Monday, July 23, 2012

THINGS WE LEARNED...RNA CONFERENCE 2012


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:

Anonymous said...

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

:)

Charlotte Betts said...

I'm envious - sounds as if you had a whale of a time!

Jan Jones said...

It was LOVELY to see you all there :)

Laura E. James said...

Haha! What a great post and a fab way to start the week. Thank you for the sunshine and smiles. :-) x

R F Long said...

Was a fantastic trip. Hopefully to be repeated next year.

Rosemary Gemmell said...

What a great way to sum up your experience(s) - you should write a short book about it: Four go to Penrith!

Denise Deegan said...

rain or shine WE WILL BE BACK

Sally Clements said...

It really was fun - starting saving up for a return trip!

Christina Courtenay said...

Great post - it was lovely to meet you all! See you next year :)

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