I've had two successive lessons with good weather so here's a brief follow up.
Last Thursday (the 3rd) it was get-me-back-to-solo-standard time. It had been some time since I last flew solo - August, in fact, so I needed some catching up to do. There was an interesting crosswind from the north across 29 and there was fair weather cu well above circuit height. Well, the session went pretty uneventfully - I did a few with Bruce, then he sent me up on my own. For some reason it has taken until now for me to really appreciate the difference in performance from two-up to one-up. 'YL shot into the air and I was at 500' well before I could turn onto crosswind leg, due to the noise-sensitive farm west of 29.
One thing about the session bugged me. I kept having trouble lining up my final turn. It wasn't until I dissected and analysed in the following couple of days that I remembered the same problem from gliding. For some reason I don't yet understand, it seems easier to turn final with the crosswind behind you than the other way. That day, LH circuits were in force, I was flying base leg into the crosswind, and my final turns were all mushy and wandering - had the circuit been RH the turn would have been into the crosswind: tighter, crisper and neatly lined up.
Yesterday, the 10th, was a
red letter day for me 
. Yesterday, after briefing, I checked out 'LY for the first flight of the day, wiped the dew off the canopy, started her up and taxied to the pumps. After fuelling (my only contact with Bruce after the briefing) I lined up on 29 and took off. I did one touch-and-go and then it was off!! to follow the railway line east, in time-honoured fashion, with a climb to 2'300 to Ashford. The feeling of active calm, if you can go with that, was unique and truly memorable. Really wonderful. A quick circuit of the town with that enormous retail park, then back along the line, descending to 1500' by the big wood, then back into the circuit at Headcorn. Three more touch-and-goes then it's another climb along the railway to the west this time. Past Staplehurst, Marden and finally Paddock Wood, where there is also a railway heading north. Where this northern branch leaves the east-west line there is an enormous quarter-circle of concrete which gleams almost white from the ground. A very useful landmark! Another turn over the town and I'm back on an easterly course to bring me back to Headcorn.
A feature of my circuits on this and earlier sessions was that they seemed to be too tight, resulting in very low power settings to get me down at the threshold. I think it is not a good thing to be regularly placed at one extreme of your options, so I had been thinking about this on my flight and positioned myself straight onto the downwind leg at a wider point than before. My angle from the threshold was much more comfortable this time, and I was so chuffed at this I forgot my final call! My only R/T cock-up of the day. 
It was indescribable to be in command of that flight. Despite the potentially frantic workloads of a not-yet-PPL it was peaceful. And it was great to have all that space on the seat beside me to put my stuff! I felt like a real pilot for the first time, and it is a significant milestone from when I started, nearly 27 years ago. Next week it's a proper, real solo navex! 
