Something New - Month Six

[smallhobbit]

We've been out and about quite a bit in the last six weeks, which counts as new in that we've done very little of that for most of the year, although up to 2020 I wouldn't have counted as 'something new'.  And we celebrated our 40th anniversary, with a cream tea with son, his wife, and our granddaughter; lunch out for the two of us on the day - we walked to the restaurant, which meant we managed to drink a bottle of Prosecco while we were there; and then finally a meal out with our daughter (who I last saw in February) at the end of the week. 

story_works Take A Leap challenge this month was to Find a New Destination, so I sat down with a travel brochure and made a collage.  Which, incidentally, also counts as something new, as I haven't done one before:


Also in the last six weeks I have completed four more FutureLearn courses:
Discover Chinese Drama: Understanding 'The Injustice to Dou E' by National Chiao Tung University.  I learnt a bit about Chinese drama, and the play in particular, but I didn't find it very exciting, and wouldn't want to pursue the subject any further.  It seemed to be part of an undergraduate course, with references to set text books, which didn't help.

William Wordsworth: Poetry, People & Place by Lancaster University.  This was an absolutely brilliant course.  I'm not convinced I'll ever become a Wordsworthian, and his poetry isn't really my thing, but the course was excellent.  And certainly, if I ever end up in the Lake District again I will be visiting Dove Cottage, where the Wordsworths lived at the beginning of the nineteenth century.  The course had a variety of activities: quizzes, construct your own page of Wordsworth's journal and letter to Coleridge (photo below), and two peer-assessed assignments, so something for everyone.  The tutors leading the course were enthusiastic and didn't just lecture, but talked about the poems in situ, and in Dove Cottage/Jerwood Centre.  At the end of each week they filmed a summary and discussion of points raised during the week via zoom, which got longer as the weeks progressed - and there was so much to cover.  And finally, for this particular course, they added an extra short film to show how Dove Cottage is being updated to give more of a sense of the Wordsworths living there.



Shakespeare: Context and Stagecraft by King's College, London.  A course designed more with A-level students in mind (knowledge of the plays discussed was essential), taking certain aspects of the plays apart and looking at them in more depth than most of the original audiences would have done.  While some explanation of what would have been generally known/believed at the time was helpful, I am not convinced some of the minutiae was relevant. 

Pop Art by Centre Pompidou.  I knew little about Pop Art, and this was a good introduction, and now if I do see some in an exhibition I will have a better idea of what's behind it.  Although again it's not a subject I would be interested in pursuing.  However, it did give me the inspiration for my very non-pop art collage above, as well as access to making my icon, which I'm rather pleased with.

Comments

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

You are learning a lot! I am glad the Wordsworth course was interesting and that you were able to celebrate your anniversary properly. I like the collage.

[smallhobbit]

Yes, all sorts of things - generally of no particular use, but they keep my mind working! I'm glad you like the collage.

Wordsworth was really interesting, possibly the best course I've done.

[corvidology]

I love that you take such a variety of courses.

[smallhobbit]

I look at the list and say 'that looks interesting - I know nothing about it' and go for it.

[luthienberen]

Yay for cream tea with family! I love the collage - was it tricky to collate? I am not a poetry person, so wouldn't recognise Wordsworth, but I am glad you enjoyed the course.

[smallhobbit]

I'm delighted you like the collage. I cut out lots of pictures of places I want to visit and then chose the ones which fitted in the best. I couldn't do a totally random arrangement, so cities in the same country are grouped together.

[luthienberen]

A great approach with grouping cities in the same country together :)

[debriswoman]

An interesting and varied selection:-)

[smallhobbit]

No chance of getting bored!

[margaret_r]

The collage looks inviting! A compilation of some interesting looking places.

The Wordsworth course sounds really good. I've been to Dove Cottage and it's well worth a visit. It's great the way you find so many interesting things to become involved with.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you. So many places to visit!

I will definitely go to Dove Cottage one day.

Thank you. It all comes from trying not to get in a rut.

[moth2fic]

The Wordsworth course sounds brilliant. I'm not a Wordsworth fan, really, but I went to school on the edge of the Lake District so I'm always fascinated by the history of the area. The Pompidou course sounds good too. I love the Pompidou Centre in Paris and learnt a lot when I visited it.

[smallhobbit]

The Wordsworth course was really good - the course tutors made it all so interesting and visual and shared their enthusiasm. I've never been to the Pompidou Centre, maybe one day ...

[rusty_armour]

It's great that you were able to spend some time with your daughter after not seeing her since February. The 40th anniversary cream tea celebration also sounds delightful.

As usual, I'm impressed by all of the FutureLearn courses that you manage to pursue. That course on Wordsworth does sound brilliant. I think I might have actually visited Dove Cottage several years ago when on a tour of the UK. I know I saw some place that was related to William Wordsworth, so I suspect it was that.

[smallhobbit]

Yes - and not likely to see her again for some time now. Cream tea was delicious.

It's quite likely if you did a Wordsworth place in the UK it was Dove Cottage. The course was really good.