Along with a couple of friends we are looking more seriously into the possibility of designing and selling our own range of T-shirts online. We want to keep costs down initially by limiting stock holding and investing in specialised equipment, but we still want to retain a high quality product.
We have several leads to investigate but we will be tapping friends and relations for information and support.
Remember T-shirts make an ideal gift…
Monday, April 18, 2005
On the road again…
We have a new (newer than the previous) chariot. The old Ford Mondeo was uneconomical to repair (see my earlier blog regarding the unhappy circumstances) so we splashed out £700 and bought a newer model Mondeo. Although it is lower specification (I am already missing the air-conditioning and automatic transmission), and quite tatty (dent in the door, worn trim etc.) it gets me from A to B, which is the important thing.
And it is red, and as we all know red one's go faster, after all isn't that why the paint fire engines that colour?
And it is red, and as we all know red one's go faster, after all isn't that why the paint fire engines that colour?
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
More of wot I have read…
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
This an interesting book for its cultural insights to elements of society I would not usually be exposed to. In a similar vein as Monica Ali’s Brick Lane this book exposes the challenges face by first and subsequent generations of immigrants to the UK.
It is an entertaining read full of colour and great characterisation, but it is a little long and drawn out affair, if you have the patience it is rewarding.
‘Zadie Smith's White Teeth is a delightfully cacophonous tale that spans 25 years of two families' assimilation in North London. The Joneses and the Iqbals are an unlikely a pairing of families, but their intertwined destinies distil the British Empire's history and hopes into a dazzling multiethnic melange that is a pure joy to read. Smith proves herself to be a master at drawing fully-realized, vibrant characters, and she demonstrates an extraordinary ear for dialogue. It is a novel full of humour and empathy that is as inspiring as it is enjoyable.’
This an interesting book for its cultural insights to elements of society I would not usually be exposed to. In a similar vein as Monica Ali’s Brick Lane this book exposes the challenges face by first and subsequent generations of immigrants to the UK.
It is an entertaining read full of colour and great characterisation, but it is a little long and drawn out affair, if you have the patience it is rewarding.
‘Zadie Smith's White Teeth is a delightfully cacophonous tale that spans 25 years of two families' assimilation in North London. The Joneses and the Iqbals are an unlikely a pairing of families, but their intertwined destinies distil the British Empire's history and hopes into a dazzling multiethnic melange that is a pure joy to read. Smith proves herself to be a master at drawing fully-realized, vibrant characters, and she demonstrates an extraordinary ear for dialogue. It is a novel full of humour and empathy that is as inspiring as it is enjoyable.’
Monday, April 11, 2005
More of wot I have read…
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
This was an absolutely riveting and delightful read. It is one of the most enjoyable books I can remember.
It starts with what might appear at first glance a totally improbable premise, but the author's skill and involving personal plot line pulls you in gently until you find yourself hooked and unable to put the book down.
A beautiful book. God I wish I could write like that!
'A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger's cinematic storytelling that makes the novel's unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant.
An enchanting debut and a spellbinding tale of fate and belief in the bonds of love, The Time Traveler's Wife is destined to captivate readers for years to come.'
This was an absolutely riveting and delightful read. It is one of the most enjoyable books I can remember.
It starts with what might appear at first glance a totally improbable premise, but the author's skill and involving personal plot line pulls you in gently until you find yourself hooked and unable to put the book down.
A beautiful book. God I wish I could write like that!
'A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger's cinematic storytelling that makes the novel's unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant.
An enchanting debut and a spellbinding tale of fate and belief in the bonds of love, The Time Traveler's Wife is destined to captivate readers for years to come.'
Spring in an urban garden…
Our clocks have changed and the weather is trying to improve, so we went out to the allotment to start the tidy up ready for planting the new season's crops. Before we went on holiday we planted our onion and garlic sets and they are sprouting nicely. We spent a good time pulling up the weeds and unwanted raspberry runners. I took the seed potatoes out of the loft where they have been 'chitting' (we are still eating last years crop, which are also showing signs of sprouting in their sacks). Just a bit more tidying up to go and then the fun task of planting seeds begins. Hope springs…
There and back again…
We have been back in the UK a week now after our short holiday down under and already it seems like an age ago.
We visited family and friends in NZ trying to avoid the usual constant trekking about and normal holiday traps. Nevertheless we were busy most days, managed to see quite a few people and still found time to sightsee and shop.
I did get together with a bunch of guys who hung around together at school. We had a great evening reminiscing of days gone by. It seemed that while were are all becoming a little more staid and nearing our 4 decade we still feel pretty much as we did when we were 15. I wonder if every one feels like that?
We had a short stopover in Kuala Lumpur (we find it is very necessary for us to break that long flight up) and we managed to see a little of this interesting city. There appear to be a large disparity between the have and have-nots (slum suburbs and mansion houses). Some of the place has a slightly worn out look while at the same time there is a lot of brand new building going on. Being an old colony of England they drive on the same side as us and almost everybody speaks English. The city was built up with labour from China and India, so there is a great multicultural flavour (though at times you are the only white face in the crowd).
The only real tragedy in the whole trip was when I left the duty free on the trolley as we got into the taxi to come home. I was almost divorced over that (after all it is not the first time I've done it either!)
We landed back on Sunday evening and on Monday we were back at work. Oh well we need to earn the money for the next trip somehow.
We visited family and friends in NZ trying to avoid the usual constant trekking about and normal holiday traps. Nevertheless we were busy most days, managed to see quite a few people and still found time to sightsee and shop.
I did get together with a bunch of guys who hung around together at school. We had a great evening reminiscing of days gone by. It seemed that while were are all becoming a little more staid and nearing our 4 decade we still feel pretty much as we did when we were 15. I wonder if every one feels like that?
We had a short stopover in Kuala Lumpur (we find it is very necessary for us to break that long flight up) and we managed to see a little of this interesting city. There appear to be a large disparity between the have and have-nots (slum suburbs and mansion houses). Some of the place has a slightly worn out look while at the same time there is a lot of brand new building going on. Being an old colony of England they drive on the same side as us and almost everybody speaks English. The city was built up with labour from China and India, so there is a great multicultural flavour (though at times you are the only white face in the crowd).
The only real tragedy in the whole trip was when I left the duty free on the trolley as we got into the taxi to come home. I was almost divorced over that (after all it is not the first time I've done it either!)
We landed back on Sunday evening and on Monday we were back at work. Oh well we need to earn the money for the next trip somehow.
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