Thursday, September 3, 2015

Impossible trees and PhDs




 The bar broke, the sea came in and the inlet was scoured out through a channel 100 metres wide. Overnight the water level dropped by a metre and a half. We now have a tide ... I now have a beach. The flooded paperbark forests are now beaches. Amazing.



I've been a bit quiet on A WineDark Sea because I've just finished and submitted my goddam PhD! It was printed yesterday. The last week has been a hectic round of trying to find power to charge my laptop, or searching out free wifi, somewhere, anywhere, often trying to find a bed to sleep in while in town, all the while making myself sea sick scrolling through reference lists, grammar, formatting, etc, etc.

It's done. Well for the moment anyway.
Now ... what's next?

14 comments:

  1. Yay, Congrats and Bloody Well Done!

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  2. The second PhD I've ever knowingly met. Another name I can drop! Well done Doc Drummond!

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  3. Awesome Sarah!! Absolutely blood brilliant.........

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  4. Congrats, that must feel amazing. So what's next? The novel... Or the one after that. Or a break... x

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  5. Wow, that one uprooted tree looks just like an upturned ironing board … The wonders of nature, eh?

    Also, congrats on the PhD. Does it still need to be accepted, or approved, or whathaveyou? Should I hold off on cracking open the good goon just yet?

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  6. Hi all, yes it is a relief to get that one off the desk. It goes to the examiners now and they will probably take three to six months to either pass it outright (doubtful) or send it back with amendments for me to make before passing it (most likely scenario).
    That last week or so took more out of me than moving house. I'm feeling quite shattered actually. Since Wednesday I've been resting, reading fluffy novels and going for rows in the boat.

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  7. Ah but at least you can breathe now. It's definitely a bit of a sweaty time waiting for the examiners to get back to you. I got 'minor amendments' but it was still a hell of a lot of work addressing each and every comment made by 2 examiners. Still - you are on the home stretch and it's pretty well done. With a bit of luck you will only have to make minor changes. Enjoy the respite. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off me.

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  8. I'm noticing the gorgeous juxtaposition of the breaking ocean, opening channel, sand wash and newly beached forest at your doorstep in contrast to the p/c (got a solar panel?) wifi chaos of getting that whole thing birthed...
    such raw natural beauty where you live. time for a vision quest in the dreamtime?

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  9. The most qualified fisherwoman in history... Is that your ironing board, or did it just wash up?!

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  10. Yay!! Congrats! That's awesome xx

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  11. Yes, congratulations, Sarah. Hope you are still enjoying the quiet after the storm! A bit belated I know, but I've been somewhat distracted with finishing off my own stuff.

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