On Tuesday I found out that I passed my exam and I now have my Masters Degree. Yaaay – very pleased with myself. Thank you for the many Facebook messages and tweets. The results came out a week early, so actually, I discovered this only due to a posting on the Facebook group page – got to love Facebook!!
I admit that in the author bio of The Colours Inbetween I already said I have the degree – thought it was worth the gamble and, luckily, it paid off. So I’m the proud holder of an MA Ed (Applied Linguistics) – validation of my ability to recognise plain English and jargon! But will it help me? Probably not. I have the option of university lecturing now, but in terms of my regular work it really makes no odds. My seventeen years’ experience in copywriting, editing and creating website content that is clear and dynamic surely counts for more than a piece of paper and a graduation party. Although it’s any excuse for a party in this house…
I’d like to congratulate some other people celebrating this week: my clients Vision Property Management won three prestigious property industry awards on Thursday… well done on a fantastic achievement Roisin and Jacqueline – very well deserved!
For me, Thursday evening saw the most beautiful Carol Service in the City of London’s oldest church – All Hallows by the Tower. This tiny, quaint building is dwarfed by structures of glass and steel but stands its ground, just yards away from the City’s oldest fortress. Mince pies were eaten and pink wine flowed beneath the shadow of two massive Christmas trees. The ladies room was quite well hidden away but Chris Tarrant pointed me in the right direction. He was quite a charming man really, and patron of the fantastic charity that arranged the evening – The Sick Children’s Trust (SCT).
I know first-hand how amazing this charity is. When my son had a stroke shortly before his 14th birthday, the SCT provided me with a home three minutes’ walk from the Royal London Hospital. It was a space away from the ward where I could sleep (kind of…) without the night nurses’ hustle and bustle and young children crying. It kept me sane during a period when most people expected me to lose it.
This family went through hell and luckily came out the other side, and we’re extremely grateful to the SCT for the part they played in keeping us close to Oli for the many weeks he was hospitalised. They give a comfortable home free of charge to 116 families a night, close to several major paediatric hospitals and units across the UK. The service is free, yet SCT receives no government funding, they rely on donations to help support the families of desperately ill children. Each bedroom costs £30 a night to maintain, and donations are hugely welcome.
On a more cheerful note, I also met Diana Rigg 
at the Carol Service and she is shortly to be seen in Game of Thrones, at which point my meeting with her will make me very popular in my house. Named as the sexiest Bond girl ever, she has been credited with being an icon of 1960’s feminism – and is still very lovely today.
More fun times lie ahead this week and I should have some interesting tales to tell you next week. In the meantime, Hey baby do what you please, I have the stuff that you want, I am the thing that you need…
If you want it, if you need it, get it here: @WeekendWitch.
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