Getting back into it

Return of the prodigal blogger

Oh dear,

Such good intentions and so easily led astray. I have been totally immersed in being a grandmother, working on new projects, developing a fascination with hot yoga and trying to be a better friend.

Result? No time to blog. However, I have decided that I miss it and so am determined to resume. This is a toe in the water but watch this space for longer, more regular blogging to come.

Recent work has been fantastic! Some great opportunities to develop facilitation and some challenging team days to guide through issues we would all rather not have to face. The results have been so positive and there's something especially rewarding about seeing a group of people through their first tentative explorations into the 'hard stuff' to emerge a few hours later with relief that it was possible to say things without demolishing the world around them.

It's always such a daunting prospect but if there is a will to see it through, the results are totally awesome. So thanks again to everyone who works with me.

The little one is beyond - belief - gorgeous! She is the sunniest, funniest little thing and gives us all hours of pleasure. I am besotted.

Brighton is covered in sea mist today and it looked so hopeful earlier - still, the weekend looks good and I will be another year older within the next 24 hours!

Take care,

Angie

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Oh dear, no blog for weeks now! Is it January blues, lack of inspiration or being too busy? Who knows - and does it matter?

My first blog was about snow and I rather snootily pointed out that the children didn't quite know how to play in it. What a contrast yesterday was, then. Our road, which has to be the most community-oriented street in Brighton, or even the world, had the best impromptu winter street event imaginable.

At 8.30, a group went around knocking on doors to arrange meeting up at 9.00 to start a communal building project. Snowmen being far too obvious, the main organisers decided on an igloo. By 10.00, the walls of the igloo were in place and moulding the outside had begun in earnest. Some of us were dispatched to buy provisions (mulled wine, hot chocolate - you know, life's essentials) and building continued until lunchtime. We have a Frenchman on the team so no way were meals going to be suspended. 

Gorgeous husband and I went in too, to light a giant log fire and toast our poor frozen toes. By mid-afternoon, the igloo had two rooms, a carved entrance and a 'sold' sign outside the door! The children in the street had taken up residence and were inviting people in for tea. They played and played for hours with no supervision, no electronic games and no arguments.

For the rest of the day and well into the evening, we gathered in various groups to share drinks and marvel at what a day out can do for a community. So to the moaners and whingers who demand to know why our country comes to a standstill for 'a bit of snow' - do we really want our government to invest billions of pounds (which we have not got) in equipment to cope with extreme weather (which we do not have) when the benefits of a day away from it all are so obvious?

I think not.

See you soon,

Angie

A child is born

It's been impossible to blog about the last few weeks, because there have been no words adequate to describe the events as they unfolded. Now, however, with a little distance it feels like the right time.

The most beautiful baby in the world (apart from the one I gave birth to almost 31 years ago) was born on December 8th in St Thomas' hospital, Westminster. It was a long, traumatic and pretty awful labour and then frantic delivery, made possible and managed brilliantly by Florence and Glenn, who are absolute stars and should be named in future honours lists, by my reckoning. These two midwives looked after my daughter, her partner, me and ultimately the baby granddaughter as if we were the only people in the world who mattered to them. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Now we have the most perfect addition to our family and it has been wonderful to see how she has developed from a little red bundle of surprise and bewilderment into a person in her own right, but most of all to witness another generation of love, nurture and protectiveness unfolding before my eyes. 

I saw her when she was ten minutes old! I have seen her every few days since then and everything about this baby has been a joy. Of course she has a name, but I have  decided not to blog that, to keep just that little bit of her private.

It has been such great timing; the shorter days, the winter holidays, no phones ringing and all clients having their deserved rest. We have all been cocooned into semi-hybernation, which is a perfect way to spend time with a new baby. For just three weeks, we have not spoken about credit-crunch issues, property prices or other gloomy forecasts

So there it is - now we must all get back to 'normal' - whatever that is - and think about picking up energy, looking forward to new challenges (and there will be plenty of those) and welcoming 2009. I will do all  this with relish and enthusiasm but it has felt good to step back, reflect and take a long look at what really matters.

Happy New Year.

See you soon,

Angie

The Waiting Game

No blog for a while because all my spare mental energy has been taken up with thoughts and hopes and fears about my soon - to - be - born grandchild. Apart from being seduced by every baby shop between here and Newcastle (my clients take me on this route regularly!) and reading up about modern methods, ideas, advice and trends, I think I have been extremely laid back about the whole thing. Until this week. 

Now, every time my phone bleeps its message signal or the land line rings, I nearly jump out of my skin. Of course, I was never like this about my own pregnancy but it is so different when the baby you gave birth to is about to go through it themselves.

A fantastic development for all new parents has undoubtedly been the internet. They can shop online (gosh, I remember the nightmare of buggy / trolley negotiations in the supermarket), monitor baby's progress with nhs sites and best of all, hook into the numerous chat rooms and support groups available. There is nowhere as lonely on earth than being responsible for a new baby and suddenly not knowing what to do.

So now we are literally days away from the event and the next generation is about to arrive. The next blog will have all the details and, of course, a named baby!

See you soon,

Angie

The rain it raineth

It is pouring with rain and blowing a gale and the last thing I want to do is to go out there and battle the elements. But I will. Because in a couple of hours I am meeting up with two of the most fun and interesting people I have ever worked with and we're to have a jolly lunch, punctuated by talk of work here and there.

Then, I am going to visit a studio / workshop where an unbelievably talented couple make the most stunning handbags in the whole world. I can't say why I am going there in case the person who is going to benefit from my visit may be reading this posting, but let me tell you - she is going to be knocked out when she sees what I bring back!

So every cloud...........

It's been a strange time, with the election over on the other side of the ocean and the ongoing uncertainty within the business world here. Along with many millions of people the world over, I breathed a sigh of relief on Wednesday morning, having kept the telly on all night and drifted in and out of sleep while the results came in. Naive? I don't think so; I really do believe the guy has the ability to make a huge difference and gosh are we ready for it.

Last Sunday, the gorgeous husband and I saw War Horse at the National - what a treat. I love the theatre so much that I have finally allowed myself to admit that it's my addiction. Now we're looking forward to Ivanov next week and the tickets for Waiting for Godot (March - with the great Sir Ian McKellan) have just arrived in the post.

Another lovely Birmingham training last Friday - thank you, you fabulous people for always being so lively and engaging, no matter what challenges I throw out.

My daughter is about to give birth and I dream about nothing but babies these days.

So that's it for now.

See you soon,

Angie

Newcastle, sun and the cr***t cr**ch

Actually, it's all rather in reverse order. I wanted to start by saying that at last the "current situation" has got to me. Yes, it's a fair cop, hands in the air and all that, I admit to worry, concern, rising panic and being in a state of confusion about the whole thing.

When I was a student with no grant, no loan and parents who thought it would be character-building for me to manage without additional funding from them, I was aware of every penny I spent. For three years, I literally bought nothing unless it was absolutely essential. (I am, of course, including fags and mascara in the list of essentials, but leaving food and heating out!) Now, suddenly, I find myself in exactly the same frame of mind again. I simply don't want to spend any money. No clothes, no treats, no expensive face products and even - no shoes! In fact the only thing I want to buy is baby stuff for my lovely little grandchild, as yet unborn.

So thank goodness it's a sunny day and the flight to Newcastle this afternoon will be glorious, with views across the country all the way.

Isn't this all interesting? Is it 'good for us', as some pundits keep writing in their newspaper and magazine articles? I don't know. It's certainly different and what's for sure is that the word 'resilience' will come to have real meaning for most of us over the next year or so.

Hope you're all managing ok and enjoying the sunshine too.

See you soon,

Angie