How Do I Work? (and you)

I saw the blog by Joeyanne Libraryanne about how she works and she asked for others to answer too, so this is my version of how do I work;

Location: Far North of Scotland
Current gig: Network Librarian
Current mobile device: ancient touch phone
Current computer: branded tower running windows 7
One word that best describes how you work: in fits and startsP

What apps/software/tools can't you live without?Chrome which allows me to check spellings in any windowP

What's your workspace like?Messy but changing as I sort and deal with all that crosses my desk each dayP

What's your best time-saving trick? dealing with emails as they comein so I dont miss things later.P

What's your favorite to-do list manager? made my own one, which I then bound into a book so I can check back and get satisfaction seeing work done.P

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can't you live without?my Kindle which I take everywhere and read when ever I get two minutes peace.

What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?networking the right person into the right space. also prevaricating for team GB.P

What are you currently reading? The Man Booker Prize short list, and Ocean at the end of the Lane

What do you listen to while you work? Chatter as I am based in the library at all time.P

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert? Extrovert mostly but I do like peace as well.P

What's your sleep routine like? Aim for 9 hours a night get 7 to 8 mostly.P

Fill in the blank: I'd love to see ______ answer these same questions. Ned Potter As I am admirer of his work and blogging.P

What's the best advice you've ever received?  If you feel you can't do it, fake it till you make it, you will find you can from somewhere. Also do not be afraid to make and own up to mistakes, how can you learn if you don't.

Is there anything else you'd like to add? I like reading these done by others as I learn more things and how to cope with new issues.P

A Kitten or Some Beer, which would you choose.

I was checking blog posts today and came across this wonderful post about Kittens or Beer, and how you accept both as free gifts but each has to be looked at differently. I love the idea of looking at gift horses in the mouth, which of course you should never do. It looks at the art of accepting (or not) donations, and how the future costs should be checked when being offered 'free' things. I won't redo it here but I am looking at my kittens with a jaundiced look! :-)

Yesterday was the AGM for Cilip but I haven't heard any results yet, so I can't comment or otherwise on it, but I can note that the Cilips North branch is holding a meeting on Tuesday at the UHI in Inverness at 6pm with Virtual links available, all Cilip folks welcome. I am also looking at changes at work which I have no idea what is going to happen in the end so again nothing to say yet...

Another blog I love is the History Girls, which is done by history writers mainly in the YA genre and is a wide collection from snapshots into research to thoughts on the past and even appeals for help. The latter caught my eye and I wanted to share it here. It looks at remembrance and how pre-1914 doesn't seem to exist, but one thing we learn from history is those who ignore it are doomed to repeat it.

I also saw this article which is a discussion on Syria and the Sarin gas attack. Not sure what is true from the media these days and so much is spun to suit the writer, owner, political masters or even from its sources. We are no longer invited to read and make our own mind up, now we must believe and feel what we are told! Sorry I don't do what I am told because! I need to know its reasons, its aims, the whys and wherefores. Old fashioned I know but I sleep better like that.

On  lighter note I have been playing, I have been messing about with hair dyes and daughter and I have tinted the ends of my very white hair a bright green, due to how porous my hair is and how the colour goes,  the dye lasts less than a week! but its fun to have and I may just do it for permanent!

And just because I can a kitten picture or two, as I seem to fall for them and never seem to learn! Smokey wobbling and poor Midnight being angry squid for the kids!

Equinox and changes

The local area has been a bit blowy and down to zero! The equinox brings us storms and darker nights, the temperature drops and winter appears on the horizons. Of course the coldest windiest night is the one my midnight kitten decided to not come home for tea (again) making me wander round in the cold with a torch calling for her! Most of my neighbours no longer react when I wander past their house at night calling for midnight, or if they are out they smile and nod as both of us know she will turn up in her own time.

There is an advert of a man desperately looking for his cat in the rain, which is for selling cars I think, but the punchline is the man getting home soaked and miserable and the cat is sat in one of his cupboards with what looks like a smirk. I live in fear of wandering one night for hours only to find her watching me from the house!

I finally worked out the 'How to proxy Vote' for the Cilip AGM and made a great new connection through Twitter of a new friend who is going and has my vote there. If you are not going and need to Proxy vote do it as soon as possible! the closing date to get to them is the 19th September!
I used to feel very isolated in the Far north of Scotland but as social media and internet becomes more all encompassing the links to others becomes easier and the chance to be part of live discussion and participate in relevant and cutting edge debate and changes as they happen are amazing. Last week I had ordered the Man Booker short list through the catalogue before they announced it on BBC,  also managed to get some work by an author visiting the school new week which should be up on Tuesday!

I have an eclectic mix of places I get information from and people I chat with so sometimes find odd things that make me think or make me rant! I adore the blog by A Girl Called Jack and love new things from cherry heart, this though was a new blog based in america which caught my interest, the post made me laugh out loud, and the comments were most strange! Wait but Why is thinking about why we have unhappy people who have over inflated expectations, My friend mentioned it to claim his GYPSY status. Oddly even though he was at school with me I didn't find it meant me, as my grandparents were Victorians, my parents both just missed the war as they both hit 18 after it ended, but had that mind set and brought me up to accept what I had and not to expect what was unrealistic. I was always out of step in Thatchers Britain as a teenager, and fitted better with the 'adults' at uni than the drink every night/all night youngsters, so I find this very funny not me but sadly true.

The latest Knitting retreat has happened again and, like before, has happened without me :-( I wish I could wave a magic wand and get time off and funds to pay for it, I plan one day getting to this wonderful event, I hope it stays running for me :-) And if you wander to the shop you can see the one site that draws in me in and makes wish I could just click Buy on so much! I am setting myself a finishing challenge, I have things I want to start but not until I finish some others, I did manage to finish a scarf this evening and have hopes for more soon. Well I must go and fuss over my Midnight kitten.

That time of year again!

And so that time of year creeps round again. The weather has been fine, and the sun shining as if it knows if it misses a day there are not many left. The temperature has been cold and last week saw the first almost frost, by the time I got up the dew was dew again and the whole world was covered in a fine gauze of moisture. The wind has been kind and we haven't had anymore of the leaf stripping gusts that blew a few weeks ago.

My mind is turning to Christmas and gifts and plans for cards and who and where. The birthdays are upon us, by the end of October two of my three will have had birthdays and my Nephew! Some of my best friends also are due soon or just gone and the one I like and hate has past! We don't do lots for Birthdays as when the kids were small we didn't have much money and while we have a tradition of a take out of meal for the birthday person this doesn't include many just family. We tend to get a single decent gift for a person, but not too big as kids do make comparisons! I got some wool, and a meal at the local hotel, which was lovely.

On Sunday I decided to make a cake, then found that all my eggs had been eaten! While I can make egg free cakes I didn't fancy the mess and hassle so muttered to my bread maker where upon I decided to make bread, this was brought to a swift halt by the lack of the beater in the bread machine. I hunted high and low and couldn't find the missing item, no bread for me. I was in and out of the kitchen as I was doing washing (how can 5 people generate so much washing in a few days I have no idea as I cleared it on Wednesday) I even got a load of towels out on the line and dried even if the day was chilly.

The knitting group I am in do a Christmas gift share system where we all make a one ball item and wrap it up and then choose one not ours from the pile. I have had some lovely things I wouldn't have done or got for myself in the past! this year I am ahead (just) and have started a lace work project for the gift and as someone pointed out no one knows who will get it so it doesn't matter who sees it being done. I used a ball of hand dyed wool from RipplesCrafts and found a pattern in a magazine I have never bought before, but it had a favorite designer on the front, called FuzzyMitten who designs easy to make kids toys that are just so sweet and soft and fun to make up. So new style, new magazine and hopefully new resolution to finish it on time!!!!



I have been playing in my one of my favorite places in the internet, Ravelry, if you knit or crochet, this is the place to be. This is a screen shot of the start of my library shelves, with lots of ongoing ideas as well as things I have made already. If I get no more ideas I will not run out of these until after I am due to retire!


I must also mention the Fab Target Who group who are getting books into schools, and I had the pleasure to be able to help this summer. We drove down to Devon and stop with family and when we came back I made a brief detour and collected the books for the highland region and the one set for Orkney which I recon I could pop on the ferry. Husband then took it as a personal challenge and he sailed over to Orkney with the books to hand deliver to the School in Stromness, luckily where he had berthed! and walked them over. He didn't get a decent school shot :-( but he had some fab film of sailing back past the old man of Hoy. The Target Who did a blog about the various Scottish schools and we got a mention, and some of my pics also got put up. My problem was I could deliver them as my school was shut but this meant that other schools also shut. So no kids, few staff and lots of Janitors :-) I will be taking a shot of mine when they are done, which will be soon!

I am up to my eyes in an online course from the US for libraries so that is taking a lot of my time up! But the change in view point is taking me a while to get my head round, and can only be of benefit to me in the end. Now I must go open a new dialog with my customers...

And here come the back to school sniffles

No matter what you do by the end of second week back you start getting the bugs running riot, I went home on Friday sniffing and generally feeling pants! Spent the weekend wrapped in warm clothes doing little and napping often and I am back at work for Monday, sponsored by painkillers and supported by hot lemon drinks and multivitamin tablets. There are a few staff gaps today and more who are feeling rough. It always seems strange to me that kids get ill and parents send them in regardless, but staff ill is not good and if they don't come in they still have to make work for classes and are expected to do things. Too many staff out has seen the school in danger of not opening, or sending classes home. I will be getting my flu jab soon.

In the wonderful world of Libraries we have the build up to the AGM and the more local build up to The North Branch of CILIPS looking to start up again. Also I note that today they are looking for Nominees to serve on their Scottish committees, which would be really tempting if I didn't have a lot on my plate this year, next year I will be considering it   :-) may be even do some ground work now. The Autumn Gathering is during the school holidays and I would love to go, but work hasn't happened for my other half yet this school year so finances are tight. Ho hum another year I hope, I have been very very lucky this year with both the Dundee Cilip Scotland conference as a sponsored place and Umbrella booked well ahead keeping costs very low.

I am up to my eyes in the mop up work from the Library introduction. Lots of new cards to make and old cards to remake, children to find in the system or to get info from them if they are not in the system. We had a member of staff leave and they are much missed already, but it makes you look at your own job and work load and world, and I do need prodding now and then to appreciate what I have. The new intake have been a lovely group, best full year group in years and I can't wait to do more with them, roll on the Write Path in October, and roll out the Scottish children's book awards already :-) and maybe I shall get other plans done, now all I need is time and health!.

I saw this today and am in awe, I love Ned Potter's work and have mentioned him here before but this is a masterful work. I plan to share this prezi with all my English teachers and the management too! and maybe get it spread further afield.

Quick snap of Dunnet head and Orkney beyond it, the weather turning more Autumnal and the green being gradually replaced with the brown. Now I just have to get through my day and go home for an early nap! sniff.