b2vulcan et al
I've only recently gone solo, and what I have learned through experience and money is,- while you are in the circuit with your instructor and you are constantly doing circuits, you think to yourself, how many circuits have I done now, I should be able to be solo by now.
Wrong................ and wrong way of thinking.
While solo circuit is a huge milestone, you should think to yourself, the flight school will let me go solo when they feel ready not when you the novice or learner pilot think you are ready. So if like me it takes 63 circuits to go solo, so be it.
When I was doing my first solo circuit, I over shot the turn from base to finals, and nearly stalled, luckily I had sufficient training to know how to make the aircraft safe again without stalling.
So think of it, when you do go solo, you are going to probably do about 5 hours (ish) solo circuits before nav and xcountry, when you have to then prepare for more solo work.
Enjoy it all, it doesn't matter how many hours it takes to become a PPL'er, if your doing it for fun, then each and every lesson is a new experience and new more fun. Dont get bogged down on the duration, remember **** all people in this world can ever call themselves a pilot, you are lucky to be able to do that.