When I first joined the QSWP, we had conversations about a recent invention, the ‘sheewee.’ A plastic device enabling women to spend a penny a little more easily in the outdoors.
Today, Facebook advertised them to me.
Click Me.
However, I’m still not convinced I shall get one.
The Centenary of Girl Guiding has been celebrated in many diverse ways. The Finale of the centenary year was timely planned for a celebration, with renewal of promises at 20:10 on Wednesday 20th October 2010; I like to think they planned it for my 25th birthday; Guiding is officially four times my age!
A long story short, I was able to join in with the Finale celebrations with my home Guiding connections, rather than in Leicester Square, with people I didn’t know that well yet.
I met up with the local Brownies and Guides in the village, and we caught the bus into Nottingham. It turned out to be a beautifully clear night, which also meant it was quite cold, but we had a good time! 4,000 Guides piled into Nottingham’s Old Market Square for the event. Which was kicked off with the local ‘Guiding’s Got Talent’ Stars, a local band followed by a presentation from the County Commissioner, before linking up with the rest of the world via the Community Channel, and then to Oxford, where we renewed our Promise, led by the Chief Guide.
I Promise that I will do my best,
to do my duty to God,
to serve the Queen and my country,
to help other people,
and to keep the Guide Law.
Thank you Guiding, for all you have equipped me with, here’s to the next 100 years!
Here’s some of the pictures I took, playing with my new toy:
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On the Bus: Taken by a Brownie: Guiding is inclusive to all girls: Pretty lights on the Council House: Daddy playing with my new camera: Being arrested for being associated with a bearded fellow: Brownies and their leaders warming up in Starbucks! x2: Marc having been run over by a tram, thus bringing the system to a halt, and protecting the 4,000 girls in the Square! (that’s logic for you): Daddy playing with my goody bag things: The buzz from all those pink ears!: Council House again: St Peter’s Church in the moonlight: Nottingham streets: Birthday Pub times: etc…: Mum and Dad on the Bus: The Moon.
After the event, Mum and Dad, Marc, Colette and I ventured to the pub for birthday drinkies, which was lovely. On the bus home, I somehow took the best picture of Mum and Dad that I know of. Don’t know how it happened, but hope you enjoy! Dad and I stayed up chatting and trying to take pictures of the Moon, before going to bed after a wonderful, blessed birthday.
Despite being pretty ill, my Birthday was a distinct improvement on last year, for which I thank God.
My parents, very generously bought me a new Digital SLR camera as a joint 25th Birthday and Christmas present.
As I was sick, I’d travelled home from London the day before my birthday, 18 hours earlier than planned, which meant I awoke on my birthday to one of the most beautifully crisp, Autumnal days I remember. Ever since I worked at Southwell Minster, Mum has always wanted to go up the tower. She was envious of Dad when I had the opportunity to take him round. I had wanted to try and visit the Minster while I was home, briefly, anyway, so adding all these things together, Mum changed her plans, and I took her up the Minster tower and was able to take some pretty exciting photos, too.
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I was also able to catch up with Andrew, the Head Verger, my old boss, which was, as ever, lovely. Andrew asked me to put my new photos on Flickr, as he’s not on Facebook. I have just about found time to oblige, so you can now view more of my pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/elizabethalbery/
As it happened, it was my old school’s Founders Day service that evening, and there were some rehearsals for the occasion going on while we were there. I also bumped into Mr Vickers, my RE teacher, who was well known for his lessons on Derby FC and ending the lesson with ‘I digress…’ It was genuinely wonderful to see him, although we both couldn’t believe how long it was since I left. Scary thing, time.
Mum and I got home and Victoria, for whom I was bridesmaid in June, came over for lunch, was was wonderful to catch up with her and see her Wedding photos! Malcolm, Mum’s Viola playing friend also came for lunch, too, which was fun! Later in the day Mum and I headed into Nottingham for the Girl Guiding Centenary Finale celebrations, which I will tell you about in my next post!
Girlguiding UK calls upon the Prime Minister David Cameron to introduce compulsory labelling of airbrushed images to help combat the rise of eating disorders and shape a generation of self confident girls and young women. Sign the petition.
I headed up North, on my way to Keswick via Newcastle, to stay the night at Cam’s wonderful house, in order to break up the travelling. Before heading over for the Keswick Convention and the Kids work that we would be doing. Here are a few things I want to share with you:
I caught the train from Newark on the old GNER route, and, whilst in Doncaster, there was an announcement made: ‘we apologise for the delay to our service, this is due to a new windscreen wiper being fitted to the front cabin.’ That has to be one of the most genuinely brilliant reasons for a train to be 8minutes late! Or, it’s just me?
When I arrived at Durham station (where Cam had arranged to meet me), we got in the car, and Cam got out two plastic cups and a bottle of Sprite, as Champagne to congratulate me on my new job! Wonderful. Absolutely amazing. I love Cam.
The journey back to his house was fully of laughter and giggles, I was so glad to be with him, to have been made happy by his presence! I discovered a large trampoline in his back garden, which, obviously, I had to go on! I can’t really wonder why I was tired after that… la la la
We arrived to a dull and drizzly Keswick, but this would not prevent us from having fun!
On the Tuesday (I think), Keswick had both a Hose-Pipe ban AND a Flood Warning in place!
Bearing in mind it was somewhat of a miracle that we were able to use the building we used last year, as in the November Floods, Rawnsley Hall was under water! Ironically, the only room not to be flooded was the basement, the anti-flood pumps were working, pumping all the water up, into the main hall, sigh.
We have a brand new industrial kitchen, with industrial cooker and dishwasher, a vast improvement on the old domestic ones. We had temporary floors, a new girls dorm which, in my opinion, was much better than being upstairs in the old creaky science lab! And we had porta-cabin loos outside… as the downstairs loos were somewhat unusable! It was all an exciting adventure anyway 
Because of the school holidays being slightly earlier than usual this year, we had about twice as many kids in the 5-7′s tent as we normally get, which was exciting, but manic! I spent the whole of the first morning doing registration and admin! It was my role for the remainder of the week to be on the door as the kids arrived and showed them their groups, by the time this was finished, it’d be time for drinks and biscuits, and loo runs…! So, I didn’t actually get that much hands on time with the kids this year. But it was all good, we all worked well as a team But, I was really surprised when one of the kids brought me a leaving present and thank you card on the last day! It is a little blue bracelet
This year was also exciting because their we’re three new additions to the team, all born within 6 weeks of each other. Fun times
We had a visit from Simon, from Scripture Union on the first day! But I didn’t mind, as I got to play with SU’s DSLR Camera and show Simon how to use it in the process, teehee.
When I was at my interview last week, Monty mentioned that Oscar Selfridge, who would be another Church Assistant alongside me next year, was also at Keswick, but he didn’t know what he was doing in Keswick! I asked around a few folks, and found him in the Skiddaw Street Stewards team. We exchanged numbers and met up later in the week in Costa, which was lovely.
I got a message from Monty at All Souls, saying that he’d need me there from the beginning of the contract, so I can’t go on the Guiding Tall Ships Trip, which I am gutted about, but my new job is important. I was more disappointed when I got home to discover that Guiding wont give me my money back, so I’m down £475. Rubbish.
I wound up heading home from Keswick 18 hours early. I was ill, tired and stressed. I know my priority is to start my new job fit and well, not ill, so I didn’t mind. It was strange to think that this year I did not go to the Lake, I didn’t go on a boat trip, I didn’t play crazy golf, I didn’t go to Java and eat Chocolate Fondu, I didn’t climb a hill. But, I was content with what I did do
Firstly may I apologize for the considerable lack of blogs published over the last 6 weeks or so…! I have them all in draft form and aim to get them published soon-ish [I shall publish them in chronological order to keep some kind of continuity, so you may have to go back a bit...] but I can’t make any promises! I presumed that once I’d finished exams, everything would calm down somewhat, but it’s been quite the opposite, if I’m honest! Hence I have a fair amount I want to share with you!
For now, the most exciting news of the week is…
[drum roll please...]
I HAVE A JOB!!!
Under two weeks ago, my friend Shirin, from All Souls Orchestra sent me the link for a job at All Souls Church, for the position of Church Assistant. Initially my brilliant lack of self-esteem said ‘why would they employ me? they know me, I did my first year placement with Langham Arts, I play with the Orchestra, they know how pathetic and rubbish I am…’
But, after some prayers, I decided it was worth a shot, and, after rejection from Southwell Minster for a job which I had done during my gap year, I figured I could take rejection from All Souls and still be happy to play with the Orchestra.
So, whilst on my parents narrowboat, Coriander, with Dave, I wrote my application and emailed it off to them, due to the lack of printer on board!
The deadline was published Saturday 10th July, with interviews the week beginning Monday 12th July.
Having not heard anything on my return from the narrowboat by Monday evening, to be honest, I was a little despondent. However, on Tuesday morning, when I checked my emails I had a message from them inviting me for an informal interview the following day and then a formal interview would follow the next week.
I ‘phoned them to confirm that Wednesday was fine, but I explained that I’d be coming from Nottingham and that I would be in Keswick the next week, so I asked if it would be possible to have the formal interview in the same trip, either an evening, or I was happy to stay over to the Thursday. I was told this would not be possible, but we’d arrange a time for the formal interview while I was there on Wednesday.
While I was on the train from Nottingham on Wednesday morning, I didn’t have much phone signal the whole journey, so I received a voicemail message from Monty, the Church Manager, saying he was aware I would be in Keswick next week, and would I be able to stay that evening for a formal interview with the church wardens. Obviously I said I could, and then began to seek somewhere to stay the night!!!
I was dressed in smart jeans and a pretty top, and just carried what I needed for the day! So I began to worry if I needed smarter clothes for the formal interview!
Shirin said I could borrow some PJ’s and stay at hers for the night, which meant I just needed to buy a toothbrush!
I arrived at All Souls and met with Dave Miller who oversees the Church Assistants. He showed me around parts of the church I wasn’t familiar with, so mainly Church House! Dave told me lots of information about the job, and asked me some basic questions. When he said about the start date, 8th August, I told him about mine and Colette’s plot to go on the Girl Guiding Centenary Tall Ships Adventure, leg 7 from Portsmouth to Falmouth between 9th and 18th August. Dave didn’t seem too impressed by this! As the first month, August is intense training and team building, which is fair enough! During the course of the meeting, Monty found us to change the time of my formal interview to 6.45pm, which meant I had more chance of getting home that night!
Initially I had no idea what to do for the afternoon, especially as it was raining, and I didn’t like the idea of having to eat lunch and dinner on my own. David Marriott suggested going to a gallery, which I was about to do until I met up with Shirin and we went for a McDonald’s lunch, which was lovely to spend time catching up with her and chatting about lots of other things too! I went back to Shirin’s work to check the train times that night on the internet. By that time I’d had a call from the wonderful Cat White, and so we met up at Marble Arch and sat in a coffee shop, catching up and things. During which time we laughed about her pending audition for a part in a Zombie movie, and decided that she is Barbie’s Plus-Size Friend! I wandered back down Oxford Street at a leisurely pace, popping into John Lewis to look at Digital SLR Cameras!
The formal interview was with Mary, an ex Churchwarden in lieu of the two current Churchwardens being out of the country! Roger Salisbury a retired Minister with the responsibility for the pastoral care of the All Souls staff. And Monty Erskin, the church Manager. On the whole the interview went well, I thought! They asked some different, yet encouraging questions, about my faith, home life, and health. I was a little intimidated by the health questions, knowing it has been such an issue lately, and that it had potential to be a concern for potential employers. But I was encouraged by the subsequent questions Mary asked; ‘What are your warning signs?’ and ‘How can we help and support you?’
The three of them were also more encouraging and positive about the Guiding Tall Ships voyage, acknowledging I’ve had much less notice than the others, and also that it would be a really good, valuable experience in itself.
I came away feeling fairly positive, but didn’t want to build my hopes up too much! They said they’d get back to me within 24 hours. I caught the 2015 train from St Pancras, which meant I got to Nottingham by 10pm and home before half-past.
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On Thursday I felt quite ill most of the afternoon, which prevented me from getting things done, like packing for Keswick next week! I was frustrated, as this week was supposed to be fairly relaxed, in order to organise things!!
The phone rang late on Thursday afternoon, it was Monty. He started the conversation with ‘Firstly I want to thank you for coming in for the day yesterday and staying for the evening, we really enjoyed meeting you… etc’ So, I was waiting for the ‘.. but…’! So was very surprised when he said that it was a unanimous decision to offer me the job!!
I shall be one of five Church Assistants, it’s mainly a practical job, preparing buildings for meetings, hosting meetings, locking up etc. but with some ministry experience, with different placements each term. There is also the possibility to stay on another year to do their Apprenticeship scheme, which is more ministry based with some practical, which I would be interested in.
The support structures they provide appear fantastic, and although they asked difficult health related questions at the interview, I was able to answer honestly and positively, and was pleased when they asked ‘what are your warning signs?’ and ‘how can we support/look out for you?’
The post also has accommodation available, which I have accepted, just off Oxford Street, between John Lewis and Debenhams, near to the LICC.
I feel so very blessed! I have been praying about where I’d like to be next, and as much as London scares me, my support network and many friends are around London, including friends from home now, too. I was worried that I would be job hunting for a very long time and having to live at home with my parents, which has been fine so far, but I did find it tough while I was at home last year.
Since first year at LST, when my placement was with All Souls Orchestra, I longed to make All Souls my church, to be involved, but I couldn’t realistically do that with the distance and weekend tube works! I will be able to continue to play with ASO, and have some cello lessons with my teacher in London
Praise the Lord! God is good!
I’ve been content with the amount of trips I’ve had abroad. Other than school trips and Orchestra tours, I’ve only been to Tunisia (aged 3 and a quarter), Iceland in 2002 representing Girl Guiding Midlands at the Icelandic Jamboree, and Lanzarote on holiday last Autumn. I have had small desires to go to America or Australia someday, but nothing specific.
My neighbour has been telling me for ages to go abroad when I’ve finished exams etc and go travelling. I’ve always ignored him; travelling is one thing that really does mess up my body, who would I go with? and I’m scared of being in an unknown place.
Yet the last six weeks or so there has been a desire growing within me to visit India. I don’t really know where it’s come from! While I was at my parent’s for Easter, we watched a couple of programs which visited India to demonstrate something, and a program about the Indian Hill Railways. While I was watching them, I was blown away by the beauty, the diversity which is found in this country. I really want to go and experience it! To live, eat and breathe it.
I also have some friends who have been to India a fair number of times, and am currently following the blog of someone who has gone out short-term to work there.
I want to go to India!
I went back up to my room at home, and was trying to figure out if there were mission agencies I could work with in India, which I still need to investigate. But then I remembered, one of the WAGGGS (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) World Centres, Sangam, is in India! My friend Sarah, from home, spent some time at Our Cabana, the WAGGGS centre in Mexico as a volunteer and later working there. So I thought there must be similar opportunities at Sangam and looked on their website. [Sangam is located near Pune] They run a Community Volunteer Programme (CVP) which, after an extensive two-week orientation programme, participants are placed with an Indian community organization to volunteer for three months, including; Teaching English and computers, Care of infants and toddlers, Assisting teachers, Leading songs, games and crafts for children, Helping with general office work, Sharing your culture, Other activities depending on the skills you bring in.
I want to go to India!
Features of the CVP: Participation in international events plus CVP orientation, Placement and support at a local non-profit organisation, Weekly language lessons, Weekly cultural learning and debriefing sessions, Support of international and experienced staff at a well-established World Centre, Time off for exploration and travel.
I want to go to India!
The whole thing looks very exciting! I am in the process of applying to be a volunteer next year from January to March. Which should hopefully give me time to save enough money between the summer and December.
I want to go to India!
It’s incredible for me, to even be considering this possibility, never mind actually applying! Just 6 months ago, I’d have run (well, not so much run, but hidden away) from such an opportunity. It scares me that I’d be leaving Europe for the first time since I was 3! And that I’d be away from home for so long. But the excitement and enthusiasm far outweighs these fears currently!
They say that Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) would be advantageous, so I’m looking for opportunities to do some training in that. However, I’m pretty overwhelmed by the range of TEFL options. I’ve found a course you can do completely online, but surely there must be some practical assessment at the end? And I’m struggling to find a course that is officially accredited by a reputable institution…
I’m also going to research other volunteering opportunities in India, with Christian mission organizations
I want to go to India. I really want to go to India!!!
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I’m also looking at other jobs closer to home and church based. I received an email from St James’ Muswell Hill, who I visited a few weeks ago, the very kindly forwarded me the information of a Lay Assistant/Ministry Trainee internship post in Wilmslow, Cheshire. It looks a really good opportunity, and more likely to be given more responsibilities, as it’s a smaller church than Muswell Hill.
Although, I’m slightly confused by the job description when it says;
Sharing in the preaching ministry, both Sunday and midweek services, as appropriate (i.e. male trainee – according to experience, this could be monthly for any given service).
Erm, so are female trainee’s not allowed to preach?
One of the other roles is to develop the 18-30′s ministry, of which they admit there are few currently. So I might find that a bit hard, especially being so far away from London, where the majority of my close friends reside.
I have been singing along to Longview’s song, I would as a prayer… ‘I would go anywhere for you..’ Somehow, going to India to volunteer for three months, as much as it scares me, I can cope with it; it’ll be an adventure and I know I’ll return to the UK and again consider living around London. But to move to Wilmslow, with which I have next to no connections, seems a wee bit more scary; not being close to friends especially, and for one or two years, is a bit longer than a few months. On Wednesday evening, when I first got this email, I cried myself to sleep. I don’t want to live in Wilmslow, it’s so far away from my life as I know it. But the last day or two, I’ve come to the conclusion that if it’s right, if it’s of God, it’ll be fine. Right?
Wilmslow (for those of you who don’t know) is just south of Manchester, west of the Peak District, so good for walkies and not far from Liverpool and Chester, where my Auntie Sue and Uncle Dave live. I also need to think about ‘cello things.. would I be able to get into Manchester or somewhere to have lessons? Would there be an orchestra nearby?
Other than that, though it looks pretty good. I sent off my application yesterday, so we shall see?
I still want to go to India!
