Week of being normal after retirement? well maybe not, given the huge amount of clearing up after the election !  Working non stop for months does not leave time for clearing, tidying and sorting unless needed by the campaign.  However the indoor plants have been watered.   Also one TV programme watched, and I cannot see what I have been missing.  I was quite appalled as to how many slurs were allowed and the audience just loved it.    In years to come I do think that history will show that what happens in our country has been badly distorted by the media of today, I won’t be around to judge, but I hope someone who can remember is.

I finally have to make a decision about the new mobile phone and venture out to buy it.  It looks very nice, the adverts and the blurb say it is easy to use – we will see !  If anyone reading this has an HTC Wildfire and knows how to use it please do get in touch (best try an e-mail though rather than the phone !  the e-mail address I am using most, by the way, is now fletcher.suzanne005@googlemail.com)

new life begins with a party plan

May 9^th

Freedom ! today I am no longer a Councillor, the magic hour was one minute past midnight this morning.  I could have done without having to get up at 7 to finalise getting the computer sorted in time, but at least the council IT system going on and off with no idea when it is on again is not going to mess up any more weekends in my life.

So in the afternoon I set off on the bus to a meeting about my voluntary work.  Time to take the bus.  Time to concentrate on something I need to and want to.  Time to cook an evening meal.  YES.

The planning has started for an idea I had before the elections, that it would be good if retiring Councillors gave a “Thank You” reception for Council workers who we had worked with and helped and supported us over the years.  Not as easy as I thought as our Council phones and e-mail were no longer working so how to contact ?  Always the detective, work has started on it though, and arrangements being made.

The weekend after the 29 years before

I can hardly walk !  However we have no food, I need to find some sort of replacement for my council blackberry that will have to go back, and a tour of the mobile phone shops of Stockton was painful for both my legs and feet, and the shop assistants as I ask the questions I need to ask to get the vaguest idea of what I might get.

The other problem is the hard task of getting everything off the council computer – only Saturday and Sunday to do it in, before switch off on Monday morning at 8.00 am.  I get set for the hard slog, and whooaa.  The system goes on, and off, and on a bit, and off a lot.  Grrrr.  It has to be the shops, and just working hard every minute I can.  If anyone else asks me how I am enjoying retirement ………

The Count - phew ! signing off in style

The count.  No time for nerves and worry, sit and concentrate on what is happening, watching every vote on every ballot paper, getting it into the right pile.  Will we do it or won’t we ?  the mood of the country was against us, with people upset at Lib Dems even talking to Tories, and Tories coming out in force to vote “no to AV”.  Too late to do anything – just make sure that every vote that should be ours is !

YES.  Julia and Elliot elected.   Congratulations to Councillor Julia Cherrett and Councillor Elliot Kennedy.  Congratulations to the people of Bishopsgarth and Elm Tree who it turns out have voted against the national trend and voted in 2 very good councillors.  Phew.  I can retire knowing the people I have served and loved are in good hands.

Not such good news in Eaglescliffe  where John’s seat was not taken by Lesley Lewis who would have been an excellent Councillor to represent and work for Eaglescliffe.  I am sure that people who have voted on national issues are going to regret the local implications.

No time for a rest though.  The AV count was immediately after the locals, whilst Parish Council counts took place.  As expected from the deceitful and untruthful and negative NO campaign there was a decisive “no” vote.  I could hardly manage to move between the tables to agree which were and were not allowable votes, but I did.  As I started off yesterday realising, our democracy is precious, and scrutinising all those votes is important.

It isn’t over yet though.  We had a black tie dinner at the university starting at 6.45 and it was well gone 6.   I’d got changed into my long evening dress in between the count for AV finishing and it being accepted at Sunderland, and John was the only person left watching the Eaglescliffe Parish Council vote.  I realised suddenly that the result of the referendum was being announced and counters who had been hard at work since 9 in the morning were leaving.  Usually at the end of the count the leader of the council takes the microphone and thanks everyone.  But the only 2 councillors left (we are still councillors till midnight Sunday!)  were John and I.  So I managed to get up onto the podium took the mike whilst returning officer not there, and resplendent in evening dress gave a big thanks to everyone who had worked so hard organising and counting the votes.  I couldn’t resist, whilst I was there, saying “as this will be the last time I speak as a Councillor” – there was a bit of a gasp – what is she going to say !!! but used the opportunity to say a big thank you to the many council staff there who had helped and supported us over the many years on the council.  Not a very usual end to the day, I am usually very scruffy having been out all day on polling day, and certainly not allowed near a mike – but then an unusual day all round, and an end of an era.

Polling Day - starting with a disastrous result

We are exhausted by the election campaign and start off with the news of a really disastrous result – Kabila has been re-elected president of DRC.  I am actually thankful that we have a proper election process and that the result does not mean life or death for us; the chance to make a living and keep a roof over our heads, literally, for ourselves and family, and I think of those the last Government forcibly removed from our Country that now have to live in fear and terror of Kabila with no proper democratic process to remove him.

Election day in Bishopsgarth and Elm Tree – with that perspective went smoothly (but then what wouldn’t) with even the computer behaving.  Odd to be going home at the end of polling though and not dashing off to the count, quite a let down.   Would I sleep whilst worrying about the result ?  Answer – yes – exhausted !

Elm Tree Community Centre surprise

I really could have done without an emergency General Meeting at the Community Centre in the afternoon, but it was important that some changes to the constitution were sorted out, so duty called.  I was put to shame in my reluctance though as there was a lovely speech from the committee. Along with a card, and I was so surprised and thrilled – a decent sized cheque for the Mary Thompson Fund.

Non stop !

No time to write – non stop campaigning.  Knocking on doors, organising letters and leaflets, and getting everything ready for polling day.  The very best thing about elections is meeting so many people, ranging from those I’ve known for 30 years to those I have never met before.  If my joints would let me, I could spend much more time on doorsteps, and grateful for such a good and welcoming reception, and all the nice things that people have said about the work done.  Always an exception to the rule though.  One man in a street I won’t name was rather rude about “all politicians in it for themselves” and citing expense scandals.  I made my points and left.  Half an hour later, in a different road, the same man drew up in a car, he had been driving round looking for me to apologise, saying he was extremely sorry as he did know the work that we did locally.  Could I forgive him ?  Yes, of course I could, and it is good to know that some people do take time to think what they are saying, even if afterwards.