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For some reason LJ is only giving me the raw option for posting, not the nice button to do things for me. Not that they work very often, but this may end up being a long stream of text, for which I apologise.

So, this time next week I shall be done. Exciting and a little bit scary but right now exciting. It has also just occurred to me that I have quite a lot of experience working with children/teenagers, and therefore my summer job hunting would probably be helped by applying to summer schools. I have therefore applied to one in St Andrews, one in Cambridge and a couple on the South coast. It would be nice to go up to Scotland, as I've never been, but a bit of a pain to get down for graduation! But either way working for a summer school would be more fun that restaurant or shop work. (And mean I don't have to move home... which sounds mean, I love my parents, but I'm not sure it would work.

Revision has also meant I have just finished re-reading Harry Potter. I read the first 4 over January exams and the last 3 this time round. I find it really strange to think that children now can just go and buy them. There is nothing stopping you reading them all at once. I'm not sure I like that idea. I was 8 when I read the first one and 18 when I read the last one. And I was never one of the ones who was up at midnight to get the next book, but I don't think it is possible to grow up in our generation and not have read them and get excited. I'm also not sure you'd understand if you read them all at once, because they do grow up. The last book is depressing! (A little too depressing for my taste on re-read actually, the lack of any relief was tiring). The Philosophers Stone was written for 11 year olds, but I can't say the Deathly Hallows was.

Also doing a bit of a Buffy re-watch. Nice and comforting, I like very much. I can still quote many of the episodes and I know what's going to happen, but I love it all the same.

And Much Ado with stolen_dreams next month! Shakespeare, Tate and Tennant all at once!

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 Why is there no one home when I want to dance round over riding? Maybe because they get bored of me dancing round after riding...

Such a good lesson today, on the pony. Jumping grids and he was just a little superstar. They are 3 fences with 2 strides between them, starting at 2'6" and ending at 3" spread (very small spread, but enough to make him stretch), working up through the fences. And he just flew over them. Really, beautifully smooth and together, just flying. Only twice did I have to pull him up and circle round because he decided that sideways was more fun.

And even when he got it wrong and seemed to just forget about the second jump, try to stop then realise he had too much momentum I just tapped him with the stick and he jumped it anyway (admittedly I think I was going over the jump whatever happened, but I'm glad he came with me!). And when I got it wrong and mucked up the striding for the first jump so we were wonky by the time we got to the last he STILL jumped it, practically from a standstill!

The perfect jumps feel wonderful and leave me with a huge grin, but the fact that we managed to save two not-so-perfect jumps is more impressive. It's not so long ago that either I wouldn't be forward enough to push him on or he would be too stubborn to listen anyway, that we could get ourselves together and I had the guts to just push him on and trust that he would land me safely is a huge step forwards :)

I also went for a walk this afternoon through the park behind our house. It was so British you couldn't have written it better. There were two proper cricket games (with the uniforms and umpires and stuff) and multitudes of people playing with the little plastic set. Families were sat everywhere with picnics spread out, kites, rounders, dogs. Students laying around with books and picnics. Families out for bike rides. Ice cream vans and kids feeding the ducks. It made me happy. The planes from the airport broke the illusion slightly, but never mind!

 

And who in... 15 minutes :)