Like conquistador Francisco Pizarro in the Royal Hunt of the Sun, I witnessed a failed resurrection. What do you do when your beliefs are shattered? You go shopping for new ones!

A new week brings a new washing machine, complete with a jaunty tune marking the end of a cycle. The Beko is dead. Long live the Samsung! I had to do a little setup including levelling the floor by fitting some boards and adjusting the drain following a slight flooding incident, but the whole process was relatively smooth.

Examination, aint no breathing

That’s not all that’s been happening. We had our FRCPath Part 2 exams this week. If you’re not up with the terminology, it’s the big bad exit exam for histopathology. We drove up to Oxford first, then I took the train to Paddington, Bakerloo to Baker street and finally the Jubilee line into Canary Wharf and the 32nd floor exam venue on Bank Street. Standing next to slick business people, I was wearing shorts and a Rick and Morty Anatomy Park t-shirt. I felt like I really belonged.

Normally I relish an opportunity to visit the capital but the exam stress and anxiety reframed the experience. Three days in Canary Wharf were somewhat depressing. High rise buildings everywhere with barely any sunlight reaching street level. I don’t know how people live and work in London but it’s not something I’d ever considering doing.

The exam is over and could be described as traumatic, but we’re moving past it. And past England. And past a few other countries on our way to Sicily!

Gardening

We only had a day to pack things up before heading up to Bridgwater but I did manage to get into the garden to pot on some tomatoes, peppers and basil. I also built a soil screen out of some scrap timber and wire screening. Most of the commercially available ones were either too small or too expensive, and I needed one to screen the compost out back as there are loads of lumps and unwanted detritus. Once we get back from Sicily I will be able to screen the compost, get it into the raised beds and get some serious planting started. Exam revision has delayed things this year but I’m determined to get growing.

All being well, the next post will be written with an Aperol spritz in hand.

See you in Sicily.