Herald Business Awards

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Herald Business Awards

15 April 2012

Alas it wasn't to be our night on Thursday 12th April at the Herald Business Awards but we did have a great night sharing a little of the lime light with the great and good of the Plymouth Business community.
The Award in our Spirit of Enterprise category went to Lee Duke of Chasing Paper who was a deserved winner, having grown a very interesting and worthwhile waste recycling business helping integrate disadvantaged young people into the work place.  Well done Lee!  He was really chuffed to get the award as were all the winners.
We learned alot about the business community in Plymouth and saw many years of hard work pay off for the winner of business of year txtnation.  It was inspiring to see family businesses beavering away over many years to create and maintain sustainable companies. It was also good to be part of an evening honouring and celebrating the work of Peter Vosper who won the Life Time Achievement Award.
We enjoyed great food provided by Riverford Organics which included a selection of vegetables which are not always appreciated and can be hard to find in some English restaurants - our interest in all things health related makes it appropriate that we were able to enjoy some greens!
Thanks to Outset Plymouth who sponsored the Spirit of Enterprise Award and made us feel very welcome.
and to Kevin Kelway who helped capture the evening for us with these great pictures.

The Herald Business Awards

Only one more day before the Herald Business Awards tomorrow at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Plymouth.  We have been shortlisted in the Spirit of Enterprise category and look forward to hearing about other local businesses and enjoying the food provided by Riverford Organics.
Many thanks to all our customers, business trainers and friends over the last few years who have helped us grow and develop into an enterprising business!

Fingers crossed for our success tomorrow.

Best wishes

Janet

Plymouth Sound By Boat

Yesterday we were lucky enough to join a group of differently able children and their carers on a boat trip with Horizons Sailing club.  While the weather can only be described as 'bracing' it was wonderful to be out on the water to see Plymouth from a whole different viewpoint.  From Richmond Walk first we headed out to the Breakwater passing the lethal looking 'Dragons Teeth' and the rather lonesome Drakes Island.  Then we headed up river and passed the rolling hills of Tamerton Foliet on one side and beautiful Mount Edgecumbe on the other.  We stopped for lunch in Saltash right under the Brunel Bridge and were very grateful to the community centre there who warmed us up with steaming mugs of hot chocolate and coffee and kindly allowed us to use their facillities to eat our packed lunches.  Lunch outside in the driving wind would have been much less pleasant!

I was full of admiration for the Captain who jollied us expertly through the adventure with varying winds and waves but felt even greater admiration for the carers on board who worked so hard coaxing their loved ones through the cold weather and meeting all their needs in such difficult conditions - it looked physically exhausting but for them just another very demanding day. You are all inspirational!

During the night I woke up and was briefly unable to sleep still processing the sights and scenes of the day.  Then I was reminded that the Government's cuts to Working Tax Credit are due to hit this week and I felt extreme anger as I realised that these are probably the very people who the tax cut will hit.  No doubt mostly women like those on the boat who were hard pushed to work 16 hours outside of their caring responsibilites but couldn't possibly manage any more.  As a result of these cuts their income is set to drop substantially because they are not considered to be working enough.  All I can see is an extremely unfair and narrow definition of work - I've yet to see anyone who works harder than those caring for the disabled.

I'm sure I'm not the only one to be made sleepless by this government.

Happy Easter!

Happy Mother's Day

Hope all you mum's out there are getting the attention and pampering you deserve!  I've had a great day thanks to my husband and kids who have rallied round and made me feel special.

After a sumptious brunch - plenty of time to lie in and ease my way into the day we then headed off to the coast with a picnic and sunshades.  Sat looking out to see towards Plymouth Sound basking in the sunshine and still disbelieving the blueness of the sea.  Back home in time for a spot of relaxation in the garden; OK by then I did have to take out my hot water bottle and blanket but listening to Swami's Yoga Nidra through my head phones just loud enough to phase out the garden bird song - lovely!

We've just finished supper which was of course rounded off with the lovely chocolates presented to me earlier.  Now I do have a few chores to do like ironing the school uniform and supervising baths but it all seems easy today, there seems to have been more space and even the normal little ups and downs of the day have stayed little.

Hope you've all enjoyed your day and for those of you like the woman we met on the cliff top today not having such a great time, having lost her mum last week - remember to nuture yourself, we know how to look after others and we also have in us to look after ourselves.

Best wishes  Janet

Happy International Women's Day

Happy International Women's Day

I'm off to Plymouth City Centre to take part in the celebrations at the Guildhall part of which will be seeing our daughter receive her creative writing prize from the Soropomists.  We're so proud of her for flying the International Women's Day flag at only 10!

Hope you all have a wonderful day celebrating another year nearer to equality.

A special thanks goes to all the men out there who are helping us along with their positive support and confidence that everyone wins in a equal world!

A Positive Message from (the) Heart

I was delighted this week to speak to Gemma at Heart Radio.  They are running a feature aimed at spreading a positive message about Plymouth through local businesses recording a positive 'Quote'.  It's so true that much of what we read in the local press and hear on TV is so depressing and negative so this to me is a really innovative way of helping us thinking differently.  And we all know that it's the thinking that counts!

On this theme I am continuing to practise my daily relaxation practise and really enjoy this time of quietening of the mind and a break from all the thinking.  I still fall asleep far too often, so obviously need to work harder.  Hope you're all managing to find relaxation and breaks in the thinking too!

Best wishes

Janet

http://www.wiserhealth.co.uk/

A Relaxing Start to the New Year

Hi Everyone,

I hope everyone is in good spirits after the New Year.  I'm feeling optimistic about the year ahead and really enjoyed presenting 'A relaxing start to the New Year' a guided relaxation to my Armada Speakers group last night.  Even better I was voted Best Speaker! It's always great to be rewarded for what you do.

We've got lots of ideas to work on for 2012 but also want to keep reminding ourselves and our clients and friends 'Take it Slowly' every day is there to be enjoyed not rushed through.  Build in some relaxation and always try to include things you enjoy doing rather than just lots of 'stuff' that you have to do.  I personally think it's OK for that to include TV so looking forward to the second part of the Charles Dickens adaptation of Edwin Drood - what a dark tale it is and very sinister is anyone else enjoying it?

Best wishes

Janet