The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 1584 by Angharad Copyright © 2011 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

I was worked up the next morning and despite having little sleep, adrenaline seemed to keep me going enough to get the girls to school–their first day back–and me to the university. I even had my old office back–yeah the broom cupboard that was too small for storage.

I sent Julie a text telling her I was thinking of her and would call the hospital in the evening–she was due to go down for surgery about one o’clock. I had some teabags and milk with me, so made myself a cuppa and ran through my lecture notes. Mima had been drawing on the back of some of them–yeah, I know, I should have put them safe.

The lectures were an introduction to ecology, so I could wing much of it anyway, and I gave them a reading list as a handout. The thing is that the lectures are a primer for later fieldwork, which is when it gets interesting. We do an assessment of a few sites including the foreshore–get to practice my bird watching and a woodland environment.

The course is an optional one, so I’m not sure how many will take it up–hopefully not many, then they’ll either drop it next term and I won’t have too much marking to do. I finished my tea and shoved my notes back in my lappy-case along with my laptop which I’d use to control slides and so on. I was using my favourite lecture theatre–not. This was the very room in which Spike did the famous abseil down inside my blouse.

The technician was a new guy named Tim Mortimer, who was introduced to me by Gloria, who was now doing part time since she’d had a baby–I didn’t mention that before, did I. She hadn’t married Neal yet, but she would when she got round to it. She showed me piccies of her new wain and I showed her some of Catherine and the others that I had on my Blackberry.

Tim set up my laptop and told me everything was ready. I went into the lecture theatre and it was absolutely packed. It holds over a hundred, and they were standing at the back and sitting on the stairs. 'Oh shit, enough marking here to last a couple of years. Oh double shit.'

I navigated my way down the steps and onto the dais which has a large desk or table for demonstrations and so forth.

When I stepped onto the dais a loud cheer went up which made me blush–after this anything I do short of a striptease is going to be an anticlimax. I held up my hand and called for quiet after clipping on the microphone.

“Okay, thank you for the enthusiastic welcome, but let’s not forget this is a place of learning, not the X-Factor. I’m Cathy Watts and I’m overwhelmed by the number of you here obviously keen to learn about ecology. My own specialty is small mammal ecology, so at times we’ll use examples from that, but ecology refers to any habitat anywhere. For the more perceptive of you, yes this is where the Youtube clip happened. I have now mentioned it, and as far as I am concerned that is it. Anyone else who mentions it out loud will likely fail my course for not paying attention. For those who haven’t seen it.” I clicked on my computer and the lights dimmed and in glorious high definition, I watched Spike get spooked, run up my sleeve and jump down my blouse. Needless to say, I was wearing a pair of jeans and a polo-neck jumper, not the blouse.

It got a huge laugh and I blushed again. I did every time I saw it. “So that’s it over and done, as I said, anyone who mentions it again will get a fail.” I then ran through the timetable and also that I would see if we could get a bigger room next time after asking if everyone there intended taking the course–they apparently did.

An hour and half later, I was exhausted as I watched them all file out of the theatre. Tom came down to see me. “Oor celebrity teacher hasnae lost her touch.”

“I am knackered. How am I supposed to run fieldtrips with a hundred students?”

“Aye, I ken, we’ll hae tae split them up, e tak’ some an’ Neal can tak’ some.”

“They’re supposed to get ten hours of practical, and thirty hours of tuition–it’s not possible with that sort of number because I can’t do any more hours.”

“Wuld ye believe, I haed tae turn doon anither twenty students.”

“Why?”

“Ye’re famous, ye’re a titled lady, a film maker, superhero and wonder mum, they all ken aboot yer exploits. Nearly every female first year wanted to do yer course, even those daein’ chemistry.”

I’m a non-celebrity, get me outta here. I shook my head, “If you have another twenty students wanting to do this, can we run two groups of sixty–at least that way they all get a seat.”

“Aye we cuid,” he nodded.

“However, if I’m doing twice my hours, I want some extra preparation time and double pay.”

“Okay,” he shrugged.

That surprised me. He agreed without argument, simply handing me an envelope which stated exactly what I’d suggested. The crafty old sod had pre-guessed me. I was a little miffed, but realised it brought extra money to my budgets in the university and would give me a bigger pool to recruit my dormouse patrols from.

It was one o’clock when Tom took me to lunch together with Pippa. We were back at two and I went and did preparation for two classes for the remaining hour before going to get the girls and take them home.

Stella whinged about Catherine, but shut up when I told her about my day. At six my mobile peeped and the nurse I’d left a bottle of wine, texted to say Julie was back from theatre, but wouldn’t be available to visitors until the next day. I sent her a bouquet of flowers. I also called Tash to say she was back in her room, and I’d go to see her tomorrow.

I told the others and they all whooped with joy. I changed and spent the next hour making a large cottage pie which the girls love, so does Simon. I was so tired I nodded off in the kitchen while reading a text book. Actually, I was looking for a reference, but couldn’t find it. Trish found me and woke me up, then made me a cuppa. Then she asked what I was doing and when I explained, she flicked through the book and found it in ten minutes. I suppose I was a bit tired.

I did stay awake long enough to get the girls to bed, but I was in mine not long after, and fast asleep. It wasn’t to last–it never does, does it? At about midnight–two hours after I’d been in bed–Simon came and woke me.

“Wossamatta?” I grumbled at him.

“Babes, wake up, the hospital phoned, we have a situation.”