material which infringes on much I wanted to contain in my thesis.

Arghhhh! So now I have ordered this very expensive book so I can check it out and alter my thesis.

I really didn't want this, a month before my next panel.

Anybody have experience of this?

Isn't Manchester great?

I would answer this question in terms of non-academic comparison, since it seems pretty moot to compare Australian and British PhD standards. Instead think about it in terms of lifestyle changes.

Perhaps going back to Australia would be either a refreshing change, or a distracting change. Having done your MA in Manchester you may be used to a more temperate Northern European climate and the lifestyle that goes with that. Starting a new PhD in Australia might be extra stressful if you are having to adapt to that.

I really couldn't live or study in a climate warmer than our own. Even in France or Spain in the summer I feel dizzy and irate. I certainly couldn't concentrate on PhD stuff. That said, it would be amazing to live in Australia - it certainly looks beautiful.

Congratulations!

Lycka till! Good luck!

I had a lunchtime meeting with my supervisors today, and I have been given a deadline for my next panel and the work to prepare in advance for it. My stomach feels so tight and sore, and it feels like the world is closing in on me. Not good. Ack.

I did 10,000 words in a week once - and it didn't cut the ice with the old supervisors. And looking back, it was pretty crappy and I shall never attempt it again.

Try reading 'Lonesome George' - it is a great read about a variation of a Galapagos Island tortoise who seems to be the last of his type. It is a fascinating jbook and well reccomended...

I'm writing about sensiblity, of the eighteenth-century sort.

And dont forget to smile a lot, seem relaxed, and personable. Obviously charm isn't going to go all the way to getting you the place - but wanting to work with you will help give you an edge over the competition when it comes to choosing between candidates.

Oh Sue! I shall look that one right up!

weight loss, sallow skin, frequent nausea, mental health issue etc etc

Thank you! Both good suggestions!

Caw, Caw.

I wondered how other people with subjects allied to history/ art history built up their historical framework. I have collected a large number of sources, and begun to interpret them, but I am having a problem building an arguement that is historical - i.e. chronological. So my arguments and thesis lacks a historical narrative...

Any advice. I am sat down today with felt tip pens, paper and survey books to try and etch out a narrative...

I always used to use provisional language when I wrote an abstract - and it didn't exactly inspire confidence.

So don't use 'I hope to show' - 'I will demonstrate' because you do show and you do demonstrate!

Cheers, thanks!!!!!