Finally!

First things first…

I have been horribly neglectful of Blipfoto – and I have been amazed that anyone is still speaking to me. I have really struggled to put a comment on other people’s journals – all sorts of reasons – new building launched, difficulties with a member of staff at work (who has since left), tons of deadlines, being the co-executor of next door’s will, going on holiday and having no signal and so on…. it’s still a great format…Blipfoto is a brilliant community and Joe Tree and all deserve immense credit for keeping it so real – a rare beacon of good practice on the social media front, in my view.

And of course the big news is…getting a new job. This only tells half the story because innumerable weekends have been spent either applying for job(s) or preparing for interviews. I had three interviews in quick succession and nearly got two, but the job I did get is the job I wanted and I am pretty excited…

But I am getting ahead of myself. When I returned from my holiday in September I had decided that I needed to leave BYT (Burnley Youth Theatre) – there were all kinds of reasons for this (being at the top of a charitable organisation, even a small one, takes a big toll on a person.) And, I walked back into a disciplinary for one of the staff and that was very hard. And my holiday felt like it had never happened. I realised I was burnt out.

So, talking to Snotty (and Maud) I made the decision that I would leave at Christmas come what may. Go freelance, get a different job, whatever. What this also meant was that I could be really responsible and lead the organisation through the succession plan and make sure that BYT was left on the right footing… (It will be!)

Two of the interviews I went to were freelance, both interesting, both short-term solutions. Although I was freelance for 18 years…but in the meantime the dream job was on the horizon.

I saw it when I was sitting in the cottage in Cornwall looking at Pendeen lighthouse. Do you believe in fate?

So, what’s the new job? I am to be the Head of Creative Learning at Theatre Royal, Plymouth. It’s a really fab place. I feel so chuffed to have got the job!

If you’ve time on your hands, you should follow the ‘Take Part’ tab, and that is the department I will be in charge of. Exciting eh?

Oh, and of course this means that I will be in the South West and that I will be able to live in North Cornwall – the beauty of working in theatre is that you don’t always have to sit in rush hour traffic! I am beyond excited. Still can’t quite believe it.

I start in January – the second week (I’m on holiday in Cornwall in the first week!) And I have temporary accommodation until March (without Maud, although I will travel back and Snotty and Maud will be with me some of the time). The house is on the market! (EEK! - and all the bits of DIY you do to make it ship shape have also been sucking out my time...) It’s all change. We’ve seen some lovely places that we can afford and that are in our price range. We’ve done very well so far and not had too many meltdowns BUT there’s time.

Finally, I will try to keep up with Blipfoto, but things are frantic as I work towards the final few weeks of being in my current post (why didn’t I sort through emails as I went along, I ask myself?) BUT hey – sometimes stuff all just falls into place? It has felt like the right thing from the moment I saw it, from the interview, from everything about it AND I cannot wait to get started. I do however want to do right by BYT which I hold closely to my heart (I have been working on and off there since 1997 and been at the helm since 2008) and I will always be passionate about it … but this is the right move for me for so many reasons…

MAUD: Get off my journal Mandy Precious… since when were you a famous dog?
APRECIOUS: Since you ask, Maudulent… anyway, shut your cakehole, a few weeks from now you’ll be getting serious walks on beaches on a regular basis…
MAUD: Better buy some new Frisbees – they don’t float you know.

And for those who seriously have time on their hands:
Clue One: Cream Teas, Clue Two: Mining (Cornwall innit), Clue Three: Plymouth is embedded in the text - I didn't say it was easy…, Clue Four: The first letter of each word spells Coastal Path, I could have made it bold but where would the fun be in that? Clue Five: Moving, Clue Six: I'd lost the will to live, and I bet you have by now.
Grateful thanks to one and all for continued support. I really will try to be less rubbish…

p.s. her legs are not touching the ground here… not that you can tell!