You can take the gal out of the city, but can you take the city out of the gal?

The past year has been fraught with all sorts of challenges, the biggest being the Covid-19 virus. Back in March 2019, even though the world knew of the virus which was first detected in Wuhan, China, little did we know that the regional troublesome virus would become a pandemic, the biggest threat to life that the world has seen since the Second World War. Friends, family, business, entertainment, travel, everything has been altered in the path of the illness. In these unprecedented times, it has given many people much to think about. What home and family mean to them. Where they want to invest their precious time. How they can survive until their industries reopen and welcome them back. During the first lockdown which began on 23rd March and lasted until July, I spent the first two months fulfilling my duties as visiting lecturer for Arts University in Bournemouth. I held several online seminars and tutorials for the 2nd and 3rd year degree students, supporting them in their quest to complete projects which had been disrupted mid-term with the forced closure of all higher education campuses by the government. I was also tasked with completing the tailoring course I was teaching at Morley College Adult Education Institute. With two modules left at the point of shutdown, it was a mad rush to convert the last two classes into an online forum in which to complete the course. Both I managed to do simultaneously with much major restructuring on my part. There was plenty of time for gardening and picking tomatoes in the sun, and chatting to my neighbours over my back garden fence. My garden never looked so good. When not preparing what felt like a thousand sets of paperwork and endlessly recharging my laptop headphones, I took the opportunity to hone my computer skills with the introduction of new applications which I had always meant to do, but never found the time to execute, and improving my existing programmes. I had finished sewing scrubs for the National Health Service and making masks by then. In truth, I believe most of the furloughed theatre employees and freelancers played a big part in clothing the workers of the NHS at a time when manufacturers and factories, who were at first ill-prepared to deal with the demand for uniforms, were unable to keep up with requests. From July onward, life took a decidedly strange turn. Out of lockdown, and with the university students work complete, I found myself at a loose end as the theatre industry was still on its knees with no venues scheduled to open. I thought it would be a very slow slog to September when I might be working with the university again. The summer turned out to be one to remember. Having been given a tip-off from a friend, I found myself dressed in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) undertaking a practical interview 50 miles away from home for a management position, which I was offered. I have now been in my new position for 5 months, and loving every minute of it. The good thing about it is that I am in my dream job. The bad thing is it's a long way from home. Oh well. You can't always get everything you want. So here I am. Having been employed at a time when so many are uncertain of their future and their careers. I am very grateful. The United Kingdom is now in Lockdown 3 as a fresh year begins and I am ready to start the next chapter of my life and career. The first thing on the agenda is the completion of the book proposal for my next text book which was due at the end of November, but I received an extension due to starting work at then latter end of 2020. There are many things I plan to write about, but the interest seems to lie in quite a specific area for now. More about that later. I am working towards delivering it, for appraisal in the new few weeks. Exciting times! Stay tuned for more information...

Earlier this year, life was jogging along as per usual. I had gotten the go-ahead to start work on a number of high-profile productions; one Hollywood blockbuster, one ballet and two operas. I had my team primed and ready to start work on the costumes and my biggest worry was what to start first. A month later, all the work had dried up, like most other people in the costume industry, and the world was in lockdown. Suddenly, the most pressing issue was where to find a pack of toilet paper and a container of hand soap within a 5-mile radius of my house. Tough times. Being a Class-A busybody, I let myself get roped into making scrubs for the local hospital. I was only too glad to be of use, when so many doctors and nurses, along with other key workers struggled to care for the sick and keep the country ticking over. One set of scrubs turned into a full set of 75 scrub bags before I knew what was happening. It was at this time, I needed a mask and couldn’t find one, so I made one. As well as a couple for the rest of my family, using a mask pattern which a friend of mine offered to me as my family seemed prefer over mine. Thanks guys… One morning, as I pegged out another set of donated fabrics on my washing line, my neighbour called out to me over the back garden fence. She needed a washable face mask. Her paper ones were in tatters and she still had to get out and about to care for others. She had seen my home-made ones and rather liked them. Could I help? I most certainly could. I made her two masks. And that was that. Or so I thought. A few days later, I was stopped in the street. Someone else liked my mask. Could I make them one? I did. And the demand kept growing, so a started making them a few at a time. I now make them in sets of 10 in a variety of colours, s o I opened up an Esty shop – JFCTailoring - and put my stock in. You too can buy a mask. All fabrics are of limited quantity, when it's gone – it’s gone. Have a look and – STAY SAFE.