09 September 2008

This week I shall mainly be in places starting with S...

Headed from Spain to the frozen north and Svalbard, stopping briefly in Bergen for a curry with Katharine and her mum. Was up in the arctic for a final exam for Lotta, one of my PhD students. Lotta was based in Svalbard and worked on the Tertiary coals using outcrop and coal company data. I was fairly peripheral to her project but its great work and very interesting rocks. Arrived sunday afternoon and meet up with my old friends Sarah and her husband David. Sarah was one of the examiners for the thesis and they had used the exam as a chance to visit the far north. As it was a desert they took their own rain with them (just in case) and by the time I arrived it was 4 degrees and drizzling. So we sat in the bar and had a drink, then Lotta and a few others arrived so we stayed in the bar and had food and then drank some more. We were also joined for the meal by Lotta's other supervisor, from London Gary and his wife Davina.

It was so good to catch up with Lotta, Sarah and David that we had a good evening regardless... Next day (monday) was the exam which went extremely well. Lotta did a great job of presenting her thesis and defending her work. Then we had a meal and then a party at which we drank some more. UNIS is a great place and has a really nice atmosphere. Then it was back to Sotra Anyway well done to Lotta!

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