The end

Today is the deadline for the last piece of work for Lola and assuming I haven’t done anything too stupid, the last piece of work for my degree.

Over the last 7 years I have taken six 60 credit nine month modules covering a range of subjects from the humanities, creative writing, history and design.  It has not been easy and I am grateful of the support of my friends and family, particularly ‘im outdoors, who have been so understanding when I have had to miss things due to essays needing to be written.

The fact that it is over still hasn’t really sunk in yet.  My Sundays are now free for me to do as I please rather than slogging through text books.  My evenings can now be used for reading or writing fiction rather than writing factual essays.

If asked if someone else should take this path I’d say yes, but make sure you do subjects that excite you.  Part time study is no place for subjects that bore you.

As a reward for my years of study I have given myself a pair of Vibram 5 fingered shoes and I can not wait to use them on some of those Sunday adventures I’ve been looking forward to.  Hello world!

Workspace

Right at the beginning of Lola we were asked to take an image of our work space and post it up for everyone to look at.  Mine might be small and busy but I like it and everything I need is there.  Of course this is only a small part of my workspace – on the other side of the room is a work bench for book making etc.

Now I’ve just found this article on 40 inspiring workspaces and I can see many to be jealous of.  Oh to have that many books and that much shelf space! 

But if I’m honest I don’t think I do too badly.

May's Writing Group

It may have been a small group at the writers group this afternoon but we had some stunning work read out, my favourite being about an old horse chestnut tree that had been taken down decorated by an image of the stool which had been made out of the old wood.

I even remembered to take my own small story to read out too. A piece of flash fiction about pigeons, which went down well.

This month’s homework was inspired by The Clash and ‘Should I stay or should I go’.

Use the following as either the starting line or the inspiration for a story or poem: If you don’t want me, set me free.

Paper making

With only a few weeks of Lola left I've 1) been very busy with my final project and 2) been thinking about what I should do next.  All being well Lola will be my final course with the Open University for now and so I hope to be able to get back to my book binding.
But I still feel the urge to learn something new and I've always wanted to make my own paper and would love to make my own paper for covering my books with.  A search for paper making course came up with a summer school at Central Saint Martins in London and once I'd read the itinerary for the week I was hooked.
It's all booked now for August and I'm rather excited.  The list of things to bring is long and includes the molde and deckle above, which will make the train journeys interesting, but it's giving me something to think about for after this final deadline which is just what I need.