Wednesday 07 October
First up, a bit of housekeeping. In Day 199, I said that I would write more about Osea Island the following day. Well, I didn’t. Not a crime, I know, but a wrong that needed righting. I will write more about Osea after I have reached it. Me and Adora (and possibly the other two plus Mabel) want to walk the mile-ish long stretch of the causeway. So, I will save Osea until then.
Second, I got a new job yesterday. After the disappointment of my other application and interview back in May, I was successful in becoming Deputy Head at our school in Heybridge. This is the one I have been supporting recently. I have a real soft spot for it. I used to work there before and, this summer, I have taken a greater interest in the locality. It is a special place.
The pandemic and subsequent lockdown led me to start noticing more of what’s around me and under my nose. Appreciating it all much more. And a combination of events led me back to Heybridge. My redundancy from made me realise how much I enjoy working in alternative provision settings, that led me to my current role. The last failed application led to this one, and I feel I am now in a good place professionally. I am really happy and excited about the year ahead, despite the added challenges presented by the virus.
Then there was that book, The Peregrine. I notice how, with age I guess, I keep returning to things of awe. I was not a big reader as a child or even in my early adulthood. But there are some books that, emotionally, I keep coming back to. The routes that J A Baker tended to walk/cycle were generally between Chelmsford, Danbury, the Hanningields stretching as far east as the Blackwater Estuary and the Dengie Peninsula.
I believe some books, previously read, resonate with my mood or state of mind. Just like music; sad songs for sad times, upbeat songs for happier times. So, The Peregrine for when I’m feeling a little lost, uncommunicative, desperate. The ghost stories for when I am feeling unsure, uneasy, scared. It makes sense. I don’t need to reread them, maybe dip in for a favourite/appropriate line or chapter, just to remember the book and how it felt to read it. Or to finish it.
The Bald Birder 