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Hello. My name is Anna Fill and I welcome you to my website. If you’re a woman living or working on the Riviera or if you are just visiting, this is the place for you. My site is full of inspirational people and interesting articles, so keep coming back and let us help you live your Riviera life to the full!



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General Articles

Blushers and Boiler-Suits: A Contemporary Suffragette.

Many houses ago, I swore I would never pick up another paint-brush again. That part of life was over, gone forever. I would rather work more hours to earn cash, to pay skilled chaps to labour for me. I had gone soft, lost my hutzpha. So a surprise then, to find myself wielding a wallpaper scraper once more - the bad language, sadly no surprise. To what did I owe this compromise of principles?

An ageing population across Europe sees many 'mid-lifers' juggling elderly care - fees and estate management. When viewed as a business opportunity- complete with project plan, spreadsheet and a lawyer - it can seem more - or less - daunting, depending on your starting point. After spending a day with 'Stuart' and 'Dave', Electrician and Locksmith respectively, nicknamed 'the Eurythmics' (think about it)- the prospect of project-managing my mother's property, ahead of the rental plans, took an upward turn. I had not been so entertained outside the realms of a theatre in years. And, as with every good theatrical experience, I laughed and also wept, especially when the time came to pay their fee, but, such is life- I've paid more expensive ticket-prices for a lesser theatre experience, and this was worth every penny.

The team's 2-way banter would not have been out of place alongside Morecambe and Wise. During the day, they generously imparted tricks of the trade, decorating advice and some sage words on proposed renovation ideas….I marvelled how their sausage-like hands- easily capable of goat-strangling - operated with the dexterous grace of a Royal lace-maker, a surgeon and a mid-wife. They problem-solved my lack of electricity, gouged out my plaster, bashed my brickwork and pulled my wires through walls as if by magic. The discovery of a dead mouse in a floorboard provided a light moment, trying to 'scare the lady of the house', as it was proudly waved around on it's way to the garden. It had no impact - I was far too busy enjoying my apprenticeship to jump on a chair and grab my petticoats - for I too, was fully employed - preparing woodwork ahead of each new door lock and, of course, making the tea.

The following day, I spent cash in a builders' yard on a starter tool-kit, which included my very own set of overalls - so oversized and with no bust-darts, it could double as a marquee. Not for me the 'pink'-handled' insult to female empowerment- we must eschew the 'feminized' tools- property is serious stuff, even if the chap's hammers are too heavy to hold for a long time, they are, at least, capable of reducing furniture to splinters and not fall apart when pulled from their packaging. No concessions to feminine weaknesses in a 'real' builder's yard where true equality can be found….trade-quantity paint-tubs are impossible to move without the prior eating of a full English breakfast, but you are expected to do it. Objects are on high shelves- so problem-solve it? How proud was I when me and a team of builder's yard 'girlies', accurately measured my downpipe and located the correct angled-drain-pipe for my water-butt. How 'normal' this all felt, and how utterly grateful and touched was I to all those women of the past who would have enjoyed this so much…and whose courage has allowed me, in the 21st Century, to fall off my own ladders into a bucket of emulsion (several times, ashamed to say) and shut myself in a large cupboard (forgot to replace the handle). My crowning glory, my piece of resistance - hooking myself on a stray nail, causing me to dangle precariously over a long set of stairs, providing a brief moment to reflect on life (or, as I now call it 'what would Dave and Stuart do'? Answer: they wouldn't, as they are professionals and have never knowingly 'dangled' - I checked).

So, my advice? Get involved. Of course, electricity is dangerous and water is evil when it decides to escape and run amok, so no playing around there. But, be hands-on with everything else - find out how 'it' works, otherwise 'it' will always be a mystery, allowing others to have the upper hand. Your first test of skill is to judge those of others, in the absence of your own skill and knowledge…..a management programme idea if ever there was one! The timeless struggle for gender equality takes place in many areas- an employment tribunal is but just one…your front room could easily be another and is the best starting point.

Monday, 17 October 2011    Section: General Articles    Author: Julia Moore
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