Silliness

Today I spent half an hour dressed like a twit, acting like a numpty, having my picture taken for a fundraising calendar, (yes I know Sharon) I have liberated a copy of one to put up here!
I was Professor Umbridge, in pink! of course, Mari Matthews was fab as Minerva mcgonagall behind me, Carole Darmady as Trelawney was scary! poor Daniel could see nothing as Dumbeldore with all that hair, Anne was a fine Mrs Weasley, and Jonny as Hagrid was a tour De force! the 'youngsters' were Siony as Ginny, Norma as Hermione and of course our own Management bod as Harry Potter.
Very silly and much fun was had by all!

wind and rain

What an odd few weeks, and an odder couple of days, I must do more cpd23, but the end in sight has had me procrastinating, I don't want to end it.
Work has been hard and full of quandary's, I hope I dealt with them all okay, only time will tell.
Today Tom's aunt was buried, and sadly my uncle died, double whammy. Both old and in very poor health, Kathleen didn't know who was who at a family get together 7 years ago and had got worse. While Peter had suffered a series of strokes leaving less and less of him there.
I am getting through my secret Santa knit and have a promotion possible, so like the weather wind and rain but potential clear skies to come.
Mind you we do have a bit of snow due Sunday :-) may have to look out the sledge again...

Autumns here!

I have had an odd few days, a web chat I follow had a lass on who had lost her friend to suicide, most sent comments to help, but it brought up all my own memories of Tracey and how devastated I was when she took her own life. I still miss her every week and still think 'Tracey would laugh at this...' before remembering she has gone. But the chat and comments brought back the raw pain and the sense of confusion, the why, the what if's, the ideas of, was it me? I sent my own note in and she thanked me personally as I hadn't sent 'don't worries' and other nice but unhelpful comments.

Later I heard about a friends who was very ill had passed away, which on top of the first left me a bit like a damp sponge, I woke in the night crying (again) and ran out of tissues in the house. I havent come to any sense of understanding about that yet but I will. Just need shares in paper goods :-).

Final issue of the weekend has been our little cat Smudge, she was sick Friday, and still not good Saturday, She seemed to rally this morning but by afternoon we rang the vets and she went in, and she has gastroenteritis, and needs fluids! so she is at the vets and we shall get her tomorrow, but we thought we would lose her too. She was a very poorly cat and even though she is safe we worry until shes home again. It was something she has eaten, but short of locking them in all day we cant stop them foraging, of course the kittens have been shut in since lunchtime to keep Tom happy! :-D Now hes worrying still but at least at the vets all will be done for her, better than with us and getting worse.

I sound sad in all this but oddly I am not, I knew my friend was just waiting on death, Tracey was such a shock but time passing had helped me as have good friends around me. Smudge is safe even if not home.

Autumn is here, the days are cold and the nights sharp and frozen, the leaves are gone and the garden dormant, I have my Christmas cards and some of my gifts, and plans for more soon... and odd time of year,

November

No sun - no moon!
No morn - no noon -
No dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day.
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member -
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! -
November!

Thomas Hood

and to quote Coca Cola "The Holidays are coming"

Home time

I am having a kitchen day, no work, no other stuff, just fun, and baking.

Have done a wash load and dried one, made sponge cake and bread and making Christmas cake!

Have the makings out for a casserole and doing apple crumble with the last of our own apples for tea! Must go and move clothes to get more washing going, but as you see a nice baking day!

I refuse to get dressed and after my nice bath (early afternoon when I have a new book to read in my kindle) I shall make the next bits of food and tidy up, and Hubby is finally doing the window! but now has run out of wood so tomorrow will include a trip to Thurso to get more!

Kittens are under foot begging for food and, well, more food!

Kids are either up and on the computer, up and out with mates or not yet up! depending on their own worlds...

Saw the new calendars yesterday and I need some, so I must get money sorted and go buy some from the northern loops bods! And had good day out at the Dunnet Brittania hall car boot sale!

I would upload pics but the sponge cake is gone the bread is almost gone and the big cake is still cooking, and the rest is just ideas... so just trust me it was good :-)

Prevarication

I don't want to finish the cpd23 and so am finding lots to do rather than it! This doesn't work and I really should just bite the bullet, but somehow I feel if I finish it, it is over somehow, and I don't want to do that! Life is like trying to ford a river in flood, pushed too and fro, hit by passing debris while trying to keep as much of me dry, each extra wet item gets rationalised, or ignored. The end in sight but seeming out of reach, and while some passing people help I still can't quite get across. I know this is just me being slightly swamped, and I know I can do all this and more and most I am enjoying. I am not as well I could be and I think it is dragging me down a bit. I am just in the right frame of mind to write really bad poetry... But all that reminds me of is a dear friend who is ill, and who I can't help, save or even make any more comfortable! His loss will be great and sadly not that far off.
I need my holidays but we have just come back form them, I think I shall collapse and not get out of bed for the weekend and that way I may be better for next week (when CAT testing takes over, maybe) Ho Hum, bell goes and back to work! I shall do more CPD23 this week and finish it by the end of next week I hope.

Things #17 and #19

I have just spent a morning making a prezi presentation which turned out to be harder than I first thought but ultimately easier than I feared, this was my first try and very bitty it looks now I am done but I didn't have a plan when I started it. HLH Libraries which was fun to make... So I can rate Thing #17 as a success, I will be making more and dragging it round to the teachers and other librarians as and when I can, I am so glad I did cpd23 and have been recommending it round when I can.
Thing #19 is more reflective, I haven't kept my diary as well as I had hoped but find myself doing the tasks even in my head most days and just adding them to paper if I have too much or if I start missing things, mostly I have sorted out my head with it and hope to keep reapplying it, I am not all efficent and organised but I am getting there. Some things I have tried and not found to my liking, I loved the idea of google documents but didn't find them good to use, the calendars managed to get others interested and now the ICT suites and the library in the school are all bookable through an online google calendar which means you can see the whole school provision at a glance (not my own work but I clami midwife rights) I am enjoying my CPD23 time and make a little bit most weeks for it, I don't always blog as sometimes it takes me a few days to get my head round an idea. It is harder to Blog when I don't see any use for a tool as I don't know if I should look closer or it just isn't for me!
I shall be catching up again this week but may not get blogged until the holidays next week when I should get more peace time.

update

Just rereading some of my older posts and my shake up is still on, I have nearly finished round my computer and by my chair at home, work is down to 4 boxes which I should get done over the next few eeks and first week of hols! my clothes have been shaken but not fully sorted, that needs some more of my friend Heather to help me vet things, may ask both her and Sharon over for a weekend of sorting!
So work is moving and I am still keeping my reflective journal (not sure I am doing it right but its happening) and so am not missing work things, home is not quite as organised but there are 4 other people to sort there...
Kittens now small cats and very fun but hard work. they are all jagged and chipped and well, poor smudge still growls at them but they do like to stalk her! poor love.

Things #15, #16 and #18

Thing #15 #16 and #18

I see thing #17 got postponed, such is life.

I have a bad wrist so my typed work is short at the moment, no reflection on cdp23! Just me!

Thing #15 is about going to and participating in conferences and events, I did go to umbrella this summer and got heaps from it. I need to know more about advocacy (yes thing #16) and to be more open minded (as well as open posted, I didn’t always open my Cilip post if I was busy!) I plan to set up a mash up in the winter/spring when our own work has settled, new jobs fun but hard work esp. as my other side has problems and I was in the works depot at 8am looking at the state of the library van! After the 1^st of October we become a ‘private ltd co’ and we hope to have the bulk of our training done by the end of the year, so I shall be organising one for after that in the highland capital Inverness. So yes I will be attending, organising and even plan to give a paper for the next Umbrella on how life has changed for us and how to get the best from it! Big plans but I hope to live up to it.

Thing #16 is one I need to do more of, I shall be changing my groups or adding it, I didn’t know what was covered by this and I need to know more. I shall be following more links and doing more work, and I think this for me is tied in with thing #15. I need to get my blog out to a wider audience, and I need to get more of my own interactions into the wider professional community. I shall be looking into the links and doing more commenting and I shall be linking my blog to the cdp23 for this thing as it is potentially the most important one so far. As a profession we can only stand a whole, no one else will ride in to save us (and we shouldn’t wait for it either) We need each other and if we all work together we can make changes, we can show a need. One voice isn’t much but when its many we have more chance, and we need to say more and do more (when we have time!) and the best tool for this is advocacy.

Thing #18 I already do to a bit of an extent, I have film of the kids on world book day and other things saved but not yet used! I spend part of my day watching podcasts and news clips, and I make power points to catch and keep kids attention already, but to step into podcasting is a big one, I am looking forward to making a podcast of my library skills so other kids can do it as they get time, or to brush up on them. As I am part of a group looking into best practice in this I am hoping ot get the best and podcast it, sadly I don’t have all the technology yet but I have plans and hope to be more savvy next term when glow to meeting get running more.

Over all I am finding that the CPD23 is helping but I will be going back and doing things when they more fit in my time, I plan to take some work on holiday at Christmas to write and do when not online!

Thing #14

I seem to have stalled on thing 14, I find I currently don't have a need for bibliography's, I know this is just my current situation so will be looking into this more but I don't use FireFox, so can't use zotero, I haven't had time to download Mandalay at home, and sadly am still working out what delicious is!

The start of the new term for school librarians is taken up with the library skills for the new first years and as I am over half way through (as of 30 mins ago!) I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel and hope it isn't an oncoming train (like normal).

I now realise that thinking at glacial speed has meant that I haven't done thing 15 or 16 yet but I hurt my arm at the weekend and have spent last 3 days in allot of pain, mehh, I live. I am still keeping my reflective diary which has done me some good but find I cant keep it over the weekend as I am too distracted! but now I know! I can do so much and achieve this much and more isn't realistic, for that alone I think the CPD23 is a winner!

I must go and sort out the next Library skills class and the next things! while keep track of other things in planning, I need a secretary not a diary! applications accepted, pay nil, hours awful, conditions ad hoc! lol.

Thing 13

Well I am finally following my lists again and find a note to self to do thing 13 :-) which I have done last week and I have been using the google docs to upload and download info I need at home and school with out losing the flow of it. Sadly I have found the format it changes it to makes it impossible to take back and forwards the way I need and I have just been back to my Glow to use it here instead.

The council it moving towards shared folders and cloud storage, so Ultimately I can save in one place and open in another, luckly I have the same spec at home as at work so can transfer seemlessly!

I can't add software to my work mahcine and part of the good of drop box is file share, so that isn't an option for work. I shall be trying and useing it in other circumstances but for now I have tried and won't keep using google docs.

This is a problem that needs to be solved as printing and posting things gets less practicle and my last job application was compelety electronic!

Head back to front

I have had a rough few days, I am not sure if the sad death of Kevin finally hit or the new job moved too fats or if lack of sleep hit, what ever it was I didn't get more than 6 hours of broken sleep form Thursday until Tuesday evening, and last night I spent a few hours trying to sort out my world. I took up my reflective journal and wrote screeds, I replaced my lost Kindle after reporting it to the Police as I lost it in Town! Husband recons it will get sticky one day and I shall put down the new one and find both together when I pick it up! took time to sort that out and get my books back and running again!
Hospital appointment went well, and consultant was happy. Funeral had gone well and Husband was able to tell me who all had gone. Had a nice supper and online play and an early ish bed, asleep by midnight! so when I woke at 7.30 after a good rest I don't know which of my things helped but I shall keep it up!
Stress filled am as I had my first lib skills with new 1st year and not all was in place! but it ran okay I just have to iron out the bumps! next is tomorrow! Just checked the book and I cant get to the roadshow and get the library skills done! I shall see if I can get to another one. So I must go and do work.
Roll on UFO day this Saturday, I need to peace!

Thing #12

Thing #12

Before I came back into Libraries and just after my return I had a very large and very supportive online group, they were based all over the world, form Australia to the US to Asia and Africa, we had a basic interest in common but beyond that we were just chatting and helping each other get through each day and week, some had dependants others had long, hard or no jobs. We chatted whenever we were online and had much fun, but I noticed as I got more into the online group I had less and less real life contact’s until I wasn’t going out and my day was spent sneaking online or waiting impatiently for time to go online.

I do like social networks but I am aware that for me they are an addition and must never be a replacement for real life links, They can help keep links and contacts alive, they can add depth and value to your work and friendships and keep distant ones closer. They are a means to an end not an end in itself and while they have a lot of value they are only a tool like the majority of the Things have been to use as much or as little as suits you.

Being so remote I do find that social networking helps keep my professional awareness up, I was at one time the only qualified, employed council librarian for nearly a hundred miles with one academic librarian in the next town and a few retired and one self-employed one in the whole of the county. We all know of each other if we needed help.

Drawbacks to social networking is the vast differences between situations, There are very few Librarians in the same situation as me and even my colleagues are different. This led to limited help and only those who also use the same network’s as me, e.g. Facebook, yahell, etc. Also the hardware I had has changed and some would not let me in to some chats or networks, while others ran fine for me but not others.

I have been following The CPD23 and have made some new links though it and will hope to keep that up, I am aware that I could ‘friend’ everyone but never know who was who or why I had them in 2 or 3 years’ time! I have added a few new people to my networks and found a few new networks, I will be adding more as I get to know them through blog or RSS feeds etc.

I did use social networks for work before but wasn’t sure what is the best and the sheer number available needed me to be helped through it, and that is the joy and best of CPD23 for me. I plan to keep using and developing my own skills long after this has finished and I shall be redoing this in a year or so’s time to refresh all these skills and to help me re-find any lost aims and interests!

Final question is the easiest and the hardest, my opening paragraph about my obsession with online group and not real life shows that I found a community there, the problem for me was if the Internet was down I was bereft and as it wasn’t any work side I didn’t keep up with the work I needed to do. Yes you can foster and keep a community alive but it takes commitment that you must put in to get out. It is easier to not bother if you have never looked a group of people in the face than if you know they are sat in a hall without you and wondering what has happened to you today! Tomorrow is my favourite craft groups’ monthly meeting which I missed due to holidays last month and I can’t wait to get in and share new things and ideas, and take fresh baking and have fun.

Social Networks are good and can help and keep things alive, but nothing beats a good old sit and chat, face to face. Body language makes up so much of our input and emoticons don’t fill the gap J.

Things #8 to #11

Things #8, #9, #10, and #11

I have been working away in the back ground and getting things finished and sorted but not always blogged about. I did Thing 8 which is the Google calendar which set me off thinking about making one for the library to allow staff to book the library and see when things are busy etc., but that needs to be separate from me as I need the calendar to keep track of me!

I am still keeping my reflective diary from thing #5 and week 4 and I have filled in where I have been, what I have done, how good it was and what I plan to do. This was fine when I was at home more days than work but now I am back to work full time I find I need somewhere to put my plan notes and calendar helps me keep track and mark off I have done or not!

When I first read the 23 things I knew I may get lots out of this option and have been looking forward to it, I was right it has opened new vistas for me and I am working much more efficiently. If I stopped now I am already showing the benefits of this CPD and must thank you for it, and the chance to participate.

I did like thing #9 Evernote and will be using it on-going but I also can’t download it to my work computer and so can’t use at work, I am hoping if it is good and very useful to make a business case for its inclusion in our software bundles. Here’s hoping.

Thing #10 and #11 are Training options, #10 is the courses and accreditations you could do, I looked into an MA/PG course distant learning, which is done by one of the university’s up here, which would fit in round my work, I would love the chance to do a PG and being a bit of a student again would be fun, sadly the cost was very high at over 7k for the 3 year course, current family circumstances means that my children are just off to college etc. now and in the next 3 or 4 years, after that I may go and get an MA of my own J But currently being a mentor for chartership is fulfilling my need to keep active along with cpd23.

Thing #11 is a good one for me as I have been doing this without planning it for years, I tend to find people who I can ask questions of and share that with others newer than me, I am currently just starting buddying a new network librarian who is taking on a big post not far from me (in highland terms) and am just getting my first mentee ready to submit! I have a semi-formal mentor who has been a great help to me for nearly 20 years and as I have moved up and on so she has ahead of me which makes our connection very strong. I also have had informal mentors over the years in many areas, some over lapping but all have been who and what I needed at the time. I have never had a formal mentor, even my chartership mentor was very hands off, so I may have not always gained here but my semi-formal one has always been there and has taken an active interest in my work even when I worked for other companies and places.

Other issues have been back to school which is a big thing, but staffing changes meant the library timetable is torn up and I shall have to start again. Sadly we also lost a dear friend and colleague last night, while driving home with another colleague they were hit by an oncoming campervan on the wrong side of the road and he was killed outright and declared dead at the scene, the driver who had to be cut out is not being sent to a bigger hospital to get her arm put back together and this is all very sad to us.

My thoughts are with his wife and sons.

Thing #7

Thing #7

The task is to write about my experiences with professional
organisations, what involvement have I had, how it has affected my career, what
I learned, why I am not a member or why I am, and which group am I now
interested in.

I am and have been a member of the Cilip since 1988, and have used various
parts of the organisation and its groups over the years. No matter what else I
have done over the years I have kept my membership and kept up with the information
they are sending out. I also have kept
informal track of what is going on and even done some evening classes and open
learning courses, to help me as well as following my own interests for work and
have been lucky enough to have the right skills at the right time.

The main issue with face to face networks is where I am. I
live in the far north of Scotland
and Inverness is nearly 3 hours south of us. When the council deleted the Principle
Librarian's job several years ago, us school librarians decide we would
organise a meeting every term and chose the third week back, we also set an Inverness
and outside Inverness groups so one term it was one and the next term it was
the other. Nobody got to all meetings and every meeting was in a new library or
location, which made for an interesting visit too. This helped us support each
other, share good practice and help develop a sense of community. We did this
as there is no other thing organised just for us.

I have explored the links in the blog post for Thing
#7 and while some are USA based and a few UK there are none this far north.
I am part of other professional groups for my craft work and the CANSCDG of
which I am chair. I am also part of a Nesta supported group called Northern Loops. I am also
very interested in the Library MASHUPS
which I learnt more about at the Umbrella Conference, and hope to bring to the
Highlands. I must confess I didn't feel any need to add to any of my groups I
am part of and I didn't find anything new to go to or enjoy up here, but I am planning
to change that and will be passing the info about when I have it sorted out.

Think #6

Thing #6

Social
network sites, which I had been looking forward to, like most of the things hasn't
been what I thought it would be. I have checked all the ones suggested and found very differing reactions and results to them.

LinkedIn;

I did like
this and it had loads of info but it also scared me at this time, very full of work and networking, almost a CV online in many cases, and I am sure that is
its function but while I will check it and may join one day I chose not to at
the moment, as I have enough in my life with work and world changes and
currently have no need of more work or a new job, one for my future bit not
now.

Facebook;

This one I
have been on for years and I love the games and keeping a gentle touch on lives
of distant friends and family, I also keep a closer link to friends and colleagues
closer and to relax, less of a social network as a social need for me :-) I did
add the pages to my likes that I didn't have yet, but I also have others already and in my twitter. Due to work constraints I can only access all of facebook at
home but can use RSS feeds like netvibes.com to access the main info.

LISNPN;

This one
was new to me and I have joined to see more, I like the idea of sharing news
and ideas and while I graduated 20 years ago that only means I have to work harder to keep relevant, and tools like this will help me. I also left my forum comment for the Hi section, with my blog in, I must confess I have a blog and
blog often but rarely tell anyone about it :-)

LATnetwork;

Being in
education and knowing that every librarian is a teacher either formally or informally, I joined this one automatically, I am also planning my library
skills at the moment and making it much more hands on...

CILIP
Communities;

I knew this
existed but haven't been on it until now, I had some time to wander and amazingly found a long lost friend on it and we have linked up again after 10
years gap and it is nice to find she too has work in this world of fewer jobs,
and is doing well. For all that this one seems like it needs some love or a
push as there wasn't much there beyond people search!

Over all I
have enjoyed doing the social network thing for CPD23, I have picked up new
ideas and joined a few new groups, I have also worked out how I can track my RSS from last week (yeh late I know) and I am getting more out of each thing
than I expected, It helps to have it laid out and one at a time, but now of
course I am off to check on thing 7 :-D.

Thing #5

I am here:

Spent a morning cooking and washing, Laughing at my kittens discovering how wet the rain is and not going out :-). Also got my self a blank book and started a reflective journal last night to round up my day and made a list of what to do to help me sleep, and it did so I shall be keeping it up when I can. Work is so close to change and the new job is already filling my inbox, but I am coping and looking forward to it.

Where I have been:

Trying to sort my life and work out, I had big plans at the start of the summer and I have fulfilled some of them, I went to the umbrella conference and came away all fired up! I have contacted some and have others to contact, I have set some ideas in motion and have others held for when I need them.

What I think:

I am making changes and seem to be able to keep them as long as I stay small and doable, I would love to make great big ones but I wont keep them going! I am more aware of my own style, I seem to be RIA more than ROA, I need to continue my Reflection in action but I must start also reflecting on actions and looking at good as well as bad, I often see what didn't work, but forget to acknowledge what did work and to celebrate this, and help set success in my work and life.

Plan for the rest of the CPD23:

Keep doing the tasks/things in order, to use the new skills I am learning and to help pass them on which helps me to reinforce them in my own life, I find doing and then stopping things easy, but if I have shared others will ask how is it going and I have to keep going rather than give up :-) peer pressure is a very big incentive in my life.

I have been enjoying blogging and while I do heaps online for fun I don't blog it, nor have I been using these skills for work very much. The CPD23 has made me more aware of what I can do. It has also helped me address issues that are new or now relevant due to work changes.

Life and Times

Life is strange as I have one week left as a school librarian, and the night terrors woke me too early today. The kittens who have been a constant source of fun get bigger.

Midnight the dark Torty and Smokey The odd torty/tabby. (Or more commonly called alien and monster)

My oldest got most of his results, good but didn't quite get the conditional offer but it was for next year, so we have a year to plan, and do the HNC instead. I also learnt to basket weave yesterday I shall finish my big project soon :-) see more at the castlehill website.

Thing 4

Well I have just spent a while doing thing 4 for the CPD23 and it was interesting, I use netvibes already and so didn't find this as a great new thing, I like being able to save RSS and I have been twittering for ages, and I liked the new suggestions and added a few as well as adding Shappi Khorsandi who I have come to really enjoy! With Netvibes I can see my twitter ongoing and even from work and miss so little that way, and one of my faves is the Scottish Book Trust! I am not so sure I will get as much out of the google reader but I haven't tried much on it. I don't know what I am doing with pushnote! I have joined it but don't know what more to do? I don't run the browsers that support the button and am not sure what I should be getting out of it? I shall ask on my fb and twitter.

I was visiting a colleague who I am mentoring through her portfolio last week and we had a wonderful time, she is my first mentee so I worry that she is getting what she needs. I am a fairly over bearing person, I take people with me in ideas, I wander off on tangents, and occasionally roll over people and don't always notice. One of the lessons I brought from the training many moons ago was I don't do the work I help facilitate them doing it, I bring a fresh eye and an open mind. How things get done may be different from how I would but that is because it isn't my work. I did tell her about the 23 things and other sites I was enjoying, and I left her all fired up and with some work to set out and to do a few sum ups and I hope our next visit will be the final polish, and to make the final form physically. I am so happy with her work, she has done all I could possibly have asked (even if I haven't) I hope her portfolio is as good to others as I think.

One week left of being a school librarian, found myself awake at 7.30am pondering the changes to come, worrying, turning it all over in my head, pointing out the rational and sensible aspects my awake mind knows but my sleeping mind ignores and forgets, a nightmare isn't right, it was fear just mind bothering. I just hope it is a glitch and a one off as a week of broken nights will just about shatter me.

Chatting to a friend doing a OU qualification last night and asking 'good' questions. Found out she missed the last deadline so asked her about the next one, confidently she named the 26th of September but she hadn't done any work yet! I asked again later (cause I am nosy) what her unit was and she pulled out her paperwork to find it is due the 6th! of September which gave her a shock, and sent her off to look over it then. So the moral of this tale is I have to leave 'work' at work, and she needs to write her deadlines on her calendar :-D.

Thing 3

Well I am in my second week of 23 things and I am enjoying the fresh look at my world. I am a great starter of things, as my craft friends can tell you I am happy to start a new project, idea, plan and run with it, I get all excited and wound up about new ideas and can motivate a rock into doing something if I really get going, but it starts to wane and I lose interest, and I have great ideas left round my house forgotten and unloved. I make lists to keep my head above water so to speak and I know that my biggest problem is finishing, I start to tidy and get distracted, I start to work and go off on a tangent, I start to blog and get on my soap box instead!

By following the weeks plan and may be a bit faster I can catch up and do with others, I plan to try the NANOWRIMO one year and will make a big song and dance so I am shamed to keep it up. I am also going to share this at our meet day and hope that by being ahead and having others catch me up I will keep motivated.

Thing 3 was this week and my brand, this had me thinking and I did do this a few days ago but it has been until now to get my head round it, I don't have a clear brand, I like open world and tend not to put me in the picture. I have now changed my picture to be me, a resent shot which I can live with, and shall slowly do for all my sites, I don't have a personal/professional sides apart. My children inspire my work and my work is part of my life. I try to be as professional in my life as I can be and that is across the board.

My vanity search was fun, I haven't been to rate my teacher for ages and I don't have a good rating, too bad, but they also don't play up in my library nor do they waste resources! Also threw up an old twitter account I must find and either change to current or remove, I did go to second pages etc and yes still me (I do have an odd name) and nothing I wouldn't want a boss to know and some I had forgotten and am proud of.

I think I shall be thinking about my brand and how to bring it all under a few simple images/icons I did spend a while on the web under various aliases I shall look over them and decide on who I am, as this is the way this 'thing' has taken my mind. I have found each thing taken alone is fine and I hope by doing each in turn I don't wander away...

I was reading a blog about hope from a friend and she was saying how hope is double edged, as when things go wrong you not only have to deal with the problem but also cope with loss of hope, and her final thoughts were to live in hope but plan for the worst. :-) I will finish these Things, but may be not as they were first planned ;-D

Brave New World

I heard about the 23 things for professional development through a link from a new friend and thought I would have a go, I know I am behind but I have a lot of the early things already, complete with blog and other interests. I have become gradually aware how comfy and settled my world, work, family has become and how much I moan about changes. This is not how it should be! I used to love change and liked a challenge, I always kept me up to date but recently it has been a few home things and very little work stuff. Last year when the idea that things may change came up I was startled and shocked, my little world wasn't safe how dare they! 'face palm' It should have been how lucky I had been, still am to an extent.

I have shaken my myself, found new things to excite me and shook some of my new friends by jumping up on soap boxes and ranting at the drop of a hat! I have spread my fresh gaze across big chunks of my world and found my wardrobe boring, my house cluttered, and my job staid! so I am upgrading, Friends are helping me shake out my dress sense (esp before the next potential promotion comes up) my lovely husband (when not doing my head in) is making inroads into the house sort out (no longer hindered my me) and I am all fired up and excited again about libraries, and so I thought to keep this I would try the 23 things.

Enough Grandstanding I have spent part of my morning joining the write path and the 23 things, checking other sources and feeding my excitement, sadly I must also go and sort the paperwork and other things sat in boxes awaiting my time but I sort them with renewed vigour and hope that I can at least touch this state again even if there are lapses back to comfy now and then :-D

I will write about the Cilip Conference, but I am still trying to get the ideas round my head :-) #UB11

Where to Start!

What a wonderful break, and where do I start...
My fortnight began in Inverness and a plane to Luton! I then had a selection of routes to Hatfield, for the campus and the Umbrella Conference. I had taken wool but no needles and found a shop in the centre of St Albyns, where i could get a bus and then get a connecting bus right to my stop. Wonderful and a bit of fun, I love bus travel I am like a meerkat, watching turning and staring on buses :-) and despite having no idea where I was going I got off in the right stop and walked to the shop. That is when my day lost a bit of gloss, :-( the shop had closed last month (not something goggle had told me) and there is no other knitting shop for miles. After a second or two of annoyance I thought laterally and went hunting charity shops. I found grove house which had a box of needles which all I had to do was sort through for the size I needed.
Stop successful I got my connection to Hatfield arrived safe and got my room and settled in.

The Conference was amazing, I have notes and will be putting up more as I get settled home over the week but all I can say for now about the conference is wow!!!!! I will be going again! 2 days felt like a few hours, the talk, the sessions, the exhibition, the catering, the gala, still reeling nearly 2 weeks later :-D.

Devon was good and I have pictures to share when they are uploaded, and while we came home early it wasn't due to Devon, or my mum who was well this summer, but more to so much happening in our lives we need to be here to sort out.

Traylan was left to look after the Kittens and cats alone and it was trail for him as much as us, and was not a success... ho hum, teenagers!

Calm in The Eye of The Storm

This week has been very busy, when I am normally getting quieter I am not, I had all day booked on Friday, and Monday is busy and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday, thankfully Friday is not but I have so much to do yet ... I will be glad of the first week in to clear my decks!

Thursday is also the 'bit of a do' for the leaving members of staff! it will be sad to lose them, I don't know all of them as well as I should. I am looking forward to the bun fight though, esp as some previous escapees will be back and the chat will be good :-)

Kitten are growing fast and mum isn't keeping up but then they are now old enough to be weened! and she is getting very fed up with them everywhere. we have had to booby trap the cat flap to stop them getting out! little cute cuddly monsters!!!!

Finally got a letter formally offering me my job! which I must reply too, and I also have to make sure school knows my IT needs and present situation! thank god for web based email...

sleep well

Well after nearly 18 months of it may change to well it shouldn't affect you to you should be okay to you will be deleted and have to reapply, to the interview date is... Yesterday I got my Job (back?) am from the middle of august will be the Network Librarian for Wick ILC based in Wick High School, what that will mean in the day to day working I don't know! but they don't either so we shall have to see come the Autumn. I do know not all posts had applicants and a few decided this was the push they needed to change their jobs, I wish all well what ever they chose or have got, but now finally I can sleep well. There will be other challenges to come when the job starts and more than a few bumps to come but the chance I will no longer have a job through it has been eliminated.

On a lighter note Kittens have discovered the joy of tree climbing but haven't quite worked out branches thank goodness. They grow and learn so fast, I brought down a mirror which got avoided then stalked, until attacked then ignored. The big sister still goes nuts at mirrors as she didn't meet any as a kitten! I think its sweet she doesn't know herself but two more attacking any shiny surface would do my head in!

Final comment on my week is the new ALO has a name... High Life Highland (HLH) which just takes me back to a comedy programme from the 90's called The High Life which makes feel like we are camp trolly dollies! But this does mean from August I am working for the council not the school and from October I am working for a private company owned by the council which runs the culture, libraries and leisure for Highland.

Summer pours in

Well its nearly the summer and school finishes, with all the toing and froing this year I haven't noticed time passing so it feels like Easter still but Traylan finished school this last week and hes got some tough offers to uni and a much nicer one to college in Thurso, so i get to hold onto the apron strings a bit longer!!!

Work is odd all out of step and I have the 14th as my interview date, think of me then! I hope to know before if there is competition, but cant ask yet :-) next week, we shall see.

Internet has been on and off today and every time it crashed I went back to bed (never said I was mature!) so still in my PJ's and spent over and hour playing with the kittens in bed and later slept with momma cat while kittens raced round outside bedroom! They are currently crashed out on my bed while Splodge and I bask in sunshine through the front windows.

Midnight is the oldest and is the darker Kitten, while Smokey is a tabby with torty over tones, hence the odd ginger tabby leg and both have pristine white paws which are so cute even when hanging by claws from bare skin!

Passing Time

I had hoped I was improving on the blogging front but it seems I must not back slide.. well often.

I plan to do the Na no wri mo this year and am getting characters and ideas ready, I must do my research now and a bit at a time, so when I write I am not having to delve back and for to the books for times and dates, some of it will be historical, while the rest present day, and I hope to write about a vampire who hasn't got any angst and isn't in school and doesn't lust after blood/teens/understanding, sorry all too cliche, I know some of this is good because cliche is good but really, I am fed up with angst vampires!!!
Had a meeting for work which has helped the work situation, no definite but lots of possible and maybe which is as close as we get to yes your okay, these days.

Sadly kept going all week until I had meeting last Thursday then crashed and ill all weekend, and still poorly Monday and sat keeping track but little doing, and today still rough at edges... mind you good time to unpick my knitting that went wrong last week, lost all sense of happiness when I found mistake and tried to fix higher up! blah, so I am unpicking, nearly done then happy again, knitting doesn't define me but is my happiness measure...

Finally joined the twitter world as biblios shall put link in when I am doing it next and hope to link to here as well...

Must get on and sort, more unpicking yet and then some CFE work!

Twilight Zone

What a strange week, and now I feel as if I have entered the Twilight Zone! the word came officially about my job and what ever is to replace it has to go to full council to ratify, time will pass.

Ate out so many times last week I am stuffed and happy, even work took us out to Mackay's for lunch on Friday and I ate well...

Didn't get done what I planned for work but got other things done which was more useful and fun :-D

Great Stitch and Bleather yesterday, did loads, chatted a storm, knitted and relaxed. Oddly I didn't feel complete when I left, which it often does make me feel. Then again it has been an odd week and until I know what is happening about work, and other things I shall feel as if I am waiting.

My kids are playing words and we are trying to alliterate and not get it right, my fave was pseudo ptarmigan, with 2 silent p's.

I can't even settle to type, but I need to write some every day if I am to improve and maybe by November try the Nanowrimo? I shall plan...

Waiting

I am waiting my sons return form Italy and I just waiting, also waiting to hear what is happening about jobs, and have bloods due which I will be waiting on the results of and all I seem to do is wait! in my waiting I have set up a twitter under the name of biblios, feel free to find me, I may be there often or not, just waiting...

Unsettling Times

Well after a few days of strange and unsettling happenings I can lay some of the ghosts, I spoke to those who could help and made a few changes to my life which will help me and what I cant change or find out about yet I shall endure, I have got to a no/low worry point and hope after yoga tonight I shall sleep well and wake refreshed as opposed to late and grumpy which has been the note for this week. I am looking forward to the week long break that only I have to work, and only 6 school days until I get there.
mean while back at the ranch my youngest is due to go skiing for the first time and has his head in the clouds... la la la nothing to worry about, he goes 5am Saturday, whats the betting that Friday night is chaos! I want to be past and get him back already! but we have to get him packed and away first.
Have a lovely new book to read called the winter of my disconnect, which is fab and I am looking forward to it. also have full kindle to read and heaps of knitting! so busy old weekend for me :-D.

Work and Rest

Odd day today with us all doing things, husband did garden and trees, daughter did fence painting and played with the bonfire hubby built, oldest son did wood work and sorting dishes and I cleaned kitchens and washing and laundry and paperwork, the cats ran around the garden as if they had never seen it before and climbed trees and walls and generally went nuts. while youngest sat in bedroom and watch DVDs so not a perfect house of work!

Now of course we have a cat fight to finish my night off...

I woke up this morning with a feeling I wanted my long hair, which I sat and worked out that I didn't want long hair again just the world more than 12 months ago when my hair was long and my world was more stable, my job secure and money not so tight... sadly you can only go forwards in time and while money will get sorted, my job cant be decided yet and work stress is just passing I am feeling nostalgic, but it isn't as good as it used to be ;-)

I was wondering if our economy is dead or alive and if by some trick of Schrodinger it isn't dead or alive until we look, like the cat... so if it is either or both can we pretend it is alive and move on please, and that way we don't have to know if we killed it with the banks and their past ideas and present bonuses when most have no job or will be losing it, How many Libraries can we save with the money currently being paid to bankers which should be going back to the public purse, has it been paid back? If I borrowed money or had to be bailed out, and then as soon as I had funds just treated myself for being there? I would expect someone to call me on it and punish me, esp if the money wasn't paid back yet... but then banks don't seem to count, may be I should start using my mattress to save, it would have similar bonuses and less chance someone could lose it for me...

ack an out of sorts day, not gloomy just reflective.

out walking last week on Scrabster beach at dusk and saw these waterfalls...

just burns on the beach but with the rain and melt water making them epic...

Fruit Loops Rule or is that drool?

My daft cat is just too silly, last night she was so wound up she even bounced off her mum, who wasn't having any of it and slapped her down, usually she only bothers her mum when she wants a fight, but last night I don't think she even noticed her until the paws hit her face! she spun so fast at one point she bounced her face of a table leg and later ran head first into a stool! Her birth had been hard and her sister didn't survive, she has a kink in her tail which comes and goes when she is tired and she carries her tail off to one side. My favourite bit is when she gets cold or wet, or best the snow, she dashes into the garden and stops up to her belly in snow, and looks down in shock! bounces a about a bit trying to get out of the white stuff, then dashes in and sulks. best of all she can do this every 2 or 3 hours! as she has forgotten about the cold wet stuff by then :-).Her mum our first cat is still her own sweet self, and they now wear colours in different colours, blue for the baby who is over one now and red for mum who is nearly 3 as a warning, you loose fingers with her! she hasn't mellowed and tolerates her kitten, even now she may settle to clean or be cleaned and sleep for a while with her, but half the time it ends with a cat fight... I hate to think what is would have been like to introduce a cat to her rather than keep a kitten! mind you the only other surviving kitten who is a giant ginger tom went to live with his granny and uncle and aunt and comes round to sit in the garden sometimes.The picture is of the kittens last January very small and cute, the ginger on the outside and smudge the fruit loop inside... if it uploads... Found the problem and It makes me the fruit loop too :-D uploaded this to the wrong blog (Gromit) so will try again.

Explanation

The clouds have come in and the world is lit by electricity not sunshine, and I realised I didn't explain why the last post was so called, I am enjoying blogging but am not sure if I have turned over a new leaf, and will be doing this often or whether I am just playing with a new toy, which I shall grow fed up of. I hope the first is true but with my track record?

New Leaf or new toy

Well here I am blogging again, and what an odd day, spanner in works in the morning threw the whole day off kilter, lunch was drawn out and the box of new books had a damaged one in it. I am trying to find the glass half full, but may just give up and have a cloud day, you know those days that every silver lining has a great big cloud attached sort of day. Days like this I miss my Dad who always had a half empty glass 'but at least it wasn't broken', his idea was he could be pleasantly surprised when anything went right and not disappointed when it went wrong...
I did wonder if that was too simplistic view but today it seems very attractive. The hassles are only small and easily overcome but seem so much larger somehow, must get more sleep, and maybe a nice walk if the trip home isn't too dark :-) the day is just as cool and bright but oddly not half as appealing as the other day.
Mood affects so much!

SAD

I was chatting with Friends and someone suggested I get a light box to cheer me and contract the SAD, I am not sure I have this and that it would work for me and make me less flat in winter but today is one of those lovely winter days when the sky is almost completely clear and the prettiest blue, while the sun is bright and mellow, low but warming in the sun and the wind isn't too harsh in the shadow, a day I would love to be out walking or at the least in the sun, while I work away watching through distant windows over the town or squint as the low sun lines it self up on my machine! but I can't find it in me to complain, or grumble as the sun is welcome and in summer the light never drops that low to get in my library I should enjoy the sun while I can. It is now rising as I go to work and if not late I see it at home too, spring is coming the cold isn't lingering as long and even the last of the snow is melting, mind you poor loch Watten has great sheets of ice across it, never seen it freeze across until this winter and now it wont go...
I shall bask in my glow and enjoy, as rain isn't far away this time of year.

Stress and Sleep

What a week, I didnt wake until nearly midday today and I needed the rest, I had a fab stitch N blether yesterday but I got home and went to bed for hours, and still slept in today, must aim for early night if possible! Need to get my camera out but to fill the gap I shall upload the one I am useing as my desktop and hope you all like as much as me.

And tomorrow we start again another week but only 4 weeks to the long weekend which this year is a week off for kids and a 3 day week of inset for us staff!!!

New Year, New Goals

I have promised to blog more often and failed before so instead I am planning on checking the blogs more often and that should increase my time in the system and may get me blogging anyway...
current goals, short term, more sleep and more knitting done! keeping my desk clear of the worst of the paper work and eating a balanced diet.
medium term, paint and draw more and worry less about work and if I keep/get my job and what is to come on that front, get out more and exercise for fun!
long term, re validate my chartership, reorganise my mess at home and work to new systems that work and can be explained, balance my own darn cheque book with out help!
I know some of these I will not do or do despite myself, and others I will discard as 'can not be bothered' when the going is tough (thougher?) but I hope and if I return often enough I shall remember and do.
I have been inspired by my friends to be more out looking and out going, this is my year of building and moving forwards. If Sharon can learn to dance I can at least find time to go on the odd walk!

new age dawns

the new age dawns and this should be an attempt to link to the advanced higher classes blog... we live in hope, and shall link bakc if okay.