Standing calmly at the crossroads...

It's Thursday already... where does time go?

We went to Nottingham on Wednesday for my son's graduation day at the University of Nottingham. This was a slick operation (they've done it for years - it should be) with loads of signs, space, attendants, refreshments, facilities, photographs, video, streaming Internet of the ceremony etc etc, they really looked after us and made it a very special day for the graduates. I think the Abba song goes something like, "Standing calmly at the crossroads, no desire to run..."

This is a crossroads both him and I have reached. His is fundamental: the end of his formal education, for the time being anyway and the need to move into the bigger world in difficult economic times and mine, another crossroads. Mine is slightly different but still, never-the-less, important for me.

He will be looking for employment commensurate with his degree, archaeology, history and research type jobs. This isn't easy because when we got home the local BBC Look North news programme were interviewing students from University of Hull who had just graduated and they were fairly pessimistic about their job prospects which sort of put a dampener on the day really.

My crossroads is more about lifestyle, loss of a lot of weight, feeling fitter, increase in my psychic work, improving habits, getting my life back in physical order; where do I go from here? Nowhere different, except the same journey, same highways and byways with hazards along the way in a determined effort to make the trip through life with my other half and our family, to arrive at our destination safely, satisfied and happy... "No desire to run/there's no hurry anymore when all is said and done."

As I type this drivel on this Thursday evening, the air is muggy, the sky blackens and the rain is coming down in dribs and drabs, the calm before the storm foretold by the Met Office - more heavy rain with threats of localised flooding. Those of you hit by the floods of June 2007 will understand it when I say that there are thousands of people round me who will be looking nervously at the sky and praying to their God to keep them safe from flooding - again!

'Sapientia Urbs Conditur' on the coat of arms of the University of Nottingham: 'A City is Built on Wisdom.'

It's been a long day and getting weighed tomorrow... then it's the weekend - 'Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay'

Chat soon

Ta-ra!