New Blog

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that this blog is moving.  I’ve now attached it to my business website and blog posts can be found at http://www.emmawindsor.co.uk/blog

Thank you for following and commenting and I hope you sign up at the new site as lots of new posts are planned to help you with your working day and social life too.

Emma x

A Very Very Special Twitter #FF

It is Friday (hurrah I hear you say) and on Twitter that means Follow Friday!  For those not familiar with this it is a chance to give a shout out to people you believe are worth following. Today I want to blog a very special #FF to you.

This week was my Twitter birthday. I’ve now been tweeting for 4 years! 4 years, 2 days, 23 hours, 34 minutes, 51 seconds to be precise. Oh my gosh! Wow, I know, I can’t believe it either but I have to say I LOVE Twitter!

I remember those very early days joining in with #elevesestime, sat all alone in my little office at the beginning of my business, drinking tea and sharing virtual biscuits. We would chat about anything and everything and often stay until lunch oops! My business has now grown and the nature of my work means that it is only on the rare occasion I can stop by but the beauty of Twitter is you can reply to a tweet any time, tea breaks all day!!

At the end of last year I stumbled across my first problem with Twitter, something caused me concern and made me question my presence on Twitter. I changed my name, I locked my account….very rarely tweeted. Then something told me to carry on. Twitter welcomed me back and I have fallen in love again.

Now this #FF isn’t just because it is my birthday, I am currently undergoing a business review and part of my homework was to gather information on my client base. I did a bit extra to gain some house points and found out, surprise surprise, a lot of my work comes from Twitter. I was actually quite astonished and this is what led me to write. Not only has Twitter found me new clients but it has been a way of obtaining information, learning new things and also played host to some fun chitchatting! But without you it couldn’t happen. Thank you to everyone for all the fantastic tweets, links, pictures, RTs, Follow Fridays, recommendations and also the chats when I haven’t seen a single person for days – the joys of working alone!

I would love to hear your views on Twitter, what makes it special for you and of course the followers you recommend.

If you would like to find out how long you’ve been on Twitter go to http://www.howlonghaveyoubeentweeting.com.  Whose been on longer than me?

The Worst Wake Up Call

It is the early hours of the morning and I’ve just had the most horrible experience.  I’m wide awake and my heart is pumping.  I’ve just been woken by my mobile phone.  It made me jump, jump right out of my deep sleep. The number on the screen was my parents. That feeling of panic ran over my body. Why do we automatically think the worse?

 

I didn’t manage to answer it in time so I rang straight back but it was engaged. I feel sick. Oh no I think they are now calling my sister. All sorts of dreadful thoughts are running through my mind.  I try again and it rings.

 

My mum answers.

 

My first words are “What’s wrong?”.

 

She replies “nothing”.

 

“Mum! What has happened?” again she replies “Nothing” in what can only be described as a quiet shocked voice.

 

I’m waiting for the but…….

 

She then asks “Did you call me?”. “No” I reply. “Are you sure?” she says.

 

“Yes! Mum, you called me, what is going on?”

 

Again she asks if I’ve called her. I explain “Well I have just called now but only because you called me”.

 

“But I thought you called me” she says again. This is becoming totally confusing!  I really am wondering what the heck is going on.

 

“So nothing has happened then?” I ask “No” she says. Thank goodness, I breathe a sigh of relief. “But Mum it is 5.30am?!”

 

We exchanged a few more words, still clarifying whether or not I had called her and that her and Dad were really ok. I must of sounded a bit sharp because all of a sudden there was silence on the other end of the phone.

 

Then the words “I think I’m dreaming?!”

 

“Oh Mother! Don’t do that to me! You scared the life out of me!”

 

We managed a little giggle.  “Speak to you later” we say quickly, in the hope that we can return to sleep.

 

But I’m sat here a bit shocked, a bit shaken up and my breathing still shallow.  I hope she’s gone back to sleep. Oh dear what a panic and confusion!

 

I know people sleep talk, even walk but to make a phone call.  Really?!  Well it must be true, it has just happened to me.

 

Do you know of anything similar happening like this?

Always ALWAYS Backup

Today’s wise words are ALWAYS backup.

Luckily for me only my backup drive died last night and not my laptop.  However, all day I have been worrying that if my laptop went so would everything else.  Anyone – heaven forbid – who has not got a backup up and losses their computer would just be devasted.

I managed to copy most things over to a memory stick (I wouldn’t like to use this on a daily basis) but it is only now that I have my new ‘External Hard Drive‘ that I feel relief.

I always stress the importance of a backup to my clients, I have heard so many horror stories.  I use ‘Time Machine‘, which once it has been set-up just runs by itself.  I always thought this would be enough.  I haven’t lost anything but the fear of losing everything has made me realise that I need more than one.  From now on I will have at least two separate backups.

My ‘Mac Man Who Can’ has just been round.  He tried to recover the data on my old Portable Drive but confirmed, what a friend on Twitter had said last night, that it was kaputt.  It is still under warranty so it will be swapped for a new one which I will use for a 3rd backup to be kept away from the office.

I really hope that you have a backup and if you have any tips I would love to hear them.

Taking a Break from Work

Hi Everyone!!

I’m back, back from our adventure on Shuna.

Those of you that read my blog or follow me on Twitter will know that I am a firm believer that a holiday should be a holiday.  No checking work emails, making work phone calls, taking paperwork or material to read.  Everyone needs a break and you’ll be back to work with a spring in your step and readiness of excitement if you do.

So just over a week ago I made preparations to leave my business, I turned off work emails on my phone and we set off on our adventure.  With a description as follows you’ll either be very excited or immediately turned off – I was very excited.

“a holiday on Shuna is a truly unique experience – imagine a holiday where there are no cars, no telephones, no roads, abundant wildlife at every turn and the romance of island life – all just 15 minutes from the mainland.  A holiday that gives you and your family time and space to relax together and enjoy our beautiful island and the surrounding seas in a boat which we provide. “

–  Shuna website

The drive was just stunning and imagine our delight when we arrived at the pier and saw this.

We were collected by boat and taken over to Shuna with all that we needed for a week.

The week on Shuna was just amazing.  Our house was just on the edge of the island, right by the pier and every morning I woke to breath taking scenery.  The island was free to explore either by foot, kayak or one of the 19 foot long aluminum hulled open assault crafts with a small outboard motor.  We were blessed with good weather and had fabulous daily adventures.  Every day we saw so much wildlife – deer, sea otters, cormorants, seals, pheasants.

It really was a truly wonderful break from it all.  Funnily the couple who ran the Holiday Lets took their holidays in cities, I would love to hear how you enjoy time away from your normal working life.