Well the last four years have involved me trying new things and trying to make it interesting despite the health problems. Some things have been really great and others haven’t worked out as well as I hoped. During the past few weeks I really thought that I had run out of options to make life interesting on a regular basis. There have been some lovely things, such as meeting up with my hippie friends in Birmingham. But often I look at my Monday to Friday diary and it can be fairly empty – the highlight last week was going to the dentist!! Bad enough for anyone but even worse if you suffer from dental phobia. However, I digress. I needed something to get me out of the house, whilst allowing me to enjoy other activities and be able to pace myself health wise. So I applied for a part-time place on a BA English degree programme. At this point I think that I should add that I haven’t studied English since my O-levels 31 years ago!! I have studied OU Arts and Humanities modules but they were very broad focused. But being the eternal optimist (!!!!!!) I submitted my application. I received a nice reply saying that as part of the application process I had to write a 1000 word critical appraisal of two specified poems. I’ve never studied poetry in my life!! I looked at the poems and they meant absolutely nothing to me and I hadn’t got a clue how to analyse poetry. Then followed frantic reading on the Internet and in books trying to learn what I should do. I learnt a whole new world including rhyming couplets, meter, enjambment, iambic pentameter, personification and voice. I submitted the assignment four days before the deadline hoping that the tutor wouldn’t laugh too much and fully expecting a rejection letter. BUT!!!!!! I’ve got an unconditional offer from the University of Northampton. I’m amazed and it has really boosted my confidence. I never thought that I would be a student studying English Literature but it just goes to show that you don’t know what will happen until you try!!!