Well, this is a noteworthy evening in the Lyffe and Tymes of Heckety Beck
because
this very evening as is
I am after having given my
Very First
ICA Talk.
Whew! And I think I survived...maybe...almost...No really, they were lovely, I was just a tad anxious (um, read 'petrified' for anxious?).
The evening was filled with potential pitfalls but being the super-hero you all know and appreciate (!!!) I avoided them all!
For starters, the meeting was in a village about 30 minutes drive from town, well back in the hills along dark, twisty, narrow roads. A friend gave me very precise directions this morning but it is pitch dark by 6.30pm, I was heading out after 7, and country roads are not noted for their signposts in the rural West. By the grace of God it wasn't raining so I actually found the turn-off, as I had visions of ending up in Ballina otherwise ( 60 km as opposed to 18km!).
I remembered my notes, which was just as well, considering how I'd fretted and frowned over them for the last week and a bit. I hadn't been able to decide how to categorise all the crafts which needed to be included so I put them in alphabetical order- once a teacher, always a teacher, I guess?
There were about eighteen different crafts which needed to be covered, with samples of most, and I needed to speak for an hour.
No problem?
Well, I was so nervous that I rattled through the whole thing in twenty five minutes flat and was left staring at the ladies like a grounded fish...gasping and gulping with nothing left to say!
It wasn't meant to be a comedy act.
They were very kind though and asked lots of questions and discussed the crafts afterwards, which in fact lengthened the session to nearly two hours.
Talk about getting it haywire!
Not exactly a roaring success. But I did turn up on the right day at the right place, right time and entertained them all somewhat, so really, knowing me, what more could anyone ask??
ICA- Irish Countrywoman's Association.
2 comments:
Well done you. You must have been uplifted by having got there, done it and entertained the ladies. I belong to the WI (Women's Institute) which I imagine is much the same as the ICA, and we have a speaker each month. Once you get on to 'the circuit' I'm sure you'll get lots of invitations. From my experience people with lots of examples to pass around are very popular.
Oh well done ! I did a WI talk last year , so difficult to know how long it will take, mine too was too short but was padded out by Q&A
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