I'm Backing Britain

I was moved to tears last night watching the Mary Portas programme about her initiative in Manchester to help re-instate British manufacturing. What a great thing to campaign about. 

Helping young people, who in this case didn't seem to have anything to aim for or look forward to, turn their lives around. 

There must be thousands of similarly disadvantaged people all over the country. And yet we continue to import masses of products.

When I was a small child there was a huge national campaign to get people to purchase goods made in Britain. We all proudly wore the badge.

All of us mindful of what we spend and where, try to spend as little as possible but when we do, we spend it locally as far as possible. 

I have just been to my local high street and bought my groceries, my toiletries, put some pictures in for framing and of course checked out most of the charity shops. 

It's my husband's birthday next week, he says he doesn't need anything but I have purchased a little something from a local independent retailer, and we will be dining at a local pub on his actual birthday.

This week Vivienne Westwood talking about buying clothes said we should "buy well, choose less and make it last".

I want to add we should buy local and buy British, keep the money circulating in our own communities.

Don & Norman

I just caught a glimpse of  Norman Wisdom on the t.v. and Don Draper immediately sprung to mind :)

Extraordinarily Entrepreneurial

The entrepreneurial mind never ceases to amaze me. You'd have thought by now that people would have run out of new ideas right?

And we all know that there is nothing new under the sun, but a spin on an old favourite is making a good deal of money for an American self taught chef.

Macaroni cheese who'd have thunk it? 

Robert Dunn opened a mac' & cheese bar in affluent Monroe, Connecticut, 112 km outside Manhattan, last July and now gets through a 1000 pounds of macaroni a week.

He has just sold a franchise for 10 locations in Texas, plans to open 3 more in Connecticut and 5 in California.

You have to admire the guts of people like him that will take risks, have faith and gives things a go.

So now I'm wondering if a jelly and ice cream bar would be a success in London? Just throwing it out there :)

Phileas Fogg Returns

And it hasn't all been champagne and hot air balloons let me tell you. It has been great though.

The whole idea started last Summer when my eldest brother John, who lives in Australia said he was going to Fiji to celebrate his 70th birthday. Why not join him I thought and so we did. 

We saved all our spare pennies for many a month and put all unnecessary expenditure on hold. Yes we could do with a new fridge, our old one keeps icing up. Yes we both need new glasses, yes we still haven't finished the house or even started the garden, but Fiji, got to be done right?

Sometimes you just have to work out what's important in Life and spending time with my brother is very important. Until a few weeks ago we hadn't seen him for over 10 years.

This is him, the old codger, on a south pacific island. We were just on our way to climb aboard a glass bottomed submarine to see the amazing fish and underwater creatures that live in the surrounding waters.

You can just see the yellow sub in the distance in the middle of this snap. The waters were so beautiful and we had some time later to snorkel and see everything close up. It was one of the best things I've ever done.

We stayed for a week and then moved on to see some of Mr. S&P's relatives in another part of the world. It seemed silly to travel all that way and not make the most of it.

I'm still missing these sunsets.

You'll Come Back Now Yer Hear.

Metaphorically speaking. 

I'll be back. I hope you will too.


image via mamaknows26.blogspot.com