Chill in the Air...

The sun is shining, but there is a chill in the air. While it is still August (albeit for 15 more hours), Autumn has arrived in St Andrews. You can feel it in the crispness of the air. The tree across the way is beginning to fade. The bees are getting lethargic. I've had to wear knee-high socks three times already. And the University is beginning to come out of its Summer mood. The new term doesn't start until the very end of September, but emails were sent out weeks ago looking for postgrads to help with undergraduate matriculation. Departments are looking for teaching assistants for the sub-honours courses. Residence halls are shedding their holiday amenities, no longer run as large bed and breakfasts for vacationers, instead turning back into plain old dorms.

September will be a busy month. As I write this my housemates, Katherine and Ginger, are settling into new digs on South Street. The landlord is selling our house, so we have to move. I'm staying-put for another few days, and then I will be moving to a lovely flat a little further out.

But first I have to present a paper at a conference.

Fortunately, for my wallet and my sanity, the conference is being held here in St Andrews. The Reformation Studies Colloquium is a pretty big deal. And I'm pretty nervous. Most of the historians I will cite in my thesis will be in attendance at the conference. (Yikes!) At least I'm presenting in the first set of sessions on the first day. So I'll be able to get it out of the way and enjoy the rest of the three day conference!

The day after the conference ends, I'm moving house. I'll be renting my good friend Rebecca's flat. I will miss living in a quirky, old, wee house in the historic part of the city. But I'm looking forward to a gorgeous new kitchen with a proper fridge and a huge freezer (any of you who know my mom will know how important a big freezer is to us). And a bathroom without carpet on the floor and up the sides of the bathtub. And I'm looking forward to new, double-glazed windows when the cold, wet, winter wind kicks off the North Sea. The only downside to moving into the flat is that it means that Rebecca is moving away. She got a job down South and will be leaving soon. I'm going to miss her.

I'll have a week to settle in before my parents come for a 10 day visit! I'm so excited! I'm hoping that the sun will shine for at least a few days while they are here. The weather is so unpredictable. Any of you that watched the British Open will have seen that we can experience winter weather conditions in the middle of July. So September is a bit of a gamble. I think they'll be able to put up with wind and cold, just so long as it is sunny! (I realise now that I've posted this, I've probably spoiled any chances of sun that they might have!)

On top of all of this, I'm teaching again this semester. So when my folks leave, I'll be gearing up for that. They've added an extra 150 years to the syllabus, so I've got to brush up on my 17th and 18th-century European history!

September is shaping up to be a very busy, but very rewarding month!