I’ve been inspired by Rachel Orr, A Head Teacher I have met and a blogger. On 1 January 2013 she set out to write a blog post every day for a year. You can find it here and it is some achievement: 365 days in my shoes. This year I’m going to try something similar, … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 1
The beauty of languages
I’ve always wanted to speak a foreign language, to speak one properly, fluently as if I was a native. I’ve been trying for a long time, ever since I was at school. I’ve dabbled in French, Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese and even Esperanto yet I’ve never given any of the more exotic tongues a try, such … Continue reading The beauty of languages
Change your password
There are some things in life that are such a hassle: filling the car up with petrol; taking a cheque to cash into the bank; and changing your passwords. These are not big things and thankfully you don’t have to do them that often but they get on your nerves. The yellow light that flashes … Continue reading Change your password
A conference I wasn’t at
This was another first for me this week. I managed to get a question raised during a live question and answer session at a conference that I wasn’t even at and it was all thanks to social media. I’ve been using Twitter for several years now. I got myself started in order to see what … Continue reading A conference I wasn’t at
A leaky bucket
Imagine a bucket with a hole in the bottom. That’s how we manage the jobs that we get within the service, or calls as we refer to them, using a leaky bucket. It could be a shiny read bucket with a strong wire handle and comfortable wooden grip or an old galvanised bucket with a … Continue reading A leaky bucket
All problems can be solved from an armchair
How annoying is it? You’re breaking your back working away on some intractable problem when along comes some armchair critic to tell you where you’ve been going wrong. Very is the answer. They have absolutely no concept of the issues that you’re facing, the hassle that you are under and the multiple directions in which … Continue reading All problems can be solved from an armchair
Learning to play
In our doctors’ surgery, a place I’ve had the dubious pleasure of visiting many times over the last few weeks, there is a small wooden box that sits in the waiting room. It is about a metre cubed and is made of a white wood like birch or pine as if it was made by … Continue reading Learning to play
Colchester General Hospital targets improvement
Once again another hospital finds itself in the news because of its target driven culture. This time it is Colchester General Hospital and follows an inspection by the Care Quality Commission which found inaccuracies in recorded cancer waiting time data at the hospital. The manipulation of data to give the impression that targets were being … Continue reading Colchester General Hospital targets improvement
Jigsaw your mind
I’m off for a few days and have some time to kill. There’s a jigsaw that’s been lying unopened on the bookshelves and so what better time to give it a go? My eldest brought it back for me from her round the world tour and so it is well travelled. It’s a picture of … Continue reading Jigsaw your mind
The road to understanding
The road to understanding is difficult and long but is paved with many interesting and beautiful things. There are things that are going to whet your appetite, things that are going to distract you, things that frustrate you, things that will lead you up some cul-de-sacs and things that will lead you to true enlightenment. … Continue reading The road to understanding
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 