Carly and her harness trial

Even though I am not currently 'working', I am very much following working routines. Week days are for getting up 'early', exercising, studying, getting jobs done and weekends are for relaxing.

So today's post is on Carly.

Carly is very keen to explore the outside world beyond the balcony. She loves to bolt out the unit door and run down the stairs to the glass door that leads out to our landscaped gardens. If she is ever going to get out there, she needs to learn to accept the harness. We're taking the softly and slow approach.

Here's three short videos showing yesterday's harness trial.

You can't make me move! - Carly stages a sit-in

Ok maybe i can be distracted - the sit-in is broken by tempting sounds from outside

It's more fun than the bug - Carly get's frightened by a bug and finds her harness is not so bad after all.

0-5k in 8 weeks? You're kidding!

Those of you who know me, will know I've never been a fan of exercise, although I have now come to accept it has to be a regular part of my life. I really want to use this time to make friends with exercise, and become healthier and fitter (loosing weight would be useful too but is not the focus).

The last month I have been successfully going to the gym for a 30 minute circuit then 10 mins on the bike. The gym is a 15 min walk away. I read somewhere once that the hardest thing about exercising was "getting dressed and getting there". As I'd managed both of these, I thought, how can I build more exercise into being dressed and on my way there?

The last couple of weeks, I have cycled up to the gym. A handy warm up but not much more. This week I have used the 5km runner app. After warm up you walk 1.5 mins, then run 1 min and repeat. The repeats have gradually built up this week and presumably next week the run portions increase and the walk portions decrease. Not sure, be something to discover. Anyway I zig zag up the side streets following the shady sides and it works well. I have just finished the run app's cool down when I get to the gym then I can launch straight into my circuit (after buying a fresh bottle of water at the bakery downstairs).

The gym does a monthly weigh in and measure. That's due after Easter (bad timing). We'll see....

5K Runner:
FROM ZERO to 5K WORKOUT

Learning how to use my camera

My redundancy gift to myself was a Canon 650D. I LOVE it, but I don't know how to use it off automatic settings and the online tutorials whizz through things so fast.

Much excitement, I've signed myself up for a three evening photography course in April through djb photography school.

Great things:

• It's for beginners
• Class size limited to 11
• I get to rediscover my city
• It wasn't even expensive
• Only thing I have to get is a tripod (I'm going to use my gift voucher from my former work).

DAY ONE - Using your camera in manual mode. - Exposure: F Stops, shutter speed and ISO. DAY TWO - Manual mode re-cap and review. - Lens talk, what you need to know. - White balance. - Photographic composition. DAY THREE - Night photography. - Raw vs jpeg. - Post production and why it’s important.

Ping pong play or itch - my first YouTube upload

Carly, the ~ one year old rescue cat, arrived one month before my redundancy and it has been a joy being able to spend time with her during the day really getting to know her personality and enjoy her playfulness.

An earlier activity for my social media course was to upload a YouTube clip into Twitter - here is mine, it shows Carly's playfulness beautifully.

Ping pong play or itch?

Carly has her own Facebook page "Carly Calici" where I share something she has done each day. Friends and family think I've gone cat mad and I probably have, but it's been a fun way to share how we are getting to know and love each other.  And the cat community love it - she has almost as many 'likes' as I have 'friends' (most of her followers are not my friends).

(P.S. my task for today in my social media course was to embed a YouTube clip into my blog post. I think it was meant to be in an area of interest; well Carly's an area of interest...)

My new mantra

This could be my mantra for this current phase of my life, thank you Henri!

Henri, le Chat Noir

The distance from who we are to who we would like to be is often shorter than we think. But it's almost always farther than the couch.

Make every day count

This seems like a very ego-centric thing to do, my own blog. A friend of mine calls herself an "over-sharer". I'm not one to share a lot of my thoughts or even goings on. But here goes; this is to capture my journey and is for me. If anyone else wants to join in they are welcome (very welcome if comments are constructive).

"Redundant", "excess to requirements". As someone who judged her work performance on "did I add value today", these were difficult terms to process. It really was a case of working myself through the stages of grief. Some were faster than others, and periodically I pop back to revisit an earlier emotion. Like last week when I saw a job being advertised at my former agency with a significant part of my "education function" bundled up with a communications role. Bitterness resurfaced, but only briefly.

When I knew I was redundant but still had weeks or even months to go - how do I ensure I am still meaningfully engaged and yet also process and honour my emotions? As the sole Learning and Development practitioner, I tried to focus on what did I want as my legacy? What behaviour did I want to model for other staff during these unsettling times? I admit I did take the odd mental health day so I could maintain this approach.

I panicked when first facing not being employed after 25 years in the public service and applied for the first job I saw that I thought sounded good. Everyone said I was crazy. Take a break they said. A holiday, potter in your garden, play with your cat, anything but launch straight into job seeking. I got culled. It was probably a good thing. I've given myself permission to not start looking for work until after Easter and am taking this time as a rare and special opportunity to reflect, relax and focus on personal and professional development.

Being an educator, of course I did a mind map to "make every day count". My greatest fear was lying on the couch watching day time television and my bottom getting bigger. I dont need to worry.

I meant to laminate my mind map and keep it in my face. I forgot. So here's my one month review:

• Job seeking - yes reviewing alerts from SEEK, APS, and NCOSS but just to get a feel for what is out there. Deferring others for now.
• Relationships - Doing great with socialising. Entertaining, visiting, baking, drinking - all happening. Good healthy contacts both in the flesh and online.
• Health - well gym 3-4 times per week, cycling regularly (until Sunday when the handle bars 'broke'), started running app (0-5K). Walking where ever and whenever I can. Oops forgot about meal plan, too much entertaining and socialising.
• Professional development - going great with social media and e-learning design course plus other webinars through the wonderful Gail and Rory.
• Home life - no time to declutter. I've got a blog to write now.... Just maintain order, that's enough.

Why this blog?

This blog has been created as a task in my Social Media course. It will also capture my journey from being made redundant, to hopefully an exciting new job. Most of all I hope to reflect on my learnings and activities as I enjoy a career break. I am so busy, can't help wonder how I had time to work.

I image posts will cover these themes:

• Professional development 
• Health
• Carly the cat
• Photography
• Job seeking
• Personal reflections
• Volunteering.