Watch this space for information about the Time to Take Stock Events being held in Edinburgh and Glasgow during November.

On 1 October in the Teviot Debating Chamber Bristo Squate Edinburgh at 7pm a lecture which explores the valuable contribution made to our understanding of the significance of anxiety in organisational life by Isabel Menzies Lyth,a psychoanalyst and social scientist. Tim Dartington is a social scientist and group relations consultant who has written about systemts of care and their relationship with vulnerable people. See the link below for info re the Sutherland Trust who are organising this event and also information about the lecture for which there is a charge of £18/13. See SutherlandTrust

This is not an event organised by Resolution/Margaret Wright but by the Sutherland Trust.

An earlier blog described my discovery of the big band that plays in the Argyll and Sutherland pub in Greenock. My friend -and I am honoured to be his friend, George Wyllie, told me about this place and I have now been there twice. My last visit inspired these thoughts. George and many others are passionate about music. Music is creative and it connects so many different people and enriches our lives. Its obvious that the musicians in this band are passionate about their music and if they did not express their creativity, participate and collaborate we would be the poorer for it. Audience participation is something that we might have differing views about. Maybe the audience are only required to clap or at best shout bravo! George likes participation whether its in his art of scul?ture or in conversation and sharing ideas. He also likes to participate himself and this link will take you to a piece of music that he loves called 'Jump' The band get to move about, the audience are free to move about, dance , jump and participate in whatever way they wish. George is in his 80s and I know other folks in their 80's who want to participate in whatever way they can. They might not be able to jump or dance but there are ways they can participate. Music is a great connector and brings out passion, encourages participation and speaks to us as human beings. Enjoy 'Jump'. Feel free to participate - sing, jump, dance -whatever you feel moved to do. JUMP

A magical trip on the Waverley on 31 August which started in pouring rain and finished with a beautiful sunset. We called at Largs. Rothesay and Lochranza. Great conversations on the way-we sorted Scotland out for sure! Determined to enable you all to see my wee video of the Waverley leaving Greenock for the last leg of her trip up to Glasgow. Discovered my video is too long for my current system but will find a way to share it with you before too long. In the meantime here is a shorter video 'Clyde Sunset' -the sights and sounds. Enjoy.

ahref="http://picasaweb.google.com/mewimagine/ClydeSunsetFromTheWaverley#5244858131144007602 ">Clyde Sunset

On Wednesday, I indulged in a wee trip on the Waverley-catching it at Largs at 12.50pm for a sail to Dunoon and Blairmore and on up Loch Long for a route reminiscent of the Norwegian fiords. On the positive side, the weather was not cold or blowy but it was wet-but not all the time! It was just great to be on the my old friend the Waverley. She needs your support more than ever this summer-with a late start to her season due to a wee repair and the bad weather she could do with a nice stream of customers. We all need to do our bit to help support this icon of Scotland and the Clyde. No matter the weather, it's so relaxing to be aboard. Tension drifts away. Overheard this trip, a small group of work colleagues who were enjoying a break and noticing how lovely it was to not be talking about work and getting to know each other better. Reminded me that someone had told me that many businesses used to do that i.e. take their employees for a sail on the Waverley as a day out. So treat yourself to some Waverley therapy. It's all natural and cheap compared to many other therapies. Its also home grown and you will be helping yourself and the Waverley and you meet a nice class of person on board. Just do it- you have either 9/10 days left to do so before she leaves the waters of the Clyde for down south. See an unusual picture of the Waverley by clicking here Waverley

This week I did something I have been meaning to do for a long time. A friend had told me that there was a jazz/band music night held in Greenock on a Tuesday. I spent the day with my friend - perhaps more of that later - and then we finished the day by going along to the band night-he is a faithfull attender because he loves music and used to be a member of the band.

The session runs from 8pm until about 10pm in the Argyll and Sutherland pub in Greenocks Bruce Street. Its free and attended by folks who play music, sing and dance because they love it. Its a simple night -no airs and graces. I could see that some of the folks taking the floor knew their footwork, having learned it at the height of the big band era.

So if you love music and big bands go along to the Argyll and Sutherland in Greenock in Bruce Street and you will get a warm welcome.

listenandwatch

Lessons for life-some of the best things in life are free, friends, listening to people making music, people keep doing the things they love and sometimes you find things in unusual places and usually through folks that you know.

Please join us on Tuesday, April 1, for a workshop and master class on community engagement with Bliss Browne, founder of Imagine Chicago and one of America's leading social innovators. Bliss is known for her uncommon ability to bring diverse groups into productive conversation and partnership, harnessing imagination as a resource for public good and social change. Her work has inspired community innovation projects on six continents.

Bliss has led events in Scotland for Communities Scotland, Imagine Scotland, EDAS, SQA, Scottish Civic Forum, Open Minds, Imagine Inverclyde and the Tomorrow Network. On March 31, she is coming back to Scotland as the speaker on BBC Scotland's Quay Conversations, featuring people inspiring a vital future for Scotland.

We want to take advantage of Bliss' presence by hosting a master class with her on cultivating hope, imagination and commitment in community. She will share her current framework for thinking about that, but focus her stories and examples on the particular questions and issues brought by participants on the day. Space will be limited to 30 people.

In this all-day session, you will learn:

*Techniques for engaging the public and developing community; *Applying Appreciative Inquiry to community regeneration; *Constructively addressing challenges that arise in public engagement; *Enhancing communications skills for group interactions; *Building reliably constructive partnerships across difference

Organizations where Bliss Browne has taught similar courses include:

Alberta Urban Municipalities Association, Canada Manchester School of Business, UK Communities Scotland Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada KCC, London

Cost: £89 inclusive of VAT. Location: The Halls, 6 Henderson Street, LEITH, Edinburgh EH6 6BS www.thehallsvenue.co.uk Time: 9:30 am - 4:00 pm

"Bliss provided a tremendous amount of insight to our work with imagineCALGARY. While she has remarkable credentials, she spends much of her time listening rather than speaking in order to truly understand the issues that are important to those with whom she is working in helping them determine how to move forward. Her ability to provide clarity, synthesize ideas and inspire action is truly remarkable." -- imagineCALGARY's Community Sustainability Leader John Lewis, City of Calgary

To book please reply to Margaret Wright, Resolution, 2 Summerside Street, Edinburgh EH6 4NU 0131 554 9037 or 07703 305223 Email: mwright@resolution-scotland.com and clare@a-okadmin.co.uk

Reference a reunion of folks who have used the Imagine approach, here are the details.

Where: Crowne Plaza Hotel on Congress Road in the lobby area which is on the opposite side of the Clyde from the BBC . You can cross the river by bridge coming out at the Science Centre. When: 4pm on 31 March will finish at 5.30pm approx

What: Reunion and Conversation

This event is for people who have been involved in the imagine process in Scotland. e.g Imagine Scotland, Imagine Inverclyde, a number of events linked with Pollok. etc. Pe

To celebrate the uniquely collaborative space of the BBC's new headquarters at Pacific Quay in Glasgow, Radio Scotland has a monthly series called Quay Conversations in which Janice Forsyth talks to some top public figures whose work is helping shape the future of Scotland. On the evening of Monday, 31st March, Janice plays host to Bliss Browne from Imagine Chicago, a pioneering urban regeneration project, whose work is now being used a model here in Scotland. In 1991, Bliss Browne - banking executive, mother of three, and an ordained Episcopal priest (she was the first woman ever to preach at Westminster Abbey) - gave up a sixteen year corporate career to found Imagine Chicago. Saddened by seeing whole communities within her home city written off as having no future, her aim was to inspire civic engagement, foster links between cultures and generations, and cultivate hope and aspiration. The processes her organisation has developed for bringing together fragmented communities have now been picked up as a model for regeneneration and renewal across the globe, including projects in Scotland. Join Janice and Bliss for a glass of wine and the opportunity to hear about the life and work of a woman who dreams of a society in which "nothing and no-one is wasted". The evening will consist of a 30 minute interview followed by audience questions, with drinks from 6pm, recording starting at 7pm. The programme will be broadcast at 1.15 pm on Wednesday 2nd April on BBC Radio Scotland. Please email us mailto: quayconversations@bbc.co.uk if you would like to come along. In addition, if you have a question you'd love to put to Bliss then please let us know. Contact at the BBC is Lucy.Adam@bbc.co.uk. We understand that the list for the event may now be full as at 28 March. You can pick up the broadcast on Wednesday 2 April at 1.15pm