Wellness Wednesday
The Clockwork team celebrated a team holiday, Wellness Wednesday, on the 8th July 2020. Clare asked us to take the day off so we could spend time away from our screens and focus on our wellness.
We decided to spend the day on a local beach, where we could each take part in a beach clean then swim and picnic to our heart's content. Oh so wholesome.
‘Out of offices’ went on, and alarm clocks off. Devon had been enjoying a blazing heatwave (with hot competiton over the team's working from home ice lolly supply) so we couldn’t wait to get to the beach for more of this…
The beach the week before
Too much to ask? Wednesday dawned grey and grisly, a smear of fog giving the impression you were peering through condensed glasses. It wasn't long before the mizzle set in (a dense, sprinkler-like combination of mist and drizzle common in the westcountry). By breakfast, it was lashing down.
It certainly didn’t look like the beach day we had imagined. Oh well. We filled flasks and layered up. On the drive over, the mist clung to the hedgerows. Steep valleys and single-track lanes loomed out of the cloud.
But when we descended the last hill and reached the coast, the rain and mists were held back by the coastal air pressure. You could see the weather enshrouding the farthest headland, but the beach was calm, with a fresh sky brightened by the light grey-green lilt of the water.
It was surreal (and very nice) to finally see each other in person after over three months behind screens. We split into pairs for a socially distanced beach clean.
Pete getting stuck in
We found remnants of plastic bottles and other single-use packaging. Scraps of plastic from who knows where or when. Snatches of fishing nets and twine tangled in the seaweed on the tideline, wrappers blown into the marram grass. Beer caps. Takeaway containers from the beach café. An old lighter.
Once you look, you can't stop. We walked the length of the beach and gathered what we could.
The Clockwork Kubb championships
With our good and satisfying deed done, we tucked into our picnics. Daniel brought a BBQ so there were soon sausages sizzling away. This prepared us all for the intense competition [read: amateur hour] that was the Clockwork Kubb championships.
Our macramé introduction was a similar case, all the gear no idea. It's definitely fiddlier than it looks. But we've decided to do this properly at a later date, and make an occasion of it like our wreath-making workshop.
Team wellness
There was a bit of a divide among the team - with some bundled into jumpers hugging mugs of tea and three lone sharks diving in the sea. The water was warm but a towel robe was very welcome after!
After a relaxing day together we went our separate ways, back to dismal rain inland. Sometimes the beach is the best place to be.
Thanks to Clare for suggesting Wellness Wednesday, it was a day well spent and one we can remember for the right reasons this strange summer.