Last week

... was sat there, brooding and dark, even when I went home last Friday evening.  I knew it was there, lurking.

I was aware of it all over last weekend, an oppressive presence, rather like a forthcoming thunderstorm, casting shards of glooming fingers through Saturday and Sunday.

Yet Monday dawned sunny and bright. My lecture went quite well.  So far, so good.  1 down and only 4 to go

Tuesday remained sunny and bright. 3 classes, seemingly well received. Not too bad. 2 down

Wednesday had sat in the middle of the week looking alarming. 2 hours on the desk, made all the more disconcerting when the bookings system overnight decided that all of the rooms, equipment and kit on level 4 had been decommissioned - and cancelled everybody's bookings for anything on level 4 for the whole of the rest of time!!!  This introduced a high level of chaos into the week. But mercifully the students were patient and friendly. The desk session was followed by a two hour meeting, which was followed by a brief interlude which allowed for lunch. Then came another hour on the desk and another meeting. And quite abruptly it was time to go home, the hump of the week was broken and the day had been survived. 3 down, only 2 to go.

Thursday and Friday each had two classes and one desk session, just not in the same order. 4 down, and then all done.  Quite abruptly, the busiest week of the year in my diary was done.

And here we are.  It's Saturday morning again.  There is no dark cloud hovering over this weekend. The week that loomed so darkly over last weekend has been vanquished (and actually was quite a pleasant week, in the end, topped by the first year students and tailed by the final years, all of whom were engaged and charming). And I have been paid so we can go out and re-stock the larder and visit Chatsworth and re-stock the upright freezer.

So not too bad, to say that I had been aware of the week commencing 17th October for many weeks and was definitely not looking forward to it.  Went quite well, all things considered.

I'm a bit on the tired side, though