Wildewire

It has taken two weeks, but I finally feel comfortable that I have not made a mistake inviting my young lodger to stay in my house. Crunch came one night when, as I went to bed, I found myself picking up car keys and a couple of other items to hide them in my room. I was laying in bed unable to sleep so i got up, woke him up- he'd been sleeping on the sofa downstairs and told him that it was bloody obvious there were things he had been keeping from me and as a result I found myself filling in the gaps with all sorts of unpleasant potentials. That conversation ended amicably with him deciding it would be best for him to find his own place in Consett where he was heading when I met him. It was also obvious that he was not (just) getting over drug use, but that he is actually profoundly depressed. It is ironic that my friend who is THE artful dodger had suggested that the lad signed on and played the mental illness card. I of course dismissed this course of action but it is clear th

So... I had my annual review at work. One year since starting and the improvements are obvious- not that I am actually claiming responsibility for all of them, but my contribution is clear. However: I am NO better off personally than I was when I started: I am still in as much debt and to cap it all, I find myself having to defer to people in superior positions who I think can barely do their jobs to do things I have done habitually for years... But then; they probably discovered before me that there is no actual point in excelling in a local authority job unless your ambition is to climb that particular greasy pole. Do well, and the most you might expect is a positive comment on your permanent file. -How thrilling. And, what more can one expect when working for public money?... A wage commensurate with the job would be nice. Liberation may have come in the shape of a grant offering up to £50,000 for running costs of eligible projects I discovered. I found our Leadgate Engine Shed

So, things have changed at the project I've been supporting for the last three  years: the owner of the building has indicated that she needs to sell it and will still sell it to the charity I have been trying to help set up anonymously - for MUCH less than she could get from a developer . Now, its chocs away and we're off! This is NOT the way I wanted it to happen, but needs must and we've decided to risk a (hopefully) quick crowd-funding campaign to buy the building: Save the Leadgate Engine Shed  It is very much at the "preview" stage: I accidentally made it "live" when I was trying to send the link to a potential "Lead Donor". So what you see there is work in progress, it will be completed when the drone footage a supporter shot today (in uncharacteristic glorious sunshine!) and the recorded comments from local people are edited and uploaded, I think the project will be irresistible. The amount of support for the project is growing an