FIRST PRESENTATION DONE!

Today dawned and it was a horrible morning - with rain lashing down and the wind howling, so I was glad that my Presentation wasn’t that early.  However, I had practised well last night and I am dedicated to Blip, so although I had a few notes to start, just spoke "off the cuff" to every photograph and also read a couple of my poems.

Because I had had issues with the hotel’s projector when I visited a couple of weeks ago, I decided to get there well before lunch, which was due to be served at 12.30 - so I set off from home at about 11.15 a.m.  The roads were flooded in places, so it was quite hairy driving, so I kept my speed fairly low, but I’m sorry to say that there were still some idiots going at 70 mph+ so I just let them go!  However, I arrived just after 11.30 a.m. and then had to wait for the hotel staff to come and sort out the projector and find a table, but it gave me a good opportunity to speak to a couple of the ladies from the Cancer Research Lunch Club, at whose invitation I was there and to meet people I hadn't seen for a very long time.

Eventually, I got everything set up and we then sat down to a lovely meal and although I hoped to sit with my friend, Fionuala and her Mum, I was told I as sitting at the “top table” no less!  It was a good job I remembered to mention though that I was allergic to prawns, because the fish, which was loin of cod wrapped in parma ham was supposed to have a prawn sauce.  However, they were very good and the young waitress told me that she would ask the chef to cook one for me without the prawn sauce - and I have to say it was delicious.  Prior to that we had a Red onion and goats cheese tart on a bed of rocket and joy of joys, the dessert was Sticky Toffee Pudding and custard, which was delicious!  However, having eaten all that, I was then expected to speak for 45 minutes!

We had one or two “blips” with the sound and picture, but once I got going on my “Blipping Miscellany”, it was fine.  I did say what a wonderful place Blip is and told the 70 or so ladies who were present about the origins of Blip.  Sadly partway through, we had a few more issues, but I managed to chat my way through them and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  Before I did my Presentation, I was asked how often I did these sort of things, to which I had to respond that this was my very first time although I had prepared many for previous bosses before I retired - but said that it was one thing preparing them for someone else, but quite a different thing to be actually doing it yourself!

I decided to make a collage of my day, so the shot in the middle on the left is my very first Blip on 1st January 2013, a sunset over Boscombe Pier, taken from Honeycombe Beach, where our son used to have an apartment.  The next shot is Fionuala, my friend who had invited me to come to their group and her Mum, both looking good, who were a great encouragement to me.  

On the bottom row at both ends are my two favourite shots of all time - Douglas, a homeless man I sat and chatted with down on Boscombe Pier - then a shot of the table in the Garden Room where the Presentation took place, and then my other favourite - our friends’ daughter, Lyra, looking at the sea, also at Boscombe, and wondering if she will go in to fill her bucket with water!

Despite the little  blips - and the definition of a blip is “an unexpected, minor, and typically temporary deviation from a general trend” it went very well and I enjoyed it, although if I do one again, I will take more care with the timings, as I did run over a little, but did manage to tell them about the Community Fridge and the English classes that I am involved in at our Church.  

Thank you to everyone who wished me well - I apologise for not commenting last night but I was trying to get all the last minute tweaks done.  Several people did come up to me afterwards and said that they had enjoyed my Presentation and that I was obviously passionate about Blip and what I did - and of course, they were right!

“You can speak well if your tongue
     can deliver the message of your heart.”
John For

P.S.  The Christmas Trees are up at Blunsdon House Hotel - too early for me, but I guess they want to advertise their Christmas lunches etc and they did look good on a grey and rainy day!