Putting Parenting to Bed

Rach and I went to a parenting class tonight. It was the second of three that are being held at Farnham Baptist Church. It's not that we already know we're awful parents (although I'm sure I should ask that question of people who know us well rather than proclaim it myself!) - more that we wish to gain from the knowledge and wisdom of others, before we make the obvious mistakes.

The course is written by a couple based in Guildford, and mixes practical advice with biblical wisdom. And the first thing for us to do was - describe our child(ren)! An interesting task, and one that we'd never specifically done before.

And tonight we were focussing on discipline, and the difference between authoritarian, and lovingly authoritative. There were so many great pieces of advice, and strategies for dealing with misbehaviour and disobedience, that my head is now reeling with the content, and I hope I can take some time out to get some of it embedded in order to make good use of it.

I'm sad

And not in the 'I'm upset' sense, but in the 'I'm a geek' kind of sense.

The reason I say this, is because this weekend we travelled to see four different set of friends, and, as I happened to do most of the driving, I was paying particular attention to road signs. And, what did I find myself doing? Comparing the state of 'Welcome to ... Borough' signs - how clean they were, their design, and their general wellbeing! Having gone at literally done this to the 'Welcome' sign on the road into Wrecclesham, I'm now rather envious of those who have clean, untarnished (from passing wagons swiping them perhaps) and generally easy to see signs.

And it's not just signs that I found myself comparing, but also waste and recycling strategies. In fact, when in search of a bin in which to place some used kitchen roll, not only did I ask if I had found the right recepticle, I also enquired as to my friends' satisfation (or otherwise) with their council's collection of food waste (which I had deduced took place due to their food waste bin beside the waste bin beside the plastics and metal bin...

And finally, and most sadly, I started comparing wards. We'd pass a lovely woodland and I'd think "wouldn't it be nice if...", and then pass some arable open farm land and think pretty much the same.

Please don't get me wrong - we had the most wonderful weekend, and spent some quality time with good friends in four different locations. But, I do wonder: am I taking this local poltics thing a little too far?

GBC

20.15: I’m at the church meeting this evening, and, a bit like the committee meeting at Waverley the other week, I’ve decided to blog live. Well, pseudo-live, as I’m currently offline (I don’t have the WEP key [for those techies out there] of the church wireless network), and so I’m recording it to post later this evening.

Actually, I confess (a good church activity) to arriving 15 minutes late, as the parking in Guildford tonight was atrocious, and I ended up some distance away.

I ended up missing the first few songs, but did arrive in time for the reading of the last meeting minutes - one of my favourite parts of the church meeting (said only with my tongue slightly in my cheek).

20.27: The first item on the agenda this evening is an open discussion on ‘small groups’, the tendency of churches to have groups of people who live near to each other, meeting mid-week to continue bible study and prayer. (At the last church meeting, our pastor started on this topic at 9.30 pm, and it soon became clear that it wasn’t going to get finished that night: hence being first on the agenda tonight).

20.45: A bit of a break there, as I’ve stood up to contribute. I said that our mid-week group, called “Firmer Foundations”, is messy - the conversation goes all over the place, from Rob’s communist tendencies (I said it with love and humour) to Grannie Annie’s ramblings about her grandchildren. From Paul’s update on the latest machinations at Croydon County Council, to Alison worrying about her daughter’s latest long distance travel. My point? That whilst we do feel some identify as a group, we only do so because we care for each other both individually and corporately, and hence, are committed to the small group. And somewhere in the middle we get to discuss the New Testament meaning of the greek word “koinonia” (the anglicised version), from which we get our word (and others ), ‘community’.

Oh, and on a personal note, that I found a different format and style to the Sunday services a really great thing, and really don’t want to attend another service once evening a week.

21.02: A few minutes on, and I’m listening to Lisa, who’s being proposed as the church’s new Children’s and Family Worker. Lisa’s been in the church since 1975 (think she was born then), and is a qualified primary teacher, as well as being wonderfully passionate about the role.

[By the way, I should point out, for the purposes of transparency, that yes, I did choose this meeting over the Wrecclesham Village Society - an example of the decision-making where one things is prioritised over the other, with sometimes the more obvious ward meeting / issue, missing out.]

21.19: Lisa’s answering a question about mixing other work with commitment to the church role. A great explanation, which very much mirrors the Apostle Paul’s tent making (to put food on his table), and debating with the intellectuals and preaching at other times.

21.50: Well, that’s was slightly unusual. We had a vote on two people being elected back into positions (volunteer) in the church, and I offered to count the votes. Felt kind of different being on the other side of the election count.

21.59: No vote as it were on the final business of the evening (retirement and possible future part-time role of one of the pastors). And so we finish just before 10 pm.

Planning Applications 19th November 2008

(Click here if you want to go the Waverley planning search page, and select 'Ward' from the left hand list of options)

TM/2008/0096: 03/11/2008
Proposed Development: Application for consent for works to a tree the subject of Tree Preservation Order 09/01. 3 Greystead Park, Farnham.
E: 482449 N: 144465
Case Officer: Mr A Clout

Applicant & Agent: B Barnes, 3 Greystead Park, Quennels Hill, Wrecclesham, Surrey GU10 4NB

Batteries Not Included (in kerbside recylcing anyway)

I've blogged about Verity O'Connell before, the Waste & Recycling Co-ordinator at Waverley. It was after she had blinded me with science at a Wrecclesham Village Society meeting some months back, and educated me to look at the plastic classification on packaging before putting it in the bin or the recycling container.

Anyway, she's been co-ordinating a trial of kerbside collection of batteries and textiles, and, whist the quality of materials collected has been excellent, unfortunately the quantity has not been enough to make permanent collection a viability.

Instead, the battery collection points around the borough will remain, plus some new ones. See the Waverley website for details.

What is a driftway?

I'm grateful to David Munro, our county councillor, for this post. In recent months he's been the key person behind the resurfacing of The Avenue, Rowledge, and he's sent me some background information on it which makes me realise how much works he does, and what a great result this is. As you can see from the photo (for those of you who use The Avenue), this is an amazing improvement, and looks a treat.

David says, "The Avenue is a driftway, which means that it only has to be maintained in a condition for pedestrians, horses and farm animals to use it. Although the residents also have a right of vehicular access to their properties, it isn’t the responsibility of Highways to upgrade it. [However] The Avenue now has a brand-new surface – in sympathy with the rural area but easily good enough to be used by everyone. And it should stay that way for many years to come"

David worked hard to gain the trust and contributions from residents, Surrey County Council's Right of Way service, and his own local allocation, and the results speak for themselves.

Planning Applications 12th November 2008

(Click here if you want to go the Waverley planning search page, and select 'Ward' from the left hand list of options)

TM/2008/0091: 24/10/2008
Proposed Development: Application for consent for works to a tree the subject of Tree Preservation Order 09/01.
E: 482480 N: 144500
Case Officer: Mr A Clout

Applicant & Agent: P Jukes, 1 Greystead Park, Quennels Hill, Wrecclesham, Surrey GU10 4NB

WA/2008/1991: 07/11/2008
Proposed Development: Erection of rear extension. 26 Riverdale, Wrecclesham.
E: 482511 N: 145244
Case Officer: Terry Prideaux

Applicant: A Warner, 26 Riverdale, Wrecclesham, Farnham GU10 4PH
Agent: S Annells, 65 Thorpe Gardens, Alton GU34 2BQ

Legacy

An email from the head of committee services, Robin Pellow, made me sit back and ponder today. The email informed councillors that Alan Lazarus, former mayor of Waverley, "died following a fall last week".

I didn't know Alan, and so it made me realise that there are many people down the years who have given of themselves to their local community, serving their neighbours, and not seeking or receiving fame for their roles and actions. Alan probably did so much more than I'll ever do, and yet my knowledge of him is non-existent.

It's simply making me realise that I need to think less about myself and my reputation (and certainly forget about 'legacy', a horrible concept that prime ministers seem to obsess about), and more about service and selflessness. Not sure I'll ever be great at these things, but aspiring to them seems the right approach.

Live! From the council chamber

Is this the first blog post from the Waverley council chamber?

18.59: Just been asked by another councillor to chat about blogs after the meeting. Excellent.

19.20: Well, I'm at the Community Overview & Scrutiny Committee, and in a short but very appropriate item on communications with tenants, and the key being frequent updates, rather than being kept in the dark.

19.26: STATUS Survey - 85% overall satisfaction, on a response rate of 56%.

19.34: But, once broken down a bit, it reveals some real differences between, say, younger families and those in sheltered accommodation. Satisfaction of younger people is significantly lower, and this maybe due to type of home being unsuitable.

19.42: John Swanton makes a good point - that even where issue is sorted out, the solution may not be to the tenant's preference, and therefore not deliver "satisfaction".

19.55: Just shared some puzzlement at some of the survey questions - puzzlement shared by the officers! I wish we were allowed to add supplementary questions.

20.20: A great review of the Careline service - a wonderful provision for those who need it.

20.34: Hurray for technological innovation - the extensions to this service include smoke alarms, fall detectors, external door detectors. All sorts of comfort for those in need.

20.46: Bit of a discussion about reliability of technology - the risk that it doesn't work, especially once the 24 hour fault reporting service is demised. Very unlikely, but what about monitoring / polling of units from the centre?

20.50: So, tech possible, but we don't use that version of the equipment yet.

21.03: Councillor Webster has just introduced the performance stats in his own inimitable style.

21.09: And concluded by agreeing for Councillor Wilson to replace me on that sub-committee.

21.14: Just learned that WBC have to pay council tax on its own void properties! E.g. £60,000 pa on Rowland House alone.

21.19: Good news item - 100% gas servicing.

21.20: Meeting closed. Home I go.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

PPPC

Great news. One of our Waverley Councillors has been selected by the constituency party of Preston, in Lancashire, to be the Conservative Party candidate at the next general election.

Currently held by Labour, with a majority of around 8,500 (due to boundary changes), this is eminently winnable.

Where am I?

I openly admit that this post is simply an excuse to show-off the gadgetry excellence of my iPhone 3G!

I'm on the way to Krakow Airport: I'm really glad to be heading home.

Planning Applications 5th November 2008

(Click here if you want to go the Waverley planning search page, and select 'Ward' from the left hand list of options)

WA/2008/1921: 21/10/2008
Proposed Development: Erection of extensions and alterations. 12 Fullers Road, Rowledge.
E: 482225 N: 143453
Case Officer: Mr A Griffiths

Applicant: R Tomlins, 12 Fullers Road, Rowledge, Farnham GU10 4BP
Agent: Mr Andrew Tomkins, Abode Architects LLP, The Forge Studio, 5 Upper Church Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PW

WA/2008/1941: 22/10/2008
Proposed Development: Erection of extension. 28 Shortheath Crest, Farnham.
E: 482989 N: 144839
Case Officer: Portia Birch

Applicant: Mr & Mrs Snelson, 28 Shortheath Crest, Farnham GU9 8SB
Agent: R Ball, Charter Design Associates, The Stable, Chamber Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU10 5ET

WA/2008/1945: 28/10/2008
Proposed Development: Erection of a 2 storey extension. 23 Lickfolds Road, Farnham.
E: 482394 N: 143100
Case Officer: Portia Birch

Applicant: J Gosden, 23 Lickfolds Road, Rowledge, Farnham, Surrey GU10 4AF
Agent: B MacDonald, Ben MacDonald Associates, Hoggats House, Kingsley, Bordon, Hants GU35 9NY

White Gold

I'm in my favourite business location - the old town of Krakow (see yesterday's post). Whilst I do my work, she's going to see the sights, and generally enjoy the delights of one of the orginal entries on the 1978 UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

Actually, not one entry, but two, as this morning we visited the Salt Mines about 10 km south of Krakow, in the small town of Wieliczka. Over 700 years of mining (virtually all by hand) has produced some 300 km of tunnels, just one percent of which tourist see on the tour.

But oh, what a beautiful place. At least 3 chapels, one of which is cathedral like in its enormity and beauty, and the air - what wonderfully clean air - so pure and healthy that there's a treatment centre 135m below ground for asthmatics, especially children.

Well, suffice to say, that a visit to Krakow is a must. It's my third time though, and I still have been to Auschwitz, which is just 60 km away. Next time.

Meeting my Mum in Poland

My business trips are usually pretty standard:

Taxi, Airport, Flight, Taxi, Hotel, Taxi, Office, Taxi, Hotel [Repeat last four steps multiple times] Taxi, Airport, Flight, Taxi, Home

And so this week is a delight. My Mum, flying for the first time on her own, is meeting me in Krakow later today, and in between business meetings, we're going to enjoy the sites. Admittedly, Krakow offers a serious amount of interest for the business traveller anyway - a greater depth of breadth of history than most destinations, and the ease of pretty much walking everywhere between hotel and office and the rest of the town.

Here's to air miles.

My Great, Great, Great, Mother-in-law

When I tell you that I spent two hours with my mother-in-law last night, and had simply the most wonderful time, you'll probably think that I've either (a) totally lost my mind, or (b) had taken a good bottle of red wine with me and can't actually remember a word she said.

Well, you'd be wrong with either choice (this time) as June was showing me how to begin to investigate my ancestors. And wow, I didn't know I could learn so much about my family in a couple of hours, and at the same time be coached how to use a website by my mum-in-law. It was almost too much ;-)

But seriously - I'm hooked, and I'm a little bit overwhelmed. On my father's side, we've never really known much about my Grandfather's past, and so, to suddenly find out the names of my ancestors back to my Great Great Great Grandfather William and his wife Ann, as well as finding out I had a Great Aunt Margaret, who died after just one year, was not a little emotional.

I'm pretty sure I'm now addicted (to accompany my diet coke habit), and over the next months I hope that I'll find out much much about my Grandfather's wife's past, and maybe a bit about his World War II record.

I feel much richer for what I've already learned, and excited about what's to come.

12 months in the clink

Had lunch today with a friend who's studying at the College of Law in Guildford this year, and I want to pass on a little nugget.

He mentioned that he's looked at the Forestry Act of 1967 - which came up as I was talking Tree Preservation Orders (ah, the scintillating nature of our conversation I hear you all cry) and the Wrecclesham Conservation Area.

Anyway, I learned something new: apparently, this Act defines the most serious penalty for cutting down a tree, as 12 months in jail!! 12 months! As my friend pointed out, he hopes that that is for the most important of trees, and not the leylandii hedge down the garden.

Ad Hominem, or, Sleight of Mind?

Leafing through a book last night, I found, just inside the front cover, an article from 1996 (!) that I thought I had lost, and, as it's so clever, and so funny, I thought I'd share it.

Originally entitled "Conversational Terrorism" and now retitled "Conversational Cheapshots" (post 9/11 etc. etc.), it's a brilliant list of all the things we might find ourselves attempting to assert power and position over someone else whilst in conversation with them. I genuinely hope that I don't use these.

And, whilst I first read the article just after leaving Uni, and many years before considering serving in a political position, I can't help but think how much more helpful it would be if all levels of political debate signed up to eschewing these tactics, and instead re-developed proper debating techniques.

I hope you enjoy the article as much as I do. Here's some highlights to whet your appetite!

Over Your Head
"I'd like to respond to that, but taking into account your background, education, and intelligence, I am quite sure that you would not be able to understand."
--

Question As Opportunity
A standard response for politicians is to view any question as an opportunity to say whatever they want. The "answer" does not have to have anything to do with the "question" asked. This practice has all but killed the utility of debate and dialog in politics and, unhappily, it is spreading to other areas of life as well. Following are some inconspicuous techniques that allow a deft shift from the question subject to the desired subject.

This or That
Deny that the issue is limited to the question at hand. Redefine the issue to your favorite topic.

"It is not a question of (this) or (that), but rather it is an issue of (whatever it is you want to say.)"

["Are you for or against capital punishment?"] "I don't think the issue is being for or against capital punishment. The real issue facing our country is the federal budget deficit. I propose that we.... "

Planning Applications 29th October 2008

(Click here if you want to go the Waverley planning search page, and select 'Ward' from the left hand list of options)

WA/2008/1914: 15/10/2008
Proposed Development: Erection of a replacement dwelling. Gorsedene Cottage, The Long Road, Farnham.
E: 483384 N: 142968
Case Officer: Mr H Hobbs

Applicant: M Tivey, Gorsedene Cottage, The Long Road, Farnham, Surrey GU10 4EB
Agent: V Conway, Abode Architects LLP, The Forge Studio, 5 Upper Church Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PW

ITIL

Anything that begins with IT is probably a turn-off for most people, but this afternoon I did have a very enjoyable conversation with Linda Frame, the new IT manager at Waverley.

Last year's audit report including recommendations that the council implement ITIL. It's a an approach to delivering IT services, developed by the Office of Government Commerce, and now adopted by pretty much every leading organisation in the world. I work with it permanently in my day job, so Linda and I had a good time discussing how it's going to be implemented over the next few months.

As much as anything it's a big culture change, as it applies good but firm rules to how things are changed and managed in the world of IT. Ultimately, it will prevent costly mistakes, identify systemic problems, track the utilisation of what are expensive assets, and (from the Audit Commission's point of view), introduce an level of control over access to these computing resources on which are held the council's finances.

Well, I've probably bored a few of you, educated another few, and maybe even intrigued a couple. Like most things at the council though, it's the things that live most of their time behind the scenes, that deliver the foundation of the good services we aim to deliver.

Children catch everything - and so do their Dads

I was supposed to be at a finance seminar this evening, but instead I'm realising first hand how easily Dads can catch viruses / colds / .... just about anything in fact, from their children. The doctor calls it a 'post viral' something, and so, with a medical name (even including some latin) my hope of a miracle cure in the vein of Calpol surfaced. But alas. Only a brief comment about it going away in a day or two, and taking some paracetemol if I felt I needed to.

So, I'm at home, about to sleep, and feeling decidedly under the weather. The only good thing to come out of this is that my empathy for parents everywhere has increased.