A year of work in progress – day 160

Day 160 – 19 September 2014 Dawn breaks on another day in history. It looks like Scotland has decided to stay after all though a significant number of the populace said yes to separation. Was it a genuine desire to see a split or just brinkmanship? Is the nation state an outmoded concept in an … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 160

A year of work in progress – day 157

Day 157 – 16 September 2014 I’ve been in management for over thirty years. You would think that I would be quite good at it by now. It’s a cliché I know but learning to manage people is a journey, a one without end and that is what makes it so fascinating. You have to … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 157

A year of work in progress – day 155

Day 155 –11 September 2014 I struggled to get started this morning. I don’t know if it was because I gave blood last night or the mist that hung in the air. Today is pregnant with history, is it really thirteen years since the attack on the twin towers? The world seems to be caught … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 155

A year of work in progress – day 152

Day 152 – 8 September 2014 I was a bit stiff this morning when I got up, not from taking part in the Great North Run but putting up a shed instead. It was a thing of beauty though more difficult to erect than it looked. As for running, I’m not built for speed though … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 152

A year of work in progress – day 151

Day 147 – 5 September 2014 You can never get ahead. I realised this long ago. It doesn’t matter how much you get done, the vacuum you create will suck more work in. That’s the way the system works, just as money attracts money then work flows to the busy. I thought I’d cleared the … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 151

A year of work in progress – day 150

Day 150 – 4 September 2014 It’s cycle to work day. Perhaps you are amongst the three quarters of a million people who regularly commute on their bikes. What they don’t tell you is that it is cycle back from work day as well. I managed to make it on two wheels but only because … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 150

A year of work in progress – day 149

Day 149 – 3 September 2014 Another day, another dollar and another chance to get back on the horse. I was still smarting after yesterday’s ServCheck and the traffic on the way in was a nightmare (collapsed gas main in Chester le Street) but today I tried to dust myself down and pick myself up … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 149

A year of work in progress – day 148

Day 148 – 2 September 2014 It is often said that the greatest assets of an organisation is its people. It’s an awful cliché but it is true. The best thing about the council is the great people who work there and the best thing about what I have been doing with the tier four … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 148

A year of work in progress – day 147

Day 147 – 1 September 2014 The seasons are changing. It was noticeably darker when I got up and it will soon be time to change into my winter wardrobe. Today I had another grand tour. I started in Spectrum, made my way to Meadowfield, turned back to County Hall and ended up in Chester-Le-Street. … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 147

A year of work in progress – day 146

Day 146 – 29 August 2014 It was the last day of heaven, the last day of the school holiday and the last day, at least for a while, when the drive to work will be relatively uneventful. Worryingly though the western bypass is covered with cones past the Metro Centre and through the Team … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 146