Village Life - Aberkenfig and Sheilagh's Thoughts...

This is a place for stray thoughts and musings on and from my home village after thirty-odd yearsaway.

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Location: Bridgend, Wales, United Kingdom

I have recently moved back to Aberkenfig, my home village and have decided to write about it. I have a mixed Welsh, English and Maltese heritage and have spent some time (decades!)in Cardiff. I gave up fulltime work to go part-time and write. I am a mediator, trainer, facilitator, advocate and consultant and also do regular work with adults with learning disabilities - and love doing so. What else? I'm a very contented feminist living a pleasant life back in the village...

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Another year and post-redundancy...

Well! I am sat in a hotel in my home city googling myself once more and discovered I still have a blog, but also lots of links, thanks to my various websites.

I did get made redundant, but was fortunate enough to keep my wonderful work with Abergavenny and Caldicot People First. I really hate to sound sentimental, but I'd be lying if I denied the pure pleasure I get from this area of work as well as a salary that enables me to survive.

I love mediation and training and get a real buzz from a session that ends in satisfaction for parties or students, but it is also a bit scary, unlike work with my learning disability groups. I get anxious about transport (and how!), room bookings, mailshots and all sorts, but just love being with the members - How lucky is that?

Strange being a hotel guest in my own city, but here at a conference and cannot believe the nightlife in Cardiff throughout the week. I am obviously getting old as I'd like to provide some warm clothing for the skimpily dressed youngsters all over the city centre after dark.

So where am I a year and a half post-redundancy? Still mediating when I can and running my learning disabilities groups. I have a mediation course running at the new Cardiff and Vale College at the Barry site and reluctantly embraced Facebook, but not yet tweeting!

My People First groups decided they wanted websites so I put them together and a Facebook presence followed. My increased Facebook activity connected me to my Australian cousins and my one remaining aunt and uncle who have also taken to Facebook - so great to see family pics old and new and have a connection that is a little faster than the old blue airmail letters my Mum used to exchangewith her mother and siblings.

I am a part-time fosterer which also brings enormous pleasure, but not appropriate or professional to say more other than I am so pleased I took the plunge.

Busy at the moment with various strands of work - did I say I'm on three management committees as well? - and luckily enjoying my life. I am about to make another major life change and move back to my old family home. Sadly, my sisters and I lost Mum last year. A burst pipe led to horrendous flooding and meant that we have had over a year of challenging times with the house. It is now nearly fit for habitation and I've decided to take the plunge.

If you want to know more - just google me (other search engines are available...).

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Monday, May 17, 2010

Heavens! here I am again then! But only because Fran has new blog and I was having a nose, so thought I'd check if I was still here so to speak...
www.musingsofacontemporaryspinster.blogspot.com

Well - Whether I was facing redundancy last year or not - I'm really being made redundant week after next! I'm obviously a great believer in life after redundancy from previous comments. The collapse of my employing organisation sad for clients and colleagues, but probably healthy kick up the backside for me. I've just launched a new website - my third - this one more social care stuff as other two are mediation and training:
www.southwalesmediation.co.uk
www.albanymediation.co.uk
www.carematterswales.co.uk

I do like a nice cosy rut, but I need to find some more lucrative work - not hugely - just enough to be able to relax a bit more.

Meanwhile I'm having a lovely time. Being 55 and single can be fun. I'm being quite sociable generally at the moment as well - although I've not done anything cultured for a while, I've seen more of friends recently which is great. And still love my own company.

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Wednesday, December 02, 2009

I am reminded this blog exists because I just googled myself - Sad or what?! I just like to check that nothing scurrilous appears when anyone has a nose about me. It seems I'm a sixteen year old mediator acording to some website that obviously searches names.

So - life after redundancy... I'm now 54 and think I have at least three redundancies behind me - can't remember if I actually got made redundant this April or not, but I still work for the organisation so all academic.

After Mediation Wales I've done mix of things that include writing, mediation, training, Social Work/child care, advocacy, supervision, complaints work and putting together websites!

Currently I run a mediation/training business and work part-time for an organisation called Advocacy Action Wales where I discovered a love of working with adults with learning disabilities. I gave up the childcare job to have space and energy for other stuff. The mediation and training ticks over and I have just finished the second run of an evening class in mediation at Barry College which I will be repeating in January 2010.

I'm probably in a bit of a rut - but as I've said before - it is a cosy, comfortable rut! I love my home and love my part-time work lifestyle. Currently single and socially rather lazy, but member of a select (ie small!) book club, sometimes see a film and have recently caught up with old friends from my Women's Studies group. I go to the pub every other Thursday with friend and colleague Graham and Noreen and I try to see each other regularly but sometimes life gets in the way...

I exist on facebook, but find it rather confusing and odd - only there to see my friend's pics of her hen night! I'm not a technophobe though and do have a website about my mediation work:
www.southwalesmediation.co.uk

Gosh - I sound boring! Still - better than disreputable [grin]

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