Today has been all about filling in forms and visiting long neglected friends. My mind is bubbling over with ideas about ways to get the hall inter-related with the community once more.

So first thoughts are:

Life Memberships by nomination (with citation)

History Corner: Basically all our storage space is occupied by historical furniture we no longer use. So I am thinking of keeping one of each, creating a display of photos through the ages, and inviting contributions from the locals, especially of photos. We can also have competitions to name the subjects of the photos etc.

Sign on the outside door giving contact details, hours of meetings etc.

It's all great fun, and most of these options would require minimum effort from us. The big effort would be a garage sale getting rid of the accumulated detritus (eg timber benches etc) that take up room but serve no useful purpose. That way, the more recent and useful items, currently stored on the stage etc, can be hidden from site when not in use, and allow us to present the Hall as a functional unit, rather than a failed antique shop.

I'm also thinking of commencing a public consultation - Reimagining the Hall - inviting local groups to think of ways they can use the Hall.

All good fun

 Sorry for the long delay. I have been utterly consumed by Hall matters. First trying to work out where the President had got to as she had disappeared for rather longer than her usual overnight visits to various offspring. I finally tracked her down by asking someone else on the Committee to enquire. Turns out she had been in Hospital for rather a long time with seriously elevated blood pressure (she's not the only one, but I'm not over 80). So I organised a bunch of flowers from the Committee and went back to writing grant applications, liaising with sundry local organisations about the future of the Hall, delivering flyers to the populace, getting the radio to do a free ad, monitoring the rumour machine which holds me entirely responsible it seems, and generally trying to keep my chin up in between delivering patients to appointments.

The AGM was finally held yesterday. Not before the she-demon had talked numerous committee members out of attending in the hope of ensuring we did not achieve a quorum. I had organised for the Mayor to be our independent Chairperson but the weather conditions (galeforce winds) meant he was delayed at Colebrook where the roof was blowing off their Hall, then further along the back road a tree was down. He gave up trying at around 3, but which time we had finished the meeting. 

We elected four committee members - President, Treasurer, Public Officer (me) and Ordinary Member Representative and no objections were raised to the proposed changes to the Articles. So we are now a fully functional committee. I was a bit concerned about the absence of a Secretary, but a quick check with the Department of Justice this morning confirmed that we can declare the position a casual vacancy and proceed as planned.

It's a good group of new and old members so continuity but those with the regressive world views and ego trips are all gone as a result of their efforts to prevent progress. Karma.

We have our first Ordinary Meeting in two weeks as we were all a bit emotionally drained by the end of the meeting and while relieved, also mildly concerned about the absence of a Secretary. 

We agreed that each of us would be viewed as interchangeable in each others' jobs so as to ensure we are all up to speed with proper process and record keeping for each position. About the best possible result!

As a precautionary measure I have removed the trouble maker as Admin on the Facebook page, so that if she does post, it has to be under her own name.

Tomorrow is endless form completion for banks, Incorporation etc then feet up till Wednesday when I take one of my favourite patients for an early morning appointment.

Well the last meeting failed to proceed due to the lack of a quorum. The meeting was rescheduled for today and fortunately the required number was achieved. One of our new members commenced proceedings by expressing his concern about the fact we were going nowhere and that the communication during the shutdown was non-existent.  Basically he said pretty well all I have said in the past but it was taken at face value rather than being ascribed to my alleged antipathy to Patricia. Eventually everyone around the table, apart from our newest recruit, stated that they too were planning to resign. Strangely enough this introduced an environment where we all felt comfortable speaking freely about our frustrations and the way in which having a divided committee made progress a lot more work than was worthwhile.

After much discussion it was agreed to hold the AGM at the earliest possible date and that would be fixed in consultation with a chair from Council to oversee proceedings and introduce the relevant changes (as well as setting out what the alternative would be). After the meeting our Public Officer and I walked our newest member around the Hall (where she expressed interest in hiring the Smoke Room for a therapy studio), generally cheered her up about our prospects in the event of a change of approach and persuaded her to stand for a position on the Committee if required. The Public Officer admitted that he was more a practical person than a paperwork person so would be happy to stand down or otherwise do things as required, and assuming I can persuade Jose and Michael not to proceed with the considered resignation all should be well (barring intervention from the she-devil).

Lord but it's cold. I have spent the last three days at the Stables spinning or knintting but leaving early because it was too cold, even with the wood heater going. Getting home early enough to get my own fire producing heat before the frost settled has seemed a reasonable priority.

Tomorrow is the meeting of the Committee which should resolve once and for all whether it is worth continuing. I have printed out the relevant documentation, distributed it to the relevant parties and had a very dark look from the President when she noted that it included the Articles.

She had asked me to organise a meeting of the Committee to deal with Business as usual. To clarify I asked if that included the Articles, but she said no until I argued that I would have considered it to be part of the Committee's business, which she conceded. So I took that as agreement to put them on the Agenda.

I have also informed the Public Officer that if they are not passed I will be resigning.

It seems that The Boys are of a similar mind, being very miffed at the total absence of communication during lock down.

My other predictable fight will be my suggestion we cancel the November dance on the grounds that A) we have nothing planned and it's a bit late to start now, and B) raffles seem to achieve considerable greater financial return and can continue in the event we have a flare up of Covid in the next few months. Wish me luck.

Tonight's dinner was fried rice. I had planned it to be garnished with crumbed prawns from the Fish Man, but they mysteriously disappeared the night before without accompaniment, haha.

Yesterday's passenger was cancelled which was probably a good thing as all the rain has made the roads more like rivers. It seems to have eased now, but it was very wet yesterday. The gauge had over four inches in it, but I have not checked it for at least a week, so not all in one go.

Coming home from the Bank on Monday something largish hit the side of the car - not sure what it was because there was no body when I checked. Fortunately it did not dent the car, but has conspicuously removed quantities of dirt. I hope it only has a headache as it seems to have just slid along the side in a glancing blow.

I spent the day cooking and produced some osso bucco and a chicken and chorizo bake. Today's effort was steak and guinness (though it was really Cascade Stout). It's still simmering away so I had some pastici from the freezer for dinner.

I also received the wool combs I ordered. They are lovely and light, not like the clunky ones I borrowed, and come with a means of fastening one to the table so you can have a hand free. But I have so far been using them in each hand and loving them.

They have been having a bit of a tidy up at the bank which is nice - I have been able to access previously inaccessible areas and give them a bit of a wipe over.

It will be a fairly early night tonight as I have plans to get to the Studio tomorrow to do a bit more spinning.

The weather has been lunging around like a drunken sow for some weeks now. Minimums vary between minus three and plus ten, so deciding on bedding tends to be a last minute event here. And often gets revised several more times during the course of the night. This is aided and abetted by Billy who appears to be entering senility and thus gets up hourly, disturbs the entire bedfull of bodies, treads on my head yawping wildly then leaves for five minutes before returning, trying to get in the wrong side of the bed and then walking over my head once more to get into his side. So not much sleep is had till daylight when he seems happy to sleep as long as I will let him.

The Hall has stirred into life and I am advised the trouble maker has resigned (well, says she has a letter of resignation but has not handed it in). We will have our first meeting on Sunday 12 July to organise ourselves, work out what to do for a fund raising activity for the end of the year (so we can pay the Insurance in January) and sort out our Covid Safe plan. Apparently Council has done this for us and left quantities of antiseptic at the Hall for us.

The Pancake Parlour has resumed business on shorter hours four days a week and I am back in spinning again when I am able. I have acquired a new wheel which, having responded well to repairs is very good at spinning lace weight yarn (in case I ever get into knitting Shetland Lace), but meanwhile I am finding that the carded wool I made for the purpose of spinning woollen style, actually spins a lace weight on the Kiwi 2 when used Worsted style (I know, sorry, too technical for some). This is a mixed blessing as I actually want it sock weight so I can use it on the future vest, so I will have to chain ply it so it is thick enough to match the other yarns already spun for the purpose.

Not much progress on the kitchen, but at least I have a volunteer to put in the counter tops when I am ready to do so. Some time this week I will have to find time for another cookathon. I have gravy beef, osso bucco, mince, lamb shanks and a chunk of topside to play with (all frozen at present) so I am thinking (respectively) beef and Guinness pie (or casserole with dumplings), osso bucco Italian style, chow mein, something  truly decadent and slow cooked for the shanks and a beef and mushroom stew of some sort for the topside. But since I am knackered today my greatest exertion will be pouring a glass of red when I head out to get some more wood for the fire.

Minus three point one the morning before last, and not much warmer the last couple of days. Had to wait till 11:30 to get a shower this morning. Tomorrow will be tricky as it's going to be another frost but I have to be out and about by 9 to collect a patient. I will have to hope there's still water when I get up at 6:30 so I can leave the tap leaking.

Social life seems to be returning to normal at a rapid pace, what with the long weekend bringing out Hobartians and Northerners in force. I spent the Monday spinning at the Stables, and much of the previous week repairing the new spinning wheel (I know, that's five). It is a double drive wheel which makes spinning lace weight much easier, but the previous owner had done a really clumsy repair on a broken Flyer involving rectangles of rough ply. These are now more polygons fitting to the shape they were applied to and much smoother. But more work is required.

Driving passengers is also picking up once more and I am back to cleaning the bank as well. No rest for the wicked.

So what else? Well not much progress on the kitchen but I do have someone lined up to fit the counter tops when I am ready to get to that stage. He's the husband of a friend so it will probably just cost me dinner for two. He will also fit the big stumbling block (for me) which is the front panel of the corner cupboard which has to be 100% plumb for the door to work, but requires external fitting without pre-drilled guideholes and at awkward angles of approach too so much better dealt with by someone who knows what they are doing.

Haven't been involved in any of the protests but definitely there in spirit. Hope we manage to achieve real change.