Sharing My Knowledge

 

I've always been happy to share my knowledge with others.

Last year I joined my local Arts & Craft Society and as I started to get to know people I realised that a lot of members have or want websites, but aren't sure how to make the most of them.

In my day job I work as a user experience researcher, talking to customers and watching as they use websites, so I've got a fair idea of what people are looking for when they visit a site. 

So when the first request came through for members to write content for the newsletter I wrote a piece about things to remember when adding content to your site.  Namely - tell a story so people can understand the artist behind the work and can see it's value.   (" but I can get it half that price on Temu!")

Then just before Christmas I got asked if I would come to one of their demonstration nights, and while the others who got asked were asked to give short demonstrations of how they create their art, I got asked to be there to answer peoples questions about their websites.

I said yes, which is how I was sitting in a community hall one evening this week hoping that someone would come and talk to me.  

 

I wasn't as busy as some of the other tables - how could I compete with lino printing, fusing glass or weaving, however I did have people come and talk to me, and I think we had some useful conversations.

Examples... One chap asked if he needed a website, but when we talked about what he needed it sounded like his LinkedIn profile would work fine, if he updated it.

 One ladies website had some amazing art on it, but none of the stories of her art were on the same page as the art.  I reminded her that you never know how someone got to the page so you can't assume they have read everything on your home page.

And one ladies showed me her site and after looking round we agreed that her navigation needed amending to help people find what they were looking for.

I loved these conversations and I hope it helps these artists to get their work out there and make the sales they need.  Got a question, feel free to ask, just don't ask me to build a site for you!

Route Marshal

 

 

Today my name is Marshal.  My hands are sore from clapping, my voice hoarse from shouting.

I have just made sure that hundreds of runners have made it round a left hand turn a couple of miles from the finish of The Soloman Serpent Trail race.  A race with 4 different distances: 10K, 20K, 50K and 100K which meant I was looking after that left hand turn for nearly seven hours.

I arrived at my post at 12:20 to find the first runner from the 50K group had just been through.  The second came through minutes later.  From then until 3pm it was a constant stream of runners.  Some looking in better shape than others.

 

At about 2.30 the 10K racers came haring through, a very different type of race from everyone else.

At 3pm things slowed down.  Then, at about 4pm, the first 100K runner came through.  From then on it was loan runners.  Either 100K runners near the front of the pack, still running and looking good.  Or the tail end of the 50K pack, reduced to walking, but still going to finish.

I cheered each and everyone on and told them the two most important things possible.  1. turn left here. And 2. You've got this, only a couple of miles to go. 

At the end of 2020, my plan had been to run the 50k race.  And I still hope to.  But while I build up my running again, the next best thing than racing is supporting other runners to race.

I hope my cheering made a difference, and I hope they are all proud of what they achived.  This was no mean feat.

Purly Paw Print Patchwork Blanket

Ages ago when I didn't have a dog and I was just learning how to knit I came across a pattern for a blanket made of squares for the dogs at Battersea Dogs Home.  A good project I through to practice on and the sort of thing I could take with me when visiting family which would keep my fingers busy but wouldn't need too much thought. 
So I got started, but soon other things cropped up and it got forgotten at the bottom of my knitting bag.  
Trello changed this!  As I went through all the links and printed patterns I have, I came across this one.  As I looked through it to see where I was at I realised I was about half way through.  Suddenly I had a record of where I was.

Even though I had bigger and better project on my list I needed to finish this one - I couldn't let it sit there half finished.  So when I ran out of wool on the project I was working on I got cracking on these little squares.  And now its finished and ticked off my list.
To be honest it's not a very big blanket so I can only assume Battersea have some tiny dogs.  I'll be sending if off to them in the next week or so and hope they find it useful.

Giving blood

When I was 10 I ended up in hospital after an accident with some hot water.
At the time there was talk of me needing a blood transfusion, but in the end I thankfully didn’t need it.  However once I’d recovered a bit and finally understood just how ill I’d been I vowed that once I was old enough I would donate blood.  I think as a 10 year old that was all I could think of to repay the services of the staff who had looked after me for a month or so. (The running/walking/skipping long distances for sponsorship thing didn’t seem so prevalent in 1991.)

In 1998, when the National Blood Service turned up at my school and gave a talk to the 6th Form about giving blood, I realised I was now just about old enough to, at last, donate. There was a session in town the very next day and off I went to give my first ‘pint’.

And I’ve kept going back.  I don’t particularly like the bit with the needle, but knowing that blood was there if I needed it all those years ago, and wanting to make sure there is still blood there if anyone else needs it, keep me going.  That and the free biscuits.

And so this summer I hit 50 donations.  That’s a lot of blood. My only wish is that it has all gone to help people who have needed it and it has improved their lives.  For such a simple thing, just an hour of my time, it has such a big impact.

I’ll keep going, maybe you’d like to join me?  And maybe I can get to 100 before I have to stop.

August writers group

So after nearly 6 years running the writers group today was my last meeting.  (more on why next week.)
It's been a real privilege to run the group and I have been constantly amazed at the quality of the writing the members produce.  It's a lovely group and I am sad to be leaving.  Everyone is always so nice about each others writing, but don't think for a moment that we don't critique each others writing; That is after all half the point of the group.
It's been a bit of a struggle to fine someone to take on the group, but I think we're there now so hopefully the group will continue, although I'm sure that it will change too.

So here is the last homework that I will set.  I'm sorry I'll miss hearing what they come up with, I know it'll be nothing like what I could come up with myself.

Homework: Use this as the title of your story or poem: Mystery at the University of Surrey. 

Race For Life

On my medal hanger I have 8 medals.  I've worked hard to earn them; got up early to train and changed my diet to make me faster.  But if it hadn't been for the guys behind the scenes the races would never have happened so today I felt it was right I gave something back.

I spent the day in Guildford as a marshal at the Race for Life.  There were two 5k races, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  My role was to make sure the participants knew where to go, make sure they didn't trip on the big pot hole I was guarding, but more importantly to encourage them to keep going.  

Race for Life is a different sort of race from the one's I normally take part in, but it was my first race in 2013.  The people running/walking this race aren't trying to do the best time ever, they are trying to raise as much money for Cancer Research UK as possible and at the same time they are remembering their loved ones touched by cancer or their own journey with cancer which makes this event is so special.

I hope that I helped everyone to have a great day, and I hope they all believed me when I shouted at them 'You are all amazing'.

Bone marrow donation

Ever since I can remember I've wanted to give blood.  I can't remember now exactly why, but I imagine it might have had something to do with one of my many trips to hospital due to being an accident prone kid.
As soon as I was old enough - aged 17, I made my first donation, and I've tried to be pretty regular with them since then.  I'm up to something like 42 donations now.
At some point I put my name down on the bone marrow donor register too and on 1 Jan I received a letter tell me that I might be a match with someone and would I consent to them checking my DNA out in detail.

How could I say no?
If I or any one of my loved ones ever need blood or bone marrow (or while we're on the subject, some other body part) I would expect it to be there for them.  But with that expectation comes the responsibility of offering my blood, bone marrow or any other organs (as long as I don't need them any more) in return.

I've just received the letter to say they have found a better match, but I would have stepped up if that was needed, and maybe one day it will be.

Do you expect blood to be there if you need it?  Then all I ask is you donate a pint every four months or so.  It is so simple, just an hour of your time, and yet so many of us don't.  Who knows who you might be helping.

Guildford Book Festival volunteering

This weekend I've been busy helping at the Guildford Book Festival.

I've handed out clipboards and paper to children, tidied the Green Room and guarded the books while the bookseller went to retrieve some from another venue.

I've enjoyed it so far with one more evening to go, although the festival continues until Sunday.  

My two favourite parts have been 1. watching Alex Scarrow talking to his young fans while signing books for them - it didn't seem to matter what age they were or how scarily keen they were, he took the time to really listen to what they had to say and have photos taken. And 2. being allowed to watch Chris Brookmyer and Mark Billingham for free - payment enough for volunteering.  Chris is one of my top 5 authors (Stephen King tops the bill) and as a budding writer it is always great to hear from 'real' authors.

I'm looking forward to helping out with the roving mikes tomorrow, but I'll also be glad of  some free time again.