Busy Monday

Monday morning and it was back to the grind stone and with a vengeance. How can it be so for a retiree?

I started the day with some volunteering work - arranging meetings and venues. It seems our venue coordinator had found few places on the west side of Guildford prepared to host a person learning to read and their coach for two thirty minute reading sessions a week; not the library of a well known tertiary education establishment (not enough space apparently), not the cafe of a religious establishment (acoustics not suitable apparently) or a council community space (not unless we were prepared to pay £8.50 per session). Fortunately a local animal feed supply company with an onsite cafe have come to the rescue  and have offered us space as and when we want it. There is good in the world but it can be hard to find sometimes.

Two o'clock I had a one hour volunteer digital buddy session booked in. My client wanted help with email. How hard could that be? Hm. Amongst other things, my client wanted help to set up a distribution list in Gmail. I have never used Gmail so I first had to look it up myself. It wasn't at all obvious or straightforward. I got there in the end and then had to explain it to my client. She then decided she would make the distribution list (or label as Gmail calls it) whilst I supervised. An hour and three quarters later both she and I were ready for a lie down in a darkened room...

Later I watched University Challenge with Mr Flossmo. We are finding that we are outpaced by Amol Rajan's fast delivery and the fast responses of the smart-cookie students. I guess it's a big ask to get there before the students do.

The flowers were in a hanging basket outside the library, a little colour at the end of a grey old July.