She comes from Donny, sunny sunny Donny

Journeys, pitches, conferences, deadlines. As ever I’ve had too many of these running in parallel and the noise of my life reached a deafening crescendo -- well caterwauling -- yesterday when 20 small people ran around in my garden dressed as cats and tigers in a fantastic feline farrago. Oh the delicious indignations of 6 year old girls about their party themes. They crashed into one another relentlessly, smiled and crashed again. Much the same as my battling through terminals, waiting rooms, stations. I travel far, and frequently; the extrovert in me will talk to anyone, about anything – indeed my boss recently described me as a ‘tornado’ whizzing through. How true. But at heart I’m a DonnyLass, from a pit village-turned-council-estate, immeasurably proud of my origins, friends and family. All this toiling around, tho’, short passing-through episodes; experiences that shape, mould, impact and infer – at that very passing of time, the point of collision – what do we take of the person and what impression do we give? There’s a kaleidoscope of colour spinning around every individual as their journeys synch and spiral off again. I interviewed a Doctor recently who I’ve met several times over the course of 12 years. We’ve had brusque discussions, I’ve felt occasional terror that my knowledge won’t cut it, I’ve been impressed by his frankness and dedication but until this recent conversation we’ve only ever crashed and burned ... without taking a moment to see what else is happening to this person at this point in their lives. Turns out one of his first hospital jobs was treating the result of nightclub shenanigans in good ol’ Donny ... probably me, definitely some of you currently reading this blog (because we all know that clubbing in Donny begins aged 15 ... sorry Mum, no I didn’t 100% lie, I did stay at my bffs house, honest ... we just went out all night and rocked up to Mr Mullins’ chemistry A Level class still buzzing from the previous night’s ethanol experiment ). Suddenly, with common ground (some of Donny, honestly is very common) we found a natural, comedic alliance and were able to ask more and of more. And off we swirl, the cycle continues. What then do we centrifuge back to? One of the basic laws of physics (I remember this, because the nightclubs only had ‘nappy nights’ on Tuesdays and no DonnyLass would bother with that – so double physics with ‘SweatyBetty’ was, sadly, well-attended every Wednesday) is that energy can not be created, nor destroyed ... but transfers from one state to another. So I’ll continue crashing through, meeting, greeting, pitching, pushing ... from one state to another. But always a DonnyLass and perhaps I’ll slow up just a little to gaze and connect more effectively with the other person scrambling to their feet.

Happy Yorkshire Day

Oh dear. Bless me Blogging Father for I have sinned -- it has been a year since my last post! Still ... nothing like the chance to wish everyone a 'Happy Yorkshire Day' on the same day that TeamGB win their first gold medal to re-start. Infact the first medallist in London2012 was a Yorkshirewoman. So that's all (sort've) working out. I've noticed that whenever you talk to a Northerner there's always a 'first' conversation waiting to spring on you ... 'he was the first in the family to go to university / earn a million / finish his tea' for example; clearly we like to be up-front and out-front. Which is why I am surprised that it has taken so long for swanky to hit Hull. Leeds has the first Harvey Nichs outside of the capital, Manchester and Liverpool vye for top ranking on the football tables (I'm ignoring Chelsea), Edinburgh and York are No 1 tourist attractions and World Heritage sites respectively. Even my home town of Doncaster can boast of the first (I think) and certainly the oldest horse race. Why has Hull become last in the first-stakes? Well ... swanky has now hit Hull in the form of new restaurant '1884' ... which I'll be dining at tonight to raise a glass to Yorkshire folks everywhere. So enjoy the day and make today one where you do something great for the first time!