Stuck!

We are supposed to be on the mainland now but we’re stuck on the islands. The fog rolled in at 8.45am just as we arrived at the airport and everything is now on indefinite delay It’s a really busy day travel-wise because the end of half term week sees hundred and hundreds of people departing the islands on helicopter, planes and boat. The first two helicopter flights got in and out without problem because it was clear. So it’s rather frustrating to be stuck especially since the fog seems to be getting thicker and thicker as the morning wears on …

At least we can come home, make a cup of tea, watch the TV, play on the computer. I feel sorry for the visitors who are now stranded at the airport waiting for flights to resume – there were lots of children and several dogs up there when we left. Then, just to make life interesting, we had a power cut at about 10.30am just as our daughter was watching a DVD. Cue instant autistic meltdown which lasted a violent and frustrating fifteen minutes and left her purple faced, sweating and exhausted. Fortunately the power came on again and she’s now in ‘manic’ mood, watching the DVD and bounding around the sitting room like Tigger on steroids.

I submitted TMA01 quite late yesterday evening using the electronic TMa system. I’ve used it before so no worries there. But I’m also taking my laptop away with me plus PT3 forms in case I feel I need to do some more work on my TMA and resubmit next week before the Nov 2nd deadline. That depends on whether M-i-L’s wireless internet connection has been fixed (which will be the simplest and most straightforward option) or, failing that, if I can get her rather old HP deskjet printer to communicate with my new laptop then I can print out a hard copy and send that, or if they refuse to play ball together, my last option is a handwritten TMA (but that really is a desperate last option!) I think I have all bases covered but the electronic submission is my ’safety net’ to ensure that I don’t miss the deadline.

I’ve been a bit nonplussed by the emphasis on fiction in A215 – everything seems to be to do with creating characters, giving them personalities, problems, feelings, writing dialogue. Personally I find fiction tricky at the best of times. I’m more of a diarist (think Edith Holden – Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady). The exercise in the first chapter of the BRB where you have to create a character using conflicting traits – the example given is from Somerset Maugham who describes a female character who had real badness in her/had real goodness in her. I found that extremely difficult (in fact, I gave up and moved on …) When we had to write a letter from that character expressing some sort of strong emotion, I felt like a fish out of water. Lots of folks on the conference posted brilliant letters but mine barely got started.

In contrast with a lot of students, I’m really looking forward to the poetry and lifewriting sections so fiction is something that will have to be wrestled with of necessity but not choice. But, unfortunately for me, the fiction TMa is the double weighted one so I’m going to have to get down to some hard work.