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There’s a red letter on the grass. It’s addressed to someone who doesn’t live at that address, or, even in that town. Somehow it must have flown out of the mail truck as it had been doing its rounds of collections and deliveries.

It sits innocuously, near a small, circular flowerbed of red petunias in the front yard of number 7 Timtally Lane. It has sat there for a week, passing the time in whatever fashion it is that inanimate pieces of paper choose to entertain themselves.

The house that resides near the current placement of the red letter is a simple enough, ordinary house. Its low story, brick exterior matches almost exactly those of the houses surrounding it. Inside you would find the same white paint and blue lounge chairs that you would find in almost half the lounge rooms in the country.

Indeed, number 7 Timtally Lane was so incredibly average that it frequently made the dark blue roof shingles cry. Or it would have, that is, if roof shingles could cry – Or if they could feel any emotion beyond that of simply being a shingle. This last fact being particularly upsetting to the shingle in the fourth row centre, who liked to feel that there was an importance to his existence, and that part of that importance was to be, even if only slightly, original and creative.

However the miserable non-life of the shingles is another story entirely. Or it would be if they didn’t all agree that an entire fiction about the non-lives of roofing shingles was just a little too sad to even consider.

The point is that number 7 was a very average house, in a painfully average street. It had red petunias out the front, and hidden amongst them was a, most likely very bored, red letter that was addressed to some other house in some other city.

It had sat there for a week, noticed only by the roof shingles, and they weren’t exactly in any position to do anything about the letter. At least that is, not until after they had figured out how to paint glittering silver stripes on themselves.

Inside the house, lived couple in their very early thirties, and their two children – A girl aged 7, and a boy who had just recently turned 10. Soccer practice was on Monday’s and dancing on Thursday’s.

The mother of the average pigeon pair was a Mrs Jane Jones – so named by the roof shingles, because it was the most average and boring name they could think of. They had considered a massively strange name to call her by, but they themselves were essentially too boring and average to think of anything suitable. Although, the shingle in the fourth row did make some interesting suggestions, such as ‘Xlankerbean the fifth.’ In the end Jane had won out as a name purely because it was shorter and simpler for them to say. So, the cute irony had lost out, and she was named Jane Jones – Much to the ever-lasting disappointment of the fourth row, centre shingle who still occasionally made some outlandish suggestions.

Jane did squash on Saturday’s, pilates on Tuesday’s, yoga on Thursday’s and worked part-time as a receptionist at a medical office in the city.

Mr Jones, who was so very boring to the shingles that they had yet to bother giving him a first name, was a banker, or an accountant, or possibly even lawyer. The shingles didn’t know in order to tell you. Whatever he did, they were sure it was massively boring. It required him to wear a horrible greyish suit five days a week, and kept him rarely home.

On Saturday’s Mr Jones went golfing, and once a month on Sunday’s he went fishing. Or , rather he said he went fishing, and dressed like he was going fishing. However, the shingles knew – via word passed along from roof to roof, that on these days, he could in fact be found at a very interesting bar several streets away.

Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Friday’s Mr Jones was always several hours late home. On these nights he sometimes didn’t get in until well after 1am. These outings kept the shingles entertained for much of the week, as they considered whether or not he was having an affair. If he was having an affair, they argued with themselves, they wondered with whom, and if Mrs Jones was aware of the situation.

The shingles strongly suspected that she was in fact completely aware, but was so bored by the man that she didn’t actually care if he was, or was not. Still, the situation was a small matter of interest to them in their otherwise gossip-free existence. Or, it had been until 2 nights ago when they had seen the other woman for just a moment, and found her to be even more incredibly un-entertaining than Jane Jones was. Quite a feat they thought; to be that uninteresting.

On October the fifth, exactly one week after the red letter had arrived in the petunias; another red letter flew out of the mail truck and joined it in the garden bed. That afternoon, for reasons the shingles couldn’t figure out, Mrs Jones did something quite out of the ordinary for her. She took a walk around the front garden, and in amongst the petunias.

The shingles watched as four times she walked directly past the two letters, before finally finding them on the fifth trip. She glanced at the letters, their addressees and the returns on the back. A quick look at her watch proved she was running late for some part of the weekly routine and she hurried off, shoving the red letters into the glove-box of her car.

The following morning, the roof shingles stared as Mrs Jane Jones sat on a kitchen chair in the middle of the front lawn. It would seem she had forgone some morning ritual in favour of reading other people’s mail from a seat amongst the petunias.

It was the most interesting, if insane, thing the shingles had ever seen her do – Completely out of character for the totally average housewife. Nonetheless there she was, and sitting in such a position that they were able to read over her shoulder.

Marion,

You need to get the Internet. I’m too young to have a pen-pal. The concept always seems to conjure the image of lonely couples in aged homes finally discovering their long lost soul mates.

Maybe you are my soul mate, and my life is simply that sad. But I much prefer to fool myself into believing there’s more out there for me than just you. So if you could please get the Internet, or even just a telephone, my self-delusions would much appreciate it.

I painted the door, the railings and the fence at the front today. All in mismatched, clashing colours. I have no idea why I did it. I didn’t really have the time. Its not as though I am ever overly bored. It doesn’t even look any good; Looks awful actually.

Still it is at least new, different from every other house in the neighbourhood. Tomorrow I was thinking I might set about pulling up the entire front lawn. Grass, trees, flowers, everything. I’m going to replace it with a mass of those river stone things and plant Fly-traps and cactus instead.

I’m in a mood, I’m tired of everything being always the same and I feel like being different, so I suppose ‘why not?’

We both know I’ll hate it in a month or two and then I’ll change everything all back again to how it was before. But, for now…it’s new.

The people up the road have been staring at my cutely odd letterbox that you sent me. This will give them something more worthwhile to look at now! I might even string pink fish-netting, vinyl and chains along the fence and walkway. Not a bad idea that actually. It’ll tie in all the odd colours that I painted everything else. Certainly it would be different from the norm.

I could put that strange metal pink and yellow flamingo Jonathon bought me last winter out there too. That would work well!

See, now look at that, your decorating advice is invaluable Marion, it truly is. One letter to you and the clashing paintwork suddenly makes sense.

Speaking of Jonathon. He finally ran off on me last month. I don’t think I told you. He discovered he was a transvestite. No doubt he’ll discover he’s something entirely new come next month and toddle back home wearing some outfit that’s completely odd.

We had a fight over that flamingo. That and the purple and gold throw-rug. I would have happily given them over to him (It’s not as though I ever liked them.) Except I could never be sure where he would leave them when he has decided that he’s not a queen after all. Knowing his strange moods I’d likely receive the blame for having lost them. Better to keep them here and do something weird with them that neighbours can stare at.

They like staring at me, these neighbours. It’s one of the ‘benefits’ to having moved to a smaller town. It leaves me tempted to do all this garden work while wearing that Frank ‘n’ Furter outfit from last Halloween. Just to see what they’ll do.

Better yet! I’ll go to the mechanics shop and work on the cars while dressed in that. Give the sweet, darling wives something to wonder about. Surely it would have to be good for business to give the bored men something to drool over. Lord knows there’s not much here for them.

What of that creepy boss of yours? I hope you kneed him right in the studded g-string. You should sue for sexual harassment, you know that don’t you? Just make certain you don’t bring him home! I know you’re tempted. You’ve had enough ‘pets’ in the past, let this one go and run over by something. For your own sake, please.

I must go. The neighbours are looking, so its time to do something freakish for them.

Get a telephone!

Portia.

Jane Jones blinked at the letter. The shingles stared silently at it. The letter itself attempted to do something strange. Which was sadly beyond its capabilities, it being only a piece of paper and not much more.

The singles watched as Jane turned the letter over. She rubbed at the page corners, as though to see if there was more to the letter. She sat in stunned silence for a little while before carefully opening the other letter.

Marion,

I know I only just posted to you. Jonathon is back. He’s decided that he’s Amish! It would be hilariously funny if he weren’t so insistent on throwing my computer out.

Portia.

The shingles watched in shock as Jane Jones ran back inside of the house and came out with a small writing desk, a pen and some paper. She was writing back they realised in astonishment. The angling of the little table made it difficult for them to read over her shoulder, but they did see that the letter she had written was indeed addressed to ‘Portia of the interesting front lawn.’

The next day the shingles noticed that Jane brought home with her an odd looking bright blue metal heron statue that she placed in amongst the petunias near enough to the new black wrought iron garden set that she had also bought.

She stood for a quite a worrying length of time, smiling oddly at her weird garden ornament. The roofing shingles, all except that one in the centre of the fourth row, began to fear that Jane Jones had finally snapped. A life of boredom to the level in which she had been living, couldn’t be good for the marbles, they gossiped.

They were still debating amongst themselves as to which treatments could do her the most good, when suddenly; the mail truck went past once again and off it flew yet another letter. A purple one this time.

Mrs Jones stared at it where it lay amongst the petunias, in almost the same positioning that the red letter had been in. The shingles sat in silent shock as they watched Jane watch the purple letter. The purple letter did nothing under all this attention. After all it was just a letter, and what do letters do when they aren’t doing anything in particular?

Slowly, almost fearfully it seemed, Jane Jones bent down and picked up the errant letter. She turned it over in her hand contemplatively for several minutes before she finally took a seat at the new garden setting and hurriedly opened the new letter.

Silver ink curled its way prettily over the purple paper, and once again the roofing shingles read along over the back of the shoulder of Mrs Jane Jones.

Paul,

You’re a bastard. What kind of person does that? I thought about phoning you to tell you off in a more personal way, but I figured that I might as well use all this bloody bridal stationary for something.

You were already married! How does that not ‘come up in conversation?’ When we were booking the church might have been a good time that you could have slipped it in! At some point when we were organising the reception would have worked equally good. Before I bought the damned dress would have been helpful!

What I’m not getting, (read: The bit that really angers me the most.) is why you would propose at all if you knew that you had another family down south and weren’t going to go through with any other wedding to anyone.

The least you could have done would have been to propose to me in private! I now have the entire football club and all their spectators asking me how the marriage is going!

I’ve filled the front lawn with those creepy massacre-look garden gnomes that always freaked you out so much. If you ever show up here again, I sincerely hope that they actually do leap up and attack you with their axes, as you always feared they would.

Hoping that your wife has opened this,

Much hate,

Breona

Mrs Jones triple checked the address on the envelope, and the roof shingles were sincerely bored to note that the letter was most definitely not for number 7 Timtally Lane. It was for another address, in another city, and indeed even in another state.

‘How very average.’ The shingles thought to themselves – never considering the incredible strangeness of all these letters for other people consistently landing in amongst the Jones’s petunias. Which was indeed beginning to become very strange, but it would be months, almost a year, before the shingles actually noticed that fact.

Mrs Jane Jones however, did notice the incredible oddness of three letters for two different addresses all landing in amongst her front yard petunias. Three days after the arrival of the purple letter, the shingles could see her still seemingly searching for something in amongst the garden bed.

The truth be known, it was simply one of those freakish things that happen in life. No electrical devices, no mystical attracting spells, not even any kind of a divine intervention. Just a very freakish coincidence. But nevertheless, Mrs Jane Jones didn’t know that. Two nights of the next week she could be found in the houses of two different psychics attempting to remove a spell that didn’t actually exist.

When the fourth letter arrived, even the psychics shrugged their shoulders and said, “It’s just meant to happen.” The fourth row centre roof shingle, who was calling itself Czar Yoquey today, thought it was all the best thing to happen since that woman across the street had gone through menopause.

Portia,

I believe I have found my true biological father. He is in Cuba on a secret mission to uncover the drugs syndicate there. In order to get to know him better, I shall need to go undercover with him. Otherwise we might both get shot.

Could you please send me my Rastafarian Hat and the paint gun? I think they may be helpful to complete the image of a Cuban drug-lord’s son.

We named a plantation in your honour. Thought you might like that, even if the secret agency that has sent biological father here won’t allow for us to appropriate any of its profits. Still, the Portia Plantation does seem to be a very profitable one, or so father says.

Love you. Will be home as soon as we’ve completed father’s secret mission. You know, having a secret agent for a father could explain so many things.

Jonathon.

Mrs Jane Jones blinked at the letter. The shingles blinked at the letter. The letter did nothing. If it could have, I believe it would have pulled out a weapon and declared itself lord of the petunias. It couldn’t though of course, being only a letter. But, I’m certain it wished it could.

Mrs Jane Jones once more hurried back into the house to emerge with a pen and a writing pad that was apparently new. The shingles missed whatever she had written on the writing pad, as they were too busy staring at the strange gothic art which adorned the paper. They were still debating if the blood print indicted a vampire or an injury to someone when Jane Jones folded the two completed letters into envelopes and drove off to post them together with the mail from the petunias.

Indeed they were still debating the topic of the strange stationary when Mrs Jane Jones returned a two hours later. The conversation was only stopped when the shingle in the fourth row centre yelled at the others to look at the strange object Mrs Jones was placing near the driveway, facing the petunias.

It was a garden gnome, made to look somewhat suspiciously like Fidel Castro, complete with shaggy beard, a cigar dangling from his mouth, and a paintball gun in his left hand. Of course the roof shingles, being just shingles after all, had no idea who Fidel Castro was. To the shingles, the gnome looked even weirder still, and it was very weird looking to begin with. To make it stranger, rather than a Cuban military hat, Gnome Castro wore a multi-coloured, Jamaican Rasta hat.

The shingles gossiped in horror over this new edition, unsure what to make of either Gnome Castro himself, or of Mrs Jane Jones having bought him. The gnome smoked his cigar smugly in reply, and the blue heron stood imperiously amongst the petunias looking in another direction entirely.

As the shingles and Gnome Castro stared off silently at each other with their separate inanimate expressions – the blue metal heron watched as a postcard from several streets away flew into the petunias of number 7. None of the roof shingles would notice it until a number of days later, at which point the other shingles would tell Czar Yoquey not to interrupt their discussion of Mrs Jane Jones’s current strange behaviour.

It was another week still after that before Mrs Jones found the postcard, by which time the shingles had already read it and discussed it to great length. They were endlessly amused to watch her read it though, as it involved one of the girls from the ‘very interesting bar’ teaching pole dancing at a beach-side club in Rio.

Mrs Jane Jones went suitably red, but to her credit took the postcard around by foot to its rightful addressee at the ‘very interesting bar.’ The shingles responded by gossiping in horror, Czar Yoquey professed that it was wonderful, Gnome Castro smoked his cigar serenely and the blue metal heron snubbed them all by staring off in another direction entirely.

This was how it began that the once very boring Mrs Jane Jones replaced her squash, yoga, pilates and psychics with lessons in Pole Dancing. Thrice a week she would go to the ‘very interesting bar,’ and thrice a week the roof shingles of the entire street held their breath waiting for Mr Jones go ‘fishing’ at the same time.

It was whilst she was at one of these very interesting lessons that the roof shingles sat watching one early afternoon as a landscaper came in a truck and stole the grass from the Jones’s front yard. He was still there when Mrs Jones returned.

They supposed she would be horrified, but that was not the case. Quite the opposite, she actually gave the landscaper money for taking the grass away, smiled and went inside. The roof shingles of the entire street watched on as for the first time since the woman with the menopause, something very interesting was happening in Timtally Lane.

When the job was complete, the landscaper had replaced the grass of the entire front and back lawns of number 7 with beach sand. In the middle of which remained the circular garden bed of red petunias, now looking extremely out of place in this very curious suburban yard.

The shingles had never been more excited in the entire time the Jones’s had lived there. This was the first truly interesting thing, any of them had ever done. Czar Yoquey was in a sulk though, as the entire yard had been made interesting, and yet, still no little silver stripes for them.

Gnome Castro smoked his cigar and looked out approvingly. The metal blue heron attempted not to notice the sand, by looking off into another direction. The red petunias swayed happily in the light breeze and another letter flew out of the mail truck in amongst their numbers.

Mrs Jane Jones who had been standing there appreciating her new beach look yard watched it land and hurried over to fetch it. Sitting at the wrought iron garden set she opened it hurriedly.

Portia,

We have had to flee Cuba. Sad to say the local Authorities burned the plantation we had named after you. They would not believe biological father that it was part of an undercover investigation, so it was either go to jail or escape on a fishing boat.

We have made it safely into Mexico. Father has met a nice woman who was holidaying there, her name is Breona. Apparently, some guy proposed to her at a football game and then on the wedding day left a note saying he was already married. She needed to escape the comments for a while and so is now heading from Mexico to Rio with Father.

I’m going to head up to Texas. In the meantime, could you send my sombrero?

Jonathon.

The coincidence of this was not missed by Mrs Jane Jones who hurried inside to fetch the slightly concerning looking writing pad. The shingles excitedly gossiped about it all, while Gnome Castro smoked his cigar thoughtfully, the blue metal heron looked for answers somewhere off in the distance, and the sand just sat there.

A letter was hurried off, and all the various things at number 7 waited to see what she would bring home this time. Except the sand, because it was too new to see a pattern yet. Also, sand is just sand after all.

But the shingles put quite a lot of guesses in. The two things they decided most likely were either a big statue of a mariachi or else a couple in a ‘Mexican Hat Plant.’ They were all disappointed when she returned with only a chilli plant in a pot, which was boringly placed near the wall of the house.

They remained concerned that she had returned somewhat to her normal droll self, until sometime the next week when, very early in the day, a truck pulled up out the front and Mrs Jane Jones greeted it excitedly.

El Chupacabra was placed on the other side of the path to the petunias. He stood 7 foot tall, was made of alligator skin, came complete with wings, and wore a sombrero. Having rather a lack of education on myths, the shingles wondered what it was meant to be. Gnome Castro smoked his cigar with great concern at the teeth bared at him. The blue metal heron was determined to pretend it wasn’t there by staring off in another direction. The petunias waved hello. The chilli plant edged into the wall a bit more, and the sand just sat there, because sand is only sand. Although, a few well educated grains did quietly fly off on the breeze.

As the sand attempted to sneak off quietly the newest letter arrived. This time not into the petunias, but into the open mouth of El Chupacabra. Jane Jones stood on one of the garden chairs, pulling it down to reveal a crisp, clean white envelope with practical lined paper inside.

Dear Jonathon,

I hope this will find you with Portia where you said that you were headed after Texas. Breona left me for another woman. A Pole Dancing instructor that she met while we were in Rio. Can you believe that?

At any rate, since my cover in Cuba is blown, I am being sent home to work a desk job for a while. The address is number 9 Timtally Lane. I’m sure you’ll remember the rest.

Give Portia my best. Hopefully I’ll get the chance to met her in person, now that I won’t be undercover anymore. Please send your phone number at Portia’s, and your email address to Timtally Lane. It will be a much better way to keep in contact now that I wont have to worry over safety. Phone will not be connected until after I get there, so cannot send you mine yet.

All the best,

Dad.

It was later that same day, when Mrs Jane Jones returned from pole dancing lessons, that she went inside and began relocating all of Mr Jones’s belongings to the curb. She did it very calmly, and with a worrying air of cheer. She neatly piled everything he owned where the garbage bin would normally go.

Apparently, the shingles wisely guessed, someone at the pole dancing lessons had filled her in on the “fishing” trips and the other woman responsible for the late nights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

Mr Jones returned just as Mrs Jones was emptying the contents of a very embarrassing drawer onto the top of the pile. He put up surprisingly little fuss about it all. The shingles suspected that the sight of El Chupacabra’s teeth might have put him off his will to argue. Either way, he stuffed the very embarrassing curb-side collection into his car, made a phone call and left. That, was that for the tearfully boring Mr Jones who would later return only for access visits to the children.

* * * * * * * * * *

Eight months later the dark blue roof shingles of number 7 Timtally Lane proudly resided over a household which held no resemblance to its original average state of being at all.

Letters still arrived in the petunias from time to time, and the garden of number 7 continued to get stranger with each one. There was a makeshift wrestling arena in the backyard now.

It was inside this ring, that the children of number 7 could now be found at times when there used to be soccer and dancing. If you asked the roof shingles they would be the best wrestling entertainers in the country one day.

The once Mrs Jones, had remarried already. Her, and Jonathon’s Father were in the process of joining number’s 7 and 9 Timtally Lane into one extremely large house. They were keeping the existing houses, and building a new brick section of rooms between the two properties. This added a whole new lawn for Jane to have fun with. Which was good, as she had run out of space at number 7 now.

The shingles of numbers 7 and 9 were still in the process of agreeing on a new surname to call the couple by. Only this time, Czar Yoquey in the fourth row was actually winning with his suggestion of ‘Xlankerbean.’ However the deformed orange flamingo of number 9′s front yard also did have some top suggestions.

The shingles did not know it yet, but after the renovations, they would finally get the one thing they had been wishing for out of all this.

In order to tie together the three different kinds of shingles on the house, they were going to be painted, all different colours, with glittering silver stripes adorning them. Portia and Jonathon, together with Breona and the Pole dancer, would be helping the Xlankerbean’s to paint them.

~End~

The town of Beaumont is situated near Irvine Creek in central Alberta, Canada. It lies on Division no 11, which is only three and a half kiolometres or two miles from Edmonton city and 9kms or 6 miles from the international airport at Edmonton. It was originally a French farming community and derives its name from the beautiful mountain on which the town’s most important structure, St. Vital Church, lies.

The town of Beaumont has a population of 10,820, and is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada. The town offers several advantages such as a comfortable size of community, a strong sense of community, a good place to raise children, beautiful vistas, and closeness to the international airport in Edmonton. This makes the town of Beaumont a favorable destination among individuals and families looking for homes for sale in Beaumont. Additionally, Beaumont is also home to the all Canadian Blues festival, “Beaumont Blues Festival,” which is a magnet for tourists.

Reports on the realty market in Alberta reveal that the town of Beaumont, Alberta is slowly recovering from a declining real estate market. It saw a decrease in the number of people showing interest in buying or investing in homes for sale on the Beaumont real estate market.

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The recent report on real estate in Beaumont reveals that the real estate prices in the residential sector had an average listing price of 8,431 for the week of November 13, 2009. However, the listing price for the most expensive homes for sale in Beaumont, Alberta remained at 0,000 and the lowest listing price for a home for sale in Beaumont was 5,000 for the week of November 13, 2009.

The report also reveals that the average price per square foot of a home for sale in Beaumont, Albert remained at 2 per square foot, while the maximum price per square foot of a property was 0 per square foot and the minimum price per square foot was at 0 per square foot, for the week of November 13, 2009.

The homes for sale in Beaumont, Alberta spend an average of 80 days on the market on before they are sold but the longest it took a home to sell in Beaumont was 572. The price of real estate in Beaumont, Alberta varies from one neighborhood to the other. For instance the average listing price for homes for sale in some of the popular neighborhoods in Beaumont, Alberta for the week of November 13, 2009 were as follows:

Beau Val: $ 3, 69,900
Citadel Ridge: , 71,950
Coloniale Estates: $ 5, 04,822
Eaglemont heights: $ 4, 75,700
Four Season Estates: $ 5, 94,550
Goudreau Terrace: $ 3, 69,900

Alberta MLS can assist you in finding homes for sale in Beaumont or to view all the real estate properties available in the Alberta area. You can search the database of Beaumont, Alberta for homes, apartments, or condos listed or land listed for sale in the area.

A large number of Wisconsin residents have thought of telling their boss to “shove it” and walk out of the door.

Then we think about all the bills we have and what we would do for an earnings. Then we tell ourselves that we’ll just Start A New Coffee House In Wisconsin, because we’ve witnessed the display Buddies and they make it look easy. We then picture all the individuals at the counter who will be lined up to invest in our delicious, fresh roasted coffee.

It’s easy to talk about the fascinating side of the coffee shop life-style and the profit potential but many unsuspecting new owners jump into an opportunity and lose their existence savings. Just because you believe you will be the subsequent best thing does not mean it will happen. There is practically nothing incorrect with optimism and the expectation of achievement, but you have to be aware that the odds are stacked against you when you are Starting A New Coffee House In Wisconsin.

The reality is that many independent and franchise coffee store owners don’t obtain a huge pay off. In fact most end up with a marginal salary and a hectic schedule. You have to take into account regardless of whether or not you have the ability to make critical organization decisions and if the entrepreneurial lifestyle is truly for you. This is the truth for about 90% of the cases.

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We surveyed ten coffee houses, and identified that only a single, , was effective. This statistic is steady with the statistics published by the Specialty Coffee Association. To decide why the one particular coffee house was a accomplishment, we interviewed the operator. He felt his success could be attributed to the following:
Retaining construct out charges to a minimum (or having no debt)
Hiring the proper staff
Providing outstanding customer service
Having a decor that is on par with the chains
Having competition in the town that educates the public about espresso based drinks (they compete with two Starbucks, Biggby Coffee, Dunkin Donuts, Bearclaw Coffee, and 5 independent coffee houses)
Roasting all of their coffee on web site with an Ambex, Profile Plus RT system
Spending 10% of the gross revenues on advertising
Becoming distinctive and diverse from the competitors
Giving to every single charity in the community
Staying included with local boards and federal government
Acquiring as a lot press as probable
Going forward to be flexible with the enterprise plan
Offering wholesale coffee (by roasting their individual coffee)
Remembering to have entertaining

When asked what has made the Jackson Coffee Co. such a hit in a extremely competitive coffee city, the owner suggested marketing. “Our marketing is extremely effective. It has been what let the town know that we are right here and that we roast all of our very own coffee.” said Brian Surgener. He boasts six billboards with Adams Outdoor, owns two of his individual billboards, does his very own tv present on JTV (a local television network), promotes the Jackson Coffee Co. on two radio stations, does google ad words, and does as much guerilla marketing that he can believe of. “Keeping our marking diverse from our opposition gets us observed. We in no way do what they do, and usually find that they copy our ideas. Recently, the chain called Biggby copied one particular of their skinny latte billboards and used it for their personal.” said Brian Surgener.

The Jackson Coffee Co. is a popular spot for the total town of Jackson, Michigan. They serve involving 450 to 500 clients per day. When we have been there, the place was absolutely nothing short of a concert venue. The lines had been extended, but as soon as you tasted their coffee, you know why. It absolutely was some great coffee. Surgener attributes the great tasting coffee to the fact that they roast their very own coffee. “Roasting on the Ambex ten with the Roast Profile RT technique is what offers us the ideal coffee in town, and award that we have received each year we have been in organization.” Organization has been so very good that a second shop was opened in 2009. A third shop is planned for 2011.

Cape Town faced a very challenging year this year, like other South African cities, it was one of the locations where the 2010 world cup took place. Cape Town faced a few transformations in terms of infrastructure, any motorist can testify to the year and a half of disruptive roadworks implemented to allow of an increase in traffic during and after the World Cup.  Of course there was also the demolition of the old Greenpoint Stadium which was replaced with the impressive Cape Town Stadium.

Now that the world cup is over, Cape Town has added tours of the stadium to its list of activities for visitors, other than enjoying the best has to offer or other available in Cape Town.

The Cape Town Stadium hosted 8 world cup matches and seats 68,000. The tours of the stadium include the pitch and the player changing rooms which are usually out of bounds to visitors. The visitors’ centre will be open to all visitors on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 10:00, 12:00 and 14:00 and tours are offered on weekends on a first come first served basis. Adults are charged R60 and pensioners and children under 12 are charged R30.

While Capetonians were hesitant when it was first announced that Greenpoint Stadium would be replaced with The Cape Town Stadium, the common consensus amongst Capetonians is a sense of pride for the exquisite design of the stadium. It is seen as an icon of what Cape Town can achieve.

The Stadium can be seen from across Table Bay, as far as Melkbos on a clear day, but there are many in areas such as Greenpoint and Seapoint that will offer excellent views of the stunning Cape Town Stadium.

For those planning on vacationing in Cape Town, bear in mind that the Cape Peninsula has a Mediterranean climate, this means that it has mild, wet winters and dry, very warm summers.  If you are planning to come in winter time, which lasts from the beginning of June until the end of August (and often into September), be sure to pack warm clothes and a rain coat as large cold fronts come across from the Atlantic Ocean with heavy precipitation  and strong north-westerly winds. The winter months tend to be quite cool with an average minimum of 7 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 17.5 degrees Celsius.

Most of Cape Towns annual rainfall occurs in the wintertime, but the mountains topography causes some suburbs to experience more rainfall than others. Be warned if your is in Newlands, as it is the wettest suburb in South Africa. Suburbs along Cape Towns west coast often experience sun when it is raining in the city bowl, this may be a better option for your winter .  

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Summer in Cape Town lasts from November to March and is warm and dry, this is when the South Easterly wind tends to blow. On an average summer day the mercury peaks at a comfortable 26.5 degrees Celsius.  If you are planning to stay in a , this is the perfect time of year to hit the beach.

In February and March expect an uncomfortably warm wind to blow from the Karoo, known as the Berg wind (mountain wind)

The ocean on the Atlantic Seaboard averages at 10 degrees Celsius while 22 degrees Celsius in False Bay, this may make you reconsider your villa in  for a on the warmer east coast.

 
On December 3rd 1745 the newly formed Derbyshire Blues Militia Regiment were billeted in Derby. Their commander The Duke of Devonshire received intelligence that an Army of between Nine and Ten Thousand Men was approaching from Ashbourne. The Army in question was that of the Jacobite Scots led by Prince Charles Edward Stuart who was on his way to London to reclaim the Throne of England.

The Duke of Devonshire and his Blues Militia of 700 troops departed Derby and under cover of night headed for Nottingham leaving the citizens of Derby to what ever fate awaited them.

On the next day December 4th at 11.00 am the advance Party of the Scottish forces entered the town. Later at 3.00 pm the Life-guards led by Lord Elcho arrived along with some senior officers on horseback. After the arrival of the Life-guards, the main body of the Highland Army began to arrive and onwards into the evening troops were still arriving in separate companies. Among one of those companies at about nightfall, The Bonnie Prince himself walked into Derby.

Shortly after the arrival a company of about seventy troops were sent south to secure the only crossing of the River Trent in the nearby south of the town at Swarkstone. Intelligence was received that English troops were en route to destroy Swarkstone Bridge and stop the advancing Jacobite Army.

The Prince took up residence at Exeter House in Full Street Derby on the banks of the River Derwent, The Home of The Earl of Exeter. In the meantime just 126 miles away King George II of England was on his Throne in London.

Back in Derby, The townsfolk having been abandoned by any protection they might have got from the local militia and deserted by their Mayor Robert Hague and a number of Borough aldermen who also had fled as soon as they got word of the advancing rebel army led by the “young pretender” decided that they might as well welcome the visitors. It is worth bearing in mind at this point, that the entire population of Derby did not exceed 2,000 souls in 1745.The arrival of a further 7,000 people must have greatly imposed on the hospitality of the townsfolk, There are stories of Larders and Pantry’s being emptied to feed the hungry troops along with the removal of most of the Pewter and Plate in the township.

A meeting was called in the Market Place and the remaining magistrates were ordered to attend to hear the proclamation of the Jacobite Army, None of the magistrates attended using as an excuse that their gowns had been sent away.The proclamation was made to the towns folk by one of the town criers after the ringing of the towns bells at the Churches of All Saints, St Alkmunds,St Peters and St Werburghs. In the Evening Bonfires were lit.

London and the Throne were now firmly within the grasp of Bonnie Prince Charlie. The English Jacobites were now no longer afraid of openly declaring their allegiances, Alarm was beginning to grow in the Capital as the news of the Highland Army’s entance into Derby reached them. Now, all that stood in the way of the Jacobite forces was the Duke of Cumberland whose Army was assembled near Lichfield in the neighbouring County of Staffordshire.

At the time ,the commentator and chevalier “Johnston” says;
“when the intelligence of the capture of Derby reached London, many of the inhabitants fled to the country, carrying along with them their most valuable effects, and that all the shops were shut, – that there was a prodigious run upon the bank and that  King George had ordered his yachts – on board of which he had put all his most precious effects – to remain at the Tower stairs in readiness to sail at a moment’s warning,”

There is some speculation that the Highland Army was much faster than Cumberland’s superior forces and could have out run them to the Capital arriving at least day before Cumberland.
Prince Charles was unhappy about the prospect of having an opposing Army 14,000 strong at his tail as he moved on the Capital.The Highlanders in Derby set about having their Broad Swords whetted by local Cutlers. Their Enthusiasm had grown significantly now London was within their Grasp. Prince Charles even entertained the thought that Cumberlands Army though greater in number would perish under the fervent vigour of his own Highlanders.The Prince determined to face Cumberland and defeat him on the battlefield, and so, on the evening of 4th December the Prince was feeling very optimistic, his advance party had already secured Swarkestone Bridge on the main road to London.

On the following day, a tax of £3,000 was secured from the towns folk of Derby and the nearby outlying country estates, however some worrying news arrived later that day. Cumberlands Army was already at Lichfield and nearby was a further 9,000 troops under the command of the Duke of Richmond. It now seemed that the Highlanders were significantly outnumbered and their path to London was now blocked.

That evening a Council was convened at Exeter House where the Princes senior officers all advised retreat without delay. Prince Charles was doubtless bitterly disappointed because he had gotten so close to London. That night Highland troops began to vacate Derby in retreat and by 11.00 am on December 6th they had all gone The Prince being one of the last to reluctantly leave, quiet possibly the most reluctant to leave.

Although the state of Delaware has only 5 total towns along the ocean, it does have some of the best kept beaches on the East Coast. There is usually at least one Delaware beach in a year that will win a “blue beach award” for being one of the best kept beaches on the coast. Below, this article looks at each of the beach towns that make up the Delaware shoreline and what each has to offer for a vacation.

Lewes Beach — This is actually the first town constructed in Delaware and since Delaware is the first state this is a first of a first. There is some history in the town to explore with an old church and a few museums. The town is very quaint and is generally considered a little on the expensive side to shop. The town offers several good restaurants along with some specialty shops to explore. One interesting feature about the town is that they have regular ferries that go across the Delaware bay and dock in Cape May, New Jersey. You have the choice of either taking your car across on the ferry or riding your bike. The boat ride takes approximately 45 minutes to travel one way across the bay. The beach in Lewes is actually a park named Cape Henlopen State Park that you have to pay admission to in order to access the beach. The price is usually around .00 per car daily but is a little cheaper for in state visitors.
Rehoboth Beach –This is the biggest and best known beach in Delaware. The town has a very good amount of restaurants and shops to explore. The town also offers a boardwalk that is over a mile long. There are numerous food stands, arcades, gift stores and even a small amusement park along this boardwalk. You will have no trouble finding additional things to do with numerous water slides, go-carts, mini golf and a large movie complex for entertainment. One of the biggest attractions are the 3 outlet centers on the outskirts of town. There are more than 100 stores to shop from. They are usually open until 9pm daily. There are also numerous rentals places to basically get anything you may be interested in such as bikes, scooters, fishing poles, crab traps and scuba gear to name a few. The town and the surrounding area offer tons of hotels and houses to rent but you will want to book in advance as it can be difficult getting rooms on short notice during peak season. This is definitely the beach that is most family oriented in the state. If you are planning to drive into the Rehoboth area to spend a day at the beach, expect to pay at least – in quarters because every parking spot is metered in the town. You get roughly 10 minutes per quarter so you might want to start saving your change now.
Dewey Beach — Considered the “College Town or the “Party Town”. The town is actually only a few blocks long but there are numerous nightclubs/bars crammed into this small community. Some of the biggest and well known nightclubs are the Starboard, Coconuts, and the Rusty Rudder. This town attracts generally a younger crowd with ages between 21-27 being the common age. The town does not have a great amount of hotels so booking early is definitely key here. Beach access is free right in town but a little outside town is Dewey Beach State Park which charges you a fee to enter the beach (usually .00 daily).
Indian River — This area is not a town at all but is actually a large campground that has access to two different beaches. By staying at the campground then you get free access to the beaches. Otherwise, expect to pay .00 for daily access. The two beaches are divided by a waterway where the bay meets up with the ocean. On the right side is the family oriented beach and is the one that is used most. On the left side is the surfing beach where the waves are generally higher. This beach also allows dogs on it.
Bethany Beach – Generally considered a small quiet beach. Bethany offers a small town with a very small boardwalk. If you are looking for action or things to do with the family then this beach might not be the one for you. There is not too much to choose from in the entertainment area in the town either. There are only a few restaurants to choose from too. This beach is an ideal place if you want a quiet relaxing vacation.
Fenwick Island — This is the last beach in Delaware and is considered the start of Ocean City, Maryland. This area is very built up with lots of hotels, restaurants and shops. It is very hard to determine where Fenwick Island ends and Ocean City actually begins. Even though these places are in Ocean City you are close enough to visit them when staying in Fenwick. The very best bar at the beach- Seacrets- is one nightclub you do not want to miss. This club features lots of indoor and outdoor parts and will have live bands playing nightly along with a DJ. Other attractions include a 3+ mile boardwalk, a large amusement park, tons of shops, Ripley’s Believe it Not Musuem, lots of mini golf places and a very good variety of restuarants to choose from. There is a large amount of hotels and places to rent but this area does get very crowded during the peak season so you want to book early.

In conclusion, no matter what beach you are planning to visit in Delaware, I am sure you will have a good time. Each beach offers something different to appeal to everybody’s taste. So, go ahead and enjoy your vacation in Delaware!

At the end of February we spent a week in Larnaca in the middle of the south coast of Cyprus, 16 km east of the airport, we found a nice hotel on the beach 6 km east of the town centre.

When we were approaching Cyprus by plane the pilot told us that there was low visibility due to a dust storm from the Sahara, Larnaca airport was open, yet the one in Pafos was closed. My back bottom! I had read the guide book from cover to cover but had found nothing about sand storms,    the Cypriot woman sitting next to us informed us that dust storms were not a frequent but a regular phenomenon, they came once or twice a year. When we landed the worst was over, the first dust storm this year must really have been bad, it was worth a mention on the international news on CNN that night. During the following two days it was hazy but the dust storm didn’t hit again as predicted so that we could leave the hotel and see something of the island.

I had read in the guide book that one shouldn’t start discussions on the political situation of Cyprus as the subject was too delicate, but even before setting foot on the island we learnt that Cypriots like talking about it, the first person was the woman on the plane who gave us her point of view in detail.

When I mentioned how odd it was that the whole of Cyprus was in the EU in spite of the division and in spite of the fact that Turkey wasn’t, she cried that wasn’t the case, only the Greek south was, but she was wrong, in the course of our five days on Cyprus  we had some more conversations on the subject and learnt that the truth is even odder: the whole island belongs to the EU, but only the Greek Cypriots from the south and the Turkish Cypriots from the north are members, the approximately 120 000Turks from mainland Turkey who have (been) settled in the north after the division are not – even if they were born there, the nationality of the parents counts.

The population of Larnaca consisted of Greeks and Turks, when the Turkish army invaded the north, the town lost all its Turkish inhabitants and received thousands of forcefully displaced  Greeks from the north because of the ethnic cleansing policies of Turkey; the town developed as a tourist destination only in the 1980s and its population has increased to about 70 000 inhabitants, it’s important because of the airport (the biggest in Cyprus) and the port. It is not as touristy as Pafos in the west of the island but has some hotels and quite a lot of holiday houses along the beach.

When we stepped out of our hotel on the first morning into the garden and the pool area, we saw a concrete footpath running between the site and the water front and decided to walk to  the centre of Larnaca, walking in sunshine and good sea air was what we had come for and five kilometres (we had been told by the hotel staff that that was the distance) didn’t seem too much. The official brochure from the Larnaca Tourist Committee claims that the footpath is 5 km long, a lie! Read 1 km and you’ve got it. As our hotel was situated in the middle of the footpath so-to-speak, we soon had to step onto the beach, the longest in all Cyprus, not very beautiful, though, the sand is dirt grey and either hard as concrete or covered with pebbles.

Soon that was impossible, too, we came to an industrial area, closed oil refineries that reached down to the water front, we learnt later that they’re waiting to be demolished, the area will be filled with hotels and holiday apartment houses, in, say, ten years the whole area will look different (nicer). We had to move up and walk beside a busy road. We were too far to turn back and still quite far from the town centre. After some time we came to a parking site and asked a man how many kilometres we still had in front of us, it turned out that the distance was six kilometres instead of five and we had only covered half of it, he offered at once to give us a lift, good man that he was. He was a refugee from the north and together with the lift we got his view of the political situation.

He took us to Larnaca Marina, a port for sailing boats and cruise boats for tourists at the western end of the promenade, a wide avenue, about half a kilometre long, between the beach and a row of hotels and restaurants with high palm trees on either side. At its eastern end stands a  fort built by the Turks at the beginning of the 17th century on an old Venetian foundation, the Turks used it to watch business in the port, the British who took it over in 1878 when the Sultan submitted the island to the Queen for her services in the Turko-Russian war, used it as a prison, opposite the ticket booth  one can see a room where the gallows was, partisans of the anti-British uprisings were hanged there until the end of the 1940s.

Opposite the castle is the Beyuk Mosque which is considered the first Ottoman mosque in Cyprus, before the building became a mosque it was a Venetian Catholic Church. It looked well kept, restoration work was done at the minaret, the man who had given us the lift had told us that all mosques in Greek Cyprus are well kept and in working order whereas the churches in Turkish Cyprus have been destroyed or neglected and are used as warehouses or stables.

Some 50 m further into the old Turkish quarter stands the Orthodox Saint Lazarus Church from the 10th century, a multi-domed building of a type only to be found in Cyprus. The walls are bare bricks, icons hang everywhere, the carved wooden central wall is covered with icons from top to bottom as is the case in Orthodox churches, there is no altar. Monks’ singing drafted through the church, from a tape but very atmospheric. We looked into the crypt at Lazarus’ tomb; when Jesus Christ had resurrected Lazarus from the dead, the latter moved to Cyprus and became a bishop there (or did he?). His head lies in an ornamented chest in the church, in the middle of the top cover is a round opening covered with glass through which a part of his (a?) skull is visible, people came in and kissed the spot ardently, really kissed it, I could see the damp patch. Eek!

We strolled through the old Turkish quarter, looked at tiny cafés and one room shops, visited the small market hall where we saw the biggest potatoes ever, but found the quarter quite miserable and not picturesque as suggested by the guide book. The shopping street running behind it looks a bit more modern but we were surprised at how low the standard of living is, we hadn’t expected this, after all Cyprus was at the top economically of all the ten new member states that have recently joined the EU. A taxi-driver told us that the Greek Cypriots have all reason to be content, unemployment is low, Turkish Cypriots from the north come to work in the south (the Turks from mainland Turkey living in the north aren’t allowed to) as do thousands of immigrants from Asia and Eastern Europe. Well, everything is relative.

What else has Larnaca got to offer? There’s a small archaeological museum, one for palaeontology and marine life, the town is certainly not overwhelming culture–wise, but how many tourists care especially in summer when the temperature rises up to 43°C (109° F)? I liked the town and the area, we got what we had come for and I saw and heard only five country people. Being the world champions when  it comes to travelling the Germans are everywhere and often in the majority,  not so in Cyprus, though. Due to the fact that it was a British colony, British tourists feel good there, we heard that about 53% of the tourists come from the UK followed by Germans, Russians (never have I seen so many Russians since I visited Moscow!) and a mixed lot from different countries. You may dislike this information, for me going to Cyprus meant killing two birds with one stone; I enjoyed warmth (20° C / 68° F) and sunshine in February and the English language at the same time!

The county town of Winchester, Hampshire, England lies in the southeastern region of the country. It has a current population of around 42, 000 or so people. Like a few other towns in England, it is surrounded by a larger city, in this case also named Winchester. It lies near to the course of the River Itchen, a waterway of about 28 miles.

The town was once known (and still is, in some quarters) as “Winton.” It is also famously known for its cathedral, memorialized in the 60s hit “Winchester Cathedral.” It is also one of the largest of such structures in the country. Winchester was once the capital of ancient Wessex a kingdom of the West Saxons, and also (at one time) the Kingdom of England.

There is evidence of human habitation in the area going back to before the Roman occupation of what they called Britannia. Upon the onset of Anglo-Saxon rule around 519, it came to be called “Wintanceastre.” For many centuries after, it continued to play an important rule as the capital of Wessex and so forth.

Around 1141 – after a serious fire occurred – it began to decline noticeably.

Beginning in the 14th century, however, Winchester began a renaissance of sorts under the Bishop of Winchester, William of Wykeham. He founded Winchester College in addition to improving the cathedral itself. Jane Austen, famous author of many novels including “Sense and Sensibility” and “Pride and Prejudice, ” died in Winchester in 1817.

The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Hampshire, in which Winchester resides, enjoys a current population of around 1. 8 million people, which is quite impressive as English counties go. Lying on the southern coast of the country, it shares a border with 5 other counties and is a well-known holiday region due to the large number of seaside resorts and other attractions.

Using an artificial luminous shrimp to lure cuttlefish

When night comes, silence descends on Phu Quoc Island in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang.

But out on the water, hundreds of fishing boats turn on their lights to lure the fish and transform the sea into a bustling town.

Being out there among them has become popular with tourists in recent years and marks a change from the pristine beaches and untouched woodlands for which Vietnam’s largest island is famous for.

We went to the passenger quay in Duong Dong Town at seven in the evening to join a guided fishing expedition. As our boat cut a swath through the waves, far away we could see the lights of the fishing boats twinkling in the water, looking like stars in the sky.

Phu Quoc’s main fishing ground was half an hour’s travel from the wharf. When our boat arrived there, the captain cut the engine and turned on nearly twenty lamps to attract the fish.

Thanks to the lights, we could see scads, cuttlefish and jellyfish swimming around in the clear water.

We were supplied with fishing rods. Those who wanted to catch fish used earthworms as bait but we were after cuttlefish so we attached artificial luminous shrimp to our lines.

At odd intervals a shriek would pierce the still night air when one of our fellow passengers felt a tug on the line.

It was a thrill to feel the line become taut and the rod heavy. It meant a cuttlefish had taken our bait, so we slowly reeled in the prized catch and pulled it from the water.

Of course, we would all be served fresh seafood for supper whether we’d caught any fish or not. Yet it seemed that every member of our party wanted the challenge of catching their own food for the evening and patiently held their lines waiting for that exciting tug.

Whatever was caught was promptly gutted, cleaned, spiced up and steamed, boiled or grilled. The aroma from the cooking was intoxicating.

When the food was ready, we clustered around to enjoy our meal of delicious seafood and wine mixed with pleasant conversation.

Sea urchins

The next day, we went to the house of Thanh Tung, an experienced sea urchin catcher in Bai Thom Hamlet, Bai Thom Commune

Freshly caught sea urchins that will be cut in half and grilled

Tung mostly sells his sea urchins to local merchants and restaurants.

He also takes tour parties out on the water to catch his specialty and bring the sea urchins back to shore for cooking and feasting on.

Tung steered his vessel to a spot a little way from the shore, dropped anchor, donned a face mask and dropped into the water with metal tongs and basket in hand.

Ten minutes later, he was back with nearly two dozen large specimens that he promptly dumped into the boat from his basket.

Tung explained that the tongs were essential for catching sea urchins as their spines could easily injure anyone foolish enough to handle them with bare hands.

He then removed the spines, cut the sea urchins in half and grilled them. Their flesh and roe were delicious.

Sweet snail

Later on we ventured into Duong Dao, a hamlet in Duong Dong’s Duong To Commune, to see how they farm the marine creature called oc huong (sweet snail)

Sweet snails roasted over a wood stove are a local delicacy at Phu Quoc Island’s Dinh Cau night market.

Oc huong catches the eye with its light yellow shell spotted in brown and makes for delicious seafood.

As its Vietnamese name suggests, oc huong has a unique and captivating fragrance.

Dang Van Nhan, who pioneered oc huong farming on Phu Quoc, said he began in 2007 and found it very profitable almost from the start since the sea snails went down well with Vietnamese and foreigners alike.

Seeing Nhan’s success at close hand, many of the islanders followed suit. Now they raise and breed oc huong for local sale and export to China, Korea and many other countries.

Nhan told us he began breeding oc huong last year to supply his fellow farmers with stock as his cost far less than snails from Nha Trang Town of Khanh Hoa Province on the central coast.

Oc huong can be steamed with onion and ginger, grilled, fried with tamarind or garlic, and otherwise cooked to produce the array of tempting dishes found and eaten at Dinh Cau Night Market on Bach Dang Street in Duong Dong Town.

Unsurprisingly, the crowded market with dozens of food stalls has plenty of other seafood to offer like squid, crab, and shrimp.

BOOKING INFORMATION

To reach Phu Quoc, it’s standard to fly from Ho Chi Minh City but the island can also be reached by fast boat from Rach Gia or Ha Tien in mainland Kien Giang Province.

A night fishing excursion can be booked by phoning Hang Nga Cruise Boat at 090 311 6400 or Thanh Truong Boat at 097 953 6635. The price per person ranges from VND150,000 to VND300,000 and depends on the number of people booking a place.

Both tour operators are located near the passenger quay at Duong Dong, the main town of Phu Quoc Island. They operate fishing tours from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. every day.

To get to the house of Thanh Tung, the sea-urchin man in Bai Thom Hamlet, it’s best to phone him at 091 764 0485 and get instructions.

There’s also a professional tour guide who can take you there, Dinh Van Tao. He can be reached at 098 440 7709. Tao takes tour parties to other sea-urchin establishments as well and helps tourists to purchase them.