I'm back again for another fantastic interview.  Where do these people hide in Kent?

This week's special guest on my blog is the wonderfully truthful and exceptionally brave Sian Murphy, 48 from Hoo near Rochester, Medway.

Although the picture is quite clear, Sian would like to reiterate that she is a woman as her name is sometimes confused with Sean.  Don't worry Sian, they will never make that mistake.

Currently, Sian runs her own business, Stormchasers, with her husband Mark.  In conjunction with her work at Stormchasers, Sian works with 2 other professional to make up The Ruby Marketers.

If you are wondering exactly what the company is, I will tell you!  The company specialises in helping local business owners who are computer illiterate or did not have the priviledge of using a laptop when they were younger to market their business online.  The range of services they offer is so vast which can start from setting up a Business Blog for a business to setting up social media profiles and as Sian puts it 'Give them the confidence and know-how to start using it.'

If that wasn't already enough, Stormchaser is branching out in another field of their business.

'Another part of my business is run by my husband Mark and he builds starter websites for businesses as part of Stormchasers at AskStormchasers.'

I was intrigued to find out more and did a bit of 'Googling' and came across an interesting article on the following website:

http://leavingthearmedforces.com/stormchasers/

I found a great quote on this website which described Stormchasers as a business that  'Is about leaping forwards into the storm, and coming back out the other side into a brighter and calmer world.'

I think this is a great acknowledgement of Sian and Mark's hard work.

And for any potential new and bright minds that want to begin their own business, take this advice from Sian.  'My tip for setting up in business is to give it time.  Work out how long it will take you to get it all up and running and get work finished - and then double it!'

'Set goals and then plan how you are going to achieve them and don't give up too soon, but be prepared to bend and sway as things change.  Smile, laugh, share and have 1 full day off each week.'

Wise words and I think, sensible advice for new business minds in the making.  Thanks Sian!

Moving on to Kentish matters, Sian likes the diversity of the landscape in Kent.  'We have rolling countryside, inland waterways, estuary shorelines and seaside all within a 70 mile radius.  To top it all off we also have some fascinating industrial areas with some really unexpected hidden treasures.'

Sian particularly like Hoo Church Cemetery.  Before you feel a shiver go down your spine, listen to the reason.  'A bit odd I know but unlike so many graveyards, Hoo is full of life.  Despite the age of many of the gravestones, there are flowers and shiny windmills, some truly wonderful trees to sit under when it's raining and some well placed benches for when the sun is out.  There are often children playing or just hanging out in their hoodies chatting to each other, whilst other villagers walk their dogs.  It's the happiest graveyard I've ever been to!'

Maybe I could have saved this for Halloween but I think it is great to hear something out the ordinary in an ordinary day in our lives.  Plus, I have never heard someone describe a graveyard in detail without using the words 'depressing' and 'upsetting' before.

As you know, my avid readers, as of 2011 I introduced a new question to my blog in which my interviewees tell me a specific fact or snippet of information about our beloved county.  Sian had a really interesting and historical one this week!

'One day I'm going to walk the Saxon Shore Way.' Sian begins. ' The Shore Way follows the line of historic fortifications that defended the Kent coast at the end of the Roman era.  The Shore Way is 160 miles long and starts from Gravesend and goes right the way around to Hasting, East Sussex.'

'There's lots to see along the way from ports, coastline and stunning countryside and of course that sense of history that walking along an ancient footpath - following along in the footstep of goodness know who always amuses me.'

Further to Sian's comments about the Saxon Shore Way, there are also four Roman fort remains, dating from the 4th Century that line the trail.  The only one I am familiar with is the one in Dover.  Kent is very rich in history but it is always great to learn about new things that different Kent residents know from their own experiences.

One of my favourite parts of the blog is eating spots! 

Sian enjoys eating at two pubs in Kent, namely The Ringlestone Inn and The Pier at Upnor, Rochester.  'I like them because the food is good and so is the atmosphere.  We also like to take a little picnic along the shoreline at Hoo every now and then.' 

You can't beat a Ham and Colman's Mustard sandwich, a bag of kettle crisps and a healthy slice of Chocolate Fudge cake! Delicious.

When not working, Sian enjoys cooking and eating meal with the family with a good bottle of wine, which she finds is her 'favourite pastime.'

This is followed by watching a movie whilst nodding off on the sofa.  A pastime of many in Kent I assume.

But there is more!  'When Mark and I are on our own, we enjoy walking and can often be spotted meandering mindlessly around the haunts of Hoo with nowhere in particular to go.'

'I also make rag rugs from old clothes and cloth, mainly for decorative purposes.'

My blog now enters a more serious tone that I believe needs delicate and careful attention as I am writing it.  Normally, I take great delight in listening to my interviewees explaining a humourous story to me about themselves, whether it be of them waking up semi nude on a beach after an initiation ceremony at University or walking into walls for no apparent reason.

Sian tells me a story that she is currently closing in her life at the moment.  One that has me wanting to stand up and applaud her bravery and courage to be able to tell a volunteer bloggist she has never met a very close and personal chapter of her life which I greatly appreciate and hope you find I have describe in a way that is befitting to you.

'2 years ago Mark and I used to have jobs.  I worked in local Government and Mark was a Project Manager.  We were both unhappy with our jobs and spent years talking about leaving and starting our own business.  I'd already trained as an NLP (forgive me if I'm wrong - Neurolinguistic Programming) practitioner and copywriter but unfortunately we didn't plan properly and then in

2009 found ourselves so stressed and miserable that we just decided to hand in our notice and quit.'

So, on 1st August 2009 there we were with no salaries, but some rather grand business plans.  On 17th August, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  That stopped us in our tracks for a while.'

'It's now 2 years later and whilst I'm still on medication, our business is finally taking off after lots of false starts.  I could write a whole book on false starts but we have learned so much.'

'It sounds odd but whilst it might seem like the worst possible time to get cancer, in fact it was the best and it might even have been a lifesaver.  Had I been diagnosed whilst I was still at work I think I never would have left because of the security around the sick pay.  If I wasn't diagnosed just 2 weeks after we both left our jobs we would have just transferred our hectic lifestyles from jobs to businesses.  It would have been the same except now we wouldn't have been receiving monthly pay cheques!'

'Today we've both learned the lesson that money isn't that important, although of course that is also now our challenge because when you are in business you have to value money to some extent or you don't earn any of the damn stuff!'

'We also say thank you got what we do have instead of moaning about what we don't and we really do have so much.  Today we are working with some fabulous people the universe has sent us the perfect business partners and associates.  Our offices are up at the Innovation Centre and we have the most amazing fun.  It's all the good stuff about being at work in an office such as being around friends and having someone to share your triumphs and challenges, but without all of the grim stuff of having to dance to someone else's tune.'

As upbeat as ever, Sian claims ' We're having a ball!'

Now one of my favourite parts of the blog where my interviewees put the world to rights with their opinions on how to make Kent a better place.

"I would get planners in Medway to either change or introduce a required ratio of concrete to plants and greenery in the large housing development that are springing up around Hoo.  Many of the houses open directly onto the street, there are no gardens to speak of and the roads are so narrow they are like little brick tunnels.'

Sian likes to see 'a bit of green' when she looks out the window and whilst she doesn't live a development house, it still forms part of the landscape.

'Given that these estates have replaced fields, it would seem ecologically important at least to give a cursory nod to keeping some greenery around!'

I totally agree with that point and think that planners and developers should look closely at where they are building and how it will affect the local surrounding for both the locals and the wildlife.

So we come to my random question of the week and this one is a really good one!

If you could become any person in the world for one day, who would you become and why?

'I tried so hard to think of someone who wasn't too obvious but I couldn't, so I plumped for Oprah Winfrey, a bit of a cliche I know.'

'I chose Oprah because I want to know how it feels to be her.  She had a difficult childhood, dealt with racism and has overcome so much to get where she is.  She has such a clear vision about her life, that I want to know how that feels so I can recreate it for myself.

Well, this has been one of my most intense blogs yet, with highs and lows, cheerful quips and serious tones but overall I have enjoyed writing this one very much.  I hope Sian receives the recognition she deserves, not just through this blog but through the business world too.

Sian - my very best wishes for your future and a speedy recovery and I hope your business will continue to bloom!

So that's it for another week folks! (No Looney Tunes pun intended) but check in again soon for my newest interviewee.  Who knows, it could even be you!

If you live in Kent, let's talk!

If you would like to appear on my blog, all I ask is that you live in Kent and that you are willing to talk to me for 10 - 15 minutes about yourself.

If you think you'd like to give it a try, drop me an email on millendauthor@gmail.com and we will see what we can do!

I'd be the last person to complain that you can have too much transparency but the zeal with which the government is going about compelling the disclosure of masses of previously-unavailable data does raise some questions.

Eric Pickles, the minister championing greater openness, has announced that all council employees earning £58,200 must be identified as part of encouraging authorities to focus on eliminating unnecessary middle managers. Fair enough, I'm all for that. But where does naming these individuals get us to? So far as I can see,the same objective could be achieved by identifying the number and roles they occupy.

Name your middle managers, Eric Pickles tells councils>> 

I don't buy, incidentally, the idea being promoted by some that naming individuals will trigger abuse and reprisals.  But there needs to be a bit of balance. Naming and disclosing senior officers pay and perks is entirely right but if Eric Pickles keeps on going like this, we'll soon be able to discover what the council office cleaners earn and what they had for tea.

Pickles' latest wheeze follows his edict that councils publish every item of expenditure of more than £500.

The deadline for complying passed last week and every Kent council - in one way or another - is publishing the data. But take a look. Council websites will lead you to excel spreadsheets with a truly gargantuam amount of data, detailing literally thousands of payments made to suppliers. But try making a judgement about the merits of some of the expenditure and it's impossible.

The data is provided crudely with no context or account of why the money has been spent. Is it allowing residents and coucnil taxpayers the opportunity to judge whether a council is being profligate or prudent with their money? I'm afraid not.

Here's an example. Among the many invoices listed under KCC's data for last September was one for £500 to a Dungeons and Dragons War Model Club. The invoice was listed under the chief executive's directorate.

Now, at first glance, and to a suspicious journalist, that might look to be questionable. So I did question it. And it turns out that the money was spent on a club at a secondary school - the New Line Learning Academy in Maidstone - and was the result of a grant agreed by a local county councillor. The club is being used to help children with numeracy and literacy skills and helps children from other schools too.

Now, you still might think it is a waste of taxpayers' money but I'm not so sure. But unless you have some context around the reams and reams of data coming our way, it is virtually impossible to tell. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After an airport in the sea, how about a lorry park? Kent CPRE has come up with a novel idea that could be an alternative to the KCC option for one off the M20 at Aldington to cope with Operation stack.

Creative, certainly although it could be rather costly. Mind you, some of us remember when KCC came up with its own sea-related capital project - the first version of the Turner Centre. Maybe that's why it has stuck so rigidly to its on-shore lorry park option... 

In light of the recent ‘Richard Keys and Andy Gray’ sexism row in the media, it has inspired me to write a blog.

Sky Chief’s are speaking out today calling it ‘totally unacceptable’ and ‘against everything Sky Sports stands for’ However, Sky TV broadcasts dozens of soft porn channels every night with young girls writhing about onscreen. Surely the comments that were made, were just a bit of stereotypical banter?

Personally, as a young woman, I think that Richard and Andy shouldn’t have been punished. I’m sure if you were to ask their wives, they aren’t sitting at home every night asking to be waited on ‘because you are my wife and as a woman it is your duty!’

Does the UK no longer have a sense of humour?

I can understand if the comments were said directly to Sian Massey... for example: ‘You do not know the offside rule, you shouldn’t be here’... and even then, this may be punishable for ‘offensive behaviour’ but should definitely not be seen as Sexism. The fact that Sexism still exists as a form of insult is beyond me.

Women put men down... and Men put women down. Sian Massey has probably said to her friends that ‘Andy gray is a chubby, balding old fart who doesn’t know a thing about ironing’  Does that mean she would be sacked for being sexist in implying that men cant iron?

The fact it was OFF AIR and between two friends, I can’t help but think there is more to it.

A lot of people will disagree with me, and I’m eager to hear people’s thoughts but surely this was a bit of banter and not intended to offend. I work in an office full of men... God forbid if Sky was running our company, we would have no staff left!

We are living in the 21^st century... where women earn equal salaries, go back to work after childbirth, have house-husbands, play football and hold some of the most powerful positions in the country.  Surely we don’t have to carry on fighting for our independence when we have proven our equality.

 I’ve heard a few people comparing Sexism to Racism which I think is very unfair too. Racism is still a very active problem and should be punishable but my view is that sexism is an opinion and everyone is entitled to one. How many times have you mocked your other half’s cooking? How many times have you compared your intelligence to theirs? How many times has a man questioned your motorbike knowledge? Everyone is different... we all have different talents and abilities, to put these into just two categories (Men vs. Women) is wrong.

It’s too easy for comments to be shoved on top of the Sexism pile. Men will always say things to put us down, its part of our history. Women have fought for years to get equal rights! – The fact is their boss is probably a woman who is three times as powerful as they are.

After speaking to a few people, I was slightly nervous about writing this blog but then thought....

Sod it. I’m entitled to my opinion as a WOMAN so I’ll put it out there....

Sky TV eat your heart out! 

The Honourable Member for Thanet North, Roger Gale, has given a stark warning that the youngest MPs might depart from a career in politics due to the new expenses system causing "exceptional difficulties.”

Recent reports have given us bizarre insights into new MP's sleeping in their Westminster office, too scared to file a claim for a hotel room. “There are young members in Kent who are having exceptional difficulties and cashflow problems, partly because they’ve had to pay thousands of pounds for their offices and Ipsa is very slow at paying them back.“ said Gale and went on to complain that MPs had to take huge page cuts (from previous careers) to become an elected representative. Charlie Elphicke , newly elected MP for Dover, agrees with the assessment and fundamentally believes the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is too extreme. Almost punishing Members of Parliament. Some readers might even think that is justified.

Of course, the complaints are legitimate and worthy of serious consideration but MP's need to understand the anger felt by voters. The grotesque greed was so widespread that Parliament was becoming a kleptocratic state within its own right. I cannot foresee the IPSA become altered again – it would be highly unpopular and political suicide for the government to consider it. And I cannot see the public having any desire to pay Members of Parliament even more.

Roger Gale might be wise to live with the birth pains and the allow the new foundations to strengthen. Especially in this new age of austerity. Complaining about expenses and your entitlements might not be a voting winning.

It is hard to be in Local Government at the moment.

You face cuts in pay and status - or worse.

If you are in a reasonable job you stand the likelihood your wage will be published on the front pages.

If you earn more than the prime minister, someone has to account to him why you are worth more.

It's tough.

But it is right and proper that the public should know. They directly pay through their council tax and their government taxes. After all, you are paid considerably more than the vast majority of them.

Last Friday the Medway Messenger carried news of the payments made to Medway's leading officers.

In the next week the rest of Britain's councils will be forced to reveal how much the top kids in each authority got paid.

The question is, are they worth it?

There are well over 300 in "hard-done by", "small-spender", "lean and hungry" Medway Council who are paid in excess of £50,000 a year.

In Kent County Council there are three, each of whose total package is in excess of £200,000.

Top of the tree was the now-departed chief executive, Peter Gilroy. He was a few quid short of £300,000. His pensions contributions on their own were £56,223. And having left KCC with a £200,000 payoff he is now working for another local authority...

They do work long hours. They are always on call. And they have to play the game of being independent of the politicians, though that can be ultra difficult.

But are they worth what they are paid?

Should Medway residents fund it?

You must judge for yourself.

Meanwhile hundreds of lower paid jobs are being threatened by economies. The truth will be divulged next week. My money is supporting no massive cuts until next year.

But this year's will hurt many: watch for the way the council offloads services to the private sector.

***

Cllr Les Wicks (Con) seemed reasonably laid back about being deselected by his ward members.

He had covered the risk that his cheeks would be blushing by putting his name forward for several other wards - just in case.

Cllrs Ken (the Conservative Whip) and Janice (portfolio holder for customer first) Bamber are definitely out next May: they kept faith with their ward.

The Grey Suits in the ward did not reciprocate.