It’s five years since Tilly was born. Sadly that also means it is five years since we said goodbye. Five feels like something of a milestone – half a decade. It’s a significant chunk of time. In that time, so many things in our lives have changed. We’ve moved house, we’ve welcomed Oscar into ourContinue reading “Five years”
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Goodbye Copeland
At midnight, after 49 years, Copeland Borough Council will cease to exist. In the grand scheme of things, it’s no age. But given a week is a long time in politics, it feels like a lifetime. It is a lifetime. I started my career at Copeland Borough Council, back in 2003. I was a graduateContinue reading “Goodbye Copeland”
Dear Teddy
Today is my 41st birthday. When you woke up, you ran through to me in the kitchen with my birthday card. It was a lovely one, featuring a dinosaur. You were very excited for me to open it, even though I am not really sure you knew what it was for! You were also excited byContinue reading “Dear Teddy”
Little things
Returning to work after Christmas can feel dark – literally and metaphorically. If you’re in an office job like mine, you’ve hopefully had an extended break from the office and the routine that goes with it. The fear, which starts when you realise you can’t remember your network password, what you were doing before the break,Continue reading “Little things”
Dining with a toddler
I am the father of a two year old. This isn’t a surprise to me. I was fully involved in the process and spend every day with my son. Yet, sometimes, when I go out for meal, I do find myself surprised. I am surprised that I haven’t fully considered Teddy’s needs nor ours, whenContinue reading “Dining with a toddler”
Transience
I’m sat in the sun with a foaming pint of ale in a handled, dimpled glass. And it’s bliss. A dozen or so metres away, people pass by, stepping onto or from the trains that make up our transport network. I’m at Lancaster Station on the West Coast Mainline and as I sit and reflect,Continue reading “Transience”
A love affair, pure and simple
Like all love affairs, it must come to an end. At 11am on Sunday 27 February 2022, after three and a half years of mostly joy, the end did come. Marcelo Bielsa has been relieved of his duties as Leeds United manager. Some, like Adrian Pope at BBC Radio Leeds suggest it should never haveContinue reading “A love affair, pure and simple”
A lot more than OK – Oka, Carlisle review
Cumbria is an interesting place for food. It has more Michelin starred places to eat than any other county. It has some fantastic, cosy pubs – whether you fancy pub grub or something more fancy. But it isn’t necessarily that diverse. This make’s Oka’s arrival on the scene all the more welcome. It offers street-food-styleContinue reading “A lot more than OK – Oka, Carlisle review”
The eight things I learned at the IoIC Festival
A week ago, my colleagues and I were frantically planning how I was going to get to the Institute of Internal Communication’s first Festival. The event took place near Nottingham, and perhaps my first piece of learning was that this is not an easy place to get to on public transport from West Cumbria. AfterContinue reading “The eight things I learned at the IoIC Festival”
Finding a balance
Agile. Hybrid. Connected. Mixed. Whatever you call it, we’re all doing it – working from the office and from home. If you work in a sector like mine, then the move to home working when the pandemic hit might have been sudden and unfamiliar. This, of course, means that the move to agile working isContinue reading “Finding a balance“
The only man in the room 