Today I shall be Mainly...

[Wendyf]

Today I have mainly been throwing my toys out of the pram at Colne Library.
I can't remember how many years I have been helping people with family and local history on a Wednesday morning. I started as an LCC Volunteer helping out on a Lottery funded joint project between the library and the Lancashire Record Office indexing the Wilfred Spencer Collection which had languished in cardboard boxes in the basement of the LRO for years.
When that project ended a few of us remained at the library helping out with various local history projects until the LCC decided that libraries shouldn't really be about history. Strangely people still came into the library needing help, especially with family history and I loved helping them. A few years ago an appallingly worded email arrived telling me I had failed to take a 'safeguarding' test and I should take it immediately at a location in Burnley where if I didn't arrive at a certain time I would fail and no refreshments would be provided.
I stopped being a volunteer there and then, however it was agreed that if we, for it wasn't just me, became a 'friend of Colne Library' then we could continue with our assistance.
Our group has grown and developed over the last few months, we have a number of regulars who attend and work away at their own research and fresh people coming in, it's a lively and enjoyable group. Until this morning when a Community coordinator from the library service appeared and after watching me help 4 different people without even having time to drink my cuppa told me I couldn't help anyone if I didn't become a volunteer because of safeguarding and security issues. It isn't within the remit of a Friend's group to help people. I lost my cool...
Sorry about the rant, I'm very annoyed.

[Big Kev]

Today I have mainly been throwing my toys out of the pram at Colne Library....
Sorry about the rant, I'm very annoyed.

A perfectly justified rant, some people have no idea...

[Tripps]

Until this morning when a Community coordinator from the library service

Makes me angry as well - just to read such stuff. I would have recommended a call to the local newspaper or radio station, but in the age of social medIa I doubt they are even available now. Do Tok Tokkers even read books?

Do whatever suits you. Commiserations

[Wendyf]

Community Engagement Officer is the official title. I think she might just have lost the library its Friends group....but it's her remit to develop Friends groups. Oh dear.

[Tripps]

I just looked at the Colne Library website -it looks quite impressive. What a pity to spoil it all with nonsense like this. I think from memory that Plaques gets a lot of value from it.

[PanBiker]

That appalling Wendy, jobsworth probably.

[plaques]

I think from memory that Plaques gets a lot of value from it.

Colne library was a fountain of knowledge for local history. The staff had everything at their finger tips. This in turn generated a big footfall for other interests and was considered the busiest library in the area. But, and this is where it all turned sour. Nelson was considered as the administration centre and consequently the hub of knowledge after all the Pendle Council had the town hall there, unfortunately this included the abysmally poor library performance. The typically Orwellian answer was to take the staff from Colne and move them to Nelson along with books, maps and records. The result was a disaster. Unless you were lucky enough to find one of the old hands the 'Trainee' staff knew nothing about their home towns to a point of embarrassment.
I should say at this point that the current staff at Colne are very helpful and do everything they can within their capabilities. But once a team has dropped into the third division it takes years to recover. From Wendy's recent experience those administering a failed ideology have learnt nothing about customer relations.

[Stanley]

I am appalled but not surprised..... What is this safeguarding? I note it was at the root of the problems with the OFSTED report on the primary school that caused the head teacher to take her life. I shall write to David Whipp and alert him to your post Wendy. I shall make it clear that I want it to be an official complaint. I want it to get back to the official concerned......
Done it and copied it to Wendy. I have had a lot to do with managing volunteers and the key is to value them and treat them like the solid gold they are. Whoever this 'Community Engagement Officer' is they need the job description clarifying in no uncertain terms.
(It occurs to me that this is another evidence of the corrosive effects of 'WOKE' on society.....)
Half an hour later and the red mist has cleared. I am beginning to suspect I have done precisely the wrong thing, David had it right when he left it to you Wendy. Too late now, the toothpaste is out of the tub e. All I can do is grovel and apologise. Put it down to old fart syndrome please and don't be too hard on me. It made me so mad to see you being treated like that......)

[Stanley]

I started on the flywheel. First the hand work of removing most of the flash with the file, especially on the parts the lathe can't get to like the spokes. \then set up my favourite casting tools, big carbide tipped cutters that are exceptionally rigid. Then half an hour of careful turning to get the rim concentric. I shall finish the first rough turning and the boring for the crankshaft tomorrow.

[Wendyf]

I am appalled but not surprised..... What is this safeguarding? I note it was at the root of the problems with the OFSTED report on the primary school that caused the head teacher to take her life. I shall write to David Whipp and alert him to your post Wendy. I shall make it clear that I want it to be an official complaint. I want it to get back to the official concerned......
Done it and copied it to Wendy. I have had a lot to do with managing volunteers and the key is to value them and treat them like the solid gold they are. Whoever this 'Community Engagement Officer' is they need the job description clarifying in no uncertain terms.
(It occurs to me that this is another evidence of the corrosive effects of 'WOKE' on society.....)
Half an hour later and the red mist has cleared. I am beginning to suspect I have done precisely the wrong thing, David had it right when he left it to you Wendy. Too late now, the toothpaste is out of the tub e. All I can do is grovel and apologise. Put it down to old fart syndrome please and don't be too hard on me. It made me so mad to see you being treated like that......)

I've called off the hounds, this is already being dealt with but thank you for caring!

Plaques, this has nothing to do with the staff at the library, it's the jobsworths from LCC trying to look busy, but the manager should have known it was about to happen and intervened to take it out of the public eye!

[Stanley]

I think you are letting me off lightly. I was acting as though you needed protecting..... That's a laugh! You're tougher than I am. If you do need any support just let me know.....

[Sue]

Morning

Wendy, I too am appalled. If it wasn’t for the lovely helpful staff st Colne library I would not know all I know about my Widdup and Proctor ancestries. They painstakingly found articles and resources and directed me in the right direction and above all else found the family tree done by a local historian that put my family in Rochdale in 1785-6. I am forever thankful to them. I hope things get sorted.

This morning i am at the dentist before it finally closes its doors next week so no point trying to get a GP appointment today. We have found another dentist, in Whitworth. Its not NHS but does a private insurance scheme that results in about the same cost. After the dentist I have a mound of sewing to do, minor amendments and alterations and a master pattern to draft after my session with Maxine yesterday.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

I'm back in the world after my second sleep and am going to read Private Eye until Robin my chiropodist, comes at 11:30..... It's all go!

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed as usual working on my castings but at 07:00 will go to the Co-op for my weekly early doors shopping. I got most of my veggies yesterday at Chaudrey's in Town Square. I shall cook veggies later and my butcher will deliver tonight. Everything seems to be on track.....

[Sue]

Morning

So I was up at. 6.15 to go online to try and get aDr appointment, by the time I had typed in the reason the appointments had gone. I give up! I only wanted advice, but advice from a doctor not a receptionist, a nurse or a pharmacist . So I shall make a few decisions myself and see how that works.

The filling went well yesterday hope it lasts. Excellent dentist that I have not had before, it only took 15 minutes including the injection. She was very chatty and friendly too. I got the impression that dentists had been brought in from sister practices to clear the backlog . There were dentists and patients everywhere. I have never seen it so busy

This morning is art, then its Friday lunch as usual. Have a good day all.

[Stanley]

Morning Sue! I'm glad your filling went well and commiserations on the GP difficulties....



This morning I finished turning the flywheel to size (But not polishing it, that comes later....) I broke all the edges, bored it for the crankshaft and put a witness mark on to remind me which end is which. Then I cleaned Mrs Harrison and put the inside jaws back on the 3 jaw chuck.
That done I went for early doors shopping and that is all put away. Now for Breakfast.....

[Stanley]

I have just finished veggie cooking..... I shall clean the hob when it is cold.. Good to be finished.

[Stanley]

I shall put my chicken in for its four hour roast and then go in the shed at 06:00 for an hour with my castings.....
A midday walk will depend on what the weather is doing then....

[Stanley]

Dead simple this morning. Using the grinding wheel to clean the excess flash off the castings. Rough but a great improvement. Ready for accurate machining.

[Sue]

Morning

Yesterday disappeared in my art session and lunch which started late and finished even later. It was 5.00 pm before I got the washed towels on the line and then it rained. At least it means these towels will be nice and soft having been dried in the drier and not the exfoliating towels that are produced by outside drying.

This morning is Bacup market. Then it will be a little garden tidying ie deadheading, and a little sewing. Otherwise it will be a take it as it comes day.

A cloudy , dry, warm day is forecast. Have a good one

[Stanley]

I hope you have a good day Sue.....

[Stanley]

No cooking today! I shall be in the shed for an hour with my castings and then second sleep. Then I think a walk before the promised thunderstorms hit us this afternoon.

[Stanley]

More castings. The cylinder casting is the most difficult as there are no surfaces to use as a reference. Much of the work is pure guesswork! I had a good hour and half and am ready for cutting the ends of the cylinder, the last preparation for boring. I think I have at right.

[Sue]

Morning

Yes we had a good day Stanley. In the afternoon we drove over towards Tod and walked along the canal, through the town to the park where they were holding a very successful country fair. We had a beer and walked back after having a browse of the various stands, the sheep shearing demo and the camel races. Good fun. 4.5 miles in total . Otherwise a sewing and gardening day.

Today will be ironing , gardening and sewing. Bob will be at the park
Have a good dayb

[Tripps]

and the camel races.

In Todmorden? Amazing. I had to make do with Royal Ascot on the TV.