Guiding in Surrey West

Allotment 2

2012-01-23T13:44:00.000-08:00

We have cleared half the ground,dug out an oak tree, replanted the rasperries....there is a shed in my garden waiting to be transported to the plot. What we need is a compost heap so there is a nee to seek out pallets or similar. We have the wood for raised beds and stakes for the corner of the compost bins so we are getting on.

My Allotment

2012-01-17T12:31:00.000-08:00

A week ago I took ownership of an allotment - or a half as those who know anything about these things would call it. I did have quite a long think about whether this would be a good idea given the state of my diary but I decided that, with help, it would be OK. So I called daughter 1's boyfriend to ask if he would help - and he said he would. We went and visited the site to plan what we needed to do - daughter 1 tagging along in a very cold and reluctant way. Then I asked daughter 2's boyfriend if he could provide us with raised beds - he works in a timber yard so there was method in my madness. Then I talked to my husband - who is not a keen gardener but will rake leaves or mow if forced. However, he seemed a little bit interested and even volunteered to come and get manure for the compost heap. We now have a small heap of this on site but compost bins need building when I get some pallets.
I have also ordered a shed but am waiting for permission from Walton Charities to put it up.
Actually I am quite excited about it - and even gave daughter 1's boyfriend permission to grow potatoes - but only earlies.

Just a youth club - but with a uniform?

2012-01-05T07:43:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about how Guiding is perceived and whether people are aware that we have a programme that is designed to encourage girls and young women to develop their potential and to take an active part in the community. All leaders should be aware of that too! But do we tell others? Probably not, which means there is a perception that Guiding is a "good thing" but no-one is sure why. So I would like this to change in Surrey West. My Annual report will focus on it and will use case studies of girls and women who have developed in Guiding and this has influenced and helped their career and educational choices. For example, Becky Smith has been our photographer at SWING and is now a professional photographer; there is a group of women who Surrey West supported to swim the Channel; one of our Guides sang to a packed crowd in Wembley at the Big Gig having won the Guiding Star competition. I am sure there are more - and I would like to hear about them.

Emotional swings

2011-12-22T13:52:00.000-08:00

Monday - my dearly loved Scenic, mine since its birth 14 years ago, died. I know it is/was just a car but it was MY car.

Tuesday - (1) bought a new car. Looked for one which made you go "Woo-hoo" (as described by fellow car-hunter Sarah, my daughter) and found a bright red Aygo. Delivery 23rd December
(2) contacted by Elmbridge Museum to say they were sorting out their collections and some of the finds from the Oatlands Palace excavations at Weybridge Guide Hall may be surplus to requirements. They were looking at the paperwork but they were partly owned by the Guides .... and did we want them reburied? I suggested we might like them back....possibly to sell to raise funds to rebuild the Hall.

Time for a pause?

2011-12-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

I thought I was busy earlier this month but it has been even busier since then.....and it was the same last year until I lost my work laptop and a pause was forced on me. Nothing so drastic this time but I need a pause now....to get away from the work pressures and, dare I say it, Guiding. Yes, perhaps it is time for a break - or a very clear break over Christmas and the New Year for everyone. So here is my resolution - I will stop all but essential/urgent Guiding on December 18th after the Carol Service at Charterhouse. I will start again on January 6th. Why don't you do the same?
In the meantime - Happy Christmas until we speak again

Raffle

2011-11-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

How is the raffle going? I have a few spare tickets but I am now receiving some back with money. I have about £800 so far but would like to raise a lot more. From scanning the counterfoils it looks like quite often it is the Leaders who are buying them. The unit who has sold most so far emailed their girls' parents and has sold lots to parents. I have sold them to work colleagues as well as some of my trainees. It all adds up and I know the other two Counties are selling tickets - but they are collecting the money themselves so I don't know how much they have raised yet. So - please get selling!

A very busy week

2011-11-12T09:09:00.000-08:00

This time of year is very busy at work with pay review season in full flow but this time of year is very busy for Guiding too. So here is a quick digest of what has happened and what is next in my diary:

NatWest Community Force - we won £6000 so thank you for all who voted. To get the money I need to appear at NatWest in Guildford during bank opening hours with a passport, driving licence and Project Account bank statement. Note; during the week - and the week is busy enough as it is!

Quiz Night at Guides last night to raise funds for the three girls going to Iceland. We hope to raise £100 each for them which together with the 5p bazaar profits should make a bit of a dent in their fundraising targets.

Today - helped feed over 6000 people at the Lord Mayor's Show. The team did a brilliant job and I would like to thank Kathy Purdon and Alison Kirby for their hard work. It all went very smoothly.

Tomorrow - Remembrance Sunday with parade and service at the Parish Church with my Guides.

Next week - fundraising meeting for Herons Wey. We are going to finalise details of the Rainbow Chinese New Year event although, as we have had very few bookings, I guess the first step is to decide whether to go ahead at all.

Throughout - raffle. Lots of spare tickets now so don't be afraid to ask!

Also - Our Guide Hall is subsiding and the Leaders who use it have sprung into action to assess the options. If you think this is hard enough under usual conditions now consider the complications of having a building on an archeological site. As you can guess, this adds an extra layer of complexity.

So wish me luck!

Thank you

2011-10-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all those who have voted for us on the NatWest Community Force. Votes are being counted and checked and wionners will be notified after November 3rd so....fingers crossed

SWITCH

2011-10-19T12:53:00.001-07:00

I must have been so tired after SWITCH because I am sure I posted something about how wonderful it had been but it is not on the blog anywhere.....so, rather belatedly, thank you everyone for helping to pull together a wonderful day. We had very few complaints and very few hitches - or not that you need know about!

SWITCH

2011-10-15T12:58:00.000-07:00

This time last week we were still trying to recover from the IT problems that bedevilled the booking system for SWITCH. We were still trying to find out who was coming and what they wanted to do. We were still trying to find trainers for sessions we were suddenly going to put on. Yet today SWITCH ran smoothly with high attendance, few complaints and a degree of smoothness we would not have predicted. So I would like to thank everyone including the organising committee, trainers, stall holders, those helping with set up and clearing, etc and everyone who came and had a good time.

Just a last reminder - Don't forget to vote for Heronswey....
communityforce.natwest.com/project/348
Voting closes on October 23rd.

Fungi

2011-10-07T13:08:00.001-07:00

Last week I had an interesting conversation with my optician who, it turns out, is a keen forager. On Tuesday I went to River Cottage and did a day of mushroom foraging....although most of what we spotted were poisonous or inedible. Anyway, that cost £165 and it took 3 hours to drive there. The optician, on the other hand, works in Hersham and has offered to do a fungi foray free of charge on October 22nd at Heyswood. Because it is the first time he has done anything like this he is only going to take 12 of us. So if you want to come you need to sign up on the list I will put up at SWITCH.
PS in case you are wondering about why we are going to Heyswood it is because that is the woodland he picks in and it is close to where he works so he can come along after his clinic finishes.

Votes please!

2011-09-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

Please circulate this as far and as wide as you can.....

We are applying for funding from NatWest Community Force to pay for PV panels for the new building at Herons Wey. For details please look at www.heronswey.org.uk/fundraising

The projects with the most votes will get the funding so we need your help. To vote please follow this link http://communityforce.natwest.com/project/348 and then press the button "Vote For Us" - that is all there is to do!

Please forward to your Leaders, parents of the girls, your friends, families, work colleagues.........You have until October 23rd to vote. Thanks (when I last looked we had 1091 vots already and it only opened at lunchtime today....Brilliant but we need more.

This made me laugh

2011-09-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the questions parents ask make you wonder about their parallel universe. I was recently told the following which took place at a parents evening before a Browie residential. On coming to the end of the usual briefing, the Leader asked for questions. One parent responded with the following "If what happened in Norway happens at your Pack Holiday what will you do?" The leader's response was "Until the Guide Association issues me with a gun, I guess I would just have to call the Police!"
Well, it might happen........but we will have done a risk assessment to minimise the risk, after all.

Welcome back

2011-09-14T14:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome back after a Guide-free August. I expect this is your first week back as it is for me.

I got quite a bit done over August including:

Applying for a grant from NatWest - the next stage is to get as many as people as possible to VOTE for us. More details later

Organising a Christmas Raffle for Surrey West, Surrey East and Greater London West to support campsites and properties in Surrey. You will hear more about this later this month.

Getting quotes for PV Panels for Herons Wey

Reseeding part of my lawn

Creating a new flower bed

Doing lots of cooking

Increasing my cycling distances - now 15 miles.

etc etc

So quite productive.

Goodbyes

2011-08-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

Today I heard that a colleague who has worked for my employer for longer than me, is leaving at the end of August. It wasn't a surprise as I know she had been having a difficult year but the sad thing is that she leaves before I return to work so I am not going to be able to say goodbye face to face.
I am now the oldest person in my team......should I be worried?

What if your best isn't good enough?

2011-08-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

In 1975 I gained my bronze medal in lifesaving. I know this because my Mother found it recently and gave it back to me. Of course I remember doing the test and getting a cloth badge for it but the medal was a surprise. What I most remember, though, was the tester saying that she had passed me but if I saw someone in trouble then I should hope someone else would save them. Looking back on it I imagine if I was so bad that she must have been tempted to fail me - but, having passed me, should she have said what she did? Surely it would be better for someone to do something even if ultimately they were unsuccessful than do nothing?

Summer Holidays

2011-07-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my last day at work before my Summer holidays. I go back on September 5th, so the extended break gives me plenty of time to catch up with all the things I have on my to-do list. This includes lots of work on the garden as well as increasing my cycling distances (currently 10 miles done in two halves with a cup of tea in between) and picking lots of fruit and vegetables for the freezer. There will be Guide work as well including budgets, getting further building quotes at Herons Wey for solar panels, a new dry shelter for Ramsdown and Richards Hill so they will be genuinely deluxe sites and thinking about Weyside's toilet refurbishment. The second and fourth week of my five weeks I will be away so I will have proper holidays.
If you are now on your holidays, I hope you get the month off and do no more than necessary so your batteries are recharged for September.

Herons Wey

2011-07-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

At last the building work is coming to an end with the toilet block more or less finished apart from some tidying up and the finishing off that will happen in January. So we are looking at what we can do to raise some more funds to install PV panels for generating energy, putting up a dry shelter behind the new block and refurbishing Weyside's toilet/showers. So we have had some meetings and are hoping to run a series of events in 2012 which could include an event for Rainbows in January - and another in December, concerts (one booked on September 1st already), plays and suppers. If Herons Wey is to earn its keep including major refurbishments it needs to be used outside the camping season and this is our aim. In addition, we hope to establish a programme for schools so they can come and do activities during the week. Then there was a suggestion that it could be used for cross-country athletics events. So there are lots of ideas but it will need bodies to run them. Watch this space......

Pampering

2011-07-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I sat down and tries to work out how much holiday I had left and when I would use it; our holiday year ends on Sept 30th. As I have worked so many extra days this year, nearly all of my holiday to date has been taken out of extra days worked and not holiday entitlement. The trouble is I haven't got enough empty days left to use them up so I am going to ask my boss if I can carry them forward (I bought extra a year ago so took a small salary cut). Having said that, a training course was cancelled on Thursday and Friday this week. The Thursday very quickly filled up but I got in quickly and filled Friday with fun things like a manicure, pedicure and facial. I am really looking forward to that and it will set me up nicely for my nephew's wedding on Saturday.

Scoutabout

2011-06-27T04:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend I visited Scoutabout - I have never actually camped there but have visited the 2005, 2008 and now the 2011 events. What a fantastic event with so much to do and on such a scale. Of course it isn't like a real camp as it has a theme park feel but a bit of variety never hurt anyone. I hope everyone who went had a fabulous time - only one broken bone for Surrey West as far as I am aware which is quite amazing given the adventurous things the young people could have a go at. It was also extremely moving to see all the flags and standards at the end and realise what a strong and vibrant movement Guiding and Scouting is across Surrey.

Letters

2011-06-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

Just before I went on holiday, I received a letter from our neighbour at Herons Wey. It was very friendly and courteous and just shows that the effort of communicating with them was worth it. Just two weeks later I received another one! Quite different - annoyed and angry and with reason. It seems there are some users of Herons Wey who think it acceptable to disturb them early on a Sunday morning; in this case by parking across our entrance road and talking loudly - before 8am. Ask yourself whether you would be happy if someone did it outside your house. Why do our neighbours deserve less consideration and courtesy than you would? Anyway I now have to deal with it. Whoever you are - a letter will be on its way to you asking you to make amends to our neighbour - yes, I know you are a volunteer and I have no right to ask you. However, you are a member of a movement that believes in being courteous and considerate and a good neighbour. No matter how temporarily you were a neighbour to this family - you were still a neighbour. Time to do the right thing!

Cycling and walking

2011-06-12T04:27:00.000-07:00

Last week I bought a bike - with a certain amount of trepidation having not cycled for so long. However, it is an absolute joy and seems to take very little effort to ride. Yesterday we cycled from Oatlands in Weybridge to New Haw and back - probably 10 miles in total and I wasn't even that tired. My hands ached from the handlebars jumping up and down as the bike hit bumps on the towpath but I thought my legs would ache - which they don't.
Next week we have very little opportunity to cycle as my husband and I are walking from the source of the Thames up to Oxford (about 60 miles) although we are fair weather walkers so may not do it if it rains. Anything that is a break from work and the long hours I have been doing is to be welcomed. It is only the thought of 500 emails to be responded to when I return that is a bit of a downer. Perhaps I will just delete them all on the basis that any that are really important will be followed up by the sender later. Or am I that brave?

PS - next Friday's Guide meeting/District event is ...... a walk along the Thames from the Excel Centre between Walton on Thames and Molesey back to the Guide Hall in Weybridge. The irony!

Busy again

2011-06-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

It seems to be recurring theme that I am busy again. Having had a 1930 finish on Tuesday, 1800 yesterday and 1830 today all in London it has been a busy week so far - and my day off tomorrow is also very full with a client visit plus several projects to work on.

Sadly not all of my colleagues are in the same position and I have started to hand work and opportunities to a lady who has been at Hay Group longer than me but who has a niche specialism which no-one seems to want this year. Sometimes our skills are not in demand but we should remember that doesn't make them without value and one day their time will come. In the meantime I will do what I can to help because I know she would do the same for me. That's what friends are for.

Spot the Surrey West person

2011-05-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I play a game when I get a Guiding publication - see if I can spot the Surrey West person. Sometimes it is me (sunglassess sitting in a field looking pensive), sometimes it is Val (waving hands in the air), sometimes it is Nicky (smiling beautifully with daughters). If not photos then stories from Surrey West. We can be found very very frequently which is not a surprise for a County our size.

Cycling

2011-05-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

I used to cycle everywhere; to school, to Guides, to go riding - it was how I got about. However, I haven't really done any cycling for years. This was because when I lived in Guildford there were hills and also the roads are awful with potholes and drivers passing very close. However, there is a challenge to be met - to cycle from Guildford to Shoreham along a former railway line - so no hills. I am wondering whether I should start training now - and then go and buy a bike (because the training will be in the Gym). What do you think?

Lots of new ideas

2011-05-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

After a slightly trying week which necessitated me turning my mobile phone off to avoid someone calling me every two hours, I have started going through a slightly creative streak as have several other people in Surrey West. Ideas generated from the Pax Lodge weekend include a Guide Incident Hike and "Little Gig". There are also plans afoot for a challenge related to the Olympics Cycling events through Surrey in 2012. Then there are thoughts going through my mind to rerun Winter Wonderland for Rainbows, hold an open air play at HW for Rainbows and Brownies, organise a theatre trip for Adult volunteers (Les Mis or 39 Steps possibly). I have also booked a Summer holiday in Yorkshire for a week.....so suddenly I am feeling quite positive and optimistic.
BTW - this is a mere fragment of the creativity going on in Surrey West at the moment. Perhaps we are over the Centenary fatigue now?

A restful Easter

2011-04-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

I have just spent the long weekend with selected members of my family at my sister's house in France. What a restful weekend (apart from the driving) and such beautiful weather. We walked, ate good food, played games, talked a lot went shopping, read, got burnt and generally relaxed.
Back to work today though and off to Birmingham for the rest of the week with more thoughts on the borehole, cubicles in the shower block and such like to take my time.

Beauty tips

2011-04-13T01:42:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Martha who sent me this poem written by Audrey Hepburn and read at her funeral:

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

If you share this with another woman, something good will happen . . You will boost another woman's self esteem, and she will know that you care about her.

Free Easter Egg!

2011-04-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

Try this: http://www.freestuff.co.uk/go-thorntonsegg Enjoy!

Pax Lodge weekend

2011-04-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

With the aim of making Surrey West the best Guiding county in the UK (if we aren't already), Commissioners and Advisers spent the weekend at Pax Lodge thinking through what we need to focus on in the next couple of years. We were very ably supported by three region trainers; Pat Tiley, Debbie Baxter and Sally Christmas. As a result we have a tremendous range of ideas about what we could be doing better. We also have some grand ideas for events for all sections in the next few years one of which really excited everyone! Now we need to make sure we all deliver what we have been asking for. This will be different for every Division whether it is about opening more Rainbow units, building better teams, finding greater support, building/reviewing websites or more. County also has a huge part to play whether in providing resources, training materials or opportunities. As the Centenary becomes a more distant memory we are all taking up new challenges. I feel a new energy - let's hope everyone does.

Wedding invitation

2011-03-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

Today I received a wedding invitation from my Nephew's fiancee's family. What an invitation! A card with a fancy paper wrapper that looked a bit like a dinner jacket. This was fastened with a red ribbon and a small diamante buckle. There was also a swan's feather but, unfortunately, the whole thing fell apart when we got it out of the envelope so it might have been inside or outside or separate, who knows. Anyway I won't be walking the London Bridges on July 9th as I will be in my finery at a wedding. I must go shopping......

Crippling rent rises for units meeting in Surrey Schools?

2011-03-17T05:08:00.000-07:00

The Scout Association reports that scout units meeting in schools are being asked to raise their rents significantly. One of the units quoted is in Surrey where they are being asked for thousands of pounds a year.
Is this hitting us? - I don't know but why would we be treated differently?
Can we do anything about it? - find other meeting places, perhaps? What about sharing a Scout Hall or looking for a Church/Village Hall - or the hall of a private school who might be able to be generous under their requirement to have a community focus?
It will be hard in some areas where provision is very limited. We have had the benefit of letting subsidies but these have become increasingly constrained and the amounts very limited. It looks like these will disappear altogether from 2012.
How about having a big vision? What about buying one of the Council Youth Centres that they are trying to offload?

A trying three weeks

2011-03-07T13:38:00.000-08:00

It is amazing to me but when trouble comes it tends to come in shedloads. My tale of woe started on February 14th when my Stepmother, who has anger issues, took exception to my organising a birthday lunch for my Father and accused me of being mentally unstable and threatened me with legal action (No, I am not joking). Since then I have crashed my car, broken down, missed client meetings, had clients fall ill in meetings, had a very abusive letter from a respected member of the Surrey community, upset some friends with my handling of a complaint, and much more....all very stressfull.
There have been some bright points, of course; we got £2000 towards the building work at Herons Wey, got a lot of support from my family and some Guiding friends and, the highlight, was told by one of my new Guides that Guides was such fun it brought joy to her heart.

Census progress

2011-02-25T10:44:00.000-08:00

I have just received the latest update in units paid and I had to read it twice - I think it says 65% of units have paid. If that is so then can I say WELL DONE

Coincidence?

2011-02-23T14:32:00.000-08:00

Today my husband went into hospital to have a hernia operation. I went in this afternoon to keep him company to find Margaret in the next room. She had her knee replaced yesterday. Both of them seem to be well and Mr C will be coming out tomorrow probably. Margaret will have to wait a little longer.

Who do you work for?

2011-02-17T03:28:00.000-08:00

Having made very good progress over the last few years in raising our profile with mayors, Councillors and other VIPS, we would like to turn out attention to local employers. Why, you may ask? Well, many of them may have Corporate Social Responsibility policies that could benefit us either by asking them to recognise the work you do for us, or by providing us with help such as resources or funding. Unfortunately, we are finding it a bit tricky to actually get lists of which companies are here in Surrey so I thought I would ask you directly.

If you work for a company anywhere in Surrey and, either:

it has a CSR policy we should know about, or
it gives to local groups, or
you would like your time recognised, or
it is a decent sized organisation.

then we would like to know about it. If we have a name of one or more of their employees involved with Guiding then that would be a definite bonus. Unfortunately time is now of the essence as the first thing we would like to do is invite the MD/CEO to visit us at Scoutabout - so get your skates on and email Margaret in the office.

office@girlguidingsurreywest.org.uk

Inclusion - notes from GSUSA

2011-02-10T05:50:00.000-08:00

As you think about where, when, and how often to meet with your group, you will find yourself considering the needs, resources, safety, and beliefs of all members and potential members. As you do this, include the special needs of any members who have disabilities, or whose parents or guardians have disabilities. But please don’t rely on visual cues to inform you of a disability: Approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population has a disability—that’s one in five people, of every socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and religion. As a volunteer, your interactions with girls present an opportunity to improve the way society views girls (and their parents/guardians) with disabilities. Historically, disabilities have been looked at from a deficit viewpoint with a focus on how people with disabilities could be fixed. Today, the focus is on a person’s abilities—on what she can do rather than on what she cannot. Girl Scouts embraces girls of all abilities, backgrounds, and heritage, with a specific and positive philosophy of inclusion that benefits everyone. Each girl—without regard to socioeconomic status, race, physical or cognitive ability, ethnicity, primary language, or religion—is an equal and valued member of the group, and groups reflect the diversity of the community. “Inclusion” is an approach and an attitude, rather than a set of guidelines. Inclusion is about belonging, about all girls being offered the same opportunities, about respect and dignity, and about honoring the uniqueness of and differences among us all. You’re being accepting and inclusive when you: ·

Welcome every girl and focus on building community. ·
Emphasize cooperation instead of competition. ·
Provide a safe and socially comfortable environment for girls. ·
Teach respect for, understanding of, and dignity toward all girls and their families.
Actively reach out to girls and families who are traditionally excluded or marginalized.
Foster a sense of belonging to community as a respected and valued peer. ·H
Honor the intrinsic value of each person’s life.

What a wonderful opportunity such an approach will offer to the girls you mentor! If you want to find out what a girl with a disability needs to make her Girl Scout experience successful, simply ask her or her parents or guardians. If you are frank and accessible, it’s likely they will respond in kind, creating an atmosphere that enriches everyone. It’s important for all girls to be rewarded based on their best efforts—not completion of a task. Give any girl the opportunity to do her best and she will. Sometimes that means changing a few rules or approaching an activity in a more creative way. Here are some examples of ways to modify activities: ·

Invite a girl to complete an activity after she has observed others doing it.
If you are visiting a museum to view sculpture, find out if a girl who is blind might be given permission to touch the pieces.
If an activity requires running, a girl who is unable to run could be asked to walk or do another physical movement. When interacting with a girl (or parent/guardian) with a disability, consider these final tips:
When talking to a girl with a disability, speak directly to her, not through a parent or friend.
It is okay to offer assistance to a girl with a disability, but wait until your offer is accepted before you begin to help. Listen closely to any instructions the person may have.
Leaning on a girl’s wheelchair is invading her space and is considered annoying and rude.
When speaking to a girl who is deaf and using an interpreter, speak to the girl, not to her interpreter.
When speaking for more than a few minutes to a girl who uses a wheelchair, place yourself at eye level.
When greeting a girl with a visual disability, always identify yourself and others. You might say, “Hi, it’s Sheryl. Tara is on my right, and Chris is on my left.”

February looks quiet

2011-02-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

As we continue with our lull after the Centenary and work hits its annual quiet time after everyone has completed their pay reviews, I have lots of space in my diary for once. I still have some things to do, of course, such as find some participants for a Commissioner training at CHQ. I am looking for DCs in the north of the County to go with me and a Div Comm from Pitch Hill and a DC from Camberley. I have left messages with others but it looks like everyone else's diaries are much fuller than mine is. I am not complaining.

Pants!

2011-01-25T13:33:00.001-08:00

It is a mystery to me but I very rarely wash my son's pants. The reason is that they never get into the dirty washing basket. I can only imagine he rotates the dirty ones and when one pair gets exceptionally awful he does put a pair in the wash. I can only imagine that he finds the smell comforting so he hides them under his bed to enjoy it longer.
Last week, though, I went into his room - a brave move. He has been tidying as we have just bought him a new cupboard for his room. What that really means is that he has moved furniture so he can see the mess that was, previously, under it. So I took a deep breath, rushed in and grabbed as many dirty clothes as I could before I passed out. There are now eight pairs of clean pants on the line.
Boys are definitely a breed apart. The Scout CC tells me the main change since girls could become Scouts is that the boys are cleaner.

Re-using old buildings

2011-01-18T13:38:00.000-08:00

In this throw-away society we have decided to not throw away two buildings. When the new toilet/shower blocks go up we will need to remove/dismantle the two old wooden blocks on Ramsdown/Richards Hill at Herons Wey. The blocks have been well cared for and, although,20 years old, have still got life in them. So we are going to re-erect them behind the new blocks moving them apart to create a space in between which will be roofed and walled. This will all be on a concrete base. The idea is that it will provide storage including a place to put fridges for camper use. The trouble is that we don't have the money. Although we have been money raising for years the toilet block and borehole will use all of that. So we need some urgently. If you are reading this and would be willing to write to your local councillor to see if they have any funds left or if your employer makes donations or if you know any other funds we can apply to then we need to know. Please feel free to ask on our behalf or let us know and we will write.
Thank you.

WANTED - County equipment

2011-01-15T13:44:00.000-08:00

My mission this month (or longer) is to track down County equipment. I know that there is equipment in people's garages, lofts and spare bedrooms but we don't know what it is or where. So if you have any equipment or know someone who has then we have some questions for you/them:

what is it.
Does it still work?
Do you want to keep it or do you want us to find it a new home?

If you have anything then can you contact Anne in the office office@girlguidingsurreywest.org.uk

Thanks

PS - It was good to see such a strong Guide representation at Lady Baden-Powell's funeral on Monday. Patience was very full of energy, impossible to refuse, extremely well-connected and gave a great deal of time to both Guiding and Scouting. She will be missed.

New Year's Day walk

2011-01-02T13:50:00.000-08:00

It started as an offer to Guiding volunteers but then my (non-Guiding) sister mentioned walking on New Year's Day - and then thought her brother in law and his family might be interested and then my daughter and her boyfriend came along so the Guiding friends (Madeleine and Jane) were rather outnumbered.
15 of us enjoyed a walk from Waverley Abbey along the Greensand Way north-west past Moor Park then North East along the North Downs Way through the nature reserve to Sands where we stopped at the Barley Mow for an all day breakfast. We ended with a walk up Crooksbury Hill to benefit from a fabulous view. It wasn't a long walk (4 miles probably) but very interesting. I hadn't realised that the gun emplacements etc were there because Moor Park was important in the war. All in all a good walk and it didn't rain.
Next we are thinking of walking round Frensham between the two lakes. Same pattern probably - stop at a dog-friendly pub some of the way round. Why not join us?

Happy New Year - fancy a walk?

2010-12-31T02:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone in Surrey West. After an exciting and busy year in 2010 with so many things going on, now it really is back to real Guiding. This year we are going to focus on our volunteers to thank you for everything you do, and to help build a strong community of supporters. Without you all there is no Guiding - you are the most important people in Guiding and we shouldn't forget that.
We have 1600 volunteers in Surrey West and there is no way I can know you all. Neither can I send an email to everyone. So, I know it is late notice but it was in the last Weekly News although not everyone received it, do you want to join me for a walk on New Year's Day? If you would, then meet me at Waverley Abbey car park (or if it is closed, Crooksbury Hill) at 1130. We will work about 3 miles to Sands where we will stop at the Pub for lunch - they are doing an all day breakfast. The pub is dog friendly so bring yours along if you want. Then we will walk over Crooksbury Hill back - another 1.5 miles.
If you are going to be too busy partying to get up then have a fantastic time - don't drink too much and, if you are driving, please keep safe.

Happy Christmas

2010-12-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

List of things still to do:

Make stuffing
Make stock for gravy
Make mince pies
Make red cabbage
Cook ham for Boxing Day
Clean cutlery
Check we have enough napkins
Make mother-in-law's bed
Make bread
Make non-alcoholic punches
Read all the paper work just received from CHQ (Yes really)
Deliver presents
Go to a party in our close
Move table into dining room to add to the one in there
Move garden table into kitchen.

I may have forgotten something.

I hope you, like me, will find time to relax between Christmas and New Year. What ever you do, I hope it is a happy time for all of you.

Snow

2010-12-20T04:34:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday 14 of us went to see the Railway Children at Waterloo Station. It was very well done and we had a fabulous time. We were lucky that the very bad weather hadn't set in properly so the trains were still running - had it been on Friday or at the weekend we may not have been so lucky.
That same evening my daughter returned from University with a friend due to fly home to KL at the weekend. And that is when Heathrow was, more or less, closed. As she hadn't seen her family for some time she was desperate to go home although we told her she was welcome to stay as long as necessary. We tend to have a revolving door policy in our house and are not often sure how many mouths we are feeding. However, she preferred to go to Terminal 4 and wait there on the off-chance of a flight. We loaded her up with a pack lunch and a sleeping bag. 24 hours later it seems she has got a flight although until she has actually taken off we shouldn't make assumptions. I am sure she will be home before Christmas though.
If I don't blog before Christmas, can I hope you have a happy and peaceful time.

Team Twenty Ten publicity

2010-12-16T04:50:00.000-08:00

Today I received a copy of Girlguiding Today. I don't know what the circulation list is but I got it as a member of the QG database. There was a whole page on Team Twenty Ten and swimming the Channel. I don't know if you can get hold of a copy yourselves so I hope it will also be in Guiding magazine which, I understand, is due out shortly.
Well done - everyone and, yes, Lindsay, you are mad to want to do it again but solo.

Student protests

2010-12-14T04:35:00.000-08:00

As I was walking to work today across Parliament Square the barricades were out again and police were being transported in - although I don't know if a student protest is expected today, it looked like there was something in the wind.
Looking back on the student protests in the past few weeks I believe that the right to protest is a sign of a democratic and civilised society. However, that does not include the right to violent protest which is why the protests last week were so disheartening. In the second protest there were pictures of a police van being attacked but a group of teenage girls took up position around the van to stop the violence. What courage that must have taken! Would you have stood up to a teenage boy (probably), angry and causing criminal damage? Yet these girls - who looked like they were school girls rather than university students - did it. What a great sign of good morals.
How sad that the criminal damage and defacing of national symbols last week got so much publicity. How much did it damage their cause?
The stronger message was the defence of Right NOT the attack on authority.

Every (snow)cloud has a silver lining

2010-12-02T01:49:00.000-08:00

It might be cold and my son might be driving me mad throwing snowballs at the window but there is one bright spot - my floor is being installed two weeks early so will be finished well before Christmas. The fitter was due to work in Reigate but couldn't get up Reigate Hill in the snow so he reorganised to do our work. Of course it is quite noisy working from home with the drilling, sawing and hammering and I am contemplating sitting in garage for a conference call in a minute but at least it will be finished by the weekend.
I understand Margaret's op went well. Let's hope she makes a swift recovery on her new knee.

Felting and the Trefoil Guild Quiz

2010-11-29T08:54:00.000-08:00

I spent a lovely Saturday learning how to make felt with my mother and sister. It was quite therapeutic. It was held in the Sunbury Millennium Embroidery Centre. If you haven't seen the Embroidery then it is worth a special trip. It was created for the Centenary and tells you about Sunbury and its histrory. It is housed in a beautiful walled garden. You will be amazed by the skill, the artistry and the sheer beauty of the embroidery and the walled garden looks gorgeous whatever the time of year. The Centre also has an excellent cafe!
On Thursday we went to the Trefoil Guild Quiz for an evening of competition and fun. My mother, daughter and I attached ourselves to Emberbrook for the evening; thanks to Margaret, Bridget and Valerie for putting up with us. Fortunately we won due to some quite amazing knowledge about old films and other things.
I would also like to wish Margaret Nelson good luck as she goes into hospital for a knee replacement tomorrow. A week with my feet up sounds like luxury but I know Margaret is an active body and may not like sitting still for too long.

Lord Mayor's Show and Remembrance Sunday

2010-11-14T09:46:00.001-08:00

It has been a busy Guiding weekend for many people. A team of 9 from Thameside Division shadowed our friends from Surrey East manning the feeding station for the Lord Mayor's Show on Saturday. Next year it is our turn to front it. It is a massive effort and involves feeding those involved with the Parade - rumour has it 6500 packed lunches. So next year we will be looking for 35 people to help.
Today many of us will have been taking part in Remembrance ceremonies whether laying wreathes, joining parades or attending church services. It is good for the girls to remember that round the world many young women and men are dying for others. I think it my even mean more to them than it did to me when I was a child and, looking back, there was a sort of silence about war.

Life after a few days of good sleep

2010-11-13T11:59:00.000-08:00

As the month has worn on my stress levels have risen. I have a lot of work, losing my laptop was stressful (I got it back with a broken screen), I have had several Guiding meetings this week with late finishes, my husband has been away again......but I eventually decided enough was enough. I haven't slept well and it was a vicious circle (less sleep = more stress = less sleep). So I decided to focus on getting a good night's sleep. I am not a good sleeper at the best of times so this is never easy. I went to bed early having had a glass of milk. I tried to relax before I went and I made myself as comfortable as possible. As my husband was away there was no-one to disturb me. Result - a reasonable night's sleep. The next night was better and last night you would have struggled to wake me. I feel so much better. I have more energy and next week at work looks manageable even though it is still packed.

PS - If you want to go to the Railway Children then I have 14 names but I need to confirm the booking and pay next Friday so let me know asap so I get enough tickets.

Lost laptop

2010-11-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a meeting in Liverpool from 8am until 4pm. When I left I forgot to pack my laptop. I thought my bag was a bit light but I had handed out a lot of paper so that was what the difference was, or so I thought. On the train back I decided to do a little work - that is when I found out. Fortunately the laptop was located and is going to be couriered back to me tomorrow morning. It means a day off at last! I will catch up tomorrow.
UPDATE; - the Courier failed to collect the laptop as the lady who had it wasn't there. If they pick it up on Monday I should get it on Tuesday morning but I will have to start having things sent to my hotmail address as I can't afford to lose anymore days of work. There are times when you wonder if it is worth it!

Back to proper Guiding

2010-11-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

I have at last cleared out my car of almost all camp things. The tent is hanging in the kitchen and everything else has been put away having been washed.
Camp was very cold (at least -3 the first morning I would estimate) but bright and sunny which was lovely - until Tuesday when it rained. Rain is miserable - no escape and gloomy. It rained on Tuesday night and the wind accelerated down Herons Wey and hit my tent and the walls were close to horizontal. It also drove rain in so I was wet. At least it was warm so I didn't need the blankets. Miraculously the rain cleared to give us a dry strike - that is why my tent has been in the boot for nearly a week and I haven't hurried to get it out.
Don' think it was a miserable camp, though, lots of camaraderie and activities. The team whooranised it did a brilliant job. Thanks, everyone.

Off to camp

2010-10-22T14:13:00.001-07:00

On the 19th October I went to the 1st Weybridge Guide unit's 100th birthday party and this weekend we are off as a District to camp and celebrate 100 years of Guiding. I think 1st Weybridge is the oldest existing unit in Surrey West and is still thriving in a District where Guide units are also doing well.
The camp will also involve Brownies and Rainbows visiting. Let's hope for fine weather and no rain or frost. However, even poor weather won't spoilt it for me because I really need a break from clients and phone calls. Fortunately mobile reception in Herons Wey can be very patchy....
See you in November!

Vision

2010-10-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Tonight I joined Woking East and Woking West for their Vision event closing the Centenary Year. I would like to thank them very much for their hospitality as I did rather invite myself. I would also like to congratulate them for the successful link up with the Community Channel. I hope everyone else had the same success and, if you didn't, that you had a great time anyway. It is lovely to remeber that we are all part of a massive worldwide family who can change the world if we want to.

Census all in - at last

2010-10-14T12:43:00.001-07:00

Well it took bit of time but we have finally achieved 100% payment of census. What is more it appears that in the middle of July the count of Surrey West members exceeded 9,500 which is rather more than I thought. The downside of that is that Margaret has 9563 badges in the office that need to be got out to Divisions and Districts by the 20th. No mean feat I think you will agree.

In case you were wondering.....

2010-10-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

BTW - Stars and Sparkle, our planned Gala Dinner, has been postponed as we felt everyone needed a break after the exertions of the Centenary Year. We will let you know when the new date has been confirmed.

Still busy....well no!

2010-09-24T06:02:00.000-07:00

I was sitting in a training room yesterday morning wondering where everyone was. At 9.30 I went to see the client account manager who was on his second day back in the office after holiday. He left a message with the client to find out when we were to expect her trainees. At 10.00 she returned his call to say that the training course had been postponed and didn't we know.
So all of a sudden I had 2 days free so I put the work I was going to do on Saturday and Monday into the now-free time yesterday. That left today so I decided to complete a piece of work I have left off for a while and then I decided to take the rest of the day off. You can not believe how good that feels apart from a sneaking sense of guilt that I am not doing anything! I expect I will survive.

Busy again

2010-09-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

I had intended to write something every week but time has rushed on with the start of the Guiding year as well being extremely busy at work - 6 days a week instead of the 4 I am paid for.
Anyway here are some of the things I have done this month:

Been at the opening of Guild Wood at Herons Wey
Climbed the playframe at Weyside together with several ladies in their 60s who are still yong enough to want to try.
Run a Japanese evening at Guides
Bought a new Guiding sweatshirt
Discussed with the Exec how to focus on volunteers next year. One Division suggested calling it "Year of the Leader"
Taken daughter to Manchester University
Picked sloes for sloe gin (for my husband you understand!)

More about Year of the Leader later.....

Welcome back!

2010-09-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

I hope you did get a break over Summer. I did and it gave me some time to actually think about my unit and meeting plans. Now it is back to Guiding - a little refreshed.

Channel Swim - WELL DONE!!

2010-08-03T00:30:00.000-07:00

After a weekend of waiting, Team Twenty Ten finally set off from Folkestone at 3am on Monday 2nd August. 15 hours 24 minutes later they arrived in France - not quite a national record but definitely a record for Surrey West!
Well done to the team of six and their very numerous band of supporters.

Now we really are closed for Summer!!

CLOSED FOR SUMMER

2010-07-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

As we have all had a long and exhausting year I think we all need a complete break - or as complete as it can be allowing for the camps, swims etc due in the next six weeks. Today the office closed for Summer and I am closing down the County for six weeks as well. From today:

I will pick up emails but not reply except if it is an emergency
I will answer the phone but only deal with emergencies

So, if it can wait until September, it should do.

See you in September - although I can't pretend to leave this blog unaltered until then.

Beautiful Gardens

2010-07-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend I spent Saturday and most of Sunday at Hampton Court Flower Show helping at the GirlguidingUK Centenary Garden. What a busy two days as people came through the garden in droves. They were very complimentary and many ladies had wonderful memories of Guiding. If you didn't know, the garden won silver gilt and also was the people's Choice. There were also the balconies - Hinchley Wood Guides' Icelandic Balcony was highly commended. We also had several entries in the container category although I haven't discovered whether we were successful there.
It was a splendid event and excellent publicity. Although it was exhausting it was also exhilarating.

Wise words

2010-07-11T03:57:00.000-07:00

"A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."- Mohandas Gandhi

Brave the Waves

2010-07-08T09:54:00.001-07:00

At the end of July six intrepid ladies will set out from Dover Harbour and will swim in one hour slots to Cap Gris Nez in France. This is 22 miles on a good day but wind and tides might add to this. For two years they have been working hard training week in, week out while still having to go to work, support their families and do "normal" Guiding. What an enormous venture this has proved to be.
Now, dear readers, it is your turn to support them. Channel Swims do not happen without a great deal of cost attached for hiring boats, arranging insurance, covering training costs etc etc. The bill is substantial and fundraising is ongoing.
Before they set out we are holding a sweepstake which will give a £30 prize to the person who guesses how long it will take them to swim across. Please take part - it is £1 a guess and you can give Hours, minutes and seconds. If you want to take part please email me on Countycommissioner@girlguidingsurreywest.org.uk with your guess and then pop £1 a guess in the post to me at 4 Pineridge Close, Weybridge, KT16 9SP.
The sweepstake will end on August 1st so email me now.

Thank you

2010-06-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

To all those who read this blog!
If you know anyone who helped at or came to the Herons Wey Fair or made a donation or contributed in any way at all, please will you pass on our warmest (!) thanks for their help in such a busy year. We ask a lot of our volunteers and in such a busy year I am sincerely grateful you could find a gap in your diary to help.
I would also like to thank the brave man who cooked the pig on a very hot day, the Brewery staff who sat quietly most of the day and our superb Announcer who made a great impression on everyone.
I would also like to thank Godalming Band who entertained us on a very warm evening with skill and good humour.

HW Fair

2010-06-27T08:49:00.000-07:00

What a hot day! I am burnt to a frazzle.

We had a splendid day at the Fair yesterday with a wide variety of stalls and a great concert in the evening - what, you missed it? Well so did most people because we had very few people came. Whether we made any money we have yet to find out.
In case you missed it (which you probably did) The Cabin at Herons Wey has been renamed "Enid's Cabin" as an XXXth birthday present from Countyto Enid Brewer who has been an extremely able warden for many years. What better than to name a building after her. We thought she would rather have the Cabin named after her than the toilet block!

A notable day

2010-06-18T03:47:00.000-07:00

Today is:

my 27th wedding anniversary (and they said it would never last)
my daughter's 21st birthday (it seems only yesterday she was a tiny baby crying if she wasn't carried around all the time)
the day she gets her degree grade (first class in Natural Sciences from Cambridge)

Thank you to Margaret Froome who asked after my Father after I reported he was unwell several months ago. For anyone interested, yes he is now fine and recovered from the stroke which was, fortunately, mild. Suggestions from my stepmother that this has caused dementia, untidiness and aggression are not apparent when we see him as he has always been forgetful, untidy and grumpy (at times). I asked him about it and he said he can't remember if he has dementia but the doctor hadn't told him he had it - but then he may just have forgotten. Same sense of humour, then!

Wales

2010-06-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

I had a lovely week in Wales - mainly good weather; lots of visiting and walking; beautiful countryside; unusual cottage. Daughter (19) drove down with son (12) on the Saturday and my husband and I joined them on the Sunday at lunchtime to be greeted with all the reasons she was unhappy:

there was nothing to do
there was no mobile reception
she had to drive 5 miles for fish and chips
the pub was no good
It was cold
It took a tank of petrol to get there...and then you had to pay to get into Wales!
all you could see out of the windows were graves
She couldn't sleep because of the noise of the sheep...

Then she went home less than 24 hours after arriving with the parting shot "I should have known what sort of holiday you would go on".

Other daughter (20) joined us for a few days later in the week and we saw lots of things and went walking and had a fabulous time.

Can I recommend the area south of Monmouth? It doesn't take long to get to and is very beautiful. We were particularly impressed with Caerwent which we had never heard of but has the best preserved Roman City walls in the UK - practically complete and several metres tall. They now surround a village with areas of excavation such as a temple and a bit of the forum. More impressive in many ways than the better known (and signposted) Caerleon.

Herons Wey Fair and Holiday and things

2010-05-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

Just before I head off for a week's holiday in Wales and then three days in Frankfurt I thought I would bring you up to date;

Herons Wey Fair - beginning to worry that no-one will come so please, please come yourself AND make sure your girls know they can come even if you can't.
Also worried about raffle prizes - I have generated nine but, apart from one very generous gift, had none from anyone else
We hope to get builders quotes before the Fair...
Census is nearly paid - just NINE units still holding out.
We invited a few selected VIPs to the Gala Dinner and am looking for Divisions willing to host - they don't have to pay we just need spaces.
Then there is the office move which Alison Watson is managing with Margaret because I am away. If you don't know the office is moving then you need to know we will be based in Guildford after half term c/o the YMCA near Dapdune Wharf.

Herons Wey Fair and Concert - June 26th

2010-05-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

You are invited to come to or to help at the Herons Wey Fair on June 26th. This is a big effort this year to raise funds for the new toilet block we have planning permission for.

REASONS TO COME
A wide range of brilliant stalls
A great race programme with fantastic prizes
A chance to enjoy Herons Wey and share it with your friends and family
A fabulous concert in the evening
Excellent food available to buy
Meet old friends; make new ones.
and.....contribute to a great cause.

Watch out for information on the Weekly News.

Parent help

2010-05-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

I went to Cobham District Activity Day yesterday, wonderfully organised by Leigh Hopper. Each group of about ten girls (mixed ages) was accompanied by a parent leader. There were also parents running activities and cooking dinner. How did she find so many? Simple; on the acceptance form there was a short sentence about the daughter coming to the event - and then a very big bit saying "I can help at the day in the following way......"
When the responses were analysed a lot of parents had volunteered to cook so she asked some to do other things.
I spoke to one Mum taking a group round and she said she used to help at Cubs but it was pandemonium. She couldn't believe that girls were so different; doing what they were told and being quiet! Perhaps she will offer again.

What my work colleagues didn't know....

2010-04-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

Last week I presented, at very short notice, at a "Third Sector" conference. I was given no briefing but had a title - Responsible Reward. As that isn't much of a guide to content I just decided to talk about getting more from less - i.e. how to make sure people do the right thing at the right time in the right way. To do this I had to establish credibility so introduced them to Surrey West (9000 members, 1300 volunteers, 2 staff and 1 campsite) and my role. I then talked through what we are trying to do making sure our volunteers know what is expected of them and introducing them to the idea of performance management for volunteers.

It went well but what surprised me was how many of my wok colleagues came and said they didn't know that I did all this in my spare time. I was amazed as I have occasionally worn my uniform to work, am always borrowing things and doing copying. Still, some people are just not that observant

Spring is sprung

2010-04-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

What fabulous weather we are having. Today I planted chard, beans, rocket and squash in my veg patch; tomates, courgettes and blueberries in pots; salad leaves and herbs in wooden boxes. We also had the winter spinach still growing in the veg patch from last year as part of our dinner. Personally I don't care for spinach but the small cost of a packet of seeds has paid us back manyfold.
Recently I went to a day at River Cottage on urban kitchen gardens and Mark, the gardener, urged us to plant cut and come again crops and also planting lots of seeds (well there can be hundreds in the packet) and then eating the seedlings as they taste as good and sometimes more intensely than the full grown plants.
I have also created the most fabulous compost - there is something magic about putting rotten old peelings and newspaper in a heap and then a year later finding it has turned into lovely crumbly stuff. I have three compost bins. I fill the left one and then when it is full transfer it to the middle bin having moved the contents of the middle bin into the right hand bin - which is likely to be empty by that stage. The turning the compost gives you the air bit you need - no need to turn every few weeks - or if there is then someone else must be doing it when I am not looking. I also encourage my son to wee in the left hand bin, which he seems quite happy to do. Boys are far better designed to do this than girls, of course.

A Guide is honest and can be trusted

2010-04-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a conundrum for you:

Surrey West has now got more units than in 2009.
Surrey West has 300 fewer girls ( note this is a similar proportion in other Counties) on Go! than in the 2009 Census

Well maybe we overdeclared last year - but as we had more control over what was declared in 2009, is that likely?

This is a serious problem. I know one unit which is a full and thriving one who has only two girls on Go - I don't know what they have declared for their subscription. The impact is this: the fewer members we declare the less income we have. The County budget is carefully worked out to break even on the basis of 9000 members, itself somewhat lower than the 9200 in 2009. Yet we now have 8700 according to Go. That is a loss of income to County of £1500 or, to put it in terms you can relate to; the cost of renting the County Office, reduces our ability to support girls going on International trips by 25% , would reduce the number of copies of Air and Share by one half. You get the picture, I am sure.

I know that some people have been resistant to using Go and we have done all we can to support them and provide them with alternatives. There are still some units not on but it now appears that some units are entering a few girls just to say they have. Ladies, this is not good enough!! I am going to spend an unhappy few days finding out who you are by looking at your 2009 Census numbers against the numbers on Go! I didn't volunteer in Guiding to do that! If you are an offender then you will hear from me for an explanation.

Sorry for the rant. Food Poisoning has made me tetchy.

Still busy - looking forward to Easter

2010-03-26T03:27:00.000-07:00

Life continues at a hectic rate for me with work still very manic. Today I decided to take a day off - well not really a day off as I am only paid for 4 days a week and this is the 5th day. I have sat down and done all (well nearly all) those things that I have been meaning to do for ages like finding someone to cut the hedges, booking a dentist appointment - and so on. For me the simple ticking off of things on a list can be really motivating because I feel I have achieved something. I am also making bread and will make biscuits this afternoon. Then there is ironing to do.

Tomorrow, or today if I feel like it, I am going to set up a questionnaire for Commissioners on Survey Monkey which will help us understanding what soft skills Commissioners need.

Oh - and I have just booked a carpet cleaner to come. The new kitchen has created quite a lot of dust and the carpets need a bit of brightening up.

Lastly, I am going to phone my father who is in Tasmania and had a mild stroke some weeks ago. He seems to have recovered well but his wife tells us he is still very ill. It is very difficult to judge from a distance. He is back in a few weeks so I will be able to make a first hand assessment.

An extremely busy fortnight

2010-03-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

Having worked for 16 days of the past 21 and been in Cambridge for 2 of the other days, One World One Beat on one day, another day with four events (and I only got to three) and I think that leaves one day free, so I hope you will forgive me for not having blogged recently.

Here is the news:
Herons Wey Fair
June 26th - to raise finds for the toilet block. Wanted stalls run by members, stalls to be run (at a cost) by traders, raffle prizes and advertisers for the programme. Also needed preformers for the arena and providers of food. All offers most welcome.

Gala Dinner - Stars and Sparkle
As a thank you at the end of Centenary (November 19th in this case) we are holding a "posh frock" dinner at Kingston County Hall. Wanted sponsors so we can keep the cost down - if you know businesses who might sponsor, flowers, wine, canapes or provide raffle prizes, let us know. All profits to HW Water project.

Weyside Playframe
We hope that the playframe will arrive next week and will be erected soon after that. Keep an eye out. There are still spaces to hire Weyside later in the year so you can be one of the first groups to use this equipment.

Lord Lieutenant's Cadet
Congratulations to Bronwyn White who beat tough competition to be selected as the Cadet for the next year.

Queens Guide
Congratualtions to Augusta Theorachous who has become a Queens Guide just as her sister, Olympia, did eighteen months ago.

Chief Guides Award
Well done to our Chair of Junior Council Helen Clark on getting her CGA.

I am sure I have forgotten so much.

I have also had the sad job of writing to two Leaders who have each lost their teenage daughters through illness. Out thoughts go out to them.

Lastly - Well done everyone - we have over 80% of our units registered as paying their subscription. The reason this is good is because the magic number when we would get money refunded is 80% so we will be paid this year. Our Treasurer will be pleased (when she gets back from holiday)

One World One Beat and Dittons Exhibition

2010-02-20T12:38:00.000-08:00

Today I went to One World One Beat at Cobham. I know that it is not a Surrey West event but it was in Surrey West and a large number of Surrey West members went and, importantly, helped in a variety of capacities including on the organising committee. I went, unusually, as a Leader which was great because I got to really join in. It was fun! The girls had a brilliant time.

The previous day I went to Ditton Library to see the opening of the Dittons Centenary exhibition. What a lot of hard work has been put in! I hope this will really raise Girlguiding's profile locally. I hope other Districts and Divisions will do something similar - all those vacant shops would be fantastic for putting a display in. Just a thought.

Voyage Round the World

2010-02-15T12:18:00.000-08:00

Another triumph for Surrey West! 1200 members came to Charterhouse School to voyage around the WAGGGS regions doing a wide variety of activities. They seemed to be having a great deal of fun whether it was making something, eating something, making music - or making mess! Again our VIPs saw a number of excellent activities before joining us in the Chapel for a closing ceremony in the morning. And then we did it all again in the afternoon.
Well done to the Committee - rather more extensive than for Wet and Wacky but still relatively small.

More about fundraising

2010-02-12T14:12:00.001-08:00

Tonight we held a fundraising evening and it was a success! We raised nearly £170 which, when added to our penny collection means we have raised £268.64 for Herons Wey. One father thinks he can get matched funding from his work so that means £537.28 for the Hot Water Competition. So we have thrown down the gauntlet!

Subscription received, correct, paid

2010-02-05T13:34:00.000-08:00

I don't suppose 98th Old Palace Guides are the only unit in the country who received a correct subscription invoice - which we have now paid. Well done, Lizzie, for getting details on Go at new year.

Justgiving

2010-01-28T12:23:00.000-08:00

Please look at the Surrey West website www.girlguidingsurreywest.org.uk and click on the "make a donation" button on the right hand side. You will be helping several people to have a mountain top moment as you will be funding their Channel Swim. Please give what you can.

Planning Permission

2010-01-26T12:06:00.000-08:00

We have got planning permission to build a new toilet and shower block on Herons Wey and to put up a fantastic playframe. We already had PP for a large toilet block but we revised this as it was going to be tough to find the money for; the new PP replaces this and makes the building programme more manageable. We still have to find money though. The playframe should go up shortly. It will be behind Weyside but we are adding to the copse between the playframe and the gate to shield the neighbours from noise of the screaming variety (their words).
It is good news for all of us and will allow us to modernise the facilities as well as being "green".

I'll keep you posted of details

The pleasures of letter writing

2010-01-19T03:15:00.000-08:00

So often now we just wing off an email to someone in response to something but how rarely do we sit down and craft a letter? Maybe it is a generational thing because the Trefoil Guild are very good at writing letters and we had many lovely thank you letters after the Tea Party last year. I am not complaining now, but this contrasted to the event the next day when we got a few emails saying it was lovely but these were very few and no letters at all so far.
Following last week's rather gruelling Parish Council meeting, I have carefully drafted a number of letters addressing most of the points raised. What a pleasure it is to develop an argument and create proper sentences to explain yourself. To respond courteously and reasonably. To be clear and concise.
I write the letters then read them out loud to make sure they flow well. It may be old-fashioned and slow but it is so cathartic and creative. I also like to write the things I really want to say just to get them out of my system - and then delete them. Or sometimes I write them to my friends and we have a good laugh then I write my very proper letter.
I find this works with complaints too - you appear eminently reasonable while saying "no".
No doubt you knew all of this.

Patience is a virtue

2010-01-14T12:44:00.000-08:00

They say that having children teaches you patience but I find that actually it is working with adults that does that. Interpret that as you want!

Snow

2010-01-11T12:58:00.001-08:00

Snow looks very lovely and is a joy unless you have to travel or work. We have two snowmen in our front garden, one of which is 6 feet tall and has ab muscles.

The snow is gradually melting now, of course, so we may be able to walk to school and the railway station without slipping and sliding! I prefer working at home anyway and it has been acceptable in the last few days, but tomorrow I will go to the office if only to print things for my Guide meeting on Friday. I also have to go to Tilford tomorrow for the Parish Council as I am trying to get to know our neighbours at Herons Wey. Having had to be pushed out of roads in Guildford this morning, twice, in my car I am keeping a careful eye to make sure it is safe to go.

2010 and regular Guiding

2010-01-01T06:02:00.000-08:00

I have sent an email to all of the Exec to passon so I hope that within the next few days you will recieve something from me telling you about all of our plans. However, if you don't get it then I am attaching it below (if technology permits) for you all to read...

To all my friends and colleagues in Surrey West – Happy New Year!

What a year we are entering as we celebrate the Centenary started last September at Wet and Wacky. How many fabulous events and opportunities lie ahead of us! But we shouldn’t forget that every week Guiding continues across Surrey West just as it does every year; hundreds of Leaders delivering the Guiding programme supported by hundreds of Commissioners, Advisers, Co-ordinators and other Helpers; thousands of girls learning new skills and developing their potential.

In 2009, A group of Commissioners, Advisers, Trainers and others from across the County got together to decide what Surrey West was for – what we had to do to help all those Leaders working with girls. What we visualised was that every girl who wants to and could benefit from the Guiding programme in Surrey West should be in the position to do so. However, that makes some demands on us at County, Division and District level; are there enough Leaders? Can we help them develop skills to deliver the best programme? How do we inspire those Leaders to carry on helping?

A small group, the Guiding Development Group, have been thinking this through and have come up with lots of ideas that should move us in the right direction. As we enter 2010 I’d like to tell you a bit about what we have planned – it is not a complete list as we will be working further on the ideas throughout the year but I hope it will give you a flavour of what is to come.

Attracting people of all ages to help the girls who join us participate in our distinctive, stimulating and enjoyable programme of activities;
We will help you recruit more adult helpers by offering you the guide to recruitment we wrote last year with Surrey East; Take a look and use it!
We will take advantage of PR opportunities to publicise what we do – you can do that locally too.
We will promote flexible Guiding.
We will encourage potential helpers to give whatever time and skill they have as a Leader or in some other way.

Training adults and Young Leaders in the skills they will use in Guiding;
The new Leader packs introduced last year will be used to welcome new volunteers;
New to Guiding trainings will be available throughout the year.
We will find and train mentors in all areas of Guiding – would you be interested?
We will find and support “trainers” and “Trainers” to strengthen our training team. Is this something you could do?
We will offer training courses as required. One of our members suggested Minibus training and we have organised it – is there something else you think we should offer?
We will start to train Commissioners to support their Division or District as best they can – if they need it.
We will make sure everyone knows about and can take part in training sessions, so keep an eye out on the Weekly News.

Inspiring them to continue giving us support;
We will make sure we recognise what you do and thank you for it; celebrating your success publicly. You can nominate and thank your own local heroes as well.
We want to keep your skills even if you can no longer be a Leader so we will make sure someone talks to you about it long before you leave and we will keep in touch.
We will make a special effort to keep in touch with our Senior Section as they go off to University – and we will make contact with Students at the Higher and Further Education Institutions in Surrey West.

Facilitating delivery of Girlguiding UK’s programme through the provision of and access to essential resources;
We will make sure you have the funding to do what you want to do, if it is available – look on the website or Weekly News and if you hear of funding then why not let us know?
We will make sure you have the advice and support you need from our advisers and co-ordinators by making sure we have the Advisers we need and they have the skills they need.
We will make sure you know where to find help – the County website is up and running and we hope you will use it more and more this year.
We will offer an exceptional Programme of activities for all ages – this year the Centenary will be the theme and you will be hearing a lot about it through the year. This will include things for adults which we hope you will support. If you have ideas then let us know. We can’t promise we will do everything but we know that out there people are saying “why don’t County....?” so don’t let it be a rhetorical question!
We will manage Herons’ Wey so that it provides an exceptional place for all our members.

Underpinning all of this is our wish to provide a flexible and supportive environment; and combine respect for the individual with having fun.

You will be the best judge of how any of us match up to this! At the end of the year look back and see whether we have done what we said. Have you shared your thoughts with us? Are we meeting up to your expectations?

I always love to talk about Guiding and you are welcome to email me on countycommissioner@girlguidingsurreywest.org.uk or phone 07884 110 677 with ideas, comments and news.

In the meantime can I thank my wonderful Guiding Development Group for these ideas; Alison Watson (Chair of Adult Support and Assistant County Commissioner), Denise Clark (County Treasurer), Bronach Hughes (Esher Division Commissioner representing Commissioners), Rachel House (joint Chair of Marketing and Information) and her predecessor Julie Alexander. This year we hope to add a Chair of Programme to our team who will represent Advisers.

Happy Guiding in 2010.

Georgina

Between Christmas and New Year

2009-12-30T09:46:00.000-08:00

It was supposed to be a quiet period but I have had a large amount of work descend. It is quite extraordinary - 90 jobs to be looked at. I managed 27 today before my brain fried so it looks like it will be a full day tomorrow as well as Friday, Saturday and maybe even Sunday. Still at least my back is straight again after a trip to an osteopath and kinesiologist together with some dietary supplements (recommended by the kinesiologist) and yoga (practising on my new Wii Fit).

Christmas Preparations

2009-12-18T00:52:00.000-08:00

TO DO LIST

Send cards - DONE
Buy Presents - DONE
Put up tree - DONE
Deck the Halls - DONE
Buy food for family event - DONE
Tidy spare bedroom for Mother-in-law - STILL TO DO
Go to Work Christmas Party - OFF THERE SOON
Be an executive work at husband's Christmas Dinner - THIS EVENING
Tidy away all Guiding Stuff until New Year - MIGHT BE OPTIMISTIC

I hope your plans are on track, too.

Even CCs have the weekend off

2009-12-13T12:21:00.000-08:00

This weekend...Canterbury to Christmas shop. Stayed at the Falstaff Hotel - pretty good and very convenient for the City centre. Lots of shopping - all presents bought apart from the one I have just thought of. Talked to a local lady in the queue when waiting for a box for a gift and she recommended a lovely restaurant "Olive Grove" which was a proper italian and extremely good, guided walk of Canterbury in a cloudburst this morning.
Guiding has just started again with the preparation for the Lord Lieutenant's Cadet in January.

VIP Briefing - two people learned what to do

2009-12-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

Our Centenary Champion and I went to the Surrey County Council reception on Tuesday after I had presented a lovely Brownie with a well-deserved Star of Merit. This was for bearing illness throughout her life with courage and good-humour.
At County Hall Julia and I went in with a view to meeting as many Mayors as possible. By the end of the evening we had between us spoken to quite a few. We also had financial donations, offers of help and contact names we are going to follow up on. Not bad for an hour's work.

My Guiding Week

2009-12-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

Friday - Guides. Fellow Leader throwing up so went home to be replaced by her husband.
Saturday - Trefoil Guild Centenary Tea Party. 100 TG members in Weyside having tea made by Guides, served by Senior Section while Guides collected their stories for a heritage project. A good time had by all.
Sunday - 200 Rainbows at Herons Wey discovering Winter Wonderland. Leader's husband (see Friday) was a brilliant Santa, there was a real Reindeer, the Ice Queen's Palace and Elves and much, much more. Exhausting but great fun for everyone.
Monday - Meeting to discuss Commissioner training...in 2011.
Tuesday - Presentation of Star of Merit to Katie in Godalming. Reception at County Hall with Centenary Champion - practising what we learnt about VIPs - with great success. The trick is to collar a Mayor and, after a few minutes, ask them to introduce you to another Mayor. We made a lot of useful connections - and some very generous offers were made - you will be kept informed.

so THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who helped with everything in the last few days. It should be quietish now until the New Year. We all deserve it.

Centenary Service

2009-12-03T07:59:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I have written but there has been much to do. Rather late in the day, though, I thought I would put my thoughts down about the County Service. I will admit I had misgivings - did we want to re-inforce the view that Guiding is a church organisation? Were we going to be allowed enough freedom to make it a good showcase for Guiding? Would there be enough VIPs to make it a PR event if nothing else? The signs weren't good; a strict service format, a desire for flags and standards (actually they were beautiful), veto on our speaker because he was from Southwark, some mix-ups in the invitations....and very few Leaders or girls taking up tickets.
However, in the end it was a slick well-run service; not too serious and not too long. The Cathedral was full to overflowing with Leaders, girls and the Trefoil Guild. The SWIFT team worked the VIPs like pros and the feedback was brilliant. So thank you Val and Betty for your very hard work in trying circumstances.

Morals

2009-11-17T10:58:00.000-08:00

Situation:

Your child has crashed your car.
The damage is noticable but not massive.
You have a £500 excess if the damage was done by an under 21 year old - but zero otherwise.
The repairs will cost less than £500.

What would you do?

Claim on insurance knowing they wouldn't pay anything and potentially impacting your's and your child's no-claims discount
Pay for it yourself.
Get your child to pay (probably over a couple of years or through a series of chores).
Say it was you and get the insurance company to pay.
Not bother doing anything at all unless the damage makes the car illegal or unusable in some way.

Easy choice? What would you do?

Hello Autumn

2009-11-09T11:04:00.000-08:00

For me the first weekend of November marks the height of autumn; the trees are usually colourful with autumn leaves, the weather turns crisp and the fireworks mark my birthday, or that is what I like to think. This year was different, though, as I spent the weekend in Vienna. Vienna is beautiful, walkable, the cakes are fabulous but it is very expensive with the exchange rate as it is. The highlight of the weekend was a four course meal and concert of Strauss and Mozart. OK it was a bit touristy but absolutely great. I didn't think about Guides at all.
When I got back, three days later, I was allowed to open my presents and there was a cake....pretty good, eh?

Surrey West Influential Folk Team

2009-11-04T06:54:00.000-08:00

SWIFT is the possible acronym for the VIP Hit Squad we got together last night. Recognising that the Centenary year gives us excellent opportunities at County, Division and District level to promote Guiding to people with influence, we felt that we needed to be able to do it to the best of our ability. So last night Julia, our Centenary Champion helped by Lesley, former Lady Mayor of Guildford so has been a VIP; Cindy, my predecessor as CC; Rachel and Natalie, Chairs of M&I, met a group of young and enthusiastic girls and Leaders to talk about what was required. We got them to think about how to make people welcome, what they could say, how they should act and so on.

Their first outing is the County Service on the 22nd and we are confident this aspect will now be well looked after.

There are a couple of carrots for them too;

the Lord Lieutenant has asked us to provide her with a Cadet next year. This is a real honour as it means accompanying her on visits in Surrey including meeting royalty (she is their representative). Open to 15-18 year olds, we will be looking for candidates in the next few weeks.
CHQ have offered Counties the opportunity for five people to be trained as Media Spokespeople. The SWIFTs would be ideal for this.

If you read this and you know a 15-18 year old who would be suitable as the LL Cadet helping Mrs Goad with her bag, make polite conversation etc then please let me know. Details will be on the Weekly News.

Everybody was away this weekend

2009-10-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a very busy Guiding weekend generally. A large number of girls and Leaders spent their time in capitals round Europe at Capital Jig. I really liked the fact that several Leaders-only teams went, spending quality time in Prague or Copenhagen with friends. I am going to look on the LASER website and see if there are any photos. I am sure it was a fabulous weekend wherever they went.

I was in Weyside at Lizzie's test residential. I can now admit that I have never QM'ed for more than one day at a time. This was a weekend and I think it went well - both food and everything else. We started with some craft activities and then sent them to bed only to get them up again an hour later (well they weren't asleep) to play a wide game which I called Hammurabbai's vision. I was dressed up with a mask and lots of gold cloth, sitting in the wendy house surrounded by candles (couldn't move because of the fire risk). Not all of them guessed it was me and two of them ran away when I started to talk! Saturday saw us helping Enid with chores in the rain, eating home-made pizza for lunch, trail laying in the afternoon, toad in the hole for tea (their favourite) and a campfire in the evening. Sunday was the assault course, various games, kite making and finishing the walking challenge and other badges.
Not much sleep, very little rest (all QMs know this), but great fun. Congratulations to Lizzie for organising it.

Oh yes - the Guides gave me a Kelly Kettle for my birthday. I tried it out but the wood was a bit damp. Nevertheless I made a reasonably hot cup of tea. I am going to try again when it is a bit drier and I can collect dry twigs and leaves.

Odd happenings

2009-10-23T03:41:00.000-07:00

I don't want to comment on the postal strike apart from to hope it means fewer trees are felled, but something odd is happening in my road. I had heard, but never really believed it, that Adam Crozier (Royal Mail CEO) lived there. This morning - and yesterday afternoon -there were photographers stood out a particularly grand and lovely house. Putting two and two together, I guess the rumours are true.
I don't live in a grand house, can I say, but would aspire to when I win the pools or lottery - neither of which I do - so it will have to be an inheritance from a very rich but hitherto unknown relative. I can dream, can't I?

QM - to be

2009-10-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

Next weekend I am spending my first weekend as QM for my GIC's Test Residential. I have QM'ed lots of time on overnights and regularly cook for 16 at home so it ought to be OK. The Guides have chosen their menu - or at least as much as I have asked them. I am also trying to add some bits for Adventure 100 (eat up-side-down food..) so it has been a test for me too. I hope I haven't been too ambitious. The Guides love cooking so I think it should be OK although our star cook, Olivia, won't be there. Olivia last year, when we cooked Christmas dinner in tin foil because the kitchen had no pans in spite of having a proper catering cooker, made stuffing from scratch with the barest of equipment - and it was delicious. I have a lot to live up too.

The "Hammurabai's vision" wide game that is currently living in my head will be written down in the next few days.

Then all I have to do is buy the food....I have got rid of the last two bags of (unnamed) lost property from my boot. It was shoes and old clothes and my car was starting to smell really bad so it was time for them to go. The things we do in the name of Guiding- still we wouldn't do it if it wasn't fun and we couldn't laugh about it.

Just chill!

2009-10-08T11:41:00.000-07:00

It is a little while since my last post because I have been very busy. Not with particularly pleasant things either. Is it the time of year, I wonder? Is the worsening weather leading to worsening moods? Suddenly everyone is having a go at everyone else. So much for being a Sister to all Guides! Look, people! It is easy to find something to complain about but why make the effort? In the greater scheme of things the things that upset us are mostly trivial and with a quick word in someone's ear can be resolved quickly and amicably. Why let it escalate? After all, what ends up happening is that I have to deal with it. Anger does not solve anything on any occasion. I mean - not on any occasion, none whatsoever.

Remember what Enid said - Smile, dear, or you'll make everyone miserable.

Next time something irritates you, why not take a couple of minutes to work out whether it is really important. Why not put your feet up and have a glass of wine or cup of tea while you ponder. Then either let it go - or have a quiet, friendly word in someone's ear and explain, gently, how their action/words made you feel.

If you want a fight, take up boxing not guiding.

(if anyone is upset about this posting then I am very sorry and I promise not to put negative postings on that often. This is, though, a plea from the heart)