shirts, rest of the time we were in fleeces & coats.  we'd been forecast thunder & hail for the thursday & were told to leave our hammers in the caravans so we didn't turn into lightening rods!
i spent my birthday sat on various cold rocks, freezing while trying to map a bay near st. Davids.  we we're up around 6.45 to meet at8 so we could get there to work round the tides. it was also the only day when it rained & that was only a couple of showers!  
we then went out in the evening & didn't get to bed till 4 :)

having just walked the solar system, i can tell you that:

we are living on a peppercorn 16 paces from a beach ball

Yay Spring is here!
Saw lambs for the 1st time this year yesterday!
& there were 2 bright yellow butterflies in the garden today.
Tis so nice to see the sun

2 essays given in one day!
hummm i wonder if i can just write one & summit it for both?

Yay!
Going to see Fame tonight with Natalie!!
& then Laura is coming to visit on saturday!!!
Yay i haven't seen her for ages!

Went into college on wednesday & saw lots of people.
It hasn't changed much!!!!
had a nice long chat with Pete, who was worried as he could now hear me!
saw james, sam, kyle, craig, hanna, kim, nicki,  jen, abi, snarm, carly & probably a few others
was great to see everyone again!

Yay last exam tomorrow!
then home till friday, 
so might wander in to QMC on wednesday if i can make it.
Friday going to see Fame with Natalie! Should be good.
& on saturday Laura is coming to visit!!
Yay! 
So now back to revision :(

3 down, one t go
think i failed chemistry today
i'm quite impressed at my skills for writing about things i have no idea about!

why am i on-line at 2am?
night night