You may have noticed that I've not blogged in a full two weeks. Maybe it was to let you catch up with all my adventures, but mostly it was because I have been resting.
I'd got to a stage where I'd worked so many hours over my normal working week that the only way to balance my time sheet was to take a whole week off. It was a lovely week of resting, knitting, catching up with friends and getting back on top of the house work. I was certainly ready for the break.
I was quite excited to be back to work on Monday. Though, as you often do when you have a week away from the desk, it was to a whole day of emails and one exciting phone call from a church in Mersey. At the end of the day I started my journey home as usual, back to the station for train number 32 of November (I know, I'm slipping!). The only problem was that this train stopped at the station before my usual destination and nothing; train, bus or car was getting any further as the rain that hadn't stopped all day had caused flooding. I started my two hour walk most of the way home before I got to a place I could be collected in a car.
I was very glad on Tuesday morning to find that the floods had subsided and the trains were running so that I could get to Birmingham for the team meeting, my regular review meeting and a catch up with Ellis about Called to be...?, the SCM event in Manchester in March. While walking the 20 minute one mile walk to the station my ankle decided it had had enough and started to hurt. This led to some strange hobbling on and off trains to get home.
On Wednesday morning I woke up still in pain. The best thing to do for a possibly sprained ankle is to rest, so I spent most of Wednesday working from home on my sofa, typing up survey answers, dealing with emails and preparing for the next few weeks.
I made it in to Manchester on Thursday and was very glad I did. SCM Manchester had Ros from Boaz Trust speaking this week and asking the question 'are refugees welcome'? The Boaz Trust work with refugees and aslyum seekers in Manchester, offering support and accomodation. It was so interesting to hear stories of hope from people who seem to be coming from hopeless situations, as well as the exasperations in stories where people seemed to be treated so unfairly by our system. It put into context my walk home in the rain to a house that was warm, and my hobbles in to a job that I really enjoy.
This morning I was reminded again that I do need to rest. A short 10 minute walk got my ankle aching again. Thankfully I've been able to rest, at my desk this time, while putting together the draft programme for Called to Be...?, before some exciting meetings this evening, including getting to know an SCM Friend and going to the launch of Manchester Passion 2017.
Who knows what next week will bring, apart from my 200th SCM train journey since the 1st September.
Current November count - 44 trains, 5 trams and 2 buses.
Rach