Tuesday 22nd September: I speak to Hugh Crouch again and he's much more conciliatory, we agree that we will pay a visit on Monday evening, 29th September. He's talking about the logistics of managing the situation on the display evening, not how he can prevent the display happening.

It's now clear that the display will go ahead, and we just need to make sure we have done all that can be considered reasonable in the event of any publicity. 

Monday 21st September: I forward a comprehensive package of risk assessment to Joanne Belcher, and her reply the following day suggests we are fine. She has no real power other than to ensure we are complying with the necessary H&S procedures. Hi-5s risk assessment is very comprehensive.

I also call Richard Gant, and he's excellent, offering a 50% share of any donation we may wish to offer; we agree a probably offer of £500, but will hold it in reserve rather than offer up front.

On another matter I contact Robin Bickers, ask if we can meet over the next two weeks. He's too busy this week, too busy event to agree a date, definitely not engaged, maybe upset with my paper, who knows. Need another strategy to handle him and his programme committee. He's also the only one who has not replied regarding November 3rd Officers meeting.

Sunday 20th September: Further contact, this time from Nick Wainwright, county councillor for the Langham area, and Joanne Belcher, RCC's EHO; they've certainly been spreading their complaint and angst around.

David wood, RAS's new President gives me a call and assures me that there have been no assurances given that there will be no fireworks, and we are welcome to continue with planning our display.

A conversation with Richard Ferrand, and he gives me the same story, saying he doesn't believe Jeremy Skipper would have assured Major Crouch that no fireworks would take place. He gives me some personal advice, given that we want to ensure as little acrimony as possible. He recognises that the horses will need to be boxed up, and maybe moved around for the duration of the display, and that there will be some costs involved in this.

He suggests that offer of money may help, or perhaps a donation to the pony club. It's an idea, but it all eats into our profit, which is always at the mercy of the weather. Richard says we're in the event game and those are the risks we take.

Friday 19th September: A call from Emma Dodds to tell me that the shit has hit the fan. Contact from Major Crouch, and he's not happy. I also receive a call from Hugh Crouch and Heather Horton, outraged horse owners from Burley Road Langham.

We have an issue on our hands, and we will have to establish if RAS have given assurances to Major Crouch that there will be no fireworks on their land. If that is the case, and I don't believe it is, otherwise why would he not have nipped our display in the bud when we met eight weeks or so ago.

Watch this space.

Wednesday 17th September: The big day and we have an excellent turn-out, 27 for dinner plus three arriving after dinner for the meeting.

I meet Jayesh in the rear courtyard as I arrive at the Whipper. He's a lovely guy, but he does like to talk, and I have to tell him that he's not getting any airtime tonight as we have a big agenda. He's fine with that, and we chat a lot over dinner and share some good ideas. Maybe a skittles match against his Charnwood club, and he recommends a lady from the Loughborough club to come and talk to us regarding Young Leaders in Service.

The meal is adequate, nothing better and the meeting goes well. After the usual comments that we've not done it like this before, one from Peter Jones regarding seconders for new members, and why no social report, we've always done it like that from John Reid, we approve unanimously the revised Award Guidelines and the New member Induction Protocol, which can of course now both be found on the website.

Charles effectively chairs the meeting, and rather overplays the comic routines, will have to slap him down next time. What does work I think is the flat table of six for the top table for a business meeting.

I deliver my talk and it goes as well as could be expected, no difficult questions at the end, even a little applause. Handshakes from several members including Shane, but also notable a few with their heads down, Bob Fisher particularly, but I expected nothing less.

John Reid comments that my observations on our social/programme are a little unfair, which gives me the opportunity to come in with my view on a small committee, sitting in a silo and delivering a 24 meeting programme without consultation with anyone and as a fait d'accompli. John retorts that the Programme committee always used to present their next six months programme to the Directors by September, so consultation has happened before, so it can happen again.

The evening finishes in the Lord Nelson, with a beer with Charles, Paul & Mike, and the consensus is it has been a very good evening.

Monday 15th September: Our third Officers meeting, in the back room of the Whipper. Robin & Mike have apologised, then Mike O is caught in a gridlock on the M6 and does't arrive until we're finished and Charles only manages to get back from his sister's funeral half way through the meeting.

Nonetheless in David, Mike, Paul, Martin, David and myself, we have a quorum and we construct an agenda for the business meeting on Wednesday. We're not planning to go with the traditional reading of reports, but to have specific items that need communicating/ debating/approval etc. David Ford also recommends that my script is the last item. As expected Martin thinks it's too long, but he would, the others are fully supportive, which is relief.

Overall a good meeting, a good "content rich" agenda for Wednesday, if only one or two would like the sound of their voice a little less.

Saturday 13th September: Rutland Water Day at Sykes Lane. We're car parking and running Dine for the Lions again. We set up the gazebo on Friday night and I've got most of it done by the time Steve Jarvis turns up around 9am on Saturday morning.

Steve and I along with Kate & Natalie get the show off to a good start, and Michael Gillon with the two Margarets finish the job. DtfL raises £355 which along with £600 for the car parking means funds of nearly a grand raised. Better still we are approached by four folk who are very interested in joining the Lions; we now need to follow up quickly.

So the day now has a dual agenda, fundraising and a good pitch for recruitment, it's all about those that walks, rather than those that talks.

Wednesday 10th September: Just when you've waited ages for a social event, two come along together, just like buses when I was a boy, probably still the case. Today we're off to Chatsworth House, courtesy of Bob Fisher who conceived the idea in order to invite the Lions widows along, and three of them, Sue Tyers, Joy Cant and Maureen Corcoran take up the opportunity.

Another beautiful day allows 23 of us to enjoy the house and grounds of Chatsworth to the fullest extent. We have a lively guide taking us round the house and Bob takes up the offer to play the piano; unfortunately no one can "name that tune", but it wasn't chopsticks, and Russ Conway can rest easily.

The Duke of Devonshire is a big advocate of modern sculpture, and there is a pretty serious exhibition around the grounds, "Beyond Extremes" by Sothebys. There are some weird pieces, and if you are far enough up yourself you can interpret them quite easily.

The coach is probably past its sell by date and the gearbox/prop shaft feels like it has a little too much by way of clearances, unless that is it's the drivers stomach after a heavy night.

Well done Bob, and enjoyable day.

Sunday 7th September: Today's the day everyone meets the President. It's a beautiful day, as good as we could possibly have hoped, warm, still especially in the Castle Cottage Cafe garden, and we have 46 people attending, an excellent turnout, and three Lions widows t'boot.

It's £10.50 per head for a full cream tea, scones, cakes, sandwiches the whole nine yards, plus a glass of Prosecco, courtesy of The President. The girls at the Cafe do a good job and everyone seems to have enjoyed the event, at least it wasn't another "sit-down" meal.

It's a good start regarding social events and there's a good cross-section of members present.

Saturday 6th September: The day has arrived when we move our containers from their old home in the corner of the rugby field across the road to the back of Navitron.

RAS had decided that our two containers were two containers too far, but Steve Knight and Trevor Ellis had stepped in, and a good temporary solution found. Turns out that the removal guy is none other than Mick White, who moved and stored a lot of Pedigree's equipment back in my time, and he remembered me although we never had direct contact, a pretty strait-laced guy.

Everything goes as smooth as a nut, and Crops even buys coffee from Costa for all of us. Richard Ferrand has organised it all and our share of the cost is £250, a to less than we had feared.

The afternoon foes pretty well as Tigers win their first match of the season 36-17 against Newcastle. My guest for the afternoon is Shane, and we chew the fat a bit over Lions, but without it getting too heavy; he admits again that his job will preclude him doing anything other than attending the occasional function.

Thursday 4th September: A call into Steve Knight at Navitron to recce the new location of our two containers. Four old tech keys cut for the gate padlock and three mobile numbers programmed to open the further new tech barrier, apparently you can open it from a beach in Ibiza. It doesn't work, so will check again tomorrow. This is a great location, on hard standing, much better than at the back of a field, and the move will only cost us £250, much less than Martin has budgeted.

The evening meeting has a fairly low attendance, 21 from memory, but all goes well, and the meal is notably very good, roast pork, crackling, and lemon tart for dessert, they can do it. The downside is the speaker and his talk, I should have expected it from something entitled "35 Years in Sewage". It could have been good, but it was the talk of an engineering nerd reliving his career in minute detail that ultimately bored everyone to death.

Brian Keegan met Robin on a holiday trip to India, told Robin that he gave talks about sewage, and the rest is history, he's in the programme!

Conclusion, speakers, we need to change the paradigm, what topics would be of real interest to us as a mature Lions club, identify them and try to seek out speakers to cover them. If we can't, then we do not need to fill the slot at all costs as seems to have been the case in the past.

Steve Jarvis is there, and he generously proffers a cheque for his missed meeting, but tells me that he has let Rob know that he has apologised for meetings en bloc, due to his work commitments I guess, hopefully not in collusion with Shane.

I offer up the spare ticket for the Tigers match as Lorna is shaking her MaW tin this Saturday. Shane is the first to reply, and confirms; it may be an opportunity to see where his Lion head is!

Wednesday 3rd September: Well a Lions rich few days, getting back up to speed with commitments I have made. First draft of my "Narrative", but not sure yet it it really hits the mark, will re and re-read for a couple of days. The event calendar now has some shape and looks forward to the end of 2015.

Monday afternoon and a visit to talk one-on-one with Robin Bickers, very amicable but not even the offer of a cup of coffee. After a long preamble I get round to the continuing sore that is The Whipper In. Robin does not believe that any change falls within the remit of the Programme committee, and should anyone, like a naive president, want to review options again it would not be treading on his toes, so a good start as that's really what I was angling for.

We discuss the 2015 programme and some progress has been made, but not too much that it is a fait d'accompli. Also Robin agrees that he will circulate progress to the Officers before our next meeting, ideal as Robin will not be there.

We discuss an evening specifically for the DG, Alan Hall and it's all agreed within 24 hours with Jayesh confirming he will visit on September 17th, and Alan Hall on Feb 4th 2015. 

We discuss apologies and which way round works best, i.e. apologising for an absence, or confirming an attendance. As I thought an assumption is made regarding Eddy Dorman and Verney and they were not asked for the cost of the meal recently, where four others were; this is not acceptable, different "assumptions" for different members.

I discuss this the next day with VP Mike, and we conclude that meeting attendance needs not to be an expectation of membership, but that all members should have a default position, either they expect to attend regularly and therefore need to apologise, or they do not expect to attend regularly and need to confirm attendance. At least this would be explainable to prospective members.

Mike has several ideas having read his Lion magazine, and we agree a Community Day would be a great idea for our 40th Anniversary celebrations; I ask Mike as VP, if he will lead a project to consult, plan and deliver our 40th celebrations, he cannot say no!