Friday 28 August 2015

Appreciating what we have got

ILeaving the bright,sunny weather of Spain on Saturday , it was quite a surprise to find Hove similarly bathed in sunshine on Sunday . Can you spot the difference? 


Villajoysa near Alicante - Saturday 22/8 /15


    Hove seafront, Sunday 23/8/15

But in so many ways ,it's the weather inside that counts . And the weather inside for me is bright, optimistic, focussing on the horizon and appreciating what I have - family, friends and opportunity. 

 Oh and I mustn't forget the pets ! They were pleased to see us again and have spent a lot of time curled up inside whilst the rains of the week have lashed us, between occasional  glimpses of sunshine.

Eartha Kitt the cat 


Merry the dog 

Appreciating what we have was brought into sharp relief last weekend by the awful Shoreham Airshow disaster which saw a jet fall out of the sky onto the A27 killing at least eleven people and causing devastation to the lives of so many more. The response from the community and the public services has been magnificent . Unfortunately public service does not enjoy the esteem that it had when I left University and was congratulated for setting out on the path to becoming a Social Worker . Yet the contribution of local government staff, Police service and role of the NHS to our wellbeing,safety and sound health is vital ....and not just in high profile emergencies . It's gratifying to see some advocates of these under-sung professionals .  One true supporter is Jenny Molloy  (who tweets as @HackneyChild) ,  whose latest book "Neglected:True stories of Children's Search for Love in and out of the Care System " has just entered the Top 5 bestsellers this week. Jenny knows what she is talking about and offers a valuable ( and valuing) perspective on the role and challenges of Social Workers. 

Chief constable ,Giles York , adds flowers to the burgeoning  Shoreham Tollbridge memorial 


This week has been one for reflecting on the past and more importantly planning for the future as I  update my CV and consider my Linked-In profile . I have had a number discussions about interesting future assignments and opportunities, and I am working on what's important to me and how I can best make use 40 years of public service and leadership , including 11 years in Chief Executive roles . I want to continue to have a positive impact as well as making more time for family, travel,art and writing. 

Over the past two days we have taken our van to the quintessentially English town of Henley , to walk and visit my sister . The rains have given a lushness to the countryside and our walk along the river to Hambleden  was a delight. 

Swans and five almost full grown signets. 

The former home of  Kenneth Grahame, author of Wind in the Willows - the house provided the basis for Toad Hall 

From the grounds of Henley Business School

One of the intriguing delights of the walk was the sight of numbers of Red Kites. I only know now for sure that that's what they were. At the time, it seemed so unlikely. But my sister confirmed the sightings and explained that following reintroduction to the area , they have bred and flourished. 
They are magnificent. Moving mainly in pairs they soared and swirled above us , dozens of them. Try as we might , we could not get a decent photo. We resolved to have a good camera with us next time! As ever, the Internet saves the day! 

       Inadequate picture of a Red Kite above 

RSPB website pictures of majestic Red Kites - that's what they looked like! 

A decent walk deserves a decent lunch and the Stag &Huntsman at Hambleden obliged with a delicious seafood salad .  Packed on a Thursday lunchtime with a mix of locals and visitors, we enjoyed our tasty sojourn and picked up all sorts of snippets . Local politicians are clearly active - an enthusiastic local councillor sat nearby extolling the importance and enjoyment of the Planning Committeee! Visitors obviously enjoyed the hospitality of a proper pub in this quaint red brick village. 

Hambleden Parish Church 

After lunch, the church beckoned . A lovely simple church with a array of ancient  tombstones in the Churchyard and some impressive stone memorials within. The most impressive was to the memory of Cope D'Oyley d1633 and his wife Martha d1618 who are commemorated with their 10 children (5girlsand 5boys) . Cope was Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire. 

The D'Oyley family from 1633

And in the Church porch we were brought back to the present with a jolt , with the Lost & Found notice! 


Our family meals together were lovely - one out at the Villa Marina in Henley and one at home where the garden of the little terraced house is a blaze of colour from flowers and tomatoes. Both my sister and I are blessed with partners who have become enthusiastic and very able gardeners. We appreciate them and the results they produce! 
This is our garden in July - I didn't take pic of the sister's garden - a big oversight! 

Back home after a surprisingly good journey on the M roads of southern England there is a lot to be thankful for- not least of all a bowl of apples from our tree! 





Friday 21 August 2015

Team work



"Only you could make team work the theme of a family week in the sun in Spain " declares my 23year old daughter! We are enjoying a villa-with-pool holiday to relax and warm and treat her, a hardworking soul,  to give her a break away from London and work. 


The planning, booking, packing, parking, plane, car hire, villa, pool, welcome pack all come together as a result of team work..... Much of it very last minute!  

Altea seafront 

Once in holiday mode, we encounter team work every step of the way. It starts with our neighbours caring for Eartha the cat ( not an especially rewarding task) . More satisfyingly for them, our friends take in Merry the dog. When recognising teams we must not forget the holiday company, the restaurants, the communal refuse service, and our own domestic arrangements. My navigator role in our team is a challenge and I sometimes fall short of expectations! 
Calpe

Despite navigation errors we visit the seaside including Calpe where we are unable to snap a picture of the visiting flamingos. And we explore  the mountains of Costa Blanca and wonder at the views and sheer amount of weather ! 

En route to Guadelest 

The Bell tower , Guadelest - just before torrential rains 

From Guadelest 

In the the castle at Guadelest we find art, and I wonder if this artist was influenced by Euan Uglow or indeed , my brother,Piers Ottey! 

Liam Manuel Perez 1995 

But despite the lure of mountains , beach and a beautiful cobbled whitewashed village, the lure of a readily accessible pool has proved too much on several days . We have sunned, swum and played ball in the pool. Some days we have not ventured further. 


 We have read and played GinRummy .  Jenny Eclair's "Moving " has been enjoyed by P and me. Alice Munro's last book," Dear Life"  is a good recommendation by H. And the music of Nina Simone, Madeleine Peryoux and other favourites has serenaded our evenings in, followed by late night swims. 






We have eaten tasty home cooked meals ' en famille ' using local fresh ingredients- Spanish omelette , fresh sea bass ,tuna and chickpea salad,local avocado,plums and melon  all hitting the spot. And we have enjoyed Tapas and Paella in restaurants . 
You can't beat home cooking - team work!

I have kept in touch with the world through my downloaded Grauniads and Twitter. This has included booking an H recommended show coming from Edinburgh Fringe to the Btighton Dome in September - Fake it 'Til You Make it -Bryony Kimmings  and Tim Grayburn. Team work once more .


And the GCSE results have come out and the improvement is evidenced and encouraging and I see a tweet from a headteacher acknowledging the teamwork across city schools and with the Local Authority. I am just a little bit proud. I am delighted for young people their hard working teachers and long suffering parents and carers . I am happy on behalf of all those creating the conditions for progress - politicians, managers, public authorities working for young people to be safe and healthy (Police,NHS,voluntary organisations) . We do not achieve on our own. Team work, collaboration, working together, call it what you will, that's what produces good outcomes - happiness, fulfilment, clean neighbourhoods. 

Altea - old city 

Coming back to the subject of holidays , clearly team work is vital for happy holidays! Oh and it helps to have a pool , good wine, company , iPod and dock; WiFi; a deck of cards and a pile of books (or/and Kindle)....  sunshine and a warm breeze and blue skies.  Finally the week would not have been the same without H whistling away . This has provoked us to look up Whistling Jack Smith on YouTube - do it ! You'll be delighted! 

Friday 14 August 2015

Creativity

Creativity is a mindset, a behaviour more than a skill. This week I have concentrated on mothering, daughtering  and partnering and bringing creativity into all three. 

So whilst enjoying almost a week in the company of my eldest , watching cricket ( what a phenomenal test at Trent Bridge ),football, walking the dog and appreciating art, I decided to get baking. I was spurred on by over- ripe bananas and an excellent recipe from Dan Lepard's"Short and Sweet "; sorry Mary Berry! 



Butterscotch banana cake

This tasty creation pleased not just the son, but the father. My dad is now coming for regular restorative stays. Alone after caring for my stepmother through Alzheimers until her death on Valentine's Day this year , he needs opportunities for a good feed, relaxing dog walking and time with the family.  
A sunny Saturday walk along Hove seafront offered exercise, company and a creative photo opportunity!

Father and daughter - Hove seafront 


And on Sunday a tasty convivial family lunch gathering near Arundel and a lovely walk at Climping provided more joy for my dad . It provided a cheffing opportunity for my very creative brother ( more usually being creative with his paint brush and easel or in his motorbike workshop ) .

Piers Ottey - Battersea Power Station- 2014 

 It provided dad with the time for connecting with, and learning about, the lives of his grown up grandchildren.  We all  enjoyed a roast lunch in the open air .  The treat was completed with a walk created to include the sea and shore,  sun-dappled woods and golden harvested wheat fields - a Sussex best. 

Fields by Climping 


The return of my partner from her own family duties in Norfolk, threw up another opportunity for creativity. On Tuesday she was straight up to the allotment to bring home the produce . As well as red cabbage and Cavallo Nero , she brought back pounds of ripening plums . 
So I set to jam making and the results are very tasty indeed. 

Plum jam - BBC Good Food recipe (online) 

And to complete the homage to creativity , I planned a return visit to the Royal Academy Summer exhibition on Thursday evening, taking advantage of a Members BBQ invitation.
We were not disappointed to see once more the exhibits we had especially liked and to look afresh at some we had not dwelt on last time. 

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 


Grayson Perry remains a delight .


And I still love the staircase . 

Today it was the turn of Alex at Dogs corner , Hove, to get creative. Faced with our little dog's overlong coat, he carefully and creatively cut and washed her coat , doing a lovely job. 
The result speak for itself - a beautiful and happy Merry!






Merry shows off her coat ! 

Amidst all this creativity, I'm planning for the future . I will not rush - there's another pot of jam on the stove! And was that the sun I glimpsed a bit earlier? Enjoy the week. 


Friday 7 August 2015

Making connections

I This gorgeous night sky is one of many from the last week and just as lovely as any we saw whilst holidaying in France. And since last Wednesday the horizon has changed again- the i360 is higher than the crane now! 

Wednesday evening 29/7 , Hove seafront 

The i360 is growing at quite a rate and is now the tallest structure in Sussex on its way to being so for the whole country 

The i360 this Wednesday (5/8/15)

And Pride at the weekend produced an atmosphere of fun and friendships and reunions. 


It provided a chance for meet to meet up with old friends and colleagues and make a new friend in @c_haul who was playing at pride, and following that with a similar appearance at Leeds Pride. 

Chrispher Haul opening at Pride 
Christopher Haul 


Sunset on Monday marked the end of a very powerful and poignant day for me .


It was the day when I met with three extraordinary women , two of whom I had known 40 years ago when starting out on my public service career . They were sisters in care, whom I had the privilege of supporting for no more than two years before I went off to qualify as a Social Worker. 
Though London children,  they had been placed in East Sussex and it's interesting that we have all gravitated back to this part of the country. ( Though one of them has made her life in Ghana). 

They have made huge successes of their lives , one of whom is a daughter who has just graduated from Sussex uni, and who joined us for this celebratory reunion. We talked, laughed, reminisced and marvelled at the time that has past . Their gift of flowers and cake was quite unnecessary, but lovely. 
The experience of reconnecting with them reinforces my profound belief in the importance of personal impact - we remember how people make us feel , more than what they did. Amidst the glut of negative statistics, we underestimate tremendous successes and achievements of children in care at our peril. 


 I also made a cultural connection this week , when my eldest and I enjoyed our visit to 
@pallantgallery in Chichester .  We were there to see the Walter Sickert (1860-1942) in Dieppe exhibition.  Sickert was a regular visitor to Dieppe for four decades and lived there from 1898- 1905. In particular it was marvellous to see a room of his paintings of L'Eglise St Jacques painted 100years ago; I was there last week! 


As well as the dark pictures I expected from Sickert, I was surprised to find bright landscapes , interiors and a still life . And I learned about the artworld friendships he made ( Degas,Whistler, the Impressionists) and those he influenced . 

The Mill Pond, Envermeu 

As well as Sickert and the wonderful home collection, we enjoyed  taking tea in the Courtyard surrounded by the lovely sculptures of Nek Chand - in the Rock Garden .

Sadly Nek Chand (1924-2015) died in June . He was a self taught Indian artist who created the sculpture park, "The Rock Garden of Chandigarh" with dozens of figurative concrete and mosaic works from found objects. 

Pallant House Gallery is such a wonderful gem. It's home collection alone is worth the visit. I always love seeing the familiar Hepworth on the stairs, and a vibrant Howard Hodgkin ( whose birthday it was this week) and a number of the St Ives artists , to name just a few . Do visit . I feel so lucky to have this gallery near and to have been given membership for my birthday last year. 

Finally, after a fortnight of travelling through and camping in France , Merry ( our little Cavapoo) was pleased to reconnect with the home beaches , with the "only in Hove "sights we see, and with my dad who has come for a bit of rest,relaxation and dog walking! 

"Only in Hove"-  Layla the African parrot enjoys a sojourn down on the front and Merry likes to see her 


Merry eager to run on the beach, chase her ball and see friends ( for her, strangers are just friends she has not yet met!)