Hair cuts ....

Ron´s sponsored headshave:

Ron checking where his pony tail used to be as Alex does the finishing touches

Last week Ron & I returned to Drumoig to run our recovery champions course again, it was a small group of 8 people but what a powerful week. Again it was the power of the stories that we heard over the week that drove the course, the question “who am I?” again leading to much reflection, soul searching and honest accounts of where people had been on their journeys so far, what is so amazing is it doesn’t matter whether the course is a mix of workers/consumers what comes out is the human distress, the pain & joys of living our lives, the labels are dropped and real people emerge.

Friday after the course had finished I finally got my hair all cut off again, I tried so hard to grow it but it just wasn’t me I returned home sleeping in the back of the van in Ullapool before catching the Saturday ferry home. Ron’s mum had been looking after the kids so the house was spotless and I couldn’t find a thing!

This week Ron has been running a voices residential week with the help of Dirk Corstens & Eleanor Langdon . It has been hugely successful with several of the participants further on their recovery journeys by the 4th day.

In the midst of the week Ron had his sponsored hair cut in Dundee the evening went well with ron’s pony tail auctioned off for 105 pounds.

Meanwhile I was back at home working hard on the croft, the rest of the potatoes have been harvested & I am really pleased with my first crop. Heidi the goat is now in the old pig pen at night leaving the chickens to themselves again.

Funniest moment this week was going down to the bottom of the croft , the pigs had escaped their pen and were down at the bottom by the fence on the other side were about 40 young cows staring in at them all around the gate, looking totally bemused .

Ron is off to Italy on Monday, I was meant to be going too , but unfortunately our childcare broke down due to family illness so I am staying on the island.

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Ron Coleman and Karen Taylor have an international reputation as speakers and authors. They are the directors of ‘Working to Recovery Limited’ an innovative international consultancy, training and publishing company with a cutting edge approach to supporting and improving mental health provision.

Stir crazy Ron and the joys of living on Lewis

Started this weekend with another good meal at Sulair, with Ron & Seppi.

Sunday Ron was going off island for 3 weeks, he has been absolutely stir crazy, he has been on island for 7 weeks, apart from his heart bypass, I think this is the longest he has stayed in one place since we have been together. He almost didn’t get away as 10 minutes before we needed to drive to the airport he couldn’t find his wallet. Panic set in until he realised he had left it in his trouser pocket last night.

He has started his week in Welshpool, in Wales, catching up with the staff at Phoenix House, part of Acorn Care. Things are moving fast since we did the recovery training in July. The staff are really making a difference and feeling great about their jobs, this is so satisfying to hear.

Meanwhile I have been catching up with work on the croft. Baba & Dolaigh have taught me how to make a peat stack, my peats are now safe & secure from the winter wet.

The Pigs are now down at the bottom of the croft and are busy ploughing the field up.
Heidi the goat has settled in well and is demolishing the tall grass and weeds around the house.

Tomorrow Ron is at the Asylum conference for 2 days catching up with many old friends.
I wish in some ways to be there, but actually am very glad to be at home, I think my travel problems over the last couple of weeks have consolidated my belief that living on Lewis was the right thing to do for us and our family

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Ron Coleman and Karen Taylor have an international reputation as speakers and authors. They are the directors of ‘Working to Recovery Limited’ an innovative international consultancy, training and publishing company with a cutting edge approach to supporting and improving mental health provision.

Fly me to Southampton....

Spent Monday racing around preparing to leave Lewis for work in Southampton, in southern England. I just made it to airport just as they were closing the gate. First flight went well, then went to check-in for second part of flight from Glasgow to be told that this flight didn’t run any more and that they had e-mailed me to this effect, panic set in what am I going to do , referred to flybe desk, to be told that I could catch flight at 6.45 am to Southampton instead. Now needed an hotel and I had no phone numbers so I could let Southampton know what was happening, quick phone call to Ron to see if he could sort that out from home and I concentrated on finding a bed.

Eventually picked up from airport at 8.20 am by Joan the matron of the Forensic unit, we had never met but found each other straight away. She took me for a quick tour of her unit before we made our way to the training venue. I had 23 forensic staff for 3 days on recovery and person centred planning.. they seemed quite a quiet group at first but soon got stuck in ,stretching me and myself stretching and challenging them. I love this kind of facilitation, so much is dependant on the relationship I can build with the team in the first few hours, I suppose this mirrors & models what we have to do in our jobs as recovery workers building the relationship , creating trust, creating the environment for challenge and growth.

Joan was a fantastic host taking me for a long walk in the new forest we saw many deer including a beautiful stag. Also drank some good ale in some great proper pubs. Many thanks to her for her wonderful hospitality.

The last afternoon the team did an action plan of how they were going to take recovery forward. There was so much enthusiasm and motivation in the room, I can’t wait to go back next year and to see how they are progressing.

Before I knew it I was back in Stornoway, Friday morning at 8am, shopping in Tesco’s before returning home.

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Ron Coleman and Karen Taylor have an international reputation as speakers and authors. They are the directors of ‘Working to Recovery Limited’ an innovative international consultancy, training and publishing company with a cutting edge approach to supporting and improving mental health provision.