Never Let the Saucepan Boil Dry Chapter 6: I Shall Arise, Part 2

     Back in Aberdeen, May was supposed to bring an end to the taught Postgraduate Diploma phase of the course, but I needed more time, having become stressed. I often wanted to give it up. I took two weeks off in June to go to Cromarty and relax, then returned. I arranged to stay at my student lodgings in Garthdee into July. I applied for council housing, and truly hoped I could stay on in the city. I was still behind in coursework when I left.

     I moved back to Cromarty, still hopeful of a job in Aberdeen on qualifying later in the year. I spent the summer completing my very dry (distinctly arid) coursework, compared to that of the OU. We had our previous visitors from Canada in August. I could not join in activities with them as I might have liked when I was still completing my Pg Dip. I did four hours’ online research at one point, on traditional Chinese medicine, for a pharmacy lecturer, during the night. This was before Cromarty had broadband, the fuzzy crackle of dial-up taking over the phone for even a brief check of email. The chronic fatigue syndrome I had had on and off for years since leaving Stirling continued to afflict me. I went up and down to Aberdeen in September a couple of times as I cleared and passed all coursework except one, requiring one more submission. I had established I wasn’t doing the MSc dissertation itself: it would have been on comparative classifications systems, such as Dewey. My supervisor, though quite a nice man, was not known for his organisational skills. I enjoyed autumn, as ever, and the completion of my course.

     In November the results were in: I had passed my Postgraduate Diploma, and was entitled to graduate in December, and did. I looked forward to Christmas in Cromarty. I applied for a library job in Aberdeen, and had an interview before formally passing my Pg Dip. When Uncle Fraser passed away in 1998, an autobiographical manuscript was found among his possessions. I felt strongly motivated to have it published, and worked hard on preparing it over 1999-2000. The volume of OU work I took on in 2001 meant I largely handed over editing work to Dad, both as I was too busy and his involvement kept other members of the family satisfied. Our book was published by the Banner of Truth Trust in November 2003. I hope I did Fraser proud. Some of my poems on his passing were also published in it. Having achieved several things I thought I never would, I looked for the next challenge.