Summer Holiday

Issue 46 of my PhD Journey

Aug 13, 2023

Hello friends 🤗

I have taken all week off from work - the only little bits I have done have been admin bits, no brain power required. Hopefully, this means I will return to my chapter draft with a clear mind next week. It’s been fun to hang out with Mum and auntie Marjie all week doing exciting things, but I am glad to be settling back into my routines at home.

📆 Activities 🛼

Monday, 7 August. Blagdan farm shops 🚜
Tuesday, 8 August. Tyne and Wear Archive
Wednesday, 9 August. Drive to Hornsea 🚗
Thursday, 10 August. Mooch around Whitehaven shops
Friday, 11 August. Drive home; Dinner at Prezzo’s 🍕
Saturday, 12 August. Heathers @ Manchester Palace Theatre
Sunday, 13 August. Coronation Street Tour 🎬

📸 This Week in Pictures 🏝

Instead of writing about my not-so-fruitful trip to the Tyne and Wear Archive, I thought I would just share some photographs to illustrate some of the fun things I have been up to this week.

Photograph of Beck holding a soft toy boiled egg outside, in front of a poster for Heathers the Musical. Beck is smiling and they are slightly windswept and goofy looking. — Three years later, I got to redeem my 21st birthday gift of going to see Heathers

Photograph of Beck holding a soft toy boiled egg and smiling inside an ornate theatre. Beck is wearing an owl hat and glasses. — Dippy snuck in with us without a ticket

Photograph of a soft toy boiled egg being held in front of a sign that reads 'West Cumbria Society for the Blind' Information Centre. It is a small building on a high street with metal gates. — Had a good nosey in the window, but couldn’t spot any canes so didn’t go in

Selfie of Beck's mum, Beck's auntie and Beck in front of scaffolding with a big Coronation Street sign on a brick facade. Beck's mum is a white woman with a brown bob, tied up in a pony tail. Beck's auntie is a white woman with cropped grey hair, and Beck is an androgynous white person wearing square glasses and a green beanie with their blond and brown highlighted fringe peaking out. — On the Coronation Street set, could we pass as extras?

Photograph of Beck, Beck's mum and Beck's auntie all standing in front of the Rover's Return pub on the Coronation Street set. They are all smiling widely with teeth showing, in front of a window that is engraved with 'Rovers Returns' — Cheeky afternoon pint at the Rovers

Photograph of Beck, Beck's auntie and Beck's mum standing on a pavement in front of Roy's Rolls cafe on the Coronation Street set. The windows advertise they sell dinners, snacks, drinks and take-away and there is a sandwich board advertising pie, chips and mushy peas are the menu of the day for just £5.50. — Not a bad price for pie, chips, and mushy peas these days!

📚 New Words 📚

Paean. a song or work enthusiastically expressing praise or triumph.
- Every year, the National Institute for the Blind published a paean in the form of an annual report recounting the organization’s successes to encourage its patrons to provide ongoing financial support.

🧩 Entertainment 📺

🧩 Started a New Years themed Wasjig puzzle -so not at all seasonal (oops)
🎭 Heathers was a really good musical; absolutely unhinged but fun ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📘 Read This Time Tomorrow. Magical realism with time travel but really it’s about grief and parent-child relationships ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5 stars)
📘 Finished reading Cover Story - did not see the twist at the end coming and I didn’t even fully understand it for a day after I finished reading ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5 stars)
🎧 Finished listening to The Trial podcast
📺 Watched Pain Killer on Netflix - very similar to Dopesick
📺 Continuing to watch Revenge and Single Parents
📺 Started watching Good Trouble - not sure whether I will continue after mum and auntie marjie have left since I have some other things on the go at the moment
📺 Inspired by the Coronation Street tour we went on this afternoon, we have also jumped back into Corrie for a few episodes this afternoon

Beck's PhD Journey

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