Hullo? Anyone still there?

*looks around cautiously, listens to crickets...*

Well, that's been longer than I had anticipated.

How have you all been? I will have to sit down for a long session of reading all your blogs!

I can't believe that my last post was at the end of February and now it's June. JUNE! Everything always takes longer than you think... soooo much has happened in the meantime, or, well, not sooo much, but what has happened has been fairly big, at least for little old me.

1) I have submitted my thesis - THIS MORNING! The last few months have been a complete nightmare, and I can't remember the last time I've had time off, but it's finally done. 368 pages long and bound in the naff and ugly red leather-imitation binding that the universities want. I submitted my two copies this morning, and now I am trying to get used to the idea that no matter what I still want to change and re-write, and research, I just can't. It's done and I will have to let it go, at least until the Viva, which is another nasty thing looming over the horizon, but we won't think of that yet. :-)

2) We are expecting a baby at the end of September. So all you wise people who commented on my post about the sudden obsession with ginger that I was developing in February - you were right, I was indeed pregnant. I'm 23 weeks now, which again makes me realise how long I've been MIA for! We even had the 20 week ultrasound scan and know that the little bean is going to be a boy.

3) We are moving up North at the end of June. The house is still a disaster zone, but never mind that, we are moving anyway! At least there is plaster on most walls yet, and the office for D is painted and will have carpet in the next few days (he has to start working there from the beginning of July, so this was a priority). Still no kitchen or bathroom, but we are getting there - I've stuck some tiles on the wall, and we've found a bathroom suite and have bought an oven and hob for the kitchen, so things are moving in the right direction.

Right, that's my three big news. Quite enough for me, but I think the pregnancy is making me mellow - I am taking it all in my stride. Right now I am just looking forward to sitting in the sun for a little while, driving to Germany to see my family on Friday, and staying there for 2 weeks for some more sitting in the sun. And knitting. Lots and lots of knitting. I've missed it so much, but last week was the first time I've even touched a ball of wool for months. There are sooo many things in the pipeline, though - a baby cardigan for a good friend of mine who just had a baby girl, some baby things for our own little bean, and finally my long postponed Sockapaloooza socks. Thankfully I've been blessed with a fabulous and very patient and understanding sock-pal, who didn't mind waiting a bit longer for her socks. They will be a priority as of now!

I shall post pictures of 1) the thesis, 2) the bump, and 3) the house in the next few days, when the batteries of my camera are recharged, but for now I am heading off to sit in the (totally neglected and hence totally overgrown) garden. I've even bought a magazine so I can read something suitably mindless. ;-)