Blog

Belize, Part 1. Hopkins.

In many parts of the world when you mention Belize people reply “where?” For those that know Belize, a tiny country on the Caribbean coast just under Mexico, many people think of the islands of Ambergris and Caye Caulker and the legendary Blue Hole.  The country is famous for scuba-diving and snorkelling, being on the […]

Posted 12 years ago

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds are among the smallest birds on earth, measuring around 7.5-13 cm (2-3 inches).  In our part of France we often see the Bee Hummingbird, which is not a bee, but a real hummingbird, but so tiny that people sometimes think it is a bee.  These tiny Bee Hummingbirds gather around a red flower, which […]

Posted 12 years ago

Autism: my autistic sister

Yesterday I had the pleasure of interviewing the older brother of an autistic 14 year old girl.  I had been asked to write a series of  ‘Coping with Life Articles’ and decided to start with a family that I know well.  The older brother, Josh, is 25 and when Suzy, his little sister, was born […]

Posted 12 years ago

The Storks

The storks are back! Every year the same storks return to this part of France and they almost always return to the same nests. They remain in couples all their lives, and both partners look after the young and each other. They will nest in the most precarious positions on the top of pylons and in […]

Posted 12 years ago

By a thread we hang ….

This morning my husband, only 6’4″, sat innocently in a cafe in Royan (France) having a coffee with some friends after an AFA committee meeting.  Six or seven retired folks (admittedly some of them were French, but they still count) having a quiet moment before returning to their various homes and DIY jobs … or […]

Posted 12 years ago

My foot !

Now, follow these instructions carefully and you too can have a gorgeous foot just like this one ! – decide to paint a big old chest of drawers (this is essential or it won’t work) – put plenty of newspaper down – fetch appropriate paint and brushes – use end of spoon for opening tin […]

Posted 12 years ago

Thoughts on how to run a business. Part 7.

So, to sum-up:- – your business should shout out at the public: COME IN!  BUY ME!  THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED!  EAT HERE!  BEST VALUE!   ….. as the case may be – you, in your dress, your manner, your speech, your attitude, should shout: I AM YOUR MAN!  I AM THE ONE YOU NEED! […]

Posted 12 years ago

Thoughts on how to run a business. Part 6.

It is sooooo difficult to not be pushy or to sound desperate when you really really need that sale!  I remember it well.  But it is the worst thing you can do.  There are some people who can be talked in to buying an item or paying for a service (we have been victims of […]

Posted 12 years ago

Thoughts on how to run a business. Part 5.

One thing that we all learn really early on in business is that we cannot rely on family and friends. Depending on what your line of business is, your family and friends are – theoretically! – a good source for Getting the Word Out There.  But, oddly enough, although they mean to, and they want […]

Posted 12 years ago

Thoughts on how to run a business. Part 3.

Yesterday somebody contacted me to say “but your articles are all about small businesses!”   It is true that I have geared the discussion towards people who are just starting, or who started before but are struggling, or the one-man band.  I have rather assumed that people with larger businesses have already learnt (usually the […]

Posted 12 years ago

Books now available on Amazon:

A Call From France
French Sand
Kefani: An African Childhood
The Man With Green Fingers
Saying Nothing