I did my talk this morning, which was at 9.30 - the first one of the day (apart from the ones in the other sessions, that I wanted to see, but couldn’t really not be there for my own) - and the morning after the conference dinner, at which there was wine and overzealous waiting staff in the college dining room. The food was delicious, though. All the food I’ve had there has been good (although I was too nervous to eat breakfast this morning, unfortunately). There was beer afterwards in the pub, and a late night, and an early morning because I woke up before 5.30 and couldn’t really get back to sleep again for worrying about my talk.

I was happy with how it went, though, in the end, although it was a bit short, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s a bad thing when speakers go on for too long. I could answer all the questions, although with hindsight, I could have expanded a bit more on one or two of them. But it’s all good practice for my Big Fat Greek Adventure, which starts on Tuesday.

Because my talk finished five minutes early, I was able to go to one of the other sessions after all, which was good.

Today was the last day of the conference, which has been really good. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, except for many of those in the ten hours before my talk! We’re off out tonight for noodles, then tomorrow, it’s the return to normality, then a debriefing session on Monday, then off, as I said, on my Big Fat Greek Adventure.

Such is the life of a PhD student!

Oh, and I’m losing my voice because I’m talking so much! I started off the week with a sore throat and then midweek, it was trying to be a cold, but I’ve been drinking Lemsip and Beechams Cold and Flu all week, and it seems to have been staved off, whether as a result of the medication or my super-duper immune system, I’m not sure. I’ve got a cup of hot honey and lemon Beechams now.

I had a supervision today. It made up for the one I missed last week because of Henry breaking down. My supervisor was in Cambridge today anyway, so he came to my house. That was weird, and I tidied up specially!

He said last time we actually had a supervision, I was a particularly funny colour- because of having been ill - and clearly still being a bit ill! At least it shows I wasn’t making being ill up, anyway.

I’ve been to the pub this evening because it was John’s birthday. There was only me, the Hubster and Spider out, but there was good crack. Aye, lots of it.

I believe it’s now past my bedtime.

I went to First-Cousin-Twice-Removed Maddie’s first birthday party on Saturday in a place near, but not, Middlesbrough (so that makes her not be a Smogmonster, which is just as well). The Hubster and I drove up on Friday evening, staying at my mam’s, who was also going, along with my brother.

We had a lovely time, drinking beer and eating party food and playing guess the relative. It’s much harder with that side of the family, than it is the other. As the evening drew on, it was suggested that me, my brother and the Hubster go out in Sunderland, so after an hour or two of dithering, for no apparent reason, we set off with Possibly-First-Cousin-Once-Removed Alan and his wife, Sandi, to Sunderland. We had a good night out, playing pool and becoming very drunk, and blethering on about whatever.

Next day, we all went to visit my sister, whose birthday it was, and who’s just got engaged (hooray!), then me and The Hubster went home. Before we got there, I was most poorly and had to stop at many service stations. The Hubster kept saying it was just a hangover, until we got home, when a little while later, he started feeling all poorly bad too. We had a dreadful night, then spent the next two and a half days being ill, with my mam phoning up and saying her and Anth were poorly-bad too, and it was gastroenteritis. Don’t know how we all caught it though, because the only thing we all ate was party food, and no-one else who had it was ill. Anyway, Hubbie perked up enough to go to the shop, which was just as well, because we had nothing in. He went back to work today, all mended, and I drove to Colchester with a splitting headache for a supervision. Luckily, my supervisor was sympathetic.

C did succeed in giving me the lurgy. It’s just about better now, thankfully. I wasn’t poorly enough to be properly bedridden, but I wasn’t well enough to concentrate on stuff. Made my head go fuzzy to try.

C’s giving me the lurgy, and I’ve got no time for to be having the lurgy, damn it! I’ve got GPFM to do!

My cat seems to have recovered now. It started a few nights ago, when we heard her fighting outside in the middle of the night. I called her in, and she came upstairs after me and puked on the carpet. I tried to clean it up, but it made me retch, so C had to do it (complaining no end, of course).

Then, the diarrhoea started. She doesn’t usually use her litter tray unless we’re away overnight, preferring to go outside, but when you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go! So there were the most disgusting deposits left in the tray. Brown squidgy stenchy (can you believe that’s a real adjective?!) gloop that I had to clean up. I couldn’t bring myself to do it until the other day, when the smell was threatening to overpower the entire house. So I bleached it. It only made me feel a little sick, but it’s so much nicer now. And like I said, she’s about back to normal, so everyone’s happy now.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love my cat, but when her rear end spews forth with gross-smelling brown gloop, eugh! I’ve just cleaned out her litter tray, which she ordinarily doesn’t use; she prefers to go outside. But, when you gotta go, you gotta go.