A glimpse of the new porch

Ο Άλαν Μπάρατ το έκανε

As well as replacing the balcony and stairs on the outside of the house on Democracy Street, Alan has designed and is now putting final touches to a new porch, which we saw as a sketch at the beginning of May. Honey has emailed us latest photos:

Hi, Simlin. Here's an early look at the porch as it's coming along. Still a lot of finishing work to be done. It's all the details that need doing now. We'll send another shot in a few days to let you see the progression. The neighbors are coming there every day and seem delighted and surprised at each new additional detail. We hope you are equally pleased. Love, Alan and Honey

Lin replies:

Hi Honey. The porch looks fabulous! We love it. I particularly like the curve down to the bottom of the steps - it has a very art deco feel to it. Only 6 weeks till we see it 'in the flesh' (so to speak). Can't wait to sit on the little bench with a cuppa - it's like getting a new house. lol. Please pass on our admiration to Alan. He's very lucky to be so talented and makes me very jealous! My cousin Val from New Zealand is coming in September, followed by friends from Australia, so I'll be taking some time off from roofing, plaka-ing, painting, etc. Hope to see a bit more of the island this time - we hardly went out last time. Simon has work in Australia again at the end of October and I've taken the plunge and booked to go with him...Simon's been digging our new allotment and I've ordered seed potatoes, which I hope will arrive tomorrow. We're not planting anything else this year, as we won't be here. We reckon that potatoes can look after themselves. lol Must go - lots to do before I go to bed. Love to you both, and give our thanks to Alan for his beautiful porch. Linsim xxx

The cubby's just right for my Brompton, and a cat or two

** ** ** We are hearing that at last Greek forest maps could be in the public domain during September.

Kathimerini 22 July '10: An ambitious draft bill that aims to curb illegal construction on forestland by drawing up comprehensive maps delineating the boundaries of the country’s forests is to be submitted in Parliament next week and the first few maps are to be put on public display in September, Environment Minister Tina Birbili said yesterday.

...and although, it's not a story for the redtops I'm impressed that after years of politically massaged statistics on the state of the Greek economy there is an independent statistical office responsible for producing national information - especially financial.

* * * *

Two good sessions with elected members - one near London, another in the Midlands - on overview and scrutiny.

Tailored to address the needs of new and more experienced councillors this evening focuses on driving the work of scrutiny, aiming:

• to familiarise councillors with the unique dynamics of chairing scrutiny as this relates to roles, activities and processes that contribute to successful scrutiny

• to help members assess their own learning, and practice the skills required,

• to explore the organisational role of scrutiny and its contribution to good governance

Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?

Part of the pleasure of in-house work with particular councils is travelling there and back with the opportunity to rehearse on the train, mark papers, read, gaze from the window and cycle to and from my station. I travel with others, part of the teeming diversity of the public domain - in trains, on platform and concourse, on the street - interesting people, noisy, silly people, puzzling, distracted, eccentric, beautiful, zombie-like people, reading, sleeping, chatting, phoning, working on laptops, watching films, playing computer games, earphone absorbed. I'm so acclimatised to this motley, accustomed to being the anonymous author of an involuntary internal commentary, mostly curbed by public civility - emitting cartoon bubbles of vexation, amusement, frustration and curiosity amid a stream of impressions I'd feel slightly trapped on my own behind the wheel of a car compared to the openness in all weathers accorded by cycling, walking and the company I share on public transport.

I’ve been untruthful about some public exchanges lest the extra detail shadow the good light I hope to shine on myself or to avoid the whimsy of self-depreciation. An encounter at the end of May on New Street Station concourse, when I called out to someone “Your shoelace is undone” and he replied, “Piss off”. It didn’t end there.

I got out my taser, the one I use for repelling aggressive dogs, and brought him to his knees pleading for mercy…no, no of course not, but I did cry out

“What a horrid thing to say!”

and when he ignored or failed to hear me, I repeated

“Hey! that was a vile thing to say…” He turned to stare at me “...really vile. Don’t you know small incivilities lead to big ones?”

“What do you mean?”

I had his attention

“What you just did when I tried to do you a favour. That way leads to Auschwitz, Birkenau and Belsen.”

“O fercrisake”

“You share the same moral deficiency”

By now we had an audience; amid the early commuters, one witness - a man from Network Rail stood observing our exchange.

“It’s you who’ve got the serious moral deficiency, if you think me saying 'piss off' makes me a concentration camp guard”

Now we were communicating I felt embarrassed.

“OK I’m sorry of course the comparison’s disproportionate. I promise you’re not a concentration camp guard. Of course you’re not, but I was really vexed”

“OK. Yes...well...I apologise. I’ve had a lousy night”

I put out my hand; he his, and we smiled ruefully at one another as we shook hands. He went his way his lace still undone. I turn towards my platform and the Network Rail man said, “You were dead right. One thing leads to another”

I agreed with him privately but didn’t press the point, thinking Norbert Elias’ ghost backs me. Small incivilities do lead to larger.

The other day I went to the Public Convenience on the edge of the chapter grounds of Winchester cathedral. I wheeled my bike into the foyer; left it there to go to the men’s WC. It was clean without a trace of malodour or horrid perfumed camouflage. Going out I saw the attendant in his office.

“Your toilets are excellent.“

He realised I was talking to him and came out to the yorkstone street

“A civilisation is measured by the state of its public conveniences. Yours is an example.”

He was wearing a Serco badge on spotless blue overalls. A bulky man in his 50s.

“Have you been to the Abbey Gardens ones?” he asked

“No”

“They’re even better. Classical music. Rodgers and Hammerstein.”

“Right. If I get caught short in that vicinity I’ll call in, but meantime thanks for these.”

“They could be cleaner but it’s raining. People bring in…”

He unlocked the disabled WC door to show its pristine floor.

“A tiny difference.” I said

“Well thanks" and we waved goodbye. Now I thought of one 'who sweeps a room…’ which reminds me of something that happened on Sunday afternoon as I worked on the dry earth of our stony allotment with so much more to do. I was thinking what a long way I have to go before I can begin to plant anything when I saw, below my upraised mattock, an oak sapling hardly six inches high, that must have been missed by the developer’s weed killer. It had planted itself amid the scrub. I levered it gently from the ground and took it, still with a tiny root ball of dried earth, to the foot of the plot and replanted it, watering it in from the plastic bottle I’d brought to slake my thirst - the first thing planted on Plot 14.

Digging

I woke to pattering on the dry earth dreaming it was Sunday. Flea, the cat, paused at the door of the conservatory before tip toeing into the garden. She's pondering rain we've not had for nearly a month. She scurries over to the flower border and works her way fastidiously beneath the intertwined greenery of honeysuckle, verbena and trailing wisteria to lurk where damp won't reach. Our water butt's already brimming.

Yesterday I worked on our allotment - on and off. Some gardeners, often with the help of their families, including toddlers riddling stones, have been making stalwart and enviably impressive progress on their plots since the allotments opened on 12 June.

Working our allotment on the VJA from Simon Baddeley on Vimeo

On Sunday afternoon, I took the video camera with me and made a record that I shall enjoy using as part of a before-and-after diary of progress. Right now I'm very much 'before'. At the Sons of Rest pavilion on Saturday those present agreed to defer setting up an allotments association and arranged to have a larger and better publicised meeting in the community shed on the allotments on Saturday 11 September. On Saturday about twelve turned up - typical of first meetings. Though few, we were optimistic about being able to form an association and a management committee to oversea the collection of rents due to the City on 1 October 2010 and carry out the other tasks that Clive Birch, who was there with Christine Brown from the Birmingham & District Allotments Association, outlined for us, handing round a model constitution. Rachel and I, community activists over years in Handsworth, have made an informal pact to be supportive but not to get involved. We really don't want to distracted from the work needed on our adjoining plots. Yet the incident of the missing beehive is already attracting my attention, and I find myself discussing it with other gardeners. The plotholder next to the one with the beehive complained about it on the grounds that he was allergic to bee-stings.

I understand the complaint was considered by one of the council allotment officers and it was suggested that the beekeeper moved to another plot. Not wanting to get involved in repeated movement of her bees the beekeeper has taken her hive to a local apiary. Gardeners I've spoken to think this an unfortunate precedent. We already miss the hive, good for the vital process of pollination. I'm allergic too stings, but regard that as my problem not the bees' or their keeper's. No doubt this will be an issue for the association when it's formed. (see: June 3 piece on popularity of bee-keeping)

* * *

Honey sent us a composite of Katerina, Eleni and Vasiliki, dear neighbours, who've been saying nice things about Alan's work which is now focused on the porch below the near completed balcony.

Email from Honey earlier in the week:

...Leftheri has asked Alan where he can get a cornice mold like the one he used for your balcony. I'm surprised at how all the neighbors come and admire the work being done. The old woman across the street has gotten so enthusiastic about it, she has offered you a 6 foot plant with purple flowers that climbs. I told her that you didn't know yet what you were putting on the pot spot and you could tell her when you come. You are still having your heat wave? Ha! First it's nonstop rain, now a long hot summer. You'll probably come here with a good tan. From England!

Reply:

Dear Honey... Good things make more good things. It’s not just a porch, stairs, railings and balcony...What a joy to see our dear neighbours together. Next time you see them send our love and let them know how we look forward to being with them again...those people whose kindness we value so much laughing together in front of Alan’s porch. I think there’s an energy in the village at a bad time for Greece that goes with the news that the old band building is going to be restored and there’s a real prospect that the football pitch down by St Athanassios will be made playable, and a fine new wall around St.Nicholas Church on the way into the village, and then there’s all the improvements in a time of unprecedented recession being carried out on different houses in Ano Korakiana.

*** Corfucius publicises a rather good new free service advertising events on the island. WhatsUp-Corfu@live.com

** ** ** My friend and colleague Prof Tony Bovaird has gives predictions about the impact of public spending cuts in the UK - his blog giving an opportunity to narrowcast what he couldn't cover in Tuesday's broadcast interview on BBC Midlands Today. There's 'bad news and good news'.

...Of course, you may well be able to turn from the Big State to get some help from the Big Society. But there’s likely to be bad news there, too. The recession has increased the number of people volunteering to help out others – but reduced the capacity of third sector organisations to use them productively, because they too are short of funds to organise themselves.

So, some tips:

• Don’t get ill (just protecting NHS spend won’t be enough to provide the likely number of future users with current service quality levels).

• Don’t let anyone you depend on for support get ill (or leave the neighbourhood).

• Be (VERY) nice to your neighbours (you may be needing them a lot more in future).

• Start saving – if you need any public service in the future, you may well not be able to get it or you may have to pay a large part of it when you do get it.

• If you’re young, start learning a foreign language (you may need to go abroad if you want a public sector job in the future – or a public service).

• Take up ‘easy access’ leisure activities like walking and birdwatching – anything that requires public sector provision, like swimming or sports centres, may be too expensive for you or too far away from you in the future.

It’s a pity that the coalition government parties don’t want to talk about these inevitable consequences of their decisions. The new era of ‘transparency’ is being spun as fast as the previous era of ‘transformation’...

** ** ** On gardening our allotment Paul Peacock sends me reassurance - of sorts 'Keep it up buddy - it's a marathon, not a sprint.'. I follow his podcasts on starting from scratch. We'll meet up on Thursday.

** ** **

Sir Muir Russell's report on the Climate Research Unit's (CRU) email leak/theft, though supportive of the science, will do rather little to erode the accelerated scepticism that followed last year's scandal at the University of East Anglia.

Climate science is a matter of such global importance, that the highest standards of honesty, rigour and openness are needed in its conduct. On the specific allegations made against the behaviour of CRU scientists, we find that their rigour and honesty as scientists are not in doubt

The second of the three key findings is positive for CRU:

In addition, we do not find that their behaviour has prejudiced the balance of advice given to policy makers. In particular, we did not find any evidence of behaviour that might undermine the conclusions of the IPCC assessments. The report does find that issues relating to openness.

But we do find that there has been a consistent pattern of failing to display the proper degree of openness, both on the part of the CRU scientists and on the part of the UEA, who failed to recognise not only the significance of statutory requirements but also the risk to the reputation of the University and, indeed, to the credibility of UK climate science.

We find that CRU’s responses to reasonable requests for information were unhelpful and defensive.

The biggest criticism relates to the 1999 WMO report:

…the figure supplied for the WMO Report was misleading. We do not find that it is misleading to curtail reconstructions at some point per se, or to splice data, but we believe that both of these procedures should have been made plain – ideally in the figure but certainly clearly described in either the caption or the text.

* * * On the Greek economic crisis there have been two competing 'narratives' about the Greek economic crisis - one os the story of a corrupt top-heavy public sector; the other is the story of a debt crisis precipitated by feckless banking practices:

...There are two key reasons why the Greek narrative has become a time-worn cautionary tale of people living beyond their means, rather than a case of financial irresponsibility on the part of bankers and investors...

.