Things we learned on the Roadtrip to the RNA
Conference
By Ruth Long, Denise Deegan, Jane Travers &
Sally Clements
Ferry
companies should not have a staircase reminiscent of the Titanic on their ships,
nor should they show documentaries about exploring shipwrecks. Or have safety
videos that seem to have been made by the same people as Money for Nothing by
Dire Straits.
It is
possible to eat your body weight in free mini pastries on the ferry.
Four Irish
women in a car soon revert to stereotypes of parents & kids.
Wales does
not exist in the rain. It is all grey. And invisible.
While some
people discuss folklore, mythology and legends in the front of the car, some
people throw jelly babies about in the back.
It is
possible to eat your body weight in jelly babies.
The magic
of an RNA conference means the moment we reached the Lake District the sun came
out. And it was GORGEOUS.
Ruth and
Jane work well together as navigator and driver, right up until the moment they
arrive at the campus when they promptly argue about which entrance to use. They
were both right!
Our
reputations preceded us. (Oops! Blame Twitter. And the Roadtrip)
Do not
mention anything unmentionable to Jane Lovering just before she gives a speech
(Kate Johnson).
On Friday
night we were the quiet kitchen. This had to be amended.
Ruth still believes we were the quiet kitchen on Friday
night. Shh, don't tell.
The Sun
always Shines on TV, and at an RNA conference. (Well, not always, but more than
for the rest of the summer)
We don’t
want another 50 shades of Grey conversation.
We are
easily confused/bewildered/amused.
Jane
Lovering can bring Jane Travers to the verge of an athsma attack in under a
minute.
Ms Alison
Maynard has a little cup.
On Saturday
night we were NOT the quiet kitchen.
It is
possible to drink your own body weight in wine. Though perhaps not wise.
It may not
be possible to get up the next morning. Not all the way up.
There is a
beautiful garden in Newton Rigg. With WICKERMEN in it. It is probably best that
we didn’t discover this until we were about to go and were under time
constraints.
Be careful
when purchasing pasties. Very careful.
Wales is
pretty in sunshine. And there. Which was nice as that’s where we were getting
our ferry from. Phew.
No one is
allowed to say “Nothing can go wrong now” until all the way home. ALL THE WAY
HOME. And then some.
It is
possible to eat your body weight in free cheese and crackers on the ferry.
The RNA
Conference itself... we learned SO MUCH. And were awed by the kindness, generosity,
friendliness and intelligence of everyone there. Thank you all so much. We will
be back. (If this sounds like a threat... oops).
10 comments:
Sounds like fun, ladies! The conference was great. And I'm glad you were able to amend the quiet kitchen scenario :)
And that you managed to see Wales without the rain.
May the sun shine every day the next time you venture over
:)
I'm envious - sounds as if you had a whale of a time!
It was LOVELY to see you all there :)
Haha! What a great post and a fab way to start the week. Thank you for the sunshine and smiles. :-) x
Was a fantastic trip. Hopefully to be repeated next year.
What a great way to sum up your experience(s) - you should write a short book about it: Four go to Penrith!
rain or shine WE WILL BE BACK
It really was fun - starting saving up for a return trip!
Great post - it was lovely to meet you all! See you next year :)
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