Friday, 9 March 2007

I have some big deadlines now arriving fast: our 2007-08 budget, our annual funding agreement with WBC, and my interrim report on the Value and Volumes study.

But instead of having a clear day to make progress, it was a frantic day of bits and pieces today, full of meetings / discussions including with:

- Anne (Funding Advisor) and Vanessa (Development Worker) to talk through our second stage bid to Basis. There is so much to do.
- Alison Plant (WBC) to talk through the new Watford Community Housing Trust and the future of Watford’s Community Centres.
- Priti (bookkeeper) on staff changes at WCVS and new systems from 1 April;
- Anne (Funding Advisor) to talk through applications to WBC’s new Annual Grants Programme;
- Farzana (Connexions Personal Advisor) about her work and the diverse needs and expectations of the local Muslim community;
- The Indian Association on accommodation and community development;
- Catherine (volunteer) to update www.watfordcvs.org.uk.

All of these discussions were useful, indeed essential. But soon I will need to get ruthless to meet my deadlines.

On getting married

In the evening, I went home to Jackie. Sheer bliss. After more than thirty years, we are finally getting married at Easter. There’s still some planning to do, but it will be a very quiet family wedding: grand-children, children, brothers and sisters, parents. Only my dear old Dad will be missing: he would have enjoyed it.

Of course Jackie and I should have got married twenty-five years ago. Why didn’t we? “Events, dear boy”, as Harold Macmillan would have said.

Jimmy Greaves’s first autobiography was entitled: “A funny thing happened on the way to Spurs”. He always knew he was destined to play at White Hart Lane but it took a while to happen and there were plenty of adventures and trials along the way.

And I always knew I would marry Jackie; but it’s taken a long old time and we too had aventures and trials along the way. But soon we will be married and finally everything will be just as it should be.