AFVS

Sometimes I have to write difficult e-mails. Millie had me up at 5.30am today, when she’s gotta go, she’s gotta go; she makes this abundantly clear. Climbing back into bed I decided it was time to tackle that tricky e-mail that had been keeping me awake into the small hours. So, firing up my laptop and my brain I make a start....

How to Confront Sometimes I have to write difficult e-mails. Millie had me up at 5.30am today, when she’s gotta go, she’s gotta go; she makes this abundantly clear. Climbing back into bed I decided it was time to …

Many years ago, I was part of a church leadewrship team in Essex, In the office we had a young lady who worked hard and took care of much of the admin. What I never forgot was her tactic of how she would deal with any request from one of us to take on a task that was way more than she had time to handle....

Listening to my Life – Learning to say No Many years ago, I was part of a church leadewrship team in Essex, In the office we had a young lady who worked hard and took care of much of the admin. What I never forgot was her tactic of how she…

In my early years working in an office I had the misfortune to work for a manager who was everything you didn't want him to be. He was dull, petty, spiteful; if he picked you up on a mistake, and in my case, that was all too often, he'd lecture you at length, making it clear how useless you were and how you'd never amount to anything....

Listening to my Life: My Anti-Mentor, the Horrible Manager In my early years working in an office I had the misfortune to work for a manager who was everything you didn’t want him to be. He was dull, petty, spiteful; if he picked you up on a mistake,…

Now we're allowed out to play we've been spending time catching up with offspring and their offspring in various parts of the country. Recently up in Essex with family we were introduced to a young lady, the girlfriend of one of our grandchildren. She wore shorts over fishnet tights and had a ring through her nose. Her hair was a delicate shade of green going into turquoise to match her top....

What’s a Christian? Now we’re allowed out to play we’ve been spending time catching up with offspring and their offspring in various parts of the country. Recently up in Essex with family we were introduce…

“To love someone long-term is to attend a thousand funerals of the people they used to be. The people they’re too exhausted to be any longer. The people they don’t recognize inside themselves anymore. The people they grew out of, the people they never ended up growing into. We so badly want the people we love to get their spark back when it burns out; to become speedily found when they are lost....

To Love Someone Long-term… “To love someone long-term is to attend a thousand funerals of the people they used to be. The people they’re too exhausted to be any longer. The people they don’t recognize inside themselves anymo…

In my efforts to simplify my life I'm getting rid of some hundreds of books. I can only do this reasonably successfully when Anita works alongside me, for reasons you can probably imagine. We'd filled a Gousto box, (long story for another day), and I was about to start filling a second box when I came across a small dusty red book of poems; I was immediately undone....

What Went You Forth to Find? In my efforts to simplify my life I’m getting rid of some hundreds of books. I can only do this reasonably successfully when Anita works alongside me, for reasons you can probably imagine. We…

"Poor naked wretches, whereso'er you are, That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm, How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides, Your looped and windowed raggedness, defend you From seasons such as these? " (King Lear Act 3 Scene 4.) When these words were first spoken, The nation was being rocked by bubonic plague with London losing probably a fifth of its population....

“Come Dear Heart, Lean on me, Let us Walk This Path Together.” “Poor naked wretches, whereso’er you are, That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm, How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides, Your looped and windowed raggednes…

Still on the theme of pressing the pause button as we come out of lockdown. (My life is generally in transition right now and it may be a lot easier for me to pause than for many readers.) How has pausing impacted me? Today we paused to chat with our local park keeper. He pointed out high up in a tree, a green woodpecker’s nest....

Courage, Dear Heart Still on the theme of pressing the pause button as we come out of lockdown. (My life is generally in transition right now and it may be a lot easier for me to pause than for many readers.) How has …

Running a Ruler over Your Charity My last blog gently encouraged us to press the pause button as we come out of lockdown. I meant every word at the time and still do, but I probably need to revert to my usual grumpy self or my frie…

My last blog gently encouraged us to press the pause button as we come out of lockdown. I meant every word at the time and still do, but I probably need to revert to my usual grumpy self or my friends might start to worry about me. So this time I'm writing about charities year end accounts. For most charities it’s that time of year when trustees and executive have to get their annual accounts completed and signed off....

Running a Ruler over Your Charity My last blog gently encouraged us to press the pause button as we come out of lockdown. I meant every word at the time and still do, but I probably need to revert to my usual grumpy self or my frie…

One of my favourite TV series features 2 antique specialists given a couple of hundred pounds on a Monday to see who can turn the biggest profit by Friday. We join them as they travel the country hunting bargains, and auctioning them off. Sometimes they do well, digging out bargains; other times they pick losers. More fun I think than Bargain Hunt where 2 teams of amateurs have an hour at an antique fair to see who can make the most money when their finds are auctioned; generally the winning team is the one that loses the least....

Prayer Hunter One of my favourite TV series features 2 antique specialists given a couple of hundred pounds on a Monday to see who can turn the biggest profit by Friday. We join them as they travel the country h…

Some years ago I did some work with a Baptist minister who had got himself rather tucked up. The church ran a pre-school. It was growing quickly and a decision was made to spin it off into an independent charity. At that stage they should have got advice, which would have pointed them to a CIO, which gives the protection of limited liability if things go wrong....

Trustees in Trouble Some years ago I did some work with a Baptist minister who had got himself rather tucked up. The church ran a pre-school. It was growing quickly and a decision was made to spin it off into an indep…