My Kingdom for a blackberry

I feel that my blog is suffering as a direct consequence of not having a nifty internet capable phone...

I'm still going

Tuesday - Glynneath was fit to burst this morning and I think between myself and Claire we managed to cover the full spectrum of technology troubles and squeeze a monitoring visit in too! The afternoon was spent catching up on admin (snoozeville!) and inspecting second lieutenant Grey's ongoing improvements to the ARC!

Monday - We had our DCN meeting in the morning which was very kindly hosted by Lesley and Julie in the DOVE Workshop. It was a productive meeting (you can always tell because you seem to leave with 20 new meetings to attend as a result of it) and we'll be spending some time developing exit strategies...

Friday - After popping in to AVE Ammanford and discussing the pro's and cons of laptops with Albert we started working on Karen's digital story, and I think we may all see a different side to the dynamic Dowley once its finished...Keep your eyes peeled!

Then it was back to Swansea for a special screening of Portmead's anniversary concert in the school itself! If I'm being brutally honest I really wasn't bursting with excitement with the prospect of watching the play for the 47th time, but the addition of everyone in the juniors made it an absolute hoot!


Following the movie, it was down the road to the ARC for a meeting with Mr. Brito before hometime!

With wednesday comes the rain

I returned recharged after a day off to the ARC where our pop in session saw us covering a whole range of digital dilemmas, I was busy juggling JPEGS with Cyril whilst Claire was seeking solutions for Catherine's safari snaps, and then I was cracking codes with Simon to help him pimp his myspace profile page - stay tuned for the link and then add him up as a friend.

monday monday

Its all systems go in the DOVE this morning and we kept our pedals to the metal for the full 2.5hours, with our friends from Appalachia, Onllwyn and Seven Sisters, its an international pop in! Then it was back for a shotgun meeting with Mr. Brito at the ARC which meant it was a case of eating my lunch whilst travelling westbound on the m4! It does wonders for my digestive system...We had fun in the afternoon down in the ABC with the communities first team helping them to edit their video footage (and playing on their shiny apple macs!), but we need to get the on the case with their blog, they're even more infrequent than me!

Speaking of which, I should be back on the wagon from here on in with regular updates...

Fridays in the wild west

Ammanford market failed to provide me with any top bargains, I hope they step up their game soon or I'll have to start frequenting car boot sales to fill my 'unique gifts' requirements. Everyone was a tad frazzled today and it was all we could do to get through the day...a Good recharging of the batteries over the weekend was definitely in order!

I wish I could upgrade my memory this easily

Thursday

I make a tentative start on a digital story with a view to getting our teeth into it properly next week, and finished off some editing for Portmead's play before dashing back to the Arc to order some extra memory for Mrs. Hadwens Laptop, as it can't keep up with her thirst for knowledge for all things digital!

I think you should get a second opinion Deb!

Wednesday

Pop in at the Arc was fun, starting to work on a transcontinental digital story! Exciting stuff I know. Debbie also unveiled her plasterless foot which was certainly an eye-opener!

Tuesday

It was my turn to attend the meetings this morning whilst Claire held down the fort in Glynneath. I was treated to a cracking cup of coffee courtesy of the lovely Lesley before kicking off with the serious business. It was all ticking along nicely when I noticed that an outsider had infiltrated the perimeter and was hiding under the table, but luckily Chris (all the way from Virginia, USA) escorted our visitor out!

Back on the blog

It was pop in at the DOVE workshop in the morning, but I was flying solo as Claire was in the first meeting (of 4) with our funders. However, I needn't have worried as Jeannette was to join me there. After an hour or so of digital video lessons I was introduced to 3 students who have travelled all the way from the Appalachian State University. I got a little bit too excited and bombarded them with a heap of random questions about their homeland, and emparted as much useless information about the UK as I could fit into a half hour. Then it was off to Ammanford for meeting number 2, before heading all the way back to Banwen (my carbon footprint has grown a ful 3 sizes in one day) where I met up with the 'Flowerpots' and slowly watched my remaining slivers of sanity peel away as the hyperactive gardeners frazzled my brain!

I'm bringing blogging back

Ok here is a brief update to bring you up to speed with the last week. I know its been hard for you all to get by without your daily dose of my rambling but fear not, I won't be neglecting you again!

Wednesday - Pop in at the Arc. Cyril kept me entertained with stories whilst we learnt how to cut people out of pictures and put them in a different scene...hours of fun if you have a mischievous streak!

Thursday - We hit up Seven Sisters and were serenaded by a top class male voice choir before, and then treated to a few numbers from the local brass band (A for effort...).

Friday - Staff day at the DOVE. A chance to reveal embarrassing secrets about yourself to the people you have to see day to day! I think I probably came out worst and the people all look at me funny now.

I'm confused that its not monday

It was a smashing start to a shortened working week, and I had only been in work for a minute or so when I was told that my new haircut was lovely by Mr. Brito! I should have swaggered off to Glynneath but was cut down to size before I even reached the door when it was pointed out that the inspiration for my aforementioned haircut was obviously TinTin! I think they must be confusing TinTin with Brad Bitt...

Glynneath was great fun and we had the run of the building as there are no courses running this week. It was a busy hour or so with some new faces and a few familiars! After our techno troubleshooting it was back to a freshly painted ARC to push on with the editing for Portmead School...In the words of the infamous Danny, Happy days.

Sleep beckons

On Friday my brain gave up and shut down to just running the core motor functions. I'm better now.

Still loving the cake

I really hope out of the 25+ learners who visited us today in Tairgwaith that a few, or even one actually makes a story, because I'm not sure how many more times I can watch Deb, Nick and Claire's! The stories are really good, but I'm starting to hear them in my sleep...

The cakes provided by Sharon today went down a treat and I'm definitely going to be dropping hints in the lead up to my birthday, so here's hoping for a slice of chocolate heaven come December!

The afternoon found us in the ARC editing guess what, Portmead's play. Luckily the end of the working day arrived to rescue us from the brink of insanity. Look out Ammanford, the cakes are coming.

I do love a bit of cake

As I clocked in this morning I was craftily outwitted by my friend Cameron without him even being there. As I held the door open I was 'tagged' by his mum, Debbie! Just you wait, I'll get the pair of you, ha ha ha!



We've reached the halfway point in Adult learner's week and the cakes just keep flowing, although due to an impressive turnout at the ARC, including a group of learners from the Spark centre, Claire and myself were left 'sans confectionery' and I had to resort to a Mars bar from cafe del ARC.

During the preceding pop in session I was working with Simon to help him set up a myspace profile. He had no problems getting to grips with the site and then we spent an hour or so adding bands from around the world as friends, and listening to their music. This was great as he has very similar taste when it comes to music, and a smattering of ska, mod and punk is a fine way to spend a Wednesday morning in my opinion.

After the digital story show it was off to camera club for an hour of fun and games, before heading home to recharge for Tairgwaith.

Game on at Glynneath

We had only been in the training centre 10 minutes and we were in trouble for taking tea off limits! eek! Claire was busy working some Powerpoint magic with Graham the gardening entrepreneur and I sunk my teeth into hunting down sheet music for a Scottish ditty.


After a few hours of techno troubleshooting it was time for the main event, cakes! No, sorry, I mean a chance to meet people and enlighten them to the different qualities of the DCN. I think we managed to recruit a few digital story converts, but that could just be the cake talking... Here is Claire chilling with her friend Howard, and look who's popping up on the screen!


Post confectionery binge found the DCN team back at the ARC and alone with the exciting prospect of editing the Portmead concert. Now, don't get me wrong, the play was excellent, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it, I even had fun the second night, but the 14th viewing doesn't really hold the same appeal. Luckily though Cameron popped in and I got to sneak outside for a quick game of tag with him and his dad whist the footage was downloading!

Too much sugar makes Debbie dippy

Good evening one and all (well, one I guess...), its monday, its sunny and its adult learners week and we're kicking off in DOVE. We had reinforcements with us in the form of Jeanette, the newest member of the DCN team. Jeanette is trainee Community development worker with SCVS who will be our skivvy until september.

HA! Not really, (just until august..), no seriously, Jeanette will be with us every monday and thursday, and if she continues to pick up the skills as quickly as she has done today (she had a blog up and running by 11am!) she'll be a proper geek like Claire and myself. There's something for her to look forward to!

Speaking of Claire, she has just had the internet installed in her house and has taken her next major step towards nerdsville, square eyes ahoy!

We are bribing, sorry, I mean enticing learners into our pop in sessions this week with tea and cake, but we had loads left over today, and decided to treat the staff at the ARC to a well deserved sugar rush. However, I think the e-numbers had an adverse effect on Debbie, and following a few fateful bites she came over all adhd in the office! Not content with assaulting the phone in a chocolate fuelled frenzy, it was Julie (or should I say 'the fuhrer'?) who felt the force of her funny five minutes!

Then we hit up the old M4 and gunned it down to the ABC building to meet up with the Pantyffynnon Teen crew to help them with some editing and to set up a blog (which I think will prove to be very entertaining in the future).

I don't think I'll make it to 4:30...

The sullen sky has just opened up into a barrage of drizzle outside the window of AVE Ammanford. Claire had an inspired idea to bring loads of sugar and E-numbers to share this morning so I'm amped up on chocolate buttons and a smashing cup of tea courtesy of Helen. Claire has been helping her to set up a blog for a heritage walking association and you can check on her progress here. I have been busying myself preparing some freebies to distribute to the classes here to advertise our digital stories event next friday, to tie in with Adult Learners Week. Here is some pictoral evidence of my endeavours...

tired I am

I dropped Deb off at Dove this morning with Mr.Michael before heading over the mountains to Tairgwaith with the other Miss Jones. We had a quiet session but spent the time productively (as always...) and caught up with Sharon, and discovered that she lives on a farm! I'm hoping that we can go and do some outreach work there, or at least get to drive a tractor.

We headed back to Blaenymaes after a quick petrol stop and forgetting to pick up Debbie, but the noble Mr. Pritchard acted as chauffeur. The rest of the afternoon was a bit of a blur which mostly involved preparing for the evening at Daniel James (again) for the second, and final performance of Portmead's concert.

I dashed home for a quick tea with my wife who is suffering with shin splints at the moment before heading back over to the school. I armed myself with a can of 'Relentless' and braced myself for the 200+ kids and 300+ parents who were queuing outside.

The performance was great and there were no casualties despite the temperature equalling that of the sahara desert...I then staggered home for a well needed shower and sleep. Ammanford tommorrow, lets hope the market don't let us down again.

there's a cloud in my head

My brain is all fuzzy and my eyes hurt. All the symptoms of a successful day with technology!

This morning I journeyed across the seas to Capetown with our intrepid traveller who attends the pop in sessions. I find penguins and hyenas are a great start to any day.

The evening was spent in the hall at Daniel James comprehensive school, filming the Portmead 50 year anniversary production. It is amazing to see the WHOLE school involved and each class definitely stamp their individual identities on it. It was really fun, and I'm sure it will be even more fun when I get to do the same thing all over again tomorrow...

Whilst I was approaching my 11th hour of work today, I received a text from Claire letting me know that the food at the 'mansion house' was top notch, yes, thats right, I was working while the rest of the team were being entertained by the Lord Mayor (although I think he is a she, so mayoress...). Oh woe is me! I think I can hear the world's smallest violin playing my song...

When I got home I treated myself and settled down to watch one of my favourite movies ever, 'The Warriors'. When I grow up I'm going to be a Baseball furie!

tremendous tuesday

The horticultural society are perfecting their powerpoint skills and our 'authors too' are hyperlinking to Hain, all in all a busy morning at the Glynneath Training Centre. The 'pop in' sessions are building momentum which is great, but our energy levels are on the opposite scale...falling fast!

After that we made our way up the winding roads to Banwen and the delights of DOVE. We're busy getting ready for adult learners week which starts on Monday, so we were making sure that we have plenty of cakes at our disposal for our event next monday lunchtime, call by if you're in the area!

I helped Portia with her homework (about the red hot chili peppers) and then dashed over the common to Daniel James school to capture the mayhem that was the Portmead Primary rehearsals for their concert which opens...tomorrow! The DVD is shaping up to be hilarious, I'm holding out for some 'you've been framed' gold.