Ch-ch-changes

I am one who is averse to change...yet I seem to encounter it at every turn. Obviously, life can never be static and the natural changes which occur have to be accepted and assimilated. I tend to be one of those people who affects change uneasily, but looks back to what went before. I love nostalgia and wallow in the past-I am sure I do this idealistically-I doubt that the past has the rosy glow I endow it with. In saying that, however, I do think there are elements that we could learn from-certainly, my childhood seemed simple and innocent-I think my first book echoes this, as the children in it have the freedoms which I so enjoyed...maybe more than 21st century kids experience. Childhood disappears so quickly, vital and exciting one moment and fading to a sunset memory the next. 

I watched a neighbour's child playing in the street with her friends today. I felt a tear prickle the back of my eye as I recalled how recently my own daughter played in the same street with hers. She goes off to Leeds University soon and has long cast aside youthful games...but how quickly that seems to have happened! I know I should not mourn her growing up-especially as I am lucky to have a grandson to fill those childish footprint; but its hard not to...you blink and your own youth has vanished, sad but true! Perhaps that's why I have preserved childhood in my book so carefully..I can at least leaf back through the story and replay it all.

Business is moving forward-we are picking up lots of Teaching Assistant students and should be very busy indeed. New Horizons Education Ltd are establishing well at the moment-I am looking forward to getting down to some work next week.

News on the Furness Abbey Fellowship front-our account has £120 plus and we have some extremely exciting plans ahead. We had an entirely successful meeting with Clea Warner from English Heritage last week and I am excited about the future prospects.

On the book front-Guy the Grumpy Gargoyle is progressing well-lots of people buying it and asking about it. Raven's Hoard is due on 1 November and I have approved the lovely book cover. Final proof reading is complete-hopefully no errors have slipped through this time! Just a matter of publicity and marketing now! I find this problematic as I feel its such a huge job and I am not sure how successful I am at it. I hope I can get a bit done in the next weeks and reach a wider audience. I still need more reviews and Facebook page likes...and retweets. A couple of famous recommendations wouldn't go amiss either! Any suggestions or assistance would be welcomed! And then...on with next book-Cistercian conspiracy!

Empty nest syndrome

Family is everything to me, as anyone who knows me will realise. However, I am also not what you would call an earth mother either-I regularly burn meals, send out for take out, don't listen hard enough, don't iron, shout a lot, get easily distracted...etc! Nevertheless, I do hope I am a loving mum and gran and generally a caring person-the jury is out I guess? So, it is very odd that I have experienced a chasm of emotion and uncertainty today-my youngest is away on holiday. It suddenly struck me that this was a dry run for September when she will be gone...to University if all goes to plan. Well, we plugged the gap momentarily as we were babysitting our almost 3 year old grandson...but then his parents came and there we were...the two of us...for what seemed like the first time for 30 years...childless!


The times I have bewailed the lack of spare time. How often have I thought-we should spend time together...? What could I do with a free Sunday? Well...nothing! Absolutely zilch achieved! Not a job done, no outstanding issues solved, no DIY, no gardening...no walk in the country, no trip to the pub! Instead lassitude and fecklessness and silence! Just shows, what you can't have you will always desire, what you do have you always take for granted and what you want is always the opposite to what you have! What perverse beings we humans are...or is that just me?

Family-what its all about!

However, I WILL BE BUSY AGAIN TOMORROW-interviewing students for the new courses and our new company. A bit of social walking planned for Tuesday-weather permitting and on Wednesday North Lonsdale Show. I am looking forward to this-not least because there will be the chance to sell books-including Guy the Grumpy Gargoyle-of which I now have advanced copies; but also its the chance to meet people and chat. I love it-and I have to admit I meet people who are SO interesting that their caricature may well appear in my future books. People watching-I love it!

It's a mad world...

Having had a birthday this week I am feeling very sage and wise...and I am the proud owner of a new ipad as well, so I also feel quite cool as this is a fairly up to date bit of kit! It certainly upset a few of the younger family members that I have one. 


For information, I have left Bluebirds Study Centre@ Barrow AFC and my colleague and I have set up our own company-New Horizons Education Ltd. We will be fully operative in September and are interviewing STLiS students now. We are both excited at the prospect and will be looking to develop our services to include children as well as adults. It seems a risk in the current climate, but quite frankly it will be great to be in charge of our own destiny and be able to create a service which has our own stamp on it. Watch this space...any interested parties can contact us via the facebook page or our email-gill.jepson@newhorizons-ltd.co.uk. We will be an accredited City and Guilds provider and will be in partnership with Cumbria Adult Education.


Well what on earth is happening to the Olympic debacle? It seems to me that the most obvious choice of personnel for security would have been the police and the army. However, the geniuses at the top subbed it out to G4S...and now its all gone pear shaped! What a surprise! Why employ amateurs to do a professional's job? Disgraceful! You tend to reap what you sow sometimes and the government have certainly done that! Now the armed services and police will have to step up to the mark yet again...despite already being demoralised and marginalised by cut backs and redundancies. Will they get any thanks? Doubtful! As usual they will be taken for granted and only the deficits and mistakes which are probably inevitable with so little time to plan and arrange strategy will be highlighted! What a mad world! Hopefully, this rush to fill the void will not result in gaps and opportunities for those intent on evil doings during the games. Good luck to all those police and servicemen who will be so heavily relied upon...and thank you.