December 2008 News and Views
News & Members' Contributions from Countryside Connection Village
The response has been so wonderful since I began sharing excerpts from our members' monthly newsletters! After enjoying this month's issue, you will be able to read all of the February 2008 News and Views as well as March 2008 News and Views April 2008 News and Views May 2008 News and Views June 2008 News and Views July 2008 News and Views August 2008 News and Views September 2008 News and Views October 2008 News and Views and November 2008 News and Views you might have missed by accessing the individual links. I will continue to provide access to all future issues in the same way so that you will not miss any of the news from our village. To enable you to enjoy past news and members' contributions from our Countryside Connection Village please simply click on the link to the appropriate month each time you visit our site.
Please Note : As one of our members, Artist Linda Leonard Hughes from Maine advised in our February issue, you will be wise to prepare a pot of your favourite brew before beginning so that you can sit back, relax and enjoy all of the exciting news as well as the latest adventures and offerings our members have shared.
I hope you will enjoy the excerpts from our Members' Newsletter. If you have a small business in Britain or America that you would like to see featured on our site and enjoy the full benefits of membership in our unique networking community, please send me an email and I will be delighted to make contact with you and answer all of your questions. Send your request to enquiries@countrysideconnection.com ~ I look forward to hearing from you, Heléne
Dear Visitors to Countryside Connection Village,
We have come to the final month of another year ~ and what a year it has been! On a positive note, we have watched history being made in America and then all been overwhelmed as we have continued to be caught up in the worldwide economic turmoil. In the past few months, I have been so proud of the emails from members showing the determination and perseverance necessary to succeed in owning and operating small businesses. The determination of our members not only to move forward in a positive frame of mind, but to work together to ensure we take all members along with us always proves to me that I am right in believing that we are stronger for our community’s joint efforts and beliefs. The saying ‘There is strength in numbers’ is proven again and again ~ look to those who contribute and share their messages and thoughts each and every month. This month’s email of inspiration below came from Carla Boulton of Naughty Mutt Limited who ALWAYS finds a way to look on the brighter side of life! Just as we have been reminded by Jackie Miller at Colliers Hill Guest House and Conference Centre, wheelchair bound at the moment due to a broken hip, but always filled with enthusiasm for all the possibilities life offers, there is always a positive aspect to every situation and we must not only find it, grasp it with both hands and use it to find new ways to thrive and prosper, but always share the thoughts and ideas with one another to enable everyone to do the same. There are so many others to mention and express my appreciation and I fear that I will forget to mention any of you who never cease to find time to contribute and inspire ~ such as Lucia and Debbie at Meadowlark Inn in Brattleboro, Vermont; Jinsy Robinson of Penyrallt Farm in Wales; Linda Leonard Hughesof Maine; Cally Smart of Country Gate Home Finders in Wiltshire; Richard Harbord, of Daisy and Co. in Somerset and Wendy Blair of Rose Hill B&B in Roanoke, Virginia. All of your letters and contributions are gratefully received and again, it is important to note that this is YOUR VILLAGE newsletter and your chance to promote all that is happening in your business and all aspects of your life that you wish to share.
The following email mentioned above arrived from Carla Boulton of Naughty Mutt Limited just after her copy of the November Issue arrived. Her words are so important for all of us during these unique times. I hope that you are as inspired and spurred on to new action as I was after reading this and returning to it time and time again as a wonderful reminder of the important message she has shared with us.
Thank you Heléne
Truly, optimism is the only way forward and what a relief when I awoke yesterday to hear the news from America, the election results show what I would call 'mass sense' thank goodness. Who knows what will the future will bring but nothing comes from the snowballing negativity and fear -mongering we hear so much of. And how refreshing to feel the future may be a little more comfortable with a calmer man.
I believe so firmly in having 'YES' times and now when things are perhaps a bit shaky is a good time for people to try this and see what happens. The premise is that it becomes a habit to say 'NO' and so if you say 'YES' to new things you will do some things you never imagined.
The recipe for YES
Decide that during one week very soon you will just say 'YES' to anything which comes your way as long as it does not endanger you or anyone else.
It is an amazing thing to do, it's far too easy to say no. I have met some fantastic people doing this, learned some skills and faced some fears.
For me next week is a YES week - let's see what happens!
I can tell you one thing that is sure to happen, this scheme makes one say yes to things much more, even when it's not a yes week - YES becomes the habit!
Combined with my 'do something good for someone every day' which is a 20-year old habit, the above 'scheme' makes for such and interesting positive time!
Your evangelising. . . Carla
Please, are you able to help? I received the following email through our website from Yvonne Niescier e. yvonne_niescier@hotmail.com . Please email Yvonne directly if you are able to assist her in any way. Thank you for your consideration of her request.
Hi, I am a secondary school teacher and will be running a food based summer school. I was wondering about the possibility of some sort of food based visit for our pupils. This would be a highly beneficial experience for our pupils! Thank you for taking the time to read my email. Yvonne Niescier. Gifted & Talented Co-ordinator. Sacred Heart Catholic College Liverpool Road . Crosby . L23 5TF
Follow-up email to my response to Yvonne telling her I would make this enquiry:
Hi Helene,
Thank you very much for your kind email!!! It has really brought a smile to my face on this Friday afternoon!
I am so grateful for your interest in finding us a place to visit. I will definitely let you know how things progress.
Have a lovely weekend.
Yvonne.
The next email to arrive was another joy as I had missed hearing from Penny Lindop of Penny Lindop Designs. Penny is, like Carla, always filled with positive thoughts and as you will see from the ongoing email, first started in July, she has had a number of things that could easily and understandably have dampened her spirits if she had let them.
Hi Heléne
Oh dear.
Well, I started an email to you way back in July (some of this is below), but life took its turn. In fact, read what I wrote to you back then, and then I’ll catch you up with what’s been going on since then:
You must be almost on your drive up north. I thought about you last week while I was at a trade show in Harrogate . I stay with really good friends in Long Preston, and if you check out your map you will see that I went through Gargrave every day!! Such a lovely part of the world. If you ever need any jewellery or jewellery repairs, do please consider going into Thomas’s in Skipton. I have known Judy and Geoff Thomas for almost 40 years, and they have a beautiful shop.
I’ve been incredibly busy because I have opened a tiny little shop in our local market town of Diss – The Little House. I’m selling my own work and also supporting other UK artisans, as well as a few ethical companies and environmentally aware companies. It’s a really cute little shop with some lovely cards and gifts – all a bit different from your average gift shop in towns. We’re a bit tucked away and not well known enough yet, but that will take time. We’re in a pretty little courtyard with some other quirky shops around.
But it’s been hard getting it all together, and even now I’ve not yet got the proper lights that I need! We opened at the end of May and we’re gradually getting known, although it’s been a disappointing start – credit crunch, bad weather, etc etc. But I do firmly believe that shops that are doing something different, top-end and special have a much better chance of survival.
It’s going to be challenging running the shop and the trade side of the business – being in 2 places at once is just beyond my multi-tasking abilities! During the summer we’ll be fine because the girls will help, so the real challenge will be from September… But we’ll sort something out.
The trade show was better than I’d hoped for, considering the gloom you hear every time you listen to the radio or read a newspaper. The buyers who came were pretty upbeat and looking for new products. It certainly wasn’t the best show I’ve done, but not nearly as grim as I was expecting. So I’m happy and have a lot of work to do, both fulfilling orders and also designing for companies.
One of the reasons we decided to open a shop was so that I didn’t spend all day, every day in the studio at the bottom of the garden. It’s lovely, but can get quite lonely, as everyone knows who works for themselves from home. Now I have a chance to showcase my work and talk to customers. It’s been very interesting because what people ask for in my shop is different to what the shop buyers ask for! While I’m in the shop I’ve been using the quiet days for designing which has been lovely – I never have time, or never set aside time, while in the studio because I’m forever doing “running the business” type stuff. So I have designed a whole range of anniversary cards (there’s still more to do, but I’ve got a good selection) which caused some interest at Harrogate because some of them are civil partnership cards. One of my next jobs will be to put them on the website……
Ok, so that was then.
This is now: I had to close my shop in the end because of family health problems (not my own). I was getting ragged around the edges, doing the shop, the trade side, running the house, and being there for the girls. I went off to Germany to some friends for a week, on my own, to try to get things in perspective and came back knowing that the shop sadly had to go. Expensive? Yes!
But every cloud… I go to one of the local Wire network groups and they have been just so supportive and encouraging. So now I run The Little House as a mobile shop taking it to people’s home parties, ladies’ pampers nights, charity events etc. It still gets me out and meeting folk but gives me the flexibility I need. And it’s been doing really well. I’m not doing that many events, by choice, but each one has been good. It’s a mixture of my work and some beautiful gifts that I’ve sourced from ethical suppliers.
The civil partnership cards are doing well in the shops, so they will hopefully help make up the lost monies from the shop fiasco. And trade has been brisk on the retail shops front too, with 8 new accounts being opened just in October – if that’s credit crunch, then give me more!! I think I will feel the brunt of it next year to be honest, but a lot of the shops are saying that they want quirky and unusual and not the same old.
I’ve taken on a part time worker to help out who seems to be getting on really well, and once she’s learnt the ropes I should be able to get better organised and set aside time for designing and looking after customers.
I’ve also recently started a blog, and it would be great if any members wanted to have a look and get in touch. I’m not that sure that I know what I’m doing yet, but I’ll learn as I go, and make loads of mistakes along the way. Blog: http://cardartnorfolk.blogspot.com
My other good news is that I’ve been short-listed for one of the Enterprising Women Awards, in the category of Inspirational Business Mum, so if anyone would like to go and vote for me I’d be really pleased (voting needs to be done before something like Nov 20, so too late for the December newsletter)
http://www.enterprising-women.org/static/conference-2008/nominations.html is the link
This will be too long for the newsletter, so do feel free to just take extracts if you felt like it.
Best wishes, and sorry it’s taken so long
Penny xx
Wonderful email from Penny after the ceremony – I want to add my thanks for all of you who wrote to say you voted for her and many who encouraged others!
Hi Heléne
Thanks so much for your thoughts. I’ve been meaning to write to you since the awards, but have been rushed off my feet with weekend markets and house parties, and am about to go off to an afternoon workshop followed by a local Wire meeting. I so enjoy being a member of Wire!
The Enterprising Women’s Conference and award ceremony was brilliant. I didn’t win the award but I was a finalist and that’s good enough for me! I’d like to send huge thank you’s to all Countryside Connection members who voted for me – what great support from you all. I really appreciate it.
The conference itself was excellent, with so many interesting and lively business women – quite a buzz. Enterprising Women is now open to business women across the UK , and not just East Anglia , so some of your members might well want to take a look.
I’ll try and write again soon
Best wishes Penny
More wonderful news arrived in one of this month’s emails from Isobel Davies of Izzy Lane (as well as Farmaroundand Farmaround North). Izzy Lanecontinues to go from strength to strength - over 600 Sheep have now been saved from slaughter by Isobel - and their wool ensures quality provisions for the creation of Izzy Lane's amazing offerings. Isobel's email arrived with the heading: “Hot off the press, Heléne”
The RE: New Designer of the Year went to Izzy Lane, the passionate knitwear designer from North Yorkshire, who uses the wool from rescued Wensleydale and Shetland sheep who would otherwise have been sent to slaughter. She uses the last of 51 worsted spinners and one of the last dyers in the Bradford area and her cloth is woven at an ancient mill in Selkirk using Victorian machinery which has been in use for more than a century.
Congratulations from all of us at Countryside Connection to Isobel for this outstanding achievement and recognition for her commitment.
The article which appeared in The Telegraph can be found at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/3459905/RE-Fashion-Awards-2008.html
Note: In exchanges with many of you, we have often discussed how our ‘former lives and careers’ often reappear with reminders from the past. When I was working as Head of the Prep Department and Pastoral Care in a London Prep School , I worked closely with Pixie and her sisters, Peaches and Fifi as well as the family for several years. It is interesting to see Pixie’s name linked now with attendance at a fashion show featuring Isobel’s wonderful creations. Yet another reminder of how small the world we live in really is.
Last month Jackie Miller of Colliers Hill Guest House and Conference Centre in Worcestershire www.colliershill.co.uk wrote about the forthcoming wedding of her son, Alex to his fiancée Katie on the 1st of November and the 80 heart-shaped brownies she had baked for the wedding. I was, yet again, impressed by all that Jackie continues to accomplish during her recovery from a broken hip. However, I was totally unprepared for the amazing images the wedding photographer agreed to share so that we could all see how they looked on the day. Enjoy!
Some of our members have kindly shared some of their favourite holiday recipes with us. Please have a look at our Recipe Category for new ideas and inspiration. We wish you all a joyous holiday season and a Happy and Healthy New Year.
This fireside Christmas Setting at Colliers Hill was sent in by Jackie for all to enjoy!
As you will all welcome in The New Year 2009, before our next newsletter may I take this moment to remind all of us that we get out of life what we put into it ~ positive thoughts and working together will always bring their own rewards. Times may not be the best at present, but our individual efforts will make the difference as to what the future holds for each of us, individually and collectively. We have all come to realize how global our world is and how we are affected by economies and cultures we know very little about. The New Year will be greeted around the world with sayings both familiar and unknown to us so I leave with some you may know and others that will be new to you – Alan, Morgan and I wish you all a new year filled with good health, love, friendship and peace – Cheers, L’Chaim, Salud, Slainte, Cin Cin and Iechyd da.