growing up

it's hard to standby sometimes and just watch.

often its only afterwards that you can look back... and if you're anything like me you kick yourself and say "if only i did that" or "i wish i could have done more".

this is one of those times where i just have to watch.

i kind of wrote about something similar here. its the watching the play of your children and realising that they are going through a hardship. an exclusion. a loneliness. hearing the words of those who are close to them say they don't like him. watch their friends "move on".

"its bound to happen"

"that's life"

"its an important life lesson"

its hard to stand by and just do nothing, trusting that the passing of time will be able to teach, to help grow and cultivate that precious character.

its not that i don't love any less my children by not jumping in. its not that i love them more by reminding them of the long term character building. no... and frankly all i can do is suffer with them as only a father can.

its not easy to stand and watch your children go through such exclusion.

Let's plan Warsaw

One of the simulation games that is being played here at this conference is one involving the place of stay here in Warsaw. It involves the soviet "gift" of a building from Stalin and planning what could be done with it. All the Polish people say it's an eye sore and stands for a reminder of Russian occupancy.

Here it is:




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Location:Jachranka,Poland

very cool

Home for a week

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Location:Jachranka,Poland

In Poland

I'm in my hotel in southern Warsaw. Very south and almost not Warsaw.

My reason for being here is two to be at a conference on the science and craft of gaming, especially as we are embracing this for our work and also to run a slum based simulation to this association. Looking at the programme it has all sorts of crazy and amazing simulations.

I must admit this is looking to be quite a cool conference... Even my colleague said "it looks like the people here actually want to be here compared to many of the other conferences that we have been to."

... More to come...


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Location:Warsaw

founder's wisdom

i'm fascinated by founding stories of organisations.

i find the early stages and early decisions utterly mesmerising.

when hearing from one very large charity a gentleman shared about their founder and what gave him his energy, zeal and fervour. For Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision, he jotted down in his bible these words: "Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God."

Mucking around on another app

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Sitting in the Pitt Room

Currently sitting in the Palace of Westminster listening to the effectiveness of aid.

I find myself wondering about this room. The Pitt room. He was a young leader and debated hard in his day. He was friends, I think, with one of my all time heroes William Wilberforce.

What rich history this room has. A privilege to be here.



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Location:Dean's Yard,London,United Kingdom

a weekend in snaps pt 2

a weekend in snaps pt 1

A thousand words and a photo

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Location:Sevenoaks,United Kingdom

Mr Mojo Rising

Some half term pics

From Brighton to Elveden to Bedgebury this past half term. :)

lost sheep

i said, whilst wheeling a heavy pram ladened with towels and wet swimming gear, that you run that way and caleb and i will catch you up. joshie darted round the corner. angie and caleb must have been shouting from the other direction as i turned round. they weren't there. must have been ahead. i rubbed my chlorine touched eyes.

angie called is joshie with you. i looked down his path he took. he wasn't there. i shouted no and asked whether he was with her. she said no. dang where could he be. i looked down his path. he wasn't there. looked around and then searched. no sign.

still went ahead to where angie was to check. not there. the heart starts to race a little. moving up to defcon 4.

i walk back to the swimming pool area. no sign. i curse a little just thinking that he wouldn't go backwards.

i re-trace his steps and check the staff only door. still no sign. go back to the RV where angie was. she still hasn't seen him. it's been a few minutes now. def con 2. heart racing. options of where to look exhausted.

def con 1

i run back to the swimming pool shouting his name.

the next place to look back in a square that we first stepped foot in several days ago. clutching for options and recollecting the chapter of "the shack" about the great sadness that only just read that morning.

i run to and fro. no real direction. just running.

back to angie and she says its ok. she found him. he'd kept running on ahead.

just one feeling: elation. i gave him a huge hug and i mentioned that we were worried, but happy to find him. he says: "just like the lost sheep story papa"

Royal wedding 29.4.11

The day the giant snails came home

When I came home from work there were two giant snails on our dining table. Brought home from playschool.

















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Joshie's first strawberry

Picking the strawberry...



Joshie eats it...



It's in there...



... Still going...


... "I like it!"



... "well done Joshie!"


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Location:Camden Park,Royal Tunbridge Wells,United Kingdom

"You live to work but you commit to purpose"

He was a larger than life person. A titan really. His buckled shoes, tall stature and a voice that could command a legion. The title "CEO" etched in his weapon of networking: his business card.

He uttered these words. I don't know why, but they keep travelling almost traversing my mind. I'm sitting on a plane en route home and what is there as I look out the window is the thought of commitment. What is it that I am committed to? Am I committed enough... What will commitment look like. All these have been through my mind frequently this past few months... And as for the reason... Well this Titan told me it square: it's purpose.


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Location:Service Rd,Crawley,United Kingdom

"He kept me for 5 minutes..."

I was waiting for my meeting. It was a 9am meeting. I like to be early. I don't like to be late for my meetings. I was having breakfast with a friend and he said to wait a little while. Against my conventions I did.

What happened next was the the whole building moved and there was an explosive sound. We were all shocked. My immediate thoughts were: bomb attack. Noises were being heard and instantly all I could think of was getting out. There was panic. Lots of noise and shouting. Confusion came upon us all. I'd been in two earthquakes before and that feeling came back.

Somehow I decided to go back for my passport. My things. They were in my bedroom. As I walked over I looked out l. At first all I could see was falling papers. Papers everywhere. Just raining down with all these A4 sheets. Then it caught my eye. It was the reflection in the other building. As I looked out I just saw a huge black hole in the building. The south tower reflection just mirrored this larger than the imagination "hole" of a picture.

The lifts weren't working. We were evacuated through another means. It turns out the fuel had leaked down and wiped out the elevator shafts first three floors.

I was hanging on every detail.

Then someone comes along and joins out conversation and he changes tack. He feels perhaps uncomfortable and looks to the new matter in hand. She says oh and congratulations on being elected the chairman of the working group. He politely smiled and humbly acknowledged the privilege. I enquired further about this accolade and it turns out that he just got voted to be the lead on this group about reducing the risk of disasters. He walks off. Ushered into his next meeting. His schedule: fierce.

His words were etched by now and all i had asked was why... Why are you here and why are preventing disasters important to you...

I'm at a conference on disaster risk reduction. The event described was my interpretation of just one of the conversations that I have had.

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Location:Chemin des Grands Prés,Sergy,France

Amidst the nations

I am back in Geneva at a fascinating conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.

A gentleman just said "it's time for radical radical change" in a plenary about local action.

More to come...



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Location:Rue de Varembé,Geneva,Switzerland