Summary thoughts about the old job may be found at Times at PWW. Professional life there was of course fulfilling and interesting for the most part.
Thoughts about the first few days at the new day job are then to be found at First week
Six months on in the new day job, a team away day+ and night, again at Broadstairs on Thursday and Friday this week, gives time for further reflection:
The Javelin train from St Pancras to Broadstairs must be one of the fast newest train services in the country and most of the team traveled together. The house where team stayed adjoining the sea is as depicted at the First week above although the mid winter stay there contrasted with the summer time of my first visit.
Our evening commenced with the viewing of 15 to 20 video cinema film clips people had chosen with a view to providing a challenging watch word or two for the team's 2015 espirit de corps.
Twenty of us then gathered around the kitchen table for supper together, with much of the fare having been prepared by a young (male) solicitor who is a brilliant cook, very ably assisted by two or three others. When the supper which was accompanied by wine beer and soft drinks was reaching its end at about 9pm our host invited us each to recount one personal experience (positive or negative) which had made a big impact on life, I was caught by surprise by being asked to recount my tale first.
My own life changing experience (mrs maytrees would say 'of course') was that of being on a youth hosteling holiday with an English school friend (who became a much respected London solicitor) in Ireland some 43 years ago. We were traveling in his old two door Ford Anglia in the pouring rain when we saw two girl hitch hikers. He pulled up and they joined us for what turned out to be a thousand+ mile journey around Ireland. A couple of years later I married one of the hitch hikers and our 40th wedding anniversary looms later this year.
All the stories that followed were hugely interesting; some exciting others frightening one or two intensely happy and yes some sad but all hugely uplifting.
I think that the original plan had been to listen to a few such accounts for an hour but their depth proved so intense that each person's life changing story was listed to intently - I was fascinated. Time flew by and it was well past midnight before supper was finished.
Three of us took up the challenge to run at 7am the next day from North Foreland Broadstairs along the shoreline to the lighthouse just past the Turner Gallery at Margate and then back to North Foreland along the beach. Dawn was only just breaking; the strong wind howled and the rough sea foamed almost at the mouth. Still we set off and the other two being somewhat younger than yours truly, I was usually some way behind, largely alone with myself and mother nature, which was despite the almost violent roughness of the weather, in an awesomely positive mood. The lighthouse was I think about some 7 miles away. The return run along the beach was wonderful with the pounding of the waves and howling of the wind making a terrific backdrop. In the distance the wind electricity generators were hardly visible in the storm clouds but I assumed they were making a much needed contribution to the national electricity grid. I'd guess that the run was equivalent to about a half marathon in total.
After breakfast we all got down to the further serious business part of the time away. Time flew and lunch then beckoned again having been overseen by the solicitor chef in our midst. More business discussion took place after lunch but all too soon time ran out. Many of us then chose to take the bracing 30 minutes walk back to Broadstairs station just in time for the evening Javelin train to St Pancras and home.
So, six months in to the new day job - still full marks.
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