Holed up indoors, riding out the extreme heat, seems a good time to continue with my blog. I have too many diaries and notebooks on the go as I have been keeping a diary although not updating this blog. There has been much in the news about women and work recently. I was a full time mother and loved every minute of it, although I was intending to return but life events wiped that possibility away. Nearing retirement I do feel the lack of having had a ‘career’ from which to retire while on the other hand, I am still doing things that bring me joy as well as an income. There is no end in sight for this thankfully. For women to have both a baby and a career, or even a job, there needs to be a step change in thinking. Society needs more people to be born and thus there is an obligation to help mothers. Will Hutton back in the 1990s was advocating a 4 day week as a result of technological advances. Indeed, working from home is now a real option for many people. For those jobs that cannot be done from home, there needs to be investment in providing more part time opportunities, and for men as well as women. Use of technology does away with the constant need for presenteeism – sometimes people need to be present in person, other times not.
Enjoyed a really good, gentle film yesterday afternoon. Entitled ‘This Beautiful Fantastic’, it told the tale of a young women on the autistic spectrum with OCD and her curmudgeonly neighbour. Ultimately, it was a tale of finding joy and love with like-minded folk. Along the lines of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the main characters developed a fondness and respect for each other through the process of creating a garden. Starring Jessica Brown Findlay (I knew her mother!), this was a beautiful film showing how much better life can be when people respect other people’s quirks and help each other. I felt it would be an excellent film to show in schools. It is worth watching for the Mechanical Bird storyline alone.
Karen Hedges 