Four Seasons In One

The Woolpack Inn is a short taxi ride to Slad made famous by the late writer Laurie Lee, whose widow still frequents the sole pub.  I haven’t met a cab driver that didn’t like to talk, especially when they hear my American accent.  Nearly every driver has an American tale of their travels to the U.S., and they have all had positive experiences (thank goodness).  Interestingly enough, the topic of weather comes up, and I hear, “We have lost our seasons because of this global warming thing.” 

In one month, I have witnessed four seasons in one month: rain, snow, a misty low “fog,” and beautiful blue skies with puffy white clouds.  Each weather condition has one thing in common – a chilling cold that penetrates straight to my bones.  This is not South Lake Tahoe, Nevada, cold; this is a damp cold that gives me a little taste of what it feels like to have arthritis.  Luckily for me, the day before I left Marin, I was having coffee at Emporio Rulli in Larkspur with my husband and friends, friends who have lived in England.  Rhondi and Glinese asked me, “Do you have a warm coat?”  Oh, yes, I told them and began describing what I had planned to bring to Stroud, while they are shaking their heads “NO.”  “Go get yourself a full-length down coat or you’ll be sorry,” was my last warning.  I headed off to Macy’s and found the only London Fog coat that fit their description (on sale), and I have not regretted it one bit.  In fact in January, it served as an extra blanket on my bed at night.

Back @Work

I start my morning at 8:00 a.m. with a cup of hot cocoa and a freshly baked croissant at Star Anise Arts Cafe in Stroud.  Nicholas, the owner, looks up and smiles as he takes this morning’s organic cinnamon raisin rolls out of the oven.  Their open kitchen design is friendly — I feel at home.  I have a half an hour to write in my journal, then I am off to catch the 93 bus to Nailsworth followed by a brisk 15 minute walk to work. 

My Office @ Ruskin Mill Trust       My office is on the second floor in the Human Resources Department across the hall from Marketing & Communications at Ruskin Mill Trust (RMT).  The staff members are absolutely passionate about their work at RMT and some of the nicest people I have ever worked with in my career.

Barb Strickland and I jumped right into work:  our first project was to create an International version of the MSc in Practical Skills Therapeutic Education© programme being offered at Ruskin Mill Trust’s brand new Field Centre.  We had a small window to take it from our imaginations to a document that could be printed before the Founder, Aonghus Gordon, hopped on a plane to California to talk about the work that is being done at RMT and the upcoming MSc programme.   

I have never experienced such amazing teamwork from the Management Team, Marketing & Communications, and from the people at Crossfields Institute.  We all made it come together and delivered the brochure on time.  Ruskin Mill Trust is a leading British charity working with young people with learning difficulties through a pioneering programme of therapeutic and practical education and care.   

Throughout the rain and snow and all the cold, I am proud to be working for RMT and the amazing people that are the foundation of Ruskin Mill Trust’s success!

Cheers!

Barbara Bonardi

08 Mar This entry was published on March 8, 2012 at 1:07 pm. It’s filed under English Pubs, Higher Education - MSc in PSTE, Restaurants & Cafes, Working @ Ruskin Mill Trust, Working in England and tagged Barb Strickland, Barbara Bonardi, Laurie Lee, MSc PSTE, Ruskin Mill Trust, Slad, Special Needs, Star Anise Arts Cafe, Stroud, Teamwork, UK, Weather in Stroud, Woolpack Inn, Working Abroad. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.