As you know I was off work last week taking some annual leave and doing all sorts of random things which was thoroughly enjoyable. At 07:30 this morning I was back at my office desk.
The first thing to do was navigate logging back into my PC trying to remember the new password I’d set the day before I went on leave. Then opening the email inbox to see the 290 new emails received over last week. Didn’t think that was too bad actually. I can hear my number two in her office next door talking to someone so I’ll have to wait for her to update me on what’s been going on.
Then time to check the diary to see what I’ve got on this week. I’m interviewing for new staff this morning and have 3 candidates, all internal, to see. Then a conference call later on. The rest of the week is a patchwork of meetings, investigation interviews and video conference calls. Good job I’ve got my strong, home ground coffee with me.
Well, here we are at Sunday already. I’ve had a fantastic week off and feel that I’ve achieved quite a lot really and managed some down time as well. However, I do feel a little anxious about returning to the office tomorrow.
I know that in my diary for Monday morning is interviewing for new staff and I’ve done that so many times, so that’s not going to be a problem. I know that there can’t have been any disasters as I haven’t had any phone calls and I have every confidence in my number two. I know my email in box will have about 500 emails, most of which will be circular stuff that can quickly filtered out. I know that Monday will whizz by pretty quickly as I catch up with things.
I think my real anxiousness actually surrounds the things I still want to do at home and then not having the time during the day and having to rush things in the evenings, not spend quality time with C etc. I do wish sometimes that I could give up work and spend more time on the things I want to do.
However, go to work I must for now so I’ll try and make the best of my last day at home. Albeit housework and lunch preparations for the week ahead. Maybe I’ll get some time later to make a start on reading a new book. Ho hum. 😁
Not everything goes to plan first time around. Both #bellringing and #baking have their moments when you have to start over. Baking cakes is fraught with all sorts of danger from ingredients that aren’t quite right, to oven temperatures being a bit erratic, to mixtures coming out too wet or too dry. Icing might not do what you think it should and taste and final aesthetics may not be how you envisaged.
Bellringing often requires a start-stop. Learning new methods is hard work. A lot of homework theory is required before you even try it out on real bells. And of course, at the moment when using real bells isn’t an option for some, the cooperation of technology isn’t always available.
Yesterday I was very lucky to have been invited to participate in a quarter peal attempt on RingingRoom with some very illustrious ringers. That in itself was worrying enough, but if you don’t say yes to these things when they are offered you’ll never get asked again. The method was straight forward, Grandsire Caters, something which if we’d been ringing in the tower would have been second nature.
The trouble virtual #bellringing is that a lot of the visual clues that you would ordinarily get by virtue of the movement of the rope, the rhythm of the ringing and the faces of your fellow ringers, just aren’t there. Therefore ringing something that you are very familiar with gets more complicated.
In the tower, whilst ringing this particular method, I would barely be noticing what place I was in, counting my place would only happen in moments of doubt. However just to make sure, yesterday I counted every single place I was in. That’s not to say that the instruction from my brain to hand to keyboard necessarily struck the bell in exactly the right place, I did my share of clipping.
We had a false start to begin with when a couple of bells swapped position but that was very early on, so we started off again. We’d been ringing for quite a while the second time around and there had been a few technical lag issues and a few bells not quite in the right place but they seemed to get sorted out quickly enough. However, things came to a grinding halt about two courses from the end. Something wasn’t quite right so it had to be stopped.
Disappointing though that was, that’s the longest single piece of virtual #bellringing I’ve done, and only the second time I’ve rung on ten bells in RingingRoom, which does sound very different and your rope sight does require adjustment.
The plan was to have rung a quarter peal to mark the Central Council of Church Bellringers AGM taking place on Saturday and rung by Council members (+1). Not to be deterred, we have rescheduled it for later today to try, try again.
Hump day, or Wednesday as its more commonly referred to, signals the middle of the working week for most. We’ve managed to survive the first two days and after we’re over the hump of Wednesday its downhill all the way to the weekend.
I do a condensed week meaning I fit full time hours into four days. The downside is doing a longer day for four days but I was pulling those hours anyway, just not getting paid for them. It does however mean I have Fridays off and I use that time to catch up on all the #bellringing paperwork I need to get done. When I started this work pattern in January 2020, I vowed that I would do one thing I had to get done and one thing that I wanted to do. Sometimes these are actually the same thing.
I’m on annual leave this week so I’ve been able to catch up with quite a number of things. This hump day though, I was rather impressed with myself.
I’ve been invited to give a talk about public relations and how to make the best of it to the St Martin’s Guild of Bellringers at the end of September. I’m not a fan of last minute.com for preparing for things like that so I had promised myself that I would do it this week whilst I was off work and had the opportunity.
Due to the current situation the talk is being streamed so I don’t get to meet the attendees in person, or get a vibe from the room as to how its going. If I was doing it to a room of people I would be making them do something creative rather than just death by PowerPoint. However I am having to do it over a video conference where there will be little chance of dynamic feedback, so death by PowerPoint it is.
I had a quick look at the length of time some of the previous talks the Guild had done and figured I’d need something about the 30-40 minutes mark, plus time for questions. I sat down at the PC at about 10am surrounded by my source materials and an open blank presentation. I was in the zone. I ploughed through the ideas in my head and committed them to the slides. I took a short break for lunch but went straight back to it. I finished it at around 5.15pm.
The sense of satisfaction I felt at the end of that was quite immense. I still have to deliver the presentation but I can relax a bit now knowing that the ground work has been done.
It being hump day, which in our house also means it’s #winewednesday, I did rather enjoy a couple of glasses of crisp chilled white.
As we are currently not able to visit other towers to ring their bells many of us are using RingingRoom, a virtual space to ring and meet friends. I host a regular group on a Thursday night comprising of invited friends and family. On the August Bank Holiday my own real tower usually goes on a tower outing to visit other places to ring. We have a great day out ringing and a pub lunch. Obviously this year that wasn’t going to happen. On Thursday evening at the post practice chat we talked about missing out on this, so on the spur of the moment I suggested we hold a virtual outing. Here’s how it went.
Ringing Room Tower Outing Bank Holiday Monday 31st August 2020 The usual Thursday night Patmore Towers Ringing Room group decided in lieu of an actual tower outing, which would have happened today, we’d hold a virtual one instead. Three towers were on the itinerary, allotted time at each was half an hour with a ten minute break between each to allow for virtually travelling to the next tower and replenishment of refreshments. Nine ringers came along with the first tower of the evening at Patmore Towers, a middle weight 8. The ringing was run by the assistant tower captain, Colin, who called for a course of Little Bob Major, Stedman Triples and Kent Treble Bob Major. Some hesitations which may or may not have been attributed to technical lags proved entertaining, especially when Hazel somehow managed to scroll down her screen so could only see the bottom bells! En route to the next tower the Steeds found an ice cream shop and were too busy eating Magnums to join in the first touch, whilst Martin had difficulties finding the entrance to the tower. The second tower was a flighty little 6 at Bennett’s Bunker, with Jenny in charge. Wanting to continue practicing her Cambridge Minor, Jenny acquitted herself well, but some of the rest of us thought we were ringing Ipswich! So that’s what she called for next, although that staggered through and didn’t quite manage to get through the course. A course of Stedman Doubles then a nice touch of Grandsire Doubles to finish. By now the volume of liquid consumed by some members of the band required a convenience stop on the way to the next tower, whilst Andy snuck in an unauthorised pudding. Our third tower was Steed le Steeple, a rough going eight. The Plain Bob Major didn’t want to go, some technical difficulties were blamed, I’m not so sure! Next a Bob Course of Grandsire Triples, and a plain course of Stedman Triples that almost came to a grinding halt in the very last change. Some more Little Bob Major and then some more Plain Bob Major to finish. A quick stop off at the nearby Bring Your Own Beer pub for apres ringing chat was very welcome at the end of the day. I’d like to thank the towers (and RingingRoom) for letting us ring and the ringing masters for organising the ringing.
Its a Bank Holiday today so for many it means a day off from work. A chance to spend time with family and do those DIY jobs you still haven’t completed, have a tidy up, go out for the day or simply chill out.
Fortunately I’m in a role that affords me the day off. We have no plans for the day as such, apart from a vurtual #bellringing tower tour this evening, so no need to rush about.
So why on earth was the alarm ⏰ set this morning?
Our alarm clock has two alarms set. One for 6am and one for 7am. You can have one or other or both set to go off. Admittedly it was the 7am that went off, so technically we had had a bit of a lie in. But there was no real need for it to go off at all. How nice would it have been to have woken up naturally, feeling more relaxed and refreshed.
I usually don’t have a problem with going to sleep and probably have more sleep than I need. If I’m bored I’ll sleep, if I’m stressed or worried I’ll sleep and I’ll nod off if I’m sat still too long.
Fir those who get to take a Bank Holiday, I hope you find it relaxing and rejuvenating.
Dreams are weird. I don’t dream very often but when I do they are just so disjointed.
For me a dream never has a beginning or end, there just seems to be a middle bit of the story. And no one has a head but I do know who they are mostly.
The dream I had in the early hours of this morning was situated in a very white room with a very white shiny table. On my left was Mary and on her left was Alison. These are real people that I work with in the Central Council of Church Bellringers (www.cccbr.org.uk) We were at a National Trust property volunteering. I was new to it but Mary and Alison had been there a while. Opposite was the man in charge who wasn’t anyone I knew, as well as having no head he had no name. He was asking each of us, starting with me, why we wanted to volunteer and what we got out of it. It almost seemed like a job interview.
The trouble is I have no idea how any of us answered this question because I woke up. What’s that all about?
In our daily life we have hopes and dreams about our future, of what we want from life, and we have the power to manifest them into reality if we try. When we’re asleep our dreams are more abstract and are perhaps a jumble of reality and desire.
According to http://www.thedreamzone.com/ “Dreaming is a thinking process. In fact, it is a continuation of your thoughts from the day. That chatter in your head that goes on all day long continues as you drift off to sleep, and, once you enter REM sleep, when dreaming takes place, those thoughts continue in symbols and metaphors instead of in words.”
Well, I have no idea what my dream meant and what “chatter” it was trying to sift through. Perhaps someone could explain 🤔
I listen to a number of different podcasts when I go out for my lunchtime walk. Some are for fun like Older and Wider, Table Manners and others for educational value such as Somethin Rhymes with Purple. I have just started listening to one called The High Low, a weekly conversation between writers Dolly Alderton and Pandora Sykes, that covers highbrow and lowbrow culture.
It’s mildly entertaining and informative. The thing that’s annoying me though is these words that they keep using all the time which just sound odd and I don’t really understand. I literally had to Google one of them.
They frequently use the phrase “that’s woke” or “she/he is woke”. I do understand the meaning i.e. that someone or something is an awareness of some social injustice. It just sounds weird.
They use those phrases several times an episode. To be honest its a bit annoying.
The use of language and words or jargon does demonstrate ones education and background but it can also make others uncomfortable or intimidated if they don’t understand.
I sit in many a meeting where acronyms are used all the time. Sometimes I sit quietly and eventually figure it out but other times I have had to ask what they mean. Sometimes the reply can be patronising as if to say “duh, its obvious”. Its only obvious if its familiar.
#bellringing has an awful lot of jargon and weird names for things like “lead end” or “treble bobbing”. For a beginner its like a foreign language trying to navigate some of the terms. As #bellringing teachers we really must ensure that we explain things in a way that the learner can understand, and that might mean different ways to different people. As teachers we must become multilingual.
Baking also has some strange phrases such as to “blind bake” is not to wear a mask so you can’t see what you’re doing, but to pre bake something like a pie crust before putting the filling in it.
In all I do, say and communicate in whatever way, I prefer to use the KISS acronym Keep It Simple, Stupid. Say what you mean and mean what you say.
Oh dear. Yesterday morning I got to work, parked the car in my usual spot then walked the five minutes to the office. When I got to the office it suddenly occurred to me that I’d been able to unlock my office door without too much juggling of all the things that I carry in: handbag, laptop bag, lunch bag, coffee mug.
Oh my gosh, coffee mug, where is it? I usually put it on the roof of the car whilst I lock it and put the keys in my handbag. Did I put it on the roof and walk off? Did I put it on the roof at all? I know I brought it with me because I remember pushing the plunger down when I got to the roundabout. Oh dear lord.
So I trek back to the car glaring at everyone I pass in case they are carrying anything that looks like my coffee mug if I’d left it on the roof of the car. Get to the car, no visible coffee mug. Look through the window to see it still sitting snuggly in the mug holder. Thank goodness.
Fast forward to this morning. Usual routine is the alarm goes off just before 6am, I listen to the news and weather, then when they play the first song after that I get up.
Except this morning. I turn over and attempt to go back to sleep 💤. Then something registers and I’m wide awake thinking I’ve overslept and am going to be late for work.
I check the clock and clearly the song playing is still the first one after the news but I’m all of a dither now. Rushing through the shower, trying to get my lunch stuff ready and its bin day so I’ve got to put all the bins and recycling out. Then I’ll drink my first coffee.
Half way to work realise I haven’t taken my tablet so I’ll be wanting to rip my skin off later. I have urticaria and dermagraphism meaning I get itchy skin and take antihistamines every day to try to control it. Great, that’s going to annoy me know.
But I do have my coffee this morning. 🙂
I have several meetings at work today that I need to be on the ball for. Then this evening I will be running a virtual #bellringing session with friends and family.
I do hope for everyone’s sake that I get a grip soon. 🤪
1.the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.
For me personal identity has always been a problem. As the youngest of four siblings I was always referred to as someone’s little sister. One of the maths teachers at secondary school actually said to me in my first lesson with him “oh, another one, I hope you’re going to be as good as your brother”. To which I replied “I’ll be as good as me and see where that gets us”. There were several occasions growing up where I had to make my own voice heard instead of being an extension of an older sibling.
When I got married I became C’s wife and was often introduced by others (not by him) as “this is his wife”. Apparently not having my own name.
Then our daughter came along and I became R’s mum. Again, no name of my own except in a very small group of other misfit mums.
My working life has been the only chance for me to forge my own way. Employers and colleagues have never met family members, other than maybe a brief introduction to my husband or daughter. This is where I get to be me, no one else.
As I have progressed through my career I’ve moved into management and have managed very large teams of staff, one team had 250 staff who worked around the clock. So then I became the XX department manager. You can even use the internal telephone system to ask for the XX manager without mentioning a name and you get put through to me.
My last three roles at work all started out because colleagues were looking for something and another colleague suggested my name. Yes I had to go through the proper recruitment process but I hope I got each role on merit, not because of who I know.
Within bellringing circles I have started to carve out my own name in that I work on behalf of the local Association and the Central Council. People have heard of my name even if they’ve not seen my face. I’m not in it for the glory, I do it because I can help. I’m not a particularly brilliant ringer although recently someone assumed I was just because they’d heard of me.
A couple of years ago I was heavily involved in an international bellringing project. I got asked to run it because someone had been told that I would be good. My reputation for getting things done had been noticed. This has led me on to the Public Relations Officer roles and I hope some good is starting to show.
Here I am not compared as a younger sibling, nor only invited because of who I happen to have married, nor as a chaperone to a now more than competent adult daughter.
I am here because I have earned it and although my Imposter Syndrome may get the better of me at times, people know MY name (even if they do continually miss spell it)!
Bells, Bakes & Bettering Myself 