Just as well we met

1 Yes, it was just as well that five of us, Richard Jones, Anthony Deevson, Patrick, June, and I met in the cramped office to talk more about the transfer. Much of the time was occupied by the the transfer of the members' balances, and, in particular, the transfer of the members' loans on the date of transfer, 31 May 2011. Richard needed to know the amounts of the loan on the date of transfer. He wanted to know on the morning of 31 May. Richard, knowing now how we operate, will think afresh; I will be ready to travel to the Co-operative branch in East Croydon on 31 May to secure a statement of our account and return with it to EG so that I can scan and send it to Worthing or else deliver it to Richard in the office. A friendly meeting - of course - but a meeting which we should have held sooner (though we we had no inkling of the problem).

2 From there to Armed Forces Day. A friendly meeting, of course. And we care close to the completion of the planning.

3 And so I have returned, in time to put something on the blog before The Moral Maze and the preparation of something simple to eat. As I spent time with George Hillman this morning, the day has been absorbed in meetings. And yet there remains business to be completed. (Early this morning, by the way, I resumed swimming, without goggles.)

4 Yesterday, I wrote about the encounter in the Visits room at Brook House. But my exchanges with the detainee occupied me. He was distressed when first we spoke as his application to appeal against the refusal to grant him ILR had been supported by an explanation in which there was a serious mistake. He showed me the papers. He also showed me a draft of a letter which he intended to send to his MP. His struggle continues.

5 I found it hard to keep my distance. I know that my client has a problem, otherwise how could I and others continue to engage with the clients. Yet the explanation (of the panel's rejection of the application) did contain an egregious error. I could understand the detainee's distress. And whilst the error gave the detainee the opportunity to counter-attack, I could understand his unease at his future being in the hands of qualified people who could make such an error. So I will talk to Anna tomorrow. I will engage with the case.

5.1 And yet we did move from the case to other matters, to Big Issues in the Bible. We discussed the interpretation of the laws of Moses, particularly those to do with women. We talked about about the changes in the status of women (and men) over the past 50, 150 years. The conversation flowed. His spirits had risen. He was buoyant when we parted.

5.2 And I must write to the Operations Manager about the absence of a Visitors' Charter. Whilst there are more than ten rules about the conduct which is required of visitors there is nothing about the conduct which a visitor can expect from a member of staff.

Lots more, but I must attend to my dinner.

Stayathome

(All day there could have been rain; there may still be rain before tomorrow. In any case, it is a damp(ish) evening, so I may postpone the watering.)

Keep looking to the front. Keep posting.