Is Winter the hardest season to get off the ground?

It’s 11th December 2013. As I write this, which, if we’re splitting hairs, is technically still the end of Autumn, I can foresee nothing but pain ahead for Christmas and New Year travellers trying their very best to get away from the UK over the coming weeks.

Here’s the thing. Just today, my regular mode of commuter travel, a ferry from the Isle of Wight, was severely delayed by a collection of liquid water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Yep, you guessed it – fog!

Christmas Wonder Windows

Not in the Christmas spirit yet? Head to London’s Oxford Street and you soon will be.
Last weekend I went to London to start my Christmas shopping. Madness you may think but in no time I was swept along (literally) and landed up in the sparkling, perfumed, fairy lit wonderland that is Oxford Street at Christmas.

After a short walk from the tube I found myself staring a little bewitched into the windows of John Lewis.
For 2013 they have created displays to reflect their animal themed Christmas “winter wonderland” TV ad. Over 7,000 products were taken and reconfigured into a series of animals. A huge brown bear created from leather furniture, hampers and baskets. A turkey made from flannels and towels and a series of penguins make from Kenwood kMix kettles to name just a few.
Apparently the entire process took a year and with that in mind, John Lewis is already working on next year’s creation!

Spectacular over-sized gifts surrounded by snowy festive landscapes greeted me at Selfridges. A giant glittery cat slipper, a gold YSL clutch bag, a huge trainer, headphones, play-doh, perfume and champagne. You name it, they had created it and surrounded it with abseiling Santas, skiing penguins and fir trees.

So go on… press your nose against the windows and bring back your child like sense of wonder! And have a very Happy Christmas shopping experience this year.

John Lewis’ animals were designed by creative consultancy Chameleon Visual and brought to life by Setsquare Staging. 




And here:- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/christmas/10399898/Christmas-2013-Creating-the-John-Lewis-Christmas-shop-window.html

To see the making of the Tate & Lyle ‘Lost London’ gingerbread wonderland click here:
http://style.selfridges.com/self-tv/making-bompas-parrs-lost-london-window

All images found on Google. No offense or copyright infringement intended. Images can be removed if requested by originator.

The Gettysburg Address – some speeches are more equal than others!

Occasionally, just occasionally, a moment in history transcends the context of the moment it existed in. 150 years ago today, Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most important, and most referenced, speeches in history. It wasn’t a long speech. It wasn’t a well-written piece of oratory. But it captured the spirit of the birth of a united nation.

Remember remember the moustache of Movember!

Chevron, Dali, Fu Manchu, Handlebar, English, Imperial, Horseshoe, Mexican,
Pencil, Toothbrush, Walrus!

It's OK you are reading this correctly, and no, we haven't lost the plot.

0-60 in 1,893,456,000 seconds

That’s not fast is it and it’s not going to set the Guinness Book of Records into a land speed record tailspin?

So why does it feel that, the very moment you turn 59, those seconds just seem to fly by, accelerating towards a milestone that, in all honesty, most people simply refuse to talk about

‘The Subject Line’ – the new ‘dark art’ of email marketing!

Small enough to trick you into thinking they’re not important. Important enough to bring you face-to-face with your own limitations!

Subject lines have become the ‘next big thing’, the new marketing KPI that you have no control over. A world full of powerful and challenging statistics – for example 73% will click on report spam/junk based on the content of the ‘from’ field. OR 69% decide whether to junk email based on the subject line.

The First Film That You Ever Saw...

Paul. W
I remembered, and the winner was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the old Gaumont.

Charlotte. B
The Lord of the Rings (animated version) in 1978
I was 4 years old and went with my family while on holiday in Taiwan in Wales.
The cinema was very hot and I remember my mum went to sleep and missed most of the film!

Shelley. C 
Basil the Great Mouse Detective at Salisbury cinema with my Mum, Dad and Sister when I was 7. I don't remember much apart from a rat called Ratigan and my Dad falling asleep and snoring.

Anna. E
ET with my Mum and my little sister at the Orpheus in Henleaze, Bristol.
At Christmas the same year, our Granny took us to see The Snowman which only fuelled our obsession with finding a 'flying friend'. The result - I tried a stunt... it went wrong... and I fell out of the loft in our garage landing on my face and chipping my teeth!!
Happy days!

Simon. D
101 Damations 1961 - so there!

Simon. W
I think it may have been Bed Knobs and Broom Sticks with my older sister...
seem to remember suits of armour being shot by German soldiers then they emptied bullets out of their boots...

Richard. S
Superman 1978, I went with my two cousins and my three sisters, it was an amazing experience, we were all so excited, but well behaved of course!

James. S
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The Child Catcher has scarred me for life!

Darryl. A
Watership Down, all I can really remember is being disturbed by the big bruiser bully of a rabbit named Woundwart - what a b•••••d he was!!

Dave. B
The first movie I 'remember' seeing was Disney's Jungle Book for my birthday. Think my mum thought I looked like Mowgli... b•••h!

Paul. S
Star Wars with my Dad - I remember thinking that the first time you see Vader when he emerges from the smoke of the destroyed door in the opening scene was amazing.

Simon. J
Sadly I think it was Star Wars, only one I can remember, obviously scarred me for life.

Steve. B
The Empire Strikes Back at the Southampton Odeon. A 1 hour queue round the block with a disinterested dad before 2 and a half hours of joy (for me, again not disinterested dad). On a side note he always insisted he took me to see Star Wars before that. He did not.

Chris. R
I think it was Fox and the Hound. I went with my mum and sister.
We bought a 12" soundtrack picture disc in Woolworths afterwards.
I still have the record somewhere.

Dan.F
I have vague memories of going to see The Little Mermaid with my Grandma and it would have been the cinema in Ocean Village - before it was Cineworld - in approx 1989! All I can remember is my Grandad falling asleep and snoring through it but I'm sure I enjoyed the film!