Day 16 – 24 January 2014 Apart from the occasional café the shop windows were still dark as I made my way across the old Town Square in Durham. I pulled up the collar of my coat. Even the brisk walk down from the station wasn’t enough to beat back the freezing air that bit … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 16
A year of work in progress – day 15
Day 15 – 22 January 2014 There are two difficulties in writing a daily blog: Finding the time and enthusiasm to keep it going and; Making sure you don’t repeat yourself. There is a third, to keep it interesting but that may be a step too far. Whilst there is always something new going on … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 15
A year of work in progress – day 14
Day 14 – 21 January 2014 What is it about having a beard the makes people think they can poke fun at you? I’ve suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous beard insults already including: your photo must have been taken when you were much younger; any longer and it would look weird and; you … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 14
A year of work in progress – day 13
Day 13 – 20 January 2014 I’m back at Meadowfield this morning, partly to see how they are getting on and partly to have a face to face meeting with Bob (though he didn’t want a mention in the blog, he’s quite happy to have fallen below the Google radar) – a 121 as we … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 13
A year of work in progress – day 12
Day 12 – 17 January 2014 There are two main groups that I attend which represent ICT in the region, the Society of ICT Managers (SOCITM) and the North East ICT Managers (NEICT). My friend Roy chairs the first and I chair the latter. Today it is the turn of SOCITM. This group covers the … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 12
A year of work in progress – day 11
Day 11 – 16 January 2014 No! I’ve left the power cable for my laptop at EDC. When I got it out of my bag I thought I mustn’t leave it there but I did and so a quick unscheduled trip to Spennymoor was called for. Back at County Hall my first meeting (only 5 … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 11
A year of work in progress – day 10
Day 10 – 15 January 2014 Only our second full week in and already the natural rhythms of work are settling down. The cycle of work – wasn’t that an Elton John song? Wednesday is management day. Every so often I get a whim and rearrange our meetings to try and cover the important things … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 10
A year of work in progress – day 8
Day 8 – 13 January 2014 Today started with an absurdity. I had to prove that I am who I am. I’ve worked here for over four years now but have had to bring in my driving licence and utility bill as part of the Baseline Personal Security Standard (BPSS) that we have to adhere … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 8
A year of work in progress – day 7
Day 7 – 10 January 2014 About a quarter of our business is traded, that is with customers outside of the Council. Gaining and losing customers is a natural part of the business cycle. As long as we gain more than we lose then we will be OK. I don’t like to lose any business … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 7
A year of work in progress – day 6
Day 6 – 9 January 2014 It is not often that we get a chance to make a direct impact upon the good people of the county. ICT is usually in the background (or in the basement in most cases) but it is different with the Digital Durham programme. Our aim is to provide, or … Continue reading A year of work in progress – day 6