A ROUND BLOGGING LETTER

It's traditional at this time of year to send a Round Robin Letter to friends and family you've not been in touch with for a while...so here's my Round Blogging letter...to let all my blog pals know that I'm thinking of them and wishing you all a truly Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Years.

My studies are going really well and I really enjoy University.....I just hope I can continue there!!! I'm struggling financially to stay on..........we are lucky in England to have a Benefits system...but it seems ludicrous that I can stay at home doing nothing and receive money to live on plus get my rent and council tax paid...yet if I go to Uni all my student loan gets me is enough to pay my rent!...and Babergh District Council (unlike other student's councils) still expect me to pay full council tax!!!! But I mustn't complain..... I'm sure many have been hit by the recession that we are all going through.

So let's put that behind me ....'cos it's CHRISTMAS!!!!.....time to worry about that in the New Year.

So first of all a bit of 'own trumpet blowing'.....I was the only one to get a '1' for an assignment...Yahoo!!! Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks????

To be honest I'm quite boring at the moment....all I do is READ!!!!....everything I'm learning is so fascinating....I'm reading everything I can get my hands on!

I did have a brilliant trip to London to see the Capa photography exhibition and a a play about Thomas Hobbes at Wilton's Music Hall...you can FEEL the history in the theatre!!!

Typical!!!! it seems I can't upload any more photos...even though I've PAID my Google account....I sometimes think the 'God of Capitalism' is working against me.....and it's put a bit of a damper on this post as I had SOOOOOOO many photos I wanted to show you.

So no photos...no fancy Christmas Wish Glittery animations......................

All I can do is wish all of my blogpals a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and the HAPPIEST OF NEW YEARS.....

and to a special blogpal who is recovering from an operation....FORTE!!!!!!

SNOWED UNDER!

Don't panic!!!.....no we've not had snow yet here in Great Cornard.......though we did have our first FROST last night. I admit at the moment I've relented and put the gas fire on for a while.....

Actually I'm snowed under with reading and writing up notes. I can't believe how much paperwork I've got in my folders and we've only just finished the second week! Admittedly despite the reading lists being VERY LONG we are not expected to read everything; though all class handouts are a must.....but it's all so interesting that I'm trying to lay my hands on anything I can. It's much too expensive to buy all the books suggested (even on ebay or Amazon etc) but quite a few I've managed to get from the Uni library or my local library in Sudbury. I'm make great use of e-resources too. I've discovered Google Books and some of the books I need to read have limited previews on there and my Google Library is slowly growing.

I may well have mentioned on a previous post that the three modules for this semester (up until Christmas) are

'An Introduction to Drama' (Sophocles' Antigone, The Glass Menagerie, Macbeth and The Dolls House)

'From Cradle to Grave'.......England 1560-1720...seeking to understand the "otherness" of the past

'An Introduction to Political Ideas'....Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Wollstonecraft, Utilitarianism, Marx, Lenin, Nietzsche, deBeauvoir and Fascism

ARE YOU STILL AWAKE!....HOPE I'M NOT BORING YOU ALL TOO MUCH!

I've my first essay to write too.....'Death in Antigone'

Nikiphoros Lytras, Antigone in front of dead Polynikes (1865)

Oil on canvas, 100 x 157 cm. National Gallery of Athens

Still not quite sure how I'm going to afford being at Uni for the next 3 years...no lodger or job yet!....but one bit of good news is I've managed to get a lift to and fro with another girl who lives in Sudbury. It does mean a bit of a walk to get to her house but paying my share of the petrol is about £8 cheaper a week than going by bus. Even better still it means I get home about an hour earlier than I would if I went by public transport.

Gosh...all this chat about Uni...I'm going to have to change the title of my blog to Me, My Life, University and My Garden (when I get the time to garden)! Actually the garden is still doing quite well despite a little neglect over the last couple of weeks. When I have set a day to one side to do gardening it's peed down with rain.....maybe the powers that be are giving me a sign that I should get back to those books!

Speaking of money....I found some fabulous bargains at our local Tescos...it seems they had over ordered their fruit and vegetables and were selling bags of carrots, potatoes, oranges...you name it they had it on offer.....all for between 5p and 10p a bag! I do hope that who ever did the ordering didn't get into too much trouble as they have certainly done me a favour...I'll definitely be having my '5 a day' for the next week or so.

Before I do return to my essay and books.....just time for a quick plug for this years Blogblast for peace..........................


Just click on the banner to learn more!

THE PRINCE & THE PAUPER!

'Benefits should be conferred gradually;

and in that way they will taste better.'

~Niccolo Machiavelli~

How apt that statement seems........the 'powers that be' have cocked up had a technical hitch and not paid out the student loans. I don't intend to go on to much about it as, otherwise, I really enjoyed my first day at Uni. Let's just say there were a lot of long faces in the first seminar....and when we can all afford to go shopping I'm sure the food will 'taste better' as we will have waited so long to buy it!

I'm sure our lecturer never expected that one of Machiavelli's quotes would be used to complain about Student Loans not arriving!

As I hinted in my last post....I really know so little about politics, past or present...but the seminar was fascinating. We looked at some parts of 'The Prince' and had some lively discussion about the rights and wrongs of some of Machiavelli's ideas. As soon as I got home I couldn't wait to get on the computer and start 'googling' around to read more. I found some great sites and so many differing points of view.....exciting stuff! If Hobbes, Locke etc etc stimulate me as much I think I'm going to enjoy this module much more than I expected.

Tomorrow we have our first 'Introduction to the study of drama' and 'From Cradle to Grave' lectures. 'Greek Tragedy' and 'mortality in the 16th century'.....what a cheery couple of topics....LOL

I'm sorry this is only a short post but I want another quick look at 'Antigone' before I go to bed. I can't leave wihout posting a photo though.......so here's a photo of a Cinnabar Moth...for no other reason than it's the first time I've ever photographed one!

THE BLACK HOLE DIDN'T GET ME

Well I haven't fallen into a black hole so I guess it's safe to do another post. I've now had my Uni Induction day and can't wait to get started. Trying to find a part-time job or a lodger. I'm lucky in as much as I get a grant while I'm going to Uni...(an explanation for those who don't know how it works here...I get a means tested grant which is really a loan that's repayable if I get a job when I've qualified and am earning over £15,000 a year). The grant I'm getting though doesn't cover my expenses. As a single mature student with no dependants I'm not entitled to any help with my rent so once I've paid that and my fares to Uni I'm left with £30 a week to pay all my utilities, books, clothes, food and drink. Well £30 will only just cover the water, gas and electric ...hence why I'm looking for a job which will fit around Uni and still allow me time to study, do assignments etc. No so easy at my age!

Is it another sign of being old that Summers used to be so much sunnier? We seem to have had so much rain this year. Admittedly I've not had to do so much watering but with the garden being North facing it needs more sun than it's had this year. The Cannas and Gingers were later than usual flowering....................

And I had quite a surprise when I started to clear out the shed. In the Spring I'd had a pot of indoor Hyacinth bulbs which I'd popped in the shed to die down so I could plant them out in the garden this Autumn. Well look at this!They've started to flower again! One plant that really thrived this year was my neighbours 'bxxxxx' Russian Vine. Yet again no matter how much I keep chopping it back it's still strangling anything it comes into contact with! GRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Well Sophocles and his Three Theban Plays awaits me.........see you again soon.

GONE BUT (HOPEFULLY) NOT FORGOTTEN

ohhh...errrr... haven't done this for a while. I guess it's like riding a bike...once you've learned you never forget. A bit wobbly to start though!!!

OOOPPPS!!!.......

Right then a quick catch up:
I passed all my assignments
I passed all my exams
I've enrolled for University (they have one at Bury St Edmunds ..an offshoot of UCS)
I'm going to do my BA Hons English & History
Still broke!!!....need a part time job or a lodger...any offers????
The (close) family are all doing well...love each and every one of them
I won't be blogging regularly and don't promise to visit you all
I am on Facebook now though; so add me as a friend if you are on there too (already found a few blogpals)
Still taking too many photos!
Still enjoying the garden
Borrowing Rob's (son's) pc while he tries to repair mine
Still smoking.......yes I know I shouldn't and can't really afford it but a girl's got to have ONE vice in her life
Have put on weight...doing netball traing and a few exercises to try and lose it......don't mention dieting.....I SAID 'DON'T MENTION DIETING!!!!'
Most of all.....still missing my soul mate.......................................................



Ermmmmm....can't think of anything else......................

Anyway won't bore you with loads of photos except these at the moment.....

The building where I'd be having my tutorials...

Nice gardens........

Trust me to notice that!!!!!!

Hope you're all well and wishing you health, wealth and happiness and leaving you with this thought...

"Wisdom doesn't automatically come with old age.

Nothing does except wrinkles.

It's true, some wines improve with age.

But only if the grapes were good in the first place."
~Abigail Van Buren~

Really hoping I'm a 'good grape'