January 2009 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 November 2008 News and Views and December 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,
Here we are in another new year with exciting challenges ahead. I am a great believer, as members such as Carla Boulton, Jackie Miller and many others have reminded us in recent issues ~ that we must always find ways to hold on to good thoughts and to project a positive image. That attitude will always lead to others believing in us and the unique offerings each of us have.
The difficult demands of combining the running of our own businesses and maintaining a personal life is a challenge throughout the year, yet that is greatly intensified during the holiday period and the months leading up to it. I know that many of you have suffered from exhaustion and the battles with difficult, often extreme winter conditions for almost all members has led to flu, colds and other illnesses in recent weeks. For this reason, I am keeping this issue brief and saving many important new matters for our February Issue. I hope that this will provide an excuse for each of you to take a break after reading this short newsletter and think about new ways in which the current situation can work to your benefit. Then write and let me know your thoughts and ideas and we can all work together to help one another.
I want to share some information WiRE members received from a fellow member who is a Life Coach. Her article was entitled ‘Keeping Positive in Times of Change’. Here are some excerpts that I hope will give you pause to think and feel reinvigorated about the times ahead of us. I found it inspiring and very helpful and hope you will too.
‘Keeping Positive in Times of Change’
Are you tired of reading, hearing and seeing headlines that make you want to pack it all in? The credit crunch, interest rates rising, house prices falling etc, etc… Well, they say you should not always believe everything you read, hear or see, so let’s not be drawn into a state of doom and gloom.
Perhaps I can suggest that you view the current situation as a gift, a gift of opportunity. An opportunity to find new ways of working, diversify your products and services, seek out new partnerships, joint venture with other business owners, pool resources etc. (Our very own ethos at C.C.)
Think about how you are going to get over, through, under or around the obstacles and hurdles presented to you right now, but most of all GET EXCITED!
The fear of making a ‘wrong’ decision can keep us stuck however a decision to do nothing is still a decision. Is it the right one? If you decide to make one decision that brings about a small desired change this will enable you to regain a sense of control and your confidence will grow...
At Compass Life Coaching we love this quote…
“We must risk going too far to discover just how far we can go”
Please never forget that I am here to help in any way I possibly can in good times and bad ~ if only to listen to your fears and concerns. All comments and thoughts are welcome!
Here are some of the emails received last month. Thank you for all communications that have come in, those just for me and those to be shared. Thank you also for the wealth of holiday cards, notes and wishes sent to me and my family. Know that you and your part in our community are valued and cherished.
8 December ~ A very exciting email arrived from Hilary Shenton of Zarza Alpacas www.zarza-alpacas.co.uk
Hi Heléne
I so enjoyed reading your Christmas newsletter - many thanks for compiling it.
Many Christmas greetings from us here in Southern Italy . The alpacas are doing well and we love it here.
I am so sorry I have not been a regular contributor but I promise to put some effort into it in 2009! Maybe we could have a column from the Italian Countryside!!!?
Have a great Christmas!
Hilary Shenton
Zarza Alpacas in Basilicata !
I immediately wrote back to let Hilary know that a column from Italy would be wonderful and she is preparing the first one to appear in next month’s newsletter. We have lots of European visitors to our site and will be adding a new member from Eastern Europe this spring. They too have moved from England to explore life in a new country and will have some offers that are sure to entice visitors.
8 December ~ Another wonderful email, this one from Isobel Davies of Izzy Lane www.izzylane.co.uk Farmaround www.farmaround.co.uk and Farmaround North www.farmaroundnorth.co.uk
What a lovely, cosy, warming and heartening newsletter Heléne.
Thanks so much for the big mention.
Very best wishes,
Isobel
On the 12th of December, this email arrived from our Mr. V-P in America
I have just finished reading the newsletter. This may be your best edition. The mix of heartfelt thanks to your members, their contributions and gratitude coupled with the great variety of recipes really made this the perfect holiday read. Congratulations Heléne.
On the 15th of December, this lovely email arrived from Debbie Bamford ‘The Mulberry Dyer’ www.mulberrydyer.co.uk
Hi Heléne,
Sorry, I am being slow at replying to you too! We have been very busy this December – haven’t finished yet, we are in Peterborough on Thursday and then Aylesbury on Sunday. Huzzah! Then we have a Christmas break!!! It’s really good to hear about happy customers! It was nice meeting Anna – she chatted for quite a while, I wasn’t aware of others though!
The link actually works very well, there is even a counter there so we can see how many people are using them! (you’ve had 106 hits so far!) I will sit down after Christmas and write something for the next newsletter – a kind of resume for the year! I haven’t contacted Isobel yet – because of Fashion week etc I thought it sensible to wait a while – then have been so busy myself! I tend to do most of my organising and getting set for the new season in January anyway, so will probably try then and hope we can maybe meet up and do something.
Thanks for all your help and support,
Have a great Christmas – enjoy it and don’t work too hard!
Love Deb
Anna, mentioned in Debbie’s email is my web designer. She had written to say that after discovering Debbie on our website she saw so many things of interest and was anxious to place an order and then was delighted to find her at the Ludlow Fair they attended in December. She and her daughter, Poppy loved meeting Debbie and John, spent ages speaking with them and Anna is absolutely thrilled with her purchases. Two other women also left telephone messages when I was out of the office, both stating that they had first learned about ‘The Mulberry Dyer’ on our site, had seen Debbie and John at the same fair and were delighted with their new items (this often happens, people who visit our site are lovely about telephoning to share their joy in their new discoveries and others return to the site to send an email after seeing someone at an event or after receiving a purchase they have made. Unfortunately most often they fail to leave a name so that I am only able to pass along their messages).
There are so many indications that our visitor numbers are growing quickly and steadily and we are now getting more and more visitors on both our .com and .co.uk websites from countries around the world.
Coming in February: Full details about a new working relationship that has just been confirmed and which will increase our numbers even more plus providing many other wonderful benefits. Watch this space . . .
The town of Skipton , located less than four miles from our village, is a treasure in many ways. It has a historic castle at one end of the high street; the river and canals are overlooked by wonderful cafes and shops and provide the perfect grassy areas for picnics or just sitting and relaxing as the world passes by; the bustling market held four days each week is visited by locals and guests from countries near and far and it still boasts a wealth of small, independent shops as well as major outlets. For many years prior to her death, my mother-in-law lived just a short walk from the centre of Skipton and we know and love it well.
Please do not feel you have to take my word for all of this boasting; just read the information below that appeared in newspapers around the country. The image & text I have chosen were featured in one of our own local newspapers.
Craven Herald & Pioneer
Skipton High Street the best in Britain
Skipton High Street has beaten its London rivals to be crowned Great Street of the Year 2009 at a prestigious awards ceremony in Liverpool tonight.
The cobble-lined thoroughfare beat world-famous shopping hot-spots Kensington High Street and Portobello Road to the title which had been organised by the Academy of Urbanism Awards.
The awards promote “inspired urban design and creative space-shaping” and are seen as a chance for architects, developers and members of local authorities to honour design that promotes a sense of civic pride and quality of life.
The three finalists were picked from a short-list of 10 contestants at a nominations dinner at the Cutler’s Hall in Sheffield in May.
The top trio had already come through preliminary rounds and beaten such UK and Irish gems as Donegall Street, Belfast, High Street, Deal, High Street, Oxford, High Street, Rochester, High Street, Wells, Princes Street, Edinburgh and Royal Crescent, Bath.
Judges visited Skipton in August to make their final decision and were impressed by the street’s eclectic mix of historic architecture, modern-day bars and cafes and its market four days a week.
The announcement was made at a ceremony at the St George’s Hall, in Liverpool tonight.
The news will be a shot in the arm for residents and businesses who are teetering on the edge of a recession and worried about the future.
Winning the accolade will allow those associated with the town to use the Great Street of the Year 2009 logo on correspondence and websites and promote the district to the tourist trade.
Many people over the years have been surprised at my deep love of Yorkshire and its people, believing them to be unwelcoming to outsiders ~ this belief has usually been expressed by family and friends who live in the south and many who have never been to northern areas of Britain . When I first visited more than 30 years ago, market traders and shopkeepers were always very helpful, always assumed I was here on holiday and always asked with great interest all about my life in America . Times have changed and many from America now both visit and live here and my accent is rarely commented upon. There are so many stories I could share to prove my point about the warmth and generosity of the people of Yorkshire, but the Skipton High Street image above brings one in particular to mind; it is a memory triggered by The Black Horse Pub Sign. My wonderful mother-in-law passed away in 1997. It was a hectic time in our lives with Alan working away in California , Morgan away at boarding school and I was living in Hampshire and commuting to work in London . Her death was a tremendous loss. She had bravely suffered from Multiple Sclerosis for more than 40 years and managed to live independently in her own home with the help of adjustments made inside and outside of the house to make everything accessible for independent living for someone who was wheelchair bound. Alan was only able to return for a brief period as he was in the midst of a crucial project and as it happened during a term break at school it was left to me to arrange for the sale of her home. I met with four different agencies and each one said that I would have to return to the home to ‘normal’ or it would never sell. I had become very involved in the M.S. Society with my mother-in-law and knew that there were many who envied her ability to remain in her own home. I was determined to prove them wrong and hopefully help others in similar circumstances. My battle never really had to be fought as I was approached with a letter through the letterbox from the mother of a physical therapist who had worked in the house with Alan’s mother. She was facing a double hip replacement and had been told that it was only a matter of time before she would need a wheelchair. Her daughter and her family lived only a few streets away and she asked to be allowed to visit and speak with me. A purchase was quickly agreed but I insisted upon repainting the house and having all new carpets and curtains in place. This was not unusual in previous homes we had sold in the states, but of great surprise to the buyer and her family. The woman and I had lovely visits getting to know one another as we spent time pouring over sample books so that she could select the colours and styles of her choice. In between the work (I did all of the painting and redecorating except for the new carpets) I would drive back and forth down south each week to spend time with Morgan. I have never been a breakfast person, as long as I can have my cups of tea ~ Yorkshire , of course (even when we live in America ) but one morning when travelling early I felt extremely tired and knew that I needed some sustenance. As I passed through the centre of town, I saw major construction going on at The Black Horse and spotted a handwritten sign saying ‘Breakfast Being Served’ I knew they had recently suffered from some fire damage but decided to stop and enquire. It turned out that the sign was for the workmen, but the owner and his wife insisted I stay and join them. We all sat around a large table and after a delightful time, the first cheerful moments in ages, I asked for my check only to be informed that it had already been taken care of. They wished me luck and waved me on my way.
With a reminder of the kindness of strangers, warmly, Heléne