It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post, and while I have been busy I don’t think major PhD things have got done. This means that November has arrived and brings with it an impetus to really got on top of things.

But October was busy, as teaching tends to take over everything and makes it difficult to carve out proper PhD time. After today’s seminars are over there will only be two more weeks of seminar teaching! And these will be on aspects of European foreign policy, which should be easy enough for me to teach. And should be enjoyable. While I haven’t got over the knots in my stomach on Monday mornings (and Sunday nights to be honest), I do feel it’s going well and that I am enjoying it. But it’s my first attempt I can only get better with experience. Maybe the University runs an intensive training course on how to write on a whiteboard?!? That’s probably my weakest area in terms of teaching skills!!!

The last day of October, marked by many as Halloween, was one of the most useful days of my PhD to date. I went down to Oxford for the weekend to a one-day workshop on Portugal, Southern Europe and the EU. This gave me the opportunity to hear some interesting speakers, many of whom I had read and/or cited. Some others I had corresponded with in Lisbon and some people who were new to me, but producing research relevant to my own project. All in all, useful in terms of networking but also the intellectual content left me with plenty to think about for my own PhD. But, as it was Halloween, I must admit to have been frightened a little bit! Scared that my PhD fieldwork is getting closer and closer and while I am confident that I have a good understanding of the main issues, it’s always a weird feeling to meet people engaged in similar work. But all in all an enjoyable day and St John’s College Oxford was a spendid location for it. Afterwards we all went out for dinner at a local Lebanese restaurant which was nice.

I should also report back on the useful experience of meeting someone else who has influenced my work. Prof. Simon Bulmer visited Newcastle from the University of Sheffield and gave a talk on the Europeanisation of Whitehall in October. This work has influenced my methodology as I assess the Europeanisation of Portuguese government processes. I made sure I asked him a reasonably intelligent sounding question and Jocelyn made sure I got introduced to him over a glass of wine afterwards and we reflected on my research project.

Aside from the teaching drawing to a close and the project marking getting ever nearer, I will be busy plagiarism checking as the politics assignments start rolling in. But I will be busy on my own PhD, not least making sure that I am prepared for the fieldwork after Christmas. I have prepared some letters of recommendation in Portuguese and also translated my PhD abstract into PhD. In November I will also be busy preparing for the seminar I will be giving to the other PhD students. But my main plan is to get my methodology section drafted! This will definitely keep me busy!!!

So November is here, and the approaching cold, short and snowy days will be here sooner than I would like. But if I get on top of everything then what could be nicer than having a cup of gluhwein at Newcastle’s continental Christmas market at the end of this month.