Continuing Activities - Month Seven

[smallhobbit]

This month I've completed two FutureLearn courses.  The first was Working Lives in the Coal Mines: Mining History and Heritage by the University of Strathclyde.  This is the second in their three course series.  It was interesting, although perhaps not so much as the one on the railways, but that's purely personal preference.  And I definitely intend to visit the Big Pit in Wales.

The second course was Understanding Money: the History of Finance, Speculation and the Stock Market by the University of Southampton.  The only reason I took the course was because it was the only one which would fit between coming back from holiday and another course I've signed up for.  I'm not particularly interested in finance as a subject, although the historical side tied in with areas I've read about in the past.  It didn't seem to be a very popular course, so I commented rather more often that I would do on a popular course.  What was interesting was thinking through my own viewpoint on various financial matters and having to articulate it, which was a very good exercise.

And meanwhile my cross stitch continues to grow:

 



 

Comments

[debriswoman]

Your garden is growing/stitching nicely...and two diverse topics to study...widening your knowledge:-)

[smallhobbit]

Thank you - I'm very pleased with the sewing.

I fear I'm becoming addicted to learning all sorts of different things :)

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Yea! I love to see how the cross stitch is coming! And good on you for learning about such different things.

[badly_knitted]

Wow, you've made a huge amount of progess! It looks amazing.

[aome]

That is just GORGEOUS.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you. I'm fascinated by all the different things around.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you very much.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you very much.

[scfrankles]

I'm so impressed by your continuing use of FutureLearn - and trying new subjects, even if they are perhaps not immediately your thing. I am so behind with the Frisian course ^^" Partly my own fault but I think it was just unfortunate timing. Trying to keep up with work, Dutch, and Holmestice, WAdvent and Yuletide - I think I may have overreached myself. But I've enjoyed the course so far, and I've still got time to catch up.

Your cross stitch is looking beautiful - you really have made an impressive amount of progress.

[smallhobbit]

There's only so much one can do. FutureLearn seems to have hooked me in, but I do enjoy learning about different things. I have started Yuletide but need to get on with it, and haven't done a thing about WAdvent yet ... There's still time ;)

And thank you - I continue to enjoy it.

[howsmyenglish]

I like seeing your progress with the cross stitch! It's much more fun than just seeing the complete thing in the end :)

[smallhobbit]

Thank you - that's good to know. I find it helpful to record my progress too - otherwise I might feel as though I'm not getting anywhere.

[moth2fic]

Loving the cross stitch, as usual! I grew up in a mining area, and husband is always reading (and sharing) books about finance and watching programmes about it, so I think I'd have enjoyed your courses. Depends whether they were targeted at beginners - because I'm not!

[smallhobbit]

Thank you.

The mining course was from beginners and up - many of the participants were from mining families, some even ex-miners. I think it's a mix of some things you would have known, some would be new, and the emphasis was on the workforce, so very much 'lived experience' rather than dry facts.

[margaret_r]

Your cross stitch is looking really lovely. I imagine the mining course would have been interesting from an historic point of view, whereas the one on finance would no doubt have put me to sleep - anything to do with figures doesn't work for me. Glad you enjoyed them both:)

[smallhobbit]

Thank you very much.

The mining course was interesting - especially because it looks at the lives of the working people and not just the inventions. The finance one wasn't particularly about figures - I was particularly interested in some of the historical side, like the start in coffee houses, and things like the South Sea Bubble and Railwaymania.