Having a bad day?
Let me cheer you up by relating what happened to a friend of mine who took a late summer break on the South Devon coast with his wife for their wedding anniversary, which they hoped to celebrate in a ‘tidy’ restaurant.  Their hotel was, in my friend’s words “Classy, but very welcoming”, and a short walk from the town centre and seafront.

Although they arrived well before check-in time, their room was available, so they unpacked and went out for the afternoon.

So far. So good.

While some cafes were open, all the restaurants were closed, despite it being a busy Sunday (every car park was full), so they went back to the hotel to reserve a table for dinner – only to be told the dining toom was fully booked.
Enquiring about bar meals, they were told “We’re unable to provide them”.
With roast beef on the dinner menu and bread in the kitchen for breakfast toast, how much effort would it have taken to make a couple of sandwiches?

Both pubs recommended by other guests were booked too, so they ended-up buying ‘Meal Deals’ and a bottle of wine from Tesco Express!
They were seeing a show at the local theatre the following evening, which clashed with the hotel’s dining hour (6.30 to 7.30).
Attempting to book an early dinner at one of the recommended pubs, the landlady said they were fully booked, while the landlord of another said, almost triumphantly, “It’s No Food Monday!”

How they laughed!

They eventually found a fish and chip shop where they ate lukewarm, refried chips under the gaze of the proprietor as he waited for them to finish so he could close the place…at 6.15!
Hardly the romantic anniversary meal they’d hoped for.

There’s a kicker to this story.

After returning home, they decided to make up for their Devonian disappointment by having a celebratory bar meal and glass of vino at the Celtic Manor Hotel, Newport.  There’s lovely!
When they got out of their taxi at 7.30 pm, the hotel concierge who greeted them said, “I’m so sorry. They stop serving food in the bar after six pm!”
Ah well. My friend needs to lose a few pounds anyway!

Do you read reviews?   I have been thinking of this for quite some time.
On the rare occasions that I have to purchase something online, I do make sure I read all the reviews. The good, bad and in between.
There is something reassuring and satisfying in a good review.

This got me thinking.

With so many local businesses fighting hard to gain market share and spread the word in order to survive the challenging times, we can all make a difference by helping out with a positive review.

If someone has provided you with a good service, maybe a quality meal or made you feel valued as a customer – a short note, well worded review on social media, Google or Trip Advisor could mean the difference between survival or closure to many of our much-needed local businesses.
Worth the effort? Absolutely. We should all spread the word if we have been witness to a good deed or service. Let’s lose the constant moaning culture and complain less!

Do something good this week to help our much-needed businesses community. It might make a huge difference.

Albert Einstein is often quoted as saying ‘The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”.  Putting aside the fact he didn’t actually speak those words or even scribble them on a post-it and stick it on his ‘fridge, the quote never made sense to me.

Almost every day we do basically the same things we did the day before and the day before that…ad infinitum.  Which I used to think was Latin for “There’s far too many adverts on TV these days!” This applies whether we go out to work or have to stay at home to look after young children or elderly relatives.

And apart from the fact this constant repetition can make us grumpy and tired and wish it was Saturday, it doesn’t usually have a detrimental effect on most people’s well-being.

We do these things over and over without expecting different results, though if some days do bring us pleasant little surprises or moments to cherish, they might count as ‘different results’.

However, a prime example of someone doing the same thing over and over and expecting it to create change as a result,is right in front of you.
The words you’re reading now.

For several years – I was barely out of school when I started writing these things – during late summer I inevitably feel the urge to complain here that shop shelves are already filled with Christmas items even before the children go back to school after the summer break.  Frankly, this is nuts.  And I can prove it…

The Porthcawl branch of a certain well-known chain store had displays of Christmas items AND Halloween tat right next to each other (‘Tinsel and Terror’, if you like) during the August Bank Holiday, while people were wandering around outside in tee-shirts and shorts, eating ice creams.

We’re being constantly ‘persuaded’ by retailers to purchase things we can easily live without, earlier and earlier before the calendar date they’re linked to. And many of us go along with it.

I repeat. It’s just plain nuts.

And I might well be repeating it again this time next year.

Creativity can be such a blessing and even a curse at times.
For as long as I can remember, I have always carried around a little black book, solely for the purpose of writing things down.  Well, what else would you use it for?

Things that pop in my head from time to time such as shopping list reminders, ideas that need to be worked on, funny things I see whilst out and about and often things that I overhear in conversation.  Often if I don’t write them down, they are forgotten and disappear into the ether, to be lost forever.
Which has happened on many occasions, therefore the little black book is so important.

Throughout the house, I probably have no fewer than 60 such books.
I even have one on the bedside table as good ideas have a habit of popping into my head just before I fall off to sleep.

The only thing is – I wish I had better handwriting, as often I write so fast it’s not always easy to work out what I have written and that causes a great deal of frustration.  This exercise can be a great source of pleasure and entertainment in years to come as looking back will often churn up colourful memories.  But then – nostalgia is not what it used to be is it?