Saturday, 1 December 2007
Jackie and I further contemplated the possible keeping of chickens: we still prevaricate. A quiet day at home was followed by a rather raucous evening with friends.
Friday, 30 November 2007
An incident of some sort meant that the Police had to close part of Beechen Grove this morning so it took me half an hour to travel the last mile into work. Then my day proper started with a half-day workshop for members of the Local Strategic Partnership One Watford.
This workshop was the Aspire 2 Perform model encouraging LSPs to be: Accountable, Strategic, Performance-managed, Inclusive, Responsive and Effective. The model actually looked at Engagement, Governance, Expectations, Planning, Meetings, and Communications. But obviously EGEPMC isn't as memorable as ASPIRE. One day people will again learn to develop management models without the use of contrived acronyms.
The event itself was very worthwhile and productive: it highlighted some important issues and gave LSP members an opportunity to talk together outside the usual arena of LSP meetings.
After this, I spent some time briefing myself for some forthcoming meetings: Compact, networking lunches, HIC, IT development, and so on. At Vanessa’s behest, I also wrote to staff suggesting we moved on from last year’s Secret Santa and instead each contribute some money though Oxfam to buy a donkey or some goats (not for Watford but for one of the communities where Oxfam work).
Back home, Jackie and I resisted the temptation to attend a 1970s Night and instead spent an evening at home over a curry and a bottle of wine watching music on television: I particularly liked Kate Nash and The Who (although it seems that guitar legend Pete Townshend has been sacked and replaced by Phil Willerton of Watford YMCA).
This workshop was the Aspire 2 Perform model encouraging LSPs to be: Accountable, Strategic, Performance-managed, Inclusive, Responsive and Effective. The model actually looked at Engagement, Governance, Expectations, Planning, Meetings, and Communications. But obviously EGEPMC isn't as memorable as ASPIRE. One day people will again learn to develop management models without the use of contrived acronyms.
The event itself was very worthwhile and productive: it highlighted some important issues and gave LSP members an opportunity to talk together outside the usual arena of LSP meetings.
After this, I spent some time briefing myself for some forthcoming meetings: Compact, networking lunches, HIC, IT development, and so on. At Vanessa’s behest, I also wrote to staff suggesting we moved on from last year’s Secret Santa and instead each contribute some money though Oxfam to buy a donkey or some goats (not for Watford but for one of the communities where Oxfam work).
Back home, Jackie and I resisted the temptation to attend a 1970s Night and instead spent an evening at home over a curry and a bottle of wine watching music on television: I particularly liked Kate Nash and The Who (although it seems that guitar legend Pete Townshend has been sacked and replaced by Phil Willerton of Watford YMCA).
Thursday, 29 November 2007
I was eager to make the most of my first chance this week to do some work in the office and so arrived at 7:00 am.
I spent some time with the organisers of Hertsmere’s Com.Unity Choir who want to explore setting up a similar open community-based choir in Watford. Such a choir could be a catalyst for some great community development work across Watford so I spent plenty of time with them offering as much encouragement and advice as I could.
Other than this pleasant interlude, I had a fairly strenuous day regaining control of my workload. It was a bit of a battle but by the end of the day (8:30 pm), I had read 150 previously unread e-mails, dealt with 100 read-but-not-yet-actioned e-mails and sent 70 of my own e-mails. I am far from being a technophobe but I abhor the tyranny of e-mail. Looking back on the day and reflecting, I can barely remember what a single e-mail was about.
Having just checked I can see that there was actually some genuine purpose and value in my day’s correspondence. I arranged to work with Watford Borough Council on their new Directory of Council and Community Services, advised four local groups on legal and employment and development matters, advised two potential donors on groups they might like to support, made some arrangements for our January networking lunch on Mental Health, and so on and so on. In fact, I flatter myself that I had rather an effective day.
I suppose my point is that it doesn’t feel like real work and it doesn’t feel like real communication.
During the day, I also wrote 700 words for the next issues of Herts CVS News. My theme was the benefits of good communication and networking. The irony of this was lost on me at the time.
I spent some time with the organisers of Hertsmere’s Com.Unity Choir who want to explore setting up a similar open community-based choir in Watford. Such a choir could be a catalyst for some great community development work across Watford so I spent plenty of time with them offering as much encouragement and advice as I could.
Other than this pleasant interlude, I had a fairly strenuous day regaining control of my workload. It was a bit of a battle but by the end of the day (8:30 pm), I had read 150 previously unread e-mails, dealt with 100 read-but-not-yet-actioned e-mails and sent 70 of my own e-mails. I am far from being a technophobe but I abhor the tyranny of e-mail. Looking back on the day and reflecting, I can barely remember what a single e-mail was about.
Having just checked I can see that there was actually some genuine purpose and value in my day’s correspondence. I arranged to work with Watford Borough Council on their new Directory of Council and Community Services, advised four local groups on legal and employment and development matters, advised two potential donors on groups they might like to support, made some arrangements for our January networking lunch on Mental Health, and so on and so on. In fact, I flatter myself that I had rather an effective day.
I suppose my point is that it doesn’t feel like real work and it doesn’t feel like real communication.
During the day, I also wrote 700 words for the next issues of Herts CVS News. My theme was the benefits of good communication and networking. The irony of this was lost on me at the time.
Wednesday, 28 November 2007
I went to NCVO via St Pancras this morning to see the new(-ish) statue The Meeting Place which is stunning.
At NCVO our PQASSO group met again and we went through the materials. There were some useful discussions and it is always useful to talk with other practitioners about how they approach things. The others on the course came from a wide range of groups and all were charming and erudite. I was (almost) sorry to say good-bye at the end of the day.
In the evening, I reviewed my Watford CVS workload. Tomorrow is my first day in the office this week. I can anticipate a backlog of about 200 unread e-mails. When I left on Friday I already had 133 e-mails bearing little red “to do” flags. I also have a list of 21 tasks that I simply must complete asap (most of which I have been postponing for several weeks). Added to this, I have four meetings scheduled for tomorrow (including one in the evening) and I need to speak with several members of WCVS staff. What are my chances of making progress on all this tomorrow? Are all my meetings really necessary?
In the evening, I completed Robert Harris's book Selling Hitler on the remarkable events of the early 1980s when Stern magazine and The Sunday Times paid vast sums to publish diaries supposedly written by Adolf Hitler. Why was anyone so interested? People have a worryingly large capacity for stupidity and gullibility. The failures of corporate management sparked a series of events that ultimately produced the Code of Governance.
At NCVO our PQASSO group met again and we went through the materials. There were some useful discussions and it is always useful to talk with other practitioners about how they approach things. The others on the course came from a wide range of groups and all were charming and erudite. I was (almost) sorry to say good-bye at the end of the day.
In the evening, I reviewed my Watford CVS workload. Tomorrow is my first day in the office this week. I can anticipate a backlog of about 200 unread e-mails. When I left on Friday I already had 133 e-mails bearing little red “to do” flags. I also have a list of 21 tasks that I simply must complete asap (most of which I have been postponing for several weeks). Added to this, I have four meetings scheduled for tomorrow (including one in the evening) and I need to speak with several members of WCVS staff. What are my chances of making progress on all this tomorrow? Are all my meetings really necessary?
In the evening, I completed Robert Harris's book Selling Hitler on the remarkable events of the early 1980s when Stern magazine and The Sunday Times paid vast sums to publish diaries supposedly written by Adolf Hitler. Why was anyone so interested? People have a worryingly large capacity for stupidity and gullibility. The failures of corporate management sparked a series of events that ultimately produced the Code of Governance.
Tuesday, 27 November 2007
PQASSO
Today (and tomorrow) I am with Vanessa (our Training and Development Officer) attending a PQASSO training course at the NCVO in London.
On arrival, I was pleasantly surprised to bump into Laura Cronshaw (of St Albans CVS) attending the same course, our trainer was fine and PQASSO is a good QA system.
But truly neither myself or Vanessa wanted to be there as we both know PQASSO pretty well and have been working with it for a number of years. However, PQASSO is the property of the Charities Evaluation Service and neither Vanessa or I can be licenced by CES to support groups through the PQASSO process unless we have attended CES’s three day PQASSO Mentor programme. At a cost, or course. And guess what? We can’t attend the three day PQASSO Mentor programme unless we have already completed CES’s two day programme Implementing PQASSO. At a cost, of course.
I think this is what is known as a sustainable income stream.
Today (and tomorrow) I am with Vanessa (our Training and Development Officer) attending a PQASSO training course at the NCVO in London.
On arrival, I was pleasantly surprised to bump into Laura Cronshaw (of St Albans CVS) attending the same course, our trainer was fine and PQASSO is a good QA system.
But truly neither myself or Vanessa wanted to be there as we both know PQASSO pretty well and have been working with it for a number of years. However, PQASSO is the property of the Charities Evaluation Service and neither Vanessa or I can be licenced by CES to support groups through the PQASSO process unless we have attended CES’s three day PQASSO Mentor programme. At a cost, or course. And guess what? We can’t attend the three day PQASSO Mentor programme unless we have already completed CES’s two day programme Implementing PQASSO. At a cost, of course.
I think this is what is known as a sustainable income stream.
Monday, 26 November 2007
I spent a morning at home working on an accommodation strategy for Watford’s voluntary sector. I am having trouble separating this from the Community Development Strategy on which I have also started work: are they one strategy or two?
In the afternoon, I travelled to Hertford to meet with Andrew Burt of HCC and Jacquie Hime of N Herts CVS to discuss the future of the Herts Compact Group. Jacquie and I are joint chairs of the Working Group which has a meeting scheduled for mid-December. I have been worried for some time that nationally the whole Compact agenda is drifting aimless towards the rocks. Jacquie, Andrew and I met to try and agree a way forward in Hertfordshire.
Andrew argued that Compact should be re-aligned to the LSPs and to the new LAA2 agenda - and particularly to the new targets for local authorities: a thriving Third Sector, more volunteering, community engagement and so on. Jacquie took to the idea almost immediately. My brain works a little more slowly and had to clunk through several “what if” scenarios before I finally accepted that Andrew’s proposal was indeed the best way forward.
Having convinced us both of the wisdom of his vision for Compact, Andrew then told us that he might not be at the December Compact meeting as he is scheduled to have his wisdom teeth removed that day. Lovely.
In the afternoon, I travelled to Hertford to meet with Andrew Burt of HCC and Jacquie Hime of N Herts CVS to discuss the future of the Herts Compact Group. Jacquie and I are joint chairs of the Working Group which has a meeting scheduled for mid-December. I have been worried for some time that nationally the whole Compact agenda is drifting aimless towards the rocks. Jacquie, Andrew and I met to try and agree a way forward in Hertfordshire.
Andrew argued that Compact should be re-aligned to the LSPs and to the new LAA2 agenda - and particularly to the new targets for local authorities: a thriving Third Sector, more volunteering, community engagement and so on. Jacquie took to the idea almost immediately. My brain works a little more slowly and had to clunk through several “what if” scenarios before I finally accepted that Andrew’s proposal was indeed the best way forward.
Having convinced us both of the wisdom of his vision for Compact, Andrew then told us that he might not be at the December Compact meeting as he is scheduled to have his wisdom teeth removed that day. Lovely.
Sunday, 25 November 2007
A relaxing day at home. In the afternoon, Jackie and I went for a walk together. I lasted less than a mile and then shuffled off home. Jackie powered off around WGC and must have covered at least three miles. I suspect she is in secret training for the Olympics.
Meanwhile, I completed The Shadow of Elisa Lynch by Sian Rees, the story of an Irishwoman’s relationship with a Paraguayan dictator and tyrant. Interesting stuff, but like so many modern books it would have benefited from a more assertive sub-editor.
Meanwhile, I completed The Shadow of Elisa Lynch by Sian Rees, the story of an Irishwoman’s relationship with a Paraguayan dictator and tyrant. Interesting stuff, but like so many modern books it would have benefited from a more assertive sub-editor.
Saturday, 24 November 2007
Jackie and I collected our grand-daughter after breakfast and drove up to Ampthill to attend the opening of the new wing of the Agate House Cheshire Home. My sister is one of the first residents moving into the rooms now complying with the latest standards. Bethany of course wowed everyone.
On the homeward journey, we returned Bethany to one of her other grand-dads in Baldock. Grand-dad Tarlok was his usual self. His Mum barely seems to have aged since I first met her in the 1970s. And Amerjit was so grown up - he was in his mid-teens last time I saw him and now suddenly he’s forty.
On the homeward journey, we returned Bethany to one of her other grand-dads in Baldock. Grand-dad Tarlok was his usual self. His Mum barely seems to have aged since I first met her in the 1970s. And Amerjit was so grown up - he was in his mid-teens last time I saw him and now suddenly he’s forty.
Friday, 23 November 2007
Another day of catching up and correspondence. I completed another funding bid, started preparing thoughts for our next Trustees’ meeting, and met with Helen on volunteering, Maria on networking lunches, Vanessa on Training, Anne on Fundraising, and our Connexions Team.
IT and Communications
I also reviewed the IT and Communications paper I’d drafted for the HIC. Several recent studies have shown that the voluntary sector is lagging behind other sectors in the use of IT. Our findings certainly confirm this. We also found little enthusiasm for a voluntary sector agency delivering IT services, and that the sector's communication systems are simply not “fit for purpose”.
The question then is how can this state of affairs be changed? How can the value of effective ICT be demonstrated? How can HIC demonstrate its leadership? How can the ICT environment be transformed?
What I proposed was creating a communication and information centre for Hertfordshire’s voluntary sector. This centre could include contact details of all groups, offer opportunities for groups to create e-mail addresses and websites, provide access to support services, house discussion groups, and offer individuals the chance to subscribe to a range of information streams.
Revisiting the proposals today, I was pretty confident that they are the best opportunity we have of securing a "step change" in ICT.
IT and Communications
I also reviewed the IT and Communications paper I’d drafted for the HIC. Several recent studies have shown that the voluntary sector is lagging behind other sectors in the use of IT. Our findings certainly confirm this. We also found little enthusiasm for a voluntary sector agency delivering IT services, and that the sector's communication systems are simply not “fit for purpose”.
The question then is how can this state of affairs be changed? How can the value of effective ICT be demonstrated? How can HIC demonstrate its leadership? How can the ICT environment be transformed?
What I proposed was creating a communication and information centre for Hertfordshire’s voluntary sector. This centre could include contact details of all groups, offer opportunities for groups to create e-mail addresses and websites, provide access to support services, house discussion groups, and offer individuals the chance to subscribe to a range of information streams.
Revisiting the proposals today, I was pretty confident that they are the best opportunity we have of securing a "step change" in ICT.
Thursday, 22 November 2007
I spent the morning catching up with people at the office and dealing with the correspondence that has accumulated since last week.
At lunchtime, I was joined by David Fitzpatrick of the Hertfordshire Community Foundation. He has been involved in some of the discussions about possible futures for Watford’s five Community Centres and he wanted to see some of the Centres for himself. We paid flying visits to the Holywell and Meriden Centres and then had a talk through options for the various sites.
By the time I left the office, I had cleared the backlog of 200+ unread e-mails. But I had 133 e-mails bearing little red flags to remind me that the mails needed a reply or some other action.
At lunchtime, I was joined by David Fitzpatrick of the Hertfordshire Community Foundation. He has been involved in some of the discussions about possible futures for Watford’s five Community Centres and he wanted to see some of the Centres for himself. We paid flying visits to the Holywell and Meriden Centres and then had a talk through options for the various sites.
By the time I left the office, I had cleared the backlog of 200+ unread e-mails. But I had 133 e-mails bearing little red flags to remind me that the mails needed a reply or some other action.
Wednesday, 21 November 2007
One last day away from the office
Today I spent in Letchworth reviewing all ten plans that have been prepared to support the Development Plan for voluntary sector support in Hertfordshire. These were:
Today I spent in Letchworth reviewing all ten plans that have been prepared to support the Development Plan for voluntary sector support in Hertfordshire. These were:
- my own two on Training and on IT and Communications;
- Funding Advice from the Funding Advisors’ network;
- Sustainable Funding and Raising the Profile from David Fitzpatrick of the Hertfordshire Community Foundation;
- Supporting Small Groups from Ian Richardson of East Herts and Broxbourne CVS;
- Sustainability from Kate Belinis at Herts CDA;
- Equalities from Moreen Pascal late of MENTER;
- Volunteering from Julie Street of Volunteering Herts;
- and Quality Assurance and Developing the Consortium from Steph.
I was very impressed that we had all managed to complete something. I think we were all impressed. All need some work. Some of them need quite a bit of work. But all lay out a clear direction.
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
I spent another day out of the office, this time at the CDX conference in Newport Pagnell - a surprisingly pleasant little town. I went to get a good solid framework for a Community Development strategy for Watford and I came away with plenty of good ideas and some very useful models and tools.
Monday, 19 November 2007
I spent a useful day at the Stakeholder Engagement conference put on in Hatfield by the Hertfordshire Community Foundation. There was a pretty good turnout of about 70, including many of the usual suspects but also some new faces - and I was pleased to see Sharifa Chaudrey of Watford’s Multi Cultural Community Centre. I enjoyed talking to quite a few people about Watford and Hertfordshire matters, including Steph (of HIC - to whom I gave the IT project proposal), David of Barnet CVS, Bina of MENTER and Kate Belinis of the Herts Community Development Association.
Sunday, 18 November, 2007
Somehow I had set the clock back two hours and the alarm went off at 6:00 am. By the time Jackie and I realised, we had already run a bath, had a cup of tea and made breakfast. How popular was I? Fortunately she loves me enough to forgive.
I spent the entire day working on the IT project proposal for HIC. I already had lots of notes and a brief outline, and much supporting information from Paul Ruskin (regional IT champion) and Angelo Gibertoni (our IT consultant). So in theory I simply had to put everything together. I didn’t even notice that it was snowing until Jackie returned from her evening walk looking like an Antarctic explorer.
It was a long day, but I finished in time for a nice cup of tea and a Telegraph crossword before bed.
Amazingly, my tooth-ache of the past six weeks seems to have very nearly disappeared. Perhaps my last (painful) visit to the Dentist served some purpose after all.
Recent reading (I know you're interested)
I read Boris Starling’s murder mystery Visibility. Not very challenging but perfectly well written and interestingly set in 1950’s smog-bound London. Then I read Stuart Maconie’s Cider with Roadies which was everything you’d expect from the title and the author.
I spent the entire day working on the IT project proposal for HIC. I already had lots of notes and a brief outline, and much supporting information from Paul Ruskin (regional IT champion) and Angelo Gibertoni (our IT consultant). So in theory I simply had to put everything together. I didn’t even notice that it was snowing until Jackie returned from her evening walk looking like an Antarctic explorer.
It was a long day, but I finished in time for a nice cup of tea and a Telegraph crossword before bed.
Amazingly, my tooth-ache of the past six weeks seems to have very nearly disappeared. Perhaps my last (painful) visit to the Dentist served some purpose after all.
Recent reading (I know you're interested)
I read Boris Starling’s murder mystery Visibility. Not very challenging but perfectly well written and interestingly set in 1950’s smog-bound London. Then I read Stuart Maconie’s Cider with Roadies which was everything you’d expect from the title and the author.
Friday, 16 November 2007
I travelled to Watford and my working day began with news that we had been successful in our tender to HCC to provide an advocacy service. Strategically, it is good for CVS’s to be leading the way on voluntary sector delivery of public services. And the advocacy scheme will fit well alongside our existing Connexions services. But this morning I had other things on my mind.
Foremost in my mind was the is the afternoon deadline for submission of two strategies to HIC: one on meeting voluntary sector training needs in Hertfordshire, and the other on delivering a step change in the sector’s engagement with IT.
I had already completed a first draft of the training proposal. It wasn’t perfect and there were a few omissions (of SKILd, TPAS and the possible new Skills Development Agency for the voluntary sector) but I was pretty pleased with it. Shortly after 3:00 I had knocked this into a final version and forwarded it to Steph - HIC’s development worker who is having to co-ordinate all this.
Steph and I then agreed that I could deliver up the IT proposal on Monday.
Back home, Jackie had been to the hospital to be fitted with a heart monitor to record her palpitations. Poor thing. We tried to sustain an interest in BBC's annual Children In Need evening.
Foremost in my mind was the is the afternoon deadline for submission of two strategies to HIC: one on meeting voluntary sector training needs in Hertfordshire, and the other on delivering a step change in the sector’s engagement with IT.
I had already completed a first draft of the training proposal. It wasn’t perfect and there were a few omissions (of SKILd, TPAS and the possible new Skills Development Agency for the voluntary sector) but I was pretty pleased with it. Shortly after 3:00 I had knocked this into a final version and forwarded it to Steph - HIC’s development worker who is having to co-ordinate all this.
Steph and I then agreed that I could deliver up the IT proposal on Monday.
Back home, Jackie had been to the hospital to be fitted with a heart monitor to record her palpitations. Poor thing. We tried to sustain an interest in BBC's annual Children In Need evening.
Saturday, 17 November 2007
To distract Jackie from her beastly heart monitor, we went on a trip and thereby we spent the better part of the day in traffic jams.
We were on a mission as Ken (our decrepit cat) has been looking worse and worse. A few weeks ago he lost his last tooth and could no longer manage his cat biscuits: he stopped eating the biscuits so we stopped giving them to him. His health deteriorated fast: his coat became dishevelled, he mews constantly, he uses the catflap like a tortoise with bad sunburn, and he has done other things it is best not to write about in a blog that might (who knows?) be read by younger people.
I thought we should take him to the vet. Jackie wanted to spoil him a little. So we bought him some new special biscuits, and some special cat milk, and some special fresh catnip. I suspect we both thought of this as mere palliative care.
But after a bowl of his special cat milk, a plate of his special 11+ cat biscuits, and a good snort of fresh catnip, Ken perked up instantly: his coat became sleek and glossy, his nose glistened and he seemed playful and happy. It’s a miracle.
I have a terrible horrible ghastly feeling that we have been slowly starving him these last few weeks.
At 3:00 pm, Jackie was finally able to remove her heart monitor. She had worn it for 24-hours without experiencing any palpitations - despite a stressful day stuck in traffic jams and despite my two separate attempts to frighten her. Immediately we returned the monitor to the hospital and sat down for a cup of (caffeine free) tea, she had three successive “waves” of palpitations only a few minutes apart.
We were on a mission as Ken (our decrepit cat) has been looking worse and worse. A few weeks ago he lost his last tooth and could no longer manage his cat biscuits: he stopped eating the biscuits so we stopped giving them to him. His health deteriorated fast: his coat became dishevelled, he mews constantly, he uses the catflap like a tortoise with bad sunburn, and he has done other things it is best not to write about in a blog that might (who knows?) be read by younger people.
I thought we should take him to the vet. Jackie wanted to spoil him a little. So we bought him some new special biscuits, and some special cat milk, and some special fresh catnip. I suspect we both thought of this as mere palliative care.
But after a bowl of his special cat milk, a plate of his special 11+ cat biscuits, and a good snort of fresh catnip, Ken perked up instantly: his coat became sleek and glossy, his nose glistened and he seemed playful and happy. It’s a miracle.
I have a terrible horrible ghastly feeling that we have been slowly starving him these last few weeks.
At 3:00 pm, Jackie was finally able to remove her heart monitor. She had worn it for 24-hours without experiencing any palpitations - despite a stressful day stuck in traffic jams and despite my two separate attempts to frighten her. Immediately we returned the monitor to the hospital and sat down for a cup of (caffeine free) tea, she had three successive “waves” of palpitations only a few minutes apart.
Thursday, 15 November 2007
Presenting apologies
Today, I was meant to be at a meeting of the Herts CVS group in Stevenage. But last night I called Ian Richardson (saintly Chair of Herts CVS group) to present my apologies. We had a good talk through the Herts CVS agenda, and about the respective roles of CVS and HIC, and I told him about my discussions with Laura of St Albans and he wished me luck with the project plans. It’s good to talk.
Tomorrow, I am meant to be at a meeting of the Disability Law Service in London. I had forewarned the Linda (the DLS CEO) that I might not be able to attend. Today I called Linda again to confirm this.
I spent a long long day at home working on the ICT strategy for the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Consortium - broken only for an hour in the afternoon to watch a bit of the Titchfield Thunderbolt and an hour in the evening to watch the final episode of the gorgeous Autumnwatch with my sublime wife Jackie.
Today, I was meant to be at a meeting of the Herts CVS group in Stevenage. But last night I called Ian Richardson (saintly Chair of Herts CVS group) to present my apologies. We had a good talk through the Herts CVS agenda, and about the respective roles of CVS and HIC, and I told him about my discussions with Laura of St Albans and he wished me luck with the project plans. It’s good to talk.
Tomorrow, I am meant to be at a meeting of the Disability Law Service in London. I had forewarned the Linda (the DLS CEO) that I might not be able to attend. Today I called Linda again to confirm this.
I spent a long long day at home working on the ICT strategy for the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Consortium - broken only for an hour in the afternoon to watch a bit of the Titchfield Thunderbolt and an hour in the evening to watch the final episode of the gorgeous Autumnwatch with my sublime wife Jackie.
Wednesday, 14 November 2007
Between toothache and the HIC Training Strategy, I had rather a disturbed night last night.
This morning I was back in the office attending a series of meetings. First I met with Marv Renshaw to discuss Inspiral Arts and the Scenery Store. Then I met with Mike Smith (new CEO at the New Hope Trust) who seems a thoroughly decent sort of chap. Among other things, we discussed the possibility of setting up an informal CEO network in Watford.
Later still I met with Kim Bloomfield of WBC for our half-yearly monitoring meeting, and then again with Marv Renshaw.
Within and around all this I continued to work on the HIC training strategy. Finally at about 7:00 I was able to mail a draft to a few select colleagues for comments. A bit unfair of me as it only allows 36 hours for people to respond, but then we are working to tight deadlines.
This morning I was back in the office attending a series of meetings. First I met with Marv Renshaw to discuss Inspiral Arts and the Scenery Store. Then I met with Mike Smith (new CEO at the New Hope Trust) who seems a thoroughly decent sort of chap. Among other things, we discussed the possibility of setting up an informal CEO network in Watford.
Later still I met with Kim Bloomfield of WBC for our half-yearly monitoring meeting, and then again with Marv Renshaw.
Within and around all this I continued to work on the HIC training strategy. Finally at about 7:00 I was able to mail a draft to a few select colleagues for comments. A bit unfair of me as it only allows 36 hours for people to respond, but then we are working to tight deadlines.
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
A strange and occasionally distressing day
Everything began pleasantly enough: I arrived at the office, cleared my correspondence and then had a very very helpful meeting with Laura Cronshaw. Laura is my counterpart from St Albans CVS adn she had some very good points to make about Training, ICT and the HIC / CVS relationship. Perhaps the most useful aspect of the current strategic planning exercise for HIC is that it is forcing us to think very clearly about boundaries and parameters etc. Not before time.
At lunchtime, I sped from the office for my dental appointment. After a brief discussion with my Dentist, we agreed on extraction. I am quite vain about still having all my teeth, but this one doesn’t appear to have any function as there is no corresponding tooth above it. After several weeks of nagging pain, I was finally to get my tooth sorted out. Hurrah!
After four attempts to administer pain-killing injections (surely enough to numb an elephant) and after three painful attempts to extract the tooth, my kindly dentist retreated in some distress. But not as much distress as me. I cannot describe the pain or relive the experience. Not even for you, dear reader. I understand I need to be referred elsewhere for an extraction under general anaesthetic but I am not sure whether this is because my dentist can’t give injections, because I have an immunity to local anaesthetic, or because I am a big baby.
By mid-afternoon I was back home, diverting myself by working on the HIC Training Strategy.
Everything began pleasantly enough: I arrived at the office, cleared my correspondence and then had a very very helpful meeting with Laura Cronshaw. Laura is my counterpart from St Albans CVS adn she had some very good points to make about Training, ICT and the HIC / CVS relationship. Perhaps the most useful aspect of the current strategic planning exercise for HIC is that it is forcing us to think very clearly about boundaries and parameters etc. Not before time.
At lunchtime, I sped from the office for my dental appointment. After a brief discussion with my Dentist, we agreed on extraction. I am quite vain about still having all my teeth, but this one doesn’t appear to have any function as there is no corresponding tooth above it. After several weeks of nagging pain, I was finally to get my tooth sorted out. Hurrah!
After four attempts to administer pain-killing injections (surely enough to numb an elephant) and after three painful attempts to extract the tooth, my kindly dentist retreated in some distress. But not as much distress as me. I cannot describe the pain or relive the experience. Not even for you, dear reader. I understand I need to be referred elsewhere for an extraction under general anaesthetic but I am not sure whether this is because my dentist can’t give injections, because I have an immunity to local anaesthetic, or because I am a big baby.
By mid-afternoon I was back home, diverting myself by working on the HIC Training Strategy.
Monday, 12 November 2007
I spent a long busy day at home working on HIC’s strategic planning process: it will be a frantic few days heading toward Friday’s deadline!
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