Easy like Sunday morning...

Ahhh I have a wee hangover this morning (oops, afternoon) but am feeling pretty fine in all. Generally feeling very very very lazy. DB is showering to go to the gym which is very disappointing as I think he should be lazy with me.

We had a big chat last night and I have realised two Very Important Things:

1) If I can only go to TN for the six months after the issue of the visa then we have thought maybe we should go in November, and not October as planned. This has needed a total brain-change on my part because I have absolutely KNOWN for the past year that I am going to TN at the end of Sept this year - moving it a week to the beginning of Oct was me being as flexible as I get. But no, now we are seriously thinking of November. This way we would arrive in the worst month of the monsoon but it is the penultimate month as in Jan it disappears. This also means I can still have my 30th on a tropical island instead of at a halfway house in the UK while we try and find somewhere to live. It also means that my research will be in the dry months rather than an extra monsoon month which will make it more practical for obvious reasons. It also means I have an extra month to move out and to work out my methodology - I need an extra month this side of going out more than I need it on the other side - I have 18 months when I get back to analyse and write up. It also means we can get cheaper flights because we are booking them on 1 Sept whenever we are going. The only problems are that my volunteer org think I am going in Oct and I emailed them on Friday to confirm this (arg), so had to email today to ask if we could move it on a month. I have given them two months notice so I hope it is ok... If not I guess I will have to go in Oct still? And also I think it is nearing the biggest most biggest festival time so flights,a lthough cheap now, may zoom up and accommodation too. This is relative speculation though. DB is also sad he won't have his birthday in TN too. He is VERY sad on his birthday, he hates it. Silly boy. So it looks like we are going in Nov?!! Three whole months away! It will be winter here! Uni would have started again! Nuts.

We also discussed what to do when we get back from TN and decided:
* we don't want to live apart
* we don't want to live and work and breath in the same metre of space day-in, day-out any more
* we do want to take advantage of this time Up North
* I do want to be a GTA and contribute more to uni things when I am back, rather than skipping town
* DB is going to go Out into Town when we get back and get a job or employ people in his own space.

Yay!! I am glad because I would feel a lot more comfortable being up here and near uni - particularly if I am going to start a family so my Sup doesn't think I am just whiling away my PhD time bumbling about in cornwall and having babies. At least here I can show that I am an active worker.

I was wondering the other day about the new maternity laws. I think in the UK now that statutory maternity leave has gone from 6mths to 1yr? So would that be the same for me with my ESRC maternity time off? This would be amazing if so. Amazing. and so much less stressful because you would have you time off and then come back to work all ready to go. A 6 mth year old would be hard work with a PhD.

So that's what we decided! November! woo! ahhh, we have so much time to get flights, move stuff into storage, finish work, get jabs... Phew!! When DB suggested it I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I have been so stressed! However, I intend to learn from my past mistakes and intend to still finish this chapter imminently so I have maximum time to work on my methodology and can move to TN in a calm and reasonable manner...

Am off to read my guidebooks!

x J