Thursday, 14 December 2006

I had an extra cup of tea before leaving home, waiting for Bobby to ready himself for his return to Brighton. We arrived at the office a bit after 9:00 and Bobby left for Brighton: it’s the last I’ll see of him until after xmas.

The big event of the day was the Volunteers’ Lunch given every xmas as a "thank you" to the dozens of volunters who help WCVS deliver its services. Our volunteers have had a particularly trying 2006 coping with the many changes I’ve introduced; they deserve particular thanks, and Sue has worked hard to produce a splendid spread.

But first I had to check the new security settings on the new network. It ought to be simple to get these right but Angelo and I have had a bit of a nightmare getting the right settings to stay in place; people are starting to fear that they are the victims of a spiteful practical joke. Thankfully, the settings seem now to be stable.

I received a call from young Steph who helps HIC (the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Consortium) to manage its ChangeUp monies. She tells me I am the only one who has expressed any willingness to take on the role of HIC Chair. Of course I could still say “no” but why should I? Kate (the outgoing Chairperson) will be around as vice-chair to support me and it is only for six months. What could possibly go wrong? Subject to the Consortium’s agreement, I accepted the nomination. After hanging up the telephone, I felt like a big fat fly caught in Steph’s silken web.

The Volunteers’ Lunch was a great success. The food was a triumph for Sue and her willing helpers, and there was a good turn out from volunteers and trustees alike.

There was a surreal quiet about the afternoon. Staff tidied away the lunch things, and I busied myself on e-mails and correspondence. I left at the not indecent hour of 6:00 to take Jackie to her xmas meal at the Mill Green Golf Club. She looked gorgeous. In charge of food for the night, I treated Bryan and his friends to take-away Pizza; all I could taste was salt.