countdown to Christmas

I survived the 'Grand Opening', but due to so much happening and so much to do I do not have a single photo, in fact I didn't sit down from 9am until 4pm, and didn't even get my lunch until after 4pm! But everything went well. We had loads of people and a great session with little folk and the book bug visiting, which was amazing. The library filled with many folk and the staff were exemplary, we had every one from  the heads of committees down to the normal folk who just drop in anyway. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, the chat was full of smiles and laughter, while the compliments of the new layout and refurbishment were very welcome.

I feel like I aged about a year over the day and it has taken me several days to recover from it and now I need a weekend to get myself fully back, but never mind. The whole day was met with success and if that meant I didn't stop, due to running round making the next thing ready, and tidying after the last thing, then so be it, I see it as a dry run for my own new library due next autumn!

On another note I managed to read several books in the same week, mainly as an escape from the emails and other plans. The one I am half way through and thoroughly enjoying is The Bolter by Frances Osbourne, The background and surrounding story is as interesting as the main heroine, the setting for her childhood is the back ground of most of the start of the 20th century. I am finding it very interesting and the picture being painted feels very real and modern.

The second book I have been reading and finished was Returning: The Journey of Alexander Sinclair by Sharon Gunason Pottinger, written by a friend I bought it to see what she had done but swiftly became immersed in the story and lives that are woven in a dance or rug pattern that glows. I found myself breathless to find out what next and at the same time sad as the story passed. I didn't want to finish it as much as I wanted to know how they move on. The epilogue was almost another story in itself.

I am also taking part in the Scottish Children's Book Awards and I have been reading the two older age groups with my pupils. This is the same book list that I had the joy of reading the youngest age range to the P1's locally and I can honestly say those I thought I would like are not the ones that I have enjoyed the most. The oldest group includes Black Dove, White Raven The Piper and The trouble in cable street. All three are history based reads, Black Dove White Raven is about The build up to the second world war and flying but is based mainly in Ethiopia in the 1930's a good read with heaps of history and settings, fab snap shot of the pre-second world war Africa. The Piper which is set in the time of the evacuations of the second world war, again you start thinking it is one ting but it changes and I wont say more but worth a read and proving to be quite popular with my kids. The trouble on Cable street is the one I haven't finished yet so I will not say anything about that yet.

The middle age range includes the titles; The fastest boy in the world, The nowhere emporium and The mysteries of Ravenstorm Island; The lost children. Again I enjoyed The fastest boy and the story and surrounding based in Africa is very real and the feeling of time passing and the need to keep running is apparent, The nowhere emporium is an amazing idea, the moving shop and the lost folk who inhabit it very spooky, but while it has a lot to recommend it I would have liked to see a bit more of the end, but it is open for the next book. The last one The lost children I have also yet to read, I must have both unread ones done by next week so that is my task!

Today is two weeks to the school closing and I am not sure if I am in a rush or really can't be bothered, for only the third time in 24 years I will be in Scotland for Christmas. I have got all my cards posted that I will be sending this year, I have some of the dinner already in my freezer and some gifts organised, but I am having trouble getting myself organised for it. This will be the first Christmas and new year that I will have with my whole family home, One back from the city one back from Milan, we will be stuffed to the gills and probably falling over ourselves but it will be nice. I need to remember to enjoy the good bits and not to expect too much.

The New build comes along well, I see my office built and the surrounding building getting finished when I drive in, in the morning, the windows are going in to some bits and the walls are being finished. The shape is appearing and the final outlooks are being put in place. The excitement has not yet started to build but the potential is there, I shall wait until I get a look in in the spring to get photos of my space!

Otherwise life goes on as normal.

What will I wear!

I was chatting about Dundee and explaining what a great thing it was and how much I am torn between pleased and abject terror when they cut through all the chat to get to the important part. What am I going to wear... I do have plans and most had ideas and suggestions, some of which are fab and some a bit far from my normal, but I shall see and try!!

Didn't feel well all weekend but came to work Monday only to end up going home ill. Slept most of Monday and now I have two days work to do in one :-). I have a meeting tomorrow so need to do tomorrows work early too, hmm I am seeing an issue here. I will need to prioritise and choose my actions! I was reading a great blog post about that, not aimed at libraries but making a good bit of sense. I was introduced by an editor friend to the blog An American Editor which is full of interesting ideas and views my fave was the commandments which included 'you must be efficient' which was very interesting and true for all, its fine to do a thing but we must try to do it the most efficient way with out losing service. which harks back to my ideas of value, and trying to make sure we have a value or are valued by the general public as well as our management.

Getting closer to the Dundee Conference, I hope to take a note pad to keep contact, even if its just daily updates, but they offer free wi-fi so may be able to tweet live and blog, but to be effective I shall have to blog after and be properly reflective.

Spring is trying to make it way up here saw blossom on the trees last night so took a shot to share the cherry blossom. The shells are full of seed to stop the cats from getting the birds when they feed. The sky is sadly over cast again and grey, the warm weather brings mists and fogs up to us. This can be annoying as its the warmest weather so far but no sun!

I was asked to take some shots of the event and have been wandering the school taking pictures but with my own camera in my pocket and when I got to the highest rooms I realised you could see for miles and that will be my possible view from the library, so got out my camera and took a shot.

That hopefully will be the view, but more to the left, from my new office! Down the valley and looking north and west! Will need curtains to stop me spending half my time gazing into space.

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.