Graceful expertise

I love Phil Speight's work but have to accept that he's never likely to reciprocate the sentiment about my painting. On the other hand, he probably couldn't create a script to automatically deploy test SQL Server virtual machines into a domain. It's just his craftsmanship is more immediately (not to mention aesthetically) pleasing than my geekery. I've never met Phil, but by every account I've heard of him, he's a lovely bloke, willing to pass on his knowledge (Mortimer Bones loved his Roses and Castles course), and ready with praise.

Smellyhippy protects his luxurious locks
with a baby's muslin. The glamour
never ends!

I've been painting our first coat of undercoat on our narrowboat for months now (with a big hiatus over the winter). The simple fact is I have a newly formed family. And my son Harris nearly always takes precedence over a Harris brush. So it was with a huge sense of pride that I was out at 7pm a few evenings ago, covering the last of my grey primer with a Mid-green undercoat. Now admittedly, it was too cool to paint properly. But I was lucky to be at home at 7pm for once, yet alone with a brush in hand and a tin of paint opened. So I took the risk.

The risk, for me, consisted not of blooming. Nor of spattering from evening rain. Not even from the myriad of insects hovering in the still evening air, determined to camouflage themselves against my boat by covering themselves in green paint. The risk consisted entirely of being "experted". And "experted" I was. I spent a valuable half hour of my evening discussing changes to EU legislation over allowed VOC percentages in enamel paints with a man whose opening gambit was to warn me about the aforementioned insects. The conversation ended with me being told that our elderly dog had an inner ear infection and a cheery wave.

I have no problem with people advising me. I generally prefer that the advice is solicited, but in some instances, it's nice to hear from a truly knowledgeable person imparting a few words of wisdom. Hence "Graceful expertise". Graceful expertise is given by those with a genuine enthusiasm for their subject, not by those who have enough knowledge about a chosen subject to gripe about a facet of it that they don't understand. Graceful experts know when to praise, encourage and provide tips to lesser beings. Graceful experts are listened to and heeded. Graceful expertise is one of the most valuable traits you can have.

Be a graceful expert, not somebody I want to throw a tin of white spirit over....