Not all ivory towers are ivory. Not everyone that sits in an ivory coloured building, tower or not, lives in a state of privileged seclusion or separation from the facts and practicalities of the real world. Clearly, ivory towers come in all sorts of colours. County Hall may be seen as an ivory tower but … Continue reading Twenty six days of colour – Ivory #AtoZchallenge
Twenty six days of colour – Heliotrope #AtoZchallenge
A trip to Manchester is a mixed blessing. We make our way down the A1 and across the M62 to see our youngest daughter. That’s the good bit. The down side is the miles and miles of traffic clogged tarmac and the endless road works. Having said that, I quite like the M62 as a … Continue reading Twenty six days of colour – Heliotrope #AtoZchallenge
Twenty six days of colour – Gamboge #AtoZchallenge
The colour of Neil’s sofa had merged into the colour of the wall behind. My chart said gamboge, an orange to brown gum resin from south-east Asian trees of the Saint-John's-wort family. It is used as a yellow pigment and cathartic. I always think of Neil as cathartic. I was talking to him on Skype. … Continue reading Twenty six days of colour – Gamboge #AtoZchallenge
Twenty six days of colour – Firebrick Red #AtoZchallnge
Security is such a big issue for us – for all of us. Getting the balance right between being able to operate and staying safe is an ongoing trick. It is a moveable feast. There are some bad people out there in cyber-land. Security is everyone’s responsibility. That is why I have chosen firebrick red. … Continue reading Twenty six days of colour – Firebrick Red #AtoZchallnge
Twenty six days of colour – Eggplant #AtoZchallenge
These have been interesting times in the public sector. Money has been very tight. They have called it austerity, a period of eight years of cuts, perhaps longer. My budget is over forty per cent smaller than five years ago. I’ve lost nearly half the people who worked for me and still we have some … Continue reading Twenty six days of colour – Eggplant #AtoZchallenge
Twenty six days of colour – Dandelion #AtoZchallenge
I didn’t have much choice from the colour palette today. Dandelion or Denim, take your choice. As it happened there wasn’t much colour anywhere as I made my way to work. The earth and the sky merged into a soup of milk of magnesia. The weather has turned back to steady rain again. I had … Continue reading Twenty six days of colour – Dandelion #AtoZchallenge
Twenty six days of colour – Caput Mortuum #AtoZchallenge
The colours most associated with finance are red and black. For once, black represents the good guys. Being in the black means that you have money in the bank while being in the red means you are overdrawn. I used to think I was numerate and had reasonably good business acumen. Perhaps I still do … Continue reading Twenty six days of colour – Caput Mortuum #AtoZchallenge
Twenty six days of colour – Blue #AtoZchallenge
The Happy Manifesto is a book that I wish I had written. It is short, it is punchy and says everything that I have been talking about for years. Well, almost everything. Its cover is blue, not blue green, blue violet or even Bondi-blue, just a primary blue and with a bright yellow star in … Continue reading Twenty six days of colour – Blue #AtoZchallenge
Twenty six days of colour – Asparagus #AtoZchallenge
I was driving home from Teesdale the other evening. Although it was dark and cold it was a pleasant drive over the hills as I wasn’t in a hurry. As is usual in such circumstances my mind began to wander and I got round to thinking about this year’s A-Z Blogging Challenge. I wasn’t as … Continue reading Twenty six days of colour – Asparagus #AtoZchallenge
Project optimism bias
‘I’ve re-profiled this project plan twice already and I’m on the verge of having to do it again a third time.’ ‘I bet you have to do it again as the supplier has never hit a timescale yet.’ How many times have you heard such a conversation? How many times have you been in one? … Continue reading Project optimism bias
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 