'This was the noblest Roman of them all'

Well, I have returned from the land of the dead languages.

And now, after having intense brain stimulation for 10 days, I am sat pretending to be a secretary in an office at home, having called (ablative absolute) all the people I have to call and photocopied everything I have to photocopy. It's quite nice, actually, I'm getting a fair amount of money for this and ALSO they gave me a key - I find this quite exciting, having only gotten one (oh dear, Caesar's rubbed off on me) when we moved house this year.

It's always hateful coming back from Latin Camp, because I feel I really should have been a boarding school girl. I totally missed out (living way out in the sticks) on all the doing-homework-together and just-popping-into-town of a proper social school life. So when I come home to an empty room and a basically empty village, it's a little bit depressing.

There were one or two mollifications this year, though.... Mostly in the way of books! The annual trip to the Bookbarn was even more successful than usual, since every single book - EVERY SINGLE BOOK!- was a pound.

I shall, of course, insert a list of my purchases later, but since I am at work, I don't have everything with me...

And we went again on the way back, which we don't normally do. My whole family came to pick me up from camp, although it's usually my and my mum's little road trip, and they wanted to see the Bookbarn, so we went again. I was very restrained and only bought three books, which is very unusual - but in my defence I was knackered and sad to be leaving and had already bought 20 ten days earlier which I hadn't read....

After that we stopped off at my mum's best friend's house for tea. We don't see her very much - in fact this was the first time I'd seen her 15 month-old little boy - because they live quite far away. Her little girls are the most adorable things I have ever seen - at 4 and 6 they've just got to the ages where they really and truly engage with you, although they were enormously surprised to find out that their 'Auntie' was my Mummy, so I don't think they really knew who I was!

After nearly dying of cute, we set off back home again, and on coming back home, I found the last of my surprises - I'd won a Waterstones competition! It's always nice to be sent free books, but free books you forgot you had applied for is even better! Only trouble is, I have to read it and review it by the 12th. Easy you say? Not when I'm working all day today and tomorrow and then off to Eurodisney until the 13th! I'll have to read it tonight and post a review tomorrow night.... Anyway, it's pretty good so far. It's called Farundell, by LR Fredericks (so watch out for my review on the Waterstones website).

Actually. I might just read it now - so tonight I shall expand on my expanding bookshelves and the happenings of the geek squad over the last two weeks. I hope I leave you in breathless anticipation!