Cows, Optional Traffic Lights and Buses

You might be surprised to hear that I haven't started college yet. I'd dearly love to, but term doesn't start until Sunday (28th Sept). And apparently when it starts it's intense. So in another week's time I might be moaning that instead of being underloaded I'm distinctly overloaded.

I'm on target to finish my reading list. Just the last half of John's Gospel (reading it through in one sitting didn't quite work out today), one chapter of 'How to read the Bible' and 2 chapters of Greek left. Tasha starts her digital photography course tomorrow, so I'll probably manage all that in the morning.

We met yet more students yesterday, at the SpiceGirls pre-term 'barbecue' which was at Ridley Hall. Isaac disappeared into a clump of trees and spent a couple of hours rebuilding a tree-house, whilst we got on with meeting people, or re-meeting them! I met my 'staircase steward' and got acquainted with my study. I should explain that every student has a study (shared with somebody else, for whom it may also be a home/bedroom) and these studies are on staircases. The staircases are used as a convenient way to lump us together for prayer and study groups. There are 8 staircases, A through to H, and I'm part of staircase C. Which explains why my room is on staircase A!

And what a room it is! Ridley Hall has so many students this year that they're really pushed for accommodation, so they're having to use rooms that they don't usually use. Staircase A doesn't actually have any bedrooms on it, but the Lecture Hall, Library, Centre for Youth Ministry, and a couple of tutor's rooms. My study is up several flights of stairs, past the North Pole and a bit higher. It's worth it for the view though, and being near the Library I'm not likely to have too much noise from the neighbours. And in a cupboard there's another flight of stairs which appears to go out onto the roof, but that way is padlocked, and I'm not going to risk being kicked out by breaking that!

I don't officially have access until next weekend, and maybe by then there will be a desk and chair in there!

It seemed to take forever to get across Cambridge from our house by bike - even when trying to take the 'quiet' route there's a couple of major roads to cross, which was a bit of a nightmare trying to navigate a route for the first time with an 8 year old trying to go in random directions. So I still had no idea how long it would take me to get to college, which is why I had a little reconnaissance mission this evening.

Quiet route there - 18 minutes. On the way I ambled left and right through the back streets of southern Cambridge, cycled through a herd of cows (yes, this is in a city!), crossed a few streams, could have picked a few pots of brambles (as indeed people were doing yesterday in the middle of a cycle lane!!). Nice, but a bit slow, and I have to keep weaving around pedestrians where we share paths.

Direct route back - 12 minutes. Via the Cambridge Ring Road (which is somewhat less than it sounds!). This way I discovered that diesel still smells, traffic lights appear to be optional for many cyclists, and that I can travel faster than a double decker bus. Horrible, but very useful if I'm running late!

So, nearly there. Things start on Sunday, with a High Tea followed by a short service. Then Monday it's paper and pens time.