Tuesday, 15 January 2008
A final day at home, devoted to recovering my strength and drafting a community development strategy for Watford.
Monday, 14 January 2008
Finally, I can breathe without pain and my eyes can focus enough to read.
Snuggled up on the sofa, I rewarded myself with New Towns and Garden Cities - a collection of essays issued in 1989 to commemorate the centenary of HCC.
I had forgotten how much the Garden City movement was in fact an early (and very successful) example of a social enterprise.
I was also struck by how closely Ebenezer Howard’s plan for his Social City resemble the topography of the ancient civilization on the Plain of Kor in H Rider Haggard’s She. I worried that I might be hallucinating. But just fifteen pages later, I read that H Rider Haggard was a prominent agriculturalist (which I vaguely knew) who had worked closely with the Letchworth Garden City Corporation!
How very pleasing. I wonder how many other literary connections there are to the Garden City movement: Kipps of course, and Laurence Olivier, and much of GBS, and Ruskin, and the Webbs, and EM Forster, and ...
Snuggled up on the sofa, I rewarded myself with New Towns and Garden Cities - a collection of essays issued in 1989 to commemorate the centenary of HCC.
I had forgotten how much the Garden City movement was in fact an early (and very successful) example of a social enterprise.
I was also struck by how closely Ebenezer Howard’s plan for his Social City resemble the topography of the ancient civilization on the Plain of Kor in H Rider Haggard’s She. I worried that I might be hallucinating. But just fifteen pages later, I read that H Rider Haggard was a prominent agriculturalist (which I vaguely knew) who had worked closely with the Letchworth Garden City Corporation!
How very pleasing. I wonder how many other literary connections there are to the Garden City movement: Kipps of course, and Laurence Olivier, and much of GBS, and Ruskin, and the Webbs, and EM Forster, and ...
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
I suffered a disturbed night’s sleep for the third night running. Previously I’ve woken up and felt 100%. This morning I felt a bit off the pace but still headed to Watford with confidence. My 10:00 meeting was cancelled and at 11:00 I was at the Town Hall meeting with our mayor Dorothy Thornhill to talk about community centres, voluntary sector accommodation, the annual audentior awards, IT, and Watford Women’s Centre. Immediately after, I met with a consultant carrying out a feasibility study for Mind, and then I left for a meeting of the Local Emergency Planning Forum held at the military base JSU Northwood just south of Watford.
The base's Commanding Officer gave us a brief overview of the base describing it as “Britain’s Pentagon” in that the site carries out many communication and co-ordination functions for British, European and NATO forces throughout the world. The American Pentagon is artchitecturally bold and confident. To blend in with the surrounding area, JSU Northwood has been cunningly disguised as a semi-derelict 1960s Secondary Modern school. There is also a deliberate policy of accummulating as many abbreviations as possible in order to deflect interest - among those I noted were DCINC, CJTFHQ, COMUKAMPHQ, JTFC and JMOTS. Among all this, it was nice to note that they still have a voluntary brass band.
During the meeting proper, we had a presentation on Humanitarian Assistance Cenres that will now be set up as a “one stop shop” in the wake of any major civil emergency. This was interesting stuff but no-one yet seems to have seriously thought through the potential voluntary sector contribution. I suggested that the local CVSs should be a first point of contact with the local voluntary sector, and I think this was understood by some but not all. Most have only the slightest idea of the nature of the voluntery sector.
More work is needed I think. I was not up to the discussion this afternoon. During the course of the meeting, my temperature had risen several degrees and my throat had almost closed with swelling. I left the meeting as early as I decently could and headed straight home for bed. I never did discover what JSU stood for.
The base's Commanding Officer gave us a brief overview of the base describing it as “Britain’s Pentagon” in that the site carries out many communication and co-ordination functions for British, European and NATO forces throughout the world. The American Pentagon is artchitecturally bold and confident. To blend in with the surrounding area, JSU Northwood has been cunningly disguised as a semi-derelict 1960s Secondary Modern school. There is also a deliberate policy of accummulating as many abbreviations as possible in order to deflect interest - among those I noted were DCINC, CJTFHQ, COMUKAMPHQ, JTFC and JMOTS. Among all this, it was nice to note that they still have a voluntary brass band.
During the meeting proper, we had a presentation on Humanitarian Assistance Cenres that will now be set up as a “one stop shop” in the wake of any major civil emergency. This was interesting stuff but no-one yet seems to have seriously thought through the potential voluntary sector contribution. I suggested that the local CVSs should be a first point of contact with the local voluntary sector, and I think this was understood by some but not all. Most have only the slightest idea of the nature of the voluntery sector.
More work is needed I think. I was not up to the discussion this afternoon. During the course of the meeting, my temperature had risen several degrees and my throat had almost closed with swelling. I left the meeting as early as I decently could and headed straight home for bed. I never did discover what JSU stood for.
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
I drove to Letchworth to meet with Roger Sands (Watford YMCA), Heather Allen (Dacorum Volunteer Centre), Jacquie Hime (North Herts CVS) and Andrew Simmons (Connexions) to discuss the need for a single bid from Hertfordshire for the new Youth volunteering programme. The discussions were frank and constructive and Roger and Heather will meet again this Friday to begin drafting a joint bid - the deadline for submission is next Friday. I wish them well.
After this, I worked at home starting to draft a Community Development Strategy.
After this, I worked at home starting to draft a Community Development Strategy.
Monday, 7 January 2008
I fielded several enquiries about our advert for a BME Advocacy worker, and wrote to Capacitybuilders about the low level of funding for Hertfordshire. Late on I had a call from a lady doing some Mental Health research in South West Herts who wants to meet up on Wednesday.
I finished (re-)reading She by H Rider Haggard. There are too few Victorian novels in which the male romantic lead marries an African woman, and in which the English hero calls an African elder “Father” and in return gains the sobriquet of “Baboon”. Excellent stuff. Then I moved on to W E Tate’s The English Village Community and the Enclosure Movements (another excellent read offering fascinating detail of the open field agriculture) and finally to Gary Waite’s Heresy, Magic and Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe.
I finished (re-)reading She by H Rider Haggard. There are too few Victorian novels in which the male romantic lead marries an African woman, and in which the English hero calls an African elder “Father” and in return gains the sobriquet of “Baboon”. Excellent stuff. Then I moved on to W E Tate’s The English Village Community and the Enclosure Movements (another excellent read offering fascinating detail of the open field agriculture) and finally to Gary Waite’s Heresy, Magic and Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe.
Sunday, 6 January 2008
I spent the morning in the garden, the afternoon reading, and the evening watching a new episode of Foyle's War. Pretty much a perfect day.
Saturday, 5 January 2008
Jackie and I spent a quiet day catching up and watching television documentaries on the wildlife of the Amazon rainforest, the jungle in Borneo, the Moche of Peru, and Islam.
Friday, 4 January 2008
More filing and more sorting out recalcitrant PCs. I also met with Marv Renshaw (who is working hard on various local community arts initiatives) to talk about establishing a community arts forum, and with our Connexions PAs to catch up on several matters.
At this time of year, I can never keep track of who I have already greeted with a cheery "Happy New Year". Some people complain that I have greeted them in this way "three times" and others allege that I have "snubbed" them. It really is most confusing.
One or two members of CVS staff have fallen prey to the horrid winter stomach virus. Fortunately, Jackie has now recovered.
At this time of year, I can never keep track of who I have already greeted with a cheery "Happy New Year". Some people complain that I have greeted them in this way "three times" and others allege that I have "snubbed" them. It really is most confusing.
One or two members of CVS staff have fallen prey to the horrid winter stomach virus. Fortunately, Jackie has now recovered.
Thursday, 3 January 2008
Today I finalised documentation to advertise our new BME Advocacy post, I met with Anne to talk about further fundraising, I talked to WBC on car parking for volunteers, I wrote to our regional IT champion about IT strategy, I wrote to the Sunflower centre about their website, and I started filing - my filing pile had grown to unmanageable dimensions, and something had to be done.
I also wrote out promoting WBC’s annual Audentior Awards – the annual community awards for Watford and an excellent way of recognising and rewarding good neighbours.
I also wrote out promoting WBC’s annual Audentior Awards – the annual community awards for Watford and an excellent way of recognising and rewarding good neighbours.
Wednesday, 2 January 2008
Over Christmas, I did some reading for work and I completed a lot of work on Job Evaluation. But I didn’t draft the Accommodation or Community Development Strategies. This will return to haunt me. But meanwhile, today I enjoyed a nice gentle re-introduction to the world of work, catching up on e-mails and organising future work plans.
Back home, Jackie was unwell with something unpleasant so I went shopping and made the tea - all on my own and unsupervised!
Back home, Jackie was unwell with something unpleasant so I went shopping and made the tea - all on my own and unsupervised!
Tuesday, 1 January 2008
Jackie and I drove into London for a walk around Hampstead Heath and Kenwood House. Back home, I saw a Blue Tit at our bird table - far prettier than Starlings or Blackbirds.
Monday, 31 December 2007
After yesterday's preparations, I completed a draft Job Evaluation exercise for WCVS.
Jackie and I saw in the New Year with our grand-daughter Bethany.
Jackie and I saw in the New Year with our grand-daughter Bethany.
Sunday, 30 December 2007
I enjoyed a quiet day examining different Job Evaluation schemes - a gentle and useful re-introduction to work. And in the evening I watched a new episode of Midsummer Murder.
Saturday, 29 December 2007
Jackie and I spent a quiet day recovering from the turmoil of Christmas. I finished reading Lords of Humankind by V. G. Kiernan, an exploration (rather superficial, I thought) of how the "white" races regarded themselves (and were regarded by others) in the imperial age.
The footnotes and references are the most eccentric I can remember - common knowledge is often annotated in absurd patronising detail, some footnotes reference private discussions the author has had with his friends, many contentious statements are left entirely unsupported, and in one footnote the author simply says he has found no evidence to support a statement he’s made in the main text!
I guess this might have been V. G. Kiernan’s PhD thesis; I wonder if he passed?
The footnotes and references are the most eccentric I can remember - common knowledge is often annotated in absurd patronising detail, some footnotes reference private discussions the author has had with his friends, many contentious statements are left entirely unsupported, and in one footnote the author simply says he has found no evidence to support a statement he’s made in the main text!
I guess this might have been V. G. Kiernan’s PhD thesis; I wonder if he passed?
Friday, 28 December 2007
Jackie and I spent the day baby-sitting Bethany.
Jorge Moll and Jordan Grafman of the (American) National Institute of Neurological Disorders have found that giving to charity effects the brain’s pleasure regions in much the same way as sex or good food: “Something in our brain is shaped by evolution which allows us to feel joy when we do good things”.
In the evening, Jackie and I visited the in-laws to stimulate our pleasure regions with good food.
Jorge Moll and Jordan Grafman of the (American) National Institute of Neurological Disorders have found that giving to charity effects the brain’s pleasure regions in much the same way as sex or good food: “Something in our brain is shaped by evolution which allows us to feel joy when we do good things”.
In the evening, Jackie and I visited the in-laws to stimulate our pleasure regions with good food.
Thursday, 27 December 2007
We finally got to see grand-daughter Bethany and her parents Rhiannon and Stu. We played games. Great fun rather marred by news of Benazir Bhutto's assassination in Pakistan.
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