Evaluating the day
I do not know how it is for you 39 readers but I like to take account of the day before turning in, evaluating the high and low spots. Yesterday was very much a full on day of 3 meetings, 2 at banks and one at Sussex CCC as a committee member of a fund-raising arm of the cricket club.
However my day was beleagured as my daughter Joanne was organising a trip in Spain with a Spanish friend and was become increasingly stressed by the lack of any input – indeed it was negativity – from the said friend. Matters came to head when the friend announced that, 5 days into the trip, having got the dates initially wrong, despite Joanne keeping her in the loop throughout, she was obliged to depart to see her mother – leaving Joanne on her own. Fortunately in making the reservations all but one night was on a free cancellation basis and I urged my daughter to press on with the trip and not to be too annoyed with her pal who, it seemed to me, was fully capable of pulling out altogether.
All the extra planning and counselling intruded into my afternoon nap time leaving me rather lacking in energy for the Sussex meeting. I had the inevitable parking problem in Hove as I have never download the parking app. I was visiting the pharmacy prior to the committee meeting and the pharmacist sympathised that I was not alone in preferring the simpler expedient of putting a £1 coin into the parking machine.
My father always tried to avoid committee meetings as in his view you were always at the mercy of the waffler.
My experience of them is 2/3 people dominate them and they are rarely a brainstorming forum and dissemination of ideas.
The particular committee seemed to me to miss the crucial point that, whilst Sussex have their second consecutive year without any trophy, it’s hard to make partnerships with local businesses, who want to be associated with success, or or to induce punters to attend events.
To compound a stressful and unsatisfactory day, and in order to avoid a sea front already gridlocked by road works and now the closure of the main drag route of North Street, my circumnavigation ended with me lost in North Brighton. Fortunately the ever cheerful Polly, Bob Tickler’s p/a, who is doing some part time work for me was punctual and reliable. Whilst I poured myself a large and wholly deserved malt whisky she calmly organised me and my affairs.
The highlight of this day was an unusual one, namely my second meeting which was at Barclays. There really was not much to accomplish with the relationship manager but he proved to be an Albion fan and this filled the time pleasantly. We agreed that Lewis Dunk is a future England defender but he, Dale Stephens and Anthony Knockaert might leave should Brighton be relegated.
On leaving the conference room, I was hailed warmly by my first relationship manager, Flic. Despite living down here for 15 years she has the broadest of north-east accents as she hails from Middlesbrough. Geordies /Tynesiders are my favourite people in the U.K. and Flic epitomises their warmth and humour. She was with child and soon a banter developed as to whether the bairn would support Boro or her husband’s team West Ham, and whether the nursery would be painted red and white, Boro’s colours, or claret and blue, those of the Hammers. All of this made me think that football is a universal language and no other sport, indeed anything, generates such talking points that cross and break down barriers so readily.
