C.E. Jottings

Stand upright and in a cool place

The real secret of true happiness. Lovely little anecdote told on BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning. I don't have a note of all the details (and you've 6 days to catch it for yourself). The interview was with someone who had been researching what made people happy. He'd traveled the globe, met high and low, rich and poor, from all walks of life. The true secret of real happiness, he said, was shared with him by a Druid,... Read more →

Can CE keep a cool business head?

To the hairdresser's with Sarah this morning. Chance to catch up with local news in the Sheffield Telegraph, our weekly paper. On the front page, news of the cancellation of the move of St Luke's Hospice to new premises and the fear of redundancies; beds will be cut from 24 to 20, in an attempt to reduce the charity's deficit this year from £1.3 million to £700,000. On the back page, news of Sheffield Wednesday's struggle to avoid administration or... Read more →

What is your blog telling you?

A quickie for those interested in blogging. "What is your blog telling you?" A reflection on what the stats can tell you about the impact of your blog by 'Left-Thumb Blogger' Glenda Watson Hyatt (@glendawh on twitter). Easy read for non-geeks like me. Take a look. That's all. Read more →

.... for parents to invite us into their lives.

"What does Paces need to be like for parents to invite us in to their lives?" Not my words but those of the ever-stimulating Mike Chitty. I met Mike at the Sunshine Bakery in Chapel Allerton this afternoon. Over a very civilised pot of tea and cup cake we discussed adult services and marketing. (I had a mango, banana and passion fruit cupcake with which baker David Bennett beat competition from 70 other professional bakers a couple of weeks ago... Read more →

"We wouldn't have her any other way"

A post to draw your attention to an article in today's "Independent" Profoundly disabled: We wouldn't have her any other way. The headline writer has summarised the story in under 10 words but I found the story raising all sorts of unsettling questions in my mind. Often, with personal stories of all sorts, I wonder how they got there, in the press and on television that is. I know the frustration that can come from seeing your story in print,... Read more →

OpenData - now for charities like us. Hat-tip to @watfordgap

You may know that as well as Conductive Education I also have a passing interest in social networking, web2.0 and so on. I profess no expert knowledge, being merely an enthusiastic "dabbler" with, here and there, some understanding, fed by an active curiosity and an admiration for those who are the real creatives. My great thanks then to @WatfordGap (Paul Webster of NAVCA in Sheffield) for his Tweet that alerted me to the couple of links "not to lose" in... Read more →

September Song

"September Song": Michael Bywater, in The Independent yesterday, celebrates "the Queen of months", our "most glorious time of year" - an evocative piece. In Sheffield, the electronic road-signs remind us that September brings the start of a new school year - and to plan our journeys accordingly. At Paces, we've some substantial longer term business planning to complete by Christmas - which will have the added ingredient of succession planning for the CEO post; there's work on developing our governance... Read more →

Conductive Web

For some time now I have occasionally been adding to a website of links to blogs about conductive education and to blogs by parents who have some interest in or for conductive education. Do take a moment to visit "Conductive Web". If you have any comments or if you can recommend a link, please let me know. Read more →

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust - travel fellowships deadline

The deadline is fast approaching for applications for travel fellowships in 2011. 12th October, I think. "Travel to make a difference .... this could be your chance of a lifetime" the Trust website declares. It was for me in 2007 when I travelled in Canada and America - finishing with a week at the World Congress of Conductive Education in Goteborg. And it was for my colleague Neil Morris in 2008, travelling in New Zealand and Australia. "Would experience overseas... Read more →