Walking in the Cheviots

Back from a weekend walking in the Cheviots - a long drive there and back but worth it for a lovely Easter weekend in the snow ... and wind ... and hail. The sort of biting hail that feels like you're walking through needles and makes you realise that you need to upgrade your walking gear and that actually ski goggles wouldnt' be a bad idea.

We were staying in Mounthooly Bunkhouse in the College valley, very remote and a three mile drive into the valley down a very narrow road. No chance of driving out again if it snowed heavily unless you had a four-wheel drive. The bunkhouse was comfortable but cold. It was just as well that there were only eight of us as although it sleeps twenty, if it had been full, there would have been nowhere to sit and eat, never mind cook.

On day one we all set out to climb the Cheviot - not a mountain by mountaineers standards, in fact no more than a mere foothill, if that but it is the highest peak in the Cheviots Hills, after which they were obviously named. As we walked out of the bunk house and straight up the valley (nothing like having walks right on the doorstep) it got colder and windier the higher we got and there was low cloud over the tops of where we were headed but it was a case of see how far we get and if the weather changed, one way or the other. The weather got progressively worse the higher we got, so after sheltering out of the wind in a gully, we abandoned the walk and headed back downhill and spent the rest of the afternoon stoking up the wood burning stove, drinking tea and reading. In fact there were comments at various times over the weekend about 'the library' that developed each evening. Well, with no TV, no laptop and no mobile phone, it was an ideal opportunity to catch up on some reading.

The following day, the hills were still covered in snow and low cloud so Plan B was to head down to the coast for a walk with a short stop in the local town for supplies as we'd run out of milk already - all that porridge for breakfast and endless cups of tea from the biggest teapot ever.

Bamburgh Castle on the Northumberland coast is only a short drive from where we were staying and although the snow came down in pretty thick flurries, we made it along the B roads with only one car sliding to a gentle stop on the wrong side of the road as it took a corner a bit too fast. Wrapped up against the elements we took a short walk up along the beach. The Farne Islands are only just off shore, much closer than I'd expected and Lindisfarne is just up the coast, which was our second stop after a quick lunch in the pub to warm up. By the time we left the pub the snow had pretty much gone and although it was still cold and windy, the sun was out. Another short walk up around the shoreline across from Lindisfarne, spotting a few pairs of eider ducks in their natural habitat before heading back for more tea and cake.

On the final day, after overnight snow, there was some blue sky around, so we made a second attempt of the Cheviot and managed a good circular walk up onto the hills, through the snow and across the peat bog back down into valley. Only stopping briefly at the summit for a quick bite to eat and a warming drink as it was too cold and windy to hang around for long. It did warm up and the snow showers stopped as we walked back down into the valley. We had a great roast to look forward to that evening - roast chicken with all the trimmings and plenty of it. Food over the weekend was certainly plentiful with three 'chefs' nominated to cook each evening and everyone else chipping in to help out. Despite the walking and burning up calories to keep warm, with plenty to eat over the weekend and two course meals - the scales had gone up rather than down when I got home!

Read more detail of the trip in Sussex Nature Notes.

Off Road In The Mud

A slightly different day today as I went off-road driving for the first time. I was phoned up at short notice earlier in the week, someone had dropped out of the course. It’s part of my work as a volunteer ranger and will mean that I can drive the land rovers when out on tasks.

It did mean an early start, as the off road centre was in Kent but I linked up with another volunteer who lived just up the road in Lewes. Starting early meant we were ahead of the traffic and got there in good time. In fact such good time that having found the place, we were all set to go and get a coffee somewhere - although in the depths of Kent's orchards there weren't going to be too many Starbucks around. However, one of the staff turned up and let us in to the centre to wait in the warmth as it wasn't the warmest of days.

Well, centre sounds slightly glamorous it was a large warehouse with the workshop underneath where there was much hammering and welding going on and an upper level with the classroom, toilets, a small kitchen and offices. This was a 4-wheel driving course, would did you expect. We had to wait while the coffee machine heated up and there was a log burning stove, which once it got going, warmed the place up, along with supplies of coffee, chocolate or whatever combination you chose from the machine.

The rain from the previous few days made the 4x4 course extremely muddy! Firstly, we talked through the mechanics of 4-wheel driving - diffs, gears and learning even simple things, such as the fact that the engine drives the wheel with the least resistance - that's why they spin - on ice, mud or in the wet. Then it was out to put it into practice, in a fairly battered but working Range Rover. There were only three of us on the course which gave plenty of opportunity for driving practice, taking it turns to drive round the course and get used to the gears and the fact that even without your foot on the accelerator the engine still drives the vehicle forward - even on a slope.

Back into the classroom for more about safety, stopping and starting on a slope and the importance of momentum. Lunch was followed up with more hands-on practice this time in the mud and a variety of hills, slopes, mud, ruts and ditches, all the time avoiding the trees, which got pretty close as the range rover lurched from side to side, in and out of the trees, along the ruts and over the bumps. I only touched one small tree! It’s amazing how steep a gradient these vehicles will go up ... and down and the temptation to keep your foot on the brake, as you head down what feels like a ridiculously steep slope - results in a sharp reprimand of "Foot OFF the brake!". This is what they were made for – not driving to and from the nearest supermarket.

All in all a great day out but you're safe for the moment as I won't be allowed out on the road until I've completed the on-road and defensive driving part of the course.

Old School Networking

I went to a networking meeting today and was treated to a fine display of old school networking. You know the kind, where you ask the question "What do you do?" and you get whammed with a sales pitch. This didn't happen just once but several times.

There were also people busily moving from one person to another, checking out their name badges, thinking "Do I want to talk to this person" or more likely (can I sell to this person), having a brief conversation, handing out their business card and then moving on. Admittedly there were a lot of new people there so perhaps they've not learnt the etiquette of networking or the reality of good networking habits.

Right at the end someone I hadn't met at all, was rushing round, shoving their sales material in front of everyone in case they missed out. "Hi, this is me, give me a call, bye"

It was a shame because there was a nice buzz about the place but if that's what I'm going to be subjected to at each meeting - either I won't go or I need to brush up on my diversionary tactics.

Get More From Your Meetings

My latest newsletter is just out. This month's main article is about getting more out of your meetings.

Meetings can be a great excuse to waste time and yet another frustration in an already busy day. While meetings can be a good way of communicating and discussing new opportunities, they can also be an unproductive use of several people’s time.

Before you arrange or attend a meeting, decide whether it’s the most effective use of everybody’s time? Could the information be better communicated by email or with a phone call or report? The purpose and outcome of the meeting should balance the input of time and effort by all those involved.

- if you'd like to read more of the March issue, just sign up on my website and you'll also receive free Time Tips.

Is Email Ruining Your Life?

Are you deluged with email?

It's becoming a big problem these days. So much so that there's a Money Programme special tonight on BBC2 at 7.00pm - Email Is Ruining My Life.

Apparently:

two million emails are sent every second; 62 per cent of us check work emails when we're at home or on holiday; and in the UK, a third of office workers suffer from "email stress". It's pretty obvious that the technology is hugely beneficial to the workforce, but paperless communication needs to be controlled (rather than having it control us).

Is email a problem for you? Do you waste time on your emails rather than actually getting on with more important work? Are you checking your email constantly throughout the day?

• My first bit of advice is to switch off the email alert so that it's not pinging or flashing at you every time an email comes into your inbox.

• Set the mailbox options to only check for new messages periodically. That way, there's less distraction wondering what's come in during the last five minutes.

• Only check your emails two or three times a day. Unless you need to respond instantly to customers as soon as an email hits your inbox (unlikely), you really only need to check your inbox a couple of times a day, morning and afternoon. Do it AFTER you've achieved your first important task of the day. That way you're less likely to get distracted early on in the day.

• Create folders and filters to organise your incoming mail - automatically sort mail into the appropriate folder by subject or sender as it comes in, so you can easily see what's important and what's not.

• When you do check emails - set aside a specific time to do this - 15-20 minutes at a time. Don't jump straight in and start responding to the first one. Take a few minutes to sort them into urgent/action, non-urgent and reading. If you can't deal with an email straight away, schedule time to deal with it later.

Plan your time for emails in the same way you plan the rest of your time and it doesn't have to ruin your life!

If you miss the programme you can always read more tips on managing your email on my website.

Just Because I'm In Your Network

... does not give you the right to send me 'junk mail' or automatically add me to your mailing list. Or does it?

I produce a monthly newsletter but I don't make a habit of automatically adding everyone to it that I happen to connect with - either online or offline. Yes, I might invite them to join and occasionally send them the latest issue if I think it will be of interest but generally I take a passive approach with my newsletter list. After all one of the issues people have is too much email. Given what I do, I'm not about to add to that by sending them something they don't want - even if it is the only one they ever need to read!

If I did take this bold step - the newsletter has a verification process, so they have to confirm they want to receive my newsletter and they always have the option to opt out at any time.

The more networking I've done, the more I've been added to people's email lists. Promotions for vehicle leasing, newsletters from solicitors, IT companies, web designers, therapists etc. Most of whom I don't even recognise the name or company. Where did they get my address from? Then I come across their name as I browse through the many forums and online groups or turn up at a networking meeting - ah, that's where they got it from.

Is it generally considered open season on your email address if you're listed on the same business directory or have 'connected' through a networking site? An invitation to freely send you unsolicited email?

I do email my business contacts list every now and then, if I have something particular I want to share or a seminar I want to promote but I always include the option to be removed from my mailing list, if they don't want to receive these in future.