Take 3...or 4...or 5...

Part of my Counselling Skills course involves having to record a role play session of me, the Counsellor, talking with Andy, the Victim - I mean, client - about a made up problem during which I demonstrate my accrued counselling skills. I then send the recording to my tutor so she can check that I’m not making a complete pig’s ear of things by telling the Client to Get A Grip and Pull Yourself Together.

Anyway, the plan was to record the role play yesterday but yesterday was a major drama in itself involving Flora Bijou Mybug, which meant that neither myself nor His Lordship Malarkey were in a fit state to fanny around with recordings, so we deferred it until this morning by which time Flora was markedly improved and we both felt in a better headspace. 

The Grand Recording Process unfolded thus: 

1) we had a chat about the format of the made up problem. 

2) we had a practise run of the made up problem to make sure that we hit the minimum of the 5 minutes required and that we got over the fit of giggles and silliness which invariably occurs in these events

3) we faffed around trying to attach Andy’s iPhone to his camera tripod. This involved an iPad stand and half a reel of sellotape because Andy couldn’t find his camera stand attachment, it’s around here SOMEWHERE, but GOD KNOWS where, I’ve seen it at some point but it seems to have DISAPPEARED. (If it was MY camera attachment I would know EXACTLY where it was, but it wasn’t, so what can you do?)

4) we embarked on Recording Number 1. About 45 seconds in, Bambino swaggered in and flaunted himself shamelessly across the screen in front of us...

Bambino decided to stay, so we furnished him with his own chair, out of camera shot.

5) we embarked on Recording Number 2. We got so involved in our chat that we failed to notice that during the recording the iPhone was sliding slowly upwards on its make do camera stand attachment so when we reached a triumphant end and checked the recording there was a bit of swearing when we saw 15 seconds of us, followed by 5 minutes and 12 seconds of the light fitting on our dining room ceiling

6) more tape and tightening of screws applied to make do camera attachment

7) we embarked on Recording Number 3. Two minutes in Flora appears and starts a minor kerfuffle with Bambino...

8) we embarked on Recording Number 4. By this time I am on tenterhooks and grinning like a loon in order to stave off the feeling of growing hysteria within. Thankfully, we reached the end of the recording with no further hitch or ado. Check the recording - all good and ticketty boo. Andy put on his Editor’s hat  and condensed the file suitable for transferring, cutting off the bits at the beginning and the end where we were laughing and pulling faces at the lunacy of it all. Bambino wandered off, now the excitement was over. 

What a malarkey! Still, it meant I was able to complete my first module 5 days ahead of schedule. I also demonstrated unconditional positive regard towards Bambino because despite him being the most attention seeking and annoying cat EVER he is also a very loving and squishy chap and he (mostly) makes me laugh. 

Flora is much better today. She did an enormous and lovely poo. That’s always a good sign of improving health, I think. That, and a continued obsession with Marmite. My learning pack for my Healer Training Parts 1 and 2 has arrived in preparation for Sunday’s start, so I had a diverting hour arranging the contents into a lovely lilac lever arch file. I’m reading Deepak Chopra’s ‘Quantum Healing’ at the moment. It’s very sciency, but it is also amazing and mind-blowing and makes a huge amount of sense to me. Alongside that, I’m reading ‘The Snow Woman’ by Stella Gibbons. That, too, is excellent. There are 22 novels by Stella Gibbons - I am on Number 12. She is officially my favourite writer of all time. 

Thinking about adding another building to the garden. A roundhouse. It’s become my current favourite daydream. Something to ponder on and smile about...