April musing from our Aussie

Working as a lifestyle manager in London for the last 3 years has certainly been interesting. Never a day the same! Even today’s relatively slow day of data input has been (mercifully) punctuated by other odd jobs such as letting a plumber into someone’s house, finding out where to get a mug printed with a photo and other such things.

Last month was the 20^th anniversary of my moving to the UK from Australia. In case you’re busy doing the maths I’d like to add that I was only 2 at the time, but anyone that has spoken to or met me will know that’s not quite true. Anyway, whenever I go home I spend a lot of time trying to explain to friends and family what exactly a ‘Lifestyle Manager’ is and does. If I explain it in terms of something along the line of being a Virtual PA, people younger than 50 have a bit more of an idea; but people of my parent’s generation just glaze over and say something like “that sounds interesting dear”.

This has made me wonder how an organisation like cushion the impact might work in Australia. And I don’t mean in the cities – you can already find Concierge and Lifestyle Managers easy enough in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth etc. I’m thinking more of the ‘other’ Australia; the smaller towns (or ‘cities’ that Aussies call them – a population of 9000 not being a barrier to being named a city in Aus, and even a few houses grouped around a pub will be called a ‘town’). 

With all that distance between places, trying to organise things can take on a different edge. Would we charge travel costs and time?  This could add up to a large amount very quickly, as just going from my dad’s house to the local shops can take 1 hour by car. I could try public transport but the bus goes through the town only once a week. This makes me think fondly of the public transport system here in the UK – not something that happens very often.

I did try sending flowers once from London to my parents, but the delivery was so restricted it wasn’t worth the time and money. I considered flying over myself with the flowers, but they would’ve confiscated them at airport customs. They have very sweet looking sniffer dogs just waiting for people to bring in scraps of food and plant matter. I got excited once when the man standing next to me at the baggage carousel was asked to open his bag because Fido was rather interested in its contents. There I was thinking we have a drugs mule here, only to be disappointed when they produced a half eaten sandwich from his rucksack.

Anyway, as I head back into my world of data entry I shall remain content that it is in London that I am doing it, and not in the outback of Australia where I wouldn’t be able to nip out and let a plumber into someone’s house as distraction.

These boots were made for…

I discovered today that Dr Martens are 50 years old this year.

That in turn reminded me that it’s nearly safe to wear mine again since the risk of rain is reducing (although lets face it in Scotland it’s never that far away). The problem is that I’ve had them a long time. (The picture below shows them on holiday with other footwear in North Carolina in 2001)

They’re now no longer weatherproof but I can’t bear to throw them out and so can only wear them on dry and sunny days.  All is not lost though there are others on the website that are nearly the same so when they do eventually give up their sole (groan…apologies) I will invest in another pair. http://store.drmartens.co.uk/p-4445-dr-martens-tyree-boot.aspx

I wonder if anyone with a 50th birthday this year will  be treated to a gold pair?

The other good thing on the website is their special 50^th birthday webpage http://50.drmartens.com/artists-and-tracks with some really clever covers of cult classic track which represents the spirit of the people who’ve worn DM’s over the past 50 years.  My current favourite is the Noisettes cover of The Buzzcocks “Ever fallen in love with someone”.

Play your cards right

All types of Card fraud, whether it’s Credit or Debit cards, are on the increase. We thought it wouldn’t hurt to give you some hints and tips about protecting yourself as banks worldwide are now increasingly concerned about ATM and debit-card fraud.

Unlike credit-card thieves, who usually charge merchandise and then resell it to come up with money, people who create counterfeit ATM or debit cards by stealing your PIN and other account data can simply pull cold cash from your bank account. Using a technique known as skimming, they set up equipment that captures magnetic stripe and keypad information when you input your PIN at ATM machines, petrol pumps, restaurants, or retailers.

Here are our Top 10 things to be aware of: 

Don’t Type in Your Pin at the Pump. Petrol pumps are notorious for skimming because they’re produced by only a couple of manufacturers and, if someone gets the key to one from a disgruntled employee, they can insert a skimming device inside the pump where it can’t be seen. It’s much better to use a credit card but if you have to use a debit card at the petrol pump, choose the screen prompt that identifies it as a credit card so that you do not have to type in your PIN. The purchase amount will still be deducted from your bank account, but it will be processed through a credit-card network, which will give you greater protection from liability because card issuers typically have “zero liability” policies for both debit and credit cards, but sometimes exclude PIN-based transactions from that protection if fraud does occur. 

Stick With ATMs Located at Banks. Use machines at banks rather than in local shops, airports, or any isolated locations. Because the thief has to attach and retrieve and skimming device that’s more likely to happen in non bank settings where there’s less traffic and no surveillance cameras.

If you notice a change at an ATM you use  regularly, such as a colour difference in the card reader or a gap where something appears to be glued onto the slot where you insert your card, that’s a warning sign you’d want to report to the bank that owns the machine.

Watch out for shoulder-surfers in shops and at cash machines. Once a thief has your PIN, he or she is more likely to steal the card to go with it and can use your card in any shop.

Closely Monitor Your Bank Accounts. Check them regularly – preferably online. If you fail to report unauthorized charges within 60 days of the date your paper statement listing those charges was mailed, you could be liable for any unauthorized withdrawals afterwards, including the full value of credit lines or savings accounts linked to your account for overdraft protection.

Visa and MasterCard have zero liability policies that go beyond local law by exempting debit cardholders from liability in most circumstances when a bank investigation confirms that a transaction is fraudulent. However dealing with debit-card fraud can have a greater impact on your finances than credit-card fraud. 

When you’re a victim of unauthorized charges on a credit card, you won’t be out of any money while the disputed charges are being investigated. It’s not the same when a thief steals money from your bank account using a counterfeit debit or ATM card. That cash won’t be restored to your account until the bank conducts its investigation and classifies it as a case of fraud. 

If you’re a business that uses credit card readers be aware of another debit card scam involves fake engineers turning up at shops and taking terminals away to be “repaired”. Instead, they set them up to copy and store details of every card that is inserted in the machine.

The information cannot be used to duplicate a chip and PIN-protected UK card but can be encoded on the magnetic stripe of a blank card, which is then used to withdraw cash in countries where chip and PIN security has not been introduced.

Do not let your card out of your sight in shops, restaurants or hotels. If your card is taken away, a member of staff could be copying the information in the magnetic stripe. The data could then be used in exactly the same way as the information captured from dodgy terminals. 

Don’t carry a wallet full of plastic if you will not be using it. Pick-pockets and sneak thieves are especially active in busy shopping areas, restaurants and cafés.

Never write down your PIN. Learn it instead. And never share your PIN with anyone else.

Do not use the same PIN for several cards. If it is compromised, it could be the key to your finances.

Always shred your card and bank statements before throwing them away. You could lose your money and your identity if you do not. Thieves raid bins and recycling looking for useful documents.

Use the latest security software on your computer if you shop. Manage your cards or bank online. Do not store card details alongside passwords or PINs. If your PC gets a virus, hackers could acquire everything they need to clean you out.

Do not give too much information away on social networks, especially items such as dates of birth or anniversaries that you use as PINs. Crooks check these sites frequently in the hope that they will find information that can help them.

Happy St George’s Day

Today is England’s national day but there is no day off, no fireworks and no official street parties (although nothing’s stopping you from doing all three yourself ). Look out for people wearing a red rose England’s national flower. 

Here are 10 things you may not have known about St. George and his scaly foe:

 St George

He was born in Turkey (in Cappadocia).

He became a Roman soldier.

He was beheaded at Lydda in Palestine.

He is also the patron saint of Ethiopia, Russia and Lithuania

He is the patron saint of scouts and cavalry and helps those with leprosy, syphilis and plague.

The dragon:

In the middle ages the dragon was commonly used to represent the devil.

Eating dragon tongue enables you to win any argument.

Roasted swallows are the Chinese dragon’s favourite food.

Dragons love music

3 toed dragons are Japanese.

Getting out into the fresh air

We’ve been feeling a bit more energetic of late so have come up with some options for getting out into the fresh air and enjoying the country.

 

Walking:

England: Head to the Lake District and plan your walks with http://www.lakedistrictwalks.com/ldwalks.html  it details distances, height attained and has photos so you can see what you can expect.

Scotland: Pull on your stout boots and take on the 62 miles of the St Cuthbert’s Way the newest of Britain’s Long Distance Paths between Melrose and Lindisfarne. http://www.visitscottishborders.com/WhatToSee/Walking/default.aspx 

Wales: There a few places more beautiful than Cardigan Bay and http://www.cardiganshirecoastandcountry.com/cardigan-bay-walks-ceredigion.php  gives you a choice of circular and linear walks

 Biking

England: Best resource for finding mountain biking wherever you happen to be in England. Personally we like Hamsterley Forest (sounds like a place in a Beatrix Potter book)    http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-6QHHV3

Scotland: Wolftrax Laggan is 18km of track ranging from the 3.2 km. Blue grade Fun Park to the extremely difficult Black grade trail. Even if you’re the designated driver/supporter there’s something for everyone at Basecamp Diz personally recommends the home-made cake and hot chocolate.  http://www.basecampmtb.com/

Wales: Easily the wildest looking website for Mountain Biking in Wales http://www.mtbwales.co.uk/  the notes on the routes can either be scary or encouraging depending on your psyche.  

Canoeing/Kayaking

England: How about a leisurely paddle down the River Wye in a Canadian Canoe? You can pretend to be Pocahontas or The Last of the Mohicans (ok… just us then) http://www.wyevalleycanoes.co.uk/

Scotland: looking for a new way to see the country? Try looking at it from the sea. http://www.kayakscotland.com/index.html

Wales: Sea Kayaking or the more the more relaxed River or Lake Canoeing can be arranged via this brilliantly named company http://www.shaggysheepwales.co.uk/sswkayakingcanoeing.htm

No flights and stranded? Here are some travel tips.

As someone who was supposed to be in Rome this week, you have my utmost sympathy if you are where you don’t want to be. Sympathy doesn’t help your travel plans so here are some tips that have worked for us and our clients so if you are in in the UK trying to get onto mainland Europe or wanting to come back to the UK we hope the following helps. 

If Eurostar has no availability try other authorised resellers such as 
Rail Europe www.raileurope.co.uk 
TGV Europe (France) www.tgv-europe.com 
French Railways www.voyages-sncf.com
Germail Railway www.bahn.com
Italian Railways www.trenitalia.com
Spanish Railways www.renfe.es

The best thing about these sites is that you don’t have to be travelling from, for example, Germany to use Deutsche Bahn.  We helped get a client Eurostar tickets back from Brussels on Tuesday using Deutsche Bahn, so do try. All sites have information in English.

Seat61 is a great site for train information and gives alternatives for travelling to and from mainland Europe especially for those not based in London
http://www.seat61.com/UKconnections.htm

Other options include chartering boats to or from the UK. We are also able to arrange chauffeur driven cars to and from Europe too as we have a great supplier with cars all over Europe.

Good luck and do let us know if we can help.

Keep an eye out for Elgar

Have a look in your wallet…any £20 notes with the image of Edward Elgar in there?  After June 30 this year they’re no longer legal tender.

This means that shops don’t have to accept them and it is up to banks whether they agree to swap notes after this date.

From July 1 only notes with the image of Adam Smith, the Scottish economist, will be legal tender and the Elgar ones will quite literally not be worth the paper they’re printed on so keep an eye out for Elgar and ask for Adam Smith instead.

Poetry and Motion…

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness”

John Keats

Poet in the City is a registered charity committed to attracting new audiences to poetry, making new connections for poetry, and raising money to support poetry education, in particular the placing of poets in schools, is staging a spectacular evening to mark the recent restoration of Keats’ House in Hampstead, where he wrote some of his most famous works and met the love of his life, Fanny Brawne.

From 6.30pm on Monday 19th April 2010 in Hall One at Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG The event itself will start promptly at 7.00pm and will feature Sir Andrew Motion, the former poet laureate and other leading experts on Keats, readings from his poetry, as well as a presentation about the restoration of the house and garden, which is now once again open to the public.

Booking now open online, by phone or in person
from the Kings Place box office: Tickets cost £9.50 if booked online via www.kingsplace.co.uk
Otherwise tickets cost £11.50. Box Office 020 7520 1490

Sprucing up in the Spring

Now that the days are longer and the weather, hopefully, warmer now would be a good time to take a look at how you can make your home look like the ones in those Sunday paper style guides. Our Top 10 Hints for Home Maintenance and Decorating is a great place to start.

1. Get the windows professionally cleaned inside and out. You’ll be amazed how light and bright your home is afterwards
2. Give your kitchen a new look – without having to completely refurbish. Buy new cupboard doors, or if you’re happy with the style of your doors, brighten them up with some of the new, durable paints available for such surfaces.
3. Update your storage.  Employ a carpenter to install shelves in alcoves and dead spaces, build bench seating with storage underneath or a cupboard under the stairs.
4. Change the feel of a room by moving the furniture or (even less physical effort) changing the pictures you hang or adding mirror to reflect light from the windows into the room
5. Invest in some houseplants. Houseplants can be very beneficial and healthy to our lives. They purify and renew our stale indoor air by filtering out toxins, pollutants and the carbon dioxide we exhale – replacing them with life sustaining oxygen! Not only that you can change the look and feel of a room by simply moving the plants or changing them
6. Get the brushes out. A fresh coat of paint does wonders for making things look sharper and clearer.
7. See the light. Make dark corners of rooms and hallways more spacious by using carefully placed lamps
8. Garage full of clutter and no room for the car? Clear the clutter then talk to a company who specialize in converting the space. You can have an office, kids playroom or extra entertaining space right under your nose.
9. Clear the gutters… while the weather is dry get a company round to clear anything that’s lying in the guttering so that if (or rather when) it rains there’s no problem of blockage or overflow 
10. A window of opportunity…Somemetimes all it takes to revitalise a space is a change the curtains. If you’re not overlooked why have curtains? A draping of a rich velvet material or muslin will completely change the way a room feels. Choose blinds instead of curtains and in kids rooms why not go the whole hog and have a favourite picture printed onto it. The possibilities are endless 

If any of these ideas have caught your imagination and you need a bit of help getting into gear give us a call, we’ll find the perfect supplier for you.

April Newsletter

Calling all business people. Do you enjoy Networking but never get the time to follow up on the clutch of business cards you come back with?

Call us and have a chat about our Networking Support Service. Let us do the follow ups and maintain your contacts database while you get on with growing your business.

Lots of cool things for April… read on.

Website of the Month: Citius, Altius, Fortius – no it’s nothing to do with Gladiator but if you want to see the best in the world go Faster, Higher, Stronger then log on to http://www.tickets.london2012.com/ and register your interest in tickets for the 2012 Olympic Games

  

GO…

North-East to Outchester Ducket: www.theducket.co.uk Located about half a mile from Budle Bay, the 65 ft high Ducket is the perfect retreat for two able people.  The accommodation is split over five floors is accessed by a hand crafted wrought iron and spiral staircase. Original features are carefully combined with 21st features such as Wi Fi and under floor ground source heating. Whether you are on holiday, honeymoon or looking for short break you are guaranteed peace tranquilly and a most memorable experience.

South West for luxury B&B or self catering www.follyfarm.co.uk Folly Farm Cottage is a lovely barn conversion providing luxurious 4* accommodation and attention to detail of the highest standard. The cottage has 3 bedrooms, two with king sized four poster beds (one with whirlpool bath) and 2 self catering apartments with king sized four poster beds and double whirlpool baths. Perfect if you’re looking for a quiet romantic getaway or an energetic walking holiday

DO…

You want to try and spot Doctor Who while he was still a strip of a lad or try to imagine what Nightcrawler would have looked like in the golden kilt worn on another occasion by Alan Cumming? You can do all of that and more for free at the National Library of Scotland’s Exhibition Curtain up: 40 years of Scottish theatre  www.nls.uk/exhibitions/scottish-theatre

Keep tabs on your stuff: nio™ is a Bluetooth® security tag which links with your mobile phone, Blackberry®, or PDA. The tag allows you to establish a security zone for your tagged item of up to 20m. If the security zone is breached, both the tag and your mobile phone emit an audible alarm. A flashing light on the tag is simultaneously triggered. For the busy (or forgetful) amongst us additionally the nio™ ’s locate tone can help you find misplaced tagged items such as USB data sticks or keys. http://www.bluenio.com/ 

SEE…

Exercise in a whole new light http://www.ratraceurbangym.com/thebasics.html Work out using the street as your gym.

What are The 39 Steps? : Best known as Hitchcock’s 1935 classic move thriller. This brand new version is performed by four actors playing a minimum of 150 roles and contains every single legendary scene from the award-winning movie – including the chase on the Flying Scotsman, the escape on the Forth Bridge, the first theatrical bi-plane crash ever staged and the sensational death-defying finale in the London Palladium, besides many other favourite cinematic moments, including the memorable and controversial ‘stockings and suspenders’ scene! We’ve seen it and loved it. Criterion Theatre Piccadilly Circus London, W1V 9LB Tube: Piccadilly Circus

BUY…

Green roofs are increasingly popular but until now it has been difficult for those wishing to construct small-scale green roofs to source the specialist materials required in small quantities. A solution has arrived in the form of a new Green Roof Kit,  ideal for creating a small green roof on a garage, extension or shed flat roof. Green roofs provide a more pleasant outlook and can help prolong the lifespan of the underlying waterproofing. Prices start from £135 more info here:  http://www.safeguardeurope.com/applications/green_roofs.php 

http://www.sedumsupply.co.uk/buy-sedum/ sell ready to lay sedum ’tile’ prices start at £33 per tile.

Ethical Jewellery championed by Annie Lennox, Jimmy Choo and Colin Firth. Lots of birthdays coming up in the office…   http://www.fifibijoux.com/ 

EAT…

Moroccan in London. With an intimate setting that is something truly different. Souk Medina is 2 minutes walk from Covent Garden and Leicester Square tube stations. Experience some of the best North African cuisine in London. www.soukrestaurant.co.uk

Greek in Edinburgh www.mybigfatgreekkitchen.co.uk  Edinburgh’s only Greek Restaurant is now open for Sunday lunch and dinner. You’ll have to look a long way for better roast lamb.