Month: September 2019

8.00 am: A late breakfast. Keep it simple; keep it pure: 9.00 am: The first week of teaching began and, with it, the old routines recommenced. I set my face to undertake teaching admin for the week ahead, prepare teaching materials, respond to the weekend’s incoming emails, initiate my own, disinfect my inbox of loathsome, nuisance, and lying scam-mail, write…

Saturday, September 28, 8.30 am: This is the first occasion since Tuesday that I’ve felt able to move down into second gear. When the rain had abated, I headed towards town to fulfil domestics. The streets were spare and forlorn. The new students hadn’t yet risen to scour the shops for plants, mug trees, and posters. Perhaps, they no longer…

8.00 am: A communion, centred on verses from Psalm 51. This was the final day for cohort, scheme, and module set up. Full on! On Monday morning, and from then on, my focus will be on the delivery of teaching, research, and planning for post-2021. 8.45 am: ‘What are these unread emails that have lain at the bottom of my…

7.00 am: Up and into the shower. 8.00 am: There was a downpour: relentless and unforgiving, like the world today: 8.30 am: I finalised and sent the research assessment forms and, then, returned to plethora of emails and arrangements that were necessary to get this starship out of space dock by the close of the weekend. 10.15 am: The weather…

Recollections on revisiting West Kennet, Wiltshire: 8.30 am: Yesterday was spent fixed to my computer furthering my reports for Friday’s research assessment meeting. Today, I reconnected with outstanding business begun prior to my weekend away and the demands of the morning. My priority was the postgraduate welcome and induction meetings, held from noon onwards. This is a week of new…

7.30 am: I took the train to Shrewsbury and, from there to Newport and, then, on in the direction of Swindon to Marlborough (which doesn’t have a railway station) to attend an academic conference. The warm, raking light poured through the carriage, casting shadows and reflections, and superimposing inside and outside: life as a double exposure: There are moments of…

Wednesday, September 18, 2019: The entire morning was taken up posting emails in readiness for the final exam board of the MA Fine Art schemes, on Friday, and the various meetings during Freshers’ Week. My intention had been to settle to a large admin task. We fritter our lives away in the multitude of minors. 2.00 pm: A late, celebratory…

Monday, September 16, 2019: It was good to see the entrance to the School denuded of scaffolding and sand-blasted back to its original glory: The fortune cookie motto, which I’d alighted upon over the weekend, proved particularly apt today. The assessment of the MA Fine Art second exhibition began: Principles and observations derived from today’s assessments: Tutor: ‘The MA scheme…

9.20 am: On to the School for the new academic year’s first Open Day: There was a healthy number in attendance, throughout a glorious day – perhaps one of the last ‘summery’ residues of the season. Dr Forster held forth in the painting studio, demonstrating techniques and answering queries: Throughout the day staff were in advisory mode. Choosing what and…