#Nurture 23/24

I have written an annual #Nurture post for quite a while, now.  It’s a good opportunity to reflect on the year which has just ended, and to look forward to the year ahead, and what I might do to make the most of it.  It’s an exercise I recommend, even if you decide it isn’t something you want to present for public consumption!

So how was 2023 for me?

It was, in many ways, The Year of The Knee.  Both knees, actually.  I’ve had osteoarthritis in each of my knees for quite a while – originally diagnosed, following x-rays, in 2014 (but it may well have pre-dated that).  I thought I was managing it quite well, just suffering occasional soreness and stiffness, with the sad repercussion that I could no longer manage the killer heels I have favoured since my youth!  But in late 2022 I had several episodes where my left leg collapsed, and I had difficulty walking for a while.  I realised I had to do something about it.

In early 2023 I had more x-rays, appointments with the GP and a physiotherapist.  They talked of ‘mild osteoarthritis’ in both knees and advised me just to keep exercising, and managing it.  I was willing to do that, but the collapsing left knee continued intermittently, so I saw a specialist in March and had an MRI; then saw a knee surgeon in April, who looked at the January x-rays and announced, “Your knees are knackered.  It’s bone on bone and doesn’t get any worse than this. You need to have them replaced.’  I hadn’t understood all the medical speak leading up to this, but I understood those words.

I had the left knee replaced on 11^th September.  My recovery was faster than expected (helped by an amazing physio), so I arranged the right knee replacement for 11 December (and requested the same physio).  And now I am pleased to say I no longer have osteoarthritis.  I’m still recovering from the second surgery, as I write this, but I am so pleased to have had it done.

A friend of ours, when we meet, allocates us no longer than 10 minutes each to talk about any health issues, so I think my ten minutes are probably now up, and I shall move on!

Thinking about how to structure the rest of this post, I remembered the Mars Bar ad from my youth (anyone else?): ‘A Mars a day helps you work, rest and play’.  Not sure that was ‘scientifically proven’, and I actually find Mars Bars a bit too sweet, but I’ll borrow their slogan.

WORK

It’s now, amazingly, 13 years since I stepped back from headship, but I find I still very much enjoy reading, writing, speaking, and tweeting (I will always call it ‘Twitter’…) about education.  I love recording podcasts and webinars, too, and have done a few more of those in 2023, including for Leadership Matters/the wonderful Andy Buck, and for The Leaders’ Team at Twinkl.  While ever I find all this interesting, and those I connect with say that what I have to offer is useful, I’m happy to continue.

Andrew Hampton and I offer the 4-week online course for aspiring Senior Leaders and heads in the independent sector, ‘Leading an Independent School’, twice a year.  And it’s always enjoyable and interesting.  Our next cohort (cohort 38 – amazingly!) starts working together on 15^th January.  Further information is here, for anyone who is interested.

I’m also still involved in leadership development work, and some mentoring/coaching, with aspiring and serving Middle Leaders, Senior Leaders and heads, and for inclusion leads – for various organisations, groups of schools and individual schools.  This can be face to face or online.  I’ve travelled (usually with John – we make an event of it) to central London (a number of times), Elstree, Wimbledon, Beverley, Wakefield, Scarborough, Rickmansworth, Eastbourne, Leamington Spa, Stratford and Ipswich in 2023.  It’s always energising and satisfying.  I find it rewarding to feel I am reaching into a significant number of schools and supporting and challenging leaders to hone and strengthen their leadership skills at all levels.  It’s so crucial, I believe, to school success.  

I enjoy the online work too – it’s time-efficient and cost-effective, I think – and this has included recordings I’ve made for Myatt & Co, interviewing authors including, this year, Lucy Kelly, Andrew Hampton, Lekha Sharma and Amy Edmondson about their new books, their work and programmes they offer.  It’s been a privilege.

REST

I do find some of the above – such as daily tweeting about education – restful, rather than onerous.  But, specifically, when I want to relax I spend time with friends and family (usually over coffee, breakfast, lunch, or an evening meal – at home, or out and about), or we go on holiday.  I’ve also enjoyed the company of our village community this year, including at celebratory events such as the Coronation Party, Harvest and Christmas.

In addition to the local meet-ups and gatherings, in 2023 I have travelled to spend time with friends or family members (usually with John, too) in Holmfirth (January), Dorchester (February), Eden Hall health spa (February), Liverpool and Formby (April), Manchester (April), Bedford (May and July), Chester (July), York (August) and Market Harborough (October). These are people I’ve known since my schooldays, from university or my PGCE year, and from each of the schools in which I worked over my thirty-year career.  I’m good at keeping in touch with others, and I’m so pleased I did that!  In the #lifeafter, post full-time work phase of my life, I have time to give to these people whose company I really enjoy.

And in terms of holidays, we had a wonderful break in Rethymno in Crete in May, and California (Santa Monica and San Francisco) in August.  I seem to have MANY photographs of me in recent years on holiday clutching different drinks (and several have featured in earlier #Nurture posts!) so here are two more – Crete and San Fran.  A drink and a meal with my husband in a beautiful (preferably warm) location is still one of my favourite ways of relaxing.

PLAY

There’s clearly an overlap between ‘rest’ and ‘play’.  I also unwind by reading a lot of good fiction (and I enjoy my membership of two Book Clubs and have started writing blog posts including fiction recommendations, for example this one from December 2023); I sing and listen to music; I exercise most days at our local David Lloyd (knee surgery permitting) and use the sauna; and I write fiction.

Highlights of 2023 include visiting the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester to hear Nicola Benedetti perform in January.  (I loved the series of Portrait Artist of the Year 2022, which culminated in Calum Stevenson painting Nicola for the Scottish Portrait museum.  We went to see the portrait when we visited Edinburgh in October 2022, and John bought me a limited edition print of the painting for Christmas that year).

We went back to the Bridgewater Hall to hear Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring in April – a birthday present from me to John, as it’s one of his favourite pieces of classical music.  And just to show how eclectic our musical tastes are, on his birthday itself we met friends in Leamington Spa and after drinks and a meal saw ‘Half Man, Half Biscuit’ in concert!  For the uninitiated, they’re a band from the northwest (where we lived at the time) who we enjoyed listening to in the 80s/90s.

And in June I went to Villa Park to see a spectacular Pink concert!

In terms of singing, I’ve enjoyed rehearsing and performing Vivaldi Gloria, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, Rutter’s Sprig of Thyme folk songs, and Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem with my Choral Society. I’ve also taken part in ‘Come and Sing’ events featuring Haydn’s Theresienmesse in Southwell Minster, and a range of early music from Byrd, De Monte and non Papa in Peterborough Cathedral as part of The Sixteen’s Choral Pilgrimage, ‘A Watchful Gaze’.  Some of these pieces of music were familiar to me, and some new – I really like to learn new choral material as well as singing old favourites. And I love The Sixteen.

Finally, with respect to my fiction writing, I’ve been pleased with ongoing sales of, and feedback on, my three short novels, and have started giving talks about them, together with brief readings, for groups such as the Women’s Institute, Inner Wheel and U3A.  I’ve enjoyed talking about my writing online, too, including with Hannah Wilson for World Book Day in March, and with Kiran Satti for the #WomenEd Book Club in August.  I’ve arranged to do more of this in 2024.  I’m proud of what I’ve produced and love talking about it, including the process of self-publishing, and answering questions about it all.

And in the last few months I’ve completed the first draft of a new, longer novel which I’ve called ‘Eighteen Months’.  It tells the story of a family of four navigating the pandemic between March 2020 and August 2021.  Researching and writing it reminded me of what living through Covid was like.  If I decide to publish it in the spring, I hope future readers might find that an interesting experience too.

So that was 2023.  And as for 2024 – I intend to be gentle with myself as I continue to heal after two major operations.  I’m looking forward to talking about my three short novels to different audiences, and perhaps self-publishing ‘Eighteen Months’ (depending on what my beta readers think of it…)  I’ll continue working, resting and playing, and enjoying the experience.

What about you?

If you’ve made it to the end of this (long!) post, congratulations, and HAPPY NEW YEAR! May 2024 bring all you hope for.

Thank you for reading.