My job involves a lot of sitting at a computer, either at home or in the office, so as the academic year has come to an end it has been lovely to get outside and do something more active.
During May I joined three of my colleagues in training for the Bewdley 'Pub and Club' Regatta, which involved five one-hour rowing lessons on the River Severn before we rowed in the Regatta on June 1st. We were knocked out in the first heat but I think we rowed really well!
Rowing is hard work and while some of our training sessions were on beautifully sunny afternoons, most of them were on wet, cold evenings when the last thing we wanted to do was mess about in boats. The day itself was warm but the river was fast-flowing after a lot of rain. The cox kept yelling 'put some effort in' and I can tell you that we all did!
As if my arms, legs, back and hands hadn't had enough by then, I spent the following week in the garden doing a job I've wanted to do for a year. Since we laid some turf over a large patch of ground that was left after Mark had dismantled an old out-building brick by brick (he literally has the scars to prove it), I've been wanting to shape the lawn. The fine weather and the quietness at the office has meant that I've finally had the time to do it.
It was fiendishly difficult but at least the previous week's rain had softened the ground. After cutting the one half in a pleasingly organic curve, I kept having to run into the house to look out of an upstairs window to check that the other side matched! So, in the past few weeks I've learnt how to row, my garden is finally coming together and I've slept like a log!
My job involves a lot of sitting at a computer, either at home or in the office, so as the academic year has come to an end it has been lovely to get outside and do something more active. 
As if my arms, legs, back and hands hadn't had enough by then, I spent the following week in the garden doing a job I've wanted to do for a year. Since we laid some turf over a large patch of ground that was left after Mark had dismantled an old out-building brick by brick (he literally has the scars to prove it), I've been wanting to shape the lawn. The fine weather and the quietness at the office has meant that I've finally had the time to do it. 
It was fiendishly difficult but at least the previous week's rain had softened the ground. After cutting the one half in a pleasingly organic curve, I kept having to run into the house to look out of an upstairs window to check that the other side matched! So, in the past few weeks I've learnt how to row, my garden is finally coming together and I've slept like a log!
Then a couple of weeks ago we went down to London to see Lichtenstein: A Retrospective at Tate Modern and Manet: Portraying Life at the Royal Academy.
