I'm going to be joining you in learning LaTex Satchi. My hubby used it to produce his computer science thesis (pretty essential then for ease of handling the many equations). I'm not a science student any more, but I am still a computer science graduate, and can program, so I might as well have a bash at learning it. I'm not a fan of Word, though I battled with it to produce my PhD thesis.

Hubby has Lamport's book, but uses it at work. So I'm buying my own copy!

Can you pick the easiest looking bit on your list and start with that? Even try brainstorming on a bit of paper. Write a spider diagram. Anything. Just focus on one little bit at a time. And the chapter definitely doesn't need to be written in order.

Did you follow my tip of drawing up a list and ticking things off? This was advice over a week ago. I've had to return to my studies many times after taking many many months off due to severe disabling neurological illness. And every time I have to drag myself back to get into the swing of it.

Good luck for tomorrow. Best to be honest and say you've hit a big sticking block, and ask for advice on how to get over it. Because that's the situation you're in. Unless you can start to crack it today, and then report good progress.

I have huge memory problems due to brain damage, so would forget questions part way through, if I didn't write brief notes before hand. I have my notepad open all the way through seminars, write very brief summaries of questions I want to ask (usually rather a lot LOL!), with Q beside them, and then I ask from that. It helps me a lot. Maybe it would help you too?

I'm no use at the housework I'm afraid. Used to be grand at it, then the disease struck, so hubby has to deal with most of that. So I'm not very helpful all around. But I still think doing the part-time PhD was worthwhile, and even though I won't be able to use it for work purposes I'll be able to use it and the experience gained in other less obvious ways. I'm certainly planning to.

I'm already in a sort of similar position. I'm long-term ill (progressive neurological disease), so can't work at all, and am effectively the little housewife permanently at home, being supported by hubby's income (post-doc research fellow), with me bringing in no income beyond my part-time AHRC grant near the end of my PhD. I've recently completed my PhD, and can't use it for work. But I am planning to publish more journal papers, fit in more research as I can. If I was stronger I thought about OU tutoring or local evening classes, but those aren't practical options for me now given how disabled I am. But you can view the positives. It's not all negative.

I think most PhDs over run, even science ones. Honestly I think you'd be lucky to finish within the 3 years. But it's not impossible.

Afraid I can't give any advice on overseas funding options.

You should ask the uni to clarify exactly what's going on and what the fees situation would be since you're self-funding. My uni allows full-timers to take 4 years too, but charges very low fees (90 pounds for the year, for home students anyway) in the final writing-up year.

Yes good luck Chris. I'm curious about your area of history too. I looked at a 17th century local court and its records for my Masters dissertation. My PhD is 18th/early19th centuries though.