Bobby travelled in with me again, and I dropped him off at Watford underground to go straight to his Mum in London. He promised to meet me at Watford CVS Wednesday morning to help fill a skip with rubbish. We have about ten old desks and several filing cabinets, all well past any hope of being serviceable. Sue and a volunteer have taken them to bits and carefully separated the wood from the metal. But the domestic waste site wont take them because it’s not domestic waste. No-one seems interested, so we have to spend money on a skip and I presume everything will go into landfill. What a waste.
Another IT problem - solved!
I arrived at the office before 8:00 am and first talked with Angelo to finally finally fix our latest network problem. It’s not something I’ve mentioned before but it was a problem with Symantec Anti-Virus software and Symantec (normally so helpful) were completely unable to offer any solution and after a dozen or so reinstallations and patches and much cleaning of registries, the problem is finally resolved. Thanks to Angelo. But this meant that I didn’t start writing until well after 9:00 am.
Getting down to writing
Sue had meanwhile arrived at 8:30 am and we’d chatted for a minute and I had explained that I needed to focus solely on some serious writing. Sue was very helpful and understanding, and helped me clear the decks. I think she alerted other too, because I had few interruptions. Or maybe I closed the door? Or perhaps I just scowled a lot.
Anyway, by about 1:00 pm I had sent off my notes on the Herts CVS strategic plan. I took a short breather for lunch and then by 6:00 pm I had completed my presentation for tomorrow morning’s VSA meeting.
With one thing and another, the rest of this week is going to be a bit of a roller coaster.
Monday, 29 January 2007
I travelled into work this morning with Bobby, who planned to write an essay for college and do some stuff in Watford.
Targets
Early on, I sent out all of the staff annual review statements as final drafts and hope to get them all signed off in the next week or so. Followign my review with Pam, my own targets for the coming year are:
· Generate support from WCVS members for WCVS’s Strategic Plan;
· Implement WCVS’s strategic plan;
· Make sure that WCVS operates within financial parameters set by the trustees;
· Ensure that staff receive training and support to fully exploit IT;
· Ensure that WCVS’s constitution is appropriate to its needs;
· Address Work-Life imbalance.
Writer's block?
The last target is Pam’s recognition that I am working too many hours. She is right and it is something I will address. But not this week. The best evidence for overwork is that today I have some difficulty concentrating. I had intended to spend the best part of today preparing three big pieces of work.
First, on Wednesday morning I have a meeting of the Watford Voluntary Sector Alliance (VSA) and I need to prepare a short presentation on WCVS’s strategic plan. This meeting is actually pretty serious stuff. WCVS’s strategic plan is pretty ambitious, but it cannot be implement without the active support and engagement of Watford’s voluntary sector (my first target for the year). This meeting will determine how easy it will be to secure that support and engagement.
Secondly, also on Wednesday morning, the CEOs of the other Herts CVSs will be meeting in Letchworth to discuss Herts CVS’s strategic plan. Obviously, I wont be there. I will be in Watford at the VSA. But some months ago I imprudently promised to sketch out some thoughts on what Herts CVS might need to do to provide organisational support for its strategic plan. I had hoped to write this over xmas, but was ill. I had hoped to write it since xmas but it didn’t happen. Now time is running out.
Thirdly, on Wednesday evening, I have to go to London for trustees’ meeting of the Disability Law Service. I have been asked to take the chair so I ought at least to read through the papers.
Fourthly, on Thursday evening I have a meeting of my own WCVS trustees.
And my Dad’s funeral is on Friday and I have to type up my Mum’s notes for the “Officiant” (such an ugly word).
But today it proved extremely difficult to move forward with any of this. There are minor difficulties with the network and it seems everyone today has “just one little question” for me, and I have several important telephone calls, and several e-mails that can’t easily be ignored… and I just can’t concentrate at all.
Mary Mary ....
Thankfully, Brian Mee dropped by to tell me the good news that Watford has finally become a Fair Trade Town – largely due to Brian’s perseverence and dedication. But still I couldn’t make progress and I was pleased when Mary Green (CEO at Three Rivers CVS) arrived for our 3:30 pm meeting and bought the day to a close.
I am inordinately fond of Mary and enjoy her company. We exchanged latest bits of news: I told her I was astounded that Three Rivers District Council were the first local authority to win top accreditation from the Audit Commission. This despite being one of only seven local authorities in the country that don't have a voluntary sector Compact and despite being the only local authority in Hertfordshire not to fund its CVS at all.
Mary and I avoided most of the difficult “what if” questions. We are both waiting to learn the fate of our bids to the Big Lottery. The difficult questions can wait another week or so.
Back at home, I concentrated on preparing notes for the Officiant at my Dad's funeral. I completed this and felt much better.
Targets
Early on, I sent out all of the staff annual review statements as final drafts and hope to get them all signed off in the next week or so. Followign my review with Pam, my own targets for the coming year are:
· Generate support from WCVS members for WCVS’s Strategic Plan;
· Implement WCVS’s strategic plan;
· Make sure that WCVS operates within financial parameters set by the trustees;
· Ensure that staff receive training and support to fully exploit IT;
· Ensure that WCVS’s constitution is appropriate to its needs;
· Address Work-Life imbalance.
Writer's block?
The last target is Pam’s recognition that I am working too many hours. She is right and it is something I will address. But not this week. The best evidence for overwork is that today I have some difficulty concentrating. I had intended to spend the best part of today preparing three big pieces of work.
First, on Wednesday morning I have a meeting of the Watford Voluntary Sector Alliance (VSA) and I need to prepare a short presentation on WCVS’s strategic plan. This meeting is actually pretty serious stuff. WCVS’s strategic plan is pretty ambitious, but it cannot be implement without the active support and engagement of Watford’s voluntary sector (my first target for the year). This meeting will determine how easy it will be to secure that support and engagement.
Secondly, also on Wednesday morning, the CEOs of the other Herts CVSs will be meeting in Letchworth to discuss Herts CVS’s strategic plan. Obviously, I wont be there. I will be in Watford at the VSA. But some months ago I imprudently promised to sketch out some thoughts on what Herts CVS might need to do to provide organisational support for its strategic plan. I had hoped to write this over xmas, but was ill. I had hoped to write it since xmas but it didn’t happen. Now time is running out.
Thirdly, on Wednesday evening, I have to go to London for trustees’ meeting of the Disability Law Service. I have been asked to take the chair so I ought at least to read through the papers.
Fourthly, on Thursday evening I have a meeting of my own WCVS trustees.
And my Dad’s funeral is on Friday and I have to type up my Mum’s notes for the “Officiant” (such an ugly word).
But today it proved extremely difficult to move forward with any of this. There are minor difficulties with the network and it seems everyone today has “just one little question” for me, and I have several important telephone calls, and several e-mails that can’t easily be ignored… and I just can’t concentrate at all.
Mary Mary ....
Thankfully, Brian Mee dropped by to tell me the good news that Watford has finally become a Fair Trade Town – largely due to Brian’s perseverence and dedication. But still I couldn’t make progress and I was pleased when Mary Green (CEO at Three Rivers CVS) arrived for our 3:30 pm meeting and bought the day to a close.
I am inordinately fond of Mary and enjoy her company. We exchanged latest bits of news: I told her I was astounded that Three Rivers District Council were the first local authority to win top accreditation from the Audit Commission. This despite being one of only seven local authorities in the country that don't have a voluntary sector Compact and despite being the only local authority in Hertfordshire not to fund its CVS at all.
Mary and I avoided most of the difficult “what if” questions. We are both waiting to learn the fate of our bids to the Big Lottery. The difficult questions can wait another week or so.
Back at home, I concentrated on preparing notes for the Officiant at my Dad's funeral. I completed this and felt much better.
Sunday, 28 January 2007
Celebrating not smoking
So far, The Practice Of Not Smoking has been easier than I anticipated. It is nice that my clothes no longer smell of stale smoke and I seem to be getting cleverer. For example, I have developed a new theory that nicotine agitates clothing fibres causing clothes to expand. Once the nicotine is removed from the clothing, the clothes will shrink by a size or more. I can think of no other explanation for why my clothes no longer fit comfortably since I have given up smoking. I wonder why no-one has noticed this phenomenon before now?
To celebrate four weeks without a single cigarette between us, Jackie and I planned to go for a walk in the winter sunshine. We decided not to risk walking in the countryside, as we’d heard this can be quite dangerous without the proper equipment and training. Or was it “quite muddy”? Anyway, instead we decided on a brisk walk around a historic market town, perhaps punctuated by occasional forays into shops selling antiques or second hand books.
We decided that Hertford might provide the very thing. Unfortunately, when we arrived there, the historic market town of Hertford appeared to be entirely closed. So we set off for Hitchin, choosing a very circuitous route through many lovely villages. Sadly, the historic market town of Hitchin was also closed. But we at least managed a gentle saunter down by the river. Jackie dissuaded me from entering Moore’s Bookshop, one of the few placed open.
Holocaust Memorial Day
Today was the 62nd anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. On the History Channel, I watched some very harrowing interviews with survivors and with those Allied soldiers who liberated the camps.
Holocaust Memorial Day is important because the Holocaust was perhaps the lowest and most loathsome act ever perpetrated. And because it was perpetrated by a nation that was materially well off and that benefited from some of the superficial trappings of civilization. And because we must acknowledge that we have much in common with the Holocaust's victims - and with its architects and perpetrators.
Back to work
After a pleasant evening meal with our sons, I wrote up the results of the completed Annual Reviews at WCVS, and then went through the notes Mum had prepared for the lady who will officiate at Dad’s funeral this coming Friday.
So far, The Practice Of Not Smoking has been easier than I anticipated. It is nice that my clothes no longer smell of stale smoke and I seem to be getting cleverer. For example, I have developed a new theory that nicotine agitates clothing fibres causing clothes to expand. Once the nicotine is removed from the clothing, the clothes will shrink by a size or more. I can think of no other explanation for why my clothes no longer fit comfortably since I have given up smoking. I wonder why no-one has noticed this phenomenon before now?
To celebrate four weeks without a single cigarette between us, Jackie and I planned to go for a walk in the winter sunshine. We decided not to risk walking in the countryside, as we’d heard this can be quite dangerous without the proper equipment and training. Or was it “quite muddy”? Anyway, instead we decided on a brisk walk around a historic market town, perhaps punctuated by occasional forays into shops selling antiques or second hand books.
We decided that Hertford might provide the very thing. Unfortunately, when we arrived there, the historic market town of Hertford appeared to be entirely closed. So we set off for Hitchin, choosing a very circuitous route through many lovely villages. Sadly, the historic market town of Hitchin was also closed. But we at least managed a gentle saunter down by the river. Jackie dissuaded me from entering Moore’s Bookshop, one of the few placed open.
Holocaust Memorial Day
Today was the 62nd anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. On the History Channel, I watched some very harrowing interviews with survivors and with those Allied soldiers who liberated the camps.
Holocaust Memorial Day is important because the Holocaust was perhaps the lowest and most loathsome act ever perpetrated. And because it was perpetrated by a nation that was materially well off and that benefited from some of the superficial trappings of civilization. And because we must acknowledge that we have much in common with the Holocaust's victims - and with its architects and perpetrators.
Back to work
After a pleasant evening meal with our sons, I wrote up the results of the completed Annual Reviews at WCVS, and then went through the notes Mum had prepared for the lady who will officiate at Dad’s funeral this coming Friday.
Saturday, 27 January 2007
Fun day
Today was a busy family day. We gave Rhiannon a lift to work and then babysat our granddaughter Bethany for the day.
We had a wonderful time driving Bethany to Ampthill to see my sister Caroline at her soon-to-be-redeveloped Cheshire Home. Caroline and I talked about Dad's funeral: the Cheshire home are arranging transport for her down the crematorium.
The home was having one of its regular fetes and Bethany charmed the socks off everyone, and had a fantastic time with Caroline riding around on her wheelchair. On the return journey, we sang and shouted all the way back. Great fun, very cathartic adn very exhausting.
At tea-time, we had to return Bethany to her parents and I had to collect son Bobby from St Albans station where he had arrived from Brighton. It’s the first time we’d seen each other since his granddad died and it was a bit emotional, but no more than is proper.
Today was a busy family day. We gave Rhiannon a lift to work and then babysat our granddaughter Bethany for the day.
We had a wonderful time driving Bethany to Ampthill to see my sister Caroline at her soon-to-be-redeveloped Cheshire Home. Caroline and I talked about Dad's funeral: the Cheshire home are arranging transport for her down the crematorium.
The home was having one of its regular fetes and Bethany charmed the socks off everyone, and had a fantastic time with Caroline riding around on her wheelchair. On the return journey, we sang and shouted all the way back. Great fun, very cathartic adn very exhausting.
At tea-time, we had to return Bethany to her parents and I had to collect son Bobby from St Albans station where he had arrived from Brighton. It’s the first time we’d seen each other since his granddad died and it was a bit emotional, but no more than is proper.
Friday, 26 January 2007
The traffic was awful this morning. Aren’t some people rude?
I arrived at work around 9:00 am and sent off to my herts CVS colleagues my mail on the Value and Volumes study. Valuable as it is, I do so hope we can soon conclude this bit of work.
At 10:00 prompt, Pam Handley (my chair of trustees) arrived to carry out my Annual Review. I have spent 2-3 weeks working on other peoples' so it felt a little strange being on the other side of the table. But the review was helpful and afterwards Pam and I had a few minutes to discuss other ongoing work in advance of next week’s trustees’ meeting.
I then spoke with Emma at WBC to make arrangements for a presentation on volunteering to the forthcoming One Watford meeting. Volunteering is a significant "stretch" target for Watford and Hertfordshire, and it is good that Watford's Local Strategic Planning group is looking at the issue. My key task, with Helen (our Volunteer Centre Co-ordinator) will be to turn their interest into a real commitment to promote local volunteering.
In the afternnon I met with Des for a regular weekly review meeting on the Connexions contract. After this, I finally found time to get access from my PC to the Hertfordshire Connexions database Ascent. I look forward to exploring this database more.
In the evening, Mum called around for a quick cup of tea and a chat, and then Jackie and I settled down to enjoy a new episode of Midsomer Murder.
I arrived at work around 9:00 am and sent off to my herts CVS colleagues my mail on the Value and Volumes study. Valuable as it is, I do so hope we can soon conclude this bit of work.
At 10:00 prompt, Pam Handley (my chair of trustees) arrived to carry out my Annual Review. I have spent 2-3 weeks working on other peoples' so it felt a little strange being on the other side of the table. But the review was helpful and afterwards Pam and I had a few minutes to discuss other ongoing work in advance of next week’s trustees’ meeting.
I then spoke with Emma at WBC to make arrangements for a presentation on volunteering to the forthcoming One Watford meeting. Volunteering is a significant "stretch" target for Watford and Hertfordshire, and it is good that Watford's Local Strategic Planning group is looking at the issue. My key task, with Helen (our Volunteer Centre Co-ordinator) will be to turn their interest into a real commitment to promote local volunteering.
In the afternnon I met with Des for a regular weekly review meeting on the Connexions contract. After this, I finally found time to get access from my PC to the Hertfordshire Connexions database Ascent. I look forward to exploring this database more.
In the evening, Mum called around for a quick cup of tea and a chat, and then Jackie and I settled down to enjoy a new episode of Midsomer Murder.
Thursday, 25 January 2007
I arrived at work around 7:00 am and set about catching up with correspondence. I then spent some time with volunteer Maria asking her to put some updates on the website, and with Sue (Services Officer) sorting out a few posting queries on the accounts system. At 11:00 am I met with Helen (Volunteer Centre Co-ordinator) to finish her Annual Review. All reviews are now completed! They do still need to be written up and signed, and I do still have my own review to anticipate.
In the afternoon, I talked with WBC about possibly accommodating the Watford Credit Union at 149 The Parade, and then went to the Credit Union’s current offices to discuss this with Steve.
In the evening, I met with Mum and my brothers to talk through arrangements for my Dad’s funeral. Later on, I drafted out a mail for my Herts CVS colleagues about the next and final stage of the Value and Volumes project.
In the afternoon, I talked with WBC about possibly accommodating the Watford Credit Union at 149 The Parade, and then went to the Credit Union’s current offices to discuss this with Steve.
In the evening, I met with Mum and my brothers to talk through arrangements for my Dad’s funeral. Later on, I drafted out a mail for my Herts CVS colleagues about the next and final stage of the Value and Volumes project.
Wednesday, 24 January 2007
Snow had fallen in the night. Not real snow, but that awful light-as-air-and-gone-by-mid-morning snow. In this instance, it had gone by the time I arrived in Watford. During the journey I listened to Radio Five and applauded Watford FC gaining their second win (and they're only half way through the season).
Richard Ahrens, head of Watford Recycling Arts Project, was visiting WCVS and we had a short chat about things. Then I checked my e-mail to find that the Indian Association had had to give their apologies for the meeting scheduled for 5:00. After a quick chat with Vanessa, we decided to postpone the meeting until 15 February.
Then I met with Sue and finalised papers for the 1 Feb trustees’ meeting, and then started work on a presentation for the 31 Jan meeting of the local Voluntary Sector Alliance. Then I met with Anne to go thorugh some fundraising issues, and then completed Farzana’s Annual Review (another one completed!).
Mid afternoon, I spoke with WBC about the possibility of the Watford Credit Union taking over some vacant offices at 149 The Parade. Hopefully this will happen soon.
I then took a call from Khalil Moghul of the Watford Muslim Community Project. He was disappointed at the cancellation of the evening’s meeting and invited me over to meet him. I was pleased to take up the offer and arrived at the Muslim Project at 5:00. I spent a pleasant and instructive two hours talking with Khalil Moghul and Mohammed Khan.
I was home before 8:00 and spent a quiet evening with Jackie.
Richard Ahrens, head of Watford Recycling Arts Project, was visiting WCVS and we had a short chat about things. Then I checked my e-mail to find that the Indian Association had had to give their apologies for the meeting scheduled for 5:00. After a quick chat with Vanessa, we decided to postpone the meeting until 15 February.
Then I met with Sue and finalised papers for the 1 Feb trustees’ meeting, and then started work on a presentation for the 31 Jan meeting of the local Voluntary Sector Alliance. Then I met with Anne to go thorugh some fundraising issues, and then completed Farzana’s Annual Review (another one completed!).
Mid afternoon, I spoke with WBC about the possibility of the Watford Credit Union taking over some vacant offices at 149 The Parade. Hopefully this will happen soon.
I then took a call from Khalil Moghul of the Watford Muslim Community Project. He was disappointed at the cancellation of the evening’s meeting and invited me over to meet him. I was pleased to take up the offer and arrived at the Muslim Project at 5:00. I spent a pleasant and instructive two hours talking with Khalil Moghul and Mohammed Khan.
I was home before 8:00 and spent a quiet evening with Jackie.
Tuesday, 23 January 2007
After the flood
Remember the flood I suffered at home just before xmas? I thought not. I barely do myself. But I have lived for the last five weeks with no carpets, and for the past two weeks with furniture all over the house. Anyway, today the carpet fitters came to place (as it were) the last piece of the jigsaw and give us our house back. While they did, I managed to get my hair cut and do a Big Shop at the supermarket.
What a difference a carpet makes to a room! Or two rooms in our case. Wonderful. There was much frantic shifting of furniture, and then I left it all to Jackie so I could focus on completing the papers for the 1 February trustees’ meeting. All done now bar a few final references: at long last!
By 11:00 I was relaxing with Samuel Butler’s extraordinary 1872 novel Erewhon, which seems to have one foot in Jonathan Swift's 18th Century and the other in H G Wells's 20th Century.
Remember the flood I suffered at home just before xmas? I thought not. I barely do myself. But I have lived for the last five weeks with no carpets, and for the past two weeks with furniture all over the house. Anyway, today the carpet fitters came to place (as it were) the last piece of the jigsaw and give us our house back. While they did, I managed to get my hair cut and do a Big Shop at the supermarket.
What a difference a carpet makes to a room! Or two rooms in our case. Wonderful. There was much frantic shifting of furniture, and then I left it all to Jackie so I could focus on completing the papers for the 1 February trustees’ meeting. All done now bar a few final references: at long last!
By 11:00 I was relaxing with Samuel Butler’s extraordinary 1872 novel Erewhon, which seems to have one foot in Jonathan Swift's 18th Century and the other in H G Wells's 20th Century.
Monday, 22 January 2007
Getting through the day
I made it to work ok despite the distressing events of the weekend.
First thing, Anne (Funding Advisor) and Vanessa (Development and Training) gave me a final briefing on our Reaching Communities bid. At 1:00 am I had my telephone interview on this bid with the lady from the Big Lottery. I think she was impressed by the application and I think she had a good grasp of the project's importance for Watford. But this may have just been wishful thinking on my part. She concluded the interview by saying that our application now has approximately a 20% chance of final approval, and that we should learn the project’s fate sometime in early April.
Before this interview, I met with Heather from the new Hertfordshire PCTs whose current role is to identify ways that the NHS in Hertfordshire can work with the voluntary sector. I pointed out that Herts PCTs had signed up for the Herts Compact and then largely disregarded it, that they did not attend Compact meetings and rarely engaged in other cross-sector forums, and that they were generally very poor communicators. And yet when it suited them they still expected to use the vountary sector as unpaid consultants and pollsters.
Heather has a good voluntary sector background and she knew all of this. She did leave promising to try and make sure the PCTs were represented at the forthcoming Herts Compact meeting.
At sometime during the day, I also met with Helen (to push her Annual Review one step closer to completion) and Anne to discuss some forthcoming conferences and so on.
I made it through the day ok and avoided any unseemly blubbing.
Humanist ceremony
I left the office about 2:00 and hurried off to meet with my Mum and brother Jez to discuss arrangements for Dad’s funeral. Mum wants a Humanist ceremony and she has some very good ideas for it. Jez and I, and I think everyone else in the family, will thoroughly approve. I think I will enjoy the day.
Mum is coping very well, but I am a bit worried for her. My eldest brother Bill was born in 1956. I was the youngest and I left home in 1980, after which Mum was left caring for Caroline, my disabled sister. Caroline went into residential care in 1990, after which Mum raised Caroline's son Andrew (born in 1988). Around the same time, Mum also cared for her own mother, and then shortly after Gran died, my Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. In short, Mum has devoted half a century to caring for others. I am worried that she may have difficulty now she has only herself to care for. I hope she enjoys it.
I made it to work ok despite the distressing events of the weekend.
First thing, Anne (Funding Advisor) and Vanessa (Development and Training) gave me a final briefing on our Reaching Communities bid. At 1:00 am I had my telephone interview on this bid with the lady from the Big Lottery. I think she was impressed by the application and I think she had a good grasp of the project's importance for Watford. But this may have just been wishful thinking on my part. She concluded the interview by saying that our application now has approximately a 20% chance of final approval, and that we should learn the project’s fate sometime in early April.
Before this interview, I met with Heather from the new Hertfordshire PCTs whose current role is to identify ways that the NHS in Hertfordshire can work with the voluntary sector. I pointed out that Herts PCTs had signed up for the Herts Compact and then largely disregarded it, that they did not attend Compact meetings and rarely engaged in other cross-sector forums, and that they were generally very poor communicators. And yet when it suited them they still expected to use the vountary sector as unpaid consultants and pollsters.
Heather has a good voluntary sector background and she knew all of this. She did leave promising to try and make sure the PCTs were represented at the forthcoming Herts Compact meeting.
At sometime during the day, I also met with Helen (to push her Annual Review one step closer to completion) and Anne to discuss some forthcoming conferences and so on.
I made it through the day ok and avoided any unseemly blubbing.
Humanist ceremony
I left the office about 2:00 and hurried off to meet with my Mum and brother Jez to discuss arrangements for Dad’s funeral. Mum wants a Humanist ceremony and she has some very good ideas for it. Jez and I, and I think everyone else in the family, will thoroughly approve. I think I will enjoy the day.
Mum is coping very well, but I am a bit worried for her. My eldest brother Bill was born in 1956. I was the youngest and I left home in 1980, after which Mum was left caring for Caroline, my disabled sister. Caroline went into residential care in 1990, after which Mum raised Caroline's son Andrew (born in 1988). Around the same time, Mum also cared for her own mother, and then shortly after Gran died, my Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. In short, Mum has devoted half a century to caring for others. I am worried that she may have difficulty now she has only herself to care for. I hope she enjoys it.
Sunday, 21 January 2007
The rest of Saturday and Sunday are a bit of a blur. Jackie and I spent Saturday afternoon with Mum, Jez drove to Ampthill to break the news to our sister Caroline, I telephoned Bobby and Nancy. Sunday morning was also spent catching up on sleep and talking with family.
Mum was coping extraordinarily well.
After all talking together, we decided we would carry on as normal on Monday as best we could going about our usual business. It is, after all, exactly what Dad would have done. The past cannot be changed and there is nothing to be gained by moping about.
This is not a callous view. I am very much conscious of my grief and the grief of those about me. But grief is an intensely private thing. And meanwhile the world goes on and there is work to be done: tomorrow I have a meeting with the new South and West Herts PCT, and a telephone interview with the Big Lottery about funding for the Watford Learning Partnership. I know exactly what Dad would have done: he'd have been right there doing what he could to improve things for the living. And I’m very grateful that he passed on some of his character and strength to his children.
Mum was coping extraordinarily well.
After all talking together, we decided we would carry on as normal on Monday as best we could going about our usual business. It is, after all, exactly what Dad would have done. The past cannot be changed and there is nothing to be gained by moping about.
This is not a callous view. I am very much conscious of my grief and the grief of those about me. But grief is an intensely private thing. And meanwhile the world goes on and there is work to be done: tomorrow I have a meeting with the new South and West Herts PCT, and a telephone interview with the Big Lottery about funding for the Watford Learning Partnership. I know exactly what Dad would have done: he'd have been right there doing what he could to improve things for the living. And I’m very grateful that he passed on some of his character and strength to his children.
Saturday, 20 January 2007
Jackie and I were woken at 3:50 am by the telephone. It was the hospital: Dad’s blood pressure had again fallen again, and we might like to come and sit with him. Jackie and I quickly dressed and again we rushed to the Dad’s bedside. We met Mum and Jez there, all of us prepared for the worst.
We sat around his bed trying to communicate to him our deep love and affection. After an hour, his condition had stabilised somewhat and we realised that we had to organise a round-the-clock vigil to ensure that someone was with Dad at all times. Mum and Jez took the first shift and at 5:30 am Jackie and I went home to grab some sleep.
We didn’t sleep of course, but we did get to recharge our batteries a bit. At 8:00 am we prepared to leave. I called my Bobby (son) in Brighton to let him know what was happening. And I called Nancy (daughter) in Southend to let her know I wouldn’t be over to see her today. Both of course were very sad.
By 9:00 am Jackie and I were back at the Lister Hospital. The nursing staff had given Dad a bed bath and cleaned him up a bit; he looked very good with his pure white hair and beard, but the oxygen mask and the tubes and drips told a different story.
Still, it was hard not to think that he had rallied a bit. His breathing was still regular, and he just looked so relaxed. Jackie and I tried to wake him, although without any real conviction. I think I tried to tell him something about working at WCVS. Then Jackie suggested I read to him, so for an hour or so I held his hand a read him a chapter about the cryptographic origin of the claims that Francis Bacon had written Shakespeare’s plays: just the sort of thing Dad liked.
After my voice faltered, I just held his hand and reflected on his life, his strengths, and my many fond memories of him. He was passionate about history and for many years was active in the Hertfordshire Local History Society, editing their magazine and publishing several books. Even in the past year (his third year coping with Alzheimer’s) he wrote a paper on Willian village and presented it to the Hertfordshire Villages Study Group. He also researched our family history, many many years before the internet made this common and easy: he’d done it the hard way by visiting record offices throughout the country.
He belonged to that giant, heroic generation that survived the Great Depression, defeated Nazism and built the Welfare State. Dad spent the war as a Fleet Air Arm navigator on Swordfishes protecting the North Atlantic convoys. After the war he joined the library service. He strongly believed in liberalism, education, politeness, the welfare state, and internationalism (when he moved house recently, he was childishly delighted to discover that two of his new neighbours were originally from India and China).
Dad also loved good food and good company. A week ago, when he arrived at the Lister Hospital in an ambulance, a nurse asked him if he wanted a cup of tea or a glass of water. “No thank you”, he replied, “I’d like a glass of sweet sherry.”
But as I sat holding his hand, all I could really think was that he was a wonderful father and role model and I loved him very much.
About 11:30, his breathing suddenly quickened and became more urgent, and his eyelid flickered. At the same time, I heard my Mum’s voice as she arrived on the ward. Maybe Dad had heard her too? Mum took his hand and spoke to him. A kind-faced and soft-spoken doctor came to perform some checks and he said he thought the end was very close.
We were left alone, all holding each other's hands, all crying, and occasionally reassuring Dad how much he was loved. I remember thinking that by his standards he had lived a near-perfect life, and that now by his standards he was dying a near-perfect death: gently, surrounded by his family in a NHS hospital in his beloved Hertforshire.
His breathing slowed, and became shallower and more relaxed. He showed no sign of any pain or stress, and he seemed perfectly relaxed as his breathing slowed and slowed. Then for a minute or so, he breathed only irregularly, in quiet gasps. But still he seemed to be perfectly in control of things.
And then, just before midday, it was all over.
We sat around his bed trying to communicate to him our deep love and affection. After an hour, his condition had stabilised somewhat and we realised that we had to organise a round-the-clock vigil to ensure that someone was with Dad at all times. Mum and Jez took the first shift and at 5:30 am Jackie and I went home to grab some sleep.
We didn’t sleep of course, but we did get to recharge our batteries a bit. At 8:00 am we prepared to leave. I called my Bobby (son) in Brighton to let him know what was happening. And I called Nancy (daughter) in Southend to let her know I wouldn’t be over to see her today. Both of course were very sad.
By 9:00 am Jackie and I were back at the Lister Hospital. The nursing staff had given Dad a bed bath and cleaned him up a bit; he looked very good with his pure white hair and beard, but the oxygen mask and the tubes and drips told a different story.
Still, it was hard not to think that he had rallied a bit. His breathing was still regular, and he just looked so relaxed. Jackie and I tried to wake him, although without any real conviction. I think I tried to tell him something about working at WCVS. Then Jackie suggested I read to him, so for an hour or so I held his hand a read him a chapter about the cryptographic origin of the claims that Francis Bacon had written Shakespeare’s plays: just the sort of thing Dad liked.
After my voice faltered, I just held his hand and reflected on his life, his strengths, and my many fond memories of him. He was passionate about history and for many years was active in the Hertfordshire Local History Society, editing their magazine and publishing several books. Even in the past year (his third year coping with Alzheimer’s) he wrote a paper on Willian village and presented it to the Hertfordshire Villages Study Group. He also researched our family history, many many years before the internet made this common and easy: he’d done it the hard way by visiting record offices throughout the country.
He belonged to that giant, heroic generation that survived the Great Depression, defeated Nazism and built the Welfare State. Dad spent the war as a Fleet Air Arm navigator on Swordfishes protecting the North Atlantic convoys. After the war he joined the library service. He strongly believed in liberalism, education, politeness, the welfare state, and internationalism (when he moved house recently, he was childishly delighted to discover that two of his new neighbours were originally from India and China).
Dad also loved good food and good company. A week ago, when he arrived at the Lister Hospital in an ambulance, a nurse asked him if he wanted a cup of tea or a glass of water. “No thank you”, he replied, “I’d like a glass of sweet sherry.”
But as I sat holding his hand, all I could really think was that he was a wonderful father and role model and I loved him very much.
About 11:30, his breathing suddenly quickened and became more urgent, and his eyelid flickered. At the same time, I heard my Mum’s voice as she arrived on the ward. Maybe Dad had heard her too? Mum took his hand and spoke to him. A kind-faced and soft-spoken doctor came to perform some checks and he said he thought the end was very close.
We were left alone, all holding each other's hands, all crying, and occasionally reassuring Dad how much he was loved. I remember thinking that by his standards he had lived a near-perfect life, and that now by his standards he was dying a near-perfect death: gently, surrounded by his family in a NHS hospital in his beloved Hertforshire.
His breathing slowed, and became shallower and more relaxed. He showed no sign of any pain or stress, and he seemed perfectly relaxed as his breathing slowed and slowed. Then for a minute or so, he breathed only irregularly, in quiet gasps. But still he seemed to be perfectly in control of things.
And then, just before midday, it was all over.
Friday, 19 January 2007
I arrived about 9:00 am. Everyone had a story to tell about yesterday’s storms. After hearing a few, I began work on some correspondence and organised some meeting dates.
At 10:00 am, I met Priti (Bookkeeper) for her second Review meeting; there were many things to discuss about the new accounts procedures. Then at 12:00, Sue (Office Services) and I visited the Guideposts Trust to meet with Katie and Simon and view some of Simon’s excellent art that we soon hope to display at 140 The Parade. At the same time, Lorna of the Guideposts Trust was at 149 The Parade delivering a lunchtime seminar on Mental Health awareness.
After I returned to the office, I met with Maria (one of our valuable volunteers) to discuss some work with her and talk to her about a job application she is making.
At 3:00, I met with Des (Connexions Personal Advisor) for his annual review meeting, then talked with 3rd Base about the installation of Volbase this weekend on our server. For weekend reading, Anne (Funding Advisor) gave me the paperwork on our Reaching Communities application - my telephone interview is on Monday and I need to be prepared. I then spent an hour or two getting papers ready for the weekend. Despite some long days this week, I’ve still not managed to finalise the papers for the 1 February trustees meeting. I’ve another busy week next week, so I plan to do some organising this weekend.
The best laid plans
I arrived home in WGC at about 7:00 am. Jackie and I talked about going to visit my Dad at the Lister Hospital. But it was late, and we were tired, and decided to wait until Saturday. As far as we knew, Dad was fine and just waiting for an appointment with the physiotherapist before being discharged.
Then I noticed I had some missed calls from my brother Jez. “Dad’s taken a turn for the worse, can you call me?” I did and got the bare bones of what had happened. Within half an hour, Jackie and I were at Dad’s bedside. Mum had just left. Dad was asleep. His breathing was regular and we didn’t try to wake him.
We spoke to the nursing staff who explained the situation: it wasn’t good. Up to Wednesday he had been getting stronger, then sometime on Thursday he took a distinct turn for the worse and his blood pressure had fallen. Their investigations revealed a blood clot in his leg and liver failure. They had discussed this with my Mum and had ruled out any medical intervention and it was just a matter of time.
Straight from the hospital, we went to see Mum; she was shaken, but was handling everything very well.
At 10:00 am, I met Priti (Bookkeeper) for her second Review meeting; there were many things to discuss about the new accounts procedures. Then at 12:00, Sue (Office Services) and I visited the Guideposts Trust to meet with Katie and Simon and view some of Simon’s excellent art that we soon hope to display at 140 The Parade. At the same time, Lorna of the Guideposts Trust was at 149 The Parade delivering a lunchtime seminar on Mental Health awareness.
After I returned to the office, I met with Maria (one of our valuable volunteers) to discuss some work with her and talk to her about a job application she is making.
At 3:00, I met with Des (Connexions Personal Advisor) for his annual review meeting, then talked with 3rd Base about the installation of Volbase this weekend on our server. For weekend reading, Anne (Funding Advisor) gave me the paperwork on our Reaching Communities application - my telephone interview is on Monday and I need to be prepared. I then spent an hour or two getting papers ready for the weekend. Despite some long days this week, I’ve still not managed to finalise the papers for the 1 February trustees meeting. I’ve another busy week next week, so I plan to do some organising this weekend.
The best laid plans
I arrived home in WGC at about 7:00 am. Jackie and I talked about going to visit my Dad at the Lister Hospital. But it was late, and we were tired, and decided to wait until Saturday. As far as we knew, Dad was fine and just waiting for an appointment with the physiotherapist before being discharged.
Then I noticed I had some missed calls from my brother Jez. “Dad’s taken a turn for the worse, can you call me?” I did and got the bare bones of what had happened. Within half an hour, Jackie and I were at Dad’s bedside. Mum had just left. Dad was asleep. His breathing was regular and we didn’t try to wake him.
We spoke to the nursing staff who explained the situation: it wasn’t good. Up to Wednesday he had been getting stronger, then sometime on Thursday he took a distinct turn for the worse and his blood pressure had fallen. Their investigations revealed a blood clot in his leg and liver failure. They had discussed this with my Mum and had ruled out any medical intervention and it was just a matter of time.
Straight from the hospital, we went to see Mum; she was shaken, but was handling everything very well.
Thursday, 18 January 2007
The day of storms
Wednesday’s radio warned of storms. The early morning certainly looked a bit forbidding, but I made it to Watford with nothing worse than a few buffetings. But the wind worsened as I worked on papers for the trustees’ meeting and by about 9:00 am it all looked pretty scary outside.
At 10:30 I had a staff review meeting with Vanessa (Development and Training). This was our third meeting and all have proved very useful – focusing on real issues and problems and identifying creative and effective solutions. Overall, that's four staff reviews completed and five still to do.
Cate Hall
By the time Vanessa and I concluded, the storm outside was noisy and in its full fury. I was expecting a visit from Cate Hall, Corporate Director of WBC. After colleagues here saw a man blown off his feet and across the High Street, I had an awful premonition of Cate being blown away on the wind like Mary Poppins and me being held responsble. I telephoned to offer that I should visit her, but she would have none of it and she arrived promptly
Cate and I were to discuss WBC's proposed changes in the way that properties are made available to voluntary groups. The proposals already had quite a history. Most recently I had submitted a report just after Christmas, and it was this that Cate wanted to discuss.
It’s difficult to know how hard to push in these situations when the statutory authority is the property-owning landlord, the bountiful funder, and holder of the public purse and the democratic mandate. The only response is to rely on the reputation and moral standing of WCVS and of its members. This brings with it distasteful echoes of 1970s trade union negotiations and more than once I looked around expecting Sue to be bringing in beer and sandwiches.
In the event, we had a very businesslike and genial meeting. Cate was very prepared to listen and discuss: there were a number of explanations, lots of intense negotiations, several concessions, one or two points of principle, and quite a few compromises. I think I put down some important markers and won some important points - most importantly we reached agreement on a reasonable transition period.
After Cate left, I made several telephone calls. First my Dad was coming out of hospital and then he wasn’t. Ade from the African Caribbean Association confirmed he would attend the 24 January meeting. Jackie was stuck at home in a powercut. I couldn’t contact the Muslim Project. Angelo and I talked through some network developments. Jez was worried the roof was coming off his warehouse. The Credit Union are visiting Friday to view the vacant offices here with WCVS.
After the storm
I left the office about 6:30. I had intended to stay and try to finalise papers for the trustees meeting. I also needed to send out information to people on the outcome of my meeting with Cate. I had every reason to stay in the office: the storm had passed, but the radio was reporting widespread traffic chaos and (having waited until everyone had left home) the traffic authorities were warning everyone not to travel.
But frankly I was exhausted after the efforts of the last two days, and I wanted to get home to see my lovely Jackie. There was indeed traffic chaos in the centre of Watford but I soon escaped this and the journey home was otherwise unremarkable. I drove to Welwyn Hatfield CVS’s furniture warehouse and this looked fine.
Arriving home I saw that the electric supply had been restored. But the storm had taken away part of our wonderful Japanese broom tree. This stands outside our front door and gives a shock of yellow blossom through the spring and summer; its branches are dramatically twisted as if it was constantly leaning into the wind on some distant moor or headland. But it has now lost a third of its volume. In the back garden, we had lost part of our garden fence. Jackie was fine, but NTL was still down so we had no telephone or television. But we do have two if the largest and finest amaryllises imaginable. Jackie and I enjoyed a relaxing evening: me reading There is a Happy Land with aged Ken on my lap, Jackie doing some sewing, and both of us doing the Telegraph crossword.
Wednesday’s radio warned of storms. The early morning certainly looked a bit forbidding, but I made it to Watford with nothing worse than a few buffetings. But the wind worsened as I worked on papers for the trustees’ meeting and by about 9:00 am it all looked pretty scary outside.
At 10:30 I had a staff review meeting with Vanessa (Development and Training). This was our third meeting and all have proved very useful – focusing on real issues and problems and identifying creative and effective solutions. Overall, that's four staff reviews completed and five still to do.
Cate Hall
By the time Vanessa and I concluded, the storm outside was noisy and in its full fury. I was expecting a visit from Cate Hall, Corporate Director of WBC. After colleagues here saw a man blown off his feet and across the High Street, I had an awful premonition of Cate being blown away on the wind like Mary Poppins and me being held responsble. I telephoned to offer that I should visit her, but she would have none of it and she arrived promptly
Cate and I were to discuss WBC's proposed changes in the way that properties are made available to voluntary groups. The proposals already had quite a history. Most recently I had submitted a report just after Christmas, and it was this that Cate wanted to discuss.
It’s difficult to know how hard to push in these situations when the statutory authority is the property-owning landlord, the bountiful funder, and holder of the public purse and the democratic mandate. The only response is to rely on the reputation and moral standing of WCVS and of its members. This brings with it distasteful echoes of 1970s trade union negotiations and more than once I looked around expecting Sue to be bringing in beer and sandwiches.
In the event, we had a very businesslike and genial meeting. Cate was very prepared to listen and discuss: there were a number of explanations, lots of intense negotiations, several concessions, one or two points of principle, and quite a few compromises. I think I put down some important markers and won some important points - most importantly we reached agreement on a reasonable transition period.
After Cate left, I made several telephone calls. First my Dad was coming out of hospital and then he wasn’t. Ade from the African Caribbean Association confirmed he would attend the 24 January meeting. Jackie was stuck at home in a powercut. I couldn’t contact the Muslim Project. Angelo and I talked through some network developments. Jez was worried the roof was coming off his warehouse. The Credit Union are visiting Friday to view the vacant offices here with WCVS.
After the storm
I left the office about 6:30. I had intended to stay and try to finalise papers for the trustees meeting. I also needed to send out information to people on the outcome of my meeting with Cate. I had every reason to stay in the office: the storm had passed, but the radio was reporting widespread traffic chaos and (having waited until everyone had left home) the traffic authorities were warning everyone not to travel.
But frankly I was exhausted after the efforts of the last two days, and I wanted to get home to see my lovely Jackie. There was indeed traffic chaos in the centre of Watford but I soon escaped this and the journey home was otherwise unremarkable. I drove to Welwyn Hatfield CVS’s furniture warehouse and this looked fine.
Arriving home I saw that the electric supply had been restored. But the storm had taken away part of our wonderful Japanese broom tree. This stands outside our front door and gives a shock of yellow blossom through the spring and summer; its branches are dramatically twisted as if it was constantly leaning into the wind on some distant moor or headland. But it has now lost a third of its volume. In the back garden, we had lost part of our garden fence. Jackie was fine, but NTL was still down so we had no telephone or television. But we do have two if the largest and finest amaryllises imaginable. Jackie and I enjoyed a relaxing evening: me reading There is a Happy Land with aged Ken on my lap, Jackie doing some sewing, and both of us doing the Telegraph crossword.
Wednesday, 17 January 2007
Another long day
Again I arrived about 7:00, but this time there was no Anne to keep me supplied with tea. I resorted to the extreme measure of making a cup for myself, and at 9:00 I even made more cups for those people who had already arrived at the office. I did warn people it may be the only cup they get out of me this year.
The post bought Third Sector magazine, including an article emphasising the strengths of the Compact in Hertfordshire (after last year absurdly naming the county as the least Compact-friendly in the country). I was pleased and amused that the article was illustrated with a photo I had provided of Watford CVS's 3oth anniversary celebration cake.
I had a few hours writing up the staff reviews and preparing for the trustees meeting and then spent an hour with Anne (Funding Advisor) concluding her staff review (three completed, six to go).
At 12:00, I was joined by Sarah and Kim from WBC to talk through WCVS’s funding and targets for the coming year. Everything seemed to go very well and of course we took the opportunity to catch up on lots of other ongoing discussions. Most congenial and business-like.
After this, I had to offer my apologies for the 2:00 meeting of the Disability Forum so I could make some serious progress on papers for the forthcoming trustees meeting.
Preparing for meetings shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but at present there are so many changes and no standard formats for things. Starting work at around 2:30, I accomplished very little in the afternoon other than designing a format for the financial report.
At 5:30 I had to spend some time on the database we are producing of Watford’s voluntary groups. Sha-Lee has made great progress but then reached an impasse and needed help sorting out the Watford groups from those outside Watford, and sorting out the genuine voluntary groups from those that just sound like voluntary groups but are actually part of the statutory or commercial sector. Over a period of about three hours, I whittled down our list of 480 groups to about 380 groups. And I spent an hour or so on the telephone to the wonderful people who run Watford's Scout groups. Thank-you Ian and Cynthia, it was a pleasure to talk. So around 8:30, I finally started serious work on preparing the papers for the trustees meeting.
I left the office about midnight. At least I didn’t get caught in the traffic going home. Jackie had retired but had left out a very tasty hotpot (God I love this woman!) which I ate while I finished reading Ian Sansom’s The Case of the Missing Books: A Mobile Library Mystery. Quite jolly. And so to sleep.
Again I arrived about 7:00, but this time there was no Anne to keep me supplied with tea. I resorted to the extreme measure of making a cup for myself, and at 9:00 I even made more cups for those people who had already arrived at the office. I did warn people it may be the only cup they get out of me this year.
The post bought Third Sector magazine, including an article emphasising the strengths of the Compact in Hertfordshire (after last year absurdly naming the county as the least Compact-friendly in the country). I was pleased and amused that the article was illustrated with a photo I had provided of Watford CVS's 3oth anniversary celebration cake.
I had a few hours writing up the staff reviews and preparing for the trustees meeting and then spent an hour with Anne (Funding Advisor) concluding her staff review (three completed, six to go).
At 12:00, I was joined by Sarah and Kim from WBC to talk through WCVS’s funding and targets for the coming year. Everything seemed to go very well and of course we took the opportunity to catch up on lots of other ongoing discussions. Most congenial and business-like.
After this, I had to offer my apologies for the 2:00 meeting of the Disability Forum so I could make some serious progress on papers for the forthcoming trustees meeting.
Preparing for meetings shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but at present there are so many changes and no standard formats for things. Starting work at around 2:30, I accomplished very little in the afternoon other than designing a format for the financial report.
At 5:30 I had to spend some time on the database we are producing of Watford’s voluntary groups. Sha-Lee has made great progress but then reached an impasse and needed help sorting out the Watford groups from those outside Watford, and sorting out the genuine voluntary groups from those that just sound like voluntary groups but are actually part of the statutory or commercial sector. Over a period of about three hours, I whittled down our list of 480 groups to about 380 groups. And I spent an hour or so on the telephone to the wonderful people who run Watford's Scout groups. Thank-you Ian and Cynthia, it was a pleasure to talk. So around 8:30, I finally started serious work on preparing the papers for the trustees meeting.
I left the office about midnight. At least I didn’t get caught in the traffic going home. Jackie had retired but had left out a very tasty hotpot (God I love this woman!) which I ate while I finished reading Ian Sansom’s The Case of the Missing Books: A Mobile Library Mystery. Quite jolly. And so to sleep.
Tuesday, 16 January 2007
I knew it was going to be a tough old day so I rose early and arrived at the office around 7:00. Anne appeared shortly after and fed me hot tea. Thank you, Anne.
After a few hours of catching up on correspondence and preparing new accounts procedures, I spent an hour with Helen (Volunteer Centre Co-ordinator) and we almost (but not quite) completed her annual review. There is just so much to discuss.
Watford Compact
Then I had a very productive couple of hours with Sarah (senior grants officer at Watford Borough Council) discussing a revamp for the Watford Compact and many other areas of mutual interest. We were joined by Anne and made great progress: small task-focused groups are definitely the way to get things done.
During this meeting, telephone engineers arrived to update our telephone system and we lost telephone contact for a couple of hours. Originally it was meant to be “about ten minutes”. While the telephones were down, I met briefly with several other WCVS staff and volunteers and then with Laura (Voluntary Transport Office Co-ordinator) completed her annual review: two reviews now all completed.
With the telephones back on, I finally managed to talk with HomeStart’s regional co-ordinator Pauline before her meeting about her ongoing discussions with HCC over their grant decisions. HCC get many things right, but occasionally they will take a decision that defies logic.
WCVS News and the 21st Century
Eventually, I knuckled down to edit Watford CVS News number 126. This has been published since WCVS was founded in 1972 and recently has been published quarterly. WCVS staff have been looking out for useful stories for the past month or so. Articles have been typed up. Sue has laid out the first draft. And now I need to check through and find that so many of the articles are already out of date. And most of the information we are taking time to lay out has already been available on WCVS’s website for weeks. The fact is WCVS is simply not geared up for this sort of thing.
Tradition has much to commend it. But sooner or later we must grasp the nettle and drop this quarterly mailing - it takes up so much time! We can of course post news and information to the website, and if some of our members don’t have web access we can print off a digest and send it to them.
At 8:15 pm, thirteen hours after arriving at the office, I started putting through the journal entries for our project accounts that I agreed with Sue and Vanessa a week or so ago. I finished at 9:45. The accounts are now almost completely done – just a few minor queries about the Opening Balances.
Home at last
I left about 10:00 and headed home. After a lovely meal with a patient loving Jackie, I managed to finish reading Boris Akunin’s Turkish Gambit and complete a Telegraph crossword (Jackie helped!) before we both fell asleep.
Tomorrow is another day.
After a few hours of catching up on correspondence and preparing new accounts procedures, I spent an hour with Helen (Volunteer Centre Co-ordinator) and we almost (but not quite) completed her annual review. There is just so much to discuss.
Watford Compact
Then I had a very productive couple of hours with Sarah (senior grants officer at Watford Borough Council) discussing a revamp for the Watford Compact and many other areas of mutual interest. We were joined by Anne and made great progress: small task-focused groups are definitely the way to get things done.
During this meeting, telephone engineers arrived to update our telephone system and we lost telephone contact for a couple of hours. Originally it was meant to be “about ten minutes”. While the telephones were down, I met briefly with several other WCVS staff and volunteers and then with Laura (Voluntary Transport Office Co-ordinator) completed her annual review: two reviews now all completed.
With the telephones back on, I finally managed to talk with HomeStart’s regional co-ordinator Pauline before her meeting about her ongoing discussions with HCC over their grant decisions. HCC get many things right, but occasionally they will take a decision that defies logic.
WCVS News and the 21st Century
Eventually, I knuckled down to edit Watford CVS News number 126. This has been published since WCVS was founded in 1972 and recently has been published quarterly. WCVS staff have been looking out for useful stories for the past month or so. Articles have been typed up. Sue has laid out the first draft. And now I need to check through and find that so many of the articles are already out of date. And most of the information we are taking time to lay out has already been available on WCVS’s website for weeks. The fact is WCVS is simply not geared up for this sort of thing.
Tradition has much to commend it. But sooner or later we must grasp the nettle and drop this quarterly mailing - it takes up so much time! We can of course post news and information to the website, and if some of our members don’t have web access we can print off a digest and send it to them.
At 8:15 pm, thirteen hours after arriving at the office, I started putting through the journal entries for our project accounts that I agreed with Sue and Vanessa a week or so ago. I finished at 9:45. The accounts are now almost completely done – just a few minor queries about the Opening Balances.
Home at last
I left about 10:00 and headed home. After a lovely meal with a patient loving Jackie, I managed to finish reading Boris Akunin’s Turkish Gambit and complete a Telegraph crossword (Jackie helped!) before we both fell asleep.
Tomorrow is another day.
Monday, 15 January 2007
Cold start
The car was badly frosted over this morning and it was very cold. But I still managed to get to the office for 7:30. For staff, it was a quiet morning with just myself and Sha-Lee in the office, everyone else was off being busy elsewhere. Our wonderful team of volunteers helped fill the gaps with their usual calm and efficiency, and Anne and Sue joined us at lunchtime.
My day was very bitty; I:
· updated some PCs;
· confirmed January’s salary details;
· had discussions with Jim at Watford ShopMobility (who confirmed the satisfactory outcome of their grant discussions with WBC and invited me to their next trustee meeting to talk about incorporation);
· talked with Rape Crisis;
· corrected details about WCVS held on the GO East website (they had the wrong telephone number, address, and e-mail address);
· received a call from someone seeking a contact number for Watford Race Equality Council (I offered to pass on a message);
· completed two review meetings with Sha-Lee (part-time, temporary Communications and Promotions Officer);
· had a second review meeting with Sue (Services Officer);
· discussed with Sue papers for our 1 February trustee meeting;
· had short but very necessary discussions with Angelo (IT), Lister Hospital (about ongoing treatment and support for my parents), Omar (outgoing CEO at WREC), and Linda from the Disability Law Service (about her forthcoming trustees meeting);
· signed off Vanessa’s report on the Better Governance project;
· began writing up the outcomes from the staff review meetings of the last few weeks.
I left the office about 6:30 pm and soon got trapped in traffic diverted off the M25 and arrived home about 8:00. It was too late to visit my Dad at Stevenage hospital but I had a long talk with my Mum on the telephone and was pleased to hear that his strong recovery continues.
The car was badly frosted over this morning and it was very cold. But I still managed to get to the office for 7:30. For staff, it was a quiet morning with just myself and Sha-Lee in the office, everyone else was off being busy elsewhere. Our wonderful team of volunteers helped fill the gaps with their usual calm and efficiency, and Anne and Sue joined us at lunchtime.
My day was very bitty; I:
· updated some PCs;
· confirmed January’s salary details;
· had discussions with Jim at Watford ShopMobility (who confirmed the satisfactory outcome of their grant discussions with WBC and invited me to their next trustee meeting to talk about incorporation);
· talked with Rape Crisis;
· corrected details about WCVS held on the GO East website (they had the wrong telephone number, address, and e-mail address);
· received a call from someone seeking a contact number for Watford Race Equality Council (I offered to pass on a message);
· completed two review meetings with Sha-Lee (part-time, temporary Communications and Promotions Officer);
· had a second review meeting with Sue (Services Officer);
· discussed with Sue papers for our 1 February trustee meeting;
· had short but very necessary discussions with Angelo (IT), Lister Hospital (about ongoing treatment and support for my parents), Omar (outgoing CEO at WREC), and Linda from the Disability Law Service (about her forthcoming trustees meeting);
· signed off Vanessa’s report on the Better Governance project;
· began writing up the outcomes from the staff review meetings of the last few weeks.
I left the office about 6:30 pm and soon got trapped in traffic diverted off the M25 and arrived home about 8:00. It was too late to visit my Dad at Stevenage hospital but I had a long talk with my Mum on the telephone and was pleased to hear that his strong recovery continues.
Sunday, 14 January 2007
Dad seems to have made a very rapid recovery. His bruises are much reduced and he is much less confused. His fingers don’t look so puffy and his eyes have a bit of the old sparkle back. He can talk lucidly for long periods.
After his lunch, a nurse asked him if he wanted a slice of Lemon Gateau: “That would be very nice, thank you.”
The nurse then asked suspiciously: “You’re not allergic to nuts are you?”
Dad looked surprised and assured her that he wasn’t. After she had left, he said with a twinkle, “She didn’t ask if I was allergic to Lemon Gateau.”
Of course it is lovely to see him back on form. But the danger now is that Mum will think she can cope and will turn down all offers of help. I spoke with Mum to try and strengthen her resolve. I think it worked. Then she reminded me that in the drama of the previous day I had forgotten my neice's eighteenth birthday. How could I? Poor Abi. I felt so ashamed and did what I could to make amends. Of course the lovely Abi had not even missed a card from another greying uncle.
In the evening, for our newly decorated living room I finished fixing a new curtain rail and a dimmer switch (very fashionable in the 1980s, I think). Jackie was unreasonably delighted with new curtain rail and had soon hung our new curtains.
After his lunch, a nurse asked him if he wanted a slice of Lemon Gateau: “That would be very nice, thank you.”
The nurse then asked suspiciously: “You’re not allergic to nuts are you?”
Dad looked surprised and assured her that he wasn’t. After she had left, he said with a twinkle, “She didn’t ask if I was allergic to Lemon Gateau.”
Of course it is lovely to see him back on form. But the danger now is that Mum will think she can cope and will turn down all offers of help. I spoke with Mum to try and strengthen her resolve. I think it worked. Then she reminded me that in the drama of the previous day I had forgotten my neice's eighteenth birthday. How could I? Poor Abi. I felt so ashamed and did what I could to make amends. Of course the lovely Abi had not even missed a card from another greying uncle.
In the evening, for our newly decorated living room I finished fixing a new curtain rail and a dimmer switch (very fashionable in the 1980s, I think). Jackie was unreasonably delighted with new curtain rail and had soon hung our new curtains.
Saturday, 13 January 2007
Despite lots of promises from the decorator, it was clearly going to be far easier to finish the job ourselves so we paid him off and set to work.
After lunch, we went to the Lister Hospital in Stevenage to see my Dad. He was not a pretty sight, with heavy bruising and cuts. He was also very confused, both from the Alzheimers and from the fall. Mum said she had heard him fall and rushed in to find him crumpled in the corner of the living room - still holding half a glass of sherry in his hands so obviously he broke the fall with his face. It was quite distressing to see him like this.
On the plus side, it does look like my parents are finally going to accept some outside help.
Back at home, our amaryllises have both finally bloomed, each with four beautiful trumpets.
Jackie and I painted and cleaned and made the living room as habitable as we could. We had a sofa, a chair, a rug, and a television for the first time in a week. We were determined to relax, so opened a bottle of wine and watched some television. I don't really remember what we watched, but I do remember laughing a lot.
After lunch, we went to the Lister Hospital in Stevenage to see my Dad. He was not a pretty sight, with heavy bruising and cuts. He was also very confused, both from the Alzheimers and from the fall. Mum said she had heard him fall and rushed in to find him crumpled in the corner of the living room - still holding half a glass of sherry in his hands so obviously he broke the fall with his face. It was quite distressing to see him like this.
On the plus side, it does look like my parents are finally going to accept some outside help.
Back at home, our amaryllises have both finally bloomed, each with four beautiful trumpets.
Jackie and I painted and cleaned and made the living room as habitable as we could. We had a sofa, a chair, a rug, and a television for the first time in a week. We were determined to relax, so opened a bottle of wine and watched some television. I don't really remember what we watched, but I do remember laughing a lot.
Friday, 12 January 2007
I began the day with more frantic efforts to catch up with correspondence and then I plunged into a review meeting with Vanessa, our Development and Training Officer. Vanessa is passionate about the voluntary sector adn about Watford, and both would be much poorer without her. We had a very productive meeting but we've had to schedule a third date to complete the review.
Next I had a preliminary review meeting with bookkeeper Priti, and at 12:00 I met with Pam (WCVS’s Chair of Trustees) for my own supervision meeting. We talked through the agenda for the forthcoming trustees meeting (1 February) and about the importance of the 31 January meeting of the Voluntary Sector Alliance. WCVS’s Strategic Plan depends in part on local voluntary groups contributing to strategic developments. 31 January will show how realistic this is.
Steph has confirmed that I am the new chair of the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Consortium: I do hope it will be fun.
In the afternoon, I met with our Connexions workers Des and Farzana, sorted out some network problems, and caught up with some more correspondence. I also had a long overdue chat with Andrew - he is the HCC man behind the Herts Compact and is exactly the sort of chap you would want in this role. We had a long discussion about Compact and Herts VCS issues, and I took the opportunity to raise with him the problems being encountered by HomeStart in Hertfordshire.
Late in the day, I took a telephone call from my brother Jez who told me that our Dad had suffered a bad fall and had spent most of the previous night at the hospital with our Mum. When they returned home in the morning, he had fallen again, and again been admitted to hospital, where he was sleeping. On Jez’s advice I didn’t visit Friday night.
One arriving home, our living room redecorations still weren’t complete. The decorator had left promising Jackie he would return Saturday morning. Jackie and I ate out.
Next I had a preliminary review meeting with bookkeeper Priti, and at 12:00 I met with Pam (WCVS’s Chair of Trustees) for my own supervision meeting. We talked through the agenda for the forthcoming trustees meeting (1 February) and about the importance of the 31 January meeting of the Voluntary Sector Alliance. WCVS’s Strategic Plan depends in part on local voluntary groups contributing to strategic developments. 31 January will show how realistic this is.
Steph has confirmed that I am the new chair of the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Consortium: I do hope it will be fun.
In the afternoon, I met with our Connexions workers Des and Farzana, sorted out some network problems, and caught up with some more correspondence. I also had a long overdue chat with Andrew - he is the HCC man behind the Herts Compact and is exactly the sort of chap you would want in this role. We had a long discussion about Compact and Herts VCS issues, and I took the opportunity to raise with him the problems being encountered by HomeStart in Hertfordshire.
Late in the day, I took a telephone call from my brother Jez who told me that our Dad had suffered a bad fall and had spent most of the previous night at the hospital with our Mum. When they returned home in the morning, he had fallen again, and again been admitted to hospital, where he was sleeping. On Jez’s advice I didn’t visit Friday night.
One arriving home, our living room redecorations still weren’t complete. The decorator had left promising Jackie he would return Saturday morning. Jackie and I ate out.
Thursday, 11 January 2007
The traffic was again heavy this morning, doubtless aggravated by the very blustery wind. The drive to Watford took me over an hour. Again.
And I’m still not smoking. I’m saving nearly £5 a day on cigarettes but I’m spending about £6 a day on chocolate.
I spent most of the morning with Sue working on a new central system for transaction processing. I adjourned this when I noticed an e-mail arrive from the Big Lottery. Our Reaching Communities bid is being assessed and our assessor must arrange a telephone interview. She offered two times but I can't do either. I telephoned her to arrange a new date.
Also I received a host of other e-mails on lots of other meetings: Who will be at this meeting? Can you check these minutes? Can you change this meeting date? Is this venue ok? Can you do a presentation? Will you forward these minutes? Can we meet at 10:30 instead of 12:00? Meetings can be very helpful. It is good to talk. But it is also important to know where to draw the line.
At 2:00 I met with Anne (Funding Advisor) for the second stage of her annual review. We talked at length about priorities for the coming year and identified three:
1. Better integrating our funding advice with our development and QA support.
2 Developing a better strategic overview of fundraising throughout Watford’s voluntary sector.
3 Developing a clearer relationship to WBC's grant programmes.
This was very fruitful. But, despite my best intentions, we overran and my 3:30 meeting with Sue (also a second stage annual review) finally began about 4:30. We talked until 6:00. Most of this was focused on internal systems. Sue has been shown huge flexibility and supreme patience: hopefully her role is now settling down.
I finally left the office about 8:00. On arriving home, there was still very little actual decorating done and the house was still in chaos. Jackie had cooked a stir fry, but we had to eat standing up in the kitchen – which we decided was slightly better than eating laying down in bed.
And I’m still not smoking. I’m saving nearly £5 a day on cigarettes but I’m spending about £6 a day on chocolate.
I spent most of the morning with Sue working on a new central system for transaction processing. I adjourned this when I noticed an e-mail arrive from the Big Lottery. Our Reaching Communities bid is being assessed and our assessor must arrange a telephone interview. She offered two times but I can't do either. I telephoned her to arrange a new date.
Also I received a host of other e-mails on lots of other meetings: Who will be at this meeting? Can you check these minutes? Can you change this meeting date? Is this venue ok? Can you do a presentation? Will you forward these minutes? Can we meet at 10:30 instead of 12:00? Meetings can be very helpful. It is good to talk. But it is also important to know where to draw the line.
At 2:00 I met with Anne (Funding Advisor) for the second stage of her annual review. We talked at length about priorities for the coming year and identified three:
1. Better integrating our funding advice with our development and QA support.
2 Developing a better strategic overview of fundraising throughout Watford’s voluntary sector.
3 Developing a clearer relationship to WBC's grant programmes.
This was very fruitful. But, despite my best intentions, we overran and my 3:30 meeting with Sue (also a second stage annual review) finally began about 4:30. We talked until 6:00. Most of this was focused on internal systems. Sue has been shown huge flexibility and supreme patience: hopefully her role is now settling down.
I finally left the office about 8:00. On arriving home, there was still very little actual decorating done and the house was still in chaos. Jackie had cooked a stir fry, but we had to eat standing up in the kitchen – which we decided was slightly better than eating laying down in bed.
Wednesday, 10 January 2007
After the xmas break the morning traffic has returned to its normal sluggish self. I tried to avoid it by travelling early but the journey still took well over an hour.
Off to the rice fields!
This morning's news reported proposals to prohibit businesses from discriminating on the grounds of sexual orientation and Radio Five interviewed a representative of the Christian Law Society, or something similar. I was transfixed as she exuded a heady mix of naked loathing, haughty self-righteousness, and dissembling double standards. She even described religious bigots as "people of conscience". What utter stupidity; she reminded me of nothing so much as a Nazi defending the Third Reich’s freedom to discriminate against Jews. I am not a revolutionary communist by any means, but I do think a period of time working in the rice fields might do her some good. The guy from Stonewall could not believe his luck.
At work
At the office, I had preliminary review meetings with Laura (Community Transport) and Sue (Office Services). Laura radiates goodness and works with an attractive understated efficiency. Funding for our Community Transport scheme is soon running out but I am hopeful that we can find the wherewithal to keep the scheme afloat while we carry out a thorough review of options. Sue has had six months filling a variety of roles and I have come to depend on (and perhaps occasionally abuse) her flexibility and goodwill.
After this, I had a lengthy meeting with Vanessa to go through some of our project accounts. We made rapid progress on this, and then updated each other on various meetings we’d each been involved in.
The latter part of the afternoon was the usual “sprint for the line” catching up on correspondence and making some headway against the many many little jobs that are still on my “to do” list. I received an encouraging mail from WBC acknowledging receipt of my report on accommodation and inviting me to further discussions. This needs a reply, obviously.
Having heard of their Volunteering England Quality Accreditation mark, Leader of the Council Rabi Martins has sent congratulations to our Volunteer Centre team and invited them to refreshments at the Mayor’s Parlour. It is of course very old fashioned and frightfully English. But like the honours system it is a cheap, efficient and practical way to recognise people’s contribution to their community and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
I learn that ShopMobility has had its WBC grant restored. Hurrah! I must send them my best wishes.
There are five groups who WBC has challenged in 2007-08 to work more closely together: the Indian Association, the Muslim Project, the African Carribean Association, the Multi-Cultural Community Centre, and the West Watford Community Centre. After several recent discussions with individual groups, I have now invited them all to a meeting at WCVS in a fortnight. At least we might give them an opportunity to work together addressing the complex set of issues they are faced with.
Absent decorator, good neighbours
Back home, our decorator has been absent nearly all day and our house still looks awful. Fortunately, our neighbours Linda and Allan took pity on us and invited us over for a meal and a game of cards. What lovely people.
Off to the rice fields!
This morning's news reported proposals to prohibit businesses from discriminating on the grounds of sexual orientation and Radio Five interviewed a representative of the Christian Law Society, or something similar. I was transfixed as she exuded a heady mix of naked loathing, haughty self-righteousness, and dissembling double standards. She even described religious bigots as "people of conscience". What utter stupidity; she reminded me of nothing so much as a Nazi defending the Third Reich’s freedom to discriminate against Jews. I am not a revolutionary communist by any means, but I do think a period of time working in the rice fields might do her some good. The guy from Stonewall could not believe his luck.
At work
At the office, I had preliminary review meetings with Laura (Community Transport) and Sue (Office Services). Laura radiates goodness and works with an attractive understated efficiency. Funding for our Community Transport scheme is soon running out but I am hopeful that we can find the wherewithal to keep the scheme afloat while we carry out a thorough review of options. Sue has had six months filling a variety of roles and I have come to depend on (and perhaps occasionally abuse) her flexibility and goodwill.
After this, I had a lengthy meeting with Vanessa to go through some of our project accounts. We made rapid progress on this, and then updated each other on various meetings we’d each been involved in.
The latter part of the afternoon was the usual “sprint for the line” catching up on correspondence and making some headway against the many many little jobs that are still on my “to do” list. I received an encouraging mail from WBC acknowledging receipt of my report on accommodation and inviting me to further discussions. This needs a reply, obviously.
Having heard of their Volunteering England Quality Accreditation mark, Leader of the Council Rabi Martins has sent congratulations to our Volunteer Centre team and invited them to refreshments at the Mayor’s Parlour. It is of course very old fashioned and frightfully English. But like the honours system it is a cheap, efficient and practical way to recognise people’s contribution to their community and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
I learn that ShopMobility has had its WBC grant restored. Hurrah! I must send them my best wishes.
There are five groups who WBC has challenged in 2007-08 to work more closely together: the Indian Association, the Muslim Project, the African Carribean Association, the Multi-Cultural Community Centre, and the West Watford Community Centre. After several recent discussions with individual groups, I have now invited them all to a meeting at WCVS in a fortnight. At least we might give them an opportunity to work together addressing the complex set of issues they are faced with.
Absent decorator, good neighbours
Back home, our decorator has been absent nearly all day and our house still looks awful. Fortunately, our neighbours Linda and Allan took pity on us and invited us over for a meal and a game of cards. What lovely people.
Tuesday, 9 January 2007
After being out of the office Friday and Monday, it was a bit like returning from leave today and as ever the day began with a struggle to catch up with correspondence. I didn’t make much of an impact.
At 10:00 I had a preliminary review meeting with Anne our funding advisor. Very good.
Something is Not Quite Right
Then I took a telephone call from a lady who is at the Berry Grove school in north Watford setting up a Children’s Centre. She wanted some advice on charity status etc. Creating the Children’s Centres is undoubtedly A Good Thing as these services need some focal point in each community.
Allowing each community to adopt its own form of governance for its Children’s Centre raises questions about consistency and so on but is also, generally speaking, A Good Thing – a practical compromise between central government and local control.
But something is Not Quite Right: the overwhelming focus on services can obscure the fact that there are profound differences between the state sector, the private sector and the voluntary sector. And it makes a Big Difference whether a service is provided by a charity, a school, a local authority, a government department or a private company. And it is dangerous to think otherwise.
Tackling Odds and Ends
Next, Sue asked me about legal advice for the Watford Refugee Project. Their clients sometimes need legal advice but resources at Watford CAB are stretched to breaking point and CAB cannot earmark resources for use by just one group. We couldn’t help with the resource issues, but Sue was able to direct the project to a number of national websites and helplines offering specialist services.
Next, I met with Vanessa to talk about support for another local group whose trustees are coming to WCVS on Thursday for a workshop on strategic planning.
Then I sorted out a date for the upgrade of our telephone system, had a preliminary review meeting with Sue, spoke with Maria (who I had not seen since before xmas) and then finished the day desperately trying to keep a lid on the correspondence that is always simmering away in my in-tray but now looks set to boil over. I left the office around 6:00 keen to get home and relax.
Back Home
But I can't relax at home. Our house is not our own. Downstairs, our furniture is stored everywhere covered in dust sheets and there is barely room to move. Upstairs, everything is covered in a thin layer of fine dust. Everything is disrupted and we are all touchy. Poor Aged Ken feels it the most: his usual perches are all gone and at night he wanders around the house mewing plaintively. He doesn't understand.
I managed to complete reading a compendium of comic novels by Eric Sykes. As a comic performer and writer, Eric Sykes is to often overlooked - or perhaps overshadowed by his greater contemporaries: his output was prodigious and he secured his place in history early on as co-writer of the Goon Shows. But I stuck with his three novels more from affection than for any other reason.
At 10:00 I had a preliminary review meeting with Anne our funding advisor. Very good.
Something is Not Quite Right
Then I took a telephone call from a lady who is at the Berry Grove school in north Watford setting up a Children’s Centre. She wanted some advice on charity status etc. Creating the Children’s Centres is undoubtedly A Good Thing as these services need some focal point in each community.
Allowing each community to adopt its own form of governance for its Children’s Centre raises questions about consistency and so on but is also, generally speaking, A Good Thing – a practical compromise between central government and local control.
But something is Not Quite Right: the overwhelming focus on services can obscure the fact that there are profound differences between the state sector, the private sector and the voluntary sector. And it makes a Big Difference whether a service is provided by a charity, a school, a local authority, a government department or a private company. And it is dangerous to think otherwise.
Tackling Odds and Ends
Next, Sue asked me about legal advice for the Watford Refugee Project. Their clients sometimes need legal advice but resources at Watford CAB are stretched to breaking point and CAB cannot earmark resources for use by just one group. We couldn’t help with the resource issues, but Sue was able to direct the project to a number of national websites and helplines offering specialist services.
Next, I met with Vanessa to talk about support for another local group whose trustees are coming to WCVS on Thursday for a workshop on strategic planning.
Then I sorted out a date for the upgrade of our telephone system, had a preliminary review meeting with Sue, spoke with Maria (who I had not seen since before xmas) and then finished the day desperately trying to keep a lid on the correspondence that is always simmering away in my in-tray but now looks set to boil over. I left the office around 6:00 keen to get home and relax.
Back Home
But I can't relax at home. Our house is not our own. Downstairs, our furniture is stored everywhere covered in dust sheets and there is barely room to move. Upstairs, everything is covered in a thin layer of fine dust. Everything is disrupted and we are all touchy. Poor Aged Ken feels it the most: his usual perches are all gone and at night he wanders around the house mewing plaintively. He doesn't understand.
I managed to complete reading a compendium of comic novels by Eric Sykes. As a comic performer and writer, Eric Sykes is to often overlooked - or perhaps overshadowed by his greater contemporaries: his output was prodigious and he secured his place in history early on as co-writer of the Goon Shows. But I stuck with his three novels more from affection than for any other reason.
Monday, 8 January 2007
A busy day at home catching up on a thousand and one (or at least “some”) jobs: car tax, insurance claims, bank accounts, visiting the recycling centre, aerial leads, telephone extensions, printers, fitting new fires, forwarding Bobby’s MP3 player to Brighton, and of course I have a few calls to make for WCVS.
And Rhiannon asked if we could also look after Bethany and we can’t say “no” as Bethany is so wonderful at the moment. She talks just enough to hold simple conversations and makes the cutest childwords: soddages (sausages), ottoors (otters) and shorcklort (chocolate). We didn’t complete quite as many jobs as we would have liked, but we did have a lovely visit with Bethany.
And Rhiannon asked if we could also look after Bethany and we can’t say “no” as Bethany is so wonderful at the moment. She talks just enough to hold simple conversations and makes the cutest childwords: soddages (sausages), ottoors (otters) and shorcklort (chocolate). We didn’t complete quite as many jobs as we would have liked, but we did have a lovely visit with Bethany.
Sunday, 7 January 2007
Jane made us all bacon butties for breakfast; except Ruth of course as she is strictly kosher. Jacob was delightfully good humoured and found everything funny.
We took a short walk to Southwold pier and visited the eccentric Under the Pier Show – a collection of surreal slot machines that I’d recommend to anyone. Then we ate lunch and I got to feed Jacob, although I think everyone (including Jacob) was thinking the next time Bob wants to feed a baby, we must say No! We walked back through the town seeing the Adnams brewery and an interesting museum of amber. What a pleasant place. Jackie and I were sad to leave, but we said our good-byes and headed home.
Back in WGC, we finished clearing out the living room for the decorators starting in the morning. By the time we went to bed, everything from the living room was stacked in the kitchen, rendering both rooms entirely unusable.
We took a short walk to Southwold pier and visited the eccentric Under the Pier Show – a collection of surreal slot machines that I’d recommend to anyone. Then we ate lunch and I got to feed Jacob, although I think everyone (including Jacob) was thinking the next time Bob wants to feed a baby, we must say No! We walked back through the town seeing the Adnams brewery and an interesting museum of amber. What a pleasant place. Jackie and I were sad to leave, but we said our good-byes and headed home.
Back in WGC, we finished clearing out the living room for the decorators starting in the morning. By the time we went to bed, everything from the living room was stacked in the kitchen, rendering both rooms entirely unusable.
Saturday, 6 January 2007
The FA Cup Third Round – probably my favourite day on teh sporting calendar. It’s a day when butchers, bakers and (who knows?) candlestick makers can take to the field against the cosseted elite of the Premiership and anything can happen. It’s the last twinkle of Christmas magic before we all settle down to address the everyday concerns of another year. In 2006 Burton Albion gave Manchester United a bit of a shock: who will be this year’s giant killers? Worryingly much money will be on Cardiff City who face Spurs tomorrow.
I rose early-ish and headed into Watford to finish the accommodation report and mail it to Watford Borough Council. There is no time to consult interested parties, but I think the report accurately reflects the many conversations I’ve had. Hopefully the report will persuade WBC to amend some aspects of their proposals.
I left the office about 2:00 and after collecting Jackie we both headed off to Southwold to spend a night with our very dear friends Jane and Ruth, and their new baby Jacob. By the time we arrived, Jacob was already sound asleep but us four adults got on famously enjoying Fish and Chips, a bottle or two of red wine, and some games of competitive Boggle (at which Ruth excelled).
I rose early-ish and headed into Watford to finish the accommodation report and mail it to Watford Borough Council. There is no time to consult interested parties, but I think the report accurately reflects the many conversations I’ve had. Hopefully the report will persuade WBC to amend some aspects of their proposals.
I left the office about 2:00 and after collecting Jackie we both headed off to Southwold to spend a night with our very dear friends Jane and Ruth, and their new baby Jacob. By the time we arrived, Jacob was already sound asleep but us four adults got on famously enjoying Fish and Chips, a bottle or two of red wine, and some games of competitive Boggle (at which Ruth excelled).
Friday, 5 January 2007
I woke early and got more work done on the report to Watford Borough Council on leases for local voluntary groups. By 9:30 I was in Letchworth to be trained on the Connexions database system Ascent. It all looked pretty straightforward and they promised to run some reports for us on the situation of 13-19 year-olds in Watford.
Then I headed off to Hitchin to meet Steph who is the key project worker for HIC (the Herts Infrastructure Conortium) and is piloting a questionnaire to encourage Herts infrastructure groups to exchange skills and knowledge. We spent some time going through the questionnaire and talking about HIC issues and initiatives. Steph was listening to John Martyn, but she seems so young! She really is a most engaging young lady.
I left at 4:30 and headed home to WGC. After eating and relaxing with Jackie (our first Friday without smoking) I retired to my tiny office to work on the Accommodation report that needs to be with Watford Borough Council by Monday. Much to Jackie’s alarm, I worked through until after midnight and so eventually managed to finalise a first draft of the report.
Then I headed off to Hitchin to meet Steph who is the key project worker for HIC (the Herts Infrastructure Conortium) and is piloting a questionnaire to encourage Herts infrastructure groups to exchange skills and knowledge. We spent some time going through the questionnaire and talking about HIC issues and initiatives. Steph was listening to John Martyn, but she seems so young! She really is a most engaging young lady.
I left at 4:30 and headed home to WGC. After eating and relaxing with Jackie (our first Friday without smoking) I retired to my tiny office to work on the Accommodation report that needs to be with Watford Borough Council by Monday. Much to Jackie’s alarm, I worked through until after midnight and so eventually managed to finalise a first draft of the report.
Thursday, 4 January 2007
Now things are really getting a little bit busy.
I arrived at the office about 8:00 am to start work on the Accommodation report due to be with WBC by Monday. At 9:00 I prepared work for Priti and Maria to do on Friday and Monday while I am away from the office.
At 10:00 I met with Vanessa for two hours to go through our Strategic Plan targets and talk through top level outcomes and impact assessments. We also spent some time talking through the Minority Ethnic Forum and project budgets. This was a most useful meeting; I am so pleased that Vanessa is here to share her knowledge and wisdom in these things.
At 12:00 I met with Helen for the second stage of her staff review process. Again, a very helpful meeting.
Value and Volumes
At 2:00, I left to attend a meeting in St Albans on the future of the project researching into the “Value and Volume” of the voluntary sector in Hertfordshire. Work carried out in 2005-06 suggested that there were 12,800 voluntary groups in the county. Our latest research suggests that a more realistic figure is around 5,000 although this can vary hugely depending on exactly where lines are drawn – should the definition include churches? darts clubs? reading groups?
In St Albans, I met with my counterparts from Rickmansworth (Mary), Stevenage (Ann) and St Albans (Laura). In the future, voluntary activity in the county can be measured by producing reports from Volbase – the database of local groups that each CVS is introducing. All are agreed on this, but it will take time.
In the short term, we need to understand why the number of active groups was overestimated by more than 100% and why the turnover of these groups was overestimated by an even greater amount. And we need to explain these variances to the people who funded the original research. It wont be easy.
Herts CVSs have revisited the original data and a picture is slowly emerging of why it was so inaccurate. But we now need to produce reliable figures for the voluntary sector’s income and assets, and for the number of people working in the sector as employees or volunteers.
At one point it was suggested that the company that produced the original data should be paid again to tell us why and how they got it so wrong: I think I may have sworn. The four of us finally reached a compromise of sorts on how this can be achieved most efficiently and effectively. I will speak tomorrow with Jacquie in North Herts (who controls the purse-strings in this CapacityBuilders project) to see whether our compromise is intra vires.
Meanwhile, I left St Albans around 5:30 and returned direct to WGC, and then Jackie adn I went on to Letchworth to visit my parents, brothers and others and we all had a very pleasant evening.
I arrived at the office about 8:00 am to start work on the Accommodation report due to be with WBC by Monday. At 9:00 I prepared work for Priti and Maria to do on Friday and Monday while I am away from the office.
At 10:00 I met with Vanessa for two hours to go through our Strategic Plan targets and talk through top level outcomes and impact assessments. We also spent some time talking through the Minority Ethnic Forum and project budgets. This was a most useful meeting; I am so pleased that Vanessa is here to share her knowledge and wisdom in these things.
At 12:00 I met with Helen for the second stage of her staff review process. Again, a very helpful meeting.
Value and Volumes
At 2:00, I left to attend a meeting in St Albans on the future of the project researching into the “Value and Volume” of the voluntary sector in Hertfordshire. Work carried out in 2005-06 suggested that there were 12,800 voluntary groups in the county. Our latest research suggests that a more realistic figure is around 5,000 although this can vary hugely depending on exactly where lines are drawn – should the definition include churches? darts clubs? reading groups?
In St Albans, I met with my counterparts from Rickmansworth (Mary), Stevenage (Ann) and St Albans (Laura). In the future, voluntary activity in the county can be measured by producing reports from Volbase – the database of local groups that each CVS is introducing. All are agreed on this, but it will take time.
In the short term, we need to understand why the number of active groups was overestimated by more than 100% and why the turnover of these groups was overestimated by an even greater amount. And we need to explain these variances to the people who funded the original research. It wont be easy.
Herts CVSs have revisited the original data and a picture is slowly emerging of why it was so inaccurate. But we now need to produce reliable figures for the voluntary sector’s income and assets, and for the number of people working in the sector as employees or volunteers.
At one point it was suggested that the company that produced the original data should be paid again to tell us why and how they got it so wrong: I think I may have sworn. The four of us finally reached a compromise of sorts on how this can be achieved most efficiently and effectively. I will speak tomorrow with Jacquie in North Herts (who controls the purse-strings in this CapacityBuilders project) to see whether our compromise is intra vires.
Meanwhile, I left St Albans around 5:30 and returned direct to WGC, and then Jackie adn I went on to Letchworth to visit my parents, brothers and others and we all had a very pleasant evening.
Wednesday, 3 January 2007
My journey into work this morning was soured by a news report about research into migration conducted by “pressure group” Migration Watch! It seems that any group can produce any shoddy piece of nonsense, dress it up as “research” and the media will gladly report it as objective and scientific. I am now constantly surprised (ashamed? distressed? alarmed?) that people seem to have become gullible and incapable of intelligent critical thought. R4 and Newsnight were guilty of the same failures. Scientific method? Bah! Objectivity? Hah! Peer Review? Hogwash!
In the office, I began the long round of staff review meetings by seeing Helen. These reviews will take a large chunk out of January, but they will also establish clear work programmes for the rest of the year and help us identify any gaps in skills or resources.
I spent part of the afternoon talking with Sue about the changes I made over xmas to our nominal coding structure. Sue and I also discussed how best to process transactions in the future. I am painfully aware that I need to re-establish contact with CAF to open the new WCVS accounts. Then I talked with Vanessa who liked the format of the Quick Books reports. Vanessa and I will meet again soon to start going through the CVS’s projects.
At the end of the day I was visited by Sharifa and Sam to talk about the Watford Racial Equality Council, WBC funding, WBC leases, and the future of the Watford Minority Ethnic Forum. Quite an agenda.
In the office, I began the long round of staff review meetings by seeing Helen. These reviews will take a large chunk out of January, but they will also establish clear work programmes for the rest of the year and help us identify any gaps in skills or resources.
I spent part of the afternoon talking with Sue about the changes I made over xmas to our nominal coding structure. Sue and I also discussed how best to process transactions in the future. I am painfully aware that I need to re-establish contact with CAF to open the new WCVS accounts. Then I talked with Vanessa who liked the format of the Quick Books reports. Vanessa and I will meet again soon to start going through the CVS’s projects.
At the end of the day I was visited by Sharifa and Sam to talk about the Watford Racial Equality Council, WBC funding, WBC leases, and the future of the Watford Minority Ethnic Forum. Quite an agenda.
Tuesday, 2 January 2007
I woke at 6:00 am to get a head start on the day. Bryan wasn’t well and was meant to start work today as a “driver’s mate” for Tesco. Anyway, the end result is that Bobby was dropped off at 7:00 am to be a driver’s mate for the day. I do hope he enjoys it.
At WCVS, our new year began with a staff meeting to discuss new systems, accounting needs, Volbase, strategic planning, staff review meetings and IiP status. After this, I had a longer meeting with Sha-Lee about preparing our contacts database for Volbase.
Then I took a call from Sharifa about the Watford Racial Equality Council and local grants issues. I will meet her tomorrow for more discussions.
After dealing with correspondence I left the office at 5:30 pm – quite a civilised hour and all in all a rather gentle re-entry into WCVS things.
At WCVS, our new year began with a staff meeting to discuss new systems, accounting needs, Volbase, strategic planning, staff review meetings and IiP status. After this, I had a longer meeting with Sha-Lee about preparing our contacts database for Volbase.
Then I took a call from Sharifa about the Watford Racial Equality Council and local grants issues. I will meet her tomorrow for more discussions.
After dealing with correspondence I left the office at 5:30 pm – quite a civilised hour and all in all a rather gentle re-entry into WCVS things.
Monday, 1 January 2007
Jackie and I woke early and for once we both felt well. We hurried around catching up on all the many things we should have done earlier in the holiday – making calls, visiting people, and sorting out how to prepare for the coming busy week or two at home and work.
At lunchtime, the three boys emerged from their rooms. On their way home the previous night, they had stumbled across someone too drunk to move. After unsuccessfully trying to rouse the drunk, they had called an ambulance. To keep their patient warm, Bobby had even lent out his brand-new-and-bought-in-America-so-impossible-to-replace coat. After their adventure they finally returned home after 4:00 am. The upshot of all this was that Jackie and I then had to spend part of the day driving around WGC trying to retrieve Bobby’s brand-new-and-bought-in-America-so-impossible-to-replace coat.
In the evening, I spent an hour or two reading through all the papers on WBC’s proposals for rationalising lease arrangements for voluntary organisations. I had hoped to complete the paper over Christmas but with illness this hasn’t been possible. But after reading through everything, I am hopeful I can catch up with the work over the next few days. Provided of course that everything else runs smoothly!
Oh, and somewhere along the line (I think about the time the New Year came in) Jackie and I do appear to have given up smoking. We shall see.
At lunchtime, the three boys emerged from their rooms. On their way home the previous night, they had stumbled across someone too drunk to move. After unsuccessfully trying to rouse the drunk, they had called an ambulance. To keep their patient warm, Bobby had even lent out his brand-new-and-bought-in-America-so-impossible-to-replace coat. After their adventure they finally returned home after 4:00 am. The upshot of all this was that Jackie and I then had to spend part of the day driving around WGC trying to retrieve Bobby’s brand-new-and-bought-in-America-so-impossible-to-replace coat.
In the evening, I spent an hour or two reading through all the papers on WBC’s proposals for rationalising lease arrangements for voluntary organisations. I had hoped to complete the paper over Christmas but with illness this hasn’t been possible. But after reading through everything, I am hopeful I can catch up with the work over the next few days. Provided of course that everything else runs smoothly!
Oh, and somewhere along the line (I think about the time the New Year came in) Jackie and I do appear to have given up smoking. We shall see.
Sunday, 31 December 2006
Relapse
I couldn’t sleep in the night again; I came downstairs about 3:00 am feeling horrible and finally got to sleep at about 5:30. Jackie started trying to wake me about 8:00 but I gather I wasn’t very responsive. I got up about lunchtime feeling awful again.
Recovery
Around 6:00 pm. Bobby arrived and I drove to collect him from St Albans station (there’s a direct line from Brighton). It was still raining heavily, but I immediately felt much better. Perhaps the fresh air helped.
Bobby came with his friend Luke, and after a gorgeous meal we all decided to see in the New Year at the Doctor’s Tonic: Jackie and I, Bryan, Bobby and Luke. At the pub we met with Rhiannon and her partner Stu. There were so many other people we knew, of all ages and all good people; the pub had a wonderful atmosphere - very “loving and cuddly” Jackie described it. The music was excellent too: Kirsty MacColl, Kasabian, T Rex, Rolling Stones, Dr Feelgood, Little Richard and so on..
When the New Year was welcomed in, it was really rather moving. Except for one young woman who gave me a lovely cuddle and kiss but then spoiled it by rather impudently saying “Happy New Year Grand-dad”.
Jackie and I left shortly after, leaving our children to party into the night. We walked the mile or so home, and then had a large cup of tea before turning in and sleeping soundly.
I couldn’t sleep in the night again; I came downstairs about 3:00 am feeling horrible and finally got to sleep at about 5:30. Jackie started trying to wake me about 8:00 but I gather I wasn’t very responsive. I got up about lunchtime feeling awful again.
Recovery
Around 6:00 pm. Bobby arrived and I drove to collect him from St Albans station (there’s a direct line from Brighton). It was still raining heavily, but I immediately felt much better. Perhaps the fresh air helped.
Bobby came with his friend Luke, and after a gorgeous meal we all decided to see in the New Year at the Doctor’s Tonic: Jackie and I, Bryan, Bobby and Luke. At the pub we met with Rhiannon and her partner Stu. There were so many other people we knew, of all ages and all good people; the pub had a wonderful atmosphere - very “loving and cuddly” Jackie described it. The music was excellent too: Kirsty MacColl, Kasabian, T Rex, Rolling Stones, Dr Feelgood, Little Richard and so on..
When the New Year was welcomed in, it was really rather moving. Except for one young woman who gave me a lovely cuddle and kiss but then spoiled it by rather impudently saying “Happy New Year Grand-dad”.
Jackie and I left shortly after, leaving our children to party into the night. We walked the mile or so home, and then had a large cup of tea before turning in and sleeping soundly.
Saturday, 30 December 2006
Recovery
There were some booming storms overnight, but the morning was quite bright and I also felt much better - well enough to tackle the WCVS’s accounts. I’d taken a back-up from the office and loaded them on my home PC. My first job was to review the last nine months of entries to check the codings. There were some obvious nominal codes missing (Priti and Sue had forewarned me of this) and little consistency in where transactions (even regular transactions) were allocated. It took me about six hours to go through all of the transactions checking the nominal codings. Fortunately, QuickBooks is fairly forgiving and (unlike Sage) allows me to simply edit transactions as I need.
Having checked the nominal codings, I looked at the project codings and found similar inconsistencies here. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make many corrections here as I need to sit down with the various project managers. This is another task that I now need to squeeze into the first weeks of the new year.
Overall, the exercise has confirmed to me that we need to move with some urgency toward a far more centralised and controlled accounts environment. I will action this as soon as I possibly can.
Weather report
In the afternoon, the weather got much worse. How bad is the weather? So bad that Watford’s home game was abandoned due to torrential rain and a water-logged pitch. Pity they couldn’t have abandoned the game at White Hart Lane.
While I worked on the accounts, Jackie single-handedly removed the xmas decorations and started preparing for the redecorating that needs to start early in the new year after our recent flood damage. At some point, Bobby called to say he was safely back in the UK and would be in WGC sometime on New Year’s Eve.
Life styles
Jackie and I wondered whether or not we’d be well enough to go out on New Year’s Eve. Talk turned to life-styles generally, and we each agreed that we needed more exercise. We’ve not over-indulged too much over xmas, but we are still looking forward to eating better.
Then we talked about the pros and cons of smoking. On the pros side, we both use cigarettes to help us relax, and we both quite enjoy 2-3 cigarettes a day. On the cons side, it is not very sociable, it’s damned expensive, and of course I smoke far more than the 2-3 a day that I actually enjoy. The discussion was finely balanced. Then, Jackie said she had heard (at the GP surgery where she works) that smoking isn’t actually very good for you. Apparently, smoking can cause all sorts of horrible conditions from heart disease and cancer to impotence and indigestion. You think they would publicise these things a bit more. Anyway, that decided us. We will give up smoking in the new year.
And get more exercise. And eat more healthily. Oh yes.
There were some booming storms overnight, but the morning was quite bright and I also felt much better - well enough to tackle the WCVS’s accounts. I’d taken a back-up from the office and loaded them on my home PC. My first job was to review the last nine months of entries to check the codings. There were some obvious nominal codes missing (Priti and Sue had forewarned me of this) and little consistency in where transactions (even regular transactions) were allocated. It took me about six hours to go through all of the transactions checking the nominal codings. Fortunately, QuickBooks is fairly forgiving and (unlike Sage) allows me to simply edit transactions as I need.
Having checked the nominal codings, I looked at the project codings and found similar inconsistencies here. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make many corrections here as I need to sit down with the various project managers. This is another task that I now need to squeeze into the first weeks of the new year.
Overall, the exercise has confirmed to me that we need to move with some urgency toward a far more centralised and controlled accounts environment. I will action this as soon as I possibly can.
Weather report
In the afternoon, the weather got much worse. How bad is the weather? So bad that Watford’s home game was abandoned due to torrential rain and a water-logged pitch. Pity they couldn’t have abandoned the game at White Hart Lane.
While I worked on the accounts, Jackie single-handedly removed the xmas decorations and started preparing for the redecorating that needs to start early in the new year after our recent flood damage. At some point, Bobby called to say he was safely back in the UK and would be in WGC sometime on New Year’s Eve.
Life styles
Jackie and I wondered whether or not we’d be well enough to go out on New Year’s Eve. Talk turned to life-styles generally, and we each agreed that we needed more exercise. We’ve not over-indulged too much over xmas, but we are still looking forward to eating better.
Then we talked about the pros and cons of smoking. On the pros side, we both use cigarettes to help us relax, and we both quite enjoy 2-3 cigarettes a day. On the cons side, it is not very sociable, it’s damned expensive, and of course I smoke far more than the 2-3 a day that I actually enjoy. The discussion was finely balanced. Then, Jackie said she had heard (at the GP surgery where she works) that smoking isn’t actually very good for you. Apparently, smoking can cause all sorts of horrible conditions from heart disease and cancer to impotence and indigestion. You think they would publicise these things a bit more. Anyway, that decided us. We will give up smoking in the new year.
And get more exercise. And eat more healthily. Oh yes.
Friday, 29 December 2006
Another horrid day with my temperature going up and down like a yo-yo. For an hour or so I felt bathed in sweat, and the next hour I was shivering; I felt truly awful. Rather pathetically I tried to cheer myself up by transferring my newly sorted papers into my new xmas briefcase. Jackie said she also enjoyed nothing better than sorting out a new handbag; she meant well.
I couldn’t do any work on the accounts. Maybe tomorrow. We spent the evening reading our xmas books.
I couldn’t do any work on the accounts. Maybe tomorrow. We spent the evening reading our xmas books.
Thursday, 28 December 2006
I awoke feeling like I’d been visited in the night by some evil mischievous pixies who had inserted a cactus into my throat. I could barely breathe. Jackie, much recovered, made several attempts to rouse me, but then left me with a cup of tea to go out to the sales. I remember hearing her say “you can never have too many Egyptian cotton sheets”, but this may have been an hallucination as she returned with new curtains. I spent the day in bed feeling utterly miserable. I finally rose late in the afternoon, but only to come downstairs and feel miserable there. I didn’t do any work in the accounts. How did Jackie survive xmas feeling like this?
Wednesday, 27 December 2006
Jackie, now nearly recovered, goes shopping, and I get a chance to do some work. Unfortunately my little office is buried under the debris of xmas. By the time I clear everything and catch up with the laundry it was too late to start either of my bigger jobs so I spent three hours reading through three months of unread circulars and magazines. Some interesting stuff. Tomorrow I have a clear day to start on the accounts.
We spent the afternoon and early evening with Jackie’s parents. Still, neither of use feeling 100% so we returned home to watch the very disappointing Ruby in the Smoke.
We spent the afternoon and early evening with Jackie’s parents. Still, neither of use feeling 100% so we returned home to watch the very disappointing Ruby in the Smoke.
Tuesday, 26 December 2006
Boxing Day began with Goodbye Mr Chips, one of my favourite films. Neither Jackie or I are feeling 100% so we have a quiet morning. In the afternoon we visit my parents in Letchworth. Usually this is the day of the great Jones family Xmas gathering, but this year things haven’t gone to plan: Bobby is in America, sister Caroline visited on Xmas day and brother Jez is off rallying. But still we had a nice visit and will return again early in the new year. On the way home we dropped by to see Rhiannon and Bethany.
Monday, 25 December 2006
After a disturbed night, we awoke late and eventually emerged to exchange presents. We were all very pleased with our respective hauls. I do well with a leather briefcase, a set of dominoes, DVDs (South Park and In Which We Serve – a combination that amused me greatly), and a large selection of books including a collection of Eric Sykes.
Neighbours Linda and Allan called in for a champaign breakfast, and then we headed off to Jackie’s brother Steve to share a wonderful meal with Jackie’s family. Bethany (2) and Ava (6) were delightful. We returned home mid-evening and watched a documentary on the religious significance of Mary Magdalene, followed by the Vicar of Dibley and Little Britain. Then Jackie and I completed a crossword from my new Daily Telegraph Big Book of Cryptic Crosswords - it’s twice the size of the usual Daily Telegraph Book of Cryptic Crosswords but they use a smaller font size. Wonderful.
Jackie still very unwell. In the night, I couldn’t sleep and finished off the wonderful book First Light – the biography of a Spitfire pilot during the Battle of Britain. At the height of the battle, he was almost exactly the age of Bobby and Bryan and already an experienced fighter pilot. Jackie woke up at 3:30 am and the two of us shared a Lemsip in the kitchen.
Neighbours Linda and Allan called in for a champaign breakfast, and then we headed off to Jackie’s brother Steve to share a wonderful meal with Jackie’s family. Bethany (2) and Ava (6) were delightful. We returned home mid-evening and watched a documentary on the religious significance of Mary Magdalene, followed by the Vicar of Dibley and Little Britain. Then Jackie and I completed a crossword from my new Daily Telegraph Big Book of Cryptic Crosswords - it’s twice the size of the usual Daily Telegraph Book of Cryptic Crosswords but they use a smaller font size. Wonderful.
Jackie still very unwell. In the night, I couldn’t sleep and finished off the wonderful book First Light – the biography of a Spitfire pilot during the Battle of Britain. At the height of the battle, he was almost exactly the age of Bobby and Bryan and already an experienced fighter pilot. Jackie woke up at 3:30 am and the two of us shared a Lemsip in the kitchen.
Sunday, 24 December 2006
We made a local tour dropping various parcels off at different addresses. We dropped into the Doctor’s Tonic to see our friends Bill and Angie and we learned that The Blockheads will be playing there in February. Tickets were bought. Jackie still not well.
Saturday, 23 December 2006
Occupational hazard
Jackie woke up feeling very much under the weather: an occupational hazard for a receptionist at a GPs’ surgery. I told her to take it easy, and she promised she would.
I drove to Southend to spend the day with my daughter Nancy, still fresh from the triumph of her Albert Hall appearance. The fog had finally cleared and we spent a pleasant day wandering among the Christmas shoppers and visiting the cinema to see “Flushed Away”, the new Aardman film. Nancy got to open her Xmas presents and after the film she wanted to visit Starbucks. It was her first time and she loved her vanilla Frappuccino. While we drank, we talked about music and aged ten she is an expert on R&B, but curiously knows nothing of Dr Feelgood. Sometimes it’s pointless trying to explain.
While I’d been away, Jackie had not taken it easy at all but had tried to spring clean the entire house. The house looked marvellous, considering the still prevalent flood damage, but Jackie looked very unwell. I fed her Lemsip and honey and put her to bed early.
I watched Robert Beckford talking eloquently about Christianity and Rock Music. It made me want to buy a Marilyn Manson album.
On the radio, there was one of those perennial news items about “politically correct” councils trying to ban Christmas. What utter tosh. Most of us happily use the term “Christmas” to describe the winter festival at which we exchange gifts and decorate fir trees. But the festival has its roots in pagan cultures. Much of the popular imagery and traditions of Christmas come from nineteenth century German and Scandinavia, and most of the rest derive from twentieth century Disney and Coca-Cola.
As a life-long atheist, I exchange Christmas greetings with friends of all faiths and no faith: christians, atheists, muslims, hindus, agnostics, jews, and a few others besides. In the far forgotten past it was a time to celebrate the winter equinox. Now it is a useful time to pause from work and reflect on peace and goodwill. Of course, Christmas has particular significance for most christians. But attempts by certain christians to claim exclusive ownership of the festival is deeply offensive, highly divisive, and intellectually lazy and dishonest.
My metaphorical horse seems to have got rather high, so I think I’ll dismount now. I might need a (metaphorical) step-ladder.
Jackie woke up feeling very much under the weather: an occupational hazard for a receptionist at a GPs’ surgery. I told her to take it easy, and she promised she would.
I drove to Southend to spend the day with my daughter Nancy, still fresh from the triumph of her Albert Hall appearance. The fog had finally cleared and we spent a pleasant day wandering among the Christmas shoppers and visiting the cinema to see “Flushed Away”, the new Aardman film. Nancy got to open her Xmas presents and after the film she wanted to visit Starbucks. It was her first time and she loved her vanilla Frappuccino. While we drank, we talked about music and aged ten she is an expert on R&B, but curiously knows nothing of Dr Feelgood. Sometimes it’s pointless trying to explain.
While I’d been away, Jackie had not taken it easy at all but had tried to spring clean the entire house. The house looked marvellous, considering the still prevalent flood damage, but Jackie looked very unwell. I fed her Lemsip and honey and put her to bed early.
I watched Robert Beckford talking eloquently about Christianity and Rock Music. It made me want to buy a Marilyn Manson album.
On the radio, there was one of those perennial news items about “politically correct” councils trying to ban Christmas. What utter tosh. Most of us happily use the term “Christmas” to describe the winter festival at which we exchange gifts and decorate fir trees. But the festival has its roots in pagan cultures. Much of the popular imagery and traditions of Christmas come from nineteenth century German and Scandinavia, and most of the rest derive from twentieth century Disney and Coca-Cola.
As a life-long atheist, I exchange Christmas greetings with friends of all faiths and no faith: christians, atheists, muslims, hindus, agnostics, jews, and a few others besides. In the far forgotten past it was a time to celebrate the winter equinox. Now it is a useful time to pause from work and reflect on peace and goodwill. Of course, Christmas has particular significance for most christians. But attempts by certain christians to claim exclusive ownership of the festival is deeply offensive, highly divisive, and intellectually lazy and dishonest.
My metaphorical horse seems to have got rather high, so I think I’ll dismount now. I might need a (metaphorical) step-ladder.
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