The last of the summer wine

I don't expect any sympathy. But there is something so final, so desolate about the night before teaching starts again. All the promise of the summer has evaporated, and in its place the certainty of lengthening nights and days filled with work. It's been a lovely summer all round, filled with relaxation and just the right amount of work. I've been honestly able to reply to everyone who asks how my summer was, that it was delightfully summery, and oh-so-relaxing.

But the absence of RTD for a whole month has made it feel like my life has been on hold for much of August, making the return to teaching seem even more poignant this year. It's only 15 weeks...and then I am off for 9 months! Imagine how I will feel in August 2017.

I wouldn't mind, but I rather enjoy teaching, and my students are invariably lovely. So, really, I'm full of rubbish.