Posted on Sun, Nov 15, 2009
What a week....
It hasn't been the easiest for me, I have had a very busy time with all sorts of things happening in both my personal and work life, and it felt a bit like I was getting swallowed up by it all. I think I'm getting over it all now but it was an unsettling week.
For starters, I was ill with this 'man flu' that has been spreading like wildfire through the college, it's a hard position to get into because I have things that I have to do every day, so it's not so easy just to take a couple of days off to rest.
Then the planners come back with all sorts of problems with the application I sent in two weeks ago, and after more work and research i pointed out that it was actually their mistake. This again is stressful and frustrating, they are a very strong group of people and the only ones that can say yes to our greenhouse application, so you always need to be very patient and polite even if you know they are wrong.
There was also a theft in the garden, in which a number of my personal belongings were stolen, a most unfortunate incident in which someone happened to pass by the storage container when I wasn't around for a short time and had a 'field day' with the stuff in there.
And the last thing was the winds on Saturday took the roof off the new lean-to which we'd built this week.
So, how does one react to all of these situations? It just seems to be making me stronger in the will and determination realm. I'm still here and can fix the roof, and buy new things if I want to.
I had a great conversation with Richard Evans over the weekend and we were talking about instinct and gut feelings, I had the sense a few times this week that some things weren't right, but I didn't act on these, and as a result, I have in a way, paid the price. This is fine, it's a lesson (or several) learned and I just need to make sure I put it into practice; and act on these 'feelings' when I get them.
As for the theft, I was put in a position of distrust and a lack of confidence in people for a time, but then when the roof came off and was stuck in a tree, I had no choice but to ask for help... and it came, in the form of a great bunch of agriculture students, more than happy to come and aid me on a damp but sunny Sunday morning. They all stayed there until we had sorted the mess out and tidied the area up, full of ideas and were all very willing to get stuck in and use their initiative. For me this is just beautiful - life the way it should be, it's reminded me how things can be and usually are. Sometimes bad things happen and they often overshadow the positives - the key is to stay strong and just carry on, otherwise they'll get to you. And to top it all off, when we were done in the garden today (Sunday) we all went back up to the student accommodation and had fresh homemade croissants for brunch - what a delight... my faith restored and tummy filled, I'm back and ready to build a new shed, stronger and better than the last one (even if the tin is a bit bent), knowing where the weak spots are and what to do to make it more sturdy for the next storm....
Good old Emerson College, always full of surprises and challenges... and if you see them through, you're sure to come out better for it.
Posted on Wed, Oct 28, 2009
It's a massive day for me tomorrow, it's half term and just at the same time I get contacted and told that the John Deere tractor I put a deposit on in Bristol is ready to be viewed with the stone burier... It's the first time I've bought such a thing and I really excited. It's still not going to be a done deal until tomorrow but either way it's a big step in the right direction. I bought all the materials today to build a lean to on the lorry body which will provide the shelter needed for the tractor if/when it arrives.
This week has been, I feel, quite a progressive and rewarding week. I produced a little leaflet for the dinning rooms earlier under the advice of Andrew Edmond (one of the current Directors) at the college. It's illustrated and contains some text from me about the my pick of the week vegetables, and Cilla has added a recipe for the back page so the students can cook some of what she is making at home... Next time we'll put a beetroot and chocolate recipe in there, very nice :o)
The first group of 1st year Biodynamic course students will be moving on after next week, it's been great having such a nice and willing group to work with to start so the others have something to live up to.. . . . . I'm hoping that we can do some fun stuff next week as a large group like coppice and pruning work. Cilla has also suggested that we can peel and core apples for her, as these jobs take a long time and it'll mean we get more apple crumbles, a good way to persuade anyone. It is hard however to organize these groups of students, this one is 6 and has a range of abilities and experiences, so finding the right people for the right job sometimes a challenge as you never want to send the same people to do the same sorts of things everyday. Hopefully working on the fruit bushes and in the woods will create more of a learning opportunity for everyone.