Response and responsibility

Part of the process of transition for me returning to Bakewell is picking up the responsibilities I was able to avoid whilst I lived near the Nico Ditch.Car and computer, house and garden, family and cat, all alongside starting a new job. Luckily my place of work is familiar in some ways, but my role there is different.I used to deliver tours, emphasising highlights of the house, its history and its collections. Now I'm getting the chance to deepen my knowledge of the art and sculpture in the collections, and making more connections within the house and its history. One day I might be in a room with Egyptian statues of Sekhmet, brought from the temple at Karnak to Derbyshire in the 19th century. Another day I might be in the presence of a subtly powerful Rembrandt painting, or an image of a baby, drawn in 1490. Visitors to the house come from all over the world. It's on many people's wish list. It's an amazing place to work on many levels. Hopefully it will help me get through this period of transition.