I started writing this blog on a Sunday evening, after a very busy week. I wasn’t sure what to talk about, but while sitting here watching a film with the boys and feeling tired, I thought why not talk about what my weeks been like.
During school term time, my weeks are usually the same. Nothing much changes except perhaps the weekend where I might have an extra gig or two. This week I have done four gigs, taught twenty students and coached harp ensemble. Most days I don’t normally start work until about midday, which is great because it means I also have time in the week to go for a run, do some housework or some admin.
On Monday afternoon I was playing for afternoon tea at Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel. I have started to drive there every time, which has made a huge difference. I’m out for less of the day, I don’t have to suffer with motion sickness anymore (woohoo!) and I don’t have to deal with public transport. It means that I have more time in the morning, and because I work until late on Fridays I do like to see it as part of my weekend.
On Tuesday I taught from 10am to 8:30pm. I’m not teaching solidly in that time, but from about 4pm I am either teaching or driving to the next student. I teach some of my students in my own home, and others at theirs. There are some weeks where a student might cancel, and I tend to use this as an opportunity to do admin/practice/sleep.
Wednesday was a good day. I spent the morning writing my blog before teaching for four hours that afternoon. I do really enjoy writing this blog, it’s another great outlet for my creativity, and although English was never my forte at school I actually really enjoy writing. In a way, it feels like I’m writing my journal.
Thursday was Harp Ensemble and teaching later that afternoon from 4pm-8pm. Again, I wasn’t teaching solidly, but if I wasn’t teaching I was driving. On this morning I was out for a run when I got a call from a friend who had arrived at my house with her six month old baby. I had managed to double book myself! But it was so lovely to see them both and I feel very lucky that my job allows me to do that sort of thing during the week.
Friday was the same as most Fridays for me. Which means two gigs. I’m out for ten hours on Fridays, but I don’t have to leave until 1pm which allows me to get things done in the morning. I have to be extremely careful though because I have a tendency to make my to do list far too big for those few hours on a Friday morning, and I force myself to relax before a pretty tiring day. Once I arrive at the first hotel, I always feel a bit more relaxed about the long day. But the journey from Jumeirah Carlton Tower to Champneys Forest Mere is ALWAYS a bit stressful. There is always traffic, and my satnav takes me on a different route every week.
On Saturday I had a wedding, but I didn’t need to leave my house until 1pm. It was such a lovely wedding, in a venue I had never been to before, Brocket Hall. It’s only a 30 minute drive, and when I got there it turned out I had needed to start playing 30 minutes earlier than was written in the contract. Luckily, I always arrive super early for gigs! The gig went really well, but my hands were pretty tired about half way through.
That concludes my work week last week. It was pretty busy and tiring, but I enjoyed it. I had a lovely time for the rest of my weekend with my partner and family. The sun was shining, we had a barbeque, and the kids all enjoyed a water fight.
It is Tuesday now and I’m having a similar week to last week, except from Saturday I have a full week off which I’m really looking forward to! I’m ready to rest, see friends and family, and have lots of fun. Yay!
Thanks for reading and see you next time!