A maternity cover, just in time

Only some two and a half weeks ago, the School interviewed for a post in biological oceanography, and to my surprise, only three days later the email came through from the Head of School that one of the candidates had been appointed. That is so quick!

There was another job vacancy where speed was of the essence. I think I mentioned it before, but my Welsh medium colleague Mollie is about to go on parental leave. And the idea was that we would recruit a maternity cover. But it was left so late! I was quite nervous about it.

One Friday I was sent the information of the applicants, with a request to join a shortlisting session next Monday. I accepted that.

It wasn't a laborious shortlisting session; there were only three applicants, and one of them didn't speak a word of Welsh. Unfortunately, you can't just cast aside the letter then. You still have to fill out the spreadsheet in which you log to what extent they meet every single one of the essential and desirable criteria. It seems pointless! If this person would enquire why they hadn't been shortlisted, we could just say it was because they didn't speak Welsh. I would say that is a good enough explanation! But no. So the session was longer than I hoped.

What we produced in the end was a shortlist of only one person. At least it would be relatively easy to find a good date for the interview. And we found one that same Thursday.

Long story short: she interviewed well, so we basically immediately afterwards sent the paperwork to HR. They gave us the OK to offer her the job on the spot, and she accepted. So before the end of the day we already received the email. I have a new colleague, for 12 months, and her name is Claire! I am really chuffed with this outcome! And not a day too soon; Mollie only has one pre-parenthood working week left...

Bureaucracy frustration

In my university days, information was something that you found on pieces of paper stuck to a noticeboard. But things have, obviously, changed. And they keep changing.

The main information about our teaching is spread out over several platforms. Every module has its own module website, and it has some concise but crucial information (like deadlines) on something called my Bangor. We the teaching staff have full authorisation to make any change we want the module websites (although there are people keeping an eye on whether everything is clear and logical). On my Bangor, there is barely anything we can change. And nowadays, the information that my Bangor shows is imported directly from a platform called Worktribe. 

It is compulsory for us to update the Worktribe information every year, but we can't just go in and make edits. We have to request permission to do that. When we have made our changes, we can submit them for approval, and then people who don't have time for any of this have to OK them. This is all very laborious! I always get very grumpy if there is an email from higher up telling us we need to have updated our work details by a certain date, but when I then go onto the system, I can't make these changes they demand I make. If they tell us we must do it, can't they just toggle on blanket permission to do it?

Last semester it got extra complicated; there was a mismatch between Worktribe and something else. And that stopped all the processing of the students’ grades. And for some reason, even after we had acquired permission to rectify the problem, we didn't seem to be able to make the necessary change. In the end it was an administrator with higher powers who did it for us. So we thought. But then the exams happened.

When the exam was marked the grades couldn't be processed, because there was a mismatch between Worktribe and something else. What! But after some head scratching we realised the administrator had accidentally changed the information of the wrong assessment. So instead of correcting one error, she created a new one. So there we went again; asking for permission to change it. Then changing it. Then hoping that all the levels of higher authority above us would indeed OK that edit. 

Technology can be lovely and in many instances, it is a godsend. But I somehow have the feeling that this system could really do with an improvement! Can we really not be trusted to make these edits without someone giving us specific permission? And why does it have to be the busiest people in the university who have to OK all of it? I think someone should bang some heads together. But for now, at least all our grades have been processed…

First DIY with the new saw

So far I had only been using my new saw for cutting firewood. And it is amazing! It is so fast. And some weeks you go through quite a lot of the stuff. When we first had two days of snow and ice, and then one storm after the other, I was burning through quite a lot. But I still have plenty of uncut stock. And with a saw like that, that is easily turned into appropriately sized chunks.

The saw is not only good for speed, though; also for precision. And I had come up for its first application. It is a bit of a pity I got this thing after making my under-stairs cupboard, but opposite that cupboard is an old shoe rack I have, of which I think the shelves are a bit too far apart. I decided to add one. And it helps then if all your cuts are straight. If you let me have my way with a hand saw that might very well not be the result. But with this mitre saw it is! 

I still had quite some pallet planks standing around, so I picked a few that were fairly intact, and decided these would be shelves. Cutting them to size is literally seconds worth of work. And putting them in position is also not very laborious. So it's only one additional shelf in a very modest piece of furniture, but I enjoyed doing that! And I'm sure I'll think of other projects involving the saw in the future!

Only the supports in yet

Finished! 

Another sustainability meeting; this time in Penygroes

I had been to buckets of sustainability meetings recently! After the Citizens’ Assembly on Sustainability in our valley, we had created focus groups on topics such as sustainable food, sustainable transport and a climate festival. I am in the latter two, and we had been having meetings with both. And the same had happened in other regions. And the ‘energy-efficient homes’ group of the Nantlle Valley had organised an afternoon for sharing ideas. It sounded interesting! 

I also decided I could combine it with a nice run in an unusual environment. So I did, and I still made it on time. I first bumped into Malen, who I had hoped to be able to catch up afterwards. She is the wife of the Martyn we have just hired on a permanent contract. I hope to go visit them soon. I knew that would be a delegation from Bangor; Chris, the facilitator in our valley, would be coming up with a lady who is into sustainable food, and perhaps other people. And when I walked into the room I also saw the Welsh-speaking lady who had recently retired, and some of whose teaching I am now doing, and a bloke from Llanberis Mountain Rescue who had been at the wellbeing event the previous week. It’s nice to see familiar faces!

Most of the day was just presentations by various people. There was one guy who was trying to improve the situation in Pen Llŷn, by trying to have a holistic approach. One of his bugbears was that if you want your house to be made sustainable, you often have no choice but to hire contractors from far away. His organisation was trying to support local contractors to get the necessary accreditation, so they could do it themselves. And he was trying to organise support in applying for grants to have the work done in the first place.

There was also a man from Cartrefi Clyd, which is a Wales wide organisation, and it does similar things. They offer subsidised sustainability surveys of your house, and support with making the improvements that have been flagged up, by identifying potential sources of financial help. I think I'll take them up on that!

There also was the opportunity to discuss with the whole room. The room was largely Welsh speaking, and there of course was synchronous translation, so everyone could join in.

I think I got two take all messages from this. Firstly, there is actually quite a lot of good work being done in our general area. And secondly; it is affordable to have a specialist turn your house inside out and suggest improvements. The first lift the spirits, and the second lifts my faith in being able to improve my own situation! So it was worth it.

Running in Dorothea Quarry

It's only half an hour away, but I rarely go to the Nantlle Valley. The last time I was there, I came through while hiking the Slate Trail. And that meant I didn't have much time to explore. We were doing the heaviest hiking day of the whole trip. We started at 7 am, and didn't stop until 7 pm. I think we covered 30 km and three mountain ridges. You can imagine that we had enough on our hands, and didn't make the day any longer by exploring. We just followed the route!

When an interesting event was announced in Penygroes (that will be the next blog post), I figured I should tag along a run in the general area of Dorothea quarry. I know it's beautiful! And I had barely seen any of it.

The event would start at 12:30, so there was time to do a run beforehand. My idea was to park up in Nantlle, go for a run, drive to the lake, have a little swim in order to freshen up a bit, have my lunch, and go to the event. But it didn't really work out that way.

I wasn't the fastest that morning, so I didn't have that much time for my run when I got there. But the area indeed is amazingly beautiful! I got really distracted by all the beautiful industrial remains there. I didn't really pull my weight running, to be honest. I made a big loop around one of the bigger flooded pits, and then extended the run by following a bit of the Slate Trail again. At least that was uphill! I would get a little bit of exercise doing that.

Entering the quarry territory 

Strange double bridge

Gloomy-looking selfie (I enjoyed myself! Honest!)

Scary cracking structure above the track

Engine house 

Flooded pit

Lonely ruin on spoil heaps

Hesitant sun over dormant landscape 

Quarrymen’s barracks, I suppose 

When I was done I drove to a little layby, which was near a gate that gave access to a gravel road to the lake. I really wanted to park close to wherever I would get into the water, given that it is January, and it is important to be able to get back to your warm dry clothes quite quickly. But that gate was really really closed! With barbed wire and everything. I also tied up the stream that comes out of the lake, but that looked really inaccessible for reasons of brambles. So I gave up on that. I just hoped nobody would have a finely developed sense of smell at the event. At least I had been so busy admiring the old quarrying relics that I wasn't anywhere near as sweaty as I would normally be after a long run. 

I also was running a bit late, so I just went straight to the event, and brought my bag in. I was sure there would be opportunities for munching on some sandwiches! And I was already contemplating a return. It is way too beautiful there not come back and do it all again!

Having another attempt at sorting my Dutch affairs

When I was alerted by my old landlady that the Dutch pension fund was trying to get in touch with me, I figured I should tell them my current address. I clearly hadn't done that in a while. And I quickly googled how you do that. In the Netherlands, you can establish a digital identity, and with that, you can have access to that kind of information. Your pension, but probably also lots of other things.

I didn't have that digital identity. So I went about trying to get it. And then I quickly got reminded of why I hadn't done this before. The thing is that you need to somehow confirm your identity, and you can do that in person in the Netherlands; in person in London, at the Dutch embassy; or via a video call. For me, of course, the video call is by far the best option. And you can book them online. In theory.

The website says that on Fridays, at 9 am Dutch time, they open booking slots for next week, for people who want to make such a video call during working hours. And at 2 pm Dutch time they open the slots for after hours slots. Also, in theory. I made sure I was ready. Two minutes before nine (eight for me) I checked; they were not open yet, by the looks of it. No slots available. But neither were there any slots at nine o’clock sharp. Or two minutes after nine. And the same pattern was displayed at 2 pm. Memories came back of banging my head into that brick wall before. I must've given up.

I will try again next week. You’d think that slots should exist! Even though I noticed that more people had flagged up this issue. Surely it shouldn't be impossible to be really quick and get one? And I have little to lose. It would be really great if I wouldn't have to travel at least 250 miles for this. And it would be great if I could have my affairs in order. Maybe one day I'll even track down my Norwegian pension! But let's not get ahead of things…

Voice from Norway

When I left Norway, I dived quite seriously into British life. I’m a bit like that! I tend to get rather absorbed by the pressures of my new life, and then I don't stay in touch an awful lot with the life I left behind. That happened here as well. And that also held for the people in whose basement apartment I lived. It was Tromsø, so it was on a hill, so it had its share of windows, but I think it technically still was a basement apartment. And the family who lived upstairs were lovely! They were also very welcoming, and invited me over for dinner and such things. But I didn't much stay in touch with them after I left. I felt a bit bad about that.

Then, suddenly, I got an email from Martha, the landlady. She sent me a picture of a letter that has arrived for me. It was from the Dutch pension fund. She asked if it was important and whether she should send it on. That was very kind of her!

An exchange of messages followed. I had to dig out my Norwegian from underneath a thick layer of Welsh! But I managed. Soon she was sending me pictures from a wintry Tromsø. And all the family. She and her husband haven't changed, but the children sure have! Amongst other things; the only one who still is a child is the one that wasn't even born yet when I left. 

I sent her some pictures of my life. No fully grown children to boast of! But it was really nice to hear from her. And to get some snapshots of life as it continues in the Arctic. I had a lovely two years there. It was quite formative! It's really nice to hear from people who were there in such an important part of my life…

One of the pictures Martha sent me