May 8, 2009

I hope you've had a good week- I for one am glad it's Friday. :) It's been a whirlwind for me of networking events, working at Anglesey Abbey, cahats, 1 to 1 meetings, and all sorts of crazy things. The first week of every month tends to be like this because so many networking groups meet the first week of the month. I'm enjoying the various groups, and meeting lots of interesting people, and making good business contacts. My card box has long ago overflowed though and now I'm needing to invest in some contact management software! :)

My connection with Anglesey Abbey has truly been Gd's hand at work. They are really in need of someone to help them to grow their program for groups that come out to do work at the grounds there, and also doing flyers and leaflets, and some admin sorts of things. These 2 guys who run the program, the head gardener and the community warden, are barely keeping their heads above water with everything that they have going on. They are massively understaffed for this project- the idea for these groups coming out is in fact the head gardener's idea, it's his baby, and it's a pilot project for the entire National Trust. If it goes well here at Anglesey, it will likely be introduced at other locations. So they are keen for it to go well, but like many projects of this sort they are so busy doing it that they don't have time really to take care of everything that comes along with it. So I may be in danger of growing a big head- they are so very grateful to have me and are constantly impressed that I have such a diverse skillset, which of course isn't good for my ego really. :) This is a strange request, but Pr that I would stay humble in the face of constant praise from them and that I would be habitually giving that glory back to JC who created me and fashioned me to be who I am for His glory and not for mine.

We found out this week that the end of our road is a hotbed of criminal activity. :) No kidding- drug dealing, prostitution, people having sex on the street, and all sorts of other unpleasant things are going on not even 500 yards from our front door. We had no idea when we moved here! It's a pleasant street, but the main road that we connect to is quite bad. Pr for us 3 (me, G, and Z) to be streetwise. It's nowhere near as bad as Detroit or Flint, but knifings are a problem in the UK and we want to steer clear of all shady activity.

For those of you who have been pring with me about forming relationships in the camera club- rejoice! Last night I saw some fruit from my labor (or labour :D ) at the meeting. Well after the meeting really- there were a group of about 5 of us who stood out by our cars chatting for almost 20 minutes, in the rain even. We had some good conversation, and I'm excited about being an ad hoc member of the committee next year. I don't have any official responsibilities but I'll be picking up random bits here and there that the committee members are just too busy to do. But I did feel really good that my 8 months of work is showing fruit, and I learned a great deal about perseverance from it. Our season ends in 2 weeks, which will leave my Thursday evenings free until September. Every club is quite serious here- they always have an AGM (annual general meeting) and our is next week. It's the time when everyone complains, so pr for a peaceful meeting. The week after that is the Annual Dinner, where I'm hoping to introduce G to the core members so he can get to know them a bit. It's always awkward being a woman in so many male dominated fields, so I try to work G in wherever possible. :)

G's relationships at work are going well- his new office has a pool table, and the guys all like to play, so he's been reading up on how to play and using that as a means to chat with the guys and build relationships with them. His work is going smoothly, and we are daily grateful for his job that allows us to reach the international community here! I forget if I mentioned that his job may be sending him to Shanghai for a conference- if that happens I will definitely go along and make a holiday of it as the flights are so cheap from London to Shanghai and we have a million friends there that we could stay with. It looks like we're going to have a bit of travel this year between our 3 weeks in the US, G's cousin getting married in Germany in October, and this potential trip in November. Whew. :)

Ever ridden sidesaddle on the back of a 4 Wheeler? Well I did this week- it's good fun. Sidesaddle is actually more comfortable, safer, and more modest (as I learned in Cambodia when I rode a moped taxi 45min to school every morning.) But don't worry, if I end up riding it more I'll get a helmet to keep my head safe in case I fall off. :) We don't go very fast but Safety First is definitely my motto, and you only get one brain you know. :)

We've had some progress on the phone line issue- they came out to put a new line in, and it turns out that the old phone jack was actually still there- it was like a tiny hole in the wall just underneath a windowsill which was hidden by curtains! We searched everywhere for that thing! Anyway they moved the jack for us, but now we have to wait 2 weeks because when we told them there wasn't a line they switched our service to a new line number, and now they have to switch it back. Ah the joys of living overseas. :)