Harriet

I’m finally doing it. For the first time in my LIFE I am making progress with my fingernails and they are looking a million times better; need to chew them less though.

I have been researching my historical novel for over a year and finally started the big writeup last Easter. Having completed about 50 000 words, I’ve made what I think is a pretty solid start but degree stuff and the play last term kept me busy (along with a misbehaving laptop.) So have returned to my labour of love this summer holiday, and have already written around 10 A4 pages (how many 1000 words? Maybe about 8000) where I left off. It’s a story that I’ve always loved developing and I’m really enjoying bringing it to life, just hope I can keep making the time for it. I’d really like to be finished by the time I finish my degree.

I decided to rediscover Latin for the first time in.. hmm.. about 6 years, last weekend. Bought a textbook from Waterstones and have spent the last week studying it, and am now almost at the end of the last chapter. Am feeling reasonably OK with quite a bit of vocab, translations to and from English, verbs, nouns and adjectives – and have just ordered Book II.
This evening I decided to use the Cambridge Online GCSE course and go for the GCSE next June. I figure I can study the GCSE section from October-May along with my degree stuff if I get the basic course 1-3 completed by the end of August, which shouldnt be a problem if I already have a grounding in the grammar and vocab.
Am really excited about this and had forgotten how fun and fulfilling it is to spend my free time (of which I have way too much this summer) using my brain and acquiring skills. Have always loved Latin and I’m sure it’ll help no end when I learn languages in future.