"I dream of gardens in the desert sand, I dream of love as time runs through my hands."

As a sidenote, this song and this icon are a perfect match.

Okay... proper update. I hope.

First of all, Chemistry mock practical came back. I don't believe this. My implementation (ie, the actual faffing about with glassware and acids and whatnot) was perfect. Didn't drop a single mark. Having said that, my planning and evaluation were both a bit crap, to be honest. The four marks added together made an A, but a very low one. I can only hope the real thing will be better.

In other news, I heard something interesting a couple of days ago about the Italy trip over Easter. A lot of people went (though not me) and we were in the libarary yesterday talking about it, and someone, probably Fidan, asked, "Did Miss Gow get chatted up?"

It was a reference to the pictures we all looked at - she seems to have got on very well with Nikolai, their Italian guide. I'm sure I've mentioned Miss Gow before, and how cute she is, so we'll move on. Mrs Barry proved unexpectedly forthcoming. "Mr Hood got chatted up," she said, then paused. After a second, she added breezily, "By another man."

Cue several startled people. If there is anyone who gives off straighter-than-a-very-straight-thing vibes, it's Mr Hood. Unfortunately she refused to elaborate, so there's a mystery that will remain unsolved.

Pausing to do another bit of teacher quotage -

Mr Evans: talking about revision sessions) Be here or be... um... square. That didn't come out right, did it?

- and moving on again.

I haven't done much today, to be perfectly honest. In the morning, I realised I was hungry. Which isn't odd by itself, but I'm constantly hungry lately, and it was five past eleven in the morning and I was properly when's-it-lunchtime hungry. Lunchtime for us is midday, but I had to go Maths-for-science at twelve. And so, having nothing better to do, I wandered out into the village for a pasty. When I got back, Becca and Emma were taking silly pictures of each other with my phone, which I have deleted. There are some very silly pictures on my phone. One of the top of my head, another of Emma on board ship (huh?) and a blurry one that looked familiar, and it eventually dawned on me that it was a picture of a television screen, and I'd be willing to bet that it was taken when I was watching the Stargate episode There but for the Grace of God. Maybe I have little phone gremlins. Or something.

Following the theme of not doing much, I actually went to lunch again. Which means I'm eating more but doing less, which seems to me to be counter-intuitive in the extreme. Anyway, when I was sitting there on a ciabatta roll, Fidan plonked herself down next to me. "Iona."

"Yes, Fidan?"

"Do we agree on anything?"

I didn't ask what brought this on. "Do you believe in abortion? Left-wing politics?"

"No."

Well, it wouldn't be that easy, would it. We tried books and television, but I hate Pride and Prejudice and she wants to know how I can watch Frasier with every evidence of enjoyment.

I checked again. "Abortion, Fidan?"

"No!"

Only because she famously gets adoption and abortion mixed up. We once spent most of a double convinced that we were having an argument about adoption, which she does believe in.

We gave it up as a lost cause eventually. Only, some time later, apropos of nothing, she said, "Did you ever see that film, Cool Runnings?"

"Yes! The one with the Jamaican bobsleigh team! It's so funny!"

"Isn't it?"

Well, it's a start.

I went off to lessons soon after, spent a lazy Chemistry lessons sprawled over the bench, and English was cancelled. On an intellectual level I know this ought to annoy me, because three weeks before the exam is not the time to be cancelling lessons, but really I was just grateful. I walked home through a landscape that seems to be getting hotter and more beautiful every day.

And because I absolutely must post this, may I present the first of our convention pics! This one isn't mine, it was taken by mettanna, but as I have said before, it sums up the entire con.
( Squee! )

Edited again to add: Colleen has just (independently) said, and I quote: "Why do we all look like we're on drugs in our Collectormania photos? Clare looks stoned. Mora looks satanic. You have a similiar "Wheeee! Mushrooms!" look on your face."

Excuse me while I laugh hysterically. It's funny 'cause it's true!