Firstly, for the first time in ages it is lovely to find a bank holiday that was sunny!
Everywhere looks so much better doesn’t it! I had a drive out with my parents as Dad can’t drive now, and I could see that their spirits were lifted simply by the feel of the sun on their skin and the ambient warmth.
It would be great to think that we are due a cracking summer, particularly as we are off for a week in south west Wales in June.
We’ll soon find out…
I also found myself studying for another exam. Not exactly ideal looking out the window seeing daughter Charlotte bouncing away on the trampoline while I am on chapter 4 of an 8 chapter book!
But never mind, the information was slowly seeping in, and the ‘mocks’ I was doing showed that I was getting the sort of marks that should get me through.
I was also looking forward to driving down to Kent after taking the exam, as I had several existing and new client meetings arranged over the following few days. David, a friend who I stay with, had also promised to wake me up a bit with a 5 mile run that evening – thanks!
The exam was at 9.30 am on the Monday. So I did some extra studying over the weekend, and even got up a bit early on the morning of the exam to go through a few of the tricky dates that I thought would crop up.
Feeling quite virtuous I arrived at the exam centre at 9.15 and patiently waited for the start, with a cup of tea. 9.30 came and went, as did 9.45.
What was going on?
As I was about to go to see what was up, a rather sheepish looking exam adjudicator came into the room.
Apparently there were system problems, not with their end, but with the Chartered Insurance Institute end.
He went on to say that this is very rare (hmmm, I have heard this before) and that all should be well soon. So we all trudged out for a stretch of the legs and to check our mobiles.
Half an hour later we dutifully returned and it now being 10.15, I knew I had to get away, ideally by 12.30 if not earlier, to avoid the dreaded traffic on the Dartford Bridge.
But it wasn’t good news. Systems were still down, with no timescale given as to when all would be well.
So, you have to make a decision, and trusting my gut feel that this was not going to be a quick fix, I left. It turned out that this problem went on into the afternoon, with hundreds of people having been let down all over the UK!
So, a good decision, but I now have to get back into it for the rearranged exam at the end of May. As for the journey down south, all went well, although the run at the end was hard going at first to say the least!
The week went well, helping 5 clients, and on arriving back in Northumberland, the sun was even shining again.
Amazing!
A treat was also in store that weekend for supper. Rothbury Red Devil Sausages! These are made by our local butcher with lots of coriander, chillies and goodness knows what else. They are absolutely superb with a bit of mash and a portion of peas.
Who says us Northumbrians don’t know how to live?!
