As some of you know, Olly is a gorgeous Siamese cat who was my 50th birthday present, and he joined the household about 2 months ago- he is featuring on this particular blog because ....
On Monday morning he seemed to be spluttering- it wasn't often and it wasn't bad but it seemed as if something had got caught in his throat. Off we trotted to the vets and we all agreed that he needed keeping any eye on and IF there was something that couldn't be got out easily, he would have to go off to Dursley for specialist endoscopy..... £ signs started to flash .... and we would come back on Tuesday.
By Tuesday the spluttering had become coughing, almost as if whatever it was had travelled a bit further down so we booked him in for surgery on Wednesday morning. Later on Tuesday I found a chewed up cockerel feather, just the sort of thing that might have gone down the wrong way. We rolled up for surgery today and all agreed that the spluttering was a bit odd, but perhaps it was better to just have him at the vets for the morning and see what the general consensus of opinion might be. I collected him at lunch time and booked him in for a definite examination Thursday morning, with the unsettling knowledge that if it was complicated, he would have to go for more specialist help.... £ signs again!
Anyway, to cut a long story short, he sat in the kitchen this evening and had a really bad coughing fit, he was pawing at his nose and getting desperate. Chris, our eagle-eyed middle son, spotted a tiny something coming out of his nose- we decided between us we would start to pull gently and eventually out came .... an enormously long piece of grass! As long as about 6" it had got stuck up his nose and down his throat, no wonder the poor cat was struggling- wow, I am overjoyed- it looks like we have saved ourselves hundreds of pounds ! "Great success" as the boys would say (in a Borat accent!). Best of all, we have Olly back to full health and terrorising the household - just what he does best ...
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Shopping opportunities with Achica, The Lady & Amazon
Lots of things seem to have come to fruition this week; we have been invited to offer products on Achica - this is an American business concept that is launching in the UK. Members sign up and join and are given exclusive access to regular offers from top brand names for a period of 48 hours only. We have suggested a selection of products and these will be made available to members in early October. I recommend signing up, there is nothing to lose and it is free!
We signed off a full page ad in The Lady magazine today- as you probably know, Rachel Johnson (sister of Boris) is the new editor and the magazine has undergone a huge update. It costs a very reasonable £1.80 and is printed weekly. I've always had a soft spot for The Lady, it has wonderful, varied and quirky ads combined with a lovely tempting selection of holiday cottages. The next issue is being sent to subscribers this Saturday and will be on shelves Tuesday 28th. We are offering readers 20% discount on Magniwool and 15% discount on other products. This particular offer will close on 29th October. Signing off the artwork was not without stress; the first time I saw the proposals was this morning and it all had to be agreed by 12.00 as it was going to print the same afternoon! Fortunately the gorgeous Bev was on hand to help deal with the complexities of finding images in the right format because computer wizardry is just not my thing ...
This week has also seen the launch of Magniwool and some other products, especially blankets, on Amazon. White Cloud has a shop of its own and we decided to include lesser known items, such as the dog beds and the lovely skincare presentation boxes. The Intensive Cream, in particular, sells consistently well and it was a great delight to find 72 pots hidden, separated from the rest of their mates, in the store room.
Time to call it a day- yesterday involved driving up to Newcastle and back again! I took our eldest son back to University- he and 3 close friends are all sharing a house this year. Oh the joys of student accommodation... a distinctly grotty terraced house which was definitely not presented to its best advantage. Disgraceful really, given that they have all paid a deposit of £650 already. Never mind; 4 Army/RAF students fronting up to the landlord and the letting agent tomorrow could be interesting, as there is no way these young men will put up with being pushed around ...
We signed off a full page ad in The Lady magazine today- as you probably know, Rachel Johnson (sister of Boris) is the new editor and the magazine has undergone a huge update. It costs a very reasonable £1.80 and is printed weekly. I've always had a soft spot for The Lady, it has wonderful, varied and quirky ads combined with a lovely tempting selection of holiday cottages. The next issue is being sent to subscribers this Saturday and will be on shelves Tuesday 28th. We are offering readers 20% discount on Magniwool and 15% discount on other products. This particular offer will close on 29th October. Signing off the artwork was not without stress; the first time I saw the proposals was this morning and it all had to be agreed by 12.00 as it was going to print the same afternoon! Fortunately the gorgeous Bev was on hand to help deal with the complexities of finding images in the right format because computer wizardry is just not my thing ...
This week has also seen the launch of Magniwool and some other products, especially blankets, on Amazon. White Cloud has a shop of its own and we decided to include lesser known items, such as the dog beds and the lovely skincare presentation boxes. The Intensive Cream, in particular, sells consistently well and it was a great delight to find 72 pots hidden, separated from the rest of their mates, in the store room.
Time to call it a day- yesterday involved driving up to Newcastle and back again! I took our eldest son back to University- he and 3 close friends are all sharing a house this year. Oh the joys of student accommodation... a distinctly grotty terraced house which was definitely not presented to its best advantage. Disgraceful really, given that they have all paid a deposit of £650 already. Never mind; 4 Army/RAF students fronting up to the landlord and the letting agent tomorrow could be interesting, as there is no way these young men will put up with being pushed around ...
Monday, September 20, 2010
Woolly Jumper and the quest for Sheep Soap
Good news and bad news!
First the good news: at the end of last week I picked up a gorgeous hand knitted cardigan- made locally for me by a friend who knits with Gothland wool from a flock of sheep living on May Hill. This particular wool is a soft grey with subtle brown flecks and the brief was a cardigan, not frilly, but quite plain able to be worn with anything. Ann has done a wonderful job and made a classic cardigan with a chunky zip and upright collar with lovely detailing. It has rapidly moved up the stakes to "favourite jumper"- everything else has been relegated! It will be particularly appropriate during National Wool Week 11th-17th October!
The bad news: At the weekend in a local emporium I saw some lovely sheep shaped wool soaps and thought they would make perfect gifts for special customers. Unfortunately afore mentioned emporium was not prepared to divulge where the soaps came from so I am now spending a ridiculous amount of time searching on the internet, to no avail. However, being a determined Leo I am unable to take no for an answer and will continue to look as I think these will make great gifts from us for Christmas and I'd also like to take them to the Cheltenham Gift Fair in October... if anyone has any helpful suggestions, please do let us know ...
First the good news: at the end of last week I picked up a gorgeous hand knitted cardigan- made locally for me by a friend who knits with Gothland wool from a flock of sheep living on May Hill. This particular wool is a soft grey with subtle brown flecks and the brief was a cardigan, not frilly, but quite plain able to be worn with anything. Ann has done a wonderful job and made a classic cardigan with a chunky zip and upright collar with lovely detailing. It has rapidly moved up the stakes to "favourite jumper"- everything else has been relegated! It will be particularly appropriate during National Wool Week 11th-17th October!
The bad news: At the weekend in a local emporium I saw some lovely sheep shaped wool soaps and thought they would make perfect gifts for special customers. Unfortunately afore mentioned emporium was not prepared to divulge where the soaps came from so I am now spending a ridiculous amount of time searching on the internet, to no avail. However, being a determined Leo I am unable to take no for an answer and will continue to look as I think these will make great gifts from us for Christmas and I'd also like to take them to the Cheltenham Gift Fair in October... if anyone has any helpful suggestions, please do let us know ...
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
All in a week's work
Running your own business is never dull! During the past week we have discussed what will provide as give-away gifts at The Deco Affair in London on 14th October. Good thing we decided on small square pouches of wool filled with aromatic sachets as I now realise that 11th-17th October has been designated Wool Week! It will be good to have some representation at an event that will showcase small and special companies to interested designers and decorators.
Last weekend we were invited to supply a cosy wool underblanket and some wool pillows at very short notice to a very special local historic house. There was a meeting of Trustees and one elderly lady refused to stay unless something was done to improve her bed! We suggested what we thought would help and then hand delivered the underblanket and pillows. We all agreed that nothing would be said to the lady in question but it would remain a lovely and unexpected surprise for Saturday evening. It seems it was a huge success and very favourably received. Opportunities to exceed expectation are always worth taking!
Hurray! We have had confirmation from our French trade customers that our products have passed their strict fire testing and it means that from this week, starting with pillows, they will be launched in five of their shops. We have devoted a lot of time to attention and detail; this has included developing small labels in French to be attached to the pillows and we are enjoying seeing this particular relationship come to fruition.
Last weekend we were invited to supply a cosy wool underblanket and some wool pillows at very short notice to a very special local historic house. There was a meeting of Trustees and one elderly lady refused to stay unless something was done to improve her bed! We suggested what we thought would help and then hand delivered the underblanket and pillows. We all agreed that nothing would be said to the lady in question but it would remain a lovely and unexpected surprise for Saturday evening. It seems it was a huge success and very favourably received. Opportunities to exceed expectation are always worth taking!
Hurray! We have had confirmation from our French trade customers that our products have passed their strict fire testing and it means that from this week, starting with pillows, they will be launched in five of their shops. We have devoted a lot of time to attention and detail; this has included developing small labels in French to be attached to the pillows and we are enjoying seeing this particular relationship come to fruition.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
