Dear all,
I am back - back for good, that is. The summer was spent working, and pottering about, moving my stuff over from the Fatherland, conferencing, and going to the Fatherland. Grandpa passed away. I submitted the final copy of my thesis (all shiny and hard-bound and blue with gold letters). I made new friends. I knitted. Peter has also submitted his thesis, and most of my friends are finishing their's. It's an exciting time, really, and also a bit frightening: no one knows where we're going to be a year from now.*
*I suspect that I shall be where I'm now: in Fife, but reading more books, knitting more, and, perhaps, gardening a bit...
I'm finally back in the swing of academia: this past week has been spent working on an article, and I'm quite happy with how it is going (it is going slowly, but well [I think]). I'm thinking about books (to write, and to read [and, actually, to catalogue and rearrange]), and I'm drawing up chapter plans and proposals. We're thinking of hosting a conference next year, on Emblems of Nationhood: Britishness (either 1660-1837, or 1707-1901). I'd quite like to write a book on that topic too, or perhaps co-write it with Mr (then Dr) Lindfield-Ott. I'm thinking (seriously) about writing a biography of Macpherson - a semi-popular one. I have a pretty fabulous title floating around, but I have to do a little more thinking about it (and I should probably read some other biographies) before I can talk about it... I'm enjoying writing again - mainly, I think, because I don't *have* to do it, and because (now that I'm a Dr) I'm quite confident again in my abilities. I've started writing letters to people again, too. I've missed that. And reading novels.
So there. I'm back!
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