To meet my queens (both sets)
What’s one of the first things they want to do on my return?
Go for a walk
After a lovely time in Italy with Maria
With plenty of lovely food …
They want pizza….
And presents
I’m so lucky to have them in my life…
Disability Services included day and residential centres, equipment and adaptations to their homes, WORKLINK to get integrated employment, daily meals, care at home, social work and housing.
I have very fond memories of our time together and the dynamic team we created that made a difference in so many people’s lives.
We were fortunate and known for a programme of work (LEVEL BEST) to be able to involve disabled people in telling us what they wanted from the services leading to a series of innovations, including ….
– information service
– advocates to help people understand and get the services they needed
– community based daytime activities
– integrated housing
– disabled people’s electronic village hall providing access and training to computers
– a shop selling equipment
– accessible transport service to the wider disability community.
…and a conference to pass on our learning to other organisations.
We were a wonderful team, at a special time who found ways to do things differently .
Thanks guys.
Footnote
LEVEL BEST was a campaign of different methods such as: a reference group, market research panels, public meetings, interviews, to involve disabled people in telling us what they wanted from a reorganised public service. It led to a business plan and fundamental reorganisation of the overall service.
After footnote
That was thirty years ago. Unfortunately the money available to provide such services is reduced and demand has increased. Political priorities change. People are however continuing to provide essential services in difficult circumstances.
No not (just) the car.
It’s important to recognise and realise how much my adopted family here in India as helped me survive the most difficult years in my life.
Sowbaghya is so critical to my life here in Mysore
She’s project managed and coordinated the rejuvenation of the radical red, that is now attention seeking in and around Mysore and Srirangaptnam
That’s the tip of the mountain of help she has been.
Sowbaghya is important to me and has kept me and the business going.
Thank you Sowbaghya for all your help.
I firmly believe that grief is always with us but becomes more manageable as we fill the space around it with important valued people and ‘things’ we do.
The next member of the family, everyone knows, the irrepressible Kaveri. Grief manager extraordinaire.
I can’t begin to list what she does for me.
She makes me smile (and cry.)
She’s cool.
Our mini team is complete with Kaveri’s ‘sister’ Radhika, a wonderful young woman.
I look forward to witnessing her develop and we growing together through the years.
Oh ….. Trishalla and Eregowda, have been a great support through difficult and remembering times, you’ll have to wait to see where that leads.
A special mention for: Sarvesh, Vasanth, Satish, Tanuja and their families.
We’ve all worked together to cherish and continue Manjula’s radiance through our projects: events, school, community meals, creativity days, supporting Kaveri, and making Manjula’s garden in the park.
Not to forget our guests who have become family and my very own DNA family folks in the U.K. and Canada
There’s not only humans in my family…
The first coat of the new colour.
South West Wales, a wonderful location, where we spent our annual camping holiday for many year.
Ramsey from Whitesands
Gale force wind and rain then sunny Unpredictable British weather. Normal camping and holidays in the U.K.
Reading an article and it’s photographs are flashing me back to work in the 1970s while still at school and later, the gap year before attending university.
I worked in a different location to the one featured in the article but similar situations in the steel city of Sheffield.
One crazy job, from age 17, was when the electric arc furnaces — creating steel — were switched off for the weekend. We’d climb on top of cranes that tipped scrap into the furnace then carried molten steel to be poured into giant moulds.
We’d clip our safety harness on to the structure, then walk along narrow gantries to brush the dust that had accumulated during the week, shovel it into bags to be carried down.
Here’s a photo of a similar crane in the Turbine Hall of the Tate Art gallery in London, formerly a power station.
It was still really hot, even though the furnace was shut-down and always dusty. By the end of the shift, the dust had worked it’s way through two layers of protective clothing and ingrained into our skin. With sooty faces and light patches (Hanuman style) around our mouth and nose showing the masks did have some protective effect.
Footnote.
It provided insights into how others live that I value to this day. Men and women often working twelve hours, sometimes seven days a week.
It was my first opportunity to supervise a small team.
A meeting with who was then the Prince of Wales and now the new king but who is that between them? 🤔
Yes it is me on the right. Probably in the year 2000
I used to work for one of his charities. On his suggestion the CEO asked me to organise Prince’s Seeing Is Believing Events in India.
First time outside the U.K. they were designed to help directors consider how they might be more responsible as businesses, usually by developing community partnerships.
I organised them in Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore with many MNCs taking part.
They were followed by workshops on corporate responsibility (CSR) and leadership programmes in India and the U.K.
But back to that photograph. It’s from when I first met him at one of our events, of Business in the Community, the charity where I was a campaign director and he was president .
There was another photo circulated amongst colleagues to invite them to make jokey comments.
In the other photo there was the arm of the CEO which looked as if she was about to pull him away from me.
The man in the background?
Obviously security ready to pounce.
Factoid
More on Business in the Community.
Prince’s Seeing is Believing Programme.
Isn’t she pretty?
Stolen
… in Mount Pleasant Vancouver. Please pass this information on to help locate her. there’s a reward of cash or a free cycle tour and accommodation in Mysore, flight not included. 🤭
I’d planned to bring her back to London and then onto India after she was given to me by my son while holidaying in Canada in July 2022.
There’s more of our history here.
She’s distinctive with her yellow frame, white wheels and pretend leather saddle. She has a single front rim brake.
I’ve now flown back but can arrange to pick her up or have her transported when we find her.
My son Oliver Farrell is the proprietor of ‘Feel Good Everyday’ near the railway (train) station in Vancouver and can be contacted there or online. Please email me at sfindia@gmail.com
We’ve listed details here
Manufactured by Regal Bicycles in Toronto, she was known as ‘Count’ over ten years ago as a single gear fixie but now she has the addition of three speed gears and coaster brake and so we named her Trixie
I lead city Mcycle tours and host Mysore Bed and Breakfast in South India.
My experience was otherwise very positive in Canada.
I’m visiting one of the Sari Sisters, a group of women cyclists from Vancouver Island.
They came to India stayed with us and cycled from Mysore to Cochin.
This is my third visit. Lise and Michael kindly ‘put me up’
I’ve had a wonderful few days exploring Victoria, the capital of BC and cycling along the Galloping Goose Trail.
Victoria and the island (as long as England!) is a great place
Cyclists are catered for with cycle routes, great maps, considerate drivers and safe secure places to leave your cycle
With random deer, not cows.
Trixie was with me all the way.
Reminded of this wonderful city, visiting my youngest son Oliver, first time in three years.
Well done Ol, great success, I’m so impressed
As everywhere it somehow stimulates memories of elsewhere. I last visited shortly after Manjula died.
Me and MYCycle 