A better day and Emma's return to Cambridge

Emma and I visited Grandma today. Remarkably, this is the first time they have seen each other for close to six months. Of course this is due to the run up to Emma's exams and her working over the summer. Still, it is a surprisingly long time.

We have lunch at mum's local spot, Hillers, and Emma updates her on the many things that have happened over the summer. I read somewhere the other day that grandparents and grandchildren get on so well because they share a common enemy! I trust that is not true in my case.

It is now just over three years since dad died and mum seems to be managing ok. I am planning a trip up next week to go through all he recent paperwork and get some order into it all. She is still not very well but there seems to be a new line of enquiry from her doctor. After lunch today she wasn't keen to come to Stratford with us. Instead she was planning on having a sleep for a couple of hours. She has managed to have a few trips away this year - indeed tomorrow she is going to Shepton Mallet to visit an antique fair that she used to have a stand at. I think it is really only doing the antique fairs she still does that creates her tiredness. But it would be a shame to stop doing these.

Emma and I spend a couple of hours in Stratford working our way through an extensive list of jobs to be done. Everything from new passport photos to vital products from Boots. Overall, a very good day today - the first for a while

After a day of extensive packing, it is time for Emma to return to Cambridge. The initial plan had been to stay another week at home, but that has changed in the last day or so. I personally am quite upset about this, as I'd been quite looking forward to spending a bit more time with Emma. But I can also see the argument that it would be good to try and maximize her time in Cambridge now she is starting her last year. In fact she is planning to keep her room for the entire year this time, so she can spend time there at Christmas and Easter.

This year Emma is living in Whewell Court - named after the philosopher of science and former master of Trinity of course, whose History of the Inductive Sciences I have read a bit of in the last year. We have to park at Great Gate and it takes me 25 trips to and from the car to move everything in - I reckon that involved around 4km of walking. Emma's room is very nice - perhaps the best she has had while at Cambridge. Certainly the best views. She was just about sorted out when I finally finished. I would think she will be very happy there. And I won't be moving the stuff back home until next June

The end quadrangle of Whewell Court. Ludwig Wittgenstein had the top room in the tower over the arch. This was the famous room containing deck chairs. For Emma, the arch is the quickest way to Sainsbury's

William Whewell - philosopher of science