Well helloooo, 2023!!

We raise our glasses/festive pooch-treats to you, O Denizens, wishing you a wonderful 2023

We hope that you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year - whether it was riotous, peaceful, or a combination thereof.

As the new term is just about upon us (and with an earlier start than usual for the January term), we thought it timely to post an update - not least to remind you that there is still time - just! - to book on the courses with which we are kicking off our experimental programme.

We start this Saturday with our Short & Sweet Cezanne, then it’s into Term Proper from Monday. If you don’t want to miss out on this term’s Robertian Pearls of Wisdom (TM) or, indeed, the usual pre-session amuse-bouches, please click here for a full list of what we have in store for you.

As many do at this time, we’ve cast our minds back to this time last year. Most of you won’t be surprised, given your comments on his infamous memory skillz, that Robert can remember it all as if it were 5 minutes ago, but I - as a mere mortal - found 2021’s first blog post instructive in two respects in terms of taking stock.*

*[i.e.: trying to work out what we’ve done over the last twelve months which has worked well, and how we might make things still better for you. We’d very much welcome your feedback.]

How our booking system works. Possibly.

First up, our online registration system (aka: the booking elves) was still shiny and new a year ago.

2021 Wrightingtons decided that it might be worth the upfront annual investment to (a) offer the option of paying by credit card; and (b) facilitate the weekly pre-session reminders of log-in details which we know so many of you find useful.

As some of you know, however, towards the end of last year we had reluctantly decided that we couldn’t justify renewing the booking elves’ annual contract.

It transpires, however, that we have a fairy godmother.*

*[…she is suspiciously like my mother (who is, as many of you know, also a Denizen). Hmmm… I’m sure it’s just a coincidence…]

Payment remains by BACs or cheque rather than credit card, but we are, courtesy of our fairy godmother, able to continue sending weekly reminders for this term.*

*[once I’ve worked out how to do it in this iteration. Ahem]

So in the spirit of making things as pleasing for you as possible from 2023… Is paying by credit card important for you? Are the weekly reminders useful or are they doing something which is ok, but you don’t actually need? Please let us know, and we’ll do what we can to get it right!

Us, seeking to vanquish our reliance on an antipodean timezone

aka Adolph Friedländer, Kangaroo Boxing sideshow poster (1890s)

Here from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kangaroo_Boxing_sideshow_poster.jpg

Secondly, as many of you know, we are instinctively owls rather than larks when in our natural habitat - and we have indeed fallen into a fully antipodean circadian rhythm over the last few weeks, as we did last year.

There have, of course, been extraordinary circumstances recently, so I’m trying to not beat myself up about it too much, and we’re working on getting back into GMT (-ish) for the start of term. But it raises an important question…

Knowing the rhythm on which Robert tends to function best, I’ve been nudging our offerings into a more Robert-friendly rhythm - i.e. mostly afternoons and evenings. We are, however, more than aware that many of you - not least mi madre - are lifelong larks. Now that we’ve had several terms of fewer morning outings, how is that working for you? Would you like us to reintroduce some more lark-appropriate activity? Obviously there will be a slight delay, as our timings are set several months ahead, but if you’d like it, we shall do it!

More immediately, with apologies for annual repetition, the burning question is: Will we be able to get back to GMT for the coming term? If not, we sincerely hope that those of you who are joining us in the next week or so will forgive us our eye-bags and caffeine dependency!

Finally, thank you so very much for the lovely messages in the light of my personal news in our last post, which have been so very welcome. I am allowing myself time to get back into the world gently - for which I hope you will forgive me - and shall reply as soon as possible. Robert and Duffy continue to be wonderfully helpful, according to their respective skill sets. On which note… for those who are interested in Life at Wrightington Towers, please see here for a Duffywatch update.

Here’s to a happy and healthy 2023 all round, and we look forward to seeing those of you who are joining us soon!