oof

this was me last night. shattered (as evidenced by dark circles and a slightly crazy expression) but with some champagne for the second night in a row as, approaching midnight, i *finally* submitted another chapter (a day late but still - hurrah).

but, save for some bubbly and a tiny lie in, there is no rest around these parts. motivation is still high but this is a SERIOUS test of endurance and i am constantly having to give myself pep talks and focus on the positive.

generally, i am *very* proud of what i have achieved to date but i need to keep up the good work for:

 source

thanks to the lovely ivana for tagging me in a '#merightnow' thing on instagram because it made me take a photo of myself there and then and document this achievement. oh i do love my iPhone and my photo diary that instagram makes so easy and fun to do. below are my latest pics. you can find me as nancyflowers on there. pop by and say hello!

right, i'm off to eat some pheasant risotto (made with last night's leftover roasted pheasant - yum) and carry on working but by watching one or two parenting documentaries so it's straightforward 'easy' work.

nancy x

something to celebrate

i just put a bottle of champagne on ice for an important day tomorrow - an anniversary and a (polished) thesis chapter deadline.

but here's the thing, i'm actually back in bristol. i start a job (in switzerland, of course) in april and therefore had this slot to push forward with the hardest most gruelling section of my PhD. otherwise known as re-writing the literature review chapters. hell. on. earth.

i knew i needed complete focus and that the only way to achieve that was to become a hermit once again (worked a treat this time last year). i didn't tell anyone intially (save for a very few close friends) because i was worried people would put pressure on me (in the nicest possible way) to meet for a quick coffee or drink and, as wonderful as that would be, it is not compatible with hermit life. it breaks the flow. i get out of the zone.

i will try my hardest to reconnect with people before i have to make my way back but we will see how the work goes. i am living and breathing my PhD having *finally* reconnected with it. i am powering through and am determined to finish the two most difficult (for me) chapters before i return HOME to switzerland, to my man, to my new job and to life on the lake!!

leaving switzerland (even only for a few weeks) was so difficult to do because part of me felt like i was running away and that i should be able to write my thesis (or cope with my work) anywhere. but i realised i just had to do what i had to do. it was made particularly hard because raffaele and i are apart for tomorrow - our six month anniversary - well, six months since we got back together. but raffaele reminded me that we'll have so many more anniversaries to celebrate and we will postpone this mini marker in our life to celebrate together when i get back - with lunch in italy or something wonderful like that!

it has warmed my heart how thrilled and excited about our love story people have been. it is pretty damn special though so it hasn't surprised me, just made me smile that little bit wider. i am so excited about what lies ahead for us both and i am so delighted that we found our way back to each other.

raffaele, it makes me so happy that you enjoy reading this blog and you are so wonderfully supportive about everything i do. i love you with all my heart my darling. happy (early) anniversary.

nancy x

ps - seeing as i have quite a few new followers (and subscribers) on this blog and on twitter, you can read about the holiday we got back together on by clicking this link and you can read about how wonderful raffaele is for me by clicking here.

this is a wordier post than usual, so here are some photos that i don't think i have shared here...