Being told that you work in the back office can be insulting and demeaning. It undermines the role and the contribution that many thousands of people make to the organisations in which they work and the customers that they ultimately serve. It is a complete myth that you can somehow separate a business into two sections, … Continue reading Back Office
The waiting is over
Today I got some good news, some news that I had been waiting for for some time, something that my team and I had been working on for months, several months, perhaps even more than a year, no definitely more than a year. We’ve been working really hard on it and had expected the news … Continue reading The waiting is over
Free and fair elections
Elections in Great Britain are free and fair, they lead to a clear outcome and are generally well understood by the electorate. Well they are certainly free, with some notable and well documented exceptions, everyone over the age of eighteen is able to cast their vote in a whole range of elections. They also result … Continue reading Free and fair elections
Bad memory
What a gift it is to have been blessed with a bad memory. I have a good forgetory as my father in law used to say. I say I am blessed as I shall explain later but it is a curse as well. Huge swathes of my life have been eradicated, wiped from my hard … Continue reading Bad memory
Innocence lost
Nowadays it seems that you can’t just have a hobby, a pastime to while away those free moments in your lives or something to raise your interest and enjoyment. No, nowadays you have to go the whole hog and get all of the gear to go with it. At one time a walk in the … Continue reading Innocence lost
A night at the ballet
Las night we went to the ballet at the Tyne Theatre. We went to see the Moscow Ballet La Classique’s production of the Sleeping Beauty. It was a beautiful, traditional and rich performance with the voluptuous score by Tchaikovsky. We’ve been to the ballet several times now but if you’d told me a few years … Continue reading A night at the ballet
I don’t get on with water
I’ve done my fair share of do it yourself over the years and can turn my hand to most things, a bit of joinery here, a bit of electric work there and even the odd bid of building work out in the garden. But water and I just don’t get on. If ever I have … Continue reading I don’t get on with water
The salt seekers
Occasionally my wife is asked to work on a Sunday, only for a couple of hours. I volunteer to drive her in as it gives me the chance to go and have a cooked breakfast at JD Wetherspoon, full English plus a cup of tea for £3.89 has to be good value. I usually go … Continue reading The salt seekers
Early summer
It’s early March but the sun is out and the thermometer is saying thirteen degrees. This can only mean one thing, summer has arrived in North East England. This is as good as it’s going to get. The tightly knotted buds on the Hydrangea are starting to unravel, the Cherry blossom is frosting the trees … Continue reading Early summer
Giving blood
I don’t have a rare type of blood but it is very useful, or so I’m told and so today I trooped off to give another pint at my local community centre. There was a time when you only had to crawl in off the street for them to take your blood but now they … Continue reading Giving blood
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 