One of the nice things about working for this department is that once a year we have a “Well Being Event”. Used to be a week, then it became a fortnight and now it’s three weeks. During that time, boxes of fruit are delivered into the staff rooms. Plus, we get the chance to try different sorts of activities which you probably wouldn’t pay to do. Like Reiki. Would have been very disappointing to pay for a reiki session only to discover, as I did at a Well Being session two years ago, that reiki really is terrible rubbish.

This year there were some quite interesting activities. There was Fired Earth mug painting, which Bea went to. Rupert is going on a guided tour of the botanical gardens this week. He also went to jujitsu, which is an odd activity for a Well Being Event. This year I took the opportunity to try tai chi, which Lindsey and Stella seem to love. And it was fabulous. I really enjoyed it. Plus, on Friday afternoon, I spent half an hour having a neck and back massage, in the university’s time and at its expense. Was wonderful. My shoulders haven’t felt this good in years! Mind you, it did feel slightly daring to be lying down in work time while someone fondled my shoulders!

We met with Bea and Steve on Friday evening for a night out on the town. We started out in a pub on London Road (where a very strange man came and sat down at the table I was minding and proceeded to unpack all his belongings until I asked him to move; AND the pub had no white wine and hardly any of the advertised beers!) and then we moved on to a Greek Restaurant which I would strongly advise you not to visit should you be struck with a Greek Food urge whilst ambling around the London Road area. The food was veryveryvery salty. And not, particularly, Greek. Nothing like as nice as the food in the Mediterranean restaurant in Cambridge, and quite a bit pricier. We did score complimentary shot glasses of ouzo – I think because my food went back largely untouched. But I wouldn’t rush back there. I think we’re planning Japanese next time.

We went back to Bea and Steve’s place for a wee, tiny bit more wine and went to bed quite late for us.

And got up amazingly late for us! Was practically lunchtime by our standards. Bea sent us on our way with egg, bacon, tomato and mushrooms on home made toast. Just the thing, for we were off to Chatsworth to a small food fair, and it is not ideal to go to a food fair on an empty stomach!

But first we went to Dunstan Hall to the garden centre. Alas – they didn’t have any purple carrot seeds. I had to buy orange ones. Nor did they have any mesclun mix seeds. I have curly leafed lettuce seeds instead And lots of things for the birds. Then we made our way to Chatsworth to meet the people who supply the shop. Came away with some nice cheese and some lovely cider. And a chicken. Ready for roasting, not for running around in the garden.

And thereafter we mainly did garden things this weekend. On the allotment and in the garden. Mostly the sun shone and it was nice and warm. The Builder spent most of the weekend preparing a place for the greenhouse that Clarissa and Mike gave us, and then building it. All it needs now is the glass putting in. I spent quite a bit of time baking and cooking and pottering in the kitchen. Nothing too dramatic, except that I burnt the bread rolls in a bout of inattention. It was really rather a nice weekend. Quiet and quite productive.

I've just had lunch with Richard. The height of my prandial decadence was to have a bowl of chips with my crayfish tail salad. Richard went further even than a bowl of chips (though he had those too). *He* had a treacle pudding with custard for dessert. I wonder if he is still awake. I'm fairly certain that I wouldn't be!!