Week 29: Having things to look forward to…

With a very wet and rainy weekend, it has started to feel as if autumn has really started to settle in. Observations for this week

  • I have been finding plucky rogue courgettes in the garden the last few weeks, but sadly they are no more… just like summer they are now being missed.
  • … and what with the gloomy weather too and a potential return to lockdown, it feels as if we need something to look forward to… apparently Christmas and holiday shopping has already started… no doubt I will still run out of time… but am going to have a good run at it this year.
  • Workwise, it was still busy and sometimes I am not quite sure where the time goes… when you get to the end of the day and find yourself closing the windows and pages you opened at the start of the day… it was one of those… hopefully next week calms down a little

… stay safe everyone… @chris_w_tweet

Posted in Observations | Leave a comment

Wait and see

If I was to describe this last week it would be filed under the theme of digital treatment and preparedness.

It feels the world is now planning for a crash in October, with associated surge in delinquency volume… albeit with some views we may not see this peak until March.

Technology is being viewed as a key area to help with investments are being made and accelerated, which is resulting in pressures on delivery resource capacity too…. it is a busy time.

The economy is changing and with us clearly heading into a second wave of the pandemic there is still considerable uncertainty.

However the economic change now increasingly feels set… this is how things will be for the medium term and companies are adjusting and reacting to the new environment. It is all feeling more inevitable yet a change in slow motion.

And with a new lockdown almost upon us, you can also start to feel the impact on our collective mental health.

A collective sense of ‘oh not again’ and with the cancellation of half term holidays/halloween/bonfire night, I get the sense of ‘not much to look forward too until Christmas’ is starting to creep in… the sales have started already.

So as I sat there on Friday night, drink in hand, slouching on the sofa, with a packet of crisps, I stumbled on Joe Wicks’ lastest heartfelt message urging me to do the opposite and get active… it was good advice and well timed. So this is the resolution this weekend!

Key reads below… have a good weekend everyone… @chris_w_tweet

Posted in Opinion | Leave a comment

Week 28: Meeting new expectations

This last week was a whirlwind, and obviously with various economic support and lockdown changes announced last week things are going to change again… and soon. Still, these are the observations for the week.

  • Nearly everyone I spoke to last week, who was working, seemed to explain just how busy they were. Online working it seems is clearly ratcheting up the workload and speed of delivery across the board for many people… they are working hard… just hope this translates to more business for folks really
  • I had my first face to face meeting, since lockdown too… it was great to be out and the coffee shop was busy, very busy… clearly some local businesses are doing well which is good to see.
  • However, all this highlighted not only just how efficient online meetings are, with no travel time you can fit more in, but conversely how face to face meetings can also make a huge difference, relationship-wise… there is a balance there, and maybe a new balance we all need to find.

All this is progress of sorts, just hoping we are not going to have to take too big a step back, what with rising cases again… fingers crossed

Have good week everyone… @chris_w_tweet

Posted in Observations | Leave a comment