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.

Always time for one more row.

I have been very busy and life is hectic, looking back over my posts of the past this has become a theme. I must accept my life runs a bit faster than it did and enjoy the ride. So many interesting things in my life, my children growing fast, my mad cats, work changing and challenging me, and latest big change is husbands' job now takes him away from home on the early train Monday until late train Friday! So the single parent is born (again) I now have to keep track of whose were and why! teenagers are such fun and can be so nice to have around, but they are very bad at taking ownership of things, I have been divvying up jobs as I will not be running round doing everything! Sadly until oldest passes his driving test that is one chore I can't pass off (yet).

I was at Cups Tearoom on Saturday, they have a come and sew/knit group that is gradually taking off, which I am proud to be part of, one lady was knitting a lace fronted jumper (very ambitious and very pretty) and was wondering if she had time for one more row! The consensus was Yes, there is always time for one more  row. Another lady had some new 'wool' which was a flat roll of fabric with a line of holes to knit through, called Desire, Abstrato by woolcraft.

very pretty.

I realised that this idea of 'time for one more row' was true for many things. Life may be more work, more hassle, and faster than I had but I still have time to do the things I want to do. I get knitting done, I read my books and kindle, I get to bake and cook when I want to. The message for me is that I need to want to do more things that add value to my work as well as my life.

The supermarkets are always about adding value, loose carrots 90p a kilo at my local tesco's today, bagged/pre packed 600 gm 78p (1.56p a kilo), chopped into batons 600 gm £1 (1.67p per kilo) the only difference is that one lot are loose, one is bagged and one lot have been processed to save me hassle, that is adding value, and they charge nearly twice the price to add value. I produce lots of bits of work, in word, in power point etc. but I don't polish them and share them, I mean to say, who would value my work! I think its time I valued my work.

This week I am at an event where I am not doing one presentation but two! one will be about Digital Darwinism and social media skills which are close to my heart. The other will be about Chartering and how it adds value to our own lives and works. This has also made me more aware that what I do has a value and adds value to others. No one stands alone and the idea that I have to do something by myself is outdated, I wanted to set up this course and once I started asking and doing it came together very quickly, for those who want to know more there is a 'chartership portfolio development course' at the Centre for Health Sciences at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, due to happen on the 3rd of April from 9.45 until 13.45. Information on how to book a place is available through CDG group Cilip and on the JISC lists that are relevant.

It has taken so long to find the time today but I do have time for one more row, I am my own worst critic, I am the main bar to getting things done and finished, so while I won't get it all reorganised now I am trying to make my world more positive. Appreciate the good and my own skills have value, others are there to help and I am there to help others.