I've decided I have some pretty extraordinary neighbours. At drinks last night one, not far off the same age as me, unprompted, openly announced to all that she's no intention of ever doing a full day's work in her life ever again! Another, a single Mum, seems on the verge of tears at the moment. She's missing her kids who are away on holiday with their father yet does nothing but complain about them whenever their home as far as I can tell. A third, popped round to the impromptu evening drinks do to inform us that he now holds the world jaffa eating record (five in a minute apparently) before promptly toodling off again (no doubt to see if he can do six).
I have a friend coming over from England on Friday night. I haven't seen him in 20 years. We both badly misbehaved together at Uni and very nearly got thrown out because of each other. I'm wondering how he'll remember our two years of partying, pontificating and prevarication. I can't decide where to take him - to see the standards such as The Giant's Causeway and the Titantic Quarter or somewhere more daring like a 12th bonfire. I've never been to a 12th bonfire and am agonizing over whether you stay away from such spectacles or attend at least one before you're entitled to criticise.
Thursday, 9 July 2009
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
No.100 Investors in People & Investing in Neighbours
Wow! What a day! We had the assessor in today from Investors in People. It was surprisingly nerve racking. But he left promising to recommend us for the award - so jolly nice man if you ask me.
We also spent most of today in two seminars looking at matters relating to performance reviews, objective setting etc with HR consultant Elaine McCann. It's so easy to sit there and think "yes we should do that" and "yes we can easily add this" and "yes this is an area for obvious improvement" when it dawns on you that there's actually a business to run during all of this. Emmmm
Yesterday, the neighbourhood watch scheme kicked in perfectly. I arrived home at about 8p.m. to be told within 5 minutes by neighbour no.1 that a woman from over the road had knocked her door just 5 minutes before to say that she was worried about my house because she saw two guys with a car standing outside by the garage. These were the two Poles who had arrived to attend to the MG (it has swine flu btw - it flew up 7 mile straight on a test drive and the swine broke down halfway).
We don't have an official neighbourhood watch scheme but hey with neighbours like I have who needs one?
Must dash Neighbour No.3 is helping me put up curtains.
We also spent most of today in two seminars looking at matters relating to performance reviews, objective setting etc with HR consultant Elaine McCann. It's so easy to sit there and think "yes we should do that" and "yes we can easily add this" and "yes this is an area for obvious improvement" when it dawns on you that there's actually a business to run during all of this. Emmmm
Yesterday, the neighbourhood watch scheme kicked in perfectly. I arrived home at about 8p.m. to be told within 5 minutes by neighbour no.1 that a woman from over the road had knocked her door just 5 minutes before to say that she was worried about my house because she saw two guys with a car standing outside by the garage. These were the two Poles who had arrived to attend to the MG (it has swine flu btw - it flew up 7 mile straight on a test drive and the swine broke down halfway).
We don't have an official neighbourhood watch scheme but hey with neighbours like I have who needs one?
Must dash Neighbour No.3 is helping me put up curtains.
Monday, 6 July 2009
No.99 Of Twitter Do & Twitter Don't
Had Day 1 of training week today. It seemed to go really well with everyone chipping in ideas and suggestions. It's amazing how far this company has come in terms of its marketing. It's amazing too how much marketing has changed over the past 12 months. From adverts in newspapers & brochures out by snailmail to Website, Facebook & Twitter. When is it all going to settle down I wonder and we can all think "great nothing else now to get our heads around". For me this is all about trying to work out which forms of market/media to back and which to let go. We backed email in 1998 and got that right on the nail with our email service. We're backing Twitter just now and the jury's still out on Facebook. We didn't go with E-learning first time round and that I think that was the right call. LinkedIn was binned too.
Trying desperately to think of an excuse not to go swimming at 9p.m. tonight but nothing occurs just now.
Trying desperately to think of an excuse not to go swimming at 9p.m. tonight but nothing occurs just now.
Sunday, 5 July 2009
No.98 Of Perfect Timing & Imperfect Forecasts
What is it about garages and shops that sell car spares that they just can't do customer service.? On arrival they ignore you whilst you follow them around waiting at least for them to acknowledge your existence on the planet. Then they stare you down almost like it's in the hope that you'll go away and leave them alone. But then oddly, once they've finally engaged you they very helpful....
Yesterday I had a go at the MG. She's coughing and spluttering like she has swine flu. Tim, the neighbour, tells me this is to do with spark plugs which must be replaced. So today I'm off to Nutts Corner market for to buy a socket set to replace four spark inducing vital elements of the engine. "Don't replace them all at the same time cos you'll bugger the timing" Tim assured me. I was about to do just that. His timing was perfect.
Lovely day here so far despite the forecasters promise of rain.
Yesterday I had a go at the MG. She's coughing and spluttering like she has swine flu. Tim, the neighbour, tells me this is to do with spark plugs which must be replaced. So today I'm off to Nutts Corner market for to buy a socket set to replace four spark inducing vital elements of the engine. "Don't replace them all at the same time cos you'll bugger the timing" Tim assured me. I was about to do just that. His timing was perfect.
Lovely day here so far despite the forecasters promise of rain.
Saturday, 4 July 2009
No.97 Of Gribbles & Portmuck
Ha! The plot thickens! On collecting the chairs from the auctions I learnt from one trader that they all thought I was a private buyer out to get just one chair so they didn't bother bidding against me on the first one! On taking the lot when given the option I can see why everyone looked slightly bemused. Best of all when asking the auctioneer where the chairs came from I was told they're from the Law Society! Best of all (mkII) a solicitor contact of mine tells me they were ordered in especially from Italy and are now a collector's piece. This much Google tells me is true. They are matteo grassi chairs and look quite the part both on the Net and in our new conference suite.
Last night I took The Lady Captain for dinner at "Upstairs at Joe's" in Cushendaw. The food was great & the craic too. Somehow we got onto the subject of fish n chips -quite possibly because that's what The Lady Captain ordered (I thought lady captains ate Oysters & Caviar n that sort of thing but it seems I'm wrong). I asked if she ate gribbles as a kid. Gribbles I explained in Devon were the loose bits of batter that were served in a small bag to kids for free along with chips. Doubting that this wasn't a story of nothing but complete puff she bet me £10 there's no such thing and it was agreed that a search on Google would prove it eitherway. And it seems it has. I plan to have a nice veggie pie n chips and a small bottle of wine and gribbles if they have them for my £10.
It's hard to be doubted by the opposite sex but what was particularly galling last night was that on the way home she tried to convince me that there's a place on the coast called Portmuck...
Last night I took The Lady Captain for dinner at "Upstairs at Joe's" in Cushendaw. The food was great & the craic too. Somehow we got onto the subject of fish n chips -quite possibly because that's what The Lady Captain ordered (I thought lady captains ate Oysters & Caviar n that sort of thing but it seems I'm wrong). I asked if she ate gribbles as a kid. Gribbles I explained in Devon were the loose bits of batter that were served in a small bag to kids for free along with chips. Doubting that this wasn't a story of nothing but complete puff she bet me £10 there's no such thing and it was agreed that a search on Google would prove it eitherway. And it seems it has. I plan to have a nice veggie pie n chips and a small bottle of wine and gribbles if they have them for my £10.
It's hard to be doubted by the opposite sex but what was particularly galling last night was that on the way home she tried to convince me that there's a place on the coast called Portmuck...
Thursday, 2 July 2009
No.96 Of Quality, Quality, Quality
Ha! I forgot to mention here the most important thing that has happened this week. On Tuesday Legal-Island hosted a seminar on the DEL Consultation document which talks about (if not proposes) radical changes to employment law as we know it today. This includes scrapping the so called 1,2,3 internal workplace procedures and introducing a form of mediation to resolve disputes at an early pre-litigation stage. There's even mention of the possibility of an Employment Appeals Tribunal in Northern Ireland.
The seminar featured first class quality speakers in the form of George Alexander of Alexander HR, Ciara Dooris of Tughans Solicitors and Johanna Scullion of Deloitte. Our own Scott Alexander also delivered a masterclass as Chair of the day. There's something about delivering a truly quality event. Everyone claims to at least try but when you actually get there it's very gratifying. "Quality, Quality, Quality" is our company motto did you know?
Gratifying too is the thought that I'm ahead this week on my exercise schedule. Today I was late for the early bird swim session by a good 10 minutes. This usually means that I don't get a lane all to myself and I get out after just a few lengths tired of avoiding all the traffic. Today however I calculated that there would be fewer swimmers in the pool on account of the driving rain that somehow would deter people from wanting to get truly wet. I was right. There was almost no-one there when I arrived and I had three lanes all to myself. Risk taking hey?
The seminar featured first class quality speakers in the form of George Alexander of Alexander HR, Ciara Dooris of Tughans Solicitors and Johanna Scullion of Deloitte. Our own Scott Alexander also delivered a masterclass as Chair of the day. There's something about delivering a truly quality event. Everyone claims to at least try but when you actually get there it's very gratifying. "Quality, Quality, Quality" is our company motto did you know?
Gratifying too is the thought that I'm ahead this week on my exercise schedule. Today I was late for the early bird swim session by a good 10 minutes. This usually means that I don't get a lane all to myself and I get out after just a few lengths tired of avoiding all the traffic. Today however I calculated that there would be fewer swimmers in the pool on account of the driving rain that somehow would deter people from wanting to get truly wet. I was right. There was almost no-one there when I arrived and I had three lanes all to myself. Risk taking hey?
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
No.95 Of Bids & Biking to Work
Biked to work today in glorious weather along the river, past the banks of Lough Neagh through Antrim Park and along Lovers' Canal. That's the way to commute! Suddenly I feel the veil of misery lifting!
Last night I attended Wilsons Auctions for to bid on 34 chairs I'd spotted for our new conference centre. Apparently, I discovered earlier you have to bid on chair 1 and if you win it the auctioneer asks if you'd like any of the others at the same price. So I did. I paid £6 for the first and then asked to take the lot! There was much laughter and comments like "great we're all home a lot earlier tonight boys" from the auctioneer's assistant. I haven't quite got the hang of these auctions but turning up and getting the Fool's Pardon did seem to work for me last night.
Ho hum - 8 hours of organising next season's seminars and conferences coming up.
Last night I attended Wilsons Auctions for to bid on 34 chairs I'd spotted for our new conference centre. Apparently, I discovered earlier you have to bid on chair 1 and if you win it the auctioneer asks if you'd like any of the others at the same price. So I did. I paid £6 for the first and then asked to take the lot! There was much laughter and comments like "great we're all home a lot earlier tonight boys" from the auctioneer's assistant. I haven't quite got the hang of these auctions but turning up and getting the Fool's Pardon did seem to work for me last night.
Ho hum - 8 hours of organising next season's seminars and conferences coming up.
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