Very chuffed to say I am now the proud owner of an Oxford degree – after 3 years of studying, exams, projects, rounded off with the mighty finals (and lots and lots of rowing!) it is all over. What a 3 years it has been, too. My time at St Hugh’s has shaped me in more ways than just stacking my shoulders from hours at the oars, rupturing ligaments and making my hair fall out. It has exposed me to new ideas, ways of thinking and working, altered my career path (now I’m just careering wherever serendipity leads me) and given me the confidence to follow my dreams. I’ve met some great folk and worked and played with truly wonderful friends-I wouldn’t have made it through this last year, especially, without them. Big smiley thankyou, folks.
assembly
Big thankyou to the staff and girls of Stamford High School (my old place!) for inviting me back to give an assembly last week, about my row and in order to present me with a cheque for arc. We are now well over £4,500 and storming toward one quarter of my £20, 000 target. Anyone wishing to donate pennies or pounds can do so via my justgiving site.
a real job
I have a job lined up for next year, working at St Edward’s School, Oxon, where I’ll be involved in biology, sports and boarding. This will rather marvellously allow plenty of time for training, planning and fundraising so I’m very much looking forward to it.
the summer
I’m about to head off to North Wales to join quadriplegic sailor Geoff Holt and his support team in his bid to sail solo around Great Britain, in his Personal Everest challenge. Apologies if there is a delay in my answering emails during the next few weeks-I will be at sea.
one year on
We’ve just passed the first anniversary of Dad’s death, too, on June 13th. Crazy to think he’s been gone one whole year. Sometimes it feels like an eternity; at others it feels as though it were yesterday. For so many months I had looked to this point as a goalpost, for I knew if we survived it we would survive anything. We did. As a family, together.