Sunday, 21 September 2008
After a relaxing day at home, Jackie and I saw Under Milk Wood at the Campus West Theatre - an engaging solo performance by Guy Masterson.
Saturday, 20 September 2008
Good chicken, bad chicken
Jackie and I enjoyed another warm sunny day in the garden, allowing the chickens out to explore and scratch around.
Our chickens have developed a strange double act. Ethelreda (yes, we’ve named them) is a lovely affeectionate chicken: she comes when she’s called and she seems to enjoy being picked up and carried or stroked. Audrey seems to hate all humankind: she runs away in panic when anyone comes near her, she struggles ferociously whenever she has to be picked up, and she squawks and flaps with great energy at the slightest provocation.
As far as I can tell both chickens have had similar life experiences so their disparate behaviour seems to be a powerful argument for Nature over Nurture.
Since the arrival of our chickens, I worry that Aged Ken (our decrepit white cat) is feeling neglected. He is wary of the chickens. Occasionally he follows us up to the chicken run to watch them being fed. It is clear that he cannot understand why so much attention is being lavished on things whose only real purpose is to provide a flavour of cat food.
Jackie and I enjoyed another warm sunny day in the garden, allowing the chickens out to explore and scratch around.
Our chickens have developed a strange double act. Ethelreda (yes, we’ve named them) is a lovely affeectionate chicken: she comes when she’s called and she seems to enjoy being picked up and carried or stroked. Audrey seems to hate all humankind: she runs away in panic when anyone comes near her, she struggles ferociously whenever she has to be picked up, and she squawks and flaps with great energy at the slightest provocation.
As far as I can tell both chickens have had similar life experiences so their disparate behaviour seems to be a powerful argument for Nature over Nurture.
Since the arrival of our chickens, I worry that Aged Ken (our decrepit white cat) is feeling neglected. He is wary of the chickens. Occasionally he follows us up to the chicken run to watch them being fed. It is clear that he cannot understand why so much attention is being lavished on things whose only real purpose is to provide a flavour of cat food.
Friday, 19 September 2008
Today I finally finished cross-checking the data in our CRM database: our A-Z of local voluntary groups. There are still one or two queries as it is often difficult to discern whether a small group is a charity, a community group, a social enterprise, or a commercial entity. But apart from a handful of these queries, we are now up to date.
Phew! Now we can concentrate on getting the software to actually work and we will begin by transferring our maillists and so on over to CRM.
Phew! Now we can concentrate on getting the software to actually work and we will begin by transferring our maillists and so on over to CRM.
Thursday, 18 September 2008
I enjoyed a gentle start to the day, travelling to central Welwyn Garden City for the second Learning Together conference staged by the Hertfordshire Training and Development Consortium. This is a project of the Hertfordshire Community Foundation, funded by the Learning and Skills Council and operating broadly under the umbrella of the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Consortium. Sarah Elliott has done remarkably well to move the Consortium forward, get agreement on an action plan and secure funding.
But there is little to connect those providers engaged in workforce development within the voluntary sector and those engaged in delivering community education. And of course there are still precious few resources available for workforce development in the voluntary sector. Today's conference provided a welcome opportunity to talk through these questions.
In the afternoon, there was appended a meeting on the operation of the Grassroots Grants programme. The Hertfordshire Community Foundation have taken a bold and imaginative step of working in close partnership with the CVSs to deliver this programme. We are all supposed to be allocating grants already and in fact the funding is front loaded toward the start of the programme. But we have had no time to get structures in place, guidance is almost non-existent, and no money has yet been actually released. The Foundation, under their CEO David Fitzpatrick, have been working hard to get things in place, and they deserve huge plaudits for this. But nevertheless, the programme has the usual critical failings of central government initiatives.
But there is little to connect those providers engaged in workforce development within the voluntary sector and those engaged in delivering community education. And of course there are still precious few resources available for workforce development in the voluntary sector. Today's conference provided a welcome opportunity to talk through these questions.
In the afternoon, there was appended a meeting on the operation of the Grassroots Grants programme. The Hertfordshire Community Foundation have taken a bold and imaginative step of working in close partnership with the CVSs to deliver this programme. We are all supposed to be allocating grants already and in fact the funding is front loaded toward the start of the programme. But we have had no time to get structures in place, guidance is almost non-existent, and no money has yet been actually released. The Foundation, under their CEO David Fitzpatrick, have been working hard to get things in place, and they deserve huge plaudits for this. But nevertheless, the programme has the usual critical failings of central government initiatives.
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
I left home this morning rather before the crack of dawn to drive to the East Midland Conference Centre where NAVCA were holding their AGM. One purpose for my journey was to collect Watford CVS’s NAVCA quality award, but of course I also hoped to see a bit of the conference. Unsurprisingly, the business of actually receiving the award was a little underwhelming - despite the very best efforts of NAVCA’s CEO (Kevin Curley) and Chair (Mike Martin).
After this, I heard Andrew Robinson of CCLA talk on the subject Does my bum look big in this? He spoke with some eloquence on the need for support agencies continuously to demonstrate their value, quoting several views from front-line organisations to the effect that support agencies (CVSs) contributed nothing and were simply an unwanted competitor that sucked up scarce resources. This was very sobering stuff.
Before leaving, I joined a workshop on working with faith organisations. Watford has many fine examples of voluntary groups that have emerged from the faith sector and there will be more to come. Faith can be a powerful impetus for social and community action. But many people also have secular or rationalist motives. I cannot see that faith groups per se deserve (or would want) support from a CVS.
I arrived back in Watford in the mid afternoon and caught up with a few things. At 7:00 pm I gave a short talk on WCVS to the Community Gateway committee of the Watford Community Housing Trust and then at 8:00 attended a meeting of the Centre Point Community Centre to discuss options for their incorporation.
I arrived home about 10:00 pm, very pleased to get some sleep.
After this, I heard Andrew Robinson of CCLA talk on the subject Does my bum look big in this? He spoke with some eloquence on the need for support agencies continuously to demonstrate their value, quoting several views from front-line organisations to the effect that support agencies (CVSs) contributed nothing and were simply an unwanted competitor that sucked up scarce resources. This was very sobering stuff.
Before leaving, I joined a workshop on working with faith organisations. Watford has many fine examples of voluntary groups that have emerged from the faith sector and there will be more to come. Faith can be a powerful impetus for social and community action. But many people also have secular or rationalist motives. I cannot see that faith groups per se deserve (or would want) support from a CVS.
I arrived back in Watford in the mid afternoon and caught up with a few things. At 7:00 pm I gave a short talk on WCVS to the Community Gateway committee of the Watford Community Housing Trust and then at 8:00 attended a meeting of the Centre Point Community Centre to discuss options for their incorporation.
I arrived home about 10:00 pm, very pleased to get some sleep.
Tuesday, 16 September 2008
I tried to arrive early for work, but the traffic was awful and I arrived only at 9:00. When I finally entered the office, I found that I had two members of staff off sick, that I had therefore inherited a meeting, and that I also had to make teas and coffees for a meeting in the our conference room. What fun.
As others arrived and things returned to a “state of normalcy”, I managed to finalise the new venue for our 2 October trustee network. Thanks to Phil Willerton, we will now be meeting at the YMCA in Watford. Invitations highlighting the change of venue were soon issued: we are running out of time to secure the success of the event.
I also issues invitations for the next meeting of the loal Chief Officers’ Information Network: we will be meeting on 18 November at the Watford Community Housing Trust to discuss the local strategic plan.
By the time I left the office in the evening, I had almost completed checking through our A-Z of 400 voluntary local groups. All except the letter W for Watford.
As others arrived and things returned to a “state of normalcy”, I managed to finalise the new venue for our 2 October trustee network. Thanks to Phil Willerton, we will now be meeting at the YMCA in Watford. Invitations highlighting the change of venue were soon issued: we are running out of time to secure the success of the event.
I also issues invitations for the next meeting of the loal Chief Officers’ Information Network: we will be meeting on 18 November at the Watford Community Housing Trust to discuss the local strategic plan.
By the time I left the office in the evening, I had almost completed checking through our A-Z of 400 voluntary local groups. All except the letter W for Watford.
Monday, 15 September 2008
Today I had a good meeting with Sarah Pinnock and Andy McBean about WCVS’s possible future involvement in the management of the Holywell Community Centre. These are still very much initial discussions to identify the range of issues that might need to be considered to set an agenda for a more formal preliminary meeting at some future date. If you’ve ever watched Yes Minister you will understand the general point.
After this, I met with George Nortey, the interim Community Services Director at the Watford Community Housing Trust.
I also looked at the Charity Commission’s current report of local charities who are late with their Annual Returns. This is rather worrying reading. But perhaps this report might be monitored as part of an annual review of trhe local sector? Food for thought …
After this, I met with George Nortey, the interim Community Services Director at the Watford Community Housing Trust.
I also looked at the Charity Commission’s current report of local charities who are late with their Annual Returns. This is rather worrying reading. But perhaps this report might be monitored as part of an annual review of trhe local sector? Food for thought …
Sunday, 14 September 2008
Jackie and I had promised ourselves that we would do nothing today but rest and read. But the sun shone gloriously and the garden drew us like moths to the flame.
Saturday, 13 September 2008
Jackie and I spent the morning at a charity fete at Ampthill. We drove home in the lovely sunshine and spent the afternoon in the garden laying the concrete for our new water feature.
Friday, 12 September 2008
Our IT chap Angelo came to the office today to sort out some refinements to our network. Meanwhile, I forged ahead with the final checks on our local groups database.
When we decided to build our own management information system, it seemed easiest to adopt the classification system used by other CVSs in Hertfordshire; after all, it has been in place for several years and no-one has raised any problems. But the more I actually use the data, the weaker this classification system seems to be.
Ahead of a further meeting I have planned with Helen (our Volunteer Centre Co-ordinator), Angelo and I talked through the possibility of using Microsoft CRM to run our Volunteer Centre’s operations. At the moment, everything goes through V-base, but this means we have to maintain duplicate records on local organisations (in V-base and in CRM).
There is also something fundamentally wrong about the process that the Volunteer Centre follows. At present if an organisation wants to promote a volunteering opportunity through the Volunteer Centre, it must be sent a form to complete, and it must complete and return the form which is then checked and the details are entered onto V-base. Most organisations are already registered, of course. The organisation also has to complete a form giving details of the volunteering opportunity, after which the form is checked and the details are entered onto V-base. Then V-base is uploaded to the Do-It website. Then anyone seeing the opportunity must complete a form to register their interest with the Volunteer Centre. Then the Volunteer Centre must forward their details to the host organisation. Finally the host organisation may make contact with the potential volunteer to discuss the volunteering opportunity.
Assuming everything goes to plan, there are 8-9 steps to complete. I have tried to understand the strength and purpose of this process, but I struggle. What does it achieve? What value does it add? The process creates distance between voluntary organisations and potential volunteers - and who benefits from that?
It should be possible for voluntary groups to post details of opportunities directly onto a recognised website, and for interested people to contact them direct. Why isn’t it? how can we speed up the contact while still providing support? These are questions that Helen and I have explored and will continue to explore.
After talking this through now with Angelo, I headed off to Rickmansworth to meet my new counterpart there, Jeanette Harvey. She is settling in well and we spoke about future work together.
When we decided to build our own management information system, it seemed easiest to adopt the classification system used by other CVSs in Hertfordshire; after all, it has been in place for several years and no-one has raised any problems. But the more I actually use the data, the weaker this classification system seems to be.
Ahead of a further meeting I have planned with Helen (our Volunteer Centre Co-ordinator), Angelo and I talked through the possibility of using Microsoft CRM to run our Volunteer Centre’s operations. At the moment, everything goes through V-base, but this means we have to maintain duplicate records on local organisations (in V-base and in CRM).
There is also something fundamentally wrong about the process that the Volunteer Centre follows. At present if an organisation wants to promote a volunteering opportunity through the Volunteer Centre, it must be sent a form to complete, and it must complete and return the form which is then checked and the details are entered onto V-base. Most organisations are already registered, of course. The organisation also has to complete a form giving details of the volunteering opportunity, after which the form is checked and the details are entered onto V-base. Then V-base is uploaded to the Do-It website. Then anyone seeing the opportunity must complete a form to register their interest with the Volunteer Centre. Then the Volunteer Centre must forward their details to the host organisation. Finally the host organisation may make contact with the potential volunteer to discuss the volunteering opportunity.
Assuming everything goes to plan, there are 8-9 steps to complete. I have tried to understand the strength and purpose of this process, but I struggle. What does it achieve? What value does it add? The process creates distance between voluntary organisations and potential volunteers - and who benefits from that?
It should be possible for voluntary groups to post details of opportunities directly onto a recognised website, and for interested people to contact them direct. Why isn’t it? how can we speed up the contact while still providing support? These are questions that Helen and I have explored and will continue to explore.
After talking this through now with Angelo, I headed off to Rickmansworth to meet my new counterpart there, Jeanette Harvey. She is settling in well and we spoke about future work together.
Thursday, 11 September 2008
My first engagement for the day was at the new Hertfordshire Development Centre in Stevenage - where the offices seem to be extremely flexible and very well planned. My meeting was to agree protocols for the operation of the Herts BME Advocacy service with Hema (our Advocate) and Karin Hutchinson and Bernie Dunne of HCC.
After this, I attended a meeting of the Herts Compact Working Group in the Mayor’s Parlour at Hertford Castle. We (me, Jacquie Hime and Andrew Burt) cautiously consulted the Working Group over the emerging plans for the 29 October conference. I felt a growing sense of horror as everything we had agreed was gradually taken apart before me. In the nick of time, I remembered that I was chairing the meeting and I managed to move us on to the next agenda item before we teetered over into the abyss.
With Hertfordshire (and others) now committed to creating “the environment for a thriving Third Sector” it is essential to place Compact at the heart of this agenda. I can’t believe there is so little national discussion on this.
In the evening, Jackie and I returned to our folk dancing at the local Free Church. We still haven't told anyone about these secretive outings and I wonder why; perhaps it's just not the sort of thing that crops up in conversation.
After this, I attended a meeting of the Herts Compact Working Group in the Mayor’s Parlour at Hertford Castle. We (me, Jacquie Hime and Andrew Burt) cautiously consulted the Working Group over the emerging plans for the 29 October conference. I felt a growing sense of horror as everything we had agreed was gradually taken apart before me. In the nick of time, I remembered that I was chairing the meeting and I managed to move us on to the next agenda item before we teetered over into the abyss.
With Hertfordshire (and others) now committed to creating “the environment for a thriving Third Sector” it is essential to place Compact at the heart of this agenda. I can’t believe there is so little national discussion on this.
In the evening, Jackie and I returned to our folk dancing at the local Free Church. We still haven't told anyone about these secretive outings and I wonder why; perhaps it's just not the sort of thing that crops up in conversation.
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Today we had a trustees meeting and (more excitingly) we held our AGM.
The trustees meeting went well. They carefully considered options for the 2 October launch of the Trustees Network and decided to proceed and each undertook to bring along at least 3 trustees from their own group.
Although I say so myself, our AGM was superb: all the arrangements went swimmingly; my usual concerns about an empty room proved unfounded and we had a good turnout; the excellent Pam Handley and Althea MacLean OBE were returned unopposed as Chair and Vice Chair; Andrea Allez (NAVCA’s Performance Improvement director) talked on quality assurance - wonderfully well-prepared with lots of local references; we elected two great representatives to the new Watford Community Fund panel: Althea MacLean OBE and Rukhsana Butt; Pam chaired with the good humour and elan she brings to everything; our Mayor Dorothy Thornhill spoke warmly in her engaging and distinctive style; and the food was very good.
But there was a fly in the ointment. There were seven candidates for five vacant seats on the Board of Trustees and there had to be two losers. We lost as trustees Lincoln Beckford (an exceptional youth worker) and Phil Willerton (who is amongst the most knowledgeable and best connected voluntary sector people in Hertfordshire).
The trustees meeting went well. They carefully considered options for the 2 October launch of the Trustees Network and decided to proceed and each undertook to bring along at least 3 trustees from their own group.
Although I say so myself, our AGM was superb: all the arrangements went swimmingly; my usual concerns about an empty room proved unfounded and we had a good turnout; the excellent Pam Handley and Althea MacLean OBE were returned unopposed as Chair and Vice Chair; Andrea Allez (NAVCA’s Performance Improvement director) talked on quality assurance - wonderfully well-prepared with lots of local references; we elected two great representatives to the new Watford Community Fund panel: Althea MacLean OBE and Rukhsana Butt; Pam chaired with the good humour and elan she brings to everything; our Mayor Dorothy Thornhill spoke warmly in her engaging and distinctive style; and the food was very good.
But there was a fly in the ointment. There were seven candidates for five vacant seats on the Board of Trustees and there had to be two losers. We lost as trustees Lincoln Beckford (an exceptional youth worker) and Phil Willerton (who is amongst the most knowledgeable and best connected voluntary sector people in Hertfordshire).
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
I started this morning at Hatfield Fire Station for a meeting of the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Consortium which faces some tough challenges: core funding is reduced, project funding is reduced, and many members are now only partially engaged (unsurprisingly as no-one is paid for being engaged, of course). The Consortium will survive because at its heart is a solid group of a dozen or so individuals fully committed to working in partnership to support voluntary groups to fight poverty and inequality - but we need to find the right structure for things to move forward.
After the meeting, I talked with the new Director of Three Rivers CVS. Our CVSs have been working to launch a Trustee Network for Watford and Three Rivers. We have arranged the speaker (the ever popular Alan Clarkin from the Charity Commission) and Three Rivers CVS have arranged the venue. But with the change of Director at Three Rivers CVS they have not yet actually promoted the event to their members. Jeanette (brand new in post) is worried that it is now too late for her to start promoting an event that takes place in less than a month and she wants to withdraw from the initiative. It's not what I wanted to hear, but what can I do?
Back in Watford, I fussed over last minute arrangements for tomorrow’s AGM and trustees meeting.
Recent reading (I know you're interested)
A Book of Common Birds (a 1940 book by Edmund Sanders) contained two startling facts: Great Tits will kill any smaller bird he can master and then feast on its brains and when Starlings have used the same wood for two or three years their droppings make it so filthy that not even a fox will enter it and all the trees die. Were birds really so badly behaved in the 1940s? Or was it all part of some complex propaganda initiative to trick the Nazis?
PG Wodehouse’s Pigs have Wings was completely predictable and completely enjoyable.
Forgotten English by Jeffrey Kacirk was written for Americans and Kacirk displayed only a tenuous grasp of etymology. But The Complete Plain Words by Sir Ernest Gowers was a pedant’s joy.
After the meeting, I talked with the new Director of Three Rivers CVS. Our CVSs have been working to launch a Trustee Network for Watford and Three Rivers. We have arranged the speaker (the ever popular Alan Clarkin from the Charity Commission) and Three Rivers CVS have arranged the venue. But with the change of Director at Three Rivers CVS they have not yet actually promoted the event to their members. Jeanette (brand new in post) is worried that it is now too late for her to start promoting an event that takes place in less than a month and she wants to withdraw from the initiative. It's not what I wanted to hear, but what can I do?
Back in Watford, I fussed over last minute arrangements for tomorrow’s AGM and trustees meeting.
Recent reading (I know you're interested)
A Book of Common Birds (a 1940 book by Edmund Sanders) contained two startling facts: Great Tits will kill any smaller bird he can master and then feast on its brains and when Starlings have used the same wood for two or three years their droppings make it so filthy that not even a fox will enter it and all the trees die. Were birds really so badly behaved in the 1940s? Or was it all part of some complex propaganda initiative to trick the Nazis?
PG Wodehouse’s Pigs have Wings was completely predictable and completely enjoyable.
Forgotten English by Jeffrey Kacirk was written for Americans and Kacirk displayed only a tenuous grasp of etymology. But The Complete Plain Words by Sir Ernest Gowers was a pedant’s joy.
Monday, 8 September 2008
This was my first day back at the office after a week’s leave and I returned to a very quiet office as so many staff are unwell, on leave or at external meetings. Apart from myself there were only three other members of staff in. One of these was Syed Ahmed, our Community Accountant, arriving for his first day at work and he seems very intelligent and personable.
Inevitably I spent most of the day reading through e-mails and achieving little more than sorting out the wheat from the chaff. I dread to think how many of my e-mails now carry little red flags to tell me they need answers, responses or consideration. I just checked and it's 179. Time management manuals say “only open an e-mail once” (like they used to say “only touch a piece of paper once”). But on returning from a week’s absence I first need to skim read every e-mail to see whether any great crisis has arisen and to halve the size of the problem by deleting the 200-odd spam mails that my filters failed to detect. This approach also serves the useful purpose of providing an almost sub-conscious overview or summary of some of the week’s developments. It is also the case that few e-mails stand alone (requests are withdrawn, meeting dates changed, and priorities transformed) so reading one e-mail in isolation rarely makes sense.
By late afternoon I was sufficiently up to speed to concentrate on my next priority: preparing for Wednesday’s trustees meeting and AGM. For the AGM we have received seven nominations for five vacant positions and Maria Waszkis organised a ballot paper for the necessary vote. Everything else seems well in hand for the AGM.
For our trustees meeting, however, I need to prepare an agenda and write a couple of short papers and prepare the financial report. These tasks all took far longer than I expected - particularly the finance report as I first needed to process the final audit journals. I finally left the office about 11:00 pm.
It’s nice to be back.
Inevitably I spent most of the day reading through e-mails and achieving little more than sorting out the wheat from the chaff. I dread to think how many of my e-mails now carry little red flags to tell me they need answers, responses or consideration. I just checked and it's 179. Time management manuals say “only open an e-mail once” (like they used to say “only touch a piece of paper once”). But on returning from a week’s absence I first need to skim read every e-mail to see whether any great crisis has arisen and to halve the size of the problem by deleting the 200-odd spam mails that my filters failed to detect. This approach also serves the useful purpose of providing an almost sub-conscious overview or summary of some of the week’s developments. It is also the case that few e-mails stand alone (requests are withdrawn, meeting dates changed, and priorities transformed) so reading one e-mail in isolation rarely makes sense.
By late afternoon I was sufficiently up to speed to concentrate on my next priority: preparing for Wednesday’s trustees meeting and AGM. For the AGM we have received seven nominations for five vacant positions and Maria Waszkis organised a ballot paper for the necessary vote. Everything else seems well in hand for the AGM.
For our trustees meeting, however, I need to prepare an agenda and write a couple of short papers and prepare the financial report. These tasks all took far longer than I expected - particularly the finance report as I first needed to process the final audit journals. I finally left the office about 11:00 pm.
It’s nice to be back.
Sunday, 7 September 2008
While I slept through a haze of painkillers, Jackie was busy calling dentists and hospitals and the PCT. She woke me about 9:00 am with a cup of tea, a fistful of drugs, and the welcome news that we were going to Borehamwood to see a dentist. It was a traumatic few hours, but Jackie was determined to save me, and the dentist (the talented Alan Lightstone) was equally determined to save the good name of his profession.
When the errant tooth was finally removed, my joy knew no bounds. How did people cope before modern medicine? Even now, how would I have coped without Jackie? Not well.
All in all, not the most pleasant week off I have ever taken - but without Jackie it would have been far worse!
When the errant tooth was finally removed, my joy knew no bounds. How did people cope before modern medicine? Even now, how would I have coped without Jackie? Not well.
All in all, not the most pleasant week off I have ever taken - but without Jackie it would have been far worse!
Saturday, 6 September 2008
I didn’t sleep well. Mostly the pain was so intense I could think of nothing else. Occasionally the pain subsided a little so I could think that maybe the pain would disappear completely if I amputated my head. Once the pain subsided sufficiently for me to wonder what would happen to next week’s AGM if I had no head.
Jackie had sorted out a drugs regime including a heady mixture of co-codamol, paracetomol, ibuprofen and amoxycilin. I completely lost track of which drugs I had taken and which I hadn’t. I do hope the Watford Senior Citizens’ Forum have some success with their campaign for improved labelling. Meanwhile, I relied completely on Jackie.
Around midnight, Jackie decided I needed pain relief from the A&E at the local hospital. I don’t remember much about the visit but when we returned home I was able to sleep properly for the first time since Wednesday night.
Jackie had sorted out a drugs regime including a heady mixture of co-codamol, paracetomol, ibuprofen and amoxycilin. I completely lost track of which drugs I had taken and which I hadn’t. I do hope the Watford Senior Citizens’ Forum have some success with their campaign for improved labelling. Meanwhile, I relied completely on Jackie.
Around midnight, Jackie decided I needed pain relief from the A&E at the local hospital. I don’t remember much about the visit but when we returned home I was able to sleep properly for the first time since Wednesday night.
Friday, 5 September 2008
Oh dear
I spent a horrible sleepless night wracked with pain from my foul tooth. My morning was complete agony. Fortunately I had an appointment booked at my dentist so had (I thought) only a short wait for relief.
Unfortunately, my dentist had other ideas. Perhaps remembering his previous futile efforts to extract my tooth and muttering darkly about the position of nerve endings, he referred me to a “spercialist” practice in north London. When we returned home, Jackie called them and learned that they could see me “in a couple of months” - unless we paid privately in which case it may only be "a few days". I don’t think they understood of the seriousness of the situation.
My dentist had prescribed some painkillers - but it turned out he wasn’t authorised to dispense that particular brand of painkiller so Jackie had to sort out the confusion as I was in no fit state to do anything. We canceled our plans to go to a fundraiser for Herts Society for the Blind. I managed to survive the night only with a lot of TLC and lots of drugs.
I spent a horrible sleepless night wracked with pain from my foul tooth. My morning was complete agony. Fortunately I had an appointment booked at my dentist so had (I thought) only a short wait for relief.
Unfortunately, my dentist had other ideas. Perhaps remembering his previous futile efforts to extract my tooth and muttering darkly about the position of nerve endings, he referred me to a “spercialist” practice in north London. When we returned home, Jackie called them and learned that they could see me “in a couple of months” - unless we paid privately in which case it may only be "a few days". I don’t think they understood of the seriousness of the situation.
My dentist had prescribed some painkillers - but it turned out he wasn’t authorised to dispense that particular brand of painkiller so Jackie had to sort out the confusion as I was in no fit state to do anything. We canceled our plans to go to a fundraiser for Herts Society for the Blind. I managed to survive the night only with a lot of TLC and lots of drugs.
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Today’s gardening was completely rained off. This was just as well as my toothache was steadily worsening.
In the evening, I managed to get my mind off the toothache for a bit as Jackie and I went to join the Welwyn Garden City Folk Dancing Club and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
In the evening, I managed to get my mind off the toothache for a bit as Jackie and I went to join the Welwyn Garden City Folk Dancing Club and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
Thank goodness we decided not to go camping! Today we spent yet another wet day gardening after which our water feature now just awaits the concrete. And my toothache is getting worse.
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
Same old, same old
After yet another damp day in the garden, I went off in the evening to join the local Chess Club. I was made to feel very welcome, but with typical bad timing I chose the night of their AGM. I did make the point that their website gave little help to potential new members, but I was clearly wrong on this. I spent two hours listening to the members address and resolve the issues of the day: attracting new members, meeting the costs of accommodation, improving the website, balancing engagement in formal structures against more informal activities. These questions must be addressed perennially by thousands of voluntary groups across the country.
Perhaps I’ll get a game of chess next week.
After yet another damp day in the garden, I went off in the evening to join the local Chess Club. I was made to feel very welcome, but with typical bad timing I chose the night of their AGM. I did make the point that their website gave little help to potential new members, but I was clearly wrong on this. I spent two hours listening to the members address and resolve the issues of the day: attracting new members, meeting the costs of accommodation, improving the website, balancing engagement in formal structures against more informal activities. These questions must be addressed perennially by thousands of voluntary groups across the country.
Perhaps I’ll get a game of chess next week.
Monday, 1 September 2008
Jackie and I spent another day in the garden dodging the rain - but at least our water feature is beginning to take shape.
Sunday, 31 August 2008
I spent another relaxing day with Jackie, starting to build our new water feature - a natural-looking cascade flowing down our rockery and into a small pond.
Saturday, 30 August 2008
Jackie and I had said we would go off walking this coming week. But the weather forecast looks so horrible, we decided instead to take the next week to build a new water feature in our garden. We spent most of today buying pumps and concrete and stuff. We know this isn't the most ecological of things to tackle, but our reasoning is that the water will attract frogs and they will be a natural antidote to slugs.
Friday, 29 August 2008
Andrea Allez of NAVCA spent the day with us reviewing our submission for the NAVCA quality award. Over the years, I have worked on several quality awards and these NAVCA standards and evidence requirements are pretty tough. But the process has also been extremely helpful in identifying strengths and weaknesses. Thankfully, Vanessa Levy (our Development and Training Officer) was here and she was tremendous – along with other staff and trustees who contributed. At the end of the day, Andrea gave some very helpful feedback. We wait with bated breath.
While Vanessa was taking the lead on QA, I was wrestling with some thorny IT problems – Connexions have changed their on-line database and our Connexions staff can’t get past the new security. I finally managed to resolve things at about 7:00 pm and headed off for a week’s leave.
While Vanessa was taking the lead on QA, I was wrestling with some thorny IT problems – Connexions have changed their on-line database and our Connexions staff can’t get past the new security. I finally managed to resolve things at about 7:00 pm and headed off for a week’s leave.
Thursday, 28 August 2008
I went to the Cover offices at Great Chesterton for a meeting of Trustees Together – the regional grouping looking at the needs of trustees. As our Trustee Network is scheduled for launch on 2 October, this was very timely.
On the return journey I dropped by at County Hall to meet with Andrew Burt to move toward finalising arrangements for the 29 October conference on LAA2, NI7, Compact, Partnership and Public Law. For those that don’t speak local government jargon, this is a conference about Local Area Agreements (the strategic plans for each local authority area). The Hertfordshire LAA incorporates National Indicator 7 (“creating an environment for a thriving third sector”). The Hertfordshire Compact Working Group (of which I am co-chair, with the lovely Jacquie Hime) sees this as a great opportunity to reinvigorate the Compact agenda, building effective partnerships between the statutory and voluntary sectors. And it seems sensible for this opportunity to also incorporate a better understanding of Public Law.
The plans are progressing a little too slowly for my liking, but they will doubtless come together soon.
On the return journey I dropped by at County Hall to meet with Andrew Burt to move toward finalising arrangements for the 29 October conference on LAA2, NI7, Compact, Partnership and Public Law. For those that don’t speak local government jargon, this is a conference about Local Area Agreements (the strategic plans for each local authority area). The Hertfordshire LAA incorporates National Indicator 7 (“creating an environment for a thriving third sector”). The Hertfordshire Compact Working Group (of which I am co-chair, with the lovely Jacquie Hime) sees this as a great opportunity to reinvigorate the Compact agenda, building effective partnerships between the statutory and voluntary sectors. And it seems sensible for this opportunity to also incorporate a better understanding of Public Law.
The plans are progressing a little too slowly for my liking, but they will doubtless come together soon.
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
After a day tackling IT problems (we had five new PCs installed) and looking to develop the Sunflower website, this evening we held the second AGM of the Watford One World forum. We enjoyed a very good presentation from Laura Cronshaw (of St Albans CVS) talking about the Representation Toolkit and from Michael Lassman (of EqualityEdge) talking about Working with Difference.
We had hoped to elect new officers for WOWf but after some very interesting discussions, we decided instead to ask a small working group to set up a short-term plan for the forum.
We had hoped to elect new officers for WOWf but after some very interesting discussions, we decided instead to ask a small working group to set up a short-term plan for the forum.
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
I devoted most of my day to drawing up a detailed letter to Watford Borough Council on our hopes / expectations / requirements re: a possible relocation to the Holywell Centre.
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