Wednesday 1 December 2010

Blog challenge Day 20 – This month

I suppose that “this month” refers to the month that has gone, but the coming month is surely much more exciting. November is always a limbo, dark and gloomy, and you start thinking about the imminent holiday season, but it is still far, far away. It was a busy month, with students in the middle of their essay writing, thus supervisions and draft reading, as well as some intensive teaching weeks. There were zillions of meetings, boring and interesting, a conference, some business lunches, some festive dinners, several visits from good friends and colleagues. Two grandchildren had birthdays. I had a haircut. An average month.

The coming month is full of promise. End-of-term party with the students today. An award ceremony tomorrow. My annual Swedish glögg party on Saturday (I am so glad that I have established this tradition). I am going to Norway to examine a PhD (not sure what promise this holds, but I am looking forward to it). Anton is coming to visit a couple of days. There will be Christmas lunches in the College and the Faculty. Julia and Pontus are coming for Christmas. I will wait for them to decorate the tree.

2 comments:

Staffan said...

"November is very long and grey."

(From a Swedish book, Johans jul:
November är mycket lång och grå.)

By Eva von Zweigberck, I read it as a child and much later became friends with two of the protagonists, eminent Slavists and Polonists. Eva von Zweigberck was a formidable lady, selfappointed expert of children's literature, not bad, but convinced that Astrid Lindgren's Pippi was BAD.
Eva v Z is worth a biography, very handsome, among her lovers was one of Sweden's most famous writers who wrote a novel about it, of cours, "Mans kvinna".

Staffan said...

Sorry, I spelt her wrong.
That is easily done.
Zweigbergk.

Her oldest son's last name is easier to spell - Malm. A nice chap, we have emptied many cups of Czech beer and other good beverages together.