Cracking on with the Second Book

After taking a couple of weeks break from doing the Blue Book after I finished book one I am now well into the second book.

I spent a bit of time reading through what I had done and also looking at the points sheets from Knowledge Point that I get each day. I think taking a break was useful to keep the brain fresh from the routine of getting through 320 runs. It was also a chance to look at how much of what I had learned could be useful for appearances. When I first got a points sheet it was daunting to see how many points that I did not recognise. Now I at least know a few and can see I am making some progress.

The other thing that I have started spending more time on is the Wizann Knowledge Forum . There are a lot of active members on here compared to the Knowledge Point Forum and everyone is very helpful to even the most basic questions. There is a sense of community as Doing the Knowledge can seem very lonely at times. I find myself looking over peoples lines and checking on their questions and this adds to my knowledge in a different way. I think it adds a different dimension to my learning process and breaks the monotony.

The recent good weather and longer days means I can get out around 5 am and get a lot done before it gets too busy in the mornings. I have started to cut down the number of runs I do in one go and now spend more time checking turn arounds and piecing in the points to the start and end of the runs. The great thing now is that I am starting to go back through runs from the first book and it feels more comfortable. I now know why most people give up on the first 80 runs but if you stick with the knowledge it does become more familiar.

I still have not heard back about my self assessment at the Public Carriage Office. I was told it would be in July when I handed the letter in. This means I will have to go to the Palestra Building in Southwark now that the PCO office in Penton Street has closed. I hope that travelling across London will be fairly eventless for appearances etc.

I have had my first exposure to the runs in the West End and I think I will need to spend some time in Soho walking around to get my bearings with it. Also the area north of Oxford Street below the Marylebone and Euston roads. Part of my plan is to spend some time on foot in these areas and go for a drink one afternoon / evening a week. I want to get through the second book pretty quickly and make the most of the long days so there is less roadwork to do once the winter comes around.