Dear Reader,

I’m sitting at my desk at 7:16pm gazing out at the beautiful blue sky. My window is open and I smile as little wafts of laughter and snippets of conversation drift in… “Can’t wait for later!” “It was so good” “Wasn’t it?!” “I’ve honestly had such a great day” “Not as great as YOU!” “Stop it you’re the best” “No you’re the best” “No really you’re–” I shut the window.

As people flood back into Cambridge it’s worth reflecting on the beautiful weather that made us all think it was May Week a month early. Except now it’s subarctic again and none of us have packed anywhere near enough warm clothes so we’ve been forced to wear the same jumper four days straight and it’s starting to smell a bit but not enough for the effort of a wash. RIP Summer 2018; the 19th-22nd April was frankly hotter than Beyoncé, and during it my coursework more conveniently forgotten than Britain’s war crimes and my legs more burnt than a couple of very burnt Sainsbury’s chipolatas.

Maybe chipolatas give a false impression. Cumberlands. Is it wrong for a vegetarian to use meat metaphors? Discuss.

Anyway, Easter is always a lovely time to relax and catch up with family. I finally managed to visit my grandparents in Brussels where they live and it was fab to see them alive and kicking – though not each other yet, thankfully. We had a lot of fun going on woodland walks and playing cards and eating a hell of a lot of Easter eggs which – sorry what? 2800 calories per tiny egg? No way.

The highlight of my holiday was supporting my friend who was running the London marathon. The atmosphere was amazing and I especially loved that the runners wrote their names really big on their tops so you could give them some personal encouragement. I went for it in a big way:

“You’re doing amazing Joanna, nearly there – we love you Sarah! MAR-TIN, MAR-TIN, MAR-TIN – YES Dom”, to which Dom replies with a frankly very half-hearted fist bump but I forgive him because it’s mile number 22 in 26 degrees and I’m not sure if he’s sweating or crying.

I got so into cheering complete strangers that I missed my actual friend running past. Bit awkward but he still managed to complete the marathon in just over four hours. So far, he’s raised over £4,300 for Cancer Research UK which is incredible. A much-needed bit of perspective going into Exam Term. 

Hope you had a wonderful Easter and expect more exciting snippets of my life next week. Like sometimes I go to the loo without locking the door just for thrills. Who needs MDMA when you could just read this column am I RIGHT? Thank you. No, really.

Love,
Nina