Following the fascinating We Are Names Not Numbers conference organised by Editorial Intelligence at Port Meirion, participants were invited to contribute to a publication to be launched in July. Nothing fancy, just a few words. So here is what I have submitted – with thanks to my friend Abdul-Hakim Kadodia for checking out my understanding [...]
Entries from April 30th, 2009
Bureaucratic blunder wastes £12.5 million
April 30th, 2009 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
After a month where the Oaklands College plans for a new Smallford campus have been put in great peril and when local secondary head teachers were suddenly threatened with last minute sixth form budget cuts, we now learn that the funding body responsible – the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) – is about to incur [...]
The primary school place crisis in the centre of St Albans
April 27th, 2009 · 3 Comments · Sandy's blog
I attended a meeting today in County Hall with the SABLE group set up by the energetic Mary Crofts and other local parents from the centre of St Albans aghast at the way that they have been cast adrift by the primary school allocation system. They were meeting Children Schools and Families Director John Harris, [...]
Innocent victims of the train wreck
April 24th, 2009 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
I spoke to the Year 13’s at Townsend School on budget day. I asked them how it felt to be innocent victims of a train wreck, when they will be picking up the pieces from the current shambles of our economy for the rest of their working lives (which could last up to fifty [...]
Sir Clement Freud RIP
April 20th, 2009 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
The Isle of Ely by-election in 1973 was my first serious political campaign. I was a student at Cambridge, the sun was shining, and we bunked off lectures to join Clement (or “Clay”) Freud in his quixotic campaign.
The by-election followed the death of Sir Harry Legge-Bourke, who was one of the last National Liberal MPs [...]
Tags:Clement Freud·Isle of Ely
Street bin bag shocker
April 20th, 2009 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
I was walking down Oakwood Drive on Saturday with Cllrs Sheila Burton and Iqbal Zia.
The sun was shining and the street looked lovely with the blossom, people doing their gardens etc. We were chatting away, and I just noted these bin bags dumped at the side of the pavement out of the corner of [...]
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St Albans and the Helioslough dragon
April 16th, 2009 · No Comments · Hands off Herts, Sandy's blog
As we always knew they would, Helioslough are back with a repeated application to build their monster freight terminal.
It’s a kick in the teeth for local people. St Albans Council still needs to see the detail of the application to check that it fits the rules. If it really is unchanged from the previous application [...]
Tags:Helioslough·Park Street·STRiFE
Easter garden
April 14th, 2009 · No Comments · Sandy's blog
I am not the greatest gardener. And our garden suffers from the twin disadvantages of shade and being on a free-draining hillside. But Francesca directs the growing side of things and I cut, trim, destroy, uproot and kill as directed.
After a productive and destructive Easter Monday here is the view from our bedroom [...]
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Abbey organ first notes
April 13th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Sandy's blog
My friend David Pearson of Radio Verulam sent me this recording of the first music to be played on the refurbished St Albans Abbey organ – Saint Saens organ symphony at Saturday’s Easter Vigil.
We were married to this organ – Vierne’s First Symphony played by the then Master of Music Colin Walsh.
Bonfires and candles
April 12th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Sandy's blog
One of the many great things about being a Protestant married to a Catholic is that you get to do all the great festivals twice – and there is nothing to beat a good Easter Vigil.
Our catholic church does it on Easter Eve – lighting the brazier outside in the gathering gloom, cars swishing past [...]
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