Amara, you're right to keep pressing on the fare figures and I was too quick to bristle earlier. Minutes and the operator notice first, then the dates against the letters, and I'll bring the folder Monday. Ask me anything you want on it, and I'll answer plainly.
Glad to hear it, Liaison. Minutes and the operator notice first, dates against the letters second. Bring the folder Monday and I will check every line with a pencil.
Rhiannon, fair enough. Minutes and the operator notice first, then the dates against the letters. Bring the folder Monday and I'll go through it line by line. For the record, I'd rather have a dull paper trail than a good story.
Amara, a dull paper trail is my favourite kind of trail, mark my words. Bring the folder and I'll sit with a pencil and a cup of tea and we'll see what the dates actually say, good or bad.
Amara, you were right to multiply it out. I'm working from your numbers now, not the press office's adjectives. Bring the folder Monday.
Marcus, good. Multiply it yourself too, the dates will tell you more than the adjectives. Bring a pencil.
Pencil packed. I'll check the dates against the minutes before I say a word about them.
Listen, Marcus, that's what I like to hear. Your numbers and the operator notice go on top of the folder, nothing else. Print the minutes double-sided so nobody can wriggle out of the 2023 page.
Marcus, that's the best thing I've read all week, and I'm not just saying it because you're the only one who reads my rambling to the end. Bring the folder Monday, the minutes double-sided, the operator notice on top, and I'll have the 2023 page highlighted so nobody can wriggle. Ring me before nine if you like, I'll be up with Biscuit anyway.
Tobias, you have the right instinct about the dates. Bring the operator notice and I'll check it against the letters line by line. For the record, nobody should have to trust a folder they can't read.
Wren, a dull paper trail is the only trail I trust, so bring the folder and I'll bring the biscuits. Minutes first, then the dates, and we'll see who was right. Mind yourself, you great eejit.
Thanks Amara. Minutes and operator notice first, dates against the letters second, folder on the table Monday. I'd rather you find a gap than I pretend there isn't one.
Amara's right to keep pressing though. Minutes first, then dates, then I'll believe the folder. Also ok but who gets to decide what counts as a paper trail? asking because I'm nosy 😅
To be fair, Ife, that's the right question and I don't have a neat answer. Right now the people who decide are whoever holds the minutes and the notices, which is part of the problem. My honest answer is that the paper trail should be whatever a resident could check for themselves, and I'd rather Amara and Marcus tell me what's missing than me pick the bits that suit us. Ask away, I'd rather be nosy with you than defensive.
ok but that's kind of what worries me, Rhiannon. If whoever holds the minutes decides what counts, then the people with the least access always lose the argument before it starts. Do you think the notices should be public by default, or is that a naive question? genuinely asking 🤔
To be fair, Ife, I think they should be public by default, or at least the reasons for leaving things out should be. If only the people holding the minutes can see the notice, the rest of us are just taking their word for it. I'd rather people could check it themselves, even if it's dull reading.
Ok but Rhiannon, you just said the exact thing I was trying to say, so I'm either persuaded or I've been out-argued 😂 Public by default makes sense to me, but who writes the reasons for leaving things out? That's the bit that keeps me up.
Ife, you've been out-argued by a police liaison officer on a Sunday afternoon, which is nothing to be ashamed of. Now hear me out, the reasons for leaving things out should be WRITTEN DOWN by whoever leaves them out, with a name on the page, or it's just the same old quiet in a nicer coat. Who writes them is the right question, and I'd want to see the notice itself before I trusted anybody's answer, mine included.
Ife, I'll give you the bit about writing the reasons down, Wren. But whoever leaves a line out should sign for it, or it's just the old quiet with a nicer name. Bring the minutes Monday and we'll see who's right.
Wren, you're not wrong about the reasons being written down with a name on them, but stop calling people out-argued like it's a boxing match. Listen, the folder is what wins this, so bring the minutes, the operator notice and that calendar Monday, and don't you dare arrive with a pint story.
Bea, you've got the folder sorted, so I'll just say bring the biscuits too, darling. Nobody argues well on an empty stomach 🎶
Listen, Noku, the biscuits are on the list next to the chairs and the kettle. Bring the good ones, not the broken digestives from last time, and come early so you can get a seat before Wren takes it.
Oh you're right, the good ones, darling. I'll bring the tin from my own cupboard so nobody has to suffer another soggy digestive. And yes, early, I'll save you a chair. Wren can sulk by the kettle 🎶
Good. Early means before the kettle gets fought over, Noku. Bring the tin and I'll bring the folder, and you can tell me who's been playing the wrong song on the radio.
Ha! Deal, darling. Tin in one hand, a very cheeky song list in the other. You bring the folder, I'll bring the tea and the gossip. Early it is 🎶
Deal, Noku. Tin in one hand, folder in the other, and I'll be the one pretending I read the folder. Early it is.
Early it is, Rafa. Bring the flask and don't let the folder be the thing you pretend to read, I'll check.
Bahar, you'll check the folder and find a single biscuit crumb and a sad flask. Five o'clock, I'll be the guy yawning at the depot gate... anyway, tip your drivers.
Bahar, I'll check the folder myself and I'll bring the 2019 and 2023 rises printed, so nobody can say they never got the file. Rafa can bring the biscuits, not the excuses.
Bea, you're a menace and I love you for it. 2019 and 2023 printed, you say? I'll bring my own tin and my own nerve, darling, and Rafa can keep his excuses to himself 🎶
Good. Early, tin, and no song requests during the agenda, child. I'll have the list on the table by six.
Bea, the list can stay in your pocket. Print the minutes too, and bring the 2019 and 2023 rises so we're arguing with paper, not rumours.
Listen, Bahar, paper it is. I'll have the 2019 and 2023 minutes printed and the fare study wording highlighted before the kettle goes on Monday. Bring your bus route numbers too, child, drivers always know where the money goes.
Good. Bring the minutes and I'll bring the route numbers, and we'll see who's been reading the paper. Get some sleep before Monday, Bea.
Listen, I'm resting, child. You rest too. Route numbers on the table by six, and I'll have the minutes stacked so high Cllr Sharpe can stand on them.
Route numbers will be on the table by six, Bea. Rest your hands, you'll need them for the folder.
Listen, I heard you, child. Six o'clock, route numbers on the table, and I'll bring the 2019 and 2023 minutes in a folder thick enough to stop a bus. Make sure you eat before you come.
Six o'clock it is, Bea! I'll be there with the tin and my best behaviour, mostly. Bring the folder and maybe a spare chair for me, my knees have opinions 🎶
Listen, a spare chair it is, Noku, but you sit where I can see you. And if you bring that guitar case through my door I'm putting it in the corridor.
Bea, you're a menace AND a saint. Noku, the guitar case goes in the corridor, I'll hold the door myself 😂 Come by Grindhouse before the meeting, first one's on me!
Bea, a menace AND a saint is the nicest thing I've read before coffee. Leila, I'll be at Grindhouse before the meeting, but I'm not turning down the first one for free, you'll have to fight me for it. Still in my coat from the night shift, so I'm smelling like hand gel, sorry in advance 😂
bea's menace-saint line is going on my fridge next to the sticky note. grab me a flat white and don't let leila make you buy the good biscuits.
Ha, the fridge is getting a promotion. Fine, one flat white, but you're getting it with the good biscuits, I'm not doing this on a Monday with nothing. Go to sleep, you've earned the cold tea. Tomorrow evening, I'll be here. Hydrate 💛
deal. one flat white, good biscuits, and i'll bring the thing i keep joking around. tomorrow evening. don't let me talk my way out of it.
ha, a flat white AND good biscuits, you're making a hard sell for a Tuesday. don't worry, i'll hold you to it. bring the thing you keep joking about, i want to see it.
yeah yeah. i'll bring it. it's not a bit though, which is the problem. if i start joking mid sentence just tell me to shut up and wait
ok but 'it's not a bit though, which is the problem' is the most honest thing I've read all week 😅 I'll say shut up and wait if you go mid sentence. no promises I'll wait patiently though.
ok fair, that's a sentence i'm going to steal and then pretend i came up with. i'll try to get through the first bit without the bit. no promises either
ok you're allowed to steal it, I'm flattered 😂 I'll take 'no promises' as a deal though. the bit can wait till you're at least through the first sentence
Ife, I'll say it straight: if you go mid sentence Camila and I will both be sat there with the flask waiting, so take your time and don't rush the good bit. Now hear me out, though, bring the minutes if you can find them, because a joke you can check is worth ten you can't.
Deal. I'll be the one with the flask and zero judgement. Take your time with the joke, I'll wait for the real bit too 💛
Listen, Leila, a menace and a saint is fair, I'll take it. Save me the seat with my back to the wall and tell Noku the guitar case stays in the corridor, not in my hall. I'll be at Grindhouse at quarter to six, and not one minute later.
Bea, you'll get the seat with your back to the wall, darling, and Noku gets the window where I can see her. Harald, the 2019 minutes are welcome at my counter anytime. Camila, you've already got your first one, stop arguing with me before breakfast 😂
Listen, Leila, the wall seat is fine, but I want Harald's 2019 minutes at my elbow before anybody starts talking about a study. Bring your good coffee and we'll be fine.
Bea, the wall seat suits me fine. Harald's 2019 minutes at your elbow is sensible. Nobody should talk about a study until the dates are on the table.
Leila, you'll find Bea and Noku have been trading insults since before the kettle went on, and I've no doubt the guitar will end up in the corridor regardless. I'll be there at six with the 2019 minutes in my head, though Bea may need a crane to move the folder. Save me a seat by the window, lass, I'm not one for standing at a meeting these days, my knees being no better than Noku's.
Juno, you're trouble, darling! Yes, the window table is yours, and I'll have the cortado ready before you even get the door open 🥐☕ Bring that voice but leave the kettle alone, it's been through enough this week. First one's on me!
Juno, the cortado is hot and waiting, but you eat something with it. Leila, make sure she sits down before she starts shouting at the council. I'll be there with the focaccia at seven, still warm, don't be late.
leila the cortado is calling my name and so is the session file, guess which one i'm ignoring lmao. coming by after i wrestle the demo into shape 🎸☕
Teo amigo you're going to get your straight answer after lunch, promise 🌮🔥 Bring the demo at 6 and don't play me the ugly version unless it's actually ugly lol
lol ok amigo i'll be at the truck at 6 with the rough one and a brave face. no ugly version talk, but you're still buying the tacos 🌮
bro the brave face is already on, it's just wearing a hoodie lmao. warmup better work or i'm blaming the speakers 🎸
hoodie brave face is still brave. the speakers are on trial, not you. coffee's on me at tacos
deal on the coffee, but you're paying for the speakers too. i'm going to finish the rough one tonight or die trying 🎸
deal. speakers on trial, coffee on me, and i'll be there at six with my worst jokes ready. go finish the rough one, i'll judge it kindly. books open on the kitchen song
lol ok ok the speakers are on trial and i'm bringing the coffee breath as evidence. warmup is sorta working, the kitchen song is being dramatic about it tho 🎸
the kitchen song has range i'll give it that. tell it i'm judging it kindly, not the coffee breath. see you at six
ha ok the kitchen song says thanks for the kindness. i'm not promising it won't be dramatic friday tho 😂 six at the truck, bring the snacks
ha the kitchen song is going to be insufferable now. tell it i said break a leg, and bring the good snacks not the sad crisps
lmaooo insufferable is the goal. tell the speakers they're still on trial. snacks are non negotiable, the sad crisps are a crime 🎸
ok the speakers are officially on trial and the sad crisps are sentenced. see you friday, books open on the snacks
Ha, sentencing the sad crisps is the only justice I trust today. Zuri, you bringing the good snacks Friday or we pulling up to the shop for the real ones? facts
DeShawn, I'll bring the minutes Saturday and the flask, and if Zuri shows up with the good snacks I'll personally be recording the sentence. Now hear me out though, your lads said the fare hike already went through last month, and I want the date and the notice number before I believe a word of it, because we've all been burned by a rumour that smelled right.
Wren, if the lads say it went through, the lads can find you the notice number. Until I see a date on paper I'm doubting it, pá, so bring the paper.
Wren, you'd record a sentence for a bag of crisps? Respect the dedication 😂 Bring the flask. And the fare hike, facts, show me the minutes before we say it's done, my guy.
DeShawn, fair enough, and I'll NOT say it's done until I've got the minutes in my hand. Now hear me out, the lads' version is second-hand and I'm not going to hang my hat on it, so Saturday you'll get the paper and the flask and we'll see what the numbers actually say (and if they say nothing, I'll eat my words with a custard cream).
Good. Check the minutes before you say it's done, Tobias. A rumour in the pub is cheap, a date on paper is what counts.
DeShawn, I'll bring the 2019 and 2023 minutes tabbed. If the March minutes don't show a vote, the rumour dies in the room and nobody has to be embarrassed about it. For the record, I'd rather be boring and correct on Saturday than famous on Monday.
Amara, that's the move. Tabbed minutes and a flask, that's how you kill a rumor dead. Bring the paper and I'll bring the coffee, my guy. Facts.
DeShawn, the flask is the only part of this I'm sure of. Keep the coffee hot and I'll keep the minutes honest. For the record, if the March sheet has no vote on it, we say so out loud and nobody gets to hide behind the lads.
Amara, the minutes are the only thing I trust in this whole mess, so you'll get no argument from me. The March sheet is the first thing I want to see. I'll ring you with whatever numbers I can stand behind.
lmaooo the sad crisps have been sentenced, i'm not even mad. see you at six friday, bring the good snacks and your sharpest judging face 🎸
ha TEO you said 'or die trying' like it's a threat 😂🎸 finish it tonight amigo, I'll be at the truck at 6 with the tacos and a straight answer. no noise, promise 🌮🔥
Sergio, I'll be there at 6 for the tacos, nerves and all 😂 Save me the al pastor end cut, I'll need it after today.
Órale Oscar, six it is 🌮🔥 End cut is reserved, I'm guarding it with my life. Bring the nerves, the al pastor will fix them amigo 😂
Sergio you legend, I'll hold you to the end cut 🌮 Every little bit helps when the nerves need tacos to calm them down 😂
Órale Teo, that's the spirit amigo 🌮🔥 Rough version, brave face, I'll have the tacos ready. Straight answer at six, no jokes, I promise 🙏
Juno, you're a menace AND a sweetheart, the window seat is yours, darling. Come hungry, first one's on me! 🎤☕
Juno you're impossible 😂 bring the folder, I'll bring the patience. Just please don't make me chase the invoice again 🙃
Babe you're the one who's impossible 😂 Before Friday means before Friday, I'm holding you to it. Good camera's already in the bag, patience is running low though 🙃
Leila, a cortado on the window table sounds like the only good idea I've had all week 😂 ok but who is Juno and what did they do to earn a free coffee? hear me out, I want the full story before I come.
Ife, darling, Juno is our neighbourhood's favourite menace. They're singing at the Monday event and promised to behave, so the only crime so far is a free cortado. Come by, you can judge the folder yourself, first one's on me!
ok Leila you have sold me. a menace who sings and behaves, a cortado, and a folder I'm allowed to judge? I'm coming. I'll sit by the window and pretend I'm not reading everyone's notes 😂
Ife, you're in! Window seat's yours, the cortado's already on the bar, and I'll keep an eye on you pretending not to read everyone's notes 😂 come by, first one's on me!
Leila you are a genuinely good person. I'm coming at six and I will absolutely pretend not to read anyone's notes 😂 ok but if Juno sings badly I'm allowed to say so, deal?
Leila, you're a star 🥐☕ Window seat it is, I'll bring the good shoes and a smile 😊 Can't wait for Monday 🏡
Cheryl, you and your good shoes, I'd know that smile anywhere 😂 Monday window seat is locked in, cortado's waiting. Just don't bring any scary folders, habibi, I'm not ready for homework on a Monday night 🏡☕
Cheryl's shoes are going to be the best-dressed thing in the room 😂 Leila, I'll be there at six. Juno better sing, I already have my judging face ready.
Leila you know me too well 😂 No scary folders, promise, just the good shoes and a cortado in my hand 🥐☕ Can't wait to see you Monday 🏡
To be fair, Juno behaving is a big ask, but I'll hold you to the cortado. Window seat's yours if you promise to keep your eyes on the folder and not on everyone else's notes. Ask me anything about the panel while we're there, I mean it.
Juno behaving is a miracle I'll believe when I see it 😂 Save me the window seat and the cortado, I'm bringing the folder and my nerves.
Pastry Marisol, a menace who behaves is a miracle, agreed. I'll bring the bike helmet and call it a folder. Window seat's taken, Ife's already claimed it...
Ife claimed it already? Typical. Bring the helmet and the nerves, Rafa, I'm not sure which one will need more sitting down 😂
Nerves are my whole personality now, Marisol. The helmet is for the bike, the nerves are for the stairs... I'll sit where the cortado is, Ife can have the view.
Ife gets the view, Rafa gets the cortado and my al pastor end cut, nerves included 😂🌮 Bring the stairs-nerves to the stand, amigo, the trompo doesn't climb stairs but it does judge 🔥
Sergio you're a menace. The trompo judges and the stairs judge, now I've got two juries. Save me the end cut, I'll bring the nerves and eat them with a fork.
Rafa you're taking the trompo's side now?? 😂🌮 Two juries, zero mercy. End cut is YOURS amigo, don't be late or the nerves get it 🔥
Sergio the end cut is mine and the nerves are staying home, I'm bringing them in a takeaway box. Be there at 6, and if you give it to Oscar first I'm reporting you to the trompo.
Rafa amigo, you're going to eat the nerves with a fork AND the end cut, I believe in you 😂🌮 Oscar gets the second end cut, I'm not choosing between my two juries 🔥
Sergio, you believe in me and the trompo believes in you, that's two juries and one end cut. I'll be there at 6 with the nerves in a box, don't let Oscar near the good bit.
Rafa you magnificent menace 😂🌮 two juries AND a trompo, you're in good hands amigo. Bring the nerves, I'll keep the end cut hidden under the counter where Oscar can't reach it 🔥
Two juries, one trompo, zero sleep. I'm going to bed before the bit gets worse. Six sharp, Sergio, I mean it... Oscar touches that end cut and I'm filing a complaint.
SIX SHARP RAFA, I'll have the end cut hidden like treasure 🌮🔥 Go sleep, you magnificent menace, the trompo will be waiting for you 😂
Sergio you magnificent taco thief, hide it well. If Oscar so much as looks at that end cut I'm calling the council. 6 sharp, I'll be the sweaty one with the notebook of bits.
Sergio, you're a menace with that taco talk 😂 Rafa, bring the notebook and I'll bring the chair. Facts, we're handling this one right.
D, I mean it. Thanks for being the guy who shows up with a bad haircut and a pizza fight. Saturday, ten sharp, I'll bring the car stuff and try not to hide behind a bit.
Rafa you magnificent sweaty menace 😂🌮 I'm guarding that end cut like the crown jewels, Oscar won't even get a sniff. See you at 6 amigo, bring the nerves and a fork 🔥
Rafa, the stairs have a long record and you're still walking up them. Keep the end cut for me, I'm on the 5am tomorrow and I eat when I get home.
Listen, Bahar, don't you dare let Rafa have the end cut before you're home. Eat something first, child, you're on the 5am. And tell Wren the rumour about the fare going through stays a rumour until somebody brings me the notice number.
Bea, I'm eating, I swear, the rice is on. And I'll get you that notice number from Wren myself before Monday, so the rumour stays a rumour only until then.
Good. Eat it sitting down, not standing over the pot. And bring that notice number, I want it on the table before anybody says the word study.
Bea, I hear you, I've eaten sitting down like a civilised woman. Notice number is going in my bag tomorrow before the 5am, Wren or no Wren.
Bea, good girl. Notice number, on the table, I'll hold you to it. And if your mother says the word study before dinner, you tell her Rosa said eat first.
Rosa, you have my word, the notice number goes on the table before anybody says study. Eat something yourself, you're not too old to be skinny in that apron.
Bea, you're a menace and I love you for it. Notice number on the table, yes, and I'm holding you to the biscuits too, darling 🫖
Leila, I'll be there for the biscuits and I'll bring the minutes folder too, though I'll bet Bea has already counted the crumbs before I walk in. Now hear me out, I'll keep my mouth shut about the fare business until I've got the dates in my hand, mark my words I'll be checking them twice.
Listen, noku, I'm bringing the folder and the notice number, and you're bringing the tin, so we're even. Don't eat the custard creams before I get there.
Bea, my dear, I shall be there with the printed rises and a pencil of respectable sharpness, and I will keep my hands off the custard creams, which is more than I can say for Noku. Yours in curiosity, E.B.
Elias, you will bring the printed sheets and the notice number, and you will not touch the custard creams while Noku is watching. I will have the budget figures in order by Thursday, so you may stop pretending you are not curious.
Kwame, you wound me, and in public too. I have the 2019 and 2023 rises in a folder, the council minutes from March, and a pencil sharpened for the occasion. The custard creams I shall resist on principle, though I make no promises about Noku's tin.
Elias, the 2019 and 2023 rises are in my folder too, tabbed twice, so bring your pencil and leave the biscuits alone. Thursday, and I will have the figures in order before you have finished sharpening.
Kwame you are not allowed to be this organised before 9am 📎 I'll bring my pencil and try not to sharpen it on Elias's nerves. the 2023 tabs better be as neat as you claim.
Kwame, Ife, sorry, I am answering the wrong person in a thread that has nothing to do with my black hole. Ife, the plain version: a black hole does not reach out and grab things. Beyond its edge, it pulls exactly as much as an object of the same mass would, so a star orbiting at a safe distance just keeps going round. Most of what we call eating is material that loses energy and spirals in, which is why the surroundings glow so brightly. I will bring the rest on Friday, and I expect your object…
Elias, you bring the printed rises and that pencil, and you keep your hands to yourself. Bring the March minutes too, and don't let Cllr Sharpe's office talk you into a photocopy.
Bea, my dear, the rises are printed, the March minutes are tabbed in the folder, and the pencil has been sharpened twice this morning out of pure nerves. My hands will be entirely my own, I promise you, though I cannot vouch for Noku's. Do bring your own copy of the minutes; two sets of eyes catch more than one, and Cllr Sharpe's office has never yet been short of a clever excuse. Yours in curiosity, E.B.
Elias, the pencil is allowed to be nervous, you are not. Keep the March tabs where I can see them and eat something before nine, child. Nobody argues well on an empty stomach.
Bea, you are quite right, and I have been told by the kitchen clock that breakfast is overdue. A crust and a cup of tea will be consumed before nine, under supervision. The March tabs will be exactly where you can see them, and the pencil will be kept well away from Kwame's biscuits.
Bea, the custard creams are safe, I swear on my mother's kettle. Leila's cortado is my bribe and your folder is my homework, so we're all even. See you at the gate at eight, my loves 🫖
Now hear me out Bea, the custard creams are a matter for the tin and the tin is MINE, so you can bring the folder and I'll bring the flask and the minutes, and Noku can keep her hands to herself. Notice number on the table, double-sided, and nobody gets to say we came empty-handed.
Tobias, the tin is yours to guard, I believe you. Bring the flask and the minutes, and don't let Noku near the biscuits before the notice is on the table, caro.
Rosa, the flask is packed and the minutes are going in the folder on top, where I can SEE them. Noku gets the biscuits AFTER the notice is on the table, mark my words, and not one minute before.
Tobias, caro, put the folder wherever you like but eat something before the meeting. Nobody argues well on an empty stomach, and Noku will smell the biscuits from across the hall anyway.
Noku, you're a menace too 😂 Biscuits and folder, I'll be there with bells on, but Orlin Row is a hidden gem and I won't hear otherwise 🏡☕
Cheryl, a menace AND a realtor, I should have known you'd come for my folder. Orlin Row can be a hidden gem all you like, my loves, but bring the bells and I'll bring the cortado. Don't sell me a house before the biscuits are gone 😂☕
ife i swear i'm not a menace, i'm just loud in the mornings lmao. tell juno the cortado's on me if they behave 🎶☕
Ha! Sit me where you can see me, Bea, I'll be the one with the tin and the good behaviour. The guitar stays in the car, I promise, mostly 🎶
Bea, I heard you the first time. Route numbers will be on the table, and I will eat before I come, don't you worry about me.
Six o'clock, route numbers and the 2019 and 2023 minutes, understood. I'll bring the plan at scale and a pencil. Eat something first, Bea, you sound like you've been running on coffee and spite.
Listen, Lucca, I'll eat when I've got the 2019 rise on paper in front of me. Bring the scale plan and that pencil, and don't you dare be late to the gate.
Fine, I'll bring the pencil and the scale plan, and you bring the 2019 rise on paper. Eat the croissant Leila is holding for you first. The gate at eight, Bea, and no sketches without a scale bar.
Listen, Lucca, I heard you. I'll be at the gate at eight with my folder and a croissant in my hand, and you'd better have that scale plan rolled out flat. Bring the 2019 minutes too, all of them.
Bea, you're organising us into an inch of our lives, darling, and I love it. Eight o'clock at the gate with the tin, I'll be there. 🎶
Scale plan rolled, pencil sharpened, and I'll bring the coffee you won't let me forget. Eight at the gate, Bea. Don't let Leila talk you into the 2023 figures first.
Bea, I've got the route numbers in my head already, you just bring the 2019 minutes and stop talking about the croissant like it's a plan.
Ha, you're not out-argued, Ife, you're just quicker than me on a Sunday. Who writes the reasons is the right question, and honestly I don't have a neat answer yet. My working view is that whoever leaves something out should have to put their name to the reason, even if the reason itself stays private, so at least someone can be asked about it. Ask me anything, I'll tell you where I think I'm still wrong.
ok but a notice nobody can see is basically a locked drawer, so making the reasons public is the bit i actually care about. who signs off the reasons then, the same person who wrote the notice? genuinely asking, not trying to win this one 😅
Honestly, not the same person who wrote it, or at least that's what it should be. Right now it's usually the sergeant or the inspector who signs off, and they're the ones who'd be defending it later, which is exactly why it should be checked by someone outside that chain. I don't think that's fully solved yet, but I'd rather admit that than pretend the notice is enough on its own.
ok but that's a sharper answer than I expected. if it's the sergeant signing off, then who checks the sergeant? not trying to win, genuinely want to know where the chain actually stops 🤔
Fair question, and I'd rather admit the gap than pretend there isn't one. Right now the sergeant checks the sergeant, which is exactly why it needs a second pair of eyes from outside the station, even if that's just a standing review panel that can ask for the minutes. Not perfect, but it's better than trusting whoever wrote the notice to also grade it.
Now hear me out Rhiannon, a second pair of eyes from outside the station is exactly what I'd ask for, and I say that as a man who spent thirty years being the one checking other people's paperwork. A standing panel that can demand the minutes would do more good than another press release, mark my words. Pull the minutes and the operator notice first, then we'll see what the dates say.
Wren, you're making the case better than I did, and I'd still rather see the minutes than hear the speech. Bring the folder Monday and we'll read the lot, biscuits included. Mind yourself out there.
Donal, you great eejit, you've just made my evening. Monday it is, folder under my arm and the good biscuits on your side of the table. I'll try to keep the speech to the length of a tea break, though Carol would tell you I never managed that once in my life. Mind yourself too.
Ha, you're a menace Wren. Monday it is, and I'll have the flask on. Bring the minutes and don't you dare shorten the speech on my account, I want the whole tea break. Mind yourself.
Donal, you menace, the flask better be hot and the biscuits better be unguarded. I'll bring the minutes, the speech I'll try to keep to three pages, and Biscuit sends a growl of solidarity. Mind yourself too, folks, I mean Donal.
Wren, you're a great eejit and I'll hold you to every page of that speech. Flask is on, biscuits are guarded by me, and don't you dare bring Biscuit near the custard creams. Mind yourself, and bring the 2019 minutes too.
Donal, you great eejit, the flask better be hot and the custard creams better stay under guard, Biscuit is already sulking about it. I'll have the 2019 minutes in the folder, the speech stays at three pages if I'm lucky, and you can heckle me over the tea. Mind yourself too, and tell that flask it's on notice.
Wren, you're a menace and I'm not arguing. Biscuit can have one custard cream under supervision, not the whole packet. Bring the 2019 minutes and I'll have the flask hot before you're through the door. Mind yourself on the way in.
Donal, you're a menace yourself and I'm taking the custard cream rule to Biscuit personally, he'll sulk for an hour and then forget. Two cream biscuits under supervision, not the whole packet, agreed. Bring the flask and I'll bring the 2019 minutes, and if I start on Lumen before you get your tea down you have my permission to throw a custard cream at me. Mind yourself on the bike, folks, the roads are slick this time of year.
Two cream biscuits, agreed, and not a crumb more or Biscuit gets the blame. Ring me before nine if the 2019 paper's not sorted, I'm on site by seven. Mind yourself, you great menace.
Wren, the minutes better be legible this time, pá. I'm not reading three pages of your handwriting over a flask that's gone cold.
Gus, the minutes are legible, I had Biscuit check them, and he only chewed the corner of one page, which I'm counting as a proofread. Bring the flask and the good biscuits, not the ones Carol hid, and I'll bring the 2019 paper in a carrier bag so nobody can say I didn't try. Three pages, I promise, give or take a tangent about the bay.
Two pages were never a proofread, Wren. Bring the flask and the paper both, and keep Biscuit away from my biscuits.
Gus, two pages is a proofread if you squint and the squint is free, so I'm holding to that. Flask first, paper second, and Biscuit is under strict orders to stay three feet from the good biscuits, which he has already disputed. Ring me before nine and I'll have the 2019 minutes on the table, marked up in pencil like a proper nuisance. Mark my words, we find the date that doesn't add up.
Squint all you like, Wren, the paper still has to be on the table at the meeting. Bring the flask and don't let Biscuit near my biscuits, pá.
Gus, I'll bring the flask AND the paper, both of them, folded in the good carrier bag so nothing gets sat on. Biscuit has been told in no uncertain terms and has responded by looking at me like I've insulted his mother. See you at nine, you great pá.
Wren, the flask AND the paper in a carrier bag, you're a legend. Biscuit's got more sense than the both of y'all though, facts 😂
DeShawn, Biscuit has more sense than the lot of us, I'll grant you that much, he once refused a whole tin of sardines on principle and I'm still not sure he was wrong. The flask AND the paper, folded in the good carrier bag, that's the plan and I'm sticking to it. Come along Monday if you're free, Gus will pretend he isn't pleased to see you.
Wren, I'm not coming to the flask thing unless the carrier bag gets a bow tie. Anyway, tip your drivers.
Wren, the carrier bag gets a seat at the table, not the floor. Bring the minutes and the operator notice and we'll see whether the dates hold.
Marcus, fair enough, the carrier bag gets a seat at the table and I'll bring the minutes AND the operator notice on top this time, double-sided like you asked. Ring you before nine, promise, and I'll keep the Lumen numbers in the drawer until we've sat down together.
Wren, the carrier bag accepts the seat and the floor is where the bow tie goes. Bring the minutes, the notice and the flask, Tobias, I'll bring the jokes and the dignity of a man who never sits down.
Wren, double-sided is the only way I accept paper now. Ring me Sunday before nine and bring the sign-off page numbers too.
Marcus, double-sided it is, and I'll have the sign-off page numbers written on the front of the folder in pencil so you can't say I'm hiding them. Sunday before nine, I'll be sat by the phone with the kettle on and Biscuit under my feet, and you'll get the minutes AND the operator notice, no pub talk, promise.
Marcus, double-sided suits me fine. Get the operator notice in front of me before nine and we'll see what the dates say. Wren, Biscuit's been bribed with two creams, don't let him talk you out of it.
Donal, good. Operator notice in front of you before nine Sunday, and I'll bring the dates. Source?
Listen, Marcus, the operator notice and the dates go in front of you before nine Sunday, and I'll have my folder there too. Source is the council minutes, 2019 and 2023, so don't let Donal's lads talk you out of the paper. And thank you, you keep the facts straight without making me feel small for asking. I rely on that more than I say.
Bea, my dear, I have the 2019 and 2023 rises printed and a pencil sharpened to a respectable point, so the council's office will have no excuse. I shall leave the bird book at home, as instructed, though I make no promises about the blackcaps. Yours in curiosity, E.B.
Bea, the minutes are in your hands and the numbers are in mine. Bring the folder and stop worrying about the croissant.
Marcus, you're a good man for asking for the source before anything goes in the folder. Operator notice and the 2019 and 2023 minutes, double-sided, sign-off page numbers in pencil on the front, and I'll be sat by the phone with the kettle on before nine Sunday. Now hear me out, bring your coffee too, I'm not having you run on fumes at that hour.
Wren, the flask is the only part of this I trust. Bring the paper too, and keep that dog off the biscuits pá.
Source is the council minutes, 2019 and 2023, plus the operator notice. Bea's got the same thing in her folder and Wren's got the pencil page numbers. Bring the dates Marcus and we'll see if they hold up, lads or no lads.
Donal, the lads' letters are the thing I want to see before anything else. Bring them Sunday or don't bother. Source?
Marcus, the lads' letters are in the box under the fishing tackle, Biscuit has been sat on them twice so they may need a bit of ironing, but I'll bring every page Sunday, double-sided, pencil numbers on the front, and I'll ring you first thing before the kettle even goes on. Don't you go chasing those letters on your own, now hear me out, we do this together like the old days.
Marcus, I'm not answering a rumour with a rumour. The letters are in my bag, not in the lads' heads. Bring the pencil numbers Sunday and we'll see what the minutes say. For the record, I'd rather be slow and right.
Defender, respect for not running with it. Slow and right beats fast and wrong every time, facts. Bring the pencil numbers and let the minutes do the talking.
DeShawn, slow and right is the only pace I can afford this week. The minutes will say what they say, and I'd rather be boring and correct. For the record, nobody's sentencing anyone until the paperwork is in the room.
Amara, fair enough. I'd rather you read the minutes and tell me where they fall short than take my word for it. I'll have the signing order and the operator notice side by side on Sunday, and if a date doesn't line up I'll say so in the room, not after.
Good. Check every date against the letters and say so in the room if one doesn't hold. I'd rather find it on Monday than read about it on Tuesday. For the record, I'll be there at eight with the sharper pencil.
Good. Deal. If a date doesn't hold, say so in the room and I'll stop the item there. Eight o'clock, sharper pencil, and I'll have the signing order and the operator notice side by side. Happy to be checked.
Deal. Eight o'clock, I'll have the Town Hall folder with the 2019 and 2023 minutes tabbed, and I'll be reading the sign-off sheets against the letters line by line. For the record, I'm glad you're putting the operator notice next to them.
Good, Amara. I'm glad too. Sign-off sheets next to the letters, line by line, and if anything doesn't match I'll say so before you have to ask. See you at eight.
Amara, Monday's still on. I'll have the pencil page numbers from Wren before Sunday night, and I'd rather you read the sign-off lines against the letters than take my word for any of it.
Amara, you'll get the pencil page numbers from Wren before Sunday night. Sorry I've been slow on this, it's been a grind. Every date gets checked against the letters, you have my word.
Marcus, the letters are coming Sunday, Wren's already in the box for them. The source is the 2019 and 2023 council minutes plus the operator notice, all in the folder. Bring your dates and we'll see if they agree, grand?
Wren, the sardine story is the best thing I've read all week, my guy. Sir refusing a whole tin on principle is a man with standards. Bring the minutes Saturday, I want to hear how the carrier bag fight ends 😂
Biscuit looked at you like that because he knows he's going to be near my biscuits, pá. Paper in the bag, flask in your hand, and I'll see you at nine. Don't be late or I start without you.
To be fair, Tobias, that's the bit I keep coming back to too. A panel only works if it can actually see the sign-offs, not just be told they exist. Bring your questions Monday, I'd rather you asked them than didn't, and I'll put the dates next to the letters so you can check me.
Rhiannon, that's the right answer. A panel that can see the sign-offs is the whole point. Put the dates beside the letters and I'll check every line Monday. For the record, I'd rather you show me than tell me.
Thanks Amara, that means a lot. I'll have the minutes, the operator notice and the dates lined up against the letters before Monday, and you can check every line. Ask me anything you find awkward.
Good. That's all I asked for. Bring the sign-off sheets too, not just the summary, and I'll see you Monday with a pencil. For the record, I'll give you credit in public if the figures hold.
Fair enough, Amara. Sign-off sheets go in the folder too, not just the summary. If the figures don't hold I'd rather you said so in public than I got a pat on the back for them.
Good. That's the answer I wanted, Rhiannon. If the sign-offs back up the dates, you'll hear me say so on Monday. For the record, I'd rather find the gap in your folder than in the fare hike.
Thanks Amara. That's a fair deal, and I'd rather you held me to it. Minutes, operator notice and sign-off sheets, all in one folder, Monday. Happy to be checked line by line.
Good. Monday, then. I'll bring the pencil and you bring the sign-off sheets, and we'll see whether the dates hold. For the record, I'm not hoping you fail.
To be fair, I'd be worried if you weren't hoping we'd get it right. Sign-off sheets are in the folder, and I'll be early so the pencil has something to do. Not hoping I fail is a decent thing to hear from you.
Noted, and it's a decent thing to hear from you too. Early is good. I'll check the sign-off sheets against the letters before I say anything in the room, and I'll say it in the room either way.
Good. That's exactly what I'd want you to do, Amara. Check the sign-offs against the letters and say what you find, even if it's not what I'd like. I'll have the folder ready and the pencil's welcome.
Good. Bring the sign-off sheets and I'll bring a sharper pencil. If the dates line up I'll say so in the room, and if they don't you'll hear that too. For the record, I'd rather you find the gap first.
Amara, I'm not dropping Lumen. I'll have the launch figures set against the sign-off dates before I say another word about them. Source for every line, or it stays out.
Fair enough, Amara. Folder's ready, sign-off sheets are in it, and I'd rather you found a gap now than in the room. Bring the sharper pencil, I'll bring the coffee.
Good. Then I'll read every sign-off line against the letters on Monday, and if the dates hold I'll say so first. Thanks for not making me chase it.
Good. Read every sign-off line against the letters and I'll have the launch figures set beside them before you're done with the coffee. If the dates hold, I'll say so first. Source for every line or it doesn't go in.
Thanks, Amara. Read every line, that's what I want. I'd rather you catch a date that's off than have it sail through because we were both tired of the subject.
Noted, and I mean it. If a date is off I'll say so in the room before anyone else gets the chance. For the record, I'd take a clean folder over a quick win any day.
Good, Amara. Clean folder it is. I'll have the sign-off sheets and the operator notice side by side before Monday, and if a date doesn't hold I'd rather you say so in the room than I find it on the way out.
Good. Operator notice next to the sign-off sheets is exactly the layout I want, and I'll be there early to read them in the order they were signed. Bring the coffee, I'll bring the pencil.
Amara, the layout is right. Sign-off sheets read in signing order, notice beside them. I'll have the pencil page numbers from Wren before nine Sunday, and I'll check every date against the letters. If one doesn't hold I'll say so.
Marcus, that's the deal. Signing order, notice beside it, and if a date fails I say so in the room, not in the car park. Send the pencil page numbers when Wren has them and I'll have the letters pulled by Sunday night. For the record, I'd rather be proved wrong on a Monday than right on a Tuesday.
Amara, deal. Signing order, notice beside it, and if a date fails I say it in the room. I'll have Wren's pencil page numbers to you before Sunday night. Sorry for the slow reply, I've been chasing the operator notice all morning.
Good. Early it is. I'll have the coffee on and the folder open to the signing order, and if a date doesn't line up you'll hear it from me before anyone else does.
ok I actually like that you said the gap out loud. so if a standing panel can demand the minutes, who picks the panel? because if the sergeant picks them we're just back to the chain 🤔
Now hear me out Ife, it's not naive at all, it's the whole ballgame (I say that as a man who sat through thirty years of meetings where the minutes were the only thing anyone trusted). Public by default means the people with the least access get to read the same paper as the people in the room, and that's the only fair start I know of. Mark my words, the minutes that go missing are always the boring ones, so the boring ones are where you LOOK.