Goodness me this is the penultimate blog for Scottish island mum. I am struggling to believe that this project has lasted a whole year. Time definitely marches much quicker the older you get. As my 18 year old son leaves on the boat to see the new year in with his friends in Glasgow I can see the changes in my family. Somehow they all grew up and I may not have noticed. With now two adult children in the family the dynamics have shifted slightly and I perhaps need to spend time reflecting on that. In particular, I need to reflect on my shifting relationships with them and ensure that I am making the necessary adjustments. Molly remains a frequent visitor but now has two homes and I have understood that and made those adjustments. Harry remains at home but is looking to spread his wings a little further in 2014. George is about to start his qualifications and therefore will spend more time studying by himself and that leaves more time for Max on a one to one basis. I see all these changes as wonderful opportunities and I also see four incredibly grounded and compassionate human beings. 2014 is a big year for me as I turn 50 but it is also a big year for the children and Pete. Pete will reach 50 before me so he can lead the way. The children will adjust their horizons as they do every year and Pete and I will need to adjust our view finders accordingly.
Having just spent a few hours with Molly extending and deepening her blog, Conservation Stories, I can see how much she is ready to enter the working environment that is animal conservation. Typically Molly, she is researching people who have their bird ringing licence that live near Nottingham so that she can do her apprenticeship with them while studying for her masters. Does she sound like anyone? She remains a good few steps ahead in her thinking and that continues to work for her. The changes to her blog are really exciting and there are lots of ways to get involved. I will be doing a full editorial on it on One soul many hearts once she has it ready.
Harry has his year ahead planned. He begins work on a building project virtually on the beach early in the new year to give him some income until March when the growing season gets underway again and then he will be back on the plot. He also has the willow crop to extend with his brothers on Hazelbank. Studying continues on his diploma in Sports Nutrition and then he wants to take his gym instructor qualification. He has a busy year ahead because he also wants to pass his driving test.
George will complete his English and Maths qualifications before beginning his level 3 work with dog care. I am also confident he will be making lots more cakes as news of his talents are spreading. George wants to take on more work on the smallholding so he will be working with me on the cut flower crop.
Max continues with home school but I am also hoping that he will pick up some more work with charities. I am keen to see where this work takes him as he has the biggest heart in the family. I am hoping that he will do some guest blogging for One soul many hearts on its new page about helping others.
So, you can see that they are all growing up and finding their own way. Pete and I are very good at shifting our relationships with them to reflect these changes and I do think that is so important. It is hard when they leave home but if you shift the relationship accordingly you will find that they want to come back and visit often.
Those of you who are on facebook already know that my news is that I am to become a Children's Champion for UNICEF. This is the little project that has been in discussion for a while. This role will extend my deepen my activist role with the organisation and I consider it a huge honour. I am also in discussion about setting up a UNICEF fundraising group for the Scottish islands but you will have to keep an eye on the facebook page for Scottish island mum to see if that is confirmed. There are two options with this project. The first is that the virtual group is limited to people who live on the Scottish isles and the second option is that the whole project is run through Scottish island mum which includes networking with the other Scottish islanders but also includes readers of Scottish island mum. A decision has not yet been made but I will post details on the facebook page as soon as we have news on this.
I will be working with Scottish MPs to push the UNICEF agenda and the changes that we need to see in Scotland. This includes a huge commitment to supporting children from poorer families and ensuring access to good education for all. I will also be working with MPs out of Whitehall on issues of international development. So, at the end of Scottish island mum it is like the final piece of jigsaw has slotted into place. Tomorrow I will spend some time looking back to see just how all this came about. It is my story but it involves all of you and is, I think, truly remarkable.
Until tomorrow. xx
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