how did it get so late?

I am sure it was spring when I last looked up from my desk.

Life is so not planned, I have been busy and life has been busy and family had been busy. I make no excuses, I have been busy. I am currently doing a blended learning course from the future learn folk which is amazing, and throwing so much at me so fast. Ideas that are firing off right left and centre. On of these was the google hangouts space that allows you to create and keep in touch over any devices as long as you google! Wow I brought up my google to play with and noticed in the list of what else they have poor lonely blogger and couldn't work out how long since I blogged last.

My world is as full as always, I have been working on various CPD events, I am getting my fellowship running better and am supporting where needed to my mentees. I am still the chair of the local branch of the cilip Scotland and have great plans and ideas to bring that more into focus. I have been overseeing a big library refurbishment that has had my boss talking about it being a new flagship library and still have my new build that I watch the cranes work, out my windows, on.

Family is odd as ever, Husband is working close by so no long distance phone calls and worrying about how far he is which is a blessing, just wish he would steal less bed cover! Oldest job hunting. Youngest off at college and actually going for a job interview today (fingers crossed) and hoping to get a flat, very soon, for himself. Middle child gave up at end of first year at uni and is currently working in Milan. No I have no idea what that one is up to either!

Last night we had Storm Abigail, which has caused some amusement to us in the north as we tend to just go 'hum bit more blowy than normal, never mind!' Personally I think they are trying to head off any more Hurricane 'Bawbeg's from happening, we still get the wind but no more vaguely naughty names attached. Also how great we start with Abi - 'Gale' and even pull that one from future abuse!

This is a shot of the Teenage section in the refurbished library before we finished and opened! I love how the contrast between the dark wood doorway and quiet room I took the shot from and the bright sunny space for teens and the fab surfing picture and bright new books waiting for the teenagers to come and borrow them.

I will be blogging again and have so much to put up that I shouldn't forget in a hurry, keep well and an early happy Christmas just in case my work load goes south again soon.

Blue Monday, Sunrise Friday

I am not sure how they class this as Blue Monday, I know its the day when most bills come and the wages are not in and being paid early at Christmas means its that bit longer to the money in, but we know this ahead of time, we should be prepared for it, we have it every year! Why then does this become a particularly Blue Monday? Maybe its another media generated thing, like black Friday which was traditional the Friday that people got paid and went to get their Christmas things, but that has changed and now its just a sale driven hyped up nothing of a day! So much of our lives seems driven by consumerism, the bad Christmas we got stuck up in Scotland and as we expected to be in the west country we had no food and no things for Christmas! so had to shop on Christmas eve and as we only got just enough for the next day or so we had to go in again on boxing day, to my shock the seasonal isle was being set up with Easter eggs! Boxing day!

I am the world worst with my amazon habit, and I am guilty of just ordering things I could get but can't be bother to get. Having said that I am aware that if I do not use my local shops they will not survive. But I have hit SABLE which is stash beyond life expectancy! So I am now trying to use the wonderful wool I have tucked into bags and boxes dotted round my house, I opened some boxes before Christmas and didn't even recognize the wool stashed inside! I am finishing things at the moment, as this seems a good time of year to do this! though I did start a Christmas treat to myself, I needed a new hand bag so I started a bag knitting which will take longer so I get it right, hate rushed items once I use them so more time taken works well.

The sun has decided to shine which is very pretty but a bit late! the sun only seems to shine when I am sitting with it in my face or when I am ready to drive!

What happened to my week! I am here sat peaceful for a Friday thinking where did the week go! we have had sunset and sunrises, lots of rain and non stop work.

I did finally finish my revaildation (spurred on by someone I know getting hers) The whole process was so painless! my only minor criticism would be the information which is presented as a podcast is hard to take notes from and impossible to go back and check things part way though so I ended up watching the podcast twice and making copious notes! this did work but I may send them my notes for others to download if they want via the Cilip site. The whole process was painless, and ran very well, if this is the future I have no fear doing this every year or so, and I have started my next CPD already.

I also saw a story this morning from the Cornwall county libraries. They plan to reduce hours across the board and worse still are talking of removing all mobiles! I know that we have to make cuts but libraries are the one resource that helps people keep up to date in their own skills and needs and to keep relevant. Libraries add to our lives, if you suggested cutting hospitals they would be in arms but libraries have a much bigger long term on the ground effect but are being cut! Study are study has shown better read people and those with better access to information are healthier and more likely to do well! This is such a retrograde step I just wish I could shout and shake people!

At least the sun is up for longer, the day is no longer started in the dark and finished in the dark! The sun rise and sets have been full of colour, I now have a chance to enjoy them and see some light, makes a big difference to my day, I doubt I could live any further north than this. Mind you any further north than this and I would be getting wet :-) I have been posting the best pictures to my Blipfoto if you want a look see. Ignore the cats :-) and any with really short descriptions tend to be mobile posts, which are new and fun!

In that area I may add I am designing an app, but I am stalled so will need the help of an expert, I will catch me a 2nd year next week to help me. The school has won awards for the apps that the children have designed so I am using their skills to make mine better :-). I have a sketch and a page plan but then my skills drop off the scale! I have been recommended appinventor2 which seems okay but now I want to make it snazzy and need help (here little 2nd year come help the librarian) so will be app helper hunting soon. My app I plan is a library skills app where they get a chance to try some skills in a gamification style. More to come.

New Year and New Resolutions

Happy New Year

I tend to avoid making resolutions as I am very good at not following through and doing them more than once or twice. I have looked back at last years plans and am pleased to say I managed most of them but as I made few targets just aims that isn't as good as it could be.

• The first was to tidy more often, this got a boost in the summer when I gained a more regular cover person who I could not leave to work at my messy desk and a quick apology and be netter soon wasn't washing! My excuses wore very thin! so I gutted my desk and the surrounding area, this led to more space and a tidier area, which then got even better organized and then a promotion led to me being honest about what I had sat waiting to be done round my desk! I threw out over a cubic meter of paper and waiting to be dine stuff and things I had kept for over a decade, went! So yes I am more tidy both at home and at work, and this is ongoing so I shall happily keep this one for this year.
• My Cpd has not been still, and I spent a while before Christmas uploading it to the e portfolio that is now included on the Cilip Website, and I am impressed with myself, the minimum of 20 hours, ignoring online and reading I have attended over 60 hours of events and courses and meetings, I am so pleased and I must get the last bits done to re-validate, and that way I have a line drawn and know how to help my own mentees!This years plan is to re-validate and carry on CPDing.
• I ran the course with the help of a wonderful woman called Kathleen Irving, she was inspirational and so much fun and so helpful but sadly shortly afterwards she had an accident while walking and was later found on the hills. I plan to run the course again, with the help of the the rest of the North branch committee which came out of the original set up and was Kathleen and I plan to help set up next, I found others interested and we have now done this. The North branch will grow and once its up and running I will step down and just help from the side lines. So more North Branch this year.
• Being around for my staff has been a challenge, I have done more but now have more to do, the non school side of my job has eaten into so much of my work time. I think this will be another ongoing resolution or plan, I need to make sure they know how I work and that I will not bother them and they need to contact me to get me over and above the normal drop in occasionally. Personnel changes higher up the tree mean my own work patterns now have the light shining on them. I must keep a better track of this and be more efficient.

I have managed to post much more frequently, I have missed the odd weeks and the first time I did I worked myself into a right state and had to change my focus, I am now happy to blog every week and hope to keep doing this, but I wont be losing sleep over the odd miss :-).

I have spent the last two weeks enjoying this lovely tree and am now home again and getting back into the harness after 10 days of peace, sleep and lots of knitting.

I wish you all a happy new year, and I hope to be back to normal for the end of next week.

Strange Days

Went to a meeting many miles south of me, timed my arrival to have some wiggle room so arrived early, had a good meeting mostly on track :-) though I did work out if I had a pound every time the chair called us back on track I would have eaten well last night, with friends, at a decent restaurant! As normal the interesting bits were the other things that got slotted in the gaps, the email me and I will send you things bits, the did you hear about a new mentor! and so on. The main chat after was between myself and one of my mentees and then between myself and a fellowship candidate!

I have come to realise as I get my revalidation paperwork together that there are 2 levels to my work, one aspect is what I do at my desk, issuing books helping kids choose books, keeping track of new books, old books and all the space in between  Then there is what I do in my head, on my work computer, at home and well quite frankly anywhere! But to bring back the reason why I am mentioning this was what has become clear to me is a way of thinking about what goes in the portfolio and what doesn't. How I now look at it is what could be done by an assistant in my seat, and what needs my professional touch. Would you need another librarian to fill that post, if not then the items is possibly part of a bigger picture but is not 'professional' you can use it as an evaluation or a reflection but not a single focus. Some of my stuff is more linked to my own skill set, these I will have to evaluate to make sure they are relevant, some could be covered by someone else but not necessarily a librarian again part of the wider picture but not really a focus. The change is job or profession in my mind, my job can be issuing books but my profession is linked to my CPD and my skill sets. I realise that is simplistic, and you would need to find your own line to draw, but the portfolio is about your own skill set, your own competency, not your job or even all your work.

My second chat that made an impression was the chat about fellowship, I looked at this when my friend started hers and ran screaming to hide form the scary words! :-) after chatting to her and getting her focused again (and I have a nasty suspicion I will have to do it with her to get her finished) I realised I wasn't sure now what the criteria and aims were for this. I went and checked and found like the chartership that I am already part way there!

I then had to move some books once back at work, so borrowed a trolley and went book moving, when taking back the trolley I went in the lift here, I hate small spaces and lifts most of all, and yes it broke, stranding me in the lift after hours. I didn't spend long as someone saw me use it knowing it sticking! so I was rescued after 10 minutes. But as weeks go that was strange.

This morning I arrived to hear that the 6th year had 'decorated' and we had 'mudbloods beware' and the 'chamber of secrets is open, mudbloods beware' etc written on windows, then post it notes saying 'where's Bridgit?' and finally toilet paper over whole rooms and halls, though I later found Vasaline on door handles and banisters! which has been messy to clean up.

I also had Elvis at my desk and Gandalf at my door barring entry, TP over the shelves and glitter on my desk. One of the English staff has full size standees in his room. My Favorite bit was small sparkly stars all over my desk. Now before you think I nuts, yes yes I know not hard, I should explain why I like this. I have had to cultivate quite a tough exterior to be able to keep discipline and to make sure that while I am not a teacher the kids still have some respect for me. This has meant the silly and jokey side of me has to hide at work. Individuals over the years who have got to know me, know I have a funny side and love a good joke, but most think I am scary so to have them break in an 'decorate' my room is a win. 

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.

Roller Coaster Ride of a week

I am late blogging, I have some very good excuses! honest I do...
Last week I was asked to be the face of the libraries at a visit to our county by the board of Management  I said yes,and then had a wonderful day, more about it later, but I enjoyed the challenge and being on the spot.

The long weekend just lulled me into a false sense of security, and allowed me to make more things for the craft fair which is looming now! I will take pics of the day and post next week. Then I went to Inverness on Tuesday to make sure I had a good night sleep for the Cilip portfolio building event I had helped organise on the Wednesday. I met the early train with our main speaker on, Mr Michael Martin who is Qualification Advisor, CPD based at Ridgemount Street in London, which holds fond memories of the basement hunting obscure references to hide the last minute rush of my course work :-) I am sure if I had put as much work into the content as I did on the obscurity I would have passed with a much higher mark :-). The train was on time and I found myself meeting a gentleman wrapped in a big thick coat and lovely Cossack style hat, in my shirt sleeves! The morning for me had been warm, nicely above freezing and the sun was shining  never waste some sunshine on a coat! Humor was found in the mixed views of the weather.

After leaving Mr Martin and CDG developmental officer Ruth Holmes setting up I went back to the station to collect Mr Ian Stringer. This day was a bit like a fantasy football line up, Michael was quietly inspirational, several participants came up and said how much they had enjoyed and got out of the day and that was just the first break! Ruth Spoke well and drew interest from everyone, even though she confessed to it being her first lead day, the rest wouldn't have known, she was great. Anna Herron, who captured my mind last time made the points I have tried making to my mentees so much better! The idea that the marker is a person, not to swamp them and make sure you fulfill the criteria. Amazing speaker and drew out chat from the whole group. Sadly Val Walker wasn't able to come, and while we did discuss mentors, I did miss her input.

The local 'just past' candidate was Robert Reid who is based in LSU, he is a computer wizz, and inside the organisation there are emails every so often that say 'I don't know, just send it to Robert, he'll fix it'. He chartered this January so could give a very immediate feedback to getting finished, a problem I am seeing more of :-), I loved his idea of stapling a CPD audit sheet to each record which allowed him to chose what he kept and what he could just dump! Robert hasn't had a lot of chance to talk in front of others but spoke well and showed a whole new level to his work and attitude, I was very pleased for him to do so well.

The whole event was rounded off by Ian, He spoke so easily and came from a whole new angle, I just hope the group of people there enjoyed his speech as much as I did. Amazing and challenging, the message that Cilip is us the members, not the committees, not the board or London but us, we make it and unless we make the effort to change it, we have not right to complain or moan. Makes me think of the Water babies by Charles Kingsley, and his wonderful characters namely Mrs Doasyouwouldbedoneby.

An exercise we did do on the day was using the CPD audit sheet here, which has 4 columns; Date, Activity, what you learnt, and what you have applied. I chose to look at the previous weeks Board visit (I said more later :-) ) The date isn't important, Helping at the Board visit, was my activity, the 'What I learnt' was how to be more positive, I had to 'sell' our services  and show how well we have done, and we had done very well. Being reflective and critical helps keep us aware and on our toes but it does mean we focus on the negative at times. The questions asked were good ones, the visitors all cared about the service and wanted to see more, ask more. I was more challenged and kept on my toes than by a double class of new first years! I had looked over figures and projections so I could answer these, but just looking at my own service from their eyes made me very proud. The next section 'What you have applied' was clear to me, I write the monthly report after this and put in my pride and having reviewed my month I also was able to find more positive things and a report a page and a half long was more like 3 pages. Which has encouraged me to sit back now and then to assess what we have done and done well. I know we must also ask what next and what could be better but that isn't an excuse to rush past the well done bit!

The roller coaster week happened due to my own forgetful nature, I meant to ring my mum on the weekend an forgot, she is a late to bed person but I try not to ring after 10 as she may be asleep, so at 9 pm ish on Wednesday flushed with happy success form the Cilip day, I rang her. Sadly I woke her and she was very tired and not sounding good, so I said goodnight and rang off. My brother then rings when I am at work yesterday (Thursday) to pass a message on she isn't well and to not ring her but he will ring me later. When he rang back I was expecting the news to be her poorly, but she is not well at all. She has finally agreed to care help, she has visits 3 times a day and the doctor visits to bring medicines. She has always been a very stubborn lady who would never ask for help (a fault I try not to copy too much), to have this much help means she is not well at all, my brothers biggest worry was I would come down to see her, but her biggest fear has always been, being seen as poorly, old or weak. If I went down it would upset her so much more than I am upset waiting here. So I work and do and try not to dwell.

We have also just been through April the first! I knew what day it was and thought no one would get me! then bam! saw this and believed it! dur, also have just been looking at my blog posts and one mentioned last years 'find' of a Unicorn Cook Book at the British Library! Sadly the other stories that have been cropping up are due to fire and not fun. the one that happened the day of the Cilip event was this, and now we lose a beautiful old building, but not as worrying as these, a friend is a fire fighter and was complaining last night that their clothes stink of smoke, and that they have averaged 4 hours a night sleep in the last 10 days! But with 80 fires in 72 hours at one point it has been worrying. While England and Southern Scotland has been covered in snow, we have just had dull and over cast but crucially no rain or snow! Dry Muir Burn has been a local thing for many years, but this year! not so good, but no burning off means no new growth for animals and food is already a problem for farmers, and just means the burn has to be next year and is more and thicker!

This is a shot of last years bad burn at Helmsdale, which took out acres and burned for days! The hill is still a bit of moonscape in places were the scars have not yet healed, and the fire has taken even the deep roots out, instead of the quick top burn that it should have been. We didn't go closer to take pictures as that would be just silly and dangerous.

Also I see one of the most amazing plays I have seen in years is Angus Weaver of grass and they plan another run! I would highly recommend it to anyone! And they are my blog recommendation :-). and Now I must catch up on days of emails, paperwork, and jobs put aside for the holidays for 'when I had time'.