Well, so much for not putting so much time into climate change antics.  No sooner had I published the last blog post about concentrating on the business, that I got a phone call from the Transition Network.  We are hosting one of the four UK Transition Roadshows.

It was only a week or two ago that there was a flurry of conversation on the email group of the Transition Beds, Bucks, Herts conglomerate.  Or whatever we’ll call ourselves – basically the group of a dozen or so Transition Towns based around these here parts.  Should we be Transition Three Rivers, maybe?  I don’t know.

Anyway, a few of us had noticed that there will not be a national Transition Network conference this year – instead there will be four Transition Roadshows across the UK.  The thinking is that given Transition is about permaculture and local being key, having a range of roadshows around the country rather than one central conference will give more people the chance to attend, make them more relevant and give local Transition Initiatives a boost of profile-raising pizazz.  The deadline for applications was in a day or two.

Kings Langley, Haddenham, Letchworth and Milton Keynes were all interested in a roadshow being hosted somewhere within our catchment, as were we in Berkhamsted.  With the deadline for expressing an interest looming, ducks were churning their legs unseen behind the scenes to decide who would like to put in an application, and weren’t showing great signs of getting in a row.  So Linsey in Haddenham and me in Berkhamsted decided to put in our applications anyway, with the promise of support from the other groups.

A couple of feverish hours later my application was off to Amber Ponton at the Transition Network, and out of my mind.  So the following week, when I got a phonecall on my mobile from Totnes while having breakfast with my wife and the little one, I couldn’t figure out who it was on the other end of the phone.  It had been a different sort of a morning because my laptop had packed up (I’m writing this from the replacement) and we’d just watched Small in the Reception assembly dancing to the samba in celebration of all things Brazil.  Apologies Amber for our slightly whacky conversation, as I danced along a narrow wall in celebration.

We will be hosted one of the four Roadshows.  Oh yes, we will.  Oh, no, that means organising something.

John Bell

Ordinary Bloke