Weeknote: 17/10

Knitting:
I did eventually pull out the purple yarn this week and cast on for Mother Hand's hat. The yarn came out midweek but the casting on didn't happen until this morning. I was annoyed that I didn't have anything to knit all week, but not annoyed enough to go to the trouble of doing the long-tailed tubular cast on (which in the end I didn't do anyway).

It's been a while since I knitted a hat and I am pleasantly surprised with how quickly it is going.

Going to:
I went to an exercise class at the leisure centre on Sunday, for the first time this year. I am ashamed to say I pay a monthly fee for the leisure centre and have not been since New Year's Eve last year. That means that exercise class cost me £350. I am booked to go again tomorrow though, so I will get a bit more of my money's worth, particularly if I can keep up my attendance. I hadn't realised my nearest centre, Longwell Green, was offering Les Mills classes and I quite like those, formulaic though they are, because you always know what you're getting.

I did some training for some primary colleagues on Tuesday which was fun and interesting - they face such different challenges, I think, that's it's always a pleasure to chat to them.

On Wednesday I went to a Henry VIII lecture by Tracy Borman. It was very entertaining. I went beforehand to ask her to sign my book (Private Lives of the Tudors, I recommend) and she was very lovely. She asked if I was studying History and, when I told her I was a teacher, she had the grace to pretend I looked young enough to be a student. Thus I adore her and will be buying all her books.
In the questions at the end, one man asked about the rumour that Henry VIII was syphilitic. He turned out to be something of an expert on the topic and gave us all his evidence to support this theory. Fascinating, but also made me think of what I often say to my A-level students - never underestimate what old white men are willing to argue about. Tbf he wasn't that old but I think my point stands.

On Friday I went to a Japanese-themed birthday party for my ex-colleague Xannah. I was caught short for an outfit so I went on Parpy Jo's suggestion and wore a tabard covered in sarcastic comments - 'a bottle of saki'. The first person to ask, when I said, 'I'm saki!', replied, 'Who's that?' so I don't think I can claim this as an unmitigated success, but it was OK.

On Saturday, after knitting group, I went to Southampton with my friend V to see Six again, and then had dinner with my old colleague and friend Paul and his not-so-new boyfriend, who I hadn't previously met. Six was as excellent as it was the first time round and I am already plotting a return to London in 2019, when it goes back to the Arts Theatre. It was great to see it with V, a fellow historian, so that we could discuss how clever and spot on it all was.

A busy week! I am getting my life back.

Entertained by:
Six, obviously.

I have picked up a fiction book I bought last year, Outcasts of Time by Ian Mortimer. It's good so far. It's about two brothers living through the 1348 plague - I haven't got any further than that yet.

I've been watching the Little Drummer Girl on the beeb (they are killing it for drama this year) but finding it quite hard to follow. Still, the late 70s vibe is very good visually. I want all their coats.

Feeling:
Quite enthused, really. Christmas is in sight. I've got a week at school with no interruptions next week, for only the third time this academic year. There are some other fun events coming up over the next month that I'm looking forward to, and minimal additional work, for once. The new sofas are being delivered at the end of next week and the new curtains will follow shortly after, and then we can put the Christmas tree up and really enjoy the space. Hurrah, hurrah.