Hello everybody!

Now that I’m beginning to settle down into a normal routine after the chaos of arriving, registering and experiencing the hectic madness of Freshers’ Week, I can hopefully begin to update my blog on a regular basis again. Unfortunately I don’t have Internet access in my room, but I’ve been jotting down a few bits and pieces on my experiences on my laptop over the last couple of weeks. I plan to chat about some of the interesting stuff that has been going on in my life the last few weeks.

My head is currently spinning with all sorts of information about the Middle Ages – the Byzantine Empire, the rise of Islam, the geography of the Balkans, Basil II, Carolvingians and the like. All very interesting stuff, but keeping up with the flood of information in a lecture is no easy task. The lectures also tend to have a background ambiance of periodic fits of coughing and sniffling due to all the freshers’ flus going around. I need to get the book The Two Cities on Medieval Europe, which I unfortunately haven’t been able to find second hand so will have to resort to Blackwells. Blackwells is the last place a student should look for their course books, since there are likely to be loads of copies of set texts floating around local second-hand bookshops cheaply – I bought my copy of Translations, one of my English texts for £3 as opposed to £9 in Blackwells in a good shop nearby. It’s got loads of second-hand books, videos and CDs of all descriptions, a resident cat that comes and inspects the customers and a sofa next to the children’s books, plus some artwork up on the wall and decent music playing in the background. Great place – I’ll give it a plug once I remember the address.

Tonight I will be going to the Navigators Bible study. I’m also very excited because I saw the new Doctor Who, Christopher Eccleston, eating lunch in between filming the new series of that long running science-fantasy adventure series. No sign of Daleks, though – yet!