I'm Published Again!

Those kind folks at Ink Pantry Publishing have chosen more of my writing to be featured on their web-site this week. 
Three small pieces taken fom work I did for my OU courses, A215 and A174.  They fit together quite well as they have a through-line, or common theme.
In this case a beach.   I grew up near a beach and always enjoyed it best on wild and windy days.
Take a quick look if you have a minute or two to spare.
If you missed my first story, published on their site last month, you'll find it here. 

Decision time?

I've sent my TMA 02 off, four days early.  While I wait for results I shall give serious consideration to whether it's worth continuing with this module.  Our tutor group is still dismal, thanks in part to the attitude of our tutor.  With the OU there is always this element of pot-luck, which is a disadvantage of their system, because if you don't have a good tutor and your group forum is inactive it is such a huge disincentive.
Maybe I was lucky on A174.  The tutor and group forum were both good and the course itself was very enjoyable.

Can't Believe It's Been So Long!

I've clearly been neglecting my blogging duties. 
Can't think what I've been doing all this time really, other than Y180 and lots of knitting.  Y180 is not as absorbing as A174, but then I knew it wouldn't be.  I took it just as a fill in until A215 starts in September.
So far we've covered Poetry and History.  I'm now on to the second TMA, when that's done we move on to Art.
It's been raining almost non stop for the past few weeks.  Ever since they anounced the hosepipe ban in our area as a matter of fact.  Hence all the knitting.  Also some embroidery.  No chance of gardening.  Well not outside anyway.  My greenhouse is looking good though!

Moving On

I've now received the mark for my final eTMA.  It was a big improvement on the first one.  Astonishingly my tutor gave me 91%.
Maths was never my strongest point, but I think that means I have done well enough to achieve my much coveted excellent pass for the module as a whole.

I feel that is encouragement enough to enrol on the year long Creative Writing course, which starts in September.
Until then I shall content myself with Y180.  Course work for for that short module arrived a couple of days ago.  On first sight it looks quite interesting.

Finally!

Finally my tutor has returned the results of my first eTMA.  I sent it in on Dec 2nd, so it's taken him ten days.  Could be worse, some other tutor groups are still waiting for theirs.  74% a good pass.  I'm pleased with that, although it could have been better.  We need 85% for an excellent pass!

While I've been waiting I've completed Block Three and done enough of Block Four to allow me to write answers to our second tutorial task.  That came as a nasty shock.  I wasn't expecting to have the second tutorial set on the same day that our eTMA was due.  But everything is completed now.

I've caught up with my present making too!!

Now I can relax.

I've finished Block Two and posted everything on the forum.  I've also finished my first eTMA! 

Cut off date is not until late next week, so I shan't send it yet.  Nice to know I have a bit of breathing space.

I shall spend some time catching up on my present making.  The knitting and sewing have been a bit neglected in recent weeks.  I have embroidered cards half finished and bits of knitting to be sewn up. 

When I've done all those I can start on something a bit more challenging.

Two things completed.

Our sale of the house has now been completed.  Keys have been handed over to the new owner.  Nothing more to do, except look back and wonder if I could have done more for my parents.
Answer, yes.  Technically you could always do more.  Practically though it's not that simple.

Also completed is Block One of my OU course.  Now I've moved on to Block Two.  I posted my first assignments up on the forum today.  I've finished a couple more, but I'm not ready to show them to the world yet.

Progress

Bonfire night last night.  A disappointing number of fireworks seen around.  Do people not send rockets up from their own backyards anymore?  Is 'light the blue touchpaper and retire' a dying art among new generations of families?

I've now reached the end of the first block of my OU course.  There are to be five in total. 
I worked through most of the assignments and posted a selection in the forum for discussion, so I feel I've kept up with the spirit of the thing.

Yesterday we were given a tutorial task to complete. It's not as bad as I had feared.  I had expected some naff group thing where we might all be asked to contribute to one project.  Instead we've been told to produce an individual piece of work to be commented on by other members of the group.  That's OK.  I can cope with that.
We've also been asked to critique a piece of our tutor's work.  I sense pitfalls ahead!

A 174

Clocks changed this morning and my OU course started yesterday.  Officially started, that is, we were sent course work some weeks ago, so I've been dabbling a bit for several days.
Listened to parts of the Audio CD and read bits of the Anthology.  Not good!  Most of the authors on the CD I'd never heard of, much less read and the extracts I found in the Anthology were not at all to my taste.  Still, early days!

It's an online course and finding a way around the website was quite a challenge, there are useful things hidden away in little side alleys where students may not chance to look.
I received an email from someone called Josie Cuffe, inviting me to take part in a "shared activity". This person is not part of my tutor group and there are no posts under that name in the Student Cafe, so I've decided it must be a wind up from some kind of spam merchant.  I shall ignore it.

In other news ... my Mum has suddenly decided she can't cope anymore at home, so she and Dad have moved in to a nursing home leaving me to sell her house and clear out their lifetime's accumulation of odds and ends.