College Spring Term Week 8

As you can imagine things were a little fractious this week at college, in more ways than one. First because of the email I had sent to my tutor and secondly because there are some cracks beginning to show in the class (more of that at some point but not in this one!)

I had by this point sent out a handful of letters to some local florists with my CV and some photos and explained about the work placement I needed to complete my course and would be in a position to phone them later in the week, so I was pleased with what I had done, at this stage as much as I could. And of course I wanted to hear what college had to say, although I have to say my expectations were not high.

Having been around the block as you might say, I was also prepared and had approached Hannah to see if she would be available to act as a scribe/witness in any meeting I may end up having at college over the complaint I had made. I had also complained about the amount of work which was still outstanding on the course and this is the second part of the email I sent

"Practical Assessments

Further I have looked through the outstanding practical assessments and the numbers of weeks left and again have a grave concern over the number of assessments and time left in which to complete them. I for one would request the opportunity to do an assessment each week from now, as well as a day when there is the opportunity to do more than one (ie the assessment days). I do not particularly welcome the potential overload towards the end of the course. Next week I would like to do my Unit 206 Ci Basket Arrangement open/posy style with handle – costed down – pro forma 2. "

My tutor said that her boss would be attending a meeting with me regarding this and she offered me the next day. I said to her that I was happy to have a meeting with her and R but it would have to be at a mutually convenient time as I would be bringing someone with me (I think she didn't like this much!!). So the next date she was able to offer me was 10th March, which was over a week away! So more of this one later!!

As for the floristry - here are some photos from this week ......

Hair decorations, gypsophilia (above) and not miniature calla lilies but rolled rose leaves below .....

A rose, two small narcissus flowers and a chrysanthemum .... I really think chrysanthemums should be given a rethink as they are lovely flowers, available in such a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colours and are so economical because they are not expensive and they last so long. An article for the future why I love chrysanthemums!

Here is a corsage in situ on the class room dummy ......

made of ivy leaves hyacinth pips, narcissus, waxflower - all wired!

Below is a modern 'pew end/chair back decoration', in this case attached to one of the college chairs!

and here to our classroom artificial pew end ........

I had wrapped mine with aspidistra leaf around the stem to match the aspidistra leaf used in the main part of the arrangement and then finished it with some bullion wire.

Below is the start of the Display unit, I am working with J for my window and in-store displays, floral foam is not an exciting item to display but I think we have done a good job in our first session - we now have to plan our displays which will happen in May.

The planted design unit, not too much of a challenge at the moment and I love this one below. I think I will try to use this a bit more at home too, and lovely to make something like this as a gift, but maybe in a pretty container and not college green!!

Ciao

Sue

Reading challenge 10/16 - currently reading Songbird by Josephine Cox.

Frustrating and Disasterous Don't Even Begin to Describe Back to College Week 7 Spring Term

I am not a happy bunny - this is the week where those little things that niggle, frustrate and just generally pee you off have turned into really really big issues which have an impact on my performance on the course and my eventual outcome - but more of that later. Milton Keynes College have seriously let me down and hindered my chance of completing my course - so sorry this is a long one but I have a lot to get off my chest and writing about these issues is such a constructive way to do that.

There was an assessment day this week and below are some of my attempts none of which I am at all happy with. I was pretty peed off as I thought they weren't too bad, but now I don't think they are very good at all and am intending to re-do all of these later in the course time allowing. I was not happy with the flowers which were available to us and I feel that some of her marking was a little harsh but saying that I am not happy with what I produced.

Below is an example of one of the cost sheets that have to be completed as part of an assessment - at least I have got those worked out OK, where I have time to complete them at all. You have to cost out flowers used, sundries, work out labour and vat charges and then add delivery charges on if required. Fairly straightforward now as I have done quite a few of them.

This is one of my assignment pieces and as I look at it now I think it is a total pile of doggy do and I can now see everything that is wrong with it, although I don't totally agree with some of the things the tutor found were wrong. By a long stretch not the best of this design I have made. But again the flowers were not brilliant, a variety of foliage was in short supply, the yellow chrysanthemum were almost as big as the germini. The tutor's response was that you would not have the choice in a shop (as I now know I would have to disagree with her on that one and you would have a much better and wider choice of materials available, gerbera in at least 4 or 5 colours, a variety of colours and sizes of chrysanthemum and a whole raft of spray carnation colours but hey ho).

All round with candle not good, I really did need more tulips and there is way too much foliage I think in an attempt to compensate for the poor quality of flowers available.

This was the first time I ever did this arrangement, because I don't ever remember us being shown it in class. It wasn't commercial enough - I don't like it now, but it didn't seem too bad considering we have a time limit of 30 - 40 minutes on most of these tasks and boy does it go fast. This one I only did as a practice this time and fortune that was too.

This is my double ended spray which is apparently technically perfect, in that everything is where it should be, but it only got a pass because it had the wrong colour flowers in it. That one I do think does deserve more than a pass!

But the real reason I am so peed off, angry, no livid, no incandescent is regarding my work placement. I have to do a work placement of 40 hours it is integral to the course, ie I don't get my Diploma if I don't do it!! So I was given details of a florist based in an area of Milton Keynes who is willing to take a student (well yes she is willing to take many students and not just from Milton Keynes college), I was given her details on the last afternoon before half term (which appears to be another college policy - give as much important information out as late and last minute as possible) and told not to contact her until after Valentine's Day. In the end I didn't contact her until 25th Feb due to half term, bad cough etc etc but off I wandered to have a chat.

The shop itself can only be described as grim and somewhat dismal, few flowers, no flower smell and the owner stood in the middle of the shop in a way which could only be described as like someone's old granny in her overcoat!! But I needed the placement as in my mind the college had already left it very late to be sorting this out, this really ought to have been started way before Christmas and CV's had been requested before Christmas, and mine had been handed in before Christmas too. So I did what we all have to do on these occasions and played the game.

When she told me that I would only be there to "empty the bins, clear out the rubbish, tidy and clean the fridge and buckets", I said yes that is OK, don't we all have to start somewhere.

We discussed start times, well I can't be flexible there as I have Jamie and I said I would only be able to start at 9.30 as I had a child to take to school, well she seemed OK with that.

She then said that she takes students from another college and they have to do two terms duration and so she would only be prepared to take me on for my work placement if I agreed to do 2 terms! Now bear in mind I got the details of this placement just before half term, which is over half way through the course. So she and the college were expecting me to do more than my 40 hours (well OK if the placement was developing and enhancing my skills - but that may have been unlikely as I was only cleaning and tidying!!) and would have taken me way beyond the end of my course (now when my course ends my course ends) - if I were to do more in my work placement beyond the end of my course it should be my choice not a blackmailing tool from a potential work placement provider.

But the crux came when we discussed when. Now the equation is simple I am a full-time student and attend all day Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I explained to her that I would be able to do either Thursday or Friday. Can you do Saturday, no I can't my husband is a shift worker and I have to take my son to his weekend activities. Oh she said, can you do Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday? Thinking to myself that's a strange question to ask, as the college sent out all my details to her, you would have assumed they would have explained who I was, what course I am doing and the fact that the course is full time and I am at college Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Deep breath thinks me, no I'm a full time student, I am at college all day Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Oh says she, well I have a student on work placement on a Thursday and I pay someone on a Friday (that I think is significant but will expand on that later), so you can't do Saturday. No I have family commitments I can't do Saturday. At this point her attitude changed completely, and she couldn't get me out of her shop quick enough well I will have to have a think about it and get back to you.

My initial thought apart from the steam that was coming out of my ears as I walked down ***** ********* High Street was that she wasn't going to ring me. She wasn't interested in a work placement she was interested in free labour for 24 weeks on a day when she already didn't have free labour provided by either my college or the other college. She didn't ring and she never has!

By the time I got back to my car I was so angry, who had sent me on such a wild goose chase and surely the college would make it quite plain to the prospective placement supervisor that this was a placement for a full time student and their availability was limited - but for Milton Keynes College that is clearly too difficult and I shouldn't have been surprised by that.

But then one of the students in my class is still waiting for the college to write her a letter to enable her to get the Council Tax Refund to which she is entitled - well a letter which gives an accurate indication of our hours and homework expectations. The rest of us managed to use an alternative way of getting the refund, but her Council will not accept either the enrolment agreement or the letter the college has written. She may have finished the course before she gets the letter, let alone the refund and she has probably already missed out on some, as the Council is only obliged to back date for 3 months apparently.

I find it incredulous that the college would mess about with something so important as work placements as this is something which is crucial to the completion of this course.

So after phoning Mike from the car and telling him what a total waste of time I have been put through, I sat and wrote my notes of it all so they were fresh in my mind, as I certainly was not going to take this incident lying down. After I got home, and I didn't really calm down, I left it a little while and then I decided to do something about, I was not going to take it lying down and so I sent off the following email to my tutor.

" Work Placement


I have been to see the florist at **** ** *** ******* today, but and this is a big but – she appeared not to be aware that I was a full time student and thus would be unavailable Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. She already has a work placement on a Thursday and on Friday she employs someone so doesn’t need the extra pair of hands (and as I am sure you have seen the shop - 3 people in there may be a bit cramped) which are the two days I am available for work placement. Whilst she seemed impressed with some of my work, she said she would need to think about availability and would get back to me, I personally don’t think she will.


I am extremely concerned that we are now over half way through the second term and believe the issue of work placements has become a serious problem. The college clearly has its work placement procedures but I was informed of this work placement on 10th February (with a verbal message from you to contact her after Valentine’s Day). I have now contacted her on the first date I was able as above. I believe the whole work placement issue has now become a matter of grave concern and urgency. I will go so far as to say that I feel let down by the course and the college over this matter. After all I did raise the question of work placements in the first week or two and received an extremely dismissive response from you, and you had a copy of my CV in December.

It is vital that this issue is addressed next week."

but I wasn't just leaving it at that and decided that I now needed to do what I had been prepared to do in the first couple of weeks of the course, which was to organise my own placement so the work involved in getting and completing the work placement could carry on at a nice pace alongside the course and there would be no stress around completing either the placement or the associated written work. (But that wasn't good enough for my tutor and when I asked about placements she bite my head off and was exceedingly unpleasant).

But more of that one later in another post, and more later of the second half of the email where I was questioning the amount of work still outstanding and the amount of time left to complete work.

So by the end of this college week I was totally frustrated, but as this weekend was a very important weekend I wasn't going to let it spoil that.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 10/16 - currently reading Songbird by Josephine Cox

Floristry Week 9 and an Assignment Back (aargh!)

Writing this so long behind now, I must catch up, and had to check my note book to see what I did at college this week.

Well the cool room that was promised a long time ago has finally arrived, although it really isn't big enough for the 3 classes that run at the college and we now have to waste further time loading buckets and flowers into and out of the cool room. One of my big disappointments with the course is the lack of organisation of many aspects, the first one is the incoming flowers. Lists must be produced to order the flowers in the first place so why these aren't then used when the flowers come in to organise which flowers go where, the gerbera are for daytime, roses night time year 2, rather than there just being some great big muddle and fuss, it is very frustrating to say the least.

The work this week, well I learnt about grading flowers checking such things as quality, thickness of stem, number of heads to a stem etc. Then it was a hand-tied in a container, gift wrapped. I still don't like hand-tied work (but I guess it is because I particularly like arrangement design work) and as we usually have the same flowers week in and week out the hand tied arrangements are quite boring.

I also did an arrangement in a vase this week which is very similar to a hand tied, but just not tied! An arrangement in a basket which is very similar to a double ended spray (but in a basket) and would be a gift type arrangement.

Wednesday starts with 'Tutorial' which includes a session where the college has dictated we have to cover such issues as alcohol, safety awareness, aids amongst others. Very useful (possibly) for the younger ones, but totally pointless for me. I am there to learn floristry skills and nothing else. There are also opportunities for one to ones should you require one, which I personally feel I would only want if there was something I wanted to discuss. The college is totally geared to the 16 -19 age range, which is all well and good but if they are going to offer places to mature students then they really need to be able to understand their different needs to ensure they too have an enjoyable learning experience. Most mature students who pay their own fees are likely to have a successful experience, they have already made the financial commitment, it focusses the mind.

Wednesday then continues with Working in the Floristry Industry and this time it was skills audits and I got an assignment back. In education now you cannot fail, you get referred and can have another go and another go. I am pleased to say I didn't get a referral and was more than happy with my grade!! So that is one down and onto the next.

After that it is funeral work for the rest of the day, which I am enjoying surprisingly! So another college week down.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 10/16 - currently reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkehaban

Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday and we are back to our flower arrangement unit, it was time to practice the all round loose posy, first with and then without a candle, which you can see below. I am fairly happy with both of those, one or two minor bits, but largely ok. I can't say the flowers this week are my own personal taste, I am not even convinced they work well together but I won't be able to choose what customers want in their orders from me, so I guess I have to live with that.

As for parking, Mike dropped me in today, which worked out well so no hassle for me today!

Lots of flowers on Tuesday, as in the evening it was Flower Club and this month it was members evening, which is where members of the club demonstrate rather than us having an outside demonstrator. It was a lovely evening, sadly after remembering my camera this month, it died on me and I was only able to get one decent shot. Sylvia, my flower arranging mentor did the final demo excellently and she did her 'party piece' which was lovely. But don't tell her my favourite of the night was the one from Martin, one of the very very few men in the group which was stunning and the only decent photo I managed to get. June won one of the arrangements in the raffle and choose Sylvia's! Note for me, next year I do a demonstration!




Martin did his arrangement in a cauldron which looked super and a fantastic idea for a Halloween or Bonfire Party or event. He even managed to have a fire under it too! Brilliant!

Wednesday I was late in again, as I had to take Jamie to school and by the time I got to where I now park there was only one space left, so I was very very lucky! Although by the time I got in, I hadn't really missed much as it is Tutorial on a Wednesday morning, or from my perspective, a waste of time. This week we had to watch a totally pointless DVD, totally aimed at the younger student, but of course that is where the funding is. God forbid they actually acknowledge that they have an older student too, and in my group the majority are mature students, and me at 44 is not the oldest person on the course - 3 of us are 40+!! In the end 3 of us 'olderies' (is it a word, it is now!) were in tears at the naffness and pointlessness of the whole thing!

Then it was onto our funeral work, and another go at a double ended spray and hooray, I have been signed off on mine, so I don't have to do that one again, that is it, a big tick in that box! Here is mine below and I am pleased with it, as it has a good strong line, throughout, with carnations, backed up by gerbera and limonium (which I totally totally hate and would never ever use if given the choice - it is nicely coloured but just looks naff!) I tried very hard to tone down the foliage, and it has worked, although the cupressus was just about past its sell by date so it was easy not to use too much.

After that it was my first go at a loose wreath and I do not like mine at all. Why, well it looks far too compact and cramped together, you don't seem to be able to view the beauty of each flower and surely that is the whole point of a floral tribute. The foliage seemed too big, it may have been better with smaller pieces of foliage, but the leaves on them seemed too big too. I personally think it looks awful awful awful. I had to leave early to let Mike get back to work after he had collected Jamie from school and got soaked to the skin walking back to the car, so wasn't a happy bunny by the time I got home. And I was tired again too! Must get more sleep! So that was week three at college!

Jamie had Jake over for tea and play tonight, so that was great fun for them. Mike and I enjoyed a quiet dinner together later watching Spooks and chilling out.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 8/16 - currently reading Lovers and Players by Jackie Collins
Jamie's Reading challenge 5/12 - currently reading Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull by James Luceno
SLYMI - 1/52

College - Week 3

For this weeks issues over the parking see below, but yet again its AARGH, AARGH, AARGH!!!!

We started off week 3 with some wrapping, this time it was plants and planted pots and these were not as easy as they looked! More practice required! Then it was onto flat backed bouquets which sadly we didn't have enough time to finish but I felt I was just getting into it and was really pleased with the results I was getting. Mine certainly seemed firm and held in place, we will be going back to that next week, with an even bigger one, sadly I took mine apart before I got a picture, duh!

I was late into college this morning, but I've kept a note of how much and why. The reason is last week, I parked in a street near the college, not sure who the land belongs to, but it was adjoining a college building and grassed area, and wasn't in anyone's way, just like the other student cars who were parked in the same area. This week, when I and lots of other students arrived we found it had been double yellow lined, so it took ages to get out onto the main road again and then I had to drive around and find somewhere else to park. I managed to squeeze into the lane just past St Mary's Church car park and then walked in for about 10 minutes! College just passes the problem onto other areas rather than trying to come up with a solution to students parking problems. It should realise that for some people their park and ride scheme is not ever going to work. Now how do I get myself onto the Student Council? So because of their blanket policy on parking, this morning I missed 20 minutes of my class!

I feel like writing to find out who the land belongs to and who requested or who decided that the double yellow lines should be placed there. The area below highlighted in yellow is the area which has been double yellow lined, students parked in those areas were not causing a problem - except for the few who parked on the immediate area of Sherwood Drive. More to follow - keep tuned!

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 8/16 - currently reading Lovers and Players by Jackie Collins
Jamie's Reading challenge 5/12 - currently reading Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull by James Luceno
SLYMI - 1/52

Monday And Back to College for Week 2

Parking Travesty Week 2

So, parking AARGH AARGH! The mean spirited b***ards, that is all I can say. There was a way of sneaking into the college car park, but this weekend they have blocked it off, not only with tree trunks but also with college buses/vans. I think they are showing a total lack of care and consideration to a whole group of current students and potential students (parents with children). As I have said before they are trying to act as the 'environmental conscience' - well if you are a student but not if you are staff - then its ok to use a car.

One of the great ironies of it all is their policy is making a larger carbon foot print in many cases, as one of their responses to students when they ask where to park they suggest parking at the MK Dons Stadium and using the college bus service - and they have suggested this to a student who, to do that would have to drive a further 2 miles to the stadium, park up, wait for a bus and then reverse it in the evening, so to my mind, in that student's case a further 8 miles per day! In my own case rather than having to hump around all the equipment that is required on this course, because we have no lockers and cannot leave the items in our classroom, when Mike is on a day off he will drop me into college, thus doubling the journey - ie - I would (if I could park!) drive to college and then drive home so a round trip of approx 6 - 8 miles, on the days that Mike brings me in we will be making 2 trips thus doubling that days mileage to 12 - 18 miles, I haven't checked the exact mileage but rest assured, now I have the bit between my teeth I will.

Oh yes and have I mentioned the 40 plus empty car parking spaces at the college!

Watch out for updates - as there will be some.

College Week 2

As for the course, well today I had another go at Cone Wrapping, posh name for wrapping flowers in that pretty way Florists do! I'm getting the hang of it now and am happier with my bows too, as I had a practice of them at the weekend. Here we have two wraps, one in cellophane containing a single gerbera and a small bouquet in Kraft paper. Getting the hang of this!



My bows are starting to come together but need lots more practice too, just to make them better and quicker, and also to have a go at combining colours - but getting there!

Below is a more elaborate spiralled bouquet, this time with tissue paper to make it even prettier, again it's practice and more practice until it all just comes naturally, but not a bad start.

Still feeling pretty shattered by the time I get home - will I ever read and scrapbook again?

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 8/16 - currently reading Lovers and Players by Jackie Collins
Jamie's Reading challenge 5/12 - currently reading Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull by James Luceno
SLYMI - 1/52