If there is one subject that I like to talk about it is the culture of organisations and the mess they get into. This was the subject that gave rise to my thinking about Guerrilla Working and is what I am still most passionate about and so when Carsten from Cintra HR and Payroll asked … Continue reading Giving books away
A sixth sense
I have taken to listening to audiobooks, to while away the longer drives in my car, not that I drive that much these days. I used to cover 60,000 miles a year but now the furthest I travel, at least for work, is about 100 miles. Still, this means about an hour or more each … Continue reading A sixth sense
The river Coquet
For some time now I have been thinking about a book I want to write. Fiction rather than non this time. It involves canoeing up the river Wansbeck, the river that runs through my hometown. I have the plot laid out and have even written it down but can’t find a way into the story. … Continue reading The river Coquet
Newcastle Startup week
By all accounts, Newcastle Startup Week was a great success. Praise for the week long festival that focuses on helping new businesses to get off the ground has been effusive. It is a must attend in the ever increasing calendar of events that are highlighting the great things that are going on across the region. … Continue reading Newcastle Startup week
The average reading age is…?
The average reading age of the UK is 11. That’s what the speaker told us at the last Socitm meeting I attended. It struck me as an interesting statistic and possibly a damning indictment of our education system. Of course it may not be true and I felt I needed to explore it a bit … Continue reading The average reading age is…?
Follow the instructions
I have a love hate relationship with Ikea. There are some things that excite me very much, the new product ranges, the way they are displayed, the mock up rooms and how easy it is to put their product together. I am not a fan of the fully controlled way that they usher you around … Continue reading Follow the instructions
A year away
It is true when they say that time speeds up as you get older. The days, months and even years are whizzing by now. Today it is a year since I left Durham County Council. It is twelve months since I left the safety of a paid job and opened a different chapter of my … Continue reading A year away
Honest inspiration
It is six months on since I last visited our friends house, the one that they are taking their time to renovate. I first mentioned it in my blog honest work. I had volunteered again to put a half day of work in, partially to help them out and partially because, in a strange way, … Continue reading Honest inspiration
Sufferings of the world
‘You can hold yourself back from the sufferings of the world, this is something you are free to do and is in accord with your nature, but perhaps precisely this holding back is the only suffering that you may be able to avoid.’ I have always liked Kafka. His work describes the frustrations of being … Continue reading Sufferings of the world
Poetry collection
I have never really been one for poetry. It is a medium that I have never understood yet I have made a discovery. Right here in my home town is the Northern Poetry Library. It is set in the beautiful Chantry which has stood on the banks of the river Wansbeck since as far back … Continue reading Poetry collection
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 