Make lemonade

I am starting this early, I often feel like blogging only hours or a day or so from my last blog post but I am aware that too often would make me possibly annoying to those who follow. I like regular posters and have been known to drop posters who are too frequent. I know, fickle, but I only have so long to read blogs and if a post is too often I click already read it or even just stop following.

I have had an interesting few days, I feel very supported and connected, I am buzzing with new build (drawing from GMA Ryder below) and ideas, and can't wait for my new library to be built. On a different scale I mentally took a day off, too much in my head. I did all I needed to but didn't make a to do list, nor did I check my older list, didn't even get my shopping list to do. I did play with new books in and open boxes, sorted some books for English and tidied a shelf that didn't need it much, and best of all I even got to read some books. Today my list is 10 items long for today! and some are very time sensitive!

Concept drawing of new library building!

Just a note to comment on an article that caught my attention by Brian Solis who is coming to be a bit of a hero to me :-), which he talks about being told he was a bad writer (which his books would make a lie) and how that made him strive to be a better writer. I was not given much hope or support at school (no idea how I ended back in a school my peers must be laughing) and couldn't wait to get out and do what ever I was told I wasn't capable of. That got me through A'levels, and Uni just to show them. Some where along the way I found my own drive and motivation and if I was honest the attitude I had to do battle with helped me strive, but I would never thank them. I always wondered how well I would have done with support and help, I see the children around me and I try to give them the chance to dream, the space to be what ever they want, I know it is seen and appreciated by some as I have had them come back in later years and thank me. The odd Thank you is my fuel now, no more do I do it 'despite' them, now I do it for 'them'.

More 2 days later,
This is a few days on, again, and things have been very interesting, I have learnt so much about myself and others this week, I feel more settled and confident in my own skills, many worried nights of rehearsing different discussions in my head if I had to deal with problems has meant that when I finally had to raise things in person they came out how I wanted and came across in an acceptable manner. When I have one of my under confident days I will come back and read this!

My CPD side took a step forward, in all the brain wringing I have been doing my mind has been popping out answers to questions not connected as a distraction and I worked out how I want to collate my past work to set up my re-validation. I plan to use the audit sheet which is here and adding a column at the end for the criteria it covers. Then I can reorganize it later by either date activity or criteria! may add a type of column too so I can pull out training or visits etc.

I was also reading this from the Scottish Review about how to age gracefully rather than grow old, and how to have a hand in your own life even in our current climate of putting 'old folk' away and forgetting about them. My mum will not be moving now, she likes her home and her life, but since her last bout of  illness I worry for her so far from me. But she is also far from anyone but my brother, and my cousins are spread over half the world. The traditional village community has been gone for a few generations for me, since the first world war killed the last of my grandmothers family, and the second forced some to flee. I love being in a place with a community, the locals are pleasant and welcoming to me. I hope to age gracefully too.