Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

Wow. Four months. For hellish months, in some ways.

Edinburgh, by the way, was fantastic, even though I had seven stitches in my back - not the most comfortable car journey ever.

Then, after that, I got news. Or rather, I didn't. An indeterminate result meant I had to go back in and have a deeper excision, and fifteen stitches this time, and it was almost the end of November by the time I finally got an all clear.

Two examinations and two assignments in that time mean that, despite the considerate feelings of the Open University, I'm not likely to get a 2:1 or a 2:2 any more. I might struggle, depending on the project this year, to get a third. Still, I'll have passed - I am going to pass!

And, as if that weren't enough, I changed jobs. The guy that got the job I went for was promoted fairly quickly to take over the day-to-day running of the place, and... I didn't get anything. So I'd had enough, frankly. I looked in the jobs pages, found something I thought I could do (didn't have all the qualifications it was looking for, but I could do the work) and applied.

Two interviews later, and despite my worries, I got it. I've been here two months now, and it's quite a challenge - an enjoyable challenge, but a challenge. Commuting an hour to an hour and a half each way is a pain, but we're planning to move out this way next year, so it won't be too long.

So that's where we are now: I'm healthy (or at least, as healthy as I was, even if I've let the fitness slip a lot lately), I'm gainfully employed, and I'm back to writing. I missed NaNoWriMo, unfortunately, but by next year I should be better practiced anyway.

Life is, for the first time in about six months, good again.

M