Allotments

Next week we are off to New York to enjoy Tartan Week for a few days holiday. First, we have to negotiate Terminal 5...I am hoping the situation is much exaggerated.

This weekend, we need to tackle the garden which is looking pretty sorry for itself.

This brings to mind the constituent who is needled by our Council's allotment allocation. He stays in a flat and has no access to his own garden space. Why, he asks, is there no policy in place which takes account of whether applicants currently have their own garden space or not. On the face of it, it seems a reasonable question. I am minded to put a motion down to Council asking for a report on whether the current 'first come, first served' policy can be reviewed. ..not a big issue, I grant you, but important to some.

Elizabeth Hex

Great fun last night...my husband who does not read my blog, told me that his ears were burning... voodoo or what?...ah ha...the Elizabeth hex...

A funny old business...

One helluva busy day but looking forward to tonight - going out with a couple of friends whose company I always enjoy...women together ...if your ears are hot tonight, know we are talking about you...

Had an interesting visit to the North Office today to discuss a number of anti social neighbour cases which don't seem to be going anywhere very fast. Rather to my surprise I was impressed with recent efforts being made in regards to at least one of the situations...two young children, two parents on methadone and a real feeling of helplessness by neighbours that no-one is listening to their concerns both about the children's welfare and the noisy, dysfunctional mess neighbours have to deal with...it's clear there is a difference of view among the professionals...on the one hand the child professionals want the family to stay together and, on the other, the housing professionals want to act ...

Interestingly, the neighbours have the same dilemma...they don't want to report the parents to Social Services in case they are responsible for a family being split up but they sure as hell fire want the family moved elsewhere...funny old business...parents are being accorded all their rights but not being held to account for their responsibilities...meanwhile everybody does a tiptoe dance round the real issue...two wee kids who aren't being looked after nearly well enough...as I say, a funny old business

Over development

I had a great Easter break: slept a lot, did a lot of nothing and feel much better for it...today, all the good work is undone.

A public meeting attended by perhaps 40 people, on the subject of the development of City Park. I am not a member of the planning committee so can speak my mind freely.
It is proposed to build some 216 flats/houses on the site: taking into account the almost 700 flats at the Strada, that means almost 1000 new homes...and all of them spilling into Pilton Drive. This feels like over-development to me and I cannot imagine many residents will be overwhelmed with delight.

I intend to oppose the application.

Easter Weekend

Easter Weekend and Mike and I have some holidays.

We intend to do a few odd jobs round the house involving a paintbrush and suchlike. In particular, the conservatory is needing a little attention - it is probably my favourite room in the house: big, full of light and because it is north facing with underfloor heating, never gets too hot or too cold. It doubles as our diningroom as well as a lovely area to enjoy summer evenings when the temperature has dropped outside. Freshening it up is no chore.

We are to receive a visit from the Harrison grandchildren today. Tomorrow they are going on an Easter Egg hunt. When I was a kid the only Easter eggs were hard boiled and hand painted which we rolled down Starbank Park. My own children rolled their shiny foil wrapped chocolate eggs down the same slope.

Life has gone full circle though. My daughter and her husband don't allow much chocolate so they have decorated their hard boiled eggs ahead of tomorrow's visit to Starbank... what is different, though, is that my childhood experience of Easter was closely tied to Christianity. Sunday School meant we all knew the rolling of the egg was a symbolic re-enaction of the stone being rolled aside at the tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea.

Somehow I just know I'll get a blank look from any of the grandchildren if I mention this. It's not just chocolate no longer on the menu...

Edinburgh's First Citizen

Tonight was the official unveiling of Dame Elizabeth Blackadder's portrait of Eric. The present LP laid on a very pleasant reception and his speech was complimentary.

The portrait shows Eric in serious mood - despite his joviality he is a serious man and I recognised the expression immediately. There were many in attendance who are more used to his smiles and laughter and I spoke to several whose view was mixed: for myself, I thought the portrait was a good likeness. If you want the perfect likeness you go for a photograph but this is a narrative portrait which says as much about Eric and the personal obsessions which influenced his 9 years as provost as it does about his public persona.

When the history books are written I am confident Eric will go down as arguably Edinburgh's most influential first citizen since Drummond. Some will say I am partisan but I know the interventions which rewrote the city's direction. I know there were many times when he did not blink when others all around were running fast for cover.

Piling on the beef

Surgeries have been busy this week - not quite sure why, but lots of different problems and many new people. I have a lot of letter writing to do tomorrow.

Tonight, after a public meeting hosted by the Royston/Wardieburn Community Council, I went off for a coffee with a long standing friend Roberta. I have known her since I was practically a kid ...well at least since I was 25, and our friendship has followed a long, occasionally rocky road (politics always get in the way!) She and her husband always make me welcome and we had a great discussion on the meaning of life - George is heavily into astrophysics and always leaves me baffled...one thing we all agreed upon: isn't Alex Salmond piling on the beef? Must be all that Scottish diet! Bet you he's sneaked in a few pies and porters...

Driven by £££s

A small enlightening exchange at this morning's Children & Families Committee.

The Convenor moves a motion to ' Ask the Director to report on how the Department could more quickly increase the fees paid to foster carers to bring them in line with those paid in the private sector'...this in response to a report that shows Edinburgh's fees are so low we don't attract enough potential carers from the family relatives of destitute bairns...

'Eh, haud oan a minute,' or words to that effect pipes up Cllr Mackenzie, chair of finance, 'Kin we afford it?'

In rushes the C+F director to defend the recommendation, 'Because our fees are so low we have to pay private carers more so really this is just a redistribution...'

A magisterial nod of assent from Mackenzie, a sigh of relief from Convenor & Director...so finance driven it all is now....strange old times when the needs of children are subordinate to £££ s.

An unforgettable farewell

Today was dominated by David Gemmell's funeral: in his welcome, Cardinal Keith Patrick mentioned, among other things, David's passion to create St Mary's Cosmopolitan Cathedral as a theatre for those with faith.

Today, there was plenty theatre.

I'm not sure I can adequately describe the drama, emotion, colour of today's Mass: to someone more accustomed to the monochrome of Presbyterianism the scene was dazzling - David's congregation and brother priests pulled out all the stops to make his an unforgettable farewell.

Yet amidst the pomp, there was a mother standing frail and proud and grieving for her boy, family and friends celebrating a life they know was cut short too early.

The public and private sat easily together in today's service though: symbolised, I think, by his choice to be buried alongside his dad in a wee village in Fife: typical David humility - to eschew the grandeur of the Cathedral as his place of last repose and opt for home.

Elizabeth's trivia

Last word on Thursday's marathon ...Andrew Burns' forensic questioning of Marilyne Maclaren's written assertion that Labour had not provided a maintenance budget for schools exposed her breathtaking ability to dissemble...she had better watch...that is the second time she has been caught out in a downright fib and it's not just me who is counting...there had better not be a third...

Today, I am off to officially 'open' the refurbished Scotmid in Granton Road ...that should be fun...then off to PEP to catch up on missed work as a result of Council demands. It isn't always easy juggling time and this week I have dropped the ball...early starts and late finishes are catching up though.

And last night, the Irish Government's official St Patrick's Day celebration. Everyone who is anybody can, it seems, claim some kind of Irish heritage...judging by the number of people sporting shamrocks, that is. I ended up surrendering mine to Richard Holloway, retired Episcopalian Bishop of Edinburgh.

Apparently this year, the official St Patrick's date of 17th March coincides with one of the Easter holy celebrations which takes precedence over St Patrick's festival. As a result this was moved to the 15th...there you go: another piece of Elizabeth trivia

An anti Labour Alliance

Council meeting was prolonged...to put it mildly...

Lately, being a member of the Labour Group has felt very much like the Spartans at Thermopylae, encircled by Xerxes' Persian hordes: the anti Labour Coalition of Libs, Nats and Tories regularly co-ordinate their attack to leave Labour utterly isolated.
Yesterday, it felt that we did not stand alone.
The quality of the deputations on cuts to grants in voluntary organisations was breathtaking: each spoke very well, succinct, focussed and relevant. Consistently, the message was they had not been consulted and it was abundantly clear no-one in the Administration took responsibility for telling local groups they faced a cut, or in some cases, extinction. It had all been left to officers...cowardly as well as secretive.

I am also pleased to say that Labour Group colleagues rose to the occasion and their speeches attacked in all the right places. It was obvious the Administration was rattled: the Leader retaliated with a petulant, personal attack on Ewan and otherwise nobody said much of any significance. It was not a good day for the anti-Labour alliance.

Talking the talk...

Economic Development Committee today went through with little contention though the decision by the Administration not to go straight for a fully fledged Edinburgh Bureau seems unnecessarily pusillanimous in the face of internal officer resistance - but clearly it is also linked to an unwillingness to commit the cash that is needed. This may yet prove to be another case of talking the talk but not walking the walk...otherwise the meeting was significantly unscarred by some of the bitterness that has characterised inter-party exchanges recently.

David Gemmell

Last Saturday Monsignor David Gemmell invited me to attend the inaugural concert of the new organ at St Mary's Cathedral. The concert was great and David was in his usual fine, hospitable form. As ever, I thoroughly enjoyed his conversation and humour and he sent me home in a very good mood.

This morning I read he has died.

Life has a breathtaking habit of sneaking up when you are least prepared... I don't feel so good now.

grants to vol orgs

Weekend starts now...slobbing on the sofa with a glass of vino tinto and laptop slogging my way through emails, council papers and various other council matters: report of the moment is, of course, the grants to voluntary organisations report. Locally, it looks like 2 organisations take a direct hit...The NEN whose grant is almost wiped out and the Health Project who lose about £25k [ a health warning about the health project, though...the £25K is deleted from the Choose Life fund which looks like it's to be replicated elsewhere...I will have to check what this means]... since there seems to be a big discrepancy in the amount actually deleted from the overall grant portfolios in February (over £2 million) and the amount actually reported here (under £1 million) then I don't think we've got the whole picture just yet.

However, many organisations who have been anxious will be relieved; Prentice Centre, NET, GIC to name just a few...

The NEN faces a predicament- is it able to raise enough advertising revenue; will it get CRF funding; can it cut its costs or distribution to make the sums add up? It would be a huge loss to the community if it goes...its Board has to pull together now!

Civic duty and engagement

Last week I attended the AGM of North Edinburgh Trust, formerly the Pilton Partnership which I chaired for the best part of 10 years. It was a really well attended meeting with lots of interest from the local community...and a real sense of excitement and engagement with the agenda of local ownership of community assets and community policy.

On Tuesday I attended the Forth Neighbourhood Partnership public meeting. Though there were a lot of bodies, most were either community councillor representatives or council officers. I counted only 3 people who might genuinely be counted as disinterested members of the public and there was none of the palpable excitement of the NETS AGM.

Then, last night, the Trinity Academy School Council: maybe 18 local parents taking their civic and parental duties seriously - which pales public engagement with the Neighbourhood Partnership into insignificance.

I wonder what message is to be drawn ...

not very clever

I wonder where this week has gone - it is Thursday already and my feet have barely touched the ground. Delighted to see Hillary make a comeback - I think the tide has turned for her especially now Barack Obama comes under some of the kind of scrutiny his rival has endured since before her husband became President. She is a seasoned campaigner and he has much to learn: it is a riveting competition which leaves John McCain as front runner. I fear this may have a negative effect on the real race for the White House in November.

Astonished at the Liberal Leader's disastrous handling of the Euro Treaty vote - how to lose the vote, halve your front bench and cause a divisive stushie in one easy stroke ...not very clever...

The smell of smoke

Another busy day...is there any other kind?

Due to a combination of staff vacancy, holiday and illness we are a bit short handed at PEP at the moment which means everybody is stretched to cover all the tasks. So I found myself out and about with the decorating squad, supervising jobs, buying paint, that kind of thing.
It's always interesting to see how other people live: however, I was shocked to smell the nicotine on my hair, clothes and its taste in my mouth after a visit to one client. He is a heavy smoker and needs his entire house redecorated to rid it of nicotine stain and smell. A charming gentleman, we spent 10 or 15 minutes chatting, but he never once stubbed out the fag - and in his own home, why should he?
Times have definitely changed when one is conscious and resentful of the dinosaur smell of smoke clinging so long. Remember, I was brought up in a household where my dad smoked 30 a day and I never once noticed the pong.

A busy surgery too: a harrowing, troubled, family tale. It is difficult to know where to start, how to unravel years of problems ...and I doubt I will succeed but I must try...otherwise it remains an unrecognised personal tragedy.

Mentally troubled

My eye was caught by Friday's Evening News' interview with Cllr Maclaren...especially the photographs....oh man...they were cruel...they made her look mentally troubled...and the text didn't do much for her either...she sounded like a woman at the mercy of events...it was everybody else's fault...Labour's, SNP's, officers, parents and poor wee convenor of Children and Families had no control...[wait till she's spat on and her car is hijacked in a school carpark with her in it as memorably I was at London Street PS ...then she'll know what it feels like] Most pathetic of all was her concession that maybe no school will close at all...if ever there was an incitation to parents to pull out all the stops that was it...so if she is going to cave in at the first hint of trouble too (just like her SNP partners) why, oh why, are we (and she) all being put through this torture? There seems precious little reason going on here...