Welcome back

Nearly September and my Guide-free summer is at an end. Not Guide-free really of course with the Centenary launches looming added to:

• continued work on the new Herons Wey toilet blocks
• the launch of GO!
• enquiries about places in units
• a couple of complaints - no details but I will say how hard it is to help with people who won't listen
• appointment of a Guide Adviser duo
• review of accounts
• reading Adventure 100 - now there is a year's worth of programme ideas on its own.
• writing reports on P50K funding (OK I haven't done it yet)
• talking about a Commissioners Conference
• talking about training for Leaders n behavioural issues
• more - much more...

As I come up to one year in role I can look back and realise I have learnt a lot. Not being a manager, I am learning much about dealing with people.

Goodbye - back in time for Streamline

Off on holiday again on Saturday! Iceland which requires jumpers being only 13 degrees. I will be back in time for the Streamline launch. So no emails from me but I imagine no-one has yet had a Guide-free summer.

Eco-friendly buildings

The first August post! Sorry but I have been ill - not swine flu but one of the bugs going round.

On Wednesday Julie Alexander and I visited a couple of eco-houses near Herons Wey to try to decide to what extent we could/should be eco-friendly when building the toilet block. It was very interesting.....At the moment it looks like generating our own power through solar panels makes sense (expensive but there are grants available and we can sell back to the grid) as does rainwater harvesting for flushing loos. Hot water on the other hand would not be worth it as it seems to be too efficient for our small needs! Julie is pursuing this with various surveyors. We need to understand about it as it will have an impact on the design of the toilet block mainly in how the roof is constructed (angle of roof, single or double slope, spacing between roof tresses etc).

I also visited the Cabin to see how it is to be refurbished if we get planning permission to hire it out for sleepovers. I am optimistic we will. Actually it really only needs a tidy up, some changes to the "hygiene" arrangements and some heating (wood burning stove would be lovely) and it would be a lovely space.