All Russia Volunteering Conference 2013

Perm, Russia, 2013

Monday 25 November 2013

Was my thermal vest going to be warm enough or would the Russian wind cut through it like an icy blade? Well, I wasn’t going to fit anything else into my bulging suitcase, so I decided that if I were to freeze then maybe one day some explorer would find my preserved body and I would end up as a bizarre curiosity in a museum.

Why had I agreed, in a rash moment, to speak about volunteering in Wales at an all-Russia conference to be held in the easternmost city in Europe, nesting in the foothills of the Ural Mountains? I thought it would be an adventure and a challenge to my view of the Russians. My last dealings with them had been in the Soviet era, whilst I was working alongside the British Army in Germany, and travelling to and from Berlin through communist East Germany. They were dead-pan at those border checkpoints and the bristling guns were anything but reassuring. Would it still be the same?

On this Monday morning I thought it was just a very long way to travel. Manchester to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Moscow (with a six hour wait starting at a desolate 3.00am), Moscow to Perm, some 700 miles further east.

Passport? Yes. Visa? Yes. Travel tickets? Yes. Luggage? Yes. Jumped into the car and drove uneventfully to Manchester airport.

Tuesday 26 November

Morning

It was now 3.30am in a Moscow airport and I was in need of Borsch, the soup as traditional in Russia as fish and chips are in the UK. It looked delicious but was tepid and I don’t know how to complain in Russian so I just ate it quietly in a corner of the café whilst studying the Cyrillic alphabet. I was 3 years old again and virtually unable to read. The letters were just shapes on a page and I didn’t know how to say them. It reminded me of Greek. My fool’s guide told me how to say the letters so I gradually learned to read again. Oh dear, most of the words were in Russian so I didn’t understand them anyway. I finished my cold Borsch.

 

My borsch

Perm airport is about the size of Valley on Anglesey: small. I was collected, along with a magician from Spain, who was also speaking at the same conference, by the Russian minder of the volunteering ‘experts’, called Danil.

Afternoon

The Ural Hotel is large and sturdy and has been recently refurbished to make it more hospitable and less like a Spartan relic of the USSR. My room was as hot as a sauna but had a comfortable bed, which is what really matters along with good food. Lunch was still being served so I sat down at 3.30pm with the Spanish magician, who showed me a trick or two. Why was I here? Why was I still awake having missed a night’s sleep?

Evening

The ‘experts’ met the organisers at 7.30pm. I was told exactly what I would be doing over the next two days, as were those from other parts of eastern and western Europe. The people from London had been delayed in Moscow. I thought Danil said ‘detained’, but I checked and was reassured – particularly when they turned up later.

Early to bed.

The Ural Hotel

Wednesday 27 November

Morning

We had an audience of predominantly young people with some older Government and University lecturers too. I guess maybe 300 in total, but I wasn’t counting because it didn’t interest me much. I was more interested in the level of enthusiasm.

I did appreciate Tanya, this charming young woman who kept whispering in my ear. She very competently translated Russian to English, just for me, and she was busy.

  

Tanya - my translator

 I was up on stage with a number of other ‘experts’ waiting to speak about volunteering in our countries. I had to concentrate on the speeches.

Italy defined volunteering as we would. It’s done out of choice for the benefit of communities and for no financial reward. I could see the map of Italy showing where people volunteer most and how many there are. I have learned something.

Portugal and Croatia did much the same as Italy and the definition of volunteering was reassuringly similar. Good.

Other ‘experts’ said similar things and, as the last speaker, I realised that my time was eroded and I would have to cut my speech to the bone. Also, I wanted to spice things up a little. I leaned back for a little chat with Tanya. Sorted.

My turn. So, I told people where Wales is situated. Why should anyone in Perm know that already? I told them that our definition of volunteering is like everyone else’s and that I had numbers if they wanted them. Did they?  Nobody said yes, so I asked them who the most important person is in volunteering? Someone from the back called out ‘me’, which gave me the cue I needed to jump up and bring forward Tanya. She sat in my seat and told everyone what she gets out of her volunteering. She likes meeting new people, gets a buzz from doing something worthwhile for others and appreciates the chance to hone her English language skills. I then took over and reminded everyone of the importance of the volunteer, without whom there would be no volunteering. This went down well with the young people.

I said more about volunteering in Wales and highlighted the advent of Street Ambassadors in tackling low level environmental problems.

  

The conference room from the stage

I couldn’t quite believe the flattering celebrity status the ‘experts’ were given, not just by the organisers, but by the participants too. I was being photographed with groups of young people and individuals from all over Russia. Some of them were thrilled by Tanya’s stage debut. Good.

Afternoon

The ‘experts’ had a round-table discussion answering questions asked by the nice man from the United Nations office in Moscow. Participants sat around the outside watching and listening. We now had general all-room translation so Tanya is having a break.

We talked about international volunteering and technology and communication and language barriers and so on.

Later, I was standing at a table with a WCVA banner behind me wondering why the contact details printed on it were those of my fellow ‘expert’ from Portugal. 

 

The WCVA Board

But a group of youngsters was now sweeping in my direction. They took celebrity-style photographs and asked me about volunteer camps in the UK which they could attend and whether there are good university links between the two countries. So I took email addresses and pledged to contact them on my return to Wales. I hope this won’t mean that GCHQ or MI6 starts to monitor my communications. Maybe they are already!

Celebrity style photographs

Thursday 28 November

Morning

I got up early and tried to control the shower temperature. It was a lost cause, so I had my first bath in years in rather brown looking water. I’m not sure if this was caused by dissolved minerals from the local mines or just rust in the tap, but I got on with it.

This morning I toured displays of a variety of volunteering projects from across Russia in order to decide which should win an award. Tanya was now hard at work translating what the presenters were saying to me about their activities.

Cossack volunteer project

I had to stop her so she could confirm that the Great Patriotic War was the Second World War. It was. I also asked her to explain what ‘patriotism’ would be within a menu of children’s activities on a play-scheme. Tanya said that children are introduced to war veterans and listen to their life and war stories. A loop video showed a proud elderly man, chest bursting with medals and large red stars, talking to a wide eyed young boy.

Tanya, hand on heart, told me they study ‘patriotism’ for the love of their motherland. It reminds me of America, which has a Veterans’ Day. We have Remembrance Sunday. This set me thinking that we should focus on living veterans and not solely those who made the ultimate sacrifice. I felt my hand creeping towards my heart but caught myself in time, remembering that I’m British.

I didn’t place any of the work with children, of which there was a lot, in top position. I chose a project which deploys volunteers as part of an emergency response team in order to save life and limb. Maybe these brave volunteers should be included in the play-scheme ‘patriotism’ option.

Afternoon

I was facilitating and was one of the presenters at a well attended three hour workshop on the roles of volunteer centres. I didn’t envy my Italian and Portuguese ‘expert’ colleagues who had to speak in English. Even less did I envy Irina and Sasha, the translators, who had to then turn everything into Russian. I wondered how much was being lost in double translation. At least the presenter from St Petersburg was able to use his native language, as was I.

We had a long and intriguing, if inconclusive, discussion about the degree to which volunteering needs to be permitted and supported in law. We in the UK have a long and independent volunteering tradition but this is not the case in many eastern European countries. There were some surprised faces when I pointed out that volunteering includes people who are engaged in campaigning for changes in Government policy and is not only about service provision and mutual support. The latest Greenpeace episode in Russia is a good example of such campaigning.

Evening

As I was leaving the conference a group of smiling young people from Irkutsk came over to hand out postcards and pictures of their Russian region near Mongolia. They had travelled for two and a half days on a train to Perm and were returning home the next day to minus 20 degrees. That’s cold. That’s commitment.

Danil, our host, took us to dinner and then to the local museum. It seems that various members of the old Russian royal family were murdered at Perm at the time of the communist revolution. More importantly, Sergei Diaghilev had strong connections here. He was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario and founder of the Ballets Russes, from which many famous dancers and choreographers stemmed. This took me back to my undergraduate studies. I was always rubbish at dance!

Sergei Diaghilev, founder of the Ballet Russes

Having kept the museum curator up late thanks to the inevitable need to translate everything and her need to tell us about every single exhibit, we all went back to the hotel and I packed for my early morning start.

Friday 29 October

It should have been an easy trip home. The problem was the snow in Moscow which covered the wings and fuselage of the plane and which had to be completely cleared before we could fly. This made us half an hour late.

I was hoping for a snooze as there is a 6 hour time difference between the UK and Perm, but I was out of luck. I had a very talkative Russian sitting next to me who confirmed that, in his view, Russia would have invaded Western Europe, if the cold war hadn’t prevented it, as communism was a world revolution. He was also very bothered by what he described as ‘tradesmen’ running Russia and he thought that old families with experience of power were much better placed to do it. I am not saying he is right or wrong but it was a novel perspective.

I missed the Amsterdam flight and caught a later one.

After my return

The Russian people were so friendly and such good hosts and I’m glad to be in touch with some of them by email, as I am with my fellow ‘experts’. I have dealt with the university links enquiry, so do let me know if you know anything about volunteer camps which could include Russians. I need to let Veronjika know.

powers

delivery - will it happen?

There are 13 minutes before the morning four hour slot for my British Gas delivery of a new central heating boiler closes for ever. Will they make it?

blogging

It is three months since I blogged and Facebook is still getting most of my attention as I am aware (I think) of who is reading that. A blog is a soliloquy proclaimed to a darkened auditorium. Who is sitting out there? Who is listening?
I will return to this from time to time to scrawl an entry or two and maybe, one day, to archive it. In the meantime, go safely.

back again

It feels like ages since I wrote anything in this blog, which is remiss of me. I have been too busy doing other things, including, in an ICT context, learning about Facebook and linking up to loads of old Toc H colleagues and friends. Taking my daughter fishing last weekend was also an adventure, including catching a large crab. Thank you Llandudno pier.
Now I have found a way to automatically transfer my blog posts to my social networking page I shall write here more I think. Time will tell.

Oscar and Hepzibah

Oscar has a lot to answer for. He was sitting smugly in our garden as if nothing was wrong and without a care in the world. There was some evidence of a scuffle and Hebzibah was nowhere to be seen. Now, it is not too hard to work out that Oscar had committed an act of moral terpitude in connection with Hepzibah, poor girl. Indeed, it was even possible she was lying moribund or dead behind a hedge or bush, particularly as there were black feathers strewn across the lawn.

It is with huge relief that I can report the discovery of an indignant Hepzibah Hen in a neighbour's garage, where she was taking refuge from the unwelcome attentions of the feline fiend called Oscar. Long live Hepzibah!

colleagues

I have been reprimanded by those who dined with me in Cardiff at the Spice Root and whom I mentioned in my last blog post. They say I should have been more upbeat about them and indeed I should. They are: the illustrious Maggie 'Bad Cop' Smith and her most outstanding partner in crime Janine 'Adore-Dogs' Griffiths.

Swansea and Cardiff

I went down by car to Cardiff on Wednesday to meet with staff and then travel across to Swansea in preparation for the annual Wales conference about volunteering, which I was chairing. I stayed in a mediocre hotel called the Ibis, which was a bit scruffy. Thursday was the conference, which went well overall with numerous volunteers talking about their experiences, their learning, their motivations, their contributions and what management they received. The Liberty Stadium is an excellent venue.
On Thursday evening I was back in Cardiff at the Express by Holiday Inn (a better one than the Ibis) and liked up with two colleagues for an entertaining evening over an Indian meal. Excellent!
Friday was a meeting of the Social Justice and Local Government Forum preparing for our meeting with the Welsh Minister in November, followed by a terrible ploughman's lunch and the journey home in the afternoon/early evening. I took a new route to keep my spirits up and broke the journey at a couple of castles. Got home about 9.00pm. Rosie was at a party and Jennie was out.
Busy times.

Volunteer Centres in North Wales

I had an enjoyable and constructive time meeting with the managers of all the Volunteer Centres in North Wales yesterday in Wrexham. I even managed to find a car parking space easily which is a bit of a miracle. We discussed lots of things, including the Department for Work and Pensions volunteering programme.

I had heard that the town centre of Wrexham was being taken over by charity shops so I had a quick look - Red Cross, Barnardo's, British Heart Foundation (one furniture, one other stuff) and some local charities were evident. I am not sure 'taken over' was right, but the proportion is high.

Gardening and our groundsmen

Yesterday, for me, was a day outside in the garden in the sunshine. I managed to cut back all the small hedges whilst the hens scratched about by my feet and, at times, they were dangerously close to the electric trimmer. Harriet Hen was nearly decapitated, but somehow managed to duck at the last moment. Silly bird! She lays good eggs so it would have been a pity to lose her.

I left the border hedge which is far too tall to deal with from the ground. We will ask our groundsmen to give it its annual wash, cut and perm when they have time and before our dear neighbour goes through his yearly ritual of telling us he cannot see the sea any more.

Now, I mentioned groundsmen. Don't misunderstand this. They come to us for about half an hour a fortnight in the growing season, mob handed, to mow the lawns and perform very occasional other tasks, such as causing irritating bald patches on the lawn where the rotating blade of the mower has been set too low for the brow of a slope. They are not really gardeners because they don't have anything to do with designing, planting, nurturing or the suchlike. They mow and chop and that seems to be about the extent of it. However, we wouldn't be without them.

Barbeque and God

We went next door for a barbeque yesterday, arriving at about 1.45pm and leaving at just before 11.00pm. What a sunny and warm day! This was a gathering of Chris' family and friends, which happens at this time of year to celebrate the life of his late wife.

Much hilarity, many drinks, a few disagreements and a big discussion on God and religion all intermingled. Once this theological debate started it kept some of us occupied for rather too long probably. Suffice it to say we ranged over creation, evolution, the Bible, the big bang and "Mister God, This is Anna" amongst a plethora of other things. I recommend that book, by Fynn, by the way.

Today is also a beautiful day.

Blood Brothers

We went to see a performance of Blood Brothers at Venue Cymru last Thursday evening with Jennie's performing arts school and there was a standing ovation at the end. It was well deserved. The only surprise for me was that I thought I was going to a stage version of Band of Brothers, the world war two TV mini-series following some paratroopers through the war. We all make mistakes.

Top Dog of the Day

I have always said privately how much I love our finance department at work and now I am flattered to have been asked by its Director when I am going to resume blogging. At least, I think it was flattery. On the other hand, maybe he just has some sort of masochistic compulsion to read my ramblings and hates them with a vengeance. Who knows? Anyway, I like to think he adores my handiwork.

On the basis of that, and his encouraging response to questions about expenditure I want to incur (and make no mistake it is never easy for accountants to be encouraging about expenditure), he is top dog for today.

For the sake of clarity, I have not said how much I love our finance department because it varies and I keep it for private conversations . Suffice it to say that the Director has the Top Dog of the Day award.

great package holiday

My earlier satirical blog about package holidays has made some people on Facebook think that we didn't enjoy our holiday in Rhodes, Greece. Nothing could be further from the truth. We loved it. Peace and quiet. Swimming pool. Food and drink. Excellent.

There is much to be said for package holidays - just don't go on the 'trips' and get a ground floor room. Enough!

The curse of email

Why do people still send you work emails when you are away on holiday? Why does the work keep on coming in? Well, life goes on, that's why.

I have developed a method of reducing the stress from this flood, which is occasionally to look at incoming emails whilst I am away, particularly if it is for more than a week. It is often impossible because it is dependent on internet access, but it helps to know what timebombs are ticking away in the inbox. I find this far more relaxing than ignorance. Some people wouldn't, but I do. However, I do not expect myself to respond until I am back at work and nor should anyone else.

package holidays with greasy chips and hot bodies

I cannot decide whether or not I like package holidays. You know the sort - the ones with the bored travel company 'rep' who tries to make you feel welcome by singling out your family to be the only one without the 'welcome pack'. "Oh dear, we are one short, but you won't mind" and "Can I see your paperwork just to make sure you should be here? Nothing to worry about".

This 'welcome pack', if you had it, would tell you about all the rip-off trips to see distant and obscure carpet factories, candy floss spinners or sponge divers. In any of these places you will spend about three hours watching people work, thinking how tragic their lives are, and then being brow beaten into buying a silk carpet, unique candy floss or exceptional bath sponge for thousands of whatever-the-currency-is. Your rational mind will have been washed away by endless cups of sweet hot liquid, purporting to be tea, and you will only realise that the beautiful carpet is quite the wrong colour and design for your home decor once it has arrived through the post about 12 weeks later - if indeed it does arrive.

These holidays generally take place under an azure blue sky, in the blazing sun, by the beach, in a hotel with a swimming pool, and unavailable sun beds. Your room will have a balcony which is constructed with a low enough surround for the smallest child to peer over to enjoy the view of the local builders, at 6 in the morning, power digging foundations for the new hotel next door. If the balcony is carefully designed, the child will be able to scale the railings and fall unhindered and powered by gravity into the cement mixer or the swimming pool some six floors down. Bye bye.

Swimming pool is a misnomer. Actually, very little swimming takes place in a hotel pool because it is generally used as a means of cooling down by simply plunging into it with a very sweaty and very hot body. In fact, very sweaty is enough. You don't have to have a very hot body, but it helps. Where was I?

The food, oh dear, the food. There is a tendency in such places to produce poor quality British style food just because it is assumed that the British won't eat anything else, including good quality British style food. This is the 'greasy chips with everything' mentality. I don't know why they think that people from Birmingham, Bradford and Bognor Regis wouldn't like anything else. At least good British food would be a start - a spicy Chicken Tikka or king prawn fried rice for example.

At least on our just completed holiday in Rhodes we could find genuine Greek food in the local tavernas and nearly everyone spoke the lingua franca, the vehicular language, of, guess what? English. I have yet to go anywhere in the world where I cannot use English to communicate reasonably effectively with the local population where the vernacular was unknown to me. Luckily my rusty French comes back when I need it, but I digress.

The Austrian with whom I got chatting on the local bus in Rhodes assured me that there was no point in the British learning any language but English. He proclaimed that there is only one language which is used in international business and commerce and it is...well, we all know, don't we?

I didn't get onto the cultural and personal identity aspects of language as it felt rather pointless under the circumstances, but I did mention I had learned Welsh. He made no spoken comment but looked bewildered. With a broad smile symbolising the affinity and world peace which can only be maintained by effective communication and understanding, I bid him 'aufeder-whatsit' in his local language and alighted from the bus into the blazing sun.

Now don't burn, don't even allow your self a sun tan, because all this leads to melonoma and melonoma is a serious and potentially lethal skin cancer. Yet so many people still go on these package hols to the sun. Are we all suicidal or merely idiotic? Perhaps we just think 'well, I have to die sometime, so I want to have had a tan before I do'. I guess that's fair enough.

So, do I like package holidays? That requires thinking and you shouldn't have to think on holiday, so I've no idea. Now, where's that carpet factory?

goat

Yesterday I ate goat for the first time in my life. I wasn't expecting it to be so good.

rest and relaxation

Just at the moment I am enjoying a little rest and relaxation with my family. Wonderful!

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

This morning we had a 3 month contract review, with DWP, on the volunteering scheme which WCVA is working on in Wales with the Volunteer Centres here. This matches those who have been claiming Job Seekers Allowance for 6 months to volunteering positions, if they are interested in volunteering. Claimants do not have to do this, it is entirely up to them. This was a helpful meeting.

Chicago

Last night we went to the musical Chicago. On the stage were very attractive and scantily clad young(ish) women singing and dancing raunchy numbers with, I am assured by my wife Rosie, equally attractive men - this was prohibition era Chicago, after all. You know what happened to me that must be the ultimate embarrassment? I am sure you can guess, because it so often happens in semi-darkened rooms and most particularly in bed.... I yawned. Yes, I yawned and my eyelids started to close. I am still trying to recover from the embarrassment!

The musical Chicago is actually anything but soporific. Once I had awakened myself from my near slumber, I concentrated on the show and enjoyed it. Afterwards wife and daughter loitered around the stage door for autographs whilst I went for milk at Tesco. Well, someone has to do these mundane chores, don't they?

Translation from Welsh to Gobbledeegook

I have been asked to translate the blog I wrote in Welsh about the Eisteddfod using an online translation service in order to test it. I did and it leaves me bewildered and incredulous. It translates what I wrote as:

he went me girl Jennie , I go I I ' group Eisteddfod crookedly the I Dig today. He was ' I do much he people in he was going he y the field I see everything. I did I speak he things Russell Owen he Mantle ) , the Minister Health I Fade Hart AND Graham Benfield the prime workmen WCVA Nerys Biddulph Hughes he Brestatyn , Bran Targett he ' group Council signs Everything Wales I go someone he ' group embassy America crookedly London I go much he people friendly other also. we were we signs the field between 10 I go 4.30 o'clock. He was everything excellently!

Clearly the final sentence above does not refer to the translator. For my next trick I will translate English to Welsh. Let's try:

I am quite sure that this sentence will make complete and utter sense in Welsh when it is translated online here.

'Dwi eithaf 'n ddiball a hon ddedfryda ewyllysia gwna chwblha a draethu bwyll pryd dydy cyfieithedig online 'ma'.

Come on you Welsh speakers, how accurate is this?

Yr Eisteddfod heddiw

What follows is a brief account of today at the Eisteddfod, in the Welsh language (which I hope is understandable to those who speak it).

Mi aeth fy merch, Jennie, a fi i'r Eisteddfod yn y Bala heddiw. Roedd 'na lawer o bobl yno oedd yn mynd o gwpas y maes i weld popeth. Mi wnes i siarad efo Bethan Russell Owen o Fantell Gwynedd, y Gweinidog Iechyd Edwina Hart AC, Graham Benfield y prif weithwyr WCVA, Nerys Biddulph Hughes o Brestatyn, Fran Targett o'r Cyngor ar Bopeth Cymru a rhywun o'r lysgenhadaeth America yn Llundain a llawer o bobl cyfeillgar eraill hefyd. Mi fuon ni ar y maes rhwng 10 a 4.30 o'r gloch. Roedd popeth yn ardderchog!

Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru

The idea is to go to the Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru tomorrow in Bala but the forecast is 'light rain', which means a very muddy 'maes' (field), which is by no means unusual for this national cultural, bardic and musical event. The white, blue and green robes of those in the Order of the Bards (Gorsedd) are a sight to behold. Really, they are. That says nothing of the way we will look in our sou'westers, oilskins and waders or similar.

The Eisteddfod is at the very heart of Welshness, at least amongst those who speak the 'language of Heaven'. That's the Welsh language. Well, it wouldn't be ancient Greek in Bala, would it?

Anyway, we will see if we make it. I am definitely going with work on Monday because WCVA is officially opening its pavilion, known as Spardun.

Cymru am byth!

A medley

I should expect London to be noisy, but this is ridiculous. I am in the Wellington Hotel by a main road junction very close to Waterloo station. I am provided with shampoo, shower gel - so far, so normal - and ear plugs! These would be great if I could hear my morning alarm with them stuffed in my ears. I may have to take the risk as the ambulance and police sirens are piercing and the buses moving off from the traffic lights growl like wild cats in a temper.

I had almost forgotten what a concrete and asphalt maze this bustling city is. There are oases of green here and there, which is a great relief. The description given to London by William Cobbett in the 1820s, as the 'great wen', is perhaps a little harsh, but there is truth in it nevertheless. A 'wen', of course, is a type of cyst or boil.

Maybe all this just means I have become the ultimate country bumpkin, a small minded peasant or village idiot, but I could not work in London again. Let me get home to north Wales to my family, my friends, my hens, my sea and my mountains. The Welsh word 'hiraeth' has no easy English translation but represents a longing for the spiritual home.

If I am truly honest, this spiritual home, for me, is Gloucestershire with its honey coloured limestone, its Morris dancing, its rounded rolling vowels, its scrumpy cider, its great sweeping River Severn and the secret Forest of Dean where I heard the pixies singing all those years ago. Don't ask - much too complicated. Yet this feels so long ago, as if in another life, another being.

Most of the time I love North Wales and I like conversing in Welsh. My own language of English is so dominant the world over, so vital as a language of business and commerce, that it inevitably imposes itself irresistibly within this island and beyond. However, I respect the Welsh culture and want to support and promote it by using the Welsh language, which is spoken by about 20% of the population of Wales. There are moments, though, when I feel put down for being English and that makes me indignant. I have as much right to be proud of my own culture as anyone else and I welcome the opportunity for us all to learn from each each other. A cosmopolitan world is an enriching world. I cannot cope with a parochial raise-the-drawbridge attitude which exemplifies intolerance and a victim mentality, shown by a few in North Wales, which will lead to an ever declining influence in the world and a besieged state. The words of the metaphysical poet John Donne spring to mind:

No man is an island, entire of itself
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main
if a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were,
as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were
any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls
it tolls for thee.

We are all in this life together, so let's make the best of it for each other and for ourselves. I will reflect on all this as I lie in bed listening to the traffic through the night.
Hiraeth

Rosie's 50th - more

Saturday was a wonderful celebration of Rosie's 50th birthday, albeit it didn't actually fall on the right day. We were governed by when Piggin' Marvellous was able to do the lunch for family and the evening hogroast for a range of family, friends and neighbours. Simon, the roaster, was cheerful and efficient and, after roasting the pig, prepared mouth watering pork baps with coleslaw, new potatoes and Waldorf salad along with a roulade for the evening. This was supplemented with birthday cakes, the best made by a friend, and supplemented by 2 from Costco.
The lunch was lighter fare, with sandwiches, fruit kebabs, prawns in lettuce, chicken legs and so on.
The weather stayed fine for people to wander around the garden as well as mingling in the house and and there was some dancing. I gave various people lectures on chicken keeping (no surprise there) and I think some may take the plunge. The hens were very well behaved!
The last guests departed in the early morning and Rosie and I went over the day until about 4.45am to ensure we would remember it. We had a wonderful time so I hope all those who came also did. I think so. I just wish we could have extended the invitation list even further to encompass more people, but there have to be limits.

Rosie's 50th

We have just had a brilliant day celebrating Rosie's 50th birthday, starting with lunch and going on until now - 3.45am. Coastal Catering provided lunch (for family mainly) and the evening hog roast with salads. Put simply - excellent time!

There is something in the water

What makes people say and do eccentric, strange or unacceptable things? Yesterday my wife let out the chickens and then shut the hen house door. If you shut the door they can't get to the nesting box. If they can't get to the nesting box, where do they lay their eggs? Outside, right by the door, just to make the point, that's where. Poor girls! Rosie was suitably contrite and would probably have begged their forgiveness had her husband and daughter not been watching with wry smiles on their faces. These things happen. Maybe there is something in the water.

Then there is work. Most of the time things zip along smoothly with the usual little stresses, strains and challenges balanced in with successes and achievements. Normal. Then there are times when things go horribly awry. Normal too.
There is something in the water.

Deaths in Watford

I am finding it hard to stop thinking about the death of Pam Handley, after her short terminal illness. I think she was about 61 years of age. She was my mentor and Vice Chair at Watford Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) when I was chief executive there and she was such a steadfast and loyal trustee. Much of the third sector in Watford can give thanks to Pam for her wisdom, knowledge and support.

Much the same can be said of Geoff Harris of Watford, who was also a trustee of the CVS and a good friend with a quiet sense of humour. He was elderly and I understand he died after a fall.

Watford will miss these two special people.

Americans link up

I am pleased that my natural father's side of my American family seems to be strengthening its connections. My nephew Zak, who lives in Oregon, in the Pacific north west of the USA, is soon to fly east to see his uncle and cousins, in Maine, in New England. They live about 3300 miles apart so they don't see each other very often. Blood runs thicker than water.

Jobs at home

I have taken today off work and am doing small jobs around the house, like hanging pictures, whilst the glazier is replacing glass in a couple of doors and the floor man is replacing part of the top hall flooring because it became very bouncy, just short of being a trampoline.

The lethal drive to Carmarthen

I drove down to Carmarthen from Rhyl yesterday afternoon. I cannot believe it takes so long: hour after hour of curvacious A and B roads behind tractors; ancient behatted drivers driving at 40mph on the straight and slowing to 25 at every bend after something resembling an emergency near-stop; road works just around blind corners where you wait with bated breath at temporary red traffic lights praying that a speeding car won't race round the corner behind you and ram you up the rear; very young men in baseball caps driving at 80 in the middle of the road and straight towards you whilst making a phone call, lighting a cigarette and talking to the girlfriend who must think she is on a big dipper ride at the fair, at best, or a suicide mission at worst. The odd camper van or towed caravan is light relief after all this.
Mark my words, this journey is far, far more dangerous than driving on the motorway.
I came back to North Wales this afternoon after the Regional Policy Event, which was the point of my visit. I survived, this time.

jaded hens

The hens are looking a little jaded so I am going to administer various potions and powders this morning to see if that perks them up a bit. I have already put cider apple vinegar in their drinking water and moved their run to virgin grass. If only they would poo less, things would generally be more hygienic. Chickens will be chickens, so no chance of that.

Rycote Park post script

So, to do it proper justice, the dinner at Rycote Park was:

Lobster

Rare Roasted Fillet of English Beef, dauphinoise potatoes fresh pea purée, fine green beans and a wild mushroom sauce

Dark Chocolate Truffle Torte with lightly poached summer fruits coulis crème fraiche and an almond tuile

Tea/Coffee

Master of Arts celebration

Last Sunday we drove from Thame to the community centre in Stoke Hammond, Buckinghamshire, for another 'do'. This time to celebrate Jacqueline McGrath's graduation with an MA degree. She wrote her dissertation on a theme around men in child care. One thing which I found utterly counter intuitive is that more women commit child abuse than men. We didn't have time to explore the definition of child abuse which she was using, but I will ask her again about it when we see her and her family in north Wales soon. In the light of my involvement with the WCVA Criminal Records Unit, this is interesting.

The party was a most enjoyable and quiet celebration with a delicious buffet.

Then was the long trek home....four and a half hours I think it was.

Rycote Park

Saturday was another splendid occasion at Rycote Park, Thame, to celebrate the 25th wedding anniversary of Bernard and Sarah Taylor. He and I were at Prep School together and he has a very successful career in company mergers and acquisitions. At least, I think that is what it is.

Bernard and Sarah have renovated the house and grounds into a most attractive estate, and the chapel is looked after by English Heritage and is open to the public at certain times.

On arrival we were ushered into a large marquee where we were greeted and mixed with the 300 or so other guests. Then we went through to the dining area and sat in our alloted places at the tables. The menu said we were to start with lobster, followed by rare beef (I can't remember the exact wording), and a pudding followed by coffee. Before we had what was to prove to be the most delicious meal, we listened to a small orchestra playing music which was associated with the house. Then we ate dinner and talked to our table companions, most of whom had been at Oxford at the same time as Bernard and Sarah and knew them from there. Only John and Fiona Smith, also on the same table, had known Bernard from being a young boy. At least I knew Oxford from my school days at Teddies.

It was also good to see others who I knew from school, 3 retired Army officers, an insurance broker in the City, one Royal Naval officer, an art dealer and so on. We went in different directions but I am glad we are all in touch.

I think the thing which stuck me most was seeing Bernard's armorial flag blowing gently in the light breeze over the house and the fact that both our taxi drivers had nothing but kind words to say about the Taylors, who are clearly have a positive local reputation.

My wife looked resplendent in her long dress and it was a pleasure to get my dinner jacket out of mothballs for this. I like black tie 'dos', but they don't happen all that often for me. No complaints, this Rycote experience just adds to the rich tapestry of life.

I will write about the celebration we went to the next day when I have a little more time.

USA and personal freedom

It is ages since I phoned my family in America so I must do it soon. I need to catch up with them. I still wonder what it would have been like if we had moved over there to live and work. It isn't easy, of course, because of all the immigration restrictions. However, we adore the USA and Canada and it does make a difference having so many relatives there. It is so BIG!
One thing that nearly pushed me over the edge and forced me to leave Wales was a suggestion, made recently, that drinking alcohol should be prohibited in order to save the National Health Service some money in treatment of alcoholism and related diseases. Ridiculous! This is way out of order and an infringement of personal freedom. Refuse to treat people with self inflicted damage, fine, but don't stop them doing it in the first place. That is centralised state control gone mad.

sunny and busy

It has been another sunny day and I have been extremely busy talking with Volunteering England about the forthcoming Olympics and Paralympics in London then telephoning a colleague to discuss the volunteering grant schemes in Wales.
We had a meeting of the North East Wales Spatial Plan Officers' Group over lunch time until about 3.00pm, when I met with our Equalities Officer to discuss it. Then I talked to our Senior Advisor who deals with the Department for Work and Pensions volunteering programme in Wales.
This was all interspersed with dealing with voicemail messages and emails.
No rest for the wicked.

Mate

Call me old fashioned if you like, but I hate being called 'mate' by complete strangers. It is bad enough from someone I know, albeit I don't know many people who would do it. From a scruffy young waiter in a Pizza Hut it is insufferable. Since when was I his 'mate'? Why does he think it is alright to say that? I am his customer and, as such, he should show a modicum of respect, particularly if he wants a tip. Oh, and my beer came in a bottle with no glass to pour it into, so I had to request one. He then gave me a choice of a straight one or a bulbous one, for which I suppose I should be grateful.
I am not asking to be called 'sir' by anyone, although I have just been called that in the hotel bar here, which was reassuring after this pizza-abuse.
In fact, I don't blame the dishevelled waiter, I blame his training, or lack of it. If he calls everyone 'mate', then why should he treat me any differently? Pizza Hut should know better though, particularly if they want their customers to feel valued and not inclined to rant on their blogs.
The intelligent reader of this will realise that I predict certain people now calling me 'mate' for a while, just to try to wind me up. That's OK, it's the penalty I will pay for honesty about how I feel.

Videoconferencing in the 21st century

I nearly forgot...Cardiff office has brand new videoconference equipment which is very 21st century. I saw it this afternoon. I can't wait to see what difference it makes to our TV reception in north Wales. However, Cardiff has a huge, and I mean huge, screen to see the one or two people we tend to have our end. We have an ordinary TV screen to see up to 12 people or so with whom I frequently videoconference when they are in Cardiff. This is not entirely sensible in my view. We need a big screen to see the bigger group. They don't need such a big one to see 2 or 3 people. We will see how it all goes...
I suspect the next time I chair a meeting of the Social Justice and Local Government Forum, on my own in north Wales, they will feel I am like 'big brother' breathing down their necks in Cardiff. My image will be more than life size.
I will have more to say on this anon...after I have experienced it all.
Overall, this is a brilliant innovation - just cut out the road noise and improve the acoustics in Cardiff and things will be hugely better.

Aberystwyth and Cardiff

Yesterday I drove down to the new WCVA Aberystwyth office, which is small and modern and in an attractive location. Unfortunately the satnav (GPS) took me to the local cemetery rather than the office so I hope that isn't some sort of premonition.
We had a meeting of all our public policy staff and then I drove on down to Cardiff with Bryan, the senior research officer.
Today I have been interviewing people who want to provide support to a youth volunteering national group and tomorrow I am travelling the four plus hours back north, via a visit to another new office. This time it belongs to a County Voluntary Council.
Overall, a constructive few days so far - and the sun is shining!

The donkey and the dog and a windy Woodfest

Poor Phil Walker, a friend in Belgium, witnessed a dog he knew being killed by a donkey yesterday. He sat with the dog as it died. What can you say?

Well, it is a cold and windy day today, for June. We were going to the Woodfest today with friends but that's off. Instead we will meet them for a coffee later.

Blogging vs Facebook

I have decided that I much prefer blogging to Facebook, but the latter has its value. Blogging is cathartic and a means of simply keeping a journal which others may choose to read, or not, and whether they do or not doesn't matter hugely. Facebook seems a bit more 'in your face', with a degree of social posturing which is uncomfortable - for me, at least. However, it has been good to discover people with whom I had entirely lost contact and I am pleased to have all the Facebook friends I have.
I shall maintain Facebook, but my blog matters to me more, for now anyway.

Beach and fish and chips

Lovely day! After I took Jennie to the hairdresser we went to the beach in the blazing sunshine and later met Rosie there. Had ice creams, met young lad who set up a stone skimming competition and then ate fish and chips on a bench, and felt guilty about it, whilst keeping an eye open for scavenging seagulls. Ended up watching Britain's Got Talent with Chris and Beti and shouting at the TV.
It is wonderful feeling as if you are on holiday when you are less than 2 miles from home. What a privilege.

English girls

When I was on the train yesterday I got chatting to a couple of lads from New York, aged about 22, who got on at Chester. They were students on their way from London, via an overnight stop in Northampton (yes, I did say Northampton) to Dublin via Holyhead. They said they would be flying home from Ireland but wished they were going back to England. When quizzed, they told me that they had met some lovely English girls and didn't want to leave them behind. Indeed, they went further and said that generally English girls are more attractive than American girls and put this down to Americans often wearing heavy cosmetics/makeup. After some discussion it was decided that English girls tend to be less self conscious. Now, what would they have said about Welsh girls, I wonder? If any American girls read this, do you think it is fair?
At some point in the conversation I said that there is one European capital city which beats London, and that is Berlin. This provoked another young man to join the conversation saying he was from Berlin and also a student. What a coincidence. I think he was a bit surprised that the last time I was there was in about 1991, when most of the wall was still standing. However, the woman in the corner, promptly chipped in that she was a Londoner. That part of the conversation lasted from Chester to Prestatyn on the train.

Cardiff

I've just been in Cardiff for a few days and found myself staying in the same hotel as three north Wales colleagues, which enriched my evenings. We stayed in the Ibis Hotel (French chain), which was comfortable enough and we discovered a Thai restaurant, almost next door, which I will re-visit. The food was delicious.
I should also say that I am now Chair of the GwirVol (youth volunteering) partnership for Wales, to which I feel highly committed. We had a meeting on Wednesday and it is clear that there are many people who value this youth volunteering work highly. Good.

Facebook

I have recently become active on Facebook and am ambivalent about it. I like this blog, but I am just not quite sure about Facebook. There is something about it which makes me a little nervous and I am not sure quite why. Perhaps this blog is simply more within my control. I will reserve judgement for now.

Private blog - not yet

It seems that my comment about this becoming a private blog is provocative. If you have views, please express them attached to the last post. I will not introduce this for now at least.

Becoming a 'private' blog? Views please

Just a forewarning - I may make this blog 'private' soon, so that it can only be accessed by people who request access and to whom I then give permission. If you have a view on this, please leave a comment. It would mean you would have to log in rather than just access the blog directly. Would that bother you?

Busy weekend

Last weekend we booked a holiday for 2 weeks in Rhodes (dry and hot I trust); sent an email booking a pig roast (awaiting confirmation); entertained a friend, Julie, and her children to Sunday lunch (new season leg of lamb); met with folk in the eatery in Colwyn Bay (tea and yummy scones) and cleaned out the Eglu. This just leaves the overflowing gutters and blocked drain to deal with as a priority.
I guess this was a routine but constructive weekend.

First egg for Hepzibah Hen

All our hens are now laying and today was the first time we had three eggs. Well done girls! Long live Hermione Hen, Harriet Hen and Hepzibah Hen.

As an aside, I should mention that Hepzibah was named after a book I owned and read as a child, by Olwen Bowen, called, believe it or not, Hepzibah Hen. I think it is still around somewhere.

David Essex - All the Fun of the Fair

Rosie and I were back at Venue Cymru, Llandudno, last night for David Essex in the musical 'All the Fun of the Fair'. We sat next to someone from Sheffield who was attending her 57th performance of this show, having followed it around the UK. I suggest that this could be seen as obsessive. Also, it must have cost her around £1450, and that is just for the theatre tickets. On top of that would be travel, accommodation and food.
Each to their own.
I enjoyed the performance - but once is enough for me.

Fairy Falls, Trefriw

Yesterday was our monthly walk with friends and their children and we went to the woollen mill and then to Fairy Falls (left), and beyond, in Trefriw. Fortunately the rain held off and it was a cool enough day to enjoy the walk up the muddy paths to the top of the hill. We just fell short of Llyn Crafnant, which we will visit on another occasion.

The day was ended with a tasty meal at an Italian restaurant in Conwy - although we nearly couldn't get there as all roads into the town were being closed off.

Balanced Scorecards and Vagina Monologues

No, the Balanced Scorecard is not some form of betting slip, but a strategic planning and management system which is used by a wide range of organisations and was invented by Kaplan and Norton in the 1990s. WCVA is now introducing it as a way of ensuring that high level aims are translated consistently and effectively into actions by individuals throughout the organisation. From time to time, I will comment on progess here.
Having spent a 'line managers' day' looking at Balanced Scorecards at the community centre in the blink-and-you-miss-it mid Wales village of Carno, I then returned to Rhyl to link up with some WCVA staff and others for a Chinese meal and a performance of the Vagina Monologues at the local theatre. I was a bit late to the Chinese because the satnav (GPS) took me to the wrong one - like the time it guided me to the old Wal-Mart site in Redmond, Oregon, just to wind me up.
I was one of about, maybe, 10 men in a full auditorium and this meant the 'gents' loo at the interval was empty whilst the 'ladies' loo had a long line of women waiting. I suggested to some theatre staff that they should temporarily convert a 'gents' to a 'ladies' so it would take the pressure off, but to no avail. Anyway, the performance was a blend of hilarity and disturbing commenatary and was an evening well spent. The whole thing was focussed on women and the vagina - what more can I say?

Minister for Social Justice and Local Government

I attended the biannual 'third sector' meeting with the Welsh Minister for Social Justice and Local Government, Dr Brian Gibbons AM, yesterday. This was in Ty Howell, the old National Assembly for Wales building in Cardiff.
Not everyone turned up from the third sector, which was a little disappointing but we had a very constructive meeting anyway. We had a discussion about 'violence against women' in Wales, which goes way beyond the existing domestic violence focus of the Welsh Assembly Government. This now seems to have been acknowledged, so policies may broaden accordingly. Credit where it is due, they are listening and responding.
I do like Brian Gibbons, he is sincere and personable.

Department of Work and Pensions contract

I have spent much of the last few months writing a tender and negotiating with the Department of Work and Pensions over the possibility of WCVA running the volunteering programme, in Wales, for people who have been claiming Job Seekers Allowance for 6 months. The aim is to build job related skills and attitudes, amongst these unemployed people, by them taking up volunteering placements with voluntary and some public sector organisations. Naturally, they do not have to do this.
We got the contract.

Harriet Hen nearly chicken stew

Harriet Hen nearly ended up as our neighbours' chicken stew last night because she flew over our wall into their garden. Unfortunately, Kay had already told us she was scared of chickens, so this was anything but welcome. However, when I suggested I might put a wire mesh fence along the wall to heighten it to prevent this happening again, I though Mike (Kay's husband) was going to make a stew out of me as well as Harriet. Conundrum. I don't want the hens confined to quarters all the time, although the run is big enough. They need some freedom to roam at leisure, but not next door!
Maybe I should clip their wings...

Hermione lays her first egg

Hermione Hen has laid her first egg, which weighs 36 grammes. Progress!
She was strutting around this morning looking as if something momentous was going to happen. She disappeared into the Eglu for half an hour and then wandered out, leaving this little egg behind.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland was useful and fun. Best bit? Hillsborough Castle.

Belfast, Northern Ireland

I am in a hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland, waiting to link up with colleagues tonight. I am looking forward to a Guinness and a meal...

Northern Ireland

I am off to Northern Ireland tomorrow for a meeting of the UK Volunteering Forum. This is comprised of the Chief Executives of Volunteering England, Volunteer Development Scotland, Volunteer Development Agency Northern Ireland and normally me for WCVA. We meet with civil servants from all those places and discuss volunteering issues.

After our meeting we are going to an official reception at Hillsborough Castle, the residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which should be 'good crack'. It certainly looks an impressive place, built in the 1770s with extensive gardens, and it is a privilege to be going.

Then I plan to go to a conference on volunteering at the Stormont Hotel, with David Blunkett MP and others speaking.

By the way, the hens seem to be doing fine so far. No eggs yet...Harriet will probably be the first to lay.

RNXS

I am astonished at the number of people who reach this blog as a result of searching for the RNXS on Google. It is clear that the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service is of interest to many and it is a pity it doesn't function any more.

Twitter

I have removed Twitter comments from the right hand side of this blog, but I am still there under the user name protecttjd.

Gloucestershire and hens

We have had a brilliant time in the county of my birth and upbringing, Gloucestershire, staying with Rosie's old friend Yvonne, whose 50th birthday it was on Friday. She lives with her husband Jeremy and offspring Steph and Greg in Wotton under Edge and we stayed there for 3 nights and went to a fun party on Friday evening. On Saturday Rosie and I went to see her 86 year old Uncle Ron, near Devizes, and my Uncle Grenville and Aunt Georgina in Salisbury.
On Sunday we went to Newark Park, a National Trust place in Wotton, which was very interesting and kept us there until about 4.00pm. Then we drove home to north Wales via La Dolce Vita restaurant in Rhos on Sea, arriving home at about 10.00pm.
Today, Monday, we collected Hermione, Harriet and Hepzibah hens from a farm near Rhyl and they are now settling into their Eglu. They are all pullets, although it may be a little while before they start to lay eggs, with the youngest being 16 weeks and the oldest at 19 weeks. We shall see.

Ellen and Duane

I phoned my natural mother, Ellen, last night in Florida, where she lives with her husband, Duane. He is an American by birth and Ellen became one in the 1970s. They have two sons, Keith and Peter, both of whom are also in Florida. Ellen gave me up for adoption soon after my birth and I traced her much later. We are all now firmly in touch and we get along very well.
My main reason for phoning was that Duane had been in hospital to have a stent fitted into an artery in his heart, something which happened to me four years ago. However, the medics decided it wasn't necessary, after all, once they were able to look, so that is a good thing.

Greenwood Forest Park

Today Jennie and I went to Greenwood Forest Park, where we linked up with Kathy Beard, Mike Forbes-Buthlay (married to each other), their children Matthew and Erin, and some pleasant friends of theirs from Penmaenmawr. We have had a great day on the roller coaster, firing arrows, building dens, drifting on a boat around a water circuit and other entertaining simple outdoor activities. We were only showered on a couple of times, otherwise the sky was blue.
A welcome surprise was bumping into a muddy footed Bryan Collis, the WCVA Senior Research Officer, who was at Greenwood with his daughter. They had just completed the new barefoot trail.
The Eglu is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

chilling and work emails

I am at home with Jennie today as she is on her Easter holidays, and we are just chilling out. I have taken a look at work emails (which I shouldn't, of course), but I am going to try to avoid that for the rest of the week. I am not a workaholic, but I do like to know what is lurking in the wings.

entertaining weekend

Busy weekend - entertained next door to dinner on Friday evening, which was successful.
We spent Saturday morning lazing, followed by Jennie's ballet and she went off to a friend's house until 10pm while I had the garage doors repaired. They now work like a dream. Then Rosie and I entertained Julie, another friend, to supper, a tasty spag bol.
Today we joined friends in Pantasaph for lunch and a healthy stroll around the Franciscan Friary. Jennie fell off a tree branch into a holly bush (ouch!) which led to tears, but they were soon forgotten.
On our way to Pantasaph we dropped in to a farm store, at Rhuddlan, and bought chicken feed and some grit. It won't be long now before we have chickens.

Eggcited about hens

The Eglu is ordered and will arrive next Wednesday. I have also found a 'layers mash' supplier (chicken feed) and someone phoned me today to say that she has some point of lay (POL) pullets available, albeit they are only 14 weeks old. They are a Light Sussex/Isa Brown hybrid.
I hope I am sounding very technical and knowledgeable about hens, because I am actually anything but that. However, I am eggcited, as is my daughter. We are committed to being farmers now, well on a very very small scale.

letter of intent

I had a letter today from the Government department, mentioned before, telling me that they intend to award WCVA the contract I have been negotiating. Good.

On the brink

What a day! Negotiations with Government, more negotiations and then yet more to get some issues resolved prior to the start of the new financial year. Watch this space because I should have something real to say about this soon.

My birthday

It was my birthday during last week and colleagues kindly gave me a card. I then left some crystalised ginger for them in the kitchen which some were definitely not keen on, and some devoured with relish. In the light of this I decided I would bring spring onions next year but Fran said I would be better bringing fresh chillies instead. It is good to have something with a bit of oomph!

Mothing Sunday - Marley and Me

Mothering Sunday (Mothers' Day) today so we linked up with various friends with youngsters and went to the cinema to see 'Marley and Me'. It is a good film, particularly for the children. Pete and I joked about going to see Lesbian Vampire Killers instead, but we didn't.
I am too tired to phone the USA this evening but my brother, Peter of Florida, phoned and left a message on Friday, which is appreciated. I look forward to speaking with him and have sent him a few words on Skype.

Anglesey island - Ynys Môn

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I should have mentioned our trip to Anglesey last weekend, which was a great minibreak. We stayed in a guest house in Benllech called Woodlands, which was comfortable, then went to a surprise birthday party of an old school friend of Rosie's. It was cheerful and fun.
On the Sunday we drove around the island, had a huge cauldron of mussels for lunch and messed about on the beach at Cemaes - actually we had an extra bowl of mussels because th first lot were inadequately cooked. Risky, or what? We got away with it though.

travel fatigue

I have been travelling this week, initially to Merthyr Tydfil for my first GwirVol partnership meeting, the youth volunteering initiative in Wales. Then I dropped down to Companies House in Cardiff for a meeting with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) for a discussion about volunteering and people on Job Seekers Allowance (JSA). The very next day this was being discussed on PM on Radio 4. Topical.
Today I have been to the North Wales Economic Forum where the Deputy First Minister of Wales, Ieuan Wyn Jones AM, was answering questions.
I am tired.

Farmers' Market

On Thursday, my colleagues Francesca Hughes, Eirian James and I shared a hire car to Llandinam in mid Wales for a meeting of the policy staff in WCVA. Afterwards we went to a little farmers' market in the village hall and I bought some eggs, sausages (yum) and cheese. I told the woman selling the eggs that I was going to keep hens and she advised me to light the hen coop at night in winter to encourage the laying of extra eggs. I didn't tell her I was only going to have a little Eglu and a couple of hens. She obviously thought I was setting up a whole barn for mass production. Not yet!

Evita

We went to Evita tonight at Venue Cymru in Llandudno. We thoroughly enjoyed it, although it wasn't a top class performance.

Rotary International

I enjoyed going to what I thought was my first Rotary meeting last night, as a guest and prospective member, at the cricket club in Colwyn Bay. However, it brought back hazy memories of one I must have attended as a speaker when I worked as a Toc H Development Officer years ago. In those days I used to smoke and I remember reaching for my cigarettes and the chairman of the meeting grasping my arm to stop me and to say that it wasn't allowed before the loyal toast. The what? The toast to the Queen. Then I was able to smoke myself silly! I don't remember my speech, just that incident.
Last night we had the loyal toast after dinner, of course, but nobody reached for any cigarettes. How times have changed. The speaker was someone talking about a textile machinery factory in Oldham, brass bands and a Japanese car manufacturing company called Toyota. They were all linked but I will leave to you to guess how.
Do you know what this reminded me of and therefore made me rather melancholic? An old Toc H men's branch. The only thing it lacked was the Cermony of Light and there was rather more interest in one's professional status than would have been appropriate in Toc H, which is/was open to everyone. Most Toc H branches became mixed, but a few men's ones hung on in there - and some women's ones too, though fewer. Technically Rotary is mixed, but there are no women in this one.
I hope to go again as a guest and I will decide on anything else later. I do approve of the 'helping others' aspect of this, which is also like Toc H.

doing a lot

I am very pleased to say that we have made the two GwirVol WCVA youth volunteering appointments.
I have also submitted nearly all the necessary paperwork to the Department of Work and Pensions about somethignWCVA is trying to do. Now I can try to catch up on all the things which had to be put on one side to make room for the DWP stuff. The whiteboard in my office is covered in reminders!

Great Expectations

We went to see a pleasing musical performance of Dickens' Great Expectations on the stage at Theatr Clwyd, in Mold, last night. There were 3 adults and 4 children in our party and everyone enjoyed it. Try to catch it if you can.

British-Irish summit in Cardiff

What a fantastic and fascinating evening and dinner with the British Irish Council at Cardiff Castle yesterday. Thanks to the Rt Hon Rhodri Morgan AM, First Minister for Wales, for hosting this and for inviting me. It was the precursor to the Council's meeting today, comprised of the British and Irish Governments, the devolved administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. On this occasion Phil Jarrold, WCVA Deputy Chief Executive, and I went as guests.

I shared a dinner table with Ieuan Wyn Jones AM (Deputy First Minister, Welsh Assembly Government); Rt Hon Jeffrey Donaldson MP MLA (Member of Parliament and Member of the Legislative Assembly, Northern Ireland); Kevin Brennan MP (Minister for the Third Sector, Westminster); Deputy Hunter Adam (Minister for Health and Social Services, the States of Guernsey); Nicola Sturgeon MSP (Deputy First Minister, the Scottish Parliament); Gearoid McNamara (Consul General to Wales, Republic of Ireland); Hugh Rawlings (Director of the Constitutional Affairs, Equality and Communication Department, Welsh Assembly Government); Tim Barraclough (Scottish Executive); Judith Simpson (clerk of the Privy Council). I sat next to Hunter Adam, with whom I discussed voluntary sector data for Wales and medical charges. Hugh Rawlings was on my other side and we talked about interesting things at some length. I also took a chance to feed into a conversation with Kevin Brennan MP and we touched on the European Year of Volunteering in 2011.

Cardiff Castle itself is a beautiful setting for a dinner and the food was delicious. We had:

Monkfish Terrine
Brecon gin and lemon sorbet
Roast Fillet of Celtic Pride Beef
Bara Brith mousse
Welsh cheese board
coffee
Penderyn single malt Welsh whisky or Merlyn Welsh cream liqueur
wine

Once the dinner was over we went back to the St David's Hotel in Cardiff Bay where I sat up talking with a number of people until about 2.45am. Now I am home and a little tired...

Jennie's birthday

Jennie was 12 last Monday and we had a busy weekend. She had friends on a sleepover on Sunday and they went to a film called Hotel for Dogs. I came home from work to a house full of children, which was fun and exhausting at the same time. I am off to Cardiff tomorrow for work at Baltic House and an overnight stay at the St David's Hotel.

Rambert Dance Company

As part of Jennie's 12th birthday celebrations we have just been to the Rambert Dance Company performance at Venue Cymru in Llandudno. It was soporific initially, with a piece called Eternal Light, but then it became cheerful and amusing with Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals. The final piece, called Infinity, held my attention throughout with its balletic, wriggly, yoga-based movement and lots of dancers standing on their heads. The last part of the music sounded as if it had been recorded with a shower accidentally left running in the background. I liked it.
You do have to be fit to be a professional dancer.
We are lucky to have such high quality performances in north Wales without the need for trips to Manchester or even London.

Gareth Gates

I should have said that the autograph and photo of greatest importance to all the women at the Adelphi stage door, after the performance of Joseph, was one of someone called Gareth Gates who acted in the title role. There seemed to be considerable female excitement surrounding him! The pic is of a couple of random women who were celebrating their 50th birthdays - Rosie took the photo on their camera.
Come to think of it, I don't think there were any men at the stage door. Even I lurked furtively on the other side of the road next to a bouncer by a night club whilst listening to two scantily clad girls slagging off a series of friends and ex-lovers - some shared - though maybe not at the same time. Who knows?

London

I had to be in London for a meeting about the 2012 Olympics last Friday so Rosie and Jennie came up to meet me there in the evening. We had a great day on Saturday visiting the Tower of London and ogling the Crown jewels. Jennie went round 10 times on the conveyor belt and ultimately decided that she would like Queen Victoria's small crown - the one she wore on top of her widow's veil.
In the evening we went to an entertaining performance of Joseph at the Adelphi Theatre on the Strand, followed by a long wait for Jennie to get autographs. We went on for a late hearty meal at TGI Fridays. I like the bussle of London. This was a full restaurant at 10.30pm!
On Sunday we linked up with some old friends, Robbie and Jill, at the British Museum and spent a long time looking at Egyptian relics and the Rosetta Stone.
The train journey home was a dream to Crewe and then a nightmare of long waits and buses between Crewe and Rhyl. Luckily Rosie's sister rescued us from there.

British Library - Lieutenant Colonel H M Day (IA)

I have just renewed my reader's card for the British Library and spent some time browsing through my late adoptive father's (British) Indian Army Service Record. He was born in 1899 in England, educated at Monmouth, and went to the Officers' training school in Quetta, then in India, in 1918. He went into the 5 Cavalry initially, where he fought on horseback on the North West Frontier and in Iraq. I think we are still in Afghanistan and Iraq aren't we? Nothing changes. He then transferred to the 5/7 Rajput Regiment after about 5 years and spent time in the Burma Military Police and the Burma Frontier Force. He was Commandant at Bhamo, as far as I can tell, when the Japanese invaded Burma. He retired from the Indian Army, as a Lieutenant Colonel, when India gained independence in 1947. That's enough about him for now, but no doubt I shall return to him later.

Snow

Snow this morning, but only a light dusting and not enough to cause problems with travel in North Wales. However, I gather it is bad in the south east and I have to go to London on Thursday so I hope it all clears up by then. The London meeting is about the 2012 Olympics and volunteering and I should be seeing George Thomson from Volunteer Development Scotland for a meeting in the evening. I hope this all works out.

busy

Why haven't I posted anything to this blog? Well, I've been in Cardiff and I am working on a bid to the Department of Work and Pensions for WCVA to do some work over the next 2 years. Watch this space.

La Dolce Vita

We decided on La Dolce Vita restaurant again, in Rhos on Sea. The Ty Gwyn in Betws y Coed was fully booked. The food was delicious, the restaurant was rather crowded.

Dydd Santes Dwynwen - yfory/ St Dwynwen's Day tomorrow

The following is in the Welsh language and says that we are going to celebrate St Dwynwen's day, which is the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine's Day.
Mi fydd h'n Dydd Santes Dwynwen yfory, felly mae Rosie a fi yn mynd allan heno i ddathlu efo pryd o fwyd. Mae'n well nos Sadwrn na nos Sul. Mi fydd ein merch, Jennie, yn aros dros nos efo' r teulu rownd y cornel. Dan ni ddim yn siŵr eto ble dan ni'n mynd i gael cinio, ond rhywle arbennig gobeithio.
Dan ni ddim yn dathlu Dydd San Ffolant achos mae'n brysur mewn tai bwyta ac ati, a roedd Santes Dwynwen Cymraes a doedd San Ffolant ddim. Mae'r ddau ohonynt yn dathlu cariad - cawsom noson rhamantus iawn, gobeithio.

Cabinet Office, London

I had a successful teleconference with the Cabinet Office and a number of people in London and Scotland today. The technology worked well, although some people's voices were a little quiet. I will return to what we were discussing in a later blog.
It was good to talk with George Thomson, chief executive of Volunteer Development Scotland, today. I first met him last year at the UK Volunteering Forum in Belfast. We may be able to link up socially and to catch up when we are both in London the week after next. Then we will be discussing volunteering and the Olympics in 2012.
A positive day!

Google search of this blog

There is now a google search facility for searching this blog at the top of the blog page.

Hens - eggs and pets

Keeping hens, that's what we've been considering. Maybe only two to four birds in an Eglu, which provides an attractive and modern home for them. The eglu is pretty secure against foxes too, though I am not sure about bears. But we don't have bears.
Also, we need pullets at point of lay. Pullets are hens which are under a year old - see, I'm learning! Anyone any ideas as to where to get them in North Wales? We don't need pretty hens, we need productive ones.
No cocks wanted. They would rub our neighbours up the wrong way.

Fibrespeed in North Wales

The Fibrespeed project has brought mega-fast cable broadband to business parks in North Wales through funding by the Welsh Assembly Government. However, we need to move to Fibrespeed Phase 2, bringing similar to communities and homes and wider business locations. This can be done via masts and cordless connections to Fibrespeed. The meeting I went to this afternoon is looking strategically at the needs and investigating suitable funding or investment by internet service providers (ISPs).
It will happen.

Long live President Obama!

The Bush era is over and a new regime is in place. Expectations are running very very high and Obama cannot possibly maintain such popularity in the long term. But for now, the world looks forward to a new age.

Then again, there are people who will be sad to see the end of the George Bush presidency, like some of the more traditional members of my American family. I trust that Obama will convince them of his worth.

Long live President Obama!

I wonder if the UK might ever become a US State. Maybe it is already and nobody mentioned it. If we had to select between the European Union and the USA, which way would you go?