Swimming

Sunday mornings I go swimming at our local leisure centre. I usually get there from around 8am to 9am - the earlier I go the less kids, so though I swim in a lane, it's quieter if I go earlier.

I go regularly and so do others, of course. Because I am not set to a precise time every week, I tend to see different people. And, as I can't resist observing, I also watch these people (I am not a speedy swimmer so there is plenty of time).

Sometimes I just watch the water - the sunshine creating patterns that shimmer and dance, seeing how the movement of my hands sends whorls of current scattering the light. I enjoy the sensation of swimming, of being light and able to move in the water with the buoyancy of this marvellous element.

But back to people! There are two ladies (older than me) who go regularly. One is dark haired, the other (bottle) blonde. If they are in the 'slow lane' (my favourite haunt) with no one else, they go up and down together, side by side instead of following. And they walk the first half, right up until they have to swim, because they are so deep in converstation. These are not ladies who lunch, but the 'ladies who swim'. The darker haired one is a grandmother - and when her child arrives with partner and their two twin babies, she lights up. She abandons the lane and heads to the 'free for all' section to dote upon her two grandchildren. And they are incredibly cute and love their swimming, even though they must be less than a year old.

Then there is the couple who swim in separate lanes. She in the 'medium lane', and he with me in the 'slow lane'. There are signs at the end of each lane with arrows showing which way round to swim - up one side, down the other. Mostly you can gauge which lane to be in by who's already in there and how they compare to your natural pace.

The man I reminds me of a whale - not because he is huge (he is large, not huge) but because he breaches on each stroke, like a whale. His back rises and his head plunges - all the way up and down the pool.

Then there is 'grunter'. Another chap who plods slowly up and down and makes a female-tennis-player type grunt with every stroke. These are all familiar faces to me, as we share the slow lane at different times (all of us at once would be madness!). Today I went swimming and I have a new person to add to my list of characters - she is 'bubbles'. On the downstroke she blows out through the mouth (not uncommon, of course) but makes lots of bubbles (noticeably!) and also a noise. You make some noise when you breathe out, but to make this odd sound she must actually vocalise. So - even from the other end of the pool - you can hear her bubbling as she rises and falls in the water.

I wonder what, if anything, they think of me? I must have some foibles, but mostly I am just slow. I don't swim to be competitive or for a massive health workout, I swim because I like it. I am in my own space, in my head, I can think about anything or nothing and just enjoy the sensation of exercise without stress or competition.

By the way - the photo is just one I nabbed of the net - from a club in the USA. I just liked the picture!

Sunday

This Sunday morning early I went outside into my garden. I heard the loud clear song of the blackbird and the syruping lilt of the goldfinch. No traffic sounds - just the creaks of the world as it stretched itself ready for the day ahead.

On blackberry blossom near the dogroses, the bumble bees were busy, intent on nectar collection. There was the sweet scent from the mock organge, drifting on the breeze. The lawn was long enough to allow the clover to flower. Dandelions crept out, hoping to escape my notice.

Overhead two old planes flew past - their ancient engines rattling the sky briefly as they passed. On their way to Duxford perhaps, chasing the few white smears of cloud.

Back on the ground tall toadflax with purple flowers, also beloved of the bees, waved gently in the light breeze. My vegetables watered, fed and tended, I just watched the world for a moment.

The wings of the bird, the wings of the bee, the wings of the plane. The church bells rang - a long peal that could be heard for years, their sound drifted on hidden wings. Sunday morning, a precious moment for me.

Profile of the Month

Here's something from my work to show you how I write for business:

June 2009: An interview with Sharon Gaskin

Sharon Gaskin is the Founder of The Trainers Training Company. She works with freelance trainers to help them create successful training businesses. I first met Sharon last year via Ecademy and since then we have stayed in touch and shared ideas and information in our shared passion – learning and development.

About The Trainers Training Company

Carolyn (The Complete Trainer Ltd): Tell me about your company and why you started this venture.

Sharon Gaskin (The Trainers Training Company Ltd): I started the Trainers Training Company in 2008. It was an idea that I had had for a while, but had never done anything about. It was only when I had a spate of questions from different people – all wanting to be freelance trainers – and all within the space of a week – that I realised there were people out there who really needed my help.

We help trainers develop their businesses. Our clients include trainers who have been made redundant and decide to go freelance. It can be a bit overwhelming coming from the secure environment of being employed to going freelance. We help them get started and approach their future in a positive and purposeful way.

Sometimes trainers make the decision to break out of corporate life voluntarily – they have tremendous experience but may find taking that first independent step daunting. Our company offers support and guidance – helping people turn what was just the dream of being self-employed into a reality.

Not all our clients are brand new start ups. Many people we are working with start out with lots of ideas and enthusiasm but are now becoming disillusioned because the market is challenging and they haven’t got enough work. We help them with practical strategies that they can start applying to the business to bring in more clients fast.

Carolyn: What about trainers who have been in the business a long time? Do they come to you for help too?

Sharon: As, they say, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” In these times, even the most established of trainers and training providers need to look at their practices and re-energise their business methods to really get their business moving forward.

Carolyn: What is your business vision?

Sharon: We aim to be a 1 Stop Shop for freelance trainers providing a range of services to suit all needs and budgets including Workshops, Teleseminars and 1 to 1 Business Coaching.

I am passionate about helping freelance trainers to develop and grow profitable businesses. I know what it feels like – I am a freelance trainer myself. I have been there and done it and know how hard it can be, particularly when you first start out. The reason I can offer such good advice is that I am not shy to admit my mistakes and to share them. In the first year as a freelance trainer I learned a lot – not about training but about how to operate as a successful business.

Carolyn: Where are you based and where do you tend to work mostly?

Sharon: I live in the West Midlands, about half an hour from Birmingham. The beauty of my job is that most of it is done from home, I give people coaching sessions and run Teleseminars over the phone.My workshops are run in Birmingham but I have plans to widen the net next year.

Carolyn: What is the weirdest experience you have had as a trainer?
In the course of 20 years as a trainer I’ve seen a lot of things and dealt with all types of people and situations. But I have to admit that the weirdest thing I have ever experienced is having my husband as a delegate on a management training course - and having to put up with everyone else's jokes!

Carolyn: Sharon, any last words to say about training in today’s economic climate?

Sharon: I’m seeing a mixture of people who are undoubtedly finding it more challenging than usual but there are also others who have never been busier. In my experience the most successful freelance trainers are the ones who continuously market themselves regardless of whether they have plenty of work or not and who make it a priority to work ON as well as IN their businesses. And I think in the majority of cases these are the trainers who are reaping the benefits at the moment.

Products/Links:

Downloadable E Book: How To Launch A Training Business in 30 Days
Teleseminars: Live Teleseminars and Downloadable Recordings on topics such How To Build Relationships That Win Corporate Business and How To Overcome Your Fear of Selling Your


1 Day Workshop: July 2 2009 in Birmingham - Workshop: How To Create A Successful and Profitable Training Business - The Easy Way

Get your FREE Enterprising Trainer Pack at http://www.thetrainerstrainingcompany.co.uk/

Testimonial
“Having recently taken redundancy after 31 years of working for a major retailer, I’d decided to start up my own freelance training business. I’d attended several workshops on self-employment, networking etc, and my brain was buzzing! I was unfocussed and beginning to worry about where to start, and then!I discovered How to launch a training business in 30 days!

This book is fantastic! It helped me order my thoughts, gave me focus, and produce a clear plan of action. The language is easy to understand, the exercises are practical, and the overall product gave me the motivation to continue – and I’m now feeling much more confident. One of the major plus points for me, was that it is specifically about a training business – everything else I’d read or attended was quite general.

Thank you Sharon – a great tool for brand new freelance trainers!” Sue Parsons

Spare time

In my spare time - of which there isn't an awful lot - I like to make jewellery. Mostly earrings, as that's all I've learned to do so far.

I have made far more than I could ever wear, so I take them to places I play and try and sell a few too. My favourite ones are the ones made out of guitar picks - and when I found picks featuring a certain cartoon character from TV, I couldn't resist! See what you think - the photos are not great, but hopefully you can see enough to get an idea.

These I call 'sparkly' - you can't really tell on here but they are faux diamonds that are very pretty. They are on silver posts.

These I call 'Rock Chick' - you can't tell but they have a 'beaten alumnium' look, very metal or grunge or... er... well, whatever! They were expensive to make as the picks were not cheap, but I really like these.

I made a necklace to go with them too - at the moment it hangs centrally with the chain going through the two outer holes, but I may change it so that it hangs at an angle, like the earrings. And if you had these, you'd never be short of a plectrum at your gig again (as long as you remembered to wear them).


These I christened 'Peacock' because they have that wonderful shimmering appearance when the light hits them, just like a peacock feather. They are simply four sequins on the end of a headpin (the long bit) with two purple glass beads on the pin, attached to metal fishhooks (not real fishhooks, but earring hooks).

These are made using a gold coloured metal, which gives a nice contrast to the dark bluey-black of the sequins and the shiny purple beads.

Now I guess you may recognise this smiley fella, but I'm not sure I can name him because of copyright and all sorts of issues - but I paid for the picks, so I've paid my licence fee for using him! He is of an underwater nature and has rectangular underwear. I have another pair I made featuring two of his pals (see below), great fun!

Having shown you a few of my earrings, I hope I get some feedback. I would love to know if they are worth selling, and any ideas for how I could sell them. I think putting them on Ebay would probably not be worth it as they are only going to be sold for between £3-£5, and if you want a box, then that's another 45p, plus postage. I love doing them, but I have such a collection now I really must look at ways of selling them if I can.

I need some advice on how to photograph them too - my digital doesn't really seem to capture the colours right or the detail.

The first pair are wooden beads on silver fishhooks, the second are oblong enamel beads on gold coloured metal, and the last are the cartoon ones on silver coloured metal.

A walk on the Heath

I was the last to leave the office Thursday evening, but as my office is on the top floor, folks don't always yell 'bye' to me. And yesterday, the 'last out' actually locked the door and set the alarm! Well, the result was that I could either sit in my chair all night or I had to move, set off the sensors and rush downstairs to stop the alarm bringing a cohort of policemen... hmm, now why did I turn off the alarm?

Thursday was also elections, so our family got in the car to visit the local primary school and make our marks. On the way we spotted our neighbours. we gave them a lift too and, when we reached the school, met some other people we knew. Then, after voting, we bumped into a band Bryan knows (Megson). Just as we were chatting the 'Poll Guardian' (or whatever they are calle said 'Excuse me, are you Carolyn from Shave the Monkey?'. Turns out he recognised us from the 'good old days'.

later on that evening I went to the 'annual outing' with the local Writers' Circle. We had planned to go to the fire station but that was cancelled, so we had a choice between doing the Town Tour or going to Therfield Heath. The Heath is accessible to us by just walking 100 yards to the end of the road where we live, but we met in the town and drove up to the parking places on the Therfield Road and started our walk. Julie, the Circle Chair, is also highly knowledgeable about plants. She told us the medicinal and edible properties of plants such as 'jack by the hedge' and burdock, of the many natural laxatives on the heath and, usefully, what used to be used as a natural toilet paper (silver birch bark).

Julie told us about the plants that you could eat, how members of the mint family (including the white 'nettle' which doesn't sting) all have squarish stems, and the myths surrounding the versatile elder. This was exmtremely useful for me as I am writing a longer story set in medieval times - I can add a few of these plants (common then as they are now) to the diet of my characters, and also use little side stories like the leaf of the plantain being a useful antibiotic 'bandage'. Julie said they called them 'fairy bandages'. And how one plant (I forget which) creates blisters and how beggars used to use it to make themselves look more pitiful. Creative humanity!

The idea of the annual trip is that we use it to find ideas to inspire us for our writing exercise at the next meeting - I have lots of material, just haven't worked out how I am going to use what we learned. I wrote a story about 'Longbarrow Jack' in the past (a fictional encounter with a barrow wight) as there are barrows on the heath, but I think I will write something about someone who tries to use some herbal recipes and gets it a bit wrong.

One of the team was very keen to find any poisons - she loves writing what she calls 'dark' stuff. I've not heard or read any yet. There was no Deadly Nightshade on the heath - no Belladonna. Translate Bella Donna - it means 'Beautiful Lady'. Why call a poisonous plant that? Because if you put the juice in the eye, it makes the pupils dilate - makes them more beautiful. Oh, makes you blind too - but then in times past folks used lead to make their skin white too, didn't they!

It was a very enjoyable walk, the sun setting orange over the fields - we could see for miles across Cambridgeshire - flat open spaces below us, as we stood on the chalky hills. As the seven of us headed along the top of the heath path and towards the golf club end (about a mile) it got a little chillier. I suggested we continued onwards instead of turning back to the cars and stopped at my house (our road was just about in view) and had tea, coffee and hot chocolate. Then I could drive everyone back in my car (7 seater thankfully) back to where we started from.

Now all I have to do is check my notes, look at my plant pictures and remember which is which, and try and have some ideas for writing up at the next meeting. We all liked this tree - maybe there's a starting point!

Danny La Rue and Marty Feldman

I just heard that Danny La Rue died, aged 81. See my previous post about the time I met him. I would say it is sad to hear he has passed - but instead I would much rather celebrate his extraordinary life. Let's be happy for what he gave us as an entertainer.

Here's a (short) obituary for him from Lurgan (he was an Irishman): http://www.lurganmail.co.uk/latest-irish-news/Death-of-entertainer-Danny-La.5321976.jp

I'm sure we will hear more about the 'comic in a frock' as the news pick up on the story and the researchers put together all the wealth of material they have about him. He was in the Black and White Minstrel show, a TV series that my mother also worked on, so I may have met him then as well. All I can say is I found him a nice guy. He wasn't nearly as frightening as Marty Feldman who I met when I was about 5 years old.

I met Marty in the changing rooms of Queens Park Rangers football club. They were filming a comedy sketch with the Royal Family as a football team. I remember him leaning over me, friendly, saying hello to the little girl on the bench... bless I'm sure he meant well but it did unnerve me.

For some reason, and I don't know what (and I'm not sure Sally remembers either), she had to do a plaster cast of his nose (which was, shall we say, prominent). We had this plaster cast for many years, along with many other weird and wonderful casts (including some 'Vulcan' ears), but plaster deteriorates and, after storage in a damp shed, it had to be disposed of.

May they both rest in peace - two great entertainers who added humour to our world.

Image courtesy of NNDB.com - original owner's rights asserted.