Is Mrs PC a real person?

Some people seem to be under the impression that Mrs PC isn’t a real person.  I would like to set the record straight.  I am real, and a woman too!  As it’s summer and many of you are in holiday mode, my thoughts for this month’s article were to shed some light on what I get up to at work and in my spare time, and what kind of person I am rather than focus on my usual topics.

You may imagine that I am geeky and remain indoors in front of a screen as my preference, looking pale and unhealthy, however you couldn’t be more wrong.  Of course I do use a lot of technology in my life and love it (most of the time).   Life without my iPhone, podcasts and iPlayer would be unthinkable.  Teaching IT means that I have to be indoors when I am working, but I am a very outdoorsy person in my spare time. 

I have a very inquiring mind and enjoy learning new skills.  One of the benefits of my job is that it keeps me up to date with technology.  What I like most is when my students teach me something new, or they discover something we are both looking for during a lesson moments before I see it.  I also love new gadgets and learning how to use them. 

My job brings me into contact with all sorts of people at all kinds of different stages in their lives and with wonderful interests or jobs from ages around 40-90+.  I am a very sociable person so I enjoy meeting new students and forging friendships over time with those who see me regularly.

I am married, and my husband and I have been together for over 25 years- expect you are now calculating my age!  We have 2 children who are grown up but haven’t quite left home yet.  We all enjoy spending time together as a family and share a love of the outdoors and walking with our dogs.  When the children outgrew bucket and spade holidays in Devon, we started to visit the Yorkshire Dales, and continue to enjoy our holidays there every year.  Our favourite Dale is Swaledale.  There is no mobile phone signal and it is a true escape from city life.

I spend a fair amount of time training for my hobbies of skiing and mountaineering. In training I run, cycle and go to the gym as well as hill walk.  I have to be fit to do the type of skiing I love.  It is called ski touring.  It is a form of backcountry or off piste skiing.  The skis used are normal width, but super lightweight with special bindings, which allow the heel to rise for walking uphill, but clip into the boots for a secure ride downhill.  Climbing skins are used for uphill skiing, and detached for the downhill.  They allow you to glide forward but stop you from running back downhill.  The huge advantage of this kind of skiing is that you can go anywhere.  You don’t need a ski resort or lift, and can enjoy the silence and beauty of the mountains as well as wonderful powder skiing if you are lucky.  My family don’t share my passion for ski touring or mountaineering!

When on any trip or outing, I take lots of photographs, and have always enjoyed photography.  My goal after every trip is to create something from the photographs, such as a photobook or a short movie with photos and videos and a soundtrack.  To my shame, many of these projects are unfinished or not even started, and my desk is quite often littered in paperwork to catch up on.  I could really do with a clone of Mrs PC to come along and help me.  If you know anyone, do please ask them to get in touch!

Happy summer holidays.  Enjoy your technology, and have fun with it.