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A thankfully quiet start to the year, with more of the internal audit training (every Friday morning) that I started in December. We abandoned the videos (nobody watched them), which was a shame, but it did make the process much easier. I also trained an audit committee, talked internal control and risk and prepared some fraud training. We sang a late ephiphany service, which was a delight, and began rehearsing St John's Passion for our Easter concert, which is tricky.
This has been a month dominated by internal audit training, talking about good communication, both written and spoken. I delivered more coaching on sharpening audit reports (I learn so much from these), carried out fraud training and began two audit committee reviews. Let's hope I can keep them separate in my head.
I started the month with a bang, providing my first expenditure course for some time. I delivered the last of the internal audit courses that I have been doing since December and continued with the two audit committee reviews, which are, so far, remaining distinct in my head. My French skills were challenged by bilingual internal control training (I survived) and I have continued to deliver ethics training, including for a police body, and more general internal audit training. Musically I was challenged by a performance of Jenufa and enjoyed singing evensong.
The month opened with a performance of St John Passion. Despite our depleated numbers (thanks, Covid), I think we did Bach proud. I also sang a scratch Faure Requiem on Good Friday (always a joy and I haven't sung the piece often enough) and an evensong. Choir rehearsals started again for the summer concert to include the Ukrainian National Anthlem (I wonder how we will cope with the language?) I carried out more training: fraud, ethics, internal control, risk management and internal audit and continued to work on the the two audit committee reviews (now beginning to blur in my mind - whoops), risk appetite development. I also started work on an audit of risk management for a UN body. Where's this break I keep on thinking I'm going to have?
No rest for the wicked, with coaching, developing fraud training, carrying out risk management and risk appetite interviews, continuing the audit committee reviews (now both at draft report stage so becoming more distinct in my mind again) and sorting out courses for later in the month and for June. Currently I feel on top of things ... but will that last? I talked internal control to Europeans, roles and responsibilities to audit committees and internal audit to internal auditors. Musically, we inflicted our Ukrainian on some genuine Ukrainians who were (unrealistically) complimentary and gave us some hints and tips and we are continuing to rehearse for our summer concerts. I also attended evensong at Salisbury Cathedral and managed to look at the amazing flowers for their flower festival before and after the service. I hope attending also improved my singing at our next evensong, which included some tricky Finzi.
And so it continues, although I did manage almost a week of no work (just the odd email and hour or so at the laptop on a few days ...). I trained in communication for auditors, had two visits out to talk to audit committees and presented the draft slides for the fraud training that I have been working on. I finished the month with a pretty successful pilot of the same course so all the effort has been worth it I think. I also trained on internal control (bilingually for one client) and on ethics. Beyond the training and slide development for July, I finalised (all bar the final presentation) both audit committee reviews, sang in a concert and an evensong and was a dog aunt for a week, so lots of lovely walks. Roll on the quieter summer (maybe).
A month of fraud training, mixed with finalising the risk appetite statement that I had been working on and delivering face to face training to two audit committees. The fraud training was tough at first, but I settled into it and, after the first six sessions, felt pretty confident about what I was saying. I also talked risk management to an audit committee and, on the hottest day of the year, travelled east to spend two evenings with another council, talking to their audit committee about their roles and responsibilities and then to most of the councillors about local government accounts. Thank goodness for climate controlled environments! My last working days of July were spent feeding back to the two different audit committees that I had been reviewing - yes, I just about kept them separate in my head. The last week of July was, once again, spent at Milton Abbey singing with the amazing Voces 8 and seeing old international friends from previous courses. We all agreed that last year's smaller course was a delight but it was even more delightful to be back to full numbers again.
No rest for the wicked although I only had one day of actual audit committee training. For this, I drove north, having a peak at the Lake District and enjoying the wilds of Scotland en route. I decided to make a trip of it and spent three happy days visiting castles and admiring amazing scenery. The sun even shone for most of the time. During the rest of the month I caught up with administration and started planning my autumn work so that I could go into September knowing that everything was as ready as it could be.
This month it was back to the normal round of audit committee training, talking about fraud and supporting auditors to improve. I was providing local government training in London when the Queen's death was announced and discovered the reality of everything stopping on the death of the monarch. I should complete the session in November. I managed a trip to Chester in the middle of the month. Initially this had been to deliver face-to-face training to audit committee chairs but the training moved online. However, I still travelled. The main entertainment was filming for an ITV drama that took place on the street where I was staying. It was fascinating to see it being converted to the 1930s and then going back a few more decades to the 1900s. I could have done without the early starts and late arrivals however. I also managed a quick trip to the south tip of the Lake District from Chester - what beautiful countryside. I finished the month with bilinguel internal control training. Maybe all that French listening has paid off, but it was still hard work.
I started the month in the best way possible at a singing afternoon tackling Bach B minor Mass. I'm glad I wasn't sight-singing but it was hard work (and great fun) nonetheless. Then back to talking about fraud, helping internal auditors to improve and encouraging would-be auditors to join us and another round of ethics training, something that I haven't done for a while. Culturally the month continued well, with an evening of Tango music in the village hall and an afternoon singing Evensong, marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Vaughan Williams.
A mixed month, dominated by my finally succumbing to Covid, which I probably caught when I got my booster. Thankfully I just felt a bit off and I didn't share it with anyone but it still stopped me singing in an exciting concert and got in the way of other day to day activiites. Although I missed the concert, I did get to see Glynborne Touring singing the Marriage of Figaro, complete with wonderful 60s/70s costumes and lots of business and I sang at an Evensong for Advent at the end of the month. Workwise, I trained audit committees and auditors, delivered various counter-fraud and ethics awareness courses, managed the first outing of an online technical supervision course (last seen about five years ago in a completely different guise) and did lots of prep for various courses. The year-end wind-down is still a few weeks away and the month ended with a dash to the midlands and back to talk to an audit committee in person, something that is still quite a novelty.
Well, that didn't quite go to plan. The month started well, delivering training on audit communication, fraud and technical supervision. The dog/puppy sitting plans were coming on and then, after a practice walk, I tripped over my boot laces (for the second time) and broke my wrist. A&E were brilliant (in an out in 3 hours which you might expect first thing on Friday morning) and laughed like drains when I told them that I trained on risk and had failed to learn from my near misses but it did rather bring all my other plans to a screeching halt. No carol singing, no Nine Lessons and Carols, no trips out, no fancy cooking. Instead, delivering ethics and fraud trainng online, an operation (fascinating to see those checklists in action, but I could have done without it) and dog/puppy sitting in a haze. Friends and family were brilliant and we still ate well and did many of the things but .... The cast was removed at the end of the month and I saw in the New Year with a splint - easier to manage but again, I could have done without it. My resolution for 2023: always do my boot laces up.
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