A little learning

Stevie is just back from an intensive week of Latin at Lampeter University, where he counted as "advanced" and was very pleased to have been mistaken for a Classics graduate more than once. Jess and I had a far less elevated time, watching Big Brother, taking cats to the vet, visiting the supermarket and having her last medical appointments before India.

But I've booked for two courses next term, not just my usual Italian Literature but one on the Italian City 1400-1600, which was too delicious to resist. I shall be kept very busy writing essays, especially since I'm also going to spend one evening a week having swimming lessons to improve my style and speed.

I got my essays and presentations back this morning for the last two terms - going back to last Oct-Dec! I had quite forgotten doing them but my Italian teacher was complimentary. Maybe he felt so gulty about taking so long to mark them that he thought he couldn't be too critical!

It is all making me feel very autumnal, especially since we've had a dramatic change in the weather - cold and wet. How sorry I am for people taking their families on hioliday in the UK! That was us 15 years ago, when I dug my heels in and refused to risk British weather with three beach-obsessed daughters any more. So we went Eurocamping and also had our first trip to Venice, which was of course very significant.

The best news is that I have only five more chapters of my adult novel to write. So I'm in that lovely last quarter when you see the finishing line ahead and can gallop along at 4-5,000 words a day. Watch this space.