Tuesday
8:00
The equipment that makes liquid nitrogen isn't producing any. Liquid nitrogen has a temperature of -196C; we use it for a variety of applications, e.g. to improve the conditions in some of our vacuum equipment. The compressor is running and everything else seems OK but no cold stuff. Myself and another technician have run out of diagnostics so another engineer callout looks on the cards.
Spend time on routine maintenance and tech support for other members of our research group and I'm currently rebuilding a small furnace. Construction goes well, but final testing indicates earthing is poor to some parts. It will have to wait until tomorrow.
4:00
Leave for Shire Hall, via Kenilworth to drop off a colleague. On auto pilot (I've travelled this road for over 25 years), I head for the bypass as usual , not Kenilworth. Colleague politely points out this error; quick change of plan and we're back on course.
On Tuesdays I have a briefing session with one of the 4 chief officers (COs) whose departments fall within my Cabinet portfolio . Today, it's Peter Ridley, head of Property Services.
Also present are staff from Libraries & Heritage, CO Noel Hunter and fellow 'Cabbie', John Haynes. Plans for the future of the museum service are explained and the implications for our buildings especially, Market Hall and St John's in Warwick. Details and issues such as planning are explored and it sounds an exciting prospect. Main difficulty, as always, is funding. We are talking 7-figure sums and there is no spare in our current programme. Noel, though, is optimistic (as ever) and is glad of our interest and support for the principle.
We move on to other matters; schools, office accommodation [see- PROPERTY STRATEGY], reports for future meetings and next year's budget. Everyone reckons it will be very tight and each department will be expected to find significant savings one way or another. FINANCE & BUDGETS discussion anyone?
5:45
head home. Tuesday's is my turn to cook dinner, but friends have invited us round this evening, so I'm off the hook. Not much post, 20-odd e-mails. One from Rob Dunster about an event next week for Looked After Children (LAC). Very pleased to be going to this as I used to have the portfolio for Young people and spent some time with Rob and a LAC group in Bedworth. At any one time, there are around 300 children in care in Warwickshire and we (the Council) have a duty to act as parents. An almost impossible task and councillors were given a very powerful message two years ago by a number of our children who worked with a theatre group for a few weeks. The performance they produced, based entirely on their own experiences of schools, accommodation, and 'the system' generally made a deep and lasting impression on everyone who saw it . I wonder if any of those will be there next week?
The equipment that makes liquid nitrogen isn't producing any. Liquid nitrogen has a temperature of -196C; we use it for a variety of applications, e.g. to improve the conditions in some of our vacuum equipment. The compressor is running and everything else seems OK but no cold stuff. Myself and another technician have run out of diagnostics so another engineer callout looks on the cards.
Spend time on routine maintenance and tech support for other members of our research group and I'm currently rebuilding a small furnace. Construction goes well, but final testing indicates earthing is poor to some parts. It will have to wait until tomorrow.
4:00
Leave for Shire Hall, via Kenilworth to drop off a colleague. On auto pilot (I've travelled this road for over 25 years), I head for the bypass as usual , not Kenilworth. Colleague politely points out this error; quick change of plan and we're back on course.
On Tuesdays I have a briefing session with one of the 4 chief officers (COs) whose departments fall within my Cabinet portfolio . Today, it's Peter Ridley, head of Property Services.
Also present are staff from Libraries & Heritage, CO Noel Hunter and fellow 'Cabbie', John Haynes. Plans for the future of the museum service are explained and the implications for our buildings especially, Market Hall and St John's in Warwick. Details and issues such as planning are explored and it sounds an exciting prospect. Main difficulty, as always, is funding. We are talking 7-figure sums and there is no spare in our current programme. Noel, though, is optimistic (as ever) and is glad of our interest and support for the principle.
We move on to other matters; schools, office accommodation [see- PROPERTY STRATEGY], reports for future meetings and next year's budget. Everyone reckons it will be very tight and each department will be expected to find significant savings one way or another. FINANCE & BUDGETS discussion anyone?
5:45
head home. Tuesday's is my turn to cook dinner, but friends have invited us round this evening, so I'm off the hook. Not much post, 20-odd e-mails. One from Rob Dunster about an event next week for Looked After Children (LAC). Very pleased to be going to this as I used to have the portfolio for Young people and spent some time with Rob and a LAC group in Bedworth. At any one time, there are around 300 children in care in Warwickshire and we (the Council) have a duty to act as parents. An almost impossible task and councillors were given a very powerful message two years ago by a number of our children who worked with a theatre group for a few weeks. The performance they produced, based entirely on their own experiences of schools, accommodation, and 'the system' generally made a deep and lasting impression on everyone who saw it . I wonder if any of those will be there next week?
posted by Tim Naylor at 10:47 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home