Wildewire

I work for a community centre that was once a large school. Much of the school was demolished when it was closed but the site remains; ringed by a sturdy fence. The site is used only once a year; for the Bonfire Night Celebration which last year attracted 4,700 people. As the manager I felt it was a poor use of this resource to use it only once a year so I hatched plans for outdoor events.  The first additional event we're hosting is a funfair. I've aspirationally christened it "The Cowgate Carnival" because next year I want more of a programme going on with parades and performances etc.  The weather has been a bitch! We've had rain, sleet, hail, snow all on one day several days this week, though after a shaky start, its has been a nice day. We've not exactly been overrun with punters, but it does feel like it has been worthwhile. Whether the funfair people are making enough to justify their participation is another thing, but they said they're willing

My last post mentions some irritations with my job.... The people for whom I work are the nicest I've served for a long time. Until VERY recently, I have felt valued and very positive about being here and about what I have been doing. Unfortunately, I work for a charity, bound by charity law. Unfortunately, after a year of work, it has been discovered that my job is outside the 'Charitable Objects' of the organisation and therefore illegal [technically].  This revelation understandably sent the Board of Trustees into a bit of a flap. They began talking about "mission drift" and the whole raft of decisions that brought the organisation to the building I manage for them have been questioned. Since then, I have been marginalised. I expect my boss to be shocked by me saying that, but I will point to the fact that I haven't been invited to meetings or included in emails etc pretty much since the board meeting where I shared these problems. Consequently, the

I wrote a series of posts when I was at the Albion Faeries' spring event at Featherstone Castle. Here's one... I drove a guy  here on Saturday who  I’d met through theatre and Facebook but he had to go back to work so I drive him back today. -It’s a 45 minute journey.   He is coming back on Thursday, I’ll be collecting him from Haltwhistle station. When I dropped him off I had no desire to “pop in” at home- if I’d seen anything upsetting it would have influenced my holiday! I did contemplate going over to Garry’s but when I called him he kept saying he was in Chester Le Street (as if I should know why and what he was doing there etc). I drove through Cowgate and stopped off to have the car cleaned. – Last time from those bastards! I think they’re Eastern Europeans and middle eastern geezers and I think they give not as good a service as they do their white clients! Passing Acomb on the way back to the castle I had this burst of anger and very nearly turned off to m

I was getting into blogging till someone who reads this blog complained about something and I thought "fuck it"! This is a hard one for me: I want to write about what happens to me in my life but just keeping names out of posts isn't enough when people recognise themselves in them. The particular person in question has ALWAYS been incredibly certain that everyone on the planet is deeply interested in their business and trying to find out what is going on with them. They're particularly keen that various people don't know what's happening for them, whilst I don't give a shit... Someone getting my bank accounts etc would be upsetting (less so since I've invested into my company the last of the money I inherited from the sale of my mother's house: so the bank account is bare) but generally, I have little to hide. The knack is not to do things I'd be embarrassed being discovered... I do indulge in something that could get me on the wrong side o