Bob's penultimate blog entry!

It’s 21 September and I am sitting in the study typing my long overdue blog entry. Nothing unusual in that you might think other than the fact I should be in Berlin by now as I enter the last 10 days of my presidency. To cut a long story short, having left home at 5am to get the 7.45am from Luton to Berlin, I stood in the easijet queue only to discover to my horror that although I had a passport with me, wasn’t mine. As a result, I have had to delay my journey to one of my final events of my year which is attending the IPTI conference being held at the Canadian Embassy until tomorrow.

So having taken in the final day of the Ryder Cup, I will drive myself this time (J had to come back to fetch me this morning) at 3am (or in 13 hours time to be more precise) back to Luton to try again. Thankfully no tv cameras were following the crew so I will not be needing to relive this unfortunate but embarrassing gaffe which I cannot blame anyone but myself for !!!!

Oh well, having confessed all I shall pen my penultimate entry in my blog in what has been an incredibly busy but great last month

Monday 19 August 2008 – Sunday 24 August 2008

I drive with J up to Manchester where we have a meeting about the Performance Awards night and iron out hopefully the last remaining issues. The venue is great and hopefully it will live up to what has become one of the most looked forward to night in the Institute’s calendar. I am sure no one will be disappointed and as at yesterday numbers stood at just under 900. Back by 4pm, I nip into work to do an early evening shift picking up Louis from his weekly rock band session on the way home

I have a full week of meetings at work over the week including a partnership one in Coventry on the Friday, and it is my last real working week of any great substance before I finish in the first week of October so it is plenty of early starts and late finishes which works out well as I come home each day to see the progress the decorators who started this week are making on painting the whole house from top to bottom.

However, its not all work and no play and on the Wednesday along with a few of the guys from the facilities department at work, we knock off at 5 and have a round of golf at the local club. I will definitely be joining next year when hopefully I will have more free time than I know what to do with and my handicap will hopefully improve !!! With my partner, we win the match (and the drinks) on the 18th in torrential weather (hardly a balmy summer's evening) as promised

Saturday is spent sorting out a few things for the wedding, and making a few visits to the family to prove I am still alive and we take everyone out for a meal in the evening to celebrate Julie’s mums birthday. Having earned sufficient brownie points, I go into work all day on the Sunday determined to get on top of everything before taking Louis and his mate out for a meal to celebrate his forthcoming birthday that we will miss as we are out of the country.

Monday 25 August 2008 – Thursday 28 August 2008

Monday is spent sorting out a few things in readiness for the charity event I start at the end of the week and sorting out my tax return and talk I am giving at the Scottish Conference the following week in Crieff. Whilst the Council is closed on the Tuesday, I go in for the day as J is in work and to get out of the way of the decorators.

Spend Wednesday and Thursday in a variety of meetings, one with a rep from the Tell Us Once project, some in pulling together ICT strategies going forward and others with members leaving fairly late and my out of office messages updated as I am not around for the next two and a half weeks (albeit I do nip on the Friday after playing the first round of four on my charity tour of Ryder Cup venues at 4pm as I failed to get everything done as I needed).

So to my second Charity Event of the Year which proved to be absolutely brilliant and will raise another £3000 or more for the air ambulance.

Friday 29 August 2008 – Monday 1 September 2008

Played over 4 days and courtesy of the the very kind support of sponsors, Equita, Paul Sharpe and I led our rival teams which changed each day around the country playing past and forthcoming Ryder Cup venues over 4 days in 3 different countries starting on Friday 29th August 2008 at the Belfry situated in Bob's own North Warwickshire area, on Saturday 30th August 2008 at the Celtic Manor near Newport, on Sunday 31st August 2008, at West Lancashire on the North West coast and concluding on Monday 1st September 2008 on the Kings Course at Gleneagles.

Although not part of the event, I also played on Tuesday 2nd September at the Crieff Golf Club at the Institute’s Scottish Conference Golf Event which takes place on the day before its 2 day Scottish conference.

The Friday as is always the case in North Warwickshire was balmy and warm, and the Mayor and management of the Belfry came to see us off at 9.30am resplendent in our team colours for the day of white and green. See the pictures. The course played very long and tough being set up for a forthcoming professional tournament which made the going tough for some and impossible for most. In some parts the rough was so high we weren’t just searching for balls but also Paul’s and my playing partners, Barry Powell and David Magor !. The other four ball of Steve Glaze and last year's President Allan Traynor for Team IRRV and Rob Andrews and Paul Ellicott faired little better looking at the result of the game

In true Ryder Cup style we were playing for the honour of winning a point (and a drink) across two games and after a hard fought first day, honours were even at 1 point each with the results as follows with Mr Sharpe taking the bottle of champagne for the best stableford score of the day

Day One - The Belfry

Sharpe/Powell(B) v Trahern/Magor : Lost 3 & 1 : 1

Andrews/Ellicott v Glaze/Traynor : Won 7&6 : 1

Day Two, saw us descend on the Celtic Manor, just outside Newport on a gloriously hot day where IRRV donned the green and Equita, the Red to celebrate being in the principality. David Magor was stood down for the day (at his age, 4 days golf is beyond him) and Alaln Traynor and myself were joined by Andy Cummings who bid the highest pledge of £200 for the place at the annual association golf day in Worksop and Paul Ellicott, playing for the IRRV this time who had won his place by donating money via the website. Paul was joined by his colleague Paul Walker, and Roy Jones, who won his place via the raffle at the Equita golf day and John Hewitson, Chairman of the Association reps and a fellow West Midlander who won his place in the raffle at Worskop.

As is always the case, no two days are the same in golf and I gained revenge for the previous days defeat by partnering Allan to victory over Paul and John. The other game with my big hitters (who had tucked into two monumental fry ups before the start) Andy and Paul failed to turn weight and carbohydrate advantage into success

Day Two - The Celtic Manor

Sharpe/Hewitson v Trahern/Traynor : Won 3&2 : 1

Walker/Jones v Cummings/Ellicott : Lost 2&1 : 1

I found the fresh air of Wales to my liking and walked off with the best score of the day and with the game poised at 2 points each, it was all to play for a the mid point stage. Back home by 9pm, a long soak in the bath and it was up early to pack up the car for the last two courses and everything needed for the Scottish Conference.

Day Three and Sunday brought rain and a lot of it although skies cleared a little as we drove up the M6 to Liverpool and West Lancs golf club which we had been threatened would be a challenge as the winds blew in off the Irish sea. Call it luck of the Irish but half an hour before our lunchtime tee off time the skies cleared, the rain stopped and the winds were bought a mild breeze, as benign as you could hope for.

Sunday saw me partnered by fellow Council Member, Dave Chapman who was a rock on the day and Paul by Graham Sayers, from the Lancs and Cheshire Association. The second fourball saw the dreamteam of Magor and Traynor take on Richard Mason, from the Lancs and Cheshire Association and Dave Powell, Barry’s brother, who won the opportunity to play at the Worksop raffle.

In what was a nip and tuck game, Team Equita in Blue got the better of Team IRRV in red, by winning the day one and a half to a half with there never being more than one hole either way between Paul and Graham and Dave and myself and after 18 holes we shared the spoils. Richard Mason produced the form in the second game bringing Team Equita home 3&2 meaning that Monday still meant the trophy could go either way. Graham Sayers walked off with the bottle of champagne for good measure.

Day Three - West Lancs

Sharpe/Sayers v Trahern/Chapman : All Square : 0.5 : 0.5

Mason/Powell (D) : Lost 3&2 : 1

Leaving the club at 8pm, and having completed the 5 hour drive up to Crieff via Burger King and Edinburgh airport to drop Allan off to pick up his car, I’m afraid the early mist didn’t give way to the sunshine the course deserved and we teed it off in torrential rain, with IRRV wearing the blue of Scotland and Equita, the white of the St Andrew's Cross.

The King's Course at Gleneagles of all the courses we played exceeded even our highest expectations and I was joined in my team by David McLaughlin, partner at Scott and Co who kindly donated the two tee off times and went into battle against Paul who was joined by Richard Mather from Birmingham CC who won the opportunity to play by winning the raffle at the Equita golf day.

The second fourball that went off half an hour before we did had the rain for the first 7 holes which saw Allan Traynor joined by Colin Naylor who won the opportunity in Worksop and Mike Corless form Equita by Richards wife, Denise

By hole 4, the sun had peeped through giving way to some unbelievable scenery making the halfway house refreshments taste all the better. In another unbelievably tight game, the game between Paul and Richard and David and I was halved on the last in a game that once gain never saw more than a couple of holes between the two teams and a well fought for half point meaning it was down to Team IRRV to bring the spoils home in the other game to square the match.

However, it proved a step to far and Mike and Denise proved too good on the day (and there is no truth in the rumor that Mike Corless insisted in playing off the reds to keep his partner company). We did have the consolation of David McLaughlin winning the individual prize on a countback from Richard Mather.

Day Four – Gleneagles

Sharpe/Mather.R. v Trahern/McLoughlan : All Square : 0.5 : 0.5

Corless/Mather.D. v Traynor/Naylor : Lost 4&2 : 1

Final Score

Team IRRV 3 points

Team Equita 5 points

What an experience and we shared many tales over a glass or wine or two long into the night.

My thanks to Equita for their sponsorship of what was a great event (Paul can we do it again next year please even though I am not President!) and it is still not too late to get involved. You can still donate money and may win yourself the opportunity to win a fabulous stay at the Forest of Arden Golf Club

How can you donate money?

I would ask that you donate a minimum of £3 (more if you can spare it) by pledging the amount via the website www.justgiving.com/bobtrahern.

Alternatively, if you do not like to enter debit card details online, you can send me a cheque payable to R Trahern at 7 Walnut Drive, Mancetter, Atherstone and I will raise one cheque at the end of my presidential year to my chosen charity, the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance which is a fantastic course (oops I mean cause !)

By supporting me and the air ambulance, as a special bonus you could win yourself a night for two at the luxurious Forest of Arden Hotel in the heart of North Warwickshire by guessing the total number of stableford points that will be scored by the 2 teams over the 4 days (i.e.) 32 players will on average score anything between 15 and 36 points each, therefore achieving a minimum of 320 points and a maximum of 1152 points. Just make a guess at a number between these two figures and who knows, you could be lucky!

For a £5 pledge, you can have 2 guesses and for £10, five guesses. Whoever guesses the nearest or is spot on (in the event of a tie we will select one person out of a hat) will win. Guesses should be sent to me at bobtrahern@northwarks.gov.uk and will be announced at the IRRV conference on 2 October.

Many thanks in anticipation of any support you can give.

Tuesday 2 September 2008 – Friday 5 September 2008

Up early on Tuesday to put the finishing touches to my paper for Wednesday and do some work in terms of answering e mails, the weather was dry for the pre conference golf competition sponsored by IBS held at Crieff. Well into the groove, my game held together and although blowing up on the last few holes (the 86th to 90th fairways were obviously a step too far), my 32 points saw me take home 3rd prize to cap off a great 5 days for me

As is traditional the stories of putts missed and made were discussed long into the night at the local curry house before rising bright and early the next day to open up the conference with a paper majoring on the current issues facing Scotland which are dominated by the Local Income Tax debate.

The conference as always is very well attended and I take in the performance awards village where all Scottish entrants are sharing their good practice and have the very enjoyable task of presenting successful students with their level 3 certificates. See picture of all candidates below.

The evening is spent in traditional Scottish style with Scottish dancing after a great meal before retiring to the bar and going to bed much too late as I need to be on the road by mid morning in order to drive the 380 miles or so home as I need to repack bags as J and I are attending the IAAO conference being held in Amercia which traditionally is one of the last events in any Presidential year.

Friday 5 September 2008 – 16 September 2008

This year the conference was held in Reno in Nevada and we decided to add a few days onto the end of the event to take in the sights and sounds of Las Vegas. When I booked the flights, I always make sure I get the best deal when not always thinking through some of the logistics. So in order to get the 10am direct flight on Virgin from Gatwick, we are at Coventry bus station by 3am to get the earliest flightlink down to Gatwick, then a 11 hour flight before we had a planned 5 hour wait at the other end before boarding a planned 90 minute flight to Phoenix then changing to fly to a further hour onto Nevada. In the end because of delays having waited at LV airport for 6 hours we ended up going via San Francisco and arriving in the hotel in Reno just gone midnight, or some 32 hours later !!!! Not that you would know it was midnight as the place is packed with people playing the one arm bandits and tables. Straight to bed for the two of us and we spend Saturday afternoon crashed by the pool in nearly 100-degree heat. Alright if you go as tanned as J, less good if you go a initially a shade of pink like me !!

Sunday, I am up at 5.30am and on board a bus with 50 other Americans to play in the pre conference golf match (you can see a theme developing here). We arrive, and my hire clubs are all packed on the buggy and as good as what I carry at home. In England if you rented any left handed clubs, I dread to think what you would get. 10 minutes on the practice range, we head off in the buggy for the shotgun start and even at 8am it is creeping up to the mid 70’s. Played as teams in a better ball format, my American partners have great faith in me as I chip in for a two on the par 3 signature hole located on an island surrounded by a great lake for which a hole in one carries a holiday to Hawaii (somewhat better than we are used too). I never quite reach the dizzy heights of that start again as the weather crept up into the 90’s until the last hole when I put my tee shot to 10ft 6inches on the 187 yard par 3 12th and win the nearest the pin competition. I make it onto the leader board back at the bbq held at the conclusion of the golf (see picture) and win a signed photograph of Shaun Micheel ! (I didn’t know him either but apparently he won a major in the states 3 years ago).

Back by 4pm for a refreshing dip and we meet up with David and Liz who arrived during the day and attend the drinks reception in the evening at a car musuem.

The conference starts on the Monday with the national anthem and opening sessions at 8.00am (perhaps we should introduce that here) and over a 1000 delegates choose from a mind-boggling number of plenary sessions to attend over the following 3 days. I attend a variety stretching from valuation to the imaginatively titled session “How to get the best out of your flip flop staff”.

We are joined by fellow Northern Ireland IAAO and Council member, Alan Bronte and are invited to a number of special events laid on by the IAAO president and for international guests where we are joined with our friends from SUMA in Spain who are also at the event giving a paper.

We leave Reno on the Wednesday afternoon having had a great time and arrive in Las Vegas by night flying in over the views of the millions of lights that line the strip.

Our time in Vegas is short but we cram as much in as possible although gambling is not one of them betting only 3 dollars on the one cent one armed bandits. We visit all the big hotels, take in some shopping and do a day at the Grand Canyon but in truth after such a busy and hectic year, I take the opportunity to relax by the pool and catch some rays. Leaving on the Monday afternoon, we arrive back in Gatwick early on Tuesday morning and on time only for our flightlink bus to be delayed (sods law).

Back home, bags are unpacked and we try and sleep off the effects of any jet lag (unsuccessfully) as we are both back at work on the Wednesday

Wednesday 17 September 2008 – Sunday 21 September 2008

My car is collected for a pre-arranged service first thing and I am in work by 9am as I have to prepare for a meeting of the portfolio group for which I am the lead officer. Thankfully I am bang up to date with my e-mails as I was answering them on my right arm, the blackberry when away. The rest of the day is spent catching up with various managers and staff and my boss in terms of a monthly meeting we have.

Spend most of Thursday in Coventry agreeing actions and milestones as our shared service arrangements are now beginning to bed in before returning to work.

Friday is similarly spent in a series of meetings before I come home to take in the real Ryder Cup which has started today in ernest.

In early on Saturday to get some minutes written and some documents I have promised by deadlines before getting home mid afternoon for another 8 hours in front of the tv, the last match finishing just gone midnight leaving me four hours before getting up again for what was my abortive journey to Luton. Serves me right for packing my bag during commercial breaks but one thing is for sure I won’t do it again and my bag is ready to go in the morning, with the correct passport correctly stowed away.

Oh well better sign off. It’s now 4pm and the singles matches will start shortly. Just time to send in this to Fraser (sorry for any spelling mistakes, I haven’t the will to read the 7 pages I have typed) and a few other e mails into work.

Hopefully see you all in Manchester (and for some of you at the pre conference golf event at Reddish Vale on the Monday !!!!!)

Take Care,

Bob

Latest photographs ... bit of a golfing theme!

Bob's Letter from America!

Bob is in the USA on IRRV business just now but he'd like everyone to know that the Charity Golf (President's Challenge sponsored by Equita) was very successful.

It is not too late to donate to the charitable effort ... the winner of one night break to be announced at IRRV Annual Conference.

And some further photos from Scottish Conference ...

Slightly higher quality than the last lot (the professional photographer took these!)

Above : Bob addresses Conference

Above : Bob and Hillary Kelly (Scottish Association President) with successful IRRV students who were presented with their certificates at IRRV Scottish Conference 2008

Above : Bob with Scottish Performance Award Winners (Argyll & Bute Council) in the Scottish Awards Village

Some photographs from IRRV Scottish Conference 2008

Above : Scottish Conference in session!Above : "Achievement for Scotland" Awards Village set-up
Above : Bob officially opens the Conference Exhibition

Above : During Bob's speech opening the Conference Exhibition

Brief video of Scottish Conference Ceilidh!

A couple of recent photographs!

Above : Julie and I and David Sabacchi from the VOA who tutored me in valuation many years ago !
Above : Roger Messenger (Chair of the Valuation Faculty Board), Mary Hardman (VOA and Fellow Council Member) and me

Bob's latest update!

Monday 21 July 2008 – Sunday 27 July 2008

After a couple of hours in work on the Monday, drive up to Crewe where the West Mids team are playing its annual match against our Lancs and Cheshire counterparts. On what is a hard fought afternoon played in good spirit and good weather, we come second out of two which levels up the score at 4 of all the games played over the last 8 years.

Tuesday is spent in work in the morning, and at a CRM partnership meeting in Warwick in the afternoon before returning to work for a late session into the night.

My diary for the rest of the week or so will be a little vague as I am out and about with David undertaking performance award inspections which is something I look forward to every year as it gives me a chance to visit the some of the best examples of good practice in the UK and learn. As I write, the panel has recently met in London to agree the finalists which does see a few Councils we visit being eliminated at this point proving the rigour we attach to the visits and proves that to make the final is a massive achievement. As such I will not expand too much on where we have been but needless to say over the 10 days of visits I have driven over 2,500 miles (and all without a sat nav!)

Wednesday, sees me up at 4am to drop J and Louis at the airport as they are off to Spain to see our grandson but me regrettably staying behind in this very busy year for me. Don’t go back to bed and do a few hours e-mailing before setting off to a Midland location for an early meeting and Lincolnshire in the afternoon. We travel in separate cars as I need to return to home for a late evening meeting which means I don’t get to bed much before midnight and am back up again by 4am as I need to travel back up to the North East for two further visits meeting up with David just in time for breakfast at his hotel.

Travel back home early evening in the 80 degree heatwave we are experiencing (sods law as am stuck in the car) arriving back at just gone 9pm and straight to bed as I am up for an early morning in work before leaving at lunchtime for the long journey down to Canterbury for the South Eastern dinner in the evening. Call into a local college on the way in Coventry we are thinking of using for our IRRV certificate course from October. Having made excellent progress everything grinds to a halt on the M25 behind caravans and lorries heading for Dover meaning I arrive at Broome Park as people are gathering for pre drinks. A quick change sees me joining them before a very enjoyable evening hosted by SE President Andrew Stevens and sole sponsor, Chris Rundle. It was lovely to be able to award a certificate of service to recently retired and SE stalwart Jim Coules. The evening ends with a casino night and for some a “ghost walk” around the old house which I pass on preferring a game of snooker with Allan Traynor.

Up at the crack of dawn I am away to avoid the holiday traffic and get me home early where I spend the day partly working, partly relaxing and doing a quick house tidy as I am away when J returns on Tuesday. Up nearly, I do some reading for the forthcoming week’s visits before David arrives just after midday and we repack my car and set off on a long 9-hour but picturesque journey to Scotland. They save us some dinner to put in the microwave before I hit the sack.

Monday 28 July 2008 – Sunday 3 August 2008

Up early, we do our visit before driving 3 hours around the lochs of Scotland to our hotel and an early evening game of golf. We do two visits on the Tuesday both to Councils north of the border before driving back south arriving at our next destination in Lancashire just after 9pm. A quick late dinner and we are up early the next morning for our final visit before heading across to Rawstenhall where we get our heads together, agree our thoughts before meeting up with Dave Chapman for a game of golf in the evening as we are guests of Rossendales in their golf day on the Thursday.

The golf pretty much matches the weather, mixed, although my team celebrate its afternoon success over dinner before we set off on the journey home arriving back in the Midlands by 11pm, I work from home on the Friday before spending the afternoon with my sister and her kids who shortly go back to the USA after their 4 week annual holiday in the UK.

Pop into work for half day on the Saturday and the rest of the weekend just catching up on day-to-day run of the mill stuff be it institute or other.

Monday 4 August 2008 – Sunday 10 August 2008

Back into work on the Monday through to Wednesday catching up with a series of meetings both in and out of the office with a number of partners which are wide ranging from evaluation of a couple of pilots we have been asked to get involved in by the DWP, developing and costing some outreach customer service options and catching up with my managers to catch up on where we are in terms of service plan commitments. They have been truly magnificent to date in running their services without my constant drive (or is it interference)

Thursday is spent in a series of meetings in London with the SIA and DWP before catching up with Gary to sort out some conference details. I walk up to Waitrose in the evening for a sandwich, some ice cream and strawberries (you can see I go for convenience over cordon bleu when it comes to fending for myself) and I spend a night in front of the television as I am “shattered” (gone are the days of real hard living stuff!).

After an early morning meeting on Friday, the performance awards panel meets for most of the day. See the special section of the website announcing the finalists for Manchester 2008. Congratulations to everyone who has been taken through as a finalist, and I look forward to seeing everyone in Manchester . Back on the train by 5pm which is delayed part journey for a few hours allowing me to catch up with e mails and some reading.

Spend Saturday in work and sorting out a few jobs I have not had chance to do around the house and in all honesty being a real couch potato as I enjoy a weekend of sport with the Olympics, cricket and golf all featuring.

Monday 11 August 2008 – Sunday 18 August 2008

On the early train down to London for a series of meetings initially with the MoJ and in the afternoon to finalise the syllabus changes to next years certificate course and 3 days of internal meetings and working from home for a morning as I have to wait in for a Reebok engineer to call to repair the exercise bike recently delivered which hopefully will see me lose some of the extra weight I have put on over the last year in time for the wedding ! .

Friday is spent in London working against that agenda by hosting staff from the VOA for a lunch hosted by the President each year which is a very enjoyable affair. See pictures courtesy of Paul Sanderson who is never without his camera.

Less than 6 weeks to go and counting.

If you haven’t already, get your booking in for Manchester as it promises to be better than ever with the programmes all confirmed so hope to see you all there.

Also if you feel inclined it would be great if anyone wishes to sponsor me in my last charity event of the year which starts on the 29 August and incorporates 4 days of golf on some of the best courses in England, Scotland and Wales along with Equita who are sponsoring the event. It will only cost you a minimum of £3 so read on

By making a minimum donation of £3 could see you win an all expenses night away at the very luxurious Forest of Arden Golf Club in Meriden including a game of golf and dinner for 2. A great prize worth over £350.

To date through various events and the very kind support of EQUITA on my final event, we have already raised over £5,000 which will keep the air ambulance which wholly relies on charitable donations to serve the busiest networks of motorway in Europe going for just over a say. It is a great cause so hopefully you will dig deep my following the instructions below

IRRV /EQUITA CHARITY GOLF CHALLENGE

Following the sinking of the IRRV raft in my first attempt to raise money for my chosen charity, the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance in July we raised over £1500.

A successful IRRV Association golf day at Worksop Golf Club raised over £1,000 and the raffling of an England signed cricket shirt (won by Mike Shaw), raised over £600.

The final leg of my charity fundraising will see me team up with one of the IRRV leading sponsors, Equita who are again supporting the President of the day in their aim to raise money for two charities, mine and the “Big C”, in memory of Brian Dale.

This will involve two teams of 4 players one representing Equita and one, the IRRV playing past and forthcoming Ryder Cup venues over 4 days in 3 different countries starting on Friday 29th August 2008 at the Belfry situated in Bob's own North Warwickshire area, on Saturday 30th August 2008 at the Celtic Manor near Newport, on Sunday 31st August 2008, at West Lancashire on the North West coast and concluding on Monday 1st September 2008 on the Kings Course at Gleneagles. Although not part of the event, Bob will also play on Tuesday 2nd September at the Crieff Golf Club at the Institute’s Scottish Conference Golf Event which takes place on the day before its 2 day Scottish conference.

How can you donate money? I would ask that you donate a minimum of £3 (more if you can spare it) by pledging the amount via the website www.justgiving.com/bobtrahern.

Alternatively, if you do not like to enter debit card details online, you can send me a cheque payable to R Trahern at 7 Walnut Drive, Mancetter, Atherstone and I will raise one cheque at the end of my presidential year to my chosen charity, the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance which is a fantastic course (oops I mean cause !).

By supporting me and the air ambulance, as a special bonus you could win yourself a night for two at the luxurious Forest of Arden hotel in the heart of North Warwickshire by guessing the total number of stableford points that will be scored by the 2 teams over the 4 days (i.e.) 32 players will on average score anything between 15 and 36 points each, therefore achieving a minimum of 320 points and a maximum of 1152 points. Just make a guess at a number between these two figures and who knows, you could be lucky!

For a £5 pledge, you can have 2 guesses and for £10, five guesses. Whoever guesses the nearest or is spot on (in the event of a tie we will select one person out of a hat) will win. Guesses should be sent to me at bobtrahern@northwarks.gov.uk and will be announced at the IRRV conference on 2 October.

I know the credit crunch is biting but please sponsor us whatever you can afford.

Many thanks in anticipation of any support you can give.

July thus far ...

Monday 30 June 2008 – Sunday 6 July 2008

The sun is shining for the President's Golf Day being held in Worksop (home of Lee Westwood) having got up at 5am to get 4 hours in before hitting the M1. It has been organised by Paul Haste of the Northern Counties and has been supported by 8 associations, many putting two teams in and 14 sponsors, a total of 80 players. My golf certainly doesn’t match the quality of the event or the weather but a great day is had by all (Northern Counties pretty much clean up the prize table with their teams winning the main prizes and Philips the sponsors' prize). What is more important is again it brings together practioners from all over the country and we raise over £1000 for my charity as I raffle and auction off some places for my golf event with Equita at the end of August (see www.justgiving/bobtrahern) for details and the July edition of Insight on how you can get involved and give.

Having had a day of fresh air, cannot sleep so work until the very early hours and Tuesday is a long day in the office combining meetings, a telephone interview for Insight before giving a presentation to Members in advance of the evening's committee meeting on the work and forthcoming challenges for the division. The shared services report confirming our collaboration with Coventry goes through as the last item on the evenings business which means a 10pm call into the chippy on the way home.

Hold a series of staff meetings on the Wednesday confirming the next steps from here and hold another with Members considering a number of outreach opportunities around customer access as part of phase 3 of the Council's access strategy before again working into the evening catching up on e mails.

Thursday and I have needed to send my apologies to the East Anglian Association where I was due to address their AGM prior to an afternoon's racing at Yarmouth before a dinner in the evening. Unfortunately, I have to be at work for a couple of last minute organised meetings that cannot be avoided but these things happen. I am just pleased that I was able to do an afternoon's meeting earlier this year for them and David is more than an adequate replacement for me.

Spend Friday morning working from home before J and I get an afternoon train down to London where we are having a weekend in London prior to the Council round that starts on Sunday evening for some of us. We meet up with Darren Kelk from Rossendales and his wife Laurah outside the Aldwych Theatre as we take in a nights “Dirty Dancing” before taking in Chinatown for a late meal and heading back to Doughty Street where we are staying.

Up early, I work from HQ in the morning catching up on some e-mails before meeting up again with Darren and Laurah for a few lunchtime drinks before we head off to see Lee Mead in Joseph. Spend the rest of the night humming the songs as we take in dinner at a local Italian.

Spend Sunday morning reading my council papers before we head over to our hotel near Lords which we are using as a base for the council round. Spend the afternoon watching some of the tennis final from Wimbledon as the weather is hardly barmy for the time the time of year. Meet up with David, Gary and a few other Council members down for an evening meeting looking at the budget !! Although the tennis final in the background brings a fair degree of distraction as the mens final goes to 5 sets. After a late dinner we are up early on Monday for a number of pre meetings before we kick off with the formal round of committees.

Monday 7 July – Sunday 13 July

The rain is pretty bad and I make a quick dash over to Lords at lunchtime where we are holding the Institute's annual reception in the evening which is planned to be partly open to the elements. Rain check taken, we decide to go ahead on the promise the weather will improve. As we hold the last meeting of the day, the association reps meeting which concludes at 6pm, the thunder clatters in the distance and the rain at times is torrential. At 6.40pm it finally stops allowing us to make the quick walk up the road to Lords where as we access the pavilion rooftop the sun finally breaks through and stays that way until about 8.30pm but long enough to enable the reception with steel band playing in the background to be held and photographs to be taken. Attended by nearly 250 supporters of the Institute, we raise over £600 from the raffling of an signed England cricket shirt won by Mike Shaw and the photos on the website accessed via http://www.irrv.net/reception2008.asp reproduced by kind permission of our fellow Council Member Richard Guy, who was the photographer on the night as well as our official photographer, Andrew show that everyone had a great time. Back at the hotel, networking continues and it is great that one of our very talented past presidents, John Roberts, plays the hotel piano long into the night knocking out request after request.

Up early Tuesday, meetings kick off before 8am with another run through the ideas for the Performance Awards evening before chairing Full Council at 9am which agrees amongst other things the education changes we hope to launch at the annual conference. Realise about 10.30am that David and I have hardly eaten anything for 2 days so nip around the corner to a local café for cheese on toast before we head over to Lords again where I am hosting one of the things I have most looked forward to in my year, hosting the 20 past Presidents and Honorary Members in the historic setting of the writing room in the pavilion. It is great that Jim Barnfield, now in his 80’s and a West Midlands man can be there and one of the pictures I have taken on the day and shown above shows me with Jim, Alan Causer, and Barry Wheeler, all former West Midland past presidents.

We have a number of photographs taken on the day following a guided tour around the ground and musuem which should provide great memories not just now but in many years to come. I potentially have quite a few of these lunches to look forward to in future years and hopefully I will be around long enough to enjoy them !! Following a lovely lunch, the day is topped off by the opportunity to meet a number of the England players out practicing in advance of the test match and getting a few autographs including Alec Bedser who was having a lunch to celebrate his 90th birthday in the Long Room. It proves grown men are just as excited as little boys when it comes to meeting some real sporting heroes.

Head back on the 6pm train, J picks me up and we go and watch Louis at the local athletics club in an evening bathed in sunshine (sods law). Wednesday sees the rain return and I spend it in Birmingham in a series if meetings before returning just in time for the Full Council meeting at night which is another late one finishing off just after 9.30pm but it allows me to catch up with all the e mails that have accumulated over the last day or so.

Off early to drive down to London on Thursday, I spend nearly 30 minutes searching for my tax disc which amazingly flew out of my drivers side window as I set off up the A5. More amazingly I find it in the hedgerows !!! Arrive just on time for the first of my performance award inspections this year. After the visit I have a quick meeting with David before making the short car journey to Hanbury Manor where I am staying overnight prior to a day playing golf with Experian. Get a lot of work done both in the evening and in advance of the round which along with my team sees us going close to winning although more importantly we managed to just about stay dry which cannot be said for all.

Spend Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning in the office catching up before getting home in time for my sister and her kids who are over from the States for a late afternoon playing a few games and introducing my 8 year nephew and 10 year old niece to the virtues of cricket. Not sure they quite got it but at 154 not out I retire to take in some of the early evening sunshine with a glass of wine.

Monday 14 July – Sunday 20 July

Following an early morning working from home, I catch the train down to London as along with David we host a 25 strong delegation from South Korea who are on a tour of Europe looking at different valuation and tax models. We spend an interesting afternoon in simultaneous translation mode which seems to successfully bridge the cultural divide. Back on the early evening train, I catch up with some institute work on the education strategy.

Spend the day in Coventry, initially meeting up with David Moorcroft about his address at conference before having a few meetings at the council , visit the local college that may be a new venue for our education courses and give a presentation to 44 potential new members employed at the council who are interested in our qualifications.

Wednesday sees me in early as I am covering the reception as many of the staff are out on strike. Having dealt with two blocked toilet reports, a benefit case and a burst boiler, I escape to a meeting with the credit union and spend the rest of the day in the office leaving just after 7pm reasonably up to date.

In and out on Thursday, I spend Friday working from home first up followed by a series of meetings off site in Warwick and one to the Air Ambulance who I am supporting this year. An early finish allows me to catch up with some of the golf on tv although my bet for the Open “Mr Jimenez from Spain” disappears without trace in the wind and rain and with it my fiver!

In work most of Saturday, I catch the final couple of hours of the golf which I repeat on Sunday having driven over to Sue Williams Lee, our regional president first thing to drop off some pictures from our dinner dance and other stuff as she is chairing an exec meeting tomorrow which I cannot be at as I am at an annual event with hold with the Lancs and Cheshire association every year which involves going on a course.

The blog back up to date, I sign off. J is off to Spain next week for a few days to visit her son and our grandson whilst I am out and about on performance awards visits, in and out of work and at the South Eastern dinner in Canterbury on Friday

A couple of extra notes, and as we continue as an Institute to embrace the latest trends, I attach a missive from Tracey Crowe who will be standing for Council this year who is appealing to all surfers to sign up as follows:

"At the annual reception it emerged there were quite a few of us on 'facebook'.

"I have therefore set up a group called 'IRRV members on facebook' - it is a closed group so only IRRV members who request to join/or are invited by a member can join. If you want to mention it on your blog that's cool - any IRRV member who is on facebook can go to the link (but not go into the pages) and they can request to be added - the request then comes to me via email."

Secondly, earlier in the year, I laid down the challenge of having a photograph taken with Insight in the most unlikely places following my xmas card shot taken in Florida. I have just had my first entry but as you set off on your holidays and weekend breaks I am sure there are many more potential entries to come in. Go on join in and who knows you may win a prize I will offer up for the best one. Closing date : 15 September

Keep up the good work and enjoy the rest of the glorious summer we are having (hopefully it will be an Indian one)

Bob

Some photographs from the Annual Reception ...

Above : What is the collective description of a gathering of Past Presidents, a Pride ?

Above : Bob, Julie and his mum and dad at the Lords reception
Above : With Jimmy Anderson

Above : With Ryan Sidebottom and Billy Jenkins from Northern Ireland
Above : With Monty Panasar at Lords. My bowling tips obviously served him well !!!

European Valuers' meeting in Warsaw

Above : At the European Valuers' meeting in Warsaw chaired by our own Roger Messenger. We are photographed outside the former King of Poland's summer residence.

Above : By the English bear in a square in Warsaw .

26th May through to 29th June!

Monday 26 May 2008 – Sunday 1 June 2008

Bank Holiday Monday and Tuesday is spent putting two long days in at the office writing reports and keeping on top of e mails whilst Wednesday is little different although the morning is spent in a meeting in Coventry finalising the arrangements that will go into a formal proposal for Members to consider on 1 July. In the afternoon I have meetings with the Credit Union and my portfolio holder and other lead members around forthcoming customer access and post office closure issues guaranteeing another long day and night in the life of a Local Government officer.

This is again repeated on Thursday with other key meetings with the CAB and the Management Team before getting home to pack in readiness for a three-day visit attending the TEGOVA general assembly in Warsaw. This is a meeting attended by most of the European nations chaired by our very own Roger Messenger.

J and I arrive in Warsaw in the afternoon taking in a late lunch at a streetside restaurant where eating traditional polish fare of a pizza we meet up with David and his wife Liz who are on there way back from visiting the Old Town. Never one to miss opportunities we catch up with some institute business over a coffee before enjoying a absolutely lovely evening dining in the former King of Poland’s summer residence (the floating Palace) wandering amongst the peacocks pre dinner before we are serenaded by a string quartet playing Chopin over a dinner starting with more traditional Polish fare of royal herring (have to say I’m more of a pizza man), However the rest of the menu is excellent as is the company as we are joined by Junior Vice President, Geoff Fisher and his wife and Tambet Tiits and his wife (no cheap jokes here please. As well as a leading valuer in his nation, he is a former Olympic wrestler)

Saturday is spent all day in the meeting attended by representatives from over 25 nations sitting behind their national flags discussing the key issues around developing common valuation methodology. Interspersed with presentations ranging from the UK’s David Tretton to sessions for the purists around the impact of land tax in Russia, the highlight of the day is the election of officers which takes on Eurovision song contest dimensions. The upshot of all is that Roger is returned to the chair for 3 further years.

The evening is spent very informally enjoying some of the best desserts imaginable and Roger being given the biggest birthday cake I have ever seen to celebrate the passing of 50 years (or as he put it the 29th anniversary of his 21st birthday) and being entertained by a traditional Polish dance troupe. This was followed by a “sort of” euro karaoke of folk songs from a variety of Baltic nations which in all honesty seemed like they had the same melody ! The British contingent definitely stayed quiet on this one however back at the hotel by midnight, Geoff Fisher led the evenings singing with what seemed to be some common ground of Abba songs and tunes from the Sound of Music although J and I departed by then (although without the “so long farewell Auf Widersein goodbye send off)

Sunday, David and I meet for a breakfast meeting before we are joined by J to finalise the Institute’s education consultation paper contents. We meet in the Old Square for lunch wandering back in brilliant sunshine before arriving at the airport only to find our plane home is delayed two and a half hours and instead of flying out of the newly built terminal we are flying out of the pre 1970 prefab with no duty free, a café selling only 2 types of drink and hot dogs and with only 200 chairs for the 500 people in the departure lounge! Maybe a glimpse of the Poland I was expecting but it has to be said its exceeded my expectations, been a really enjoyable 3 days and we will definitely return to explore more in the future maybe during next years international conference.

Monday 2 June 2008 – Sunday 8 June 2008

Monday is a day of meetings kicking off with an early one with the Chief Executive, some ICT training on a new corporate system and an afternoon getting on top of things as I am out the rest of the week. Finish my presentations for the week ahead leaving the office last in what is becoming a habit this year turning the lights out as I go.

In very early on Tuesday having been up since 5am and on the road by 11am as I give a presentation in Bristol to the Northgate User group at 1.30pm before getting back in the car arriving in Hampshire at a hotel we may use in the future. Spend an evening catching up on some work, on the phone discussing some conference details with Gary Watson before leaving very early after an express breakfast to arrive at Fontwell race course by 9am where the Wessex association are holding their AGM.

Following a mornings meeting where David Airey and I split the two papers, I stay for the first two races, getting a winner in the second and I quit whilst ahead as I need to get back to the office before the M25 gets too busy and arrive by 5pm to put in a night shift !

It’s a very long day on Thursday and in all honesty I am grateful when we cancel a planned meeting with Coventry in the afternoon as it allows me to get completely back on top of things.

In early on the Friday, I join Equita at the Forest of Arden for an afternoon on the golf course and along with my teammates we enjoy a victory as well as raising over 600 pounds for our joint charities in the evening.

Saturday morning sees J’s dad, brother, brother in law and me out on the Coventry canal (road testing or is it raft testing) the sea worthiness of the raft we are using in Stratford. Built by Julies dad we venture out with only 2 oars and a combined age of over 200 years (we should know better – see the pictures) but it is a success and having avoided two barges we return to the bank safely. Game On for the 22nd !

Do some shopping and visiting in the afternoon before spending Sunday partly in the office and the rest soaking up the sunshine in the garden.

Monday 9 June 2008 – Sunday 15 June 2008

After an early start, hold a couple of staff meetings on Monday to update on shared service proposals and performance levels and finish the day off with an evening meeting with the board of the credit union.

Up Tuesday, I pack for the 3-day presidential visit to Belfast before popping into work early for some meetings before leaving early afternoon to drive to Birmingham for the short flight to Belfast. The evening is spent as guests of John Gandley, owner of Gandlake who are sponsoring the following days Northern Ireland conference.

The Northern Ireland conference is a great success and having presented my paper in the morning, spend the next few hours working in my room before rejoining the conference and the final papers of the day. Catch up on some e mails before we head into town as I am hosting members of the Northern Ireland association and speakers in a local restaurant. J flies in and joins us just in time for dessert.

Up for a breakfast meeting on Thursday before we head off as a delegation (David, Julie Holden, Pat Doherty, J and I) to meet with senior officials from the LPS who administer the billing collection and processing of benefits for the whole of NI (some 720,000 dwellings). As civil servants many are fairly new to the R&B discipline and we have a very productive meeting sharing experiences and ideas in a meeting co facilitated with Alan Bronte, our NI Council Member.

The afternoon is spent on the Belfast eye looking at some of the new developments springing up across the city and J takes advantage to visit some of the latest retailers to set up in the city and helps support the countries GDP! The evening is spent at the now traditional yacht club venue for the association dinner which celebrates their 40th anniversary of the association.

Friday and having had an early meeting with David, we enjoy 18 holes on the fairways of Royal Belfast and a one hole victory before meeting up with J and Liz for the trip back to the airport and then home spending two full days in work on Saturday and Sunday catching up on the weeks events.

Monday 16 June 2008 – Sunday 23 June 2008

Down in London for a number of meetings at HQ with Gary and David around the conference I am met at the end of the street by loads of police and have to be personally escorted to the door. Why ? Well Mrs Bush is in town with another president, some guy named George and she is visiting the Dickens museum also located in Doughty Street !!! What a waste of public service resource for what turns out to be fleeting visit (Members will be pleased to know that I don’t get such treatment). In the afternoon, we are joined by a number of reps from the associations who run IRRV courses to discuss the provision of next years certificate qualifications and some proposed changes to the syllabus to be recommended at our next Full Council round in July. Gary and I meet up with one of the speakers lined up for the annual conference to give them a brief in the early evening before grabbing something quickly to eat before we head back to Doughty Street and continue with our meeting from earlier in the day.

Gone are the days of hard and fast living on the town and having concluded our meeting about 10, we retire to the flat on the top floor and spend the next hour or so looking at some of the archives stored in the flat which cover the last 80 years or more of the Institute. The 1930 annual dinner looked a rip roaring affair and the conferences of that era were wholly male dominated from the black and white memoirs !!! We even seek out one D L Magor’s and P K Doherty’s student records which confirm they were both fellow prize winners. I proceed to have a very good night’s sleep but Gary is woken in the small hours of Tuesday morning by the sound of clanking cups. Assuming it was me washing up he is perturbed to look across to my bed to find me fast asleep ! Bravely or foolishly, he investigates only to be confronted by a large west Indian gentleman in marigolds. Apparently the IRRV’s normal cleaner is off and he is standing in for her. I don’t know who is most surprised but that’s London for you, a real 24/7 city.

Tuesday morning is again spent in a number of meetings including taking in lunch with Tim Savill from the Audit Commission. Heading back home, I get into work by 5pm to clock in for the late shift finishing by 8pm before getting my golf stuff sorted for an early start.
Out by 5 30am, I arrive at the Grove situated just outside London, do some work in the car park before grabbing some breakfast and joining CAPITA colleagues for an enjoyable 18 holes (I win again somehow) before making the long journey across to Wales to arrive just in time for the main course at the pre conference dinner hosted by the IaIn Marshally and Nigel Morse as respective North and South Wales presidents. Deliver my paper in the morning and stay until lunch before heading back along the same single track out of Wales I went in on arriving back at the office for what is now becoming the familiar “4 hour twilight shift”.

Friday, sees J and I back in London initially to assist in running the capping workshop organised by the LGA for all affected Councils before heading across the road to the House of Lords for a lunch reception hosted by fellow Council member, and past IRRV President, Tom Dixon who is the current President of the Rating Surveyors Association. It is a great do hosted in a great venue before we meet up later for a couple of sociable drinks in a local hostelry before heading back home on the train.

Saturday sees me spend another day at the keyboard (although I don’t mind as its peeing it down outside) having first got up to watch the 2nd test between England and New Zealand (we lost) before making final preparations for the raft race the next day that we are doing for charity.

Sunday is brighter but much windier and having collected the low loader from the Councils depot at 7am I pick up the raft arriving in Wasperton by 9am to a field full of other deluded souls prepared to row as we find against the tide and what seemed an 80 mile an hour wind to try and row the seven and a half miles into the centre of Stratford

Well needless to say we didn’t quite make it as my final posted captains log records and the pictures below show.

“On a what was a very blustery day rowing against the tide and as difficult what seemed an 80 mile an hour hoolee, my final captains log will say "we sank"

As they said in Belfast "The Titanic was ok when it left us" and that is the case with the IRRV boat but in our post race inspection, the diagnosis of the sinking was put down to a punctured barrel and gave Mr Watson and Ms Cutler sitting above it a pretty uncomfortable ride. At one point, we were actually going backwards up the river despite all rowing forwards and having lost 3 men overboard into the River Avon at different times and despite attempts to lighten the weight by taking off Messrs Stewart, Traynor, Watson and the captain off, we were still sinking and fighting a losing battle. As such, in true British style we reboarded and despite our best efforts the raft went down and the captain was last to leave ship reappearing covered in mud. Mr Traynor lost a big toe nail in hauling the raft to safety so the team literally gave blood for the cause which with your help we have raised nearly £1000 and in spite of us not finishing we hopefully can increase on this figure if you still feel we deserved it. Needless to say if our luck had matched our effort and enthusiasm we would have finished but as they say "you learn more from failure than you do success" (horrible management cliche) and I am sure we will be back again with a six barreled raft having learnt from the North Warwickshire raft that skippered by Steve Barber and rowed by all my revenues and benefits staff plus Justine from Bristows finished the 7 and a half hour race in a magnificent time of just over 5 hours in the most difficult conditions the race organisers have experienced in its 25 years.

They were truly magnificent as demonstrated by the pictures on a raft built by the depot and I am sure they are feeling the pain today but have the satisfaction of completing it.

Thanks to everyone's support on what was a brilliant day

If you still want to donate you can do, the NWBC team did it for the organisers sponsors the Princes Trust and they will be coming around work with a bucket later (emptied of any water out of the River Avon). If you haven't donated, please give whatever you can to what was a brilliant team effort

As for the IRRV team and its management team of the great and good in revenues and benefits, it was a case of "better to have tried and failed than not try at all" and donations can still be made via the following website to the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance if people want to support remotely

http://www.justgiving.com/irrvraftrace

Some pics of the day are attached which we will all remember for different reasons but the key winner is the charities and if you still wish to give you can do so by accessing the above website. All donations very gratefully received.

Having retrieved the sunken raft from the riverside having driven across a few fields to bemused looks from a few sheep and fisherman late on the Sunday afternoon, I have a long soak in the bath to contemplate how it all went so wrong !!!!!

Monday 23 June to Sunday 29 June 2008

In early on Monday, for a day full of meetings and explanations but contributions generously keep flooding into the website. I leave late afternoon for a meeting with former Olympic runner and British Athletics CEO, Dave Moorcroft who lives near me and is to speak at the Manchester conference before making the long 6 hour drive to the deepest depths of Cornwall picking up David Magor en route as we are running a unitary workshop for them the following day.

Having stopped off for something to eat, we arrive in Camborne by midnight to get up deliver the 60-hour workshop before getting straight back on the road by 4pm and home by 9pm (a 600+ mile round trip in 24 hours – oh well at least it was in a car and not a raft !).

Spend a full Wednesday catching up on e mails as my only day in the office this week before repacking the bag as I am away again but not off to Glastonbury where most of the people on the same train are heading but a combination of Reading, London and Newbury.

Thursday is spent at the Madjeski stadium where the re-launch of the Thames Valley association takes place. I install Jon Dearing into the chair, deliver a paper on the institutes future education strategy before dumping the car and getting the train into London as along with David we are guests of Civica at the MJ awards. Good news though is that the police authority have escaped being capped so that’s one less thing to worry about in August.

Up early after a very late but enjoyable night, we head back to Reading before driving onto Newbury for a meeting with Gandlake, who are key IRRV sponsors this year before a frustrating journey home bumper to bumper up the A34. Pop into my mum and dads to pick up a rug I have ordered from e bay before popping into work for a late one which I repeat on both Saturday and Sunday. Very sad !!!!!

Oh well, another busy week ahead and as it’s the inter association golf tomorrow so I best get off and get my golf stuff ready.

I launch my next charity event tomorrow so it’s a case of watch this space next week.

I am determined not to leave my updates so long next time. I am getting older and the grey matters setting in so recalling everything is getting ever more challenging. Oh well only 13 weeks to go and as I enter my last quarter it looks no less busy.

Remember the closing date for nominations for council elections is only a few weeks away so please whether a corporate or technician think about standing. Details can be found in last months insight and on the website.

Take Care

Bob

Latest photos - see update above for explanation!

Bob in Belfast - 2

Bob at the Northern Ireland Conference (above) with Senior Vice President Julie Holden, John Gandley of conference sponsors Gandlake and Leo O'Reilly, Permanent Secretary, Department of Finance and Personnel.
On a tour of Belfast (above) Bob & Julie with David & Liz Magor.

Bob (above) relaxing during a very busy schedule in Belfast.

Above : High up on the Belfast Wheel!

Bob (above) with IRRV Council Member for Northern Ireland, Alan Bronte.

Bob in Belfast - 1

Some of the IRRV party on the Belfast Wheel

Latest Updates!

Monday 5 Monday – Sunday 11 May 2008

It’s a Bank Holiday Monday and its baking hot outside for a nice change. Not that I plan to enjoy it as I spend the morning at work before nipping across to the venue for our dinner dance on 17th May in Telford along with J and meet up with Sue Williams Lee, the West Mids President to finalise arrangements for the evening itself.

Up early Tuesday morning to beat the traffic that gridlocks around Birmingham between 7 and 9 arriving in plenty of time for the Lancashire and Cheshire AGM in Bury where Clare Jenkins takes over the chain from outgoing Council Member, Angela Storey. Following a very nice late lunch with the rest of the association executive, I play a round of golf with Messrs Chapman and Shang who I have known since my days of studying before heading back down the M6 to arrive home by 9’ish.

Another early start Wednesday sees me on the road by 5.30am to ensure I get to Harrow on time for a ministerial visit they are having from James Plaskitt, DWP Minister, who is down there to announce an extension to the VRA pilot of which my authority is also a pilot. There is loads of TV and press interest and in a full morning, I also attend the local college along with Carol Cutler to meet their latest intake of new trainees (many who have been long term unemployed or had enforced changes in career) and are being taken through an intensive training programme. After a quick photo shoot and chat, we enjoy a lovely lunch before I am back on the road, roof down as the great weather continues and get back into work for 4pm eventually leaving just before 9pm to get home just in time for the apprentice and to do my packing.

Thursday sees me up early for a 5am start at the laptop getting in work for 7.30am when the doors open and a number of meetings with the Chief Executive and auditors all before heading up to Worksop for a meeting and discuss the forthcoming inter association competition on 30 June. Leave by 6pm for the drive across the Pennines arriving in Llandudno where I meet up with David as we are both in town for the following days North Wales AGM. He has been looking at future conference venues in the North West with Gary and we have an impromptu meeting locking up the guesthouse at the request of the owners who go to bed at 11pm and continuing our discussions over breakfast the following morning.

The North Wales AGM is well attended and we have some really good discussions following my address before we retire to a course for an afternoon’s golf with 8 of the executive. The good weather finally breaks as the mist comes in off the sea (this doesn’t happen in the Midlands) but we get round, enjoy a quick meal in the clubhouse before I make the 3 hour journey home.

Saturday morning, I pop into work for a few hours before we drive over to Birmingham for some lunch and to see Tommy Steele in Doctor Doolittle. It is the first time I have ever left a show at the interval as Tommy has definitely seen his best days and the most productive part of the day is getting some card for the association menus we need to print. Saturday night is spent with a nice bottle of wine before retiring to bed early following a very energetic week.

Sunday is spent in work in the morning before visiting both sets of parents in the afternoon which gives me the first opportunity to inspect the raft that Julie's dad is building for the forthcoming raft race we are doing for charity on 22 June. All I will say is Fred Dibnah has nothing on Julie’s dad. The night is spent catching up on some IRRV work I need for the following day for a meeting I am having with Equita around my other charity event of the year.

Monday 12 May – Sunday 18 May 2008

In with the cleaners again and another day involving a series of meetings, including one with the representatives of the “Tell Us Once" team from the DWP working through lunch before leaving mid afternoon for a meeting with Paul Sharpe and Barry Powell from Equita where we finalise arrangements for the charity golf event I am doing with them from 29 August to 1 September (more of this later) before returning to work for another late shift.

Spend a very long Tuesday at work mainly in meetings and catching up with the events of recent weeks before driving up to Yorkshire on the Wednesday to attend a training event they are running and their AGM where Lisa Rawson is installed as President taking over from Alan Fane. Get home by 9.30pm (thank goodness for Sky Plus as "The Apprentice" has started!)

In very early again as I have to leave for a planned afternoon meeting in London with all the association reps. Well that was the plan as after a four hour shift I get to Nuneaton only to find that major problems on the railway mean the main West line is shut and I have no alternative but to return to work. Everything works well in the end as I am able to join the meeting by teleconference for a meeting where we make some very positive progress. The unexpected afternoon of work extends into the evening and I am very grateful for this unplanned opportunity. Home and having written the 114 name cards for the Saturday night dinner places I retire to bed

Friday involves a series of meetings in the morning before heading over to Rugby for a meeting with reps from Coventry, Nuneaton, and the hosts to finalise the regional fraud proposals we are to recommend to board. Back into work for a few hours to put a slide pack together for the keynote address at Collection and Enforcement as David rang me in the afternoon to advise the minister had needed to pull out before collecting the menu cards from the print room for the following days association dinner J and I have been responsible for organising.

Up early Saturday and nip into work for an hour after packing up the car with everything needed for the evening. J takes Louis off to a music festival he is playing in and Gary Watson joins me to drive over to Telford for 11am in time to get everyone off for the golf by midday. Despite a couple of late cry offs we have an enjoyable if slightly damp game and by the time we get in J and Sue have arrived and with the hotel laid out the room which looks great. This is the first time we have used this venue and I am sure we will be returning. Nothing else to do but have a few social drinks with arriving guests. The evening is a great success and we attract more people than ever before and the dancefloor is still full when the music stops at 1am. We have raised over £500 for Sue’s charity and we finally leave the the bar at 2.45am and there are still plenty of people up.

A lie in for us sees us up and at breakfast for 10am and me in work by 1pm for the afternoon on the keyboard arriving back by 5pm. As President I am a member of the Performance Awards Panel for the first time this year (a nice change from entering) and my crate of over 100 entries arrived during the week which all needs reading and scoring. Hence I spend the rest of the night and until 2am the following morning wading through the first 6 categories before retiring to bed as I need to be up and away by 7am as I have been invited to play golf at the Celtic Manor on Monday.


Monday 19 May – Sunday 25 May 2008

Up by 5.30am and after only 3.30 hours sleep, I am back on the road by 6.45am and arrive just outside Newport by 9am and which is very close to Caerleon where we held the National Revision course for many years. Spend the next hour and a half making a few calls and completing the 7th category in the car park before spending a very enjoyable afternoon looking out across the beautiful South Wales countryside and my golf improves as the round develops. Unfortunately, I cannot stay for the dinner in the evening as I have to get up to Harrogate for the Collection and Enforcement conference so away by 5, I get home by 7 as the traffic is good, unload and repack and am back on the road by 8.15pm arriving at the hotel just before 11pm. Meet David and Gary in the bar for a quick catch up and although I promised myself I would not have a late one, get talking with exhibitors and delegates and finally retire just before 4 having put the Civil Enforcement industry to rights !

Up early, and irrespective of what time I go to bed, I complete my next category in my room before opening up the conference with the key note address following the ministers unfortunate late withdrawal. It seems to do down well and having chaired the remaining morning sessions spend the afternoon completing my final PA category, write a few ideas for the speech in the evening and catch the last few sessions of the day. The Formula One night sponsored by Equita is a great success and I am sure the photos will prove this as again the dancefloor remains full pretty much all night and well into the early hours. We launch the charity golf event that will see me play 4 Ryder cup venues over 4 days but more of this in insight in July. For the first time, I would think fish fingers have made it into a conference dinner menu as a surprise starter but it is a lovely touch from Equita and shows someone reads my blog ! It is another late night networking opportunity in the bar but again I am up with the larks, this time to work on the annual reception invitation list which needs a review this year so invites can be issued.

Spend the morning visiting all the exhibitors (30 or so) and having my picture taken, visiting the nearby Harrogate centre with other members of the conference sub committee which shows real potential before catching the last few sessions. At 4pm, the doors are locked and the PA panel starts. Chaired by Colin Thrower, it involves 5 of us comparing notes and debating a long list for visits from which a shortlist is then drawn up of finalists. It promotes some interesting discussions and opinions but we are generally in agreement and by 7’ish we have broke the back of 6 categories breaking to take in the football match for most whilst I catch up on my e mails of the last few days with one eye on the score. It only gets interesting for me when it gets to penalties and having reduced my outstanding e mails to 15 from 75, I retire to bed satisfied and early for the first time this week

The following morning after a breakfast meeting sees the panel conclude its work by 2pm and Gary, David and I make a second visit to the Harrogate centre which looks a real contender for the 2010 annual conference. Leaving at 3.30pm, although I hit traffic on the way back, am home just gone 7pm and after a few hours catching up with J spend a few hours finalising the invite list to discuss with David who I am with the following day.

On the early train with J, we arrive in London where we have a meeting in Whitehall with the Tell Us Once team before hosting them for lunch with other senior DWP officials which is a really nice event. Back to Doughty Street, we agree diary commitments over the coming months before retiring to the penthouse (or the flat in Doughty Street) as J and I are staying overnight to take in a few shows. Quality time together in this very busy year is a premium so we have a really great night taking in Les Miserables which is fantastic. Anything that can keep my attention for 3 hours without my mind wandering or me fidgeting has to be exceptional

Spend a few hours in the morning catching up on e mails before we venture into the West End, book a couple more shows for when we are down next in early July and some lunch before going to see Jersey Boys, based on Frankie Valli and the 4 seasons. Again this is a real foot tapper and whilst not as intellectually stimulating as Les Mis is very good, a real “feel good” show. Away for a long journey back as due to essential repairs we have to go home via Leicester which involves an hour coach journey, this gives me the opportunity to do a Powerpoint presentation for a forthcoming talk as the train is pretty quiet.

Spend all morning on Sunday at work before arriving back by 2pm as my mum and dad come for lunch. Spend the night booking travel arrangements for forthcoming trips on the internet before spending an hour in front of the TV as I have only just got round to watching last week's "Apprentice" having been so busy of late

Bank Holiday will see me in work Monday and Tuesday so I better sign off and go to bed ! 20 weeks to go and loving every minute of my year

Bob