Christmas?? - oh no, I can't believe I said that!

In the UK, it seems to have been a fairly dreich summer. Loads of rain, not much sun, gloom and doom. OK, Scotland faired much better than some other areas of the UK, I can't deny that. Even so, summer seems to have skipped by at breakneck speed, leaving me wondering about Christmas presents.

My sister and my nephew have just spent a couple of weeks with us - as I write this, they're travelling back to Regensburg for the start of another school year. When Mary comes back "home", she always looks out for gifts which are different to the ones she can buy in Germany. She's got this competitive streak which makes her want to stand out from the crowd. It has been interesting watching her purchases over the years; she loves quality, good design, lovely colours. As her two sons have grown up, they have taken books, cds, music and Richmond Irish sausages back with them at the end of their holiday .... oh and some Irn Bru, Scotland's other national drink!!

Mary quite often replenishes her wardrobe in Scotland - again because she likes to find clothes which are different to what her colleagues wear. This year she's returning with some sweatshirts, some M&S underwear (well, doesn't everyone!?) and a jacket. She also treated herself to some jewellery - and I think that was what provoked my thoughts of Christmas. This year, Mary bought earrings - she's adding to a set she started to collect a couple of years ago.

Do I have a Christmas wish list?? - well, yes - I'd love someone to do a "house laundry" on me and chuck out all the things I have kept because of sentimental reasons. Perhaps I don't mean - chuck out; I really mean that they should be recycled via a charity shop or auction. But I do need to let go of a lot of stuff which is cluttering up the house, reminiscent of a Victorian parlour.

That, of course, will leave a little more room for some new jewellery! Can't let my little sister beat me, can I!

M

Secret blogging passions: Rick Segel, Women and a Coyote

Don't you just love it when someone puts together a blog which is informative, interesting and an easy read! Well, one of my top ten bloggers is Rick Segel.
According to his web site -

Wowing audiences worldwide with genuinely entertaining humor and up-to-the-minute business savvy, Rick's retail sales presentations entertain, inform, and motivate. His reputation for transforming your meeting into an exciting, insightful & highly memorable event is widely acknowledged as the best in the business.

I especially like this assessment of how to tackle marketing to women.

Here's a blog entry about customer service (or lack of it!)

And finally, this entry tells the story of one enterprising store owner and a coyote!

Till next time
M