Posting on a Tuesday, retroactively, for last week. I was away at the Eisteddfod at the weekend, and it was great and fun and tiring. I wanted to wait till I’d come back before weeknoting, but I didn’t have the beans to turn on the computer upon returning home on Sunday evening. And it took me all of Monday to recover from the excitement!
At work last week:
- More reflection sessions for the schools programme evaluation.
- Background reading for the EDI strategic session development.
Deliverables last week:
- None actually, just projects in progress, and some development of new stuff (below).
- No reading post again, because of being away over the weekend. I will get back to it this week.
Development last week:
- Chats with new people on the same wavelength as me, met through the Relationships Project and the Decelerator events – always nice to connect with like-minded people, and thinking out loud about our work always moves my thinking forward.
- Contributing to some team thinking at the Co-production Lab, considering a tender response we might put in. It’s nice to be part of a team of freelance associates, the best of both worlds, really: flexibility and freedom, along with collaboration.
- Thinking and development and mapping meeting with the lead guest lecturer, about a session I will be supporting in September – about complexity, my favourite! – at Black Mountains College.
- At the Eisteddfod over the weekend, some great connections and chats with facilitators and peace builders, and reconnection and chats with lovely people I’ve worked with in the past. More notes below.
- I’ve had an Idea for a Thing. I want to jump in and Make It Already but I should really wait till I’ve run it past a couple of people, which is planned and is happening next week. I can do some background research and a bit of drafting though. I also should really be focusing on Work In Progress! Going to set myself a timer so I don’t fall too far down the rabbit hole. 😀
At home:
- Read Any Human Power by Manda Scott. I forget where I heard about it but maybe it was recommended in the Our House newsletter… Anyway YES it’s a hopeful, powerful, wonderful book about humans making positive changes in the face of /waves arms/ All The Stuff that’s going on right now. The main character dies in the first chapter (sorry, small spoiler, it won’t matter) but narrates everything her amazing family works on and goes through. It’s heartbreaking in places AND hopeful in equal measure. Better is possible. More of these narratives of possibility, please.
- Started Drystone: A Life Rebuilt by Kristie De Garis, who I follow on the socials. It’s her first novel and it’s lovely to be a tiny part of celebrating this momentous event via the ether of digital connections. Only a few chapters in so far, but enjoying her writing. It’s not a how-to book about drystone walling, btw.
- I bought a (ver’ expensive) suit. It’s nominally to wear to my friend’s wedding (the colour scheme was very specific) but given the price tag it will also be The Suit for every formal work and non-work do until the end of time. It’s a nice shade of dark bluey-green, so look out for it if we happen to be at the same events, and please make sure you comment on it.
At the Eisteddfod:
- Missed a couple of talks I had made a note to attend, because of Reasons. Went to some other stuff that I’d planned to see, which was Good. Wandered around all the stands a few times, there were loads.
- Stopped at Shelter Cymru (my friend Lauren wasn’t here but I had a nice chat to her colleagues).
- Dropped by University of Wales Trinity St David because they have an MA in Peace Studies which I have been aware of for a little while. I’m not sure doing an MA is for me (both academically and financially) but I’m seeking out other practitioners in this field of dialogue, conflict resolution, relationships building / repairing. Perhaps a chat with the tutors will be helpul.
- Stopped at Yes Cymru and resumed my membership, which I had allowed to lapse when things in the leadership team went a bit complicated a few years back. They seem to have sorted all of that out now. Had a good chat there in English AND even in Welsh a bit, thanks to a very cheerful and encouraging Rob.
- Chatted to a facilitator and engagement officer at Natural Resources Wales – we commiserated about and celebrated the same highs and lows of facilitation and engagement. ALSO, I found out that apparently a project I was consultant on won an engagement award. I looked it up and it really did! I helped with that! >proud<
- Spent lots of time at the Llais y Goedwig stand (the voice of community woodlands in Wales) and hung out with lovely Liz who I worked with yeaaaaaars ago on a co-production workshop which we both still talk about 🙂
- Said hi at the National Library of Wales and thanks for including such a lovely note when I ordered my Welsh coursebook.
- Dysgu Cymraeg (Learn Welsh) tutors were super helpful when I was lost and figuring out the site map in Welsh, with too little network coverage for my translation apps to be of any use. And I got a neat little “Dysgu Cymraeg” pin I am extremely pleased with. And a pen.
- Said hi at Wrecsam City of Culture 2029 (I filled in a postcard for their wall of pegs and took one away to send to my godchild).
- Met the Brymbo fossilised forest people, and discovered the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a canal bridge!! I thought it was ‘just’ a spectacular feat of water engineering but ALSO you can take a boat on it all the way up high. (On my list of places to go!)
- Stopped by the Senedd and had the new constituencies explained to me in advance of next year’s elections.
- Saw a bunch of skull reproductions (you had to guess what the animals were) at the Bangor University stand, on loan from the Bangor Natural History Museum, and that’s another place that needs to go on my list to visit, because Natural History of course and also because it’s housed in an awesome 1960s brutalist building. (Btw I guessed them all pretty right. I said turtle instead of tortoise but otherwise I got gorilla, wolf, platypus, leopard, and penguin, and pointed out the leopard and wolf ones had been swapped vs their info / clues sheets. I saw a koala skull reproduction and I did NOT expect it to have the 2+2 front teeth like rodents, that really threw me! The biologist in me feels smug though.)
- Bumped into Mike (colleague and friend of old from the Co-production Lab) and attended the official art tent opening with him and his group of very arty friends. Made friends with Jane and Bev, who I will wave at next time I’m in Wrexham and see if I can catch them for a coffee. (Conveniently, Jane runs a coffee shop!)
- Bev introduced me to the Babbell Heddiwch (the Peace Tent) which she was involved with, and which gathered together several groups and organisations working for peace and reconciliation. Had a good chat with Cymdeithas y Cymod (the Reconciliation Society) and we may talk some more in the coming weeks.
