Five on Friday - cheerful on a rainy day

I haven't joined a Five on Friday for a while and I thought it is about time to write a post with those miscellaneous happenings that might otherwise remain unsaid. Enjoy!

Social life. I can only describe it with one word: busy. I had a big leaving night Friday last week. It was a great night with people I really enjoyed working with for the past three years. It was particularly nice that Richard came along, too (he was my line manager so it seemed only right to invite him). I laughed plenty, chatted so much that I started loosing my voice and drank too much. The next day we invited friend for dinner, which was also good. Richard did all the cooking and the house was miraculously tidy so no stress involved. Richard must have been feeling tired, he managed to set the oven on fire and his pavlova fell to bits. All was still amazingly delicious. Back in January we decided to have friends for dinner more often and so far we are doing well. It doesn't stop there, tonight I am going dancing with friends. How much better can it get?

Flowers. There are so many flowers in our house, it is a delight. I was given a bunch of flowers as part of a leaving present, then I received not one but two bunches from our dinner guests. These were added to the bunch of daffodils, a vase full of tulips and some gerberas that Annie had bought recently. The lingering smell of old socks and wet dog for once is less noticeable.

Kingfishers. I saw not one but two kingfishers when I was walking Jack the other day. It was that typical flash of brilliant blue that alerted me to what I thought was a single bird. I always try to follow kingfishers with my eyes, not an easy feat with these fast flyers. Then I noticed that there were two, probably a pair, sitting on a fallen branch on the opposite bank of the Kelvin, quite far away. I was lucky to have my camera because it allowed me to have a closer look at these magnificent creatures. Some of the photos are a bit blurry because I had to focus through undergrowth whilst leaning over the railings (there to stop people from falling into the river far below). Seeing these kingfishers made my day a better day!

My new job. This is going well. I have not made a fool of myself yet and I am thoroughly enjoying the new challenge, although I find it difficult to navigate around the many tasks I have to do. As so often in academia, it is assumed that the individual has instinctive knowledge of all the processes of any potential post within a University. Not so! Of course there is and there is no how-to or FAQ for newbies. I am still new so colleagues are unaware that I am working until 2:30 pm only, which is quite unusual. I failed to pick James and Alistair up because of an urgent meeting. This is not normally a problem but for reasons unknown Annie didn't get my text asking her to collect her younger brothers from school. Luckily, James and Alistair were not bothered. They argued if they should wait or walk home. No agreement was reached and eventually they were met by Annie, only fifteen minutes late (I called her mid meeting because I worked myself into a mild panic).

Running. This is not going so well. My right hip is painful. I blame having to sit on a chair again in my temporary office (I am waiting for my proper office to be vacated). When I get up, I can barely move with the pain. I usually sit on a bouncy ball, which helps because I am not immobile for hours at a time but I don't fancy moving a huge ball around campus every time I have to use a different desk. I am stuck in week 3 of my running plan. The pain is not so bad on the bike so I have been pushing the pedals extra hard.

What have you been enjoying this week? I'd love to know! Have a great weekend. xx

P.S. If you need another dose of my ramblings, head over to How to Hygge the British Way. Today's post is 'a Weekend with ..... Christina of a Colourful Life'. Yes, that's me 😊. Thank you Jo!