A particularly cold fieldtrip and the Mexican Feast!

Well once again this week has been mad and consequently delayed my blog updates yet again! Apologies for the lack of post people!
Today has been the most eventful day of the week so far...not saying alot if I'm honest! I got up bright and early at 7.45am for my archaeology fieldtrip to the Breamish Valley. Had a shower got breakfast and left for the coach all smug thinking I was going to be as warm as toast in my thermals and two fleeces as well as a "waterproof". Anyway the day did not start well with a climb up a hill that was more of a cliff! Not exagerating here, it took an hour to climb and was practically vertical! On the top we found a bunch of rocks that were apparently once part of a house but I cannot imagine why anyone in their right minds would want to live in such an a)unreachable place and b)inhospitible place...the wind was howling and icey cold and it was lashing down with rain! It was here I discovered my loyal Royal High school coat had given up the goast and is no longer waterproof! At this point I was on the verge of tears as was practically everyone else (apart from the eternally cheerful practicals tutor!) and contemplating a change of degree, however, it stopped raining (for ten mins) and the next hour walk was all down hill and relativly interesting, so by the time it started raining again, Abi Mark and I were all alot happier and actually got to the point where the rain and wind became funny....hysterically funny infact! So we had a good day from then on...which I won't bore you with as it gets no better than a cup of tea and a buiscuit in a cafe at the end of the day!

I must make this blog short as I am in dire need of a hot bath and tonight is the College Feast and Caiylee (sorry Helen...have no idea how to spell that!). However, none of us are going to said feast as it costs £12 to include that! (£12 for mary's food....I don't think so!!) Instead, Amie is being the most wonderful Star (not a new thing for her) and cooking us all mexican food (except I have to avoid alot of spice so I'll be having slightly milder stuff I would imagine.) and we are going to have Sangria with it too....a new experiance for me! After which we will all head down for the caiylee (sorry again!...I was always told if you can't spell it at least be consistent!) which will be exhausing I am sure but massivly fun too!

So for now I must dash to my Bath and beautify!
Will right soon I promise....

Bye Ffi xxx

Mid-term!

So, I have finally reached the middle of my second term at Durham University! It seems wierd as it feels like hardly any time at all since I was saying goodbye to my dad at the airport and sarah and I were flying up to start this term. I can see now that these 3 years are really going to fly by. The fact that we already have our house sorted for next year is scary enough but the fact that I'm now discussing what to do over the 3weeks at the end of term (this year) when we can't go home but have no lectures or exams or anything, is also scaring me. The fact I have exams to do before that time, has conveniently been left out by my brain!

These passed few weeks have been a bit random and uneventful, hense the gap between blog entries. Having said that I realise that an awful lots has actually happened since I last wrote my blog. Amie has turned 21, so has Sarah (not Sarah Scott), lots of girliness on Valentines evening with our singles night (pink cava and chocolate!), I have handed in another 2 essays in one week (a record for me I think!) and...I have once again run out of money! It's getting to be a kind of challenge for me, 'how long can I live off £10.00??' However after many stressful encounters with banks (Lloyds and Natwest) I have come to realise that it is not possible for me to get an overdraft extension due to my lack of income(....I'm a student, I have no income!!!) and therefore I will live a hermit like existence for the remaining 4weeks of term! I'm certain by that time I will have broken any standing world records for how long a £10.00 note can last!

It is of course my own fault, for being an absolute cretin when it comes to money...however after examining my statement there are I realise a few anomolies on said statement! something to do with an overdraft fee (of £30) when I haven't been over drawn on that account at all....this year! I can't be it won't let me...."I don't have an income!!" Anyway no overdrawn-ness was shown on the statement so I'm going to have to ask them about that!

Otherwise, all is happy and wonderful in Durham in the college on the Hill! It really feels like home (despite the cold) and I have the most wonderful friends I've ever had, despite the fact half of them have deserted me this weekend in favour of home...traitors, you know who you are! leaving me to do the dreaded thing....work on a weekend! (oh the horror!)

Anyway, I must now go to the library and start on said horror! So, untill later Tra xxxFfixxx


Photos =
Girlie Sleep over; Deserts and wine for Amie's 21st; the Ladies in Mary's Bar
Bye x

Hollywood, Fondu and another strange practical!

So, last week ended with my friend John's Hollywood themed 20th birthday on the Sat night. I went as a star....no literally as a star *!!! I made a lovely silver star-sandwich-board-type-creation out of cardboard and tin foil. I was very proud of myself but of course i wore a nice top and skirt as well (it would have been nicer if my mother had sent the top i asked her to, however...) It was a very fun evening despite feeling slightly ill with a cold and not really knowing very many people. Those things were both sorted very quickly; the first with wine and the second by actually talking to people, I got to know some lovely people (who i must add have all been added to the facebook!)
Monday night we had our CU 'impact' group social in response to the RESCUE mission week that the DICCU are holding. We had a Fondu night round at Laura's house (laura=my friend in second year, also an impact group leader) which was great fun and to which 3 non-christians came....which was kinda the point of the whole evening. They got to ask questions and chat about what christianity is all about without feeling pressured. It was a fun and interesting evening, involving ALOT of chocolate but thankfully alot of fruit too! (makes me feel better about the amount of chocolate consumed!)
Tuesday; practicals day! As you may remember from my last blog (if you have been a diligent reader) last weeks practical involved a seemingly pointless walk up Maiden Castle hill for 3hrs.
Well you will be pleased to know that the Archaeology department at Durham University has managed to go one step further in its 'pointless practicals' campaign. This week we spent 3 hours examining the tarmac in the Science site car park. I'm not kidding you, 3hrs spent looking at tarmac - and I thought they couldn't get any worse! Apparently it has something to do with stratigraphy and learning dating techniques?!? The idea was basically to assess which layer came first and which after that...'easy' you say?...not so, you should see the Science car park!

So another strange and eventful week in the fabulous world of Ffion, stay tuned for the next installment coming to a computer near you shortly!
xxxFfixxx
p.s:photos = Me and John. Me, sarah and Mark. Self and Will

Yet one more excuse to spend time on the computer!

Well, it has finally happened after all that time spent saying how pointless the new uni fad "facebook" is I have actually joined it! Now, in my defence it was purely out of interest that I logged on, however, as I had been warned by many friends it is addictive and I spent the rest of that evening adding photos and searching for friends! For those of you who do not know what facebook actually is I shall enlighten u! The concept is similar to a blog (this site) in that you can personalise it with photos and comments but it is broader than that because you can access other peoples books and photos and leave comment and "tag" or send them photos that you may have of that person. It is only avalible to people at Uni (sorry Rhys!) and is only accessible to those you chose it to be open to. The reason I am loving it is because after only 10mins I had found 3 friends from my old school and had caught up with them and could see photos and comments by them on their book. It was so good! So that, basically, is facebook!

On another note, the masquerade formal was so much fun and all looked very beautiful and mysterious in their masks. Below are a selection of photos from said night, which included a meal (typical Mary's style food!) a walk to VanMildert bar(in ball-gowns...very embarrasing but fun!) for 15mins whilst dining hall was transformed into a dance hall. Then we all trouped back and had a good old shin-dig to the jazz band that were hired to play (and were very good!).
So here we all are....


Tra then xxxFfixxx

Money money money, it's so funny in a poor students world!

Well tonight is the Venician Carnival masked formal and after lectures this morning I went to go buy a bottle of wine for all of us to have with the meal. Went to the cash point as you do, thinking i had a respectable amount of money there to last the rest of term and had the shock of my life to realise I infact only had £1.98! A serious shock to the system as I have been so good this term with money and only bought seroius essentials like a book for my course (bought on Amazon for 3/4 of the price) and shampoo (from the cheap shop in Milburngate centre!) and the occational outing like bowling £4.50 and one night out in the DSU club for £4 (entry - very expensive compared with Studio which is 50p entrance!) So there was no reason for there to be no money! I still don't know and am going to the bank tomorrow to try andfigure out where it went!

However, i now have to go to a tutorial but i just wanted a rant! I will write a happier blog tomorrow telling all about the Formal/Ball hopfully with photos!

Tra xxxFfixxx