At Long Last

Well after several years of frustration, despair, anguish. determination and sheer bloody hard work I have made it; my 300th Blip at last.

Only kidding, I am of course actually referring to Gail's ( aka People/Dr Twitcher) graduation which took place at the University of St Andrews today in glorious sunshine and sweltering heat. This has been the culmination of over 10 years of hard work. It hasn't been plain sailing either. She has gone back to university as a single mum with 2 school age kids, first of all to get the access qualification to do her English degree at Dundee University. She then gained her Masters degree at St Andrews which I know was an extremely intensive and difficult course. I think she could have been forgiven for giving up at this point but she stupidly bravely decided to try for a PhD. I didn't have any doubts she could do it, but it was a long and intensive period of intensive research and writing.

I can't tell you just how proud I am of her achievement. She has overcome the usual life obstacles that everone has to deal with and stuck at it. I will say that she isn't the same person she was when she started however, although that is mainly because she has had 3 hospitalisations during the period and has had a few bits and pieces removed in surgical procedures! I think that one of my over riding memories was that she wrote a 4 thousand word essay in her bed having been in surgery only a few days before. The essay was submitted on time and got her an A.

Last year as some of you know she completed her thesis and successfully viva'd and today was her reward. Gails mum came up from Wales to see her get her Doctorate and along with Elliot and Isobel, her children and Keir and Gill who went through her undergraduate years with her at Dundee. we all enjoyed the pomp and ceremony which the U of StA do extremely well and joined in to celebrate her big day.

Now go get a real job!