And so back to school… Not me, but all those five -18 year olds who are zipping up their pencil cases, as parents rake through understairs cupboards and laundry trying to remember what needs to go in a school bag after five weeks off.

I always loved going back to school - whether it was getting a new pair of shoes or a new rubber, seeing all my friends again, or the hustle and bustle of the playground and canteen.

So this time of year always makes me think of new beginnings, as well as of education.

I took voluntary redundancy from my magazine job two years ago and as part of the package was given money to take a few courses of my choice - for re-training purposes, or to strengthen skills in my existing field.

I opted for media law, photography, film studies and writing for children, and because I took them through the autumn it reminded me of new terms at school and university.

I thought then that I'd like to learn something new every year, but of course it's not always possible because of financial and time constraints, and I haven't done anything about it since.

I had a look at the different part-time adult courses there are to do in Salisbury though, and the choice is varied and vast.

Wiltshire College has so many to choose from including adult numeracy, web design, counselling, floristry, accounting, welding and bee-keeping, while the arts centre offers film-making, dance, pottery and felt-making.

I really want to take a course and learn something new, but until the time is right there is always Google.

In light of the new school year I have decided to pick a topic and learn more about it through my own research.

There are plenty of areas that I could do with a bit more knowledge on including technology, nutrition, economics, and how to properly poach an egg, so hopefully they will keep me occupied until my next return to the classroom.