A Room of One's Own - Nevers, Parents and David Tennant

"A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write"

- Virginia Woolf 

I moved out of my uni room for the summer. It sucked, but at least I saw David Tennant at my uni (more on that later).

(My room restored to its generic self. That's the mattress
cover, by the way, not a deflated ghost)

I'm not too sad about losing the room. I mean, I was sad about the Nevers; I'll Never be in that room again, feeling at home. I'll Never sleep in that bed and wake up to that view. I'll Never have all the familiar things about it. But, I'm going to a better place in the Autumn Term, so the physical room itself isn't too big a loss.

It's the independence. You see, in order to measure my freedom, I ask myself this question; "If I wanted to, could I go for a walk at midnight?" I know, that's not a very safe or sensible thing to do (although, a friend once said "It's Exeter. What are they going to do, steal your hummus?"), it's very nice to know that you could just get up and get out.

I like living on my own terms. I am not judged, and if I am, I am not hurt. My decisions are my own - whether it's modules or grocery shopping. If I break something, I broke something that was mine. There is no one else to be told or to intervene.


I suppose the fault with most parents is that their eyes are clouded. Their kids become the lenses that blur and distort everything around them. The world changes, now categorized into threats and benefits to their son/daughter. When they see you, you shrink down into a child again, someone you were. And I don't know if they'll ever see clearly.

Woolf's essay gets a fair amount of criticism for being too "middle-class" - those who own very little and are poor can still write, thank you very much. And yes, they can. But, speaking from my point of view and my background; a bit of money, some privacy and independence really helps.

And then David Tennant appeared! I didn't get to meet him, but seeing him and the cast definitely brightened my day. I believe they're filming the second season of Broadchurch, and they used my uni for a set! It was very exciting stuff, cameras and lights everywhere, directors shouting. We weren't allowed to take photos inside the building, and out of respect for the show, I won't say anything/put up any photos that might give anything away.

Definitely go watch Broadchurch - it's about a case where upon investigating the death of an 11 year old boy, the small town's secrets are torn to the surface... Here's a trailer:

We walk, we run, we fall. And we'll get up again, with or without help.