Back to school and routines

There's something about autumn and new beginnings.  It's when all the classes start up again - those ones you signed up for back in the summer, perhaps on a whim, perhaps in excitement, maybe even dread at doing something SO different or off the wall (or is that just me?).

Considering I hated school I've become a compulsive learner.  Ever since putting a toe in the water of the Open University I have gained the confidence to try other things.  I went for years wondering whether to carry on and do a degree but it's so expensive now.  These days I tend to sign up for courses that interest me with local or London colleges where there is fun in learning without the headache of assignments every few weeks.  Also there are so many free online courses to be had in the US, such as Coursera and now the UK with FutureLearn where the The Open University have got together with other UK Universities to produce some great online courses.  The OU have had free courses for many years accessible through their OpenLearn website and I have tried everything from learning about Revolutions in Sound Recording, Textiles in Ghana, Babylonian Mathematics (did give up on that!), The Ancient Olympics, art history and religion.  In all I've done about 15 courses!  You can see I'm obsessive!

I've just completed a songwriting course with Coursera which I wrote about on my other blog and have been looking at other courses.  However, I am aware that if I'm not careful I will over commit.  I get carried away and want to do so many.  I now have a waiting list!

Meanwhile as the days shorten and become cooler (though it sounds like we might be having a few warm days in the next week), my old classes have re-started.  In choir we are learning new songs, including the James Taylor (or Carole King) song You've Got A Friend and we are bringing out a CD in time for Christmas (mainly stuff recorded at our concert in The Rose Theatre in June).  Excitement!

I was back at sport yesterday and because we were thin on the ground I was on court constantly, playing two games of badminton (doubles), several singles in short tennis and then a 'threesome' in short tennis.  This involved one person at one end of the court and two the other.  The single player serves and could serve into the doubles area but the two players on the other side had to keep their shots within the singles court.  After a game we moved round one.  I was playing with two guys, one of whom is perhaps our best player and a really good powerful server but I manged to win some games against him in singles.  In the threesome I was against him and another bloke and I won one of my games by 40-0!  I seemed to be on fire but I was shattered afterwards.  The tops of my legs ache. Still it was good to be back and I needed that workout.

Apart from choir and sport I began beginners Italian on Thursday - yes, I'm hoping to get further than ordering a cup of coffee!  Amazingly the centre is still running the course despite there only being four of us. Our tutor was half an hour late and is quite a character.  We have a little homework (numbers, greetings) which we will cover next week.

On Monday the online course with The Poetry School begins.  Already the students are uploading their first poems for feedback.  The Poetry School have a new Campus website which is a little like Facebook as you can 'friend' people and as well as having contact with people on your own course you can chat to other members on Campus through the 'community' page.  It's looking good.

So I have a lot going on but it's rather nice to be back into a routine.  I can't believe I have just used the word 'routine' because routine sounds boring and I like to think I am more of a free-spirit!  But I guess we all have some routines.  I have one when I get up in the morning - cup of tea and my quiet/prayer time.  There are routines of housework, though unlike my mother I don't have set chores for set days of the week (though my son said 'I thought you always did the lounge on a Monday' - it just happened that I like to get it out of the way!; we have bedtime rituals - I have Horlicks and read for a short time in bed.  I hate to say it but some routine is good for structuring the week and then when breaks come it great to just chill and make it up as you go along.  This is why I like the summer because I like to be free to go out and do the things that perhaps I don't get round to any other time. This summer it was the decorating!

Do you enjoy routine or loath it?  What did you do in summer?  What plans do you have for autumn?  Any classes?  Do feedback.  I love to know what you are all doing!