Janet & Graham Scott Christmas 2008

Work & Hobbies

We have both done some exam invigilation work for our local schools. While Janet occasionally gets asked to do traffic census work for the County Council. Often this involves getting up at the crack of dawn and traveling to some obscure road junction where she meets other Hi-Vis jacket clad insomniacs for a day of counting.

Graham has a big job looming early next year as the Head Teacher of Moulton School is retiring and as Chairman of Governors Graham will have to coordinate the recruitment process. He has been involved in HT recruitment four times over the past few years with his other governorship at the High School, so he is quite experienced now. It is questionable whether or not the members of the interview panel or the candidates suffer the greatest stress these days.

Janet continues in her role as secretary of the Condate Singers who have continued to entertain audiences in Mid Cheshire over the past year. In February she had a hysterectomy so was out of commission for a few months although she found it very difficult to be a lady of leisure. She went in for the op on Tuesday teatime and was home Saturday afternoon. No more mollycoddling these days.

Thanks to the idea of John Prescott Cheshire will be divided into two areas in April next year. We will then be part of Chester and Cheshire West. All it will mean to us is, I'm sure, an increase in Council Tax, certainly not a reduction. Janet is a member of the local Arts Council, which now has to be reorganised to fit in with two other unitary authorities. So there is much work to do - a change in constitution, charitable status etc. As she has also taken over a Secretary pro tem there are meetings to arrange, minutes to write etc., etc .

We have both got rather bogged down over the past few months with problems with our village hall. In the spring the key holder suddenly decided that she could no longer do the job as it was too tying.

That was understandable so the Committee decided to install a computer controlled access system which could be programmed to allow the various users to gain access during their allotted time frame. First instead of a few weeks it took three months to gather in all the quotes. The chosen system was initially installed without problem and should have been capable of easy updating from a remote computer. That is when the problems started. The remote computer seems to be incapable of talking to the system at the hall and both the installers and suppliers are nonplussed. Meanwhile we have had to revert to a key holding system with several people involved which is proving a time consuming logistical problem for Janet. Just what we were trying to avoid!!