Admin and Prep

Well, at least I found my passport! -It was where it was supposed to be too; in a file with alphabet pockets where I keep all sorts of stuff. Of course I'd looked there before, it has been about 7 months since I "mislaid" it when all the time it was hiding under a piece of folded paper. -Which is good because, with all the uncertainty about Brexit and the Brits "taking back" their black passports I didn't want to be forking out for a new one if it was going to change in a short while. On the plus side: every cupboard, draw or conceivable hiding place has been scrutinised and reorganised during my hunt for the travel doc. I need it to take to my new employer to prove that I have the right to work here! I've got a 60 mile round trip tomorrow to hand it and my certificates over to be photocopied. On the down side, I can't find my degree so contacted my university to get them to send me a registered letter saying I graduated with the grade I claim- but then it turns out that the person specification didn't actually ask for a degree so they'll let me off that which is just as well as its likely to take ten days for the university to send the letter.

I had an irritating start to the day when a 'friend'... someone I know through someone else posted a film of some American Redneck "speaking on behalf of all white people" taking it upon himself to "educate black people" that not all whites are racist and black people should get over slavery because "it was a long time ago" and nobody alive today was responsible. I was aghast. I wrote a response, the jist of which was about America being LITERALLY built on the backs of enslaved Africans after the genocide of the original inhabitants and that anyone who thought that there is a level playing field for black people in America is being willfully blind. -But the comments were blocked which made me quite angry: if you're going to post ignorant shit so boldly you should be willing to be challenged on it!

I finally finished the draft of the constitution for changing our Community Interest Company into a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Dealing with the Charity Commission is always a trial and things seem to have become more complicated since I last drafted a charity constitution. Its a government website with links that don't actually 'go' anywhere and leave you traipsing around in cyber circles. But it is done now and I've sent it to my Co Directors- I doubt any of them will break the habit of NOT looking at the stuff I send them lol but I will give them till mid next week before sending it to someone at Newcastle Council for Voluntary Service for his suggestions before I send it off. The Charity Commission WILL send it back at least once! I thought it was just me but I was once in a room with other voluntary sector administrators and I confessed that I'd never managed to get a charity registered without two or three rejections by the Charity Commission. It turned out that everyone else had had the same experience.

I've got another CIO constitution to write and a Trust Deed to launch a trust to raise money to buy the building my friend has been developing. It looks like £250k will be enough to buy it and make it watertight- unless the owner changes her mind I suppose. She made it clear she wants me to have nothing to do with it, but I am supporting my friend to a point where he has the papers he needs and a good group of people around him to make it work. It has been a bit frustrating to have had all this time in the last seven months but not to feel able to give the practical support my friend needs.

I confess that I' feeling quite drained at the moment, but I am having good ideas about the new job. I just need them to relinquish the details I need so I can get a good understanding of the way the place currently operates before I can come up with ways of turning around an £80k annual loss. I should be able to start by the end of the month.