R's rue

Last night my memory was jogged and I was transported back to South Africa - October 2003. Shirley and I had met up with friends Linda and Ian in "The Greystones" for an evening of beer and conversation. We were in an alcove room left of the main bar. I noticed that there were two women at a table  in the bay window. They had a dog with them. After an hour I put my mask on to visit the lavatory and when I returned the dog started barking like The Hound of the Baskervilles. It was then that I recognised the dog's owner though I could not remember her name. Like me. she was in a party of Sheffield teachers who visited South Africa  almost eighteen years ago. She apologised about the dog's barking and we exchanged a few pleasantries before she and her friend left the pub. She said that she recognised me and then it clicked - South Africa 2003. There must have been a development grant from somewhere. We were in South Africa on some sort of fact finding mission thoug...

 Trust  When I’m  Not sure Of what  To believe Anymore You are  With me And that is Where I  Must remain from R's rue https://ift.tt/3d7LFOm

  I’m usually very responsible when taking the girls for a walk Mary is always on a lead, and Dorothy who returns to me as soon as I click my fingers is leashed whenever a dog she doesn’t know looms into view or a cyclist appears on the walkway we venture down daily. I didn’t see the man happily eating his bag of crisps this morning It was raining softly and I had my head down He was sat back, away from the path and was obscured by long wet grass But Dorothy saw him. Moments later all I heard was yelling “ FOR FUCK’S SAKE!” the voice bellowed Dorothy shot passed me with a cheese and onion Crisp bag in her mouth and moments later a middle aged man in grey jogging bottoms thundered out onto the path Sans crisps, he stood there, red faced with two perfect and very muddy bulldog paw prints on each thigh of his joggers, then stormed off with my ineffectual and perfuse apologies ringing in his ears. from Going Gently https://ift.tt/35OR6Oo

On Tuesday, I was listening to an item on BBC Radio 4 about meetings - specifically the business of chairing meetings. It made me think about my own experience of chairing meetings. I suppose it began when I was seventeen and a sixth former at Beverley Grammar School in The East Riding of Yorkshire. Our debating society met every month in partnership with the sixth form of Beverley Girls' High School. Having been a noteworthy contributor at the debating society the previous school year, I was nominated to take the chair in the 1971-72 school year and accepted. As far as I can recall, we debated topics like abortion, the existence of God, improving Beverley, trade unionism and legalising marijuana. The "motions"  always began with "This house believes...."  and there were proposers and seconders. It was all done quite formally before a vote was taken. And there I was at the centre of it all, bringing discipline to the proceedings in an uncharacteristically ne...