Over the coming months we may all find ourselves spending more time than usual at home and some of us may even have to spend long periods entirely alone. Not a happy situation for those who are gregarious and like to be active and to socialise. We're encouraged by Joan Bakewell, the government's former 'voice' of older people, to use the time in a positive way; she rightly suggests that finding a routine, exercising, and perhaps brushing up on tech skills so that we can entertain ourselves and keep up with family and friends, will all be helpful.
Perhaps it's even time to delve more deeply into a subject that you've always been interested in but never had a chance to pursue. The Open University offers nearly 1000 completely free online course via its offshoot, 'OpenLearn'. The courses are set up to offer absolute flexibility; there are no set term dates, you can spend as long as you like on each course and if you finish a course, you can be awarded a Certificate of Participation. The subject lineup is amazing - How to be a Critical Reader, Introduction to Child Psychology, Art in Renaissance Venice, Discovering Music - The Blues, Why Sustainable Energy Matters, the Novels of Thomas Hardy, Textiles of Ghana, Travel in the Steam Age, Beginners Welsh - we challenge you not to be intrigued by at least one or two of the brilliant subjects on offer!
Visithttps://www.open.edu/openlearn/free-courses/full-catalogue to find out more and to sign up.