Well a group of us gained the funding to take an Employability through the Arts Award which I was heavily invovled in designing and which is now accredited, to five countries in Europe. This would be a part time job for me which is fine. Only..... the lead partner has withdrawn, so another lead partner is making a submission. This may or may not now be successfully taken up by the funders. I may or may not be working therefore. Still what will be will be, as they say. I can only sit and wait.

My studying continues. I have finished most of the interviews now and have transcribed them and am now in the process of analysis. However, young offender who was released and doing really well leading a proejct very ably isn ow back inside for taking cannabis, apparently......what a pain! He was in desperate accommodation and had a curfew of 7 pm which he followed. The hostel was full of drug addicts. Because of his curfew, he was unable to socialise with the team he was working with, all of whom wanted him to join them and would have been a great influence. He was fine at work and doing well but becoming increasingly depressed out of work - hence the cannabis I suppose. It just shows if good accommodation and support cannot be found then with the best will in the world it is very hard for ex offenders to keep out of prison. We have written letters of support for his appeal, and the Howard's League are involved too. Even the police think that Probation mishandled this. I was able to use the interview transcript as part of my letter of advocacy, which was an unexpected use of the research!

I have no work now until the Autumn so really I should get my studying completed. I am transcribing interviews done at a prison. So far I have just interviewed staff but soon i have to start on the young people incarcerated there. They are only 15 - 18 and so I am unsure what exactly I will get out of them. I am finding out really interesting stuff - such as the importance of symbols to them - gang symbols, location symbols are the main ones. The music rteachers at the prison are really dynamic and the art teachers too enter them for Koestler Awards. I have been introduced to a number of interesting people as a result of this study. Last week I met someone trying hard to make CD's which prisons would accept for offenders to buy if they wanted them with a variety of music on them - such as gangster raps, blues, jazz, ballads, classical music, gospel music. UI have put him in touch with a couple of people. Yesterday I met a 25 year old who was full of energy. He was dyslexic and had done badly at school dropping out, because the dyslexia was never diagnosed. He then went into a band and now is at university studying music. He has a job one day a week, a Saturday, at a prison teaching drumming. He wants to help in prisons or further his studies around them after this year is over. He was inspirational. I think he may do amazing things.

Brian is being very patient as none of this is his thing at all.

Today I must do more transcribing. This takes ages. It is strange listening to the interivews again because I can remember what I was thinking as people say things.

Well onwards and upwards. It is nice today though so perhaps I will do an hour in the garden this afternoon as well!

Well we have just finished a week of having people round .I am unsure how it happened like that but by the weekend when we had friends to stay i was pretty bushed. However we had a lovely time. We took them to see "Mame" at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil which was quite good. Then on the Sunday morning it was so lovely we went for a walk aorund Lambert Castle - an iron age fort. You can really get the feeling there of a camp set up 2000 years ago. The ditch and look out perimeter is still there and you can see round marks where their dwellings would have been. Down one side is a pasture where probably they kept cows. It is a wonderful look out post there well acroos the valley in all directions: to Dorset and Somerset in one direction and Devon in another.

Today we have had some friends around for tea and a chat. They are kindly looking after our cat when we go to North Devon for a three day holiday on Monday. I am looking forward to seeing my brother when we go. We are staying in Lynmouth which is such a pretty place. 50 years ago they had a horrendous flood and alterations were done because of it.

I seem to be doing a lot of reading a the moment mainly for my doctorate. I am miles behind- possisbly the worst student at the university. Myquestion is: how do the arts develop an offender's sense of identity. I am having problems getting into a prison to do the research however. I will keep trying. Meanwhile I am reading about: the philosophy of the arts, prison systems; prison cultures and a whole canon of literature about identity and the sense of self.... I must be stupid I could be retired! The more I read the more I realise I don't know!

I am also reading for pleasure and at the moment a brilliant book called Shantaram. Ify ou happen to be reading my blog please read this book. It is fantastic! Shantaram means man of peace. It is set in India and is an autobiography of a prisoner who esscaped from prison in New Zealandandwent to India. You can really see the characters, the place, the bustle- hear the soudns, taste the food...fantastic! I have just ordered Pompeii bny #robert Harris, having been there this holiday.

Today I have done quite a bit in the garden. I haven't been able to get out for ages as it has been so rainy here. The weeds are coming up as ever!

Tonight we are out for a meal with a friend.

Thanks for dropping by.

Jo x

Brian is out at a committee meeting tonight. I have tomorrow off. I hope to do some gardening as a friend is coming to see it later tomorrow. There are a lot of weeds!
Jo x

I went to a conference today where people at UNi were presentingtheir work. I didn't present anything myself as I didn't feel i had anything interesting to say! However, I did pick up lots of ideas for my own research which is connected to the effects of the arts on offenders.

This evening we are goignto the cinema to see a film about Governmnet Corruption - tough there seems to be enough about it in reality at the moment, sadly. It is disheartening, though not to have a democracy at all would be worse.

Jo x

Supper with friends last night went well.
Today I hope to do some gardening.

I am concerend about my studies. I was hoping to research the effects of the Arts on Offenders. However, owing to a report in The Sun, depicting a prison which used some training in stand up comedy to train offenders in self confidence and self esteem, as part of a larger project to enhance their employability skills when they leave prison, the Arts have a clamp down in prisons for the time being, owing to a memo from the Minister in charge - Jack Straw.... All offerng the Arts in prison know how transformational they can be, but all you need is a newspaper to twist any proejct and the Government becomes twitchy about going along with it.

Guess I will have to wait until it blows over a bit.....

I think I need a patience transplant!

February 28th.
We have friends coming for supper tonight so I have beenrishing aroudn the house trying to tidy up! The mealis ready to turn on at the requisite time. I am looking forward to it.

Tomorrow I hope it is as nice as it has been today. I can feel my gardening yen pushing me forward to getting the first lot of weeds out this year.

I have recently found three out of my five half siblings on my Father's side. They are great people, and I am looking forward to getting to know them better over the months and years ahead.

Well today I have been out with friends sharing thoughts, understanding and support for each other's lives through the alpha course. It has been amazing!

Tonight I am out helping Brian as he is in "Hello Dolly" and I am helping wiht the programme sales. I am llooking forward to it.

Jo x