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Monday 1st march 2010
There was such a weeping and wailing going on Saturday night. Nibbles had escaped. Nibbles is my daughter’s hamster. He’s the latest addition to her menagerie, and it’s most recent escapee. He’s clearly more intelligent than any of the others, because he evaded capture for over 24 hours, although we knew the exact 4 sq meters that he was occupying. Anyway, this called for drastic measures, so my son set up two upturned shoe boxes, propped up with pens, around the bottom of which he had tied enough wool (one yellow one blue to match the shoe box colours) to go under the bedroom door, across the landing and down the stairs . He then put food under the propped up shoe boxes. We set up one of my Wireless Internet Video Alarms pointing at the boxes, closed the door, and waited. Four hours later I received an alert on my mobile to say the camera had detected motion. We logged on to the web from downstairs , and there he was, Nibbles, snuffling about under the yellow box. ‘Yellow!’ I shouted. Said Son rushed to the hall way and yanked the yellow cord. SNAP. Trapped like a .. well hamster in an upturned shoe box. A brilliant effortless operation all round. Nibbles has had a suitable telling off accompanied by lots of cuddles of course, and we are now wondering where we can buy electronic leg tags for hamsters should he stray again.
Nibbles had escaped. Nibbles is my daughter’s hamster. He’s the latest addition to her menagerie, and it’s most recent escapee. He’s clearly more intelligent than any of the others, because he evaded capture for over 24 hours, although we knew the exact 4 sq meters that he was occupying. Anyway, this called for drastic measures, so my son set up two upturned shoe boxes, propped up with pens, around the bottom of which he had tied enough wool (one yellow one blue to match the shoe box colours) to go under the bedroom door, across the landing and down the stairs . He then put food under the propped up shoe boxes. We set up one of my Wireless Internet Video Alarms pointing at the boxes, closed the door, and waited. Four hours later I received an alert on my mobile to say the camera had detected motion. We logged on to the web from downstairs , and there he was, Nibbles, snuffling about under the yellow box. ‘Yellow!’ I shouted. Said Son rushed to the hall way and yanked the yellow cord. SNAP. Trapped like a .. well hamster in an upturned shoe box. A brilliant effortless operation all round. Nibbles has had a suitable telling off accompanied by lots of cuddles of course, and we are now wondering where we can buy electronic leg tags for hamsters should he stray again.
Friday 22nd January 2010
I was feeling grateful last night when I went to bed. I'm a believer in getting a really good night's sleep, and I've found the way to do this is to detox my mind from the day. I do this strapping my ears to my iPod and listening to Guided meditation until I drift off into a very deep sleep. So why was I feeling grateful last night ? This time last year, I somehow managed to contract a chest infection that in the dead of night made a sound in my chest that led me to believe I was in a herd of agitated cows. Now when you meditate, the easiest way to quiet your mind is to focus on something, and that usually tends to be your breathing. Try doing that when your lungs sound like a meadow full of calving heifers. Needless to say, easy meditation at that time was almost impossible. Last night I gave thanks that I didn't have the same situaton and thankfully drifted off into a lucid dreamy sleep, from which I woke incredibly refreshed and bouncy. Er.... or could it be the fact I've cut down my alcohol consumption by half since new year !!!???
Anyway, if you fancy trying a bit iof audio guided meditation, visit a good friend of mine (Click here), and download FREE meditation podcasts
Friday 15th January 2010
Hope you had a good new Year and you are getting over the snow.
I finally got around to loading up the Office party pics to my laptop and I've put some below. There's only the two of us at SHC, so we took the kids. It was almost free because we used Tesco Currency !
We went to Prezzo in Chichester, and we were impressed that they had a bigger 'shelf of wierdness' than we have at home. Let me explain. The 'shelf of wierdness' is a shelf in our home that is dedicated to the strangest and bizarre little pieces of scary kitsch that we can amass from such places as Charity Shops. You know the type of thing. Deforned glass frogs wearing glass hats, mice made out of walnut shells. Maybe you don't. Anyway, they make us laugh. Prezzo have some very strange bizarre statuettes that put our shelf to shame. You can just see some in the background. They were about 3ft tall.
The joke in our little party was that they were the petrified remains of the last party that had dared to pay with Tesco vouchers.
Tuesday 5th January 2010
Happy New YEAR !!
Temperature this morning is now -6°c. It doesn't feel -6, but that's because it's lovely and dry, a bit like colder temperatures on the continent where the damp we suffer from here in England doesn't affect the way the temerature feels. The thing that worries me is that everyone spends ten minutes defrosting the car, and then they go off and drive around as if it's a sunny spring day. Didn't the ice give them a clue as to the state of the roads ? Anyway, we have a special article on 'Winterizing (sic) Your Home'. Click here to read more
Monday 23rd November 2009
If you fancy doing your Christmas Shopping in fron of a keyboard, securely, warm, cosy and with a bottle of wine, have a look at www.giftideacentral.co.uk
Let's face it. Who wants to trawl around the shops in this weather ?
Saturday 14th November 2009
Four weeks ago we were saying what a wonderful Indian Summer we were experiencing.
WOW. Last night saw the predicted storm hit with a ferocity that must have kept most of the South Coast awake for most of the night. It sounded like trains thundering past the house all night. This morning I took a look around outside and I have to say I felt lucky that our house is in the lea.
Others around were not so lucky. Fences smashed to kindling against cars !
Peace of Mind.
I had a Met Office warning forwarded to me yesterday from the Downland Village News people that originated with Tony Black the Bosham Flood warden.
It makes sobering reading.
- Secure loose objects such as ladders, garden furniture or anything else that could be blown into windows and other glazing and break them.
- Close and securely fasten doors and windows, particularly those on the windward side of the house, and especially large doors such as those on garages.
- Park vehicles in a garage, if available; otherwise keep them clear of buildings, trees, walls and fences.
- Close and secure loft trapdoors with bolts, particularly if roof pitch is less than 30°.
- If the house is fitted with storm shutters over the windows then ensure that these are closed and fastened.
- If chimney stacks are tall and in poor condition, move beds away from areas directly below them.
During the storm - Stay indoors as much as possible.
- If you do go out, try not to walk or shelter close to buildings and trees.
- Keep away from the sheltered side of boundary walls and fences — if these structures fail, they will collapse on this side.
- Do not go outside to repair damage while the storm is in progress.
- If possible, enter and leave your house through doors in the sheltered side, closing them behind you.
- Open internal doors only as needed, and close them behind you.
- Take care when driving on exposed routes such as bridges, or high open roads, delay your journey or find alternative routes if possible.
- Slow down and be aware of side winds, particular care should be taken if you are towing or are a high sided vehicle.
- Do not drive unless your journey is really necessary.
After the storm - Be careful not to touch any electrical/telephone cables that have been blown down or are still hanging.
- Do not walk too close to walls, buildings and trees as they could have been weakened.
- Make sure that any vulnerable neighbours or relatives are safe and help them make arrangements for any repairs.
Friday 16th October 2009
Despite the weather this week being more than we should expect in mid October, there is a distinct cooling, especially in the evenings. Did you get a leaflet through your door about the Eden Project look alike Domes ? These domes can give you a mediterranean climate in your garden throughout the year. They are not just 'swish' greenhouses, they are micro climatical Geo Domes. Try and say that after a few breakfast amontillados. If you didn't get a leaflet, click on the picture above or below for the telephone no. to get a brochure. If you quote the code CHM09 you'll get a better deal through us. Oh.... and if you think planning permission would be a problem, especially in an AONB or NP, then talk to the people at Solardome and they'll put you right on that as well.
Wednesday 14th October 2009
The weather this week has been absolutely great hasn't it ? I took the option of going out with a pile of leaflets reminding the people in the harbour that Second Home Carers are still around willing and eager to take on whatever you can throw at us. Would some of you like us to do housesitting ? Please contact us if you do. We can price that up and offer it along with our other stuff. Along with our own leaflets, I've been mailing a leaflet about the innovative Burglar Alarm system that we are selling. I had a chat with one person about it and she said that they didn't need one because they had an alarm already, and that it was ok, the neighbour reset it whenever it went off.
Now let's have a think about that. What was the point of that alarm system ?
The poor neighbour has to get up at 2am in the morning, let themselves in, and reset a false alarm. At least, she HOPES it's a false alarm !! One night it's going to be a ne'er do well !
There's no such drama with the Internet Video Alarm. First of all, there are no loud bells or sirens waking the neighbours, because let's face it, that's all they do. Who pays any attention to them? The Police certainly don't have to after 2 false alarms.
The Internet Video Alarm silently stirs, recording the movement that awoke it. It sends a text message to a designated party, who can then view LIVE and recorded video of whatever movement triggered the alarm. If that turns out to be clock falling off the wall, then all is well. If it's something else, then action can be taken. The Old Bill love a 'Hot' collar.
Sunday 27th Sept 2009
We took delivery of the Internet Video Alarm package this week, and I set it up in my office. It's a good job too. Take a look at what it recorded one Saturday. A pair of desperadoes ransacked my office.
Tuesday 15th Sept 2009
Seems a lot of people are visiting the free articles page, but are a bit shy about leaving an e-mail address. Well, we've listened to you and you can now download our portfolio of excellent articles without leaving any personal details. Fill yer boots.
I popped into the Chichester Harbour Conservancy Offices in Itchenor yesterday. I joined as a 'harbour Friend'. Just the fiver for the year. What excited me about it is that I can volunteer to go on work parties and help conserve the harbour . Better than working.
Friday 11th Sept 2009
Ten year old daughter is getting all excited about her school trip to Devon in November. The ongoing soap opera in our house is about who will be bunked with who for the week.... it's all so VERY important at that age you know. Coupled with this is the fear that the woodland critters will keep her awake. As if they don't already at our house anyway. We frequently hear scuffles and barking Muntjac Deer. At least I think they are Muntjacs. I've tried to keep stories of The Beast of Bodmin Moor to a minimum, and Hound of the Baskervilles is a no-no subject as well. Still. It's fun dropping in the odd scary reference at mealtimes. I'm a Dad, that's my job.
I officially have the whitest legs in Bosham according to some of the locals, this despite wearing shorts for about 30% of my adult life, even through the winter. If you see me trudging up your driveway to deliver leaflets (as some of you already have), you'll recognise me straightaway from this description. Please have pity, those battered old legs have trudged an awful long way this month. Some of you have VERY long drives. It's been quite a challenge finding some of the letterboxes as well. But I'm persistent, I remain the undefeated champion of letterbox finding. No house has beaten me yet, although some came pretty close.
Friday 4th Sept 2009
I got to thinking on the cycle in to the office this morning how much life has changed since I left the corporate world back in March. I swapped a stifling suit in various overheated unhealthy office environments, interminable meetings about things that should take 5 minutes to decide, but which took days; for shorts and t-shirt delivering leaflets in the summer sun in Chichester Harbour. One other major thing has changed as well. I actually LIVE in the harbour area. Well, I have for years anyway, but what I mean is I LIVE 24/7 in the area as opposed to live in the area in the evenings and at weekends. My whole world was centred around Southampton for 7 years. I had my hair cut in Southampton, I ate in Southampton, I shopped in Southampton, I drank in Southampton, my colleagues were in Southampton. There wasn't anything I didn't know about Southampton. Now I'm beginning to LIVE in Chi Harbour. How lucky am I ?! That's great for the business because I'm meeting and speaking to even more of the local trades people and professionals than I ever did before. That's good for you too because it means my network is more diverse than before. I haven't heard a negative word said about Second Home carers as yet. Everybody thinks it's a great idea. Don't forget, you don't have to have a SECOND home to use our services. Big decision now. The sun is out, leaflet delivering or lunch at Prinsted ?
28th August 2009
The School Summer Hols are nearly over, but my wife is reduced to a weeping, gibbering, insolvent wreck. Yesterday we took our 25 year old motorhome down to Hayling Shore. I took the kids to the funfair for two hours, and my wife put her feet up, watched the sea, wept silently and swigged a bottle of remedial chardonnay in peace. It was a three-birds-with-one-stone sort of occasion; to give Mum a few hours feet up time, amuse the kids while they watch a terrified Daddy plummet from the skies into freezing cold water on the Log Flume ride, and to say good bye to Merlin our old motorhome who was being sold at the weekend. We had 5 years great fun in the old tub when the kids were of that sort of age where isolated farms in Provence were not a fun option. Sadly he's been sitting alone for a year or so with no one to love, so it was time to offload the tax, MOT and Insurance bill. Sad day, but inevitable.
Early August 2009
Hi, my name is Neil, and I worked in the corporate world of IT for some 30 years, in fact, I can remember punch cards and magnetic tape machines.
Early in 2009 the recession decided that my Consultancy skills were no longer viable in a diminishing market, and even though I had only just finished playing competitive football at 50, it was still obvious that my dreams of playing for Real Madrid were beyond even the best Life Coach. I’d even coached Bosham U12’s for a while until I realised I was rubbish.
Anyway, determined not to be a victim of the global downturn, I’ve been looking around for products that I could offer people, so that I could let them experience whatever I had to offer.
I’ve tried all sorts of stuff. Anyone want a website or a van magnet, maybe some pre-packaged spice mix ? How about some Marketing Training ? How about Life Coaching ? We can do all that.
Anyway, there was one stipulation. It had to be something I could feel passionate enough about to feel as though my customers REALLY REALLY had to have this product, that I OWED it to my client to provide this product, because it would CHANGE THEIR LIVES. Also, it must not only benefit my customers but also in a small way, the wider community … and me and my young family of course… we have to eat.
This is them.
Butter ? Melt ? Rubbish.
Anyway, I think Second Home Carers fits the bill. So I ran with it.
I may be the world's worst football coach, but one thing I can promise from myself and all at Second Home Carers, is integrity, kindness, honesty, patience and good humour. Those are our values.
I do know that I worry enough when I'm away from my own home, to the point where I would ring the answerphone once a day. I figured if it answered, then it was still attached to the wall and everything must be ok !!
So I hope you think we have a good product. Please tell us if you don’t agree, and please tell us what we can do to improve it… or tell us what you really would like us to do. Don’t be shy.
Warm Regards
Neil
ps. That photo up there is of me at Second Home Carers' office. You can see why I don't get let out much.
