What to do next?

I am sitting in my garden, bees buzzing lazily in the lavender, water trickling from the feature behind me and a chilled bottle of cider slowly disappearing before me. It is as if I am in a bubble at the moment. Since my degree results arrived I have been unable to pull myself from a languid torpor that has left me in a limbo that I both enjoy and dislike. My days are spent reading - everything from Thomas Hardy to Diane Setterfield - sitting either in my garden or at my kitchen table. I am immersed in worlds distant from my own day to day life as I wait for inspiration, wait for my next challenge to occur to me.

And that is what I want. A challenge. I have run a marathon, I have gained a First Class Degree. Now what? I am considering applying to become a magistrate, but have to speak to my boss before I can go further with this. What else can I do? I no longer want to teach, but what are my skills?

I know that with the crisp, fresh weather of September will come a new vigour, an enthusiasm for life that is currently missing in my days. Until then I wait. I am luxuriating in the pleasure of having nothing to do but paint the fence. Nothing to write, but letters to friends. Nothing to read, but novels that envelope me in their warm arms and drift me away to lands unknown. A hazy feeling of guilt at my idleness occasionally pricks my conscience, but I quickly push it away and tell myself that I deserve a rest.

I wonder what I will do next?

Being a mature student and fitting everything in...

I was over at Student Mum's blog and she had posted a link to an interesting site. It certainly interested me as a mature student/ full time mum/part time worker. The thing is that when you sign up to be a mature student you sign up for a lot of hard work.

When I was 19 and started at University the first time round there were several mature students on my course. The thing that really impressed me about them was their dedication. They truly loved the course and were totally committed to their study. They had given up their day jobs to study full time and had a lot on the line.

Now I find myself in a similar position to those mature students of 25 years ago, only I (along with hundreds of other Open University students) am having to both study and run my normal life at the same time. One of the essential skills I have learnt during the last couple of years is that you need to be organised to do this. Its not enough to be passionate - you have to get yourself sorted.

We all have different ways of organising our study, but for me I have to plan ahead. Last summer as soon as I had finished my last course, in fact the day after my last exam, I started on my reading for this course. I ordered my books and made sure that I both read and made notes on the books every day. Even when I went on holiday I was up and by the pool in the shade by 7.45 each morning. I know that sounds obsessive, but I knew that if I was going to get through Middlemarch, Dombey and Son and the other 10 novels on the list - never mind the thick book of critical essays - then this was a necessary evil.

I follow the course diary and, to be honest, I cherry pick. I look through the course and decide what is essential and what is not. You just have to face sometimes that you cannot study everything on your course. You have to think about what is important and what will get you the best understanding of the subject in the time you have.

As often as I can I get up an hour early, before my children are awake, to read.

Often all my plans go to pot. There are times when I have planned to read something, write something and I have a window of an hour or two in which to do it. But my boys and their needs get in the way. Yes, I know that sounds awful, but its the truth.The times I have had to abandon my plans in order to sit with my son and do his maths homework with him ... or help with trumpet practise.

Most of the time I keep my books open on the kitchen table so I can have a quick look while the water is boiling for pasta.Keeping everything out saves time and its amazing what you can take in in small bites!!

I have finished my last essay of this module now. I planned the writing of it over 2 weeks and then gave myself a target of 500 words a day for just over a week. The amount of words fitted with my lifestyle and made the 4000 word limit reachable without too much grief.

Now all I have to do is sort out my revision for the end of module exam in a month's time. The thing is that all over the country... all over the world there are people from all walks of life attempting to study. They are holding down full time jobs, part time jobs, looking after children, struggling with illness... you name it people are working through all sorts of obstacles to achieve their dreams.

25 years ago I didn't realise how lucky I was to be able to be at university and have no distractions( other than boys and drink) to my studies. Now I understand the commitment it takes to study something and succeed.

If you think you fancy learning something new, achieving a life goal, then you should go for it. I am so close to getting to the end of this and the sense of satisfaction will be amazing. In August I will have finished my degree, but I have another module to do next year to gain my Honours. I am thinking of starting next year's books before this year's exam this time!!

Been buying books...

I went into town today and found myself wandering around the book sections of charity shops. I ended up buying £25 worth of books for my course for just under £6. They are study guides and a cool book on the "Wicked Wit of Jane Austen" that I couldn't resist!I also bought 3 of my course books and ordered a 4th.


So now I have... Pride and Prejudice, Othello and As you like it... with Great Expectations on order. I have started reading Othello,plus the book on Jane Austen's humour. I want to get myself immersed in as much as I can before the course begins in October.


The other books are cool too, but will have to wait before I can buy them. They include: Frankenstein, Fathers and Sons, Henry V, and the poetry of Wordsworth, Shelley, Blake, Christina Rossetti and Emily Dickinson.


What was wonderful today was being able to tell my friend GB1 about the course. She has just qualified as a teacher and I am so proud of her. She has had the most difficult year imaginable, but has kept going through it all and has qualified after everything. She was one of the people who inspired me to do this and her reaction to the news that I had booked myself onto this course was lovely.


She was so enthusiastic and interested. It made my day!! I haven't told many people about it, mainly because people like my Mum, for example, just don't "get it". I have only told a select few who I know will enthuse. I would rather this than tell someone about this thing that means so much to me and hear the boredom in their voice. Trust me... there are people like this!


Anyway... I really must go to bed... time is passing quickly and I need to sleep! All in all I am so excited about this. I just hope I can do it. The last time I wrote an essay was 24 years ago!!

I've done it... signed up to finish my Degree at the Open University!

Great news!! After thinking long and hard about whether I should complete my Degree, which subject I should read and whether or not I could afford it, both financially and in terms of time.... I can now tell you that I signed up for my first course today.


I am going to be studying Approaching Literature the Open University. It is a second year course which looks brilliant. I can use it for points, either towards an Open B.A Degree or towards a B.A Hons Degree in Humanities.




The set texts are brilliant - Pride and Prejudice, Great Expectations, Henry V, Othello, The Colour Purple and quite a few more!! I think I need to get reading! The course starts in October.


So, here I go... on the road to my Degree... and after that we shall see. The main thing is to work hard, enjoy the study and do my best. It will take me 3 years to complete, but I can do this.

Finishing my degree at the Open University..... my future awaits!!!

Twenty four years ago I dropped out of University having completed 2 full years of my Degree in History of Art with Italian and Classics. Today I received the news that the Open University have awarded me the maximum transfer credits available for me to finish my Degree. This means that I have 200 points towards the 300 I need for a B.A and 360 for a B.A Honours.


I cannot tell you how thrilled I am!! They are sending me a booklet with advice on choosing courses appropriate for a future in teaching, then I can, in October, start studying. If it hadn't been for my sister-in-law telling me about the possibility of this and then she and my lovely friend Lesley nudging me to get on and apply I would not have this massive opportunity opening up before me.


I am so grateful to them and so excited!!! I feel really quite tearful, in a good way.I think I might go and run around the garden a bit!!!!! Yippeeeeee!!!!!