Rain stops debate ?

Thursday. August 8th. 00:17

Tonight, the residents of the newly built estate that I live on are holding a meeting. They have decided to have this meeting, in the open air. Next to the recently constructed play-park that has been the object of much dissatisfaction.

There have been many, many, emails flying backward and forward amongst those who have a fuck to give about the state of the estate. There's arguments and confusion about which bits of it are still the responsibility of the builders (Taylor Wimpey) and which bits are the responsibility of the company that manages the estate - Chamonix Estates.


Lots of the residents are unhappy about the upkeep of the area, the general mess, seeming lack of maintenance and gardening - considering the hefty service charges we all pay to live here. These things are not the responsibility of the council, like they are in most areas. Our roads have not been adopted by the local council.

There's been a spate of bike thefts, and much is said about the locks being rubbish on the bike stores for the blocks of flats that are on the site.


I wonder if the fledgling democratic process will survive the English weather. Will the turnout be effected if it's colder, windier, or even rains ? I'm sure those that decide to go will be able to relocate somewhere else, to someone's house. It's not clear at the moment how many people are going.  Perhaps if our government was held open air, then the debates in the Houses of Parliament, would be more brief than present.

I have mixed thoughts about my attendance. As far as having an opinion about the 'service' provided by those that I am paying to provide such, and the upkeep of the site. I don't see how some of the charges can frankly be justified.

However, when I reported that my bike was stolen, and remarked in my email that perhaps this wouldn't have happened had the gate that was supposed to be there, as per the plans for the site at purchase, been present - within the space of about a week, they had organised for a gate to be fitted. This wasn't something that I've ever been billed for, but someone must have paid for it. This does now mean that I have 'claimed' ownership of the bit of the path to my front door that is onward of the gate. Therefore giving me a teeeny tiny bit of outdoor space.

And some ferocious bush plants that I have damaged my back trimming back. When I say trimming back, I mean - killing. The patch of greenery, bushes and grasses that are by my gate, and next to where the parking space is for my flat (that my Dad uses), have never been maintained. My Dad reckons that these are not maintained by the managing agents of the estate.

If this is the case, I fail to see what charges are levelled at my type of property, that aren't charged to all the other types of dwelling on the site for gardening, because the only areas that are adjacent to or attached to my flat aren't being looked after by any gardeners sent by Chamonix.

Part of me wants to get involved, part of me just wants to stay indoors and do some cleaning or writing. Considering how close the chosen location is to my flat, I could probably in all reason, actually listen from inside the flat. There's something about groups of people that aren't structured in any way, that I feel easily turn into an exercise in giving everyone a chance to speak, but no one a chance to actually answer anything or get anything done. All talk no action.

This may not be the case, but the number of emails I've seen flying backward and forward this week is getting close to those that I get at work. IE close to a level that I stop reading them. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

Apparently, Chloe has died the tips of her hair blue. Brilliant, I'm going on holiday with a teenage smurf. 

Well co-ordinated rain

Back to work today, after the week off, and with it being after a bank holiday weekend everyone else was as reluctant as I was to come back into work today. 

Odd really, when I've been working several hours over the last week in the emergency call centre. Somehow that feels different, because it's not my regular work location or role. They say that a change is as good as a rest, and how I feel about that certainly would prove that to be the case.

Although initially skeptical about what sort of things I would come into, what changes, what responses from my manager, I've been able to get in and get on with the things needing doing, feeling that I'm achieving things on day one. 

To celebrate the mood, the weather has taken a turn for things Autumnal, not bad considering we should be fast approaching Summer. Hey ho. Global warming and all that. 

One of the people in my team is leaving us. He's got a job working in a different bit of the same company. Lucky sod. What was really nice was that this is something he's been trying to do for quite a  while, and he'd literally missed out by a hair's breadth at an interview for a job a couple of weeks ago. Having made such a good impression, another role had come up, and this has been offered to him. I'm really pleased for him, I know how much this means to him. I will honestly be sad to see him go. He's a real character. 

Some people you work with, you build an acquaintance level relationship with, you both know that you work together and it's best to just find a way to get along. Some people though, you're really lucky to be able to call not just a colleague but also a friend. He is one of those people, and a nicer, more genuine, caring and giving person you couldn't hope to meet. 

Ok. I can stop gushing now. 

Here comes the rain again. (Is IT here yet ?)

Getting up at 7:20 on my day off is by no means something of a norm for me. I am revisiting that excited 'kid at christmas' feeling. Waiting not for some old guy to climb down a chimney we don't have and empty his sack. I await the delivery of my new shiny.

Will it get here before Helen does ? In all probability, yes. My iMac has come from the Netherlands, Helen comes from Buckland.

Meanwhile the weather has done a classic bait'n'switch job, and having raised my expectations yesterday with glorious spring like sunshine, has delivered for today, my day off, miserable cloud and rain. Does the weather have a regulator ? Offrain ?

I'm only rushing to the window every time I hear anything that I think sounds like a delivery van pulling up. Wouldn't be so bad, but living across from a school means that in the next hour literally hundreds of lazy parents will drive up and drop off their even lazier children. They may argue that its raining and they don't want their precious offspring to get wet, but it won't kill them, they are 70% water anyway. They can't get wetter than they already are, some of them. Drips only get bigger.

My new Apple shiny on the other hand will be hurt by rainfall. Clear the roads !! Man with Simon's new shiny (I'm assuming it's a man, it might not be) coming through !!