two things

just a few things to tell you about.

first off is that I have picked up knitting as a bit of a hobby of the side. it started a few weeks ago while I was on my work placement in London, when I went with Liz (who I was staying with) to a club called Knit London, which is a bi-weekly open club where people meet at a new pub and all knit together.

Liz invited me and she and Theresa taught me the basics of knitting. I tried to knit a 'blue square' to add to a project the club is organizing, but it turned into more of an oddly shaped rectangle with an unexplainable hole in the middle.

but I was determined and thanks to some borrowed knitting needles and some bargain basement yarn, I was able to whip myself up a couple of cuffs (kind of like fingerless gloves) for what is left of the winter season.

check out the photo



another bit of news is that last thursday when I decided to have a lie in, while I slept away the entire country was covered by a treacherous layer of snow. all the while when I lay in bed, dreaming away trains were cancelled, roads were closed, and many people stayed home from school and work. A canadian friend of mine in London was the only person to show up to her job, which is social work... something one would presume could continue after an overnight snowfall.

here is a bit from the newspaper. note the bit about "up to fifteen centimeters" and the estimated damages in pounds.



truth is, I didn't know anything about the catastrophe until I read about it in the paper the next day... it had all melted by the time I got out of bed!

- Chris

back to blogging!

I am back into blogging for now or so it seems, but sadly don't have too much to update everyone on.

Last week I went to see Metric (the second time they've played Brighton since I've been here) and the show was really great. I was really close to the front and it was a small venue so I was able to take some cool images of the band.

Things are going really well for me on the whole... I am in the process of finishing my work placement, which wasn't what I expected in some ways but all in all I think was a really good and challenging experience. I have been working on researching how West Indian men and women were recruited to serve in the BRitish Army during World War Two and also about the influx of migration which happened after the war in England. It's a really interesting topic, and is giving me a lot of things to think about including some potential avenues for research for my disseration.

I'm currently on a 'six week plan' which involves getting a new job (I just applied to an AMAZING job at the Brighton Museum) and as they say in england "moving house", meaning moving apartments. I only signed a six month lease for this place, and though I am thinking about staying on, my friend Vicky is having troubles in her house and we are currently browsing some two bedroom flats with the hopes that we might find something suitable and not too expensive.

Yesterday we saw one that was a little bit out of the area we were looking for, but it had a huge garden (and by "huge garden" i mean a smallish square area covered in gravel, but that's the term they use here)... and although it was far we thought it would be great for the coming warm weather (I hope its coming anyway). Today I saw a house which wasn't as nice, but had bigger bedrooms and is so close to my house that I could literally just carry all my belongings in loads, so it would be nice to move there.

Dont worry everyone, both places we are thinking about have enough space for visitors!

I am on the housing hunt this week so that is mostly consuming my time, which is ok because I dont have class this friday.

I have just started my course in Oral History and will be getting together with someone from my course on friday to do our first practice interview. Should be fun, but also its a bit intimidating.

Anyway, will report more as housing situations develop further.

In other news the oddly warm winter continues on this side of the Atlantic as well... last week I caught a shot of the season's first flowers. (though some of last season's flowers are admittedly still blooming).



- C