Crikey, what a busy week that was!

Two dinners at Lincolns, one massively awkward opinion to write, lecture timings to juggle, courts to visit and Lord knows what other things which I didn't get round to doing.

At least I'm now on reading week which gives me something of a reprieve until the 7th Nov, Mondays having been returned to me as my day off.

I've nearly finished one part of the assessed course, one more court visit - and hence stamp on my attendance form - and I'll be able to tick that box in my professional development file. Huzzah.

Anyway, off to Lincolns again today for Sunday lunch with the parentals, and I'll be out again tomorrow evening for the sponsorship night.

All I need to finish this term off nicely is a good result from the mock opinion {see above} and a black tie bash of some sort somewhere...

First proper dining night at Lincoln's Inn - Domus Dinner - a very good night had, and was sat near a criminal QC! Suffice to say that even in the modern bar, finding a high powered criminal practitioner at Lincoln's is like stepping in rocking-horse poo...

However, joy severely dampened by returning to discover rejection from Becket Chambers in Canterbury and the dawning realisation that I haven't prepared for my Criminal Advocacy tutorial in which I will be expected to cross-examine a witness... bugger.

At least I've finally knocked the bloody opinion for Re Harrison on the head - printed and largely forgotten... if only I had a skeleton for the pesky quantum in that case I'd have complied with the required work for the tutorial. Ho hum - one cannot have everything, and since I haven't been taught how to write an opinion I think the tutors should count themselves bloody lucky that I've produced anything at all... Hmmph - twelve bloody grand and not so much as a word of instruction regarding how to approach a piece of work which is bread and butter to a civil hack! Thank God for the criminal bar, if I could only get into it!

Crown Office Row chambers have now also rejected me... oh well, still two more left in the Autumn OLPAS pot to give me the bum's rush.

Coincidentally I picked up a leaflet from the ICSL school office which gives advice on CVs and covering letters - perhaps it's a sign?

This has been possibly the least productive weekend I've had in quite a while... for some reason the 8 or so hours of preparation I still need to do for this week's opinion writing tutorial haven't been completed. Also I have no interest in reading for evidence, civil litigation or the criminal advocacy session... and that's before I disregard the reading I need to do prior to the main lectures.

That said, I now have Skype and have blown some cash on retro PC games!

Still, I'm off to the Old Bailey tomorrow in a suit, so that should motivate me a little more I hope.

Just a short post, using the marvels of Bluetooth technology and my GPRS connection, to say that I'm still childishly in awe of the Tilting Trains of Virgin. Having just sped from Watford to Rugby in about 40 minutes with various bits of the countryside at interesting angles I am convinced that they are the way forward, if only more routes could be served by them... e.g. London to Chester {with a stop at Shrewsbury of course} since I am currently on my way to Crewe in order to save time, changes, money and my mother having to drive to two stations to pick me and the sister up as we disembark from trains from opposite ends of the nation.

Already I have been rejected by a chambers... Still, I think it was in Sheffield, so I'm not going to cry about not going up there to try and live off £10,000 for a year.

I've just re-read the preparation guide for a piece of work due for next Friday, the 13th typically, which states that SEVEN hours should be set aside for its completion! Well, I'm going home this weekend, which means that I'll have about 4 hours with nothing better to do on a train... That still leaves three hours to be devoted to a single assignment. Blimey.