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

Bunking off

The gorgeous husband and I are having a week off. A whole lovely beautiful week off to concentrate on being creative,go to the movies, enjoy each others' company, catch up with a few pals, go for coffee and long walks, watch classic TV Greats, get to the gym more and eat wonderful lunch every day.

In reality we have:

Tidied the office

Ordered the coffee (yes I know it sounds pretentious but worth it to the last drop!)

Done three loads of washing

Sorted out the plumbing and heating in the other house

Dealt with tenants leaving and new ones (hopefully) arriving

Written two new programmes for a client

Re-issued two "lost" invoices

Eaten left-overs

Watched rubbish TV

Seen nobody (so far)

Responded to 100 emails and phone messages

But we have made a start on designing Christmas cards (moi) and some large-scale pictures (him)

Tomorrow we are going to see Michael McIntyre; he is my very favourite stand-up comdian so I expect a lorra lorra laughs.

And I am making fabulous chicken soup tonight to act as Jewish  pencilin in readiness for winter coughs and colds.

So it's not too bad, eh?

Oh yes, and that other thing with the dentist - silly me; it was only a first appointment to take some measurements. You'll be glad to know I survived with great calm and dignity.

See you soon,

Angie

Be Prepared

It is exactly one hour until I have to leave my cosy office and my friendly ibook to go to the dentist for a long and probably complicated session. I love my dentist - he has been a mate for nearly 20 years - but I'm still dreading it. When I get there, he will make me laugh, remember to ask about husband, daughter, work and so on - but I'm still dreading it. He never hurts me, treats me beautifully, has great magazines in the waiting room and is as gentle as a kitten - but I'm still dreading it.

In preparation, I have tidied the desk, paid the bills, sorted out all my work for the foreseeable future,phoned two close friends, emailed the daughter, stocked up on essentials and eaten a hearty breakfast. In other words, I am behaving as though I'm about to face warfare or at least a siege! So what's that all about? 

I think the only reason I was a fantastic Brownie and then Girl Guide, was because I loved the motto about being prepared. (Actually, I think the Guide one was a bit more complicated but who cares?) It suited me even as a child to have my stuff in order and to plan at least two contingency options for 'just in case'. So, despite knowing that all will be fine in the chair this afternoon, everything is ready for me to go into complete meltdown instead. 

Perhaps I should just quickly update my will.

See you soon,

Angie

100 Great Ideas

100 Great ideas to Create Personal Impact - the name of the seminar I am about to launch with my colleague and friend, Hannah. We have planned it, written it, marketed it and now we are waiting for it to take off.

It's also 100 Great ways to induce heart attack! Years ago I swore never again to put on an open course. They are such hard work, so stressful and utterly unpredictable in terms of response. So why did I change my mind?

Because I had an idea that I wanted to try out and I was lucky to find the right person to work with. If it comes off, we will be quids in and two very happy people and if it doesn't, we will have benefited from another huge piece of learning.  Sure, I'd rather we made some money out of the venture but, as I have always said, it really isn't the dosh that gets me out of bed every morning. It's the challenge, the thought that this will be  useful to people who sign up and come along and above all - the fun!

I have always found writing new programmes and delivering them the greatest thrill and quite honestly I just can't wait to get stuck in. So fingers crossed that we will get enough people to go ahead.

See you soon

Angie

Back up more, cry less

That's my new motto. Last week I thought I had lost everything on my computer as the screen went black and the dear little thing gave up the ghost and spluttered to a halt. I felt: sick, dizzy, panicky, hot & cold, furious and utterly defeated.

The following day, the Mac doctor gave it some medicine and fixed everything so that within twenty four hours, I was up & running again, all back to normal.

On Thursday I woke up and couldn't lift my head off the pillow. I felt: sick, dizzy, panicky, hot & cold, furious and utterly defeated.

The following day I felt the same and the the day after that and the day after that. Funny how the machine got fixed so quickly and I didn't!

Fortunately, I'm back to normal too now and raring to go with a fabulous week ahead. First, a trip to Nottingham later today to work with  a fabulous client I haven't seen for a while. Then back to admin/ catch-up calls and general sorting out of the office on Wednesday. 

But it's the lovely social stuff I've got lined up that is also making feel so good this week. First, coffee with my old pal Treez, then a lovely friend is over from far away places and we are spending Thursday together. On Friday, a shopping day with best friend in the world and on Saturday a treat with two great mates in the street - to Billy Elliot and a day in London.

In case that isn't enough excitement, I am over the moon, having got two tickets to see Kenneth Brannagh in Ivanov in November - hooragh!

On a more sober note, I am so sorry for all my friends and clients past and present who are grappling with the ups and downs of banking and the finance sector right now. I cannot understand the gloating and smirking in some sections of the media and, I'm ashamed to say, amongst my own social circles, in parts. Because of the success of the 'money-makers', so many of us have taken the cheap loans and mortgages and benefited hugely. Now it's going wrong, ok we stand to lose out but not as much as those people trapped in the City. They don't all take home millions of pounds' worth of bonuses - the majority of them do ordinary jobs and earn ordinary salaries.  I wish them well.

See you soon,

Angie

Back to Business

The baby afternoon was a delightful diversion and now it's back to work with full-on concentration. There are a number of projects about to take off; as usual, I am fluctuating between excitement and panic, depending on what time of day it is and how recently I reviewed my 'to do' list.

It seems as though our 100 Great Ideas to Create Personal Impact has loads of interest and the final draft for publicity, venue confirmation and email blast are all almost ready. Now I have to write the 100 Great Ideas - just kidding, I wrote them ages ago. This is probably the biggest venture I have ever taken on and it has been a huge learning curve. My vibrant and clever  colleague, Hannah and I have had hilarious meetings and have decided we need a visual code for 'no more' because otherwise our heads will explode! We just seem to bounce ideas between us the whole time and now need to settle and organise what we've got.

 My wonderful regular clients have provided interesting and challenging work so I am off to Newcastle, Nottingham and Birmingham again - all in the next month or so to deliver training in a whole range of topics.

I really wanted to write about a lovely new client who has come for one-to-one coaching. She is a talented and intelligent young woman, struggling to get going with her career. Our sessions have made me think again about all the opportunities I have had, how many I didn't recognise at the time and what an adventure it all is. I wish her and everyone going through the same process the very best of luck because it isn't easy.

As a complete antidote to all this reflection and work activity, husband and I went to see the riotous Miachel Frayn farce - Noises Off last Friday. If I could order up a farce on the NHS for every overworked, stressed person to see every Friday, the world would be a better place and the NHS (which does, at times, operate like a farce anyway) would be so much the richer.

So that's it for now - take care and see you soon,

Angie

Maybe Baby

I have been to heaven and back. London's Regent Street has a shop called Mamas and Papas where they sell the most adorable baby stuff in the world. I want to buy everything in it.

The wonderful, beautiful and brilliant daughter and I met in St Christopher's Place, had lunch and then did the baby thing for the whole afternoon. She is starting to have a little bump, which she swears is mostly cake and is looking just fabulous. She is also nesting like crazy and high on hormones.

What happened to all this baby business in the last 30 years? Back then it was considered seriously daring to find a babygrow in any colour that wasn't white! Now, everything is stylish and available and, best of all, affordable. We oohed and aahed over delicious, cute outfits and then got on with the serious task of choosing pram and cot.

Now, this is where the internet comes into its own in a big way. She had already spent time on mumsnet and some other sites where people post their ratings on different manufacturers' equipment in terms of style, safety and so on. What a great thing! We had it all sewn up in an hour. So I got the train back to Brighton, lots poorer but so happy - can't think of a nicer way to spend an afternoon really.

See you soon,

Angie

Beating Time

Back to work last week and a major discovery about myself. I simply do not function well if I have too much time with no structure. The house was a tip, my desk looked like the aftermath of a small war and my mind was in chaos. I couldn't make a decision about what to eat, where to shop, who to call or any other minute task. The day I knew I had to get it together for work, I woke up properly for the first time in ages and attacked  'the list' (I hadn't even been able to make 'the list' for the previous two weeks) with military precision and huge waves of enthusiasm.

Phew! Thank goodness, because to tell you the truth, I'd rather thought I might have lost it up until then. Lost what? My sense of purpose, timing, responsibility and general well-being. It suits me to have things to do and places to go. I am no good at pottering and end up wasting time. So why not go to a gallery, read more books and turn out a cupboard? Because those are the things I fit in when I'm rushed off my feet and enjoy them all the more for knowing I've had to make an effort, rather than mooched my way to them because there is no other calling on me.

This is really bad news - how will I manage when I am too old or frail to work anymore? I will have to be one of those 'old retainers' who show up even though they can't serve any useful purpose but are part of the furniture.

Actually, none of this is a surprise to me; I have always known that my work defines me and that it plays a huge part of my life. I'm eternally grateful to the people who let me do it, provide great participants and invite me back again - thank you because without you, clearly the house would never get tidied and we would be living out of tins!

So now I'm off to make this week's list, pack away the Summer clothes, cook a casserole and bring my diary up to date. See? It's easy when you haven't got any spare time.

See you soon,

Angie

London, I love you

To the Globe theatre, via Borough Market and lunch in Greek, tapas-style, drinks on the South Bank and an impromptu trip at sunset on the London Eye. Sounds like a made up bit of 'visit London' propoganda, eh? But this is exactly what the gorgeous husband and I did last Friday. We were truly blessed, having watched the rain come down in all its various forms since we came back from our holiday, the sun shone most of the day and only the poor groundlings got soaked during a couple of sharp showers.

So, starting with Borough Market; we had fully intended to buy something delicious for lunch and find a bench along the river to enjoy a picnic of organic cheese, ham, tomatoes and so on. The reality was somewhat different as we found ourselves bamboozled by the choices on offer, couldn't make any decisions, didn't want to waste time standing in a queue and, more importantly, needed a loo. It was the combination of all these that found us sitting at a table inside 'The Real Greek", a stone's throw from The Globe itself. This is a great way to eat: choosing from a menu of cold and hot mezzes, you build the meal exactly as your fancy takes you and they serve it on tea-stands, plates towering on top of each other. Every mouthful was a treat and the atmosphere was lively, fun and bustly but not overwhelmingly loud or brash. 

Then, on to our seats (cushions and backs for hire - don't even think about saving money here, every penny spent is worth it ten times over!) A Midsummer Night's Dream - ah my first ever Shakespeare and probably still my greatest love. I have such good memories of a group of us at school in 1964 practising scenes from the play in the rose gardens. Sue, Claire, Katie, Barbara (lovers, fairies, lords and ladies) - I, as the show-off, was Puck and Jacki (the chronicler of our generation)  took photographs. I think there is still one in an old album somewhere. The Globe put on  a superb production, with just enough magic, mayhem, romance and the dark side to do the play absolute justice.

At five, we staggered out of the theatre, put our bones back to their original places, and called in at the Royal Society of Watercolourists and Printmakers gallery, near the Oxo Tower. A lovely exhibition and an opportunity to buy cute / witty / pretty cards for future occasions.

We met our friends along past the National, where a Lindy-Hop band was just setting up and had drinks and the best burger in town at Giraffe. After two hours, despite enjoying the company and the food, we decided it was time to head for home, both feeling we'd been battling with the wind and chill factor for long enough. We strolled along to Waterloo just as dusk approached and that's when we had the same idea at exactly the same moment - no queues at the Eye, let's  watch the sun go down from the most exciting view of London.

For the next half hour, we were spellbound as some of the most beautiful sites you could ever see in any city presented themselves, bathed in the last glowing, golden light of the day. We picked out Primrose Hill, which is where we normally would be looking out over London from the other direction and the Wembley arch, splendid in the distance, landmarks across the City and of course, the best view of the very best - Westminster and the Houses of Parliament.

I don't know if it's because we have been away or perhaps we're already getting caught up in London 2012 fever (god, I hope not - it's four years away for heaven's sake!) but we both fell in love with London all over again and felt lucky to be there and to be part of it all.

See you soon,

Angie

What's a holiday?

A colleague  asked me this a minute ago and, having been planning how to write a 'catch-up' blog about mine, I thought it was a good question to get started on.

This is what it was for me:

The basics

Sunshine most of the time

Access to fabulous swimming pools

Great accommodation (yes it pays to pay!)

The Company

Gorgeous husband

Delightful hosts, all French, all interesting

Occasional chats with strangers

The books

Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

The Road Home - Rose Tremain

Slam - NIck Hornby

Life Class - Pat Barker

The Places

Villeneve les Avignon - near it's bigger, brasher big sister with 'that bridge'!

Nissan - les - Enserunes - tired and sleepy village with charm and personality.

Uzes - ah, simply the best.

And just doing stuff because you feel like it; wondering around markets, mooching up and down cobbled streets, stopping for a coffee and making it last the morning because you can.

That was my holiday and I'm planning to do much the same next year because I cannot think of a better way to spend two weeks.

See you soon,

Angie

The Profit Motive

Wyckham Market is a beautiful Suffolk village - all sweet and nicely kept with a row of cute shops surrounding the tidy green and car park. One of these cute shops is called 'The Teapot Cafe" - aahh! It sells homemade scones, flapjacks, fruit cake, eclairs and a gorgeous lunchtime soup with warm rolls - yummmmm!

On the other side of the double-fronted building there is an antiques and collectibles shop and here you will find Wedgewood, Coalport, Mintons in abundance; fabulous sets of ancient dinner plates, tea services, silver condiment sets - oohhhh!

But in one corner lurks a disturbing and disgusting sight - a glass cabinet filled with Nazi regalia and memorabilia. I literally (and for the first time in my life, I think) actually  gasped  with horror when I saw it. I collected my thoughts, stilled my thumping heart and, politely, said to the elderly woman at the counter "What a shame that you are displaying these things." She looked at me blankly and said she wasn't the owner and, as luck would have it, the owner herself arrived at this very moment. So I said the same thing to her. She looked at me as if I had just arrived from the planet bonkers. Then she said "Well, it does sell very well, you see. It's very collectible."

I said "Hmm. So were various members of my family in the 1940s. They were so collectible that they were rounded up in the streets and from their homes and taken to concentration camps where most of them perished." She didn't say anything so I took one more stab at this and said that I would like her to remove them and stop selling them in her shop. She shrugged her shoulders.

I left then, feeling pathetic that I am not enough of an urban guerilla to go back with an axe and destroy the glass cabinet. Did I do enough? Probably not, but you know what? It ain't over yet - not by a long way.

Any ideas?

See you soon,

Angie

To blog or not to blog, that is the question

But what is the answer? It's been weeks since I had a minute to write and I have felt the gap but simply didn't have the time to do anything about it. Why? Because I am just emerging from planet 'working too hard' and am functioning on some very strange level of just about managing to remember to breathe in and breathe out again.

Not complaining - as a freelancer, there is nothing better than having a full diary but this time it seems that I have overdone it somewhat. So here is what I've been up to:

Delivering seminars and coaching for the wonderful clients who have asked me to work with them - you continue to inspire me every single day - thank you; visiting, talking to, texting and generally keeping in touch as much as possible with our dear dear friend Paul who has been battling the dreaded big C and is the bravest person I have ever met (apart from the gorgeous husband, of course); writing the materials for 100 Great Ideas and meeting with my business partner, Hannah, for this - it's an enormously exciting project and we are aiming for lift-off in November, but there is so much to do that I am thinking of putting my head firmly in the sand and keeping it there!

In the middle of all this, somehow, we managed three days in fabulous Aldeburgh, Suffolk. I love Brighton, almost more than anywhere in the world, but Aldeburgh certainly has a great deal to offer by comparison: cleaner, cheaper, nicer, friendlier - hmmm, we are certainly impressed.

Now there are two more 'delivery' days to go, then a weekend of admin, paper-work and some socialising. Then Monday - two meetings and Tuesday: haircut (essential), pedicure (why not?), invoicing (to keep the bank manager happy) and packing (well you have to, don't you?)

Montpelier, here we come

(or nous arrivons tout de suite!)

Will blog on return - take care everyone and may the sun keep shining.

Love,

Angie

Got the gym blues

When I was at school, the stern and terrifying Miss Lewis used to tell us that if we forgot to bring our white socks to gym lessons, we would never get to university. This is not at all representative of the school I attended, which was a centre of academic excellence, but rather a reflection on PE teachers of a certain generation! Anyway, she had a point because as a persistent white socks offender, I did not go to university, choosing instead the vagaries and roller-coaster ride of drama school.

I was thinking about this today as I struggled with the third set of chest press (weight set at a feeble 12 kilos) exercises and wondered "why do I put myself through this?" Yes, I do get myself down to the torture chamber at least twice weekly and, sometimes, three times - usually with gorgeous husband and sometimes on my own. He is fit as a fiddle and gives a hundred percent. I moan and groan and hurt myself, have dizzy spells and try to get away with just one less rep if I think nobody is watching. Then I come over all guilty and do four extra as penance. See? Feeble.

I like to think of myself as someone who takes on a challenge and sees it through and there is no doubt that exercise suits me, to a point. But I am simply not getting any better at this. Each week, I try stronger weights, more repetitions and give myself a jolly good talking to and each week I struggle just the same.

Meanwhile, the sun is shining and Brighton always comes into its own on sunny days so everyone is all cheery and friendly, happy to stop and chat, driving politely and generally demonstrating their best qualities. And I have finished the first draft of the Notting Hill Carnival skills audit - hooray! Now all I have to do is get their sign - off and then run the project, write up their report and Bob's your uncle. 

I came home from the party on Saturday night and stayed up to finish the book in which I have been engrossed  for the past few days, despite it being two in the morning, then got up full of beans to enjoy Sunday papers, visits, gardening and even a sneaky cleaning out of the fountain which has become a magnet for every woodlouse within a mile radius.

So I'll banish the gym blues, treat it as just something to get through every few days and continue with the things I know I do better.

See you soon,

Angie

Lunch and Learn and Giveaways

Yesterday I gave a talk to 40 women who all gave up their lunch hour to come to a 'lunch & learn' session in a slightly hot, slightly over-crowded, slightly under-aired room. They all work for a huge financial institution (yes, I do have some discretion and never never mention clients by name!) and I was so impressed by their attentiveness and energy for the event.

Got me thinking about how and why people want to learn. Having taught for years in schools where pupils are there under sufferance and would do anything to be able to absent themselves, it has been a joy these past 15 or so years to be working with people who positively embrace the learning scene.

I don't for one minute assume that everyone likes what I have to say at training events or that they agree with  my ideas but it's interesting to reflect on which occasions it seems to go down better than others.  I have to reach the conclusion that I always seem to click with people who have a real interest in getting on with their lives and careers, as opposed to seeing the days through and just getting by. I wasn't very proactive in advising my daughter as she was growing up but the one message I hope she got loud and clear was 'aim to do what you totally believe in and know you will continue to enjoy for a living'. I can't bear the thought of anyone having to drag themselves to work every day with no enthusiasm and joy for the job.

The people in the room yesterday ticked all those boxes and their energy was literally bursting out as they joined in with whacky activities, asked questions, laughed and filled the space with goodwill.

Now another great thing happened this week. As a member of an online forum where consultants, trainers, HR people and others swap information and post ideas or questions, I'd offered my ebook on Presentation Skills to anyone who was interested. I have had 50 responses! It makes me so happy to be able to do this and highlights one of the best aspects of the internet - that of being able to give stuff away at no cost to the sender but hopefully of benefit to the receiver. Makes me think there's hope for the world yet!

See you soon,

Angie

There and back

Today I met up with a colleague and friend who, like so many of my regular pals, gets me all buzzy and firing on 92 cylinders (that tells you how much I know about cylinders, I suppose). Anyway, we'd hardly been together for more than five minutes before there we were, planning al sorts of new ventures to work on over the next few weeks and months. I am so excited, I can't wait to get going.

But first, some thoughts on the weekend. The gorgeous husband and I had no plans on Friday or Saturday and I had done all the food shopping the day before so a glorious two days' worth of time stretched ahead of us. What did we do? We dug and weeded and cleared and planted and watered and tidied and shovelled. Then we groaned and moaned and ached and complained and creaked and croaked and (one of us) cried that our bones would never settle back to their old places. As a result, the garden looks absolutely fabulous and we don't.

On Sunday, we went to the wonderful neighbours for birthday bbq lunch. JD is French so you always know the food will be exquisite - how can that even apply to his bbqs? Anyway, we left four hours later, stuffed full of delicious things and blobbed on the sofa for a few hours with all the Sunday papers. I am a complete print junkie - always have been, always will be - so this was a heavenly end to the day and I even stopped whining about  my aches and pains for a bit.

Now, back to work - this week I'm going up to Birmingham again, to deliver a course to a favourite  client, but one that I haven't seen for a while. So some catching up and I'm starting to use the journey much better. I know so many landmarks these days and there's something soothing about knowing where you are as the train hurtles past certain places. On the way home,my thrill at seeing the new and magnificent Wembley arch never pales and after that the back of the Roundhouse tells me my parents are nearby and that I'm almost at Euston, which means only another ninety minutes to the sea-side and home!

Take care, see you soon,

Angie

Baubles, bangles and men with no tops

The road is full of vans full of men doing things to everyone's houses - everyone's but ours, that is. It happens every year; there must be a given signal that gets everybody on the phone at the very same minute to organise teams of builders, roofers, painters and decorators to arrive within twenty minutes of each other to clog up the road and get 'doing'.  I just went out to post a letter and counted: 6 vans, 2 skips, 1 'men at work sign', 152 men with no tops on basking in the sunshine (actually I don't mind that bit - they look cute).

Trouble is, when half the street ends up with gleaming new paintwork, it makes the other half look shabby and unloved so I definitely have a touch of "keeping under the Jones'" if that makes sense.

Meanwhile, what a wonderful time I had last Thursday in Birmingham, with my great pal Sue Froggatt. We meet up a few times a year and prove the theory that two minds are better than one in the bush or whatever. As always, we didn't stop talking until our throats were dry and there were no Strepsils left in the cupboard. We seem to bounce ideas off each other and both leave feeling energised, refreshed and raring to go. This time, however, there was an added bonus. Sue has been collecting beads and jewellery -making kit for some time now and her new 'thing' is to invite friends over for an afternoon of creativity (that's what she calls it - I call it playing). So she created and I played; honestly, it was like being 12 years old, let loose with a room full of treasure. 

Sue has always been one of  the warmest and cleverest people I know; now I have to add craftswoman to her list of attributes because I left with my own trinket box of delights. I even made a necklace and bracelet for the pregnant one (who has rediscovered her appetite and is now eating for England).

As if that wasn't enough, yesterday I had one of the best group sessions ever; just one of those days when they gelled, I felt totally motivated and fell in love with work all over again.

Came home and fell in love with the old man again too.

That's it for now - see ya,

Angie

Calm Before the Storm?

The desk is tidy; the papers are in neat piles, labled with where they are going and who they are for; the diary is up to date and my phone isn't stacked up with voicemail messages to reply to. Hmm, this is unusual. Don't get me wrong - I like to be tidy and organised but most of the time there's a little voice in my head reminding me that I haven't done something, called someone, gone somewhere and so on. Today, the voice is quiet and I actually have time to do that one thing I am always suggesting to clients - reflect.

There are three new projects about to take off and what better to do with this lovely quiet day but to just sit back and think it all through? I do this best by moving from my desk to a different part of the house - downstairs on the sofa works well because I can watch people walking up and down the road and It feels good to be connected to the outside world. (From my desk, I can only see the upstairs windows of other people's houses and there's nobody much around during the day up there!) I will make myself a good cup of coffee, gather up all my 'research' materials for the first project and open a new, lined, spiral-bound notepad. I already have a new pen - these are the things I need to concentrate and be creative.

There - now I've written about it, I want to get down there and do it so no more blogging for me today.

See you soon,

Angie

Tales from the Vienna Woods

I have just got back from five days 'en famille' in Vienna. I don't usually blog about personal experiences but this one was such a huge event that it seems churlish not to give it my full attention today and who better to share with than the people who care enough to read my occasional jottings?

The context: this year is the 60th anniversary of my parents' marriage and they still hold hands and adore each other. It is also both their 80th birthdays. My dad, therefore, put it to us months ago that he would like us all to join them in a favourite place for a weekend. Gorgeous husband and I decided to make more of it and arrived early to spend three days in Vienna with them as well - the others all came out on Saturday by which time we were along the Danube in a beautiful 'Scloss Hotel' in a medieval village called Durnstein.

It has been one of the best holidays ever because:

Vienna is the most beautiful city - amazing architecture, fabulous boulevards, elegant and wonderful places to eat and all so easy to manage. Charming people everywhere and the best galleries and museums. Can you tell that I loved it? Best of all was being guided by my dad - Vienna is where he was born and although he left as a young boy, it has always remained a place he feels very close to. He knows every nook and cranny, tells wonderful stories about his childhood and took us to the best Hungarian restaurant in the world, outside Budapest.

On Saturday, we packed up and moved on to the beautiful village, beautiful hotel, beautiful spa and the others joined us for the weekend. It's been a while since we were all (eleven of us) together like this and, despite some serious concerns and anxieties beforehand, it worked a treat. We swam, played games, walked in the village, ate too much, drank too much and talked and talked and talked. We had prepared a presentation dvd for the parents, with a lifetime's photographs and Mozart soundtrack - they were knocked out.

Then, the icing on the cake - my beautiful, wonderful and brilliant daughter announced that the next generation is on the way! (I've known for weeks but have been sworn to secrecy until her 12-week scan )

So it has been an emotional and amazing time with a few tears (very hard to see my parents clearly saying goodbye to many of their old haunts)  but mostly laughs. My favourite moment?

Looking at a Rubens painting in the fine arts museum and my mother saying: "I must be the luckiest person in the world; twice over lucky because I get to see these fabulous paintings and I appreciate seeing them so much.

Ditto.

Bye for now.

Angie

Festival Time / Art, Culture and Friends

The last two weeks have been so sociable that I feel as though a) my feet have hardly touched the ground and b) I've talked my lips off. The gorgeous husband and I have been to 3 parties, the first beach BBQ of the year, a superb play written by a seriously brilliant young man (look out for Michael Flexer in the future) and a dozen artists' open houses because, of course, it's the Brighton Festival. We have also drunk too much tea and eaten too many cakes in the beautiful gardens displaying sculpture and, well, cake!

There is something so fab about walking around  the town, looking at exhibitions and coming across friends on almost every street corner. As always, we have bought a couple of pieces from favourite artists and the new painting looks just amazing on the wall. The whole event suits Brighton perfectly; it's just whacky enough so that you never know quite what's going to happen  but at the same time, so safe that it makes the whole thing a doddle. 

So all this and two amazing new clients - YMCA and Notting HIll Carnival, I can't wait to start working with you lovely people. Let's get the planning over with and get stuck in.

Watch this space for exciting developments with these and lots of other new stuff.

See you soon,

Angie

Endings and beginnings (and a train journey)

Realised I haven't blogged for a while - that's because I've been working away in Birmingham on  the hottest days of the year so far! It really makes me appreciate living by the sea. Don't get me wrong, I'm not putting Birmingham down - it's a great place, very vibrant and has a buzz about it. But you can't beat sea breeze and the opportunity to go down to the beach when it's five minutes from your doorstep!

So to endings; last week I finished coaching two clients and it got me thinking about the process all over again. Out of everything I do, the 1-1 stuff is often  the most exhausting, unpredictable, exciting and rewarding work. These guys were amazing and I bet they don't know that I learned as much from them as they did from me. It's hard to say good-bye to them but at the same time, great that they have moved on. 

And beginnings -last week, four delegates didn't turn up for a course so I had the day with just two charming chaps; we worked our socks off and explored everything about their attitudes towards being assertive and communicating to sound 'as though they mean it'. I think we will see more of these two on other trainings and I'm looking forward to that.

I promised myself ages ago that I would never turn into a blogger who harps on about trains and difficult journeys, and I won't. BUT this was a cracker! From Euston to Birmingham takes an hour and a half and it's always a very busy train, no matter what time you pick to travel. So when one train is cancelled, you can imagine the impact on the next one. A million people cramped into not enough space on a very hot day is potentially a recipe for disaster. How interesting that, just as we are always being told, the whole community in adverse situations thing kicked in straight away and there we all were, chatting, swapping stories, buying each other cups of tea and generally being best friends by the end of the journey.

Every cloud, eh?

Bye for now.

Growing old is inevitable but growing up is a matter of choice

This was on the front of a birthday card I got this morning and it got me wondering about the growing up thing.

Birthdays - why do they always make us take stock, look back, wonder 'what if' and so on? Well not this year. This time, I'm only looking forward.

This is what I'm planning:

More great work with existing and new clients.

Develop the 'impact' seminars to take place in 6 UK locations.

Take the plunge with another large tender.

Write blog regularly.

Eat more green vegetables.

Buy (and then remember to use) very expensive face care products

Maintain gym attendance.

Get gorgeous husband to agree New York trip.

Catch up with at least one old friend a month.

Yes, it's my birthday today and I'm feeling great so here's to the next twelve months - bring it on!

Audit / Edit / Analysis / Diagnosis / Knowledge / Skills

I have been thinking about these words for days and they keep buzzing round and round in my head. The starting point was being invited to prepare a skills audit for a new client. Now I just love the opportunity to get stuck in to a project like this. It's a process of creativity - designing, questioning, collecting, collating  and so on and I like  that sort of thing.

It's made me consider: what do we really know? What do we just think we know but others would disagree? What would we like others to think we know? I was working with a client using Johari's window the other day to highlight some of these areas so you can see the way I'm thinking these days!

  So here's a list of things that I think I know:

Our relationships with others provides the backdrop to all our well-being.

Not everything can be mended but most things can be made better.

Most people benefit from some sort of structure to their lives and setting achievable goals.

And in the words of the great philosopher,Sir Mick Jagger - you can't always get what you want.

Now how is this going to frame my thinking around a skills audit? Well, I believe in asking unconventional questions in order to get people going and have decided to brainstorm a few ideas before setting out any formal questionnaire. That should get the creative juices flowing, eh?

Back soon,

Angie

Websites, work and woes!

What a week! A new website - thanks Josh and Patrick for everything - all the usual teething troubles and I have discovered (again) that patience is certainly not one of my virtues. So I would like to say sorry to anybody who caught me in a bad moment this week. Especially sorry to my best friend, Sue because I took it all out on her doorbell yesterday!

But it's also been a week for two amazing experiences. A team away-day with four people who genuinely wanted to explore how they communicate with each other. Boy did they take some risks! It was a real joy to work with them and watch the morning unfold.

From there, on to the finals of the Sussex Young Enterprise competition, held at Roedean( simply gorgeous, my dears). These 8 groups of talented and brilliant young people spent an evening with me in February, going through the basics of presenting with impact. This year, I was one of the judges and it was very satisfying to see how many of them had taken the advice on board. It was wonderful to see them describe their fledgling companies and their enthusiasm was infectious. I didn't really want to pick a winner but one group stood out from the rest and so they won the trophy. I'm glad I was involved and wish them every success for the future.

Have a great weekend.

Angie

The Tender Trap

It's finished! One million hours and forty headaches and goodness knows how many hearts in mouth later - THE TENDER (what's been taking up every minute of my living day for the past three weeks)  is finished!!! Hooray! I am ready to unpack the street party bunting in celebration, regardless of whether we get the contract or not.

Has it been agony? Yup. Have I lost sleep over it? Yup. Has it been worthwhile? Oh yes (oh no, that sounds like that awful insurance doggie thing on tv doesn't it?)

Let me explain: the thing is, it's been a while since I challenged myself to seriously pick over the whole operation and despite the slog, it has been fascinating to see how things have changed over the years since I last produced a comprehensive portfolio.

Result? It's good, thorough and definitely something I am proud of.

Enough blowing of own trumpet and must mention Gorgeous Husband for putting the whole thing together so that it is a thing of beauty.

But I wouldn't want anyone to think I don't have a life apart from work so here's the lowdown on this weekend:

Friday lunch at Skylon - very plush and very  naughty on the diet / healthy eating front.

Saturday Gym (to make up for Friday's lunch) just me with the trainer, therefore still aching all over.

Saturday evening over to friends and out for more diet-busting activity.

Sunday phone calls, coffee with pals, walk on sea front and of course: finishing The Tender.

Now it's Sunday evening - I must have earned a couple of hours in front of telly with Foyle's War, don't you think?

More soon.....

Angie 

Drowning in paper

No blog for a few days because I am drowning in paper - well not so much paper as computer screen. The tender is coming together but it has taken something like 50 hours to collect everything, check it through, write my own bits and then pass it to gorgeous husband who is now making it look quite beautiful by designing the whole document and producing it on fine paper.

Meantime, three visits to the gym; two hot dinners; 10 plates of salad; five phone calls to friends to prove I am still a human being; one trip to visit best friend's mother and one Lovefilm movie but don't ask me what it was.

So life sort of goes on but I'll be glad to get back to doing delivering and less admin.

And, crumbs! It's end of year returns and all that as well.

Today was a joy - 16 people in the training room and all up for trying out new ideas, thinking outside the box and being great fun. Sometimes I can't believe I get paid to do this!

See you soon,

Angie.

A bright spark

Last week I had a fantastic experience so here I am blogging about it.

I have been coaching a young male client who has made a fantastic success out of his career in the finance sector. The papers have been full of the current financial crisis  and I was interested to know how he felt about this, his future, our future (ok, I admit -  in particular did he think the value of my house will come tumbling down and I will have to live in a one-bedroomed hovel in my old age?) and I found his thoughts on all of this refreshing and inspiring.

In a nutshell, he said:

Some of us have mad a lot of money in the past five years so we should stop bleating and whining about a slow-down in the housing market.

All of us have spent money as if it was going out of fashion

Yes, we may all be doing 40% less business over the next two years, compared with the last five, but it's 40% of an awful lot.

There are other things to do than getting preoccupied with how much money we

 have / make / lose etc.

I was knocked out by his approach and hope he spreads the message around a bit.

Meantime, I have been glued to my computer for three days, working on the tender. Thank goodness for the gym - which is where I'm off to right now.

More soon.

Angie

One Step Backwards

I'm so new to this blogging that I realised I didn't really do a good intro yesterday.

So here is what I'd want you to know about me:

I am female in my 50s (well you didn't really think I'd say exactly how far into my 50s, did 

you?)

I have one gorgeous husband, one beautiful and clever and wonderful grown-up daughter, 2 siblings (one of each kind) who are probably better to me than I deserve and, amazingly, 2 aged but extremely interesting parents - still alive.

I have the best girlfriends ever (some great guys as friends too) who keep me sane and I hope I reciprocate.

I live in Brighton which is a pretty cool place provided you can avoid a) the traffic, b) the hen parties and c) the dog mess. The sun definitely shines more here than most other parts of the UK and there is not a single day in the year when you won't come across someone wearing shorts. I love it.

I work like a thing posessed; writing and delivering training courses, consultancy, coaching - I never want to retire.

Gorgeous husband is a graphic designer and we share an office with never a cross word.

Ok that's it for now - see you soon.

It snowed in April

It snowed for hours yesterday and all the kids in our street came out to play snowball-fighting. One brave and energetic dad joined them and he was the only one really having fun because the poor little ones had no idea what to do, given there were no buttons to press or noises that went 'bleep'.

We went to see some friends who had taken photos in the park - could have been anywhere in Switzerland or Austria, but without the mountains.

All this provided fantastic displacement activity from what I was supposed to be doing, which is preparing a  tender for a piece of work that would be both interesting and lucrative.

Let me introduce myself, then: Angie Konrad, training consultant. My company, Voicewaves, provides training in all areas of personal development, focusing especially on vocal skills. I love it - I love everything about my work, even the bits that give me sleepless nights. And there are plenty of those!

New to blogging but am going to give it a go. Maybe I can even find out how to put my photo on this page?

See you soon.

Angie