Many of my friends and family know that although I started to read for a degree with The Open University back on the day of our Covenant of Commitment in May 2011, there has been somewhat of a hiatus in my study. This is being rectified this year. I am in the final stages of registering with The Open University for my next module, A276 Classical Latin: the language of ancient Rome. I’m really looking forward to it.

I’ve had an interest in Latin for quite some time. I was really disappointed when I transferred from primary school to grammar school that the school my parents had picked for me had changed its policy and was no longer offering Latin. My mother said at the time that they were lucky that we couldn’t sue them under the trade description legislation!

So, in a few weeks I will be delving into the language as an undergraduate. The set books are The History of Rome by Livy, translated, and with notes by Valerie M. Warrior; and The Aeneid by Virgil, translated with an introduction by David West. Both books are already on my desk. I will be starting to read them in the next few days.

Provided that all goes well, I should be graduating in 2023. That will be 27 years since I left grammar school, but with all the life experience that I have had, it will have been worth the wait.