Phone call for a scarecrow...
Last week we had a phone call, nothing unusual there, we have lots everyday. The person at the other end wanted to talk about careers in rural areas, also not so unusual. What was different was that she was a journalist from The Times writing a piece for their Graduate Careers special and wanted a few insights about jobs in the countryside. Details were taken, an outline was emailed and an interview arranged for a few days later. The results were in Thursday's edition.
So why a scarecrow? When this was relayed to Niall (who was overjoyed) he claimed it was only to be expected as CJS is obviously 'out standing in the field'. Boom Boom!
Some things never change (which is actually really rather nice).
Our mention in The Times Graduate Careers special amounted to one paragraph in a short article covering the breadth of working in rural areas, not specifically countryside jobs. I think the journalist was quite disappointed when I explained exactly what CJS does especially when I said that we were publishers and not a recruitment agency, she did seem surprised that countryside jobs could be in inner city areas (didn't fit the article profile I assume). However, despite that we're still chuffed that she contacted us for information.
For some more in depth useful information have a look at our Helpful Hints page, it's currently being rewritten so if you have any suggestions or requests please send them across.
Maybe we should have mentioned more about the joys of rural life! (aka anyone got a tow rope?)
Wednesday morning there's a knock on the office door, "I'm a little bit stuck can you pull me out?" said a visiting friend, after a lovely evening catching up the family had stayed overnight in a local BnB but it turns out that on their way home they decided to check out 'Hogsmeade' station (their words, without its dressing it doesn't look like anything from Harry Potter, but there's some info and pictures here) and pulled into the lane end to park. They're not really country folk and parked - or rather tried to - on the verge only to get well and truly stuck. Although I have a 4x4 I don't actually have a tow rope (must have left it in the old landie when it went to pastures new and I never got round to getting another one) or a tow bar, but HB (to the rescue again) has both. So she nipped home and arrived back only to discover that in their last towing adventure the tow rope had snapped, so we're all standing around looking at bits of rope when a friend goes sailing past, reverses up and quickly solves the problem with a series of splices and knots. After which the bogged down car was gently tugged from the mire and everyone can get on with their day.
Made for an interesting start to the day...
Talking about day break, the dawn chorus has got into full swing in the last couple of days. This morning there was a beautiful song thrush at the top of the ash tree singing his heart out, a robin blasting away at the top of the Christmas tree, blackbirds on the shed and greenhouse roofs and a starling with inflated throat burble-chattering away on the telephone wires as a gaggle of geese flew overhead heading north gabbling away to each other.
PS Thursday was the start of the Year of The Sheep according to Chinese astrology. Goathland has more sheep than people, with ratios akin to Australia so that makes us a little interested in how sheep impact our daily lives. Apparently after the energetic Horse this coming year is going to be a smooth year, a time to relax and make peace with oneself (um, not sure I'll have the time for that....), a year of harmony and tranquility. It sounds wonderful. And then we looked a little further: I'm an ox (strong willed and stubborn), we also have a couple of snakes (wily deep thinkers), a rooster (stands on top of their midden and crows) and a monkey (quick witted and intelligent) amongst others.
So why a scarecrow? When this was relayed to Niall (who was overjoyed) he claimed it was only to be expected as CJS is obviously 'out standing in the field'. Boom Boom!
Some things never change (which is actually really rather nice).
Our mention in The Times Graduate Careers special amounted to one paragraph in a short article covering the breadth of working in rural areas, not specifically countryside jobs. I think the journalist was quite disappointed when I explained exactly what CJS does especially when I said that we were publishers and not a recruitment agency, she did seem surprised that countryside jobs could be in inner city areas (didn't fit the article profile I assume). However, despite that we're still chuffed that she contacted us for information.
For some more in depth useful information have a look at our Helpful Hints page, it's currently being rewritten so if you have any suggestions or requests please send them across.
Maybe we should have mentioned more about the joys of rural life! (aka anyone got a tow rope?)
Wednesday morning there's a knock on the office door, "I'm a little bit stuck can you pull me out?" said a visiting friend, after a lovely evening catching up the family had stayed overnight in a local BnB but it turns out that on their way home they decided to check out 'Hogsmeade' station (their words, without its dressing it doesn't look like anything from Harry Potter, but there's some info and pictures here) and pulled into the lane end to park. They're not really country folk and parked - or rather tried to - on the verge only to get well and truly stuck. Although I have a 4x4 I don't actually have a tow rope (must have left it in the old landie when it went to pastures new and I never got round to getting another one) or a tow bar, but HB (to the rescue again) has both. So she nipped home and arrived back only to discover that in their last towing adventure the tow rope had snapped, so we're all standing around looking at bits of rope when a friend goes sailing past, reverses up and quickly solves the problem with a series of splices and knots. After which the bogged down car was gently tugged from the mire and everyone can get on with their day.
Made for an interesting start to the day...
Talking about day break, the dawn chorus has got into full swing in the last couple of days. This morning there was a beautiful song thrush at the top of the ash tree singing his heart out, a robin blasting away at the top of the Christmas tree, blackbirds on the shed and greenhouse roofs and a starling with inflated throat burble-chattering away on the telephone wires as a gaggle of geese flew overhead heading north gabbling away to each other.
PS Thursday was the start of the Year of The Sheep according to Chinese astrology. Goathland has more sheep than people, with ratios akin to Australia so that makes us a little interested in how sheep impact our daily lives. Apparently after the energetic Horse this coming year is going to be a smooth year, a time to relax and make peace with oneself (um, not sure I'll have the time for that....), a year of harmony and tranquility. It sounds wonderful. And then we looked a little further: I'm an ox (strong willed and stubborn), we also have a couple of snakes (wily deep thinkers), a rooster (stands on top of their midden and crows) and a monkey (quick witted and intelligent) amongst others.