Many, if not most, small businesses will experience financing problems at some point during their life. How well management deals with these problems will go a long way to determining the ultimate success or failure of the business. There’s an old saying in business; “Cash is king”, and so it is. There are many instances of businesses being profitable on paper only to be unable to sustain operations due to poor cash flow management.The financing problems created by improper cash flow management are ranked high on the list of problems faced by business owners. In fact, the 2007 Small Business Survival Index ranks financing problems up on the list of small business problems along with taxes (which can create financial problems of their own), government regulation compliance, legal threats, and finding quality employees.If your small business is experiencing financing problems, what can you do to solve them? You have several options. You can bring in more revenue, reduce expenses, or become more efficient at managing your cash flow. In most cases you would better served by doing all three. Let’s look at these solutions and how to achieve them.Increasing revenue is certainly a worthy goal of every business, but may not in itself lead to a solution for your small business’s financing problems. This is because in many cases additional funds are necessary to support the larger operations that create the additional revenue. For example, if you have a contracting business, you’ll need more staffing to take on additional work, which will lead to a short term cash flow problem until collections catch up with your increased labor costs.This can be seen for manufacturing businesses as well. As your business grows and production levels rise, your business will incur additional plant, equipment and labor costs to support the larger number of orders you’re receiving. Until your receivables catch up with your increased costs you will have financing problems.This means that increasing revenue isn’t always a solution to cash flow problems,and can actually exacerbate them. Increasing revenue to solve small business financial problems is desirable in the long term, but will only help in the short term if the revenue increase can be obtained without substantially increasing costs or if your business operates on a chiefly cash basis. If you extend credit to your customers, the additional costs required to grow your revenue can easily lead you into a cash position that gets worse before it gets better.What about reducing costs as a solution to improving financing problems? For most businesses, reducing costs, if it can be achieved without reducing revenue, or reducing costs associated with unprofitable revenue is of utmost importance. Not only do costs directly impact the bottom line, they can reduce the operating efficiency of the business, large or small. Traditionally the largest business expense is labor. While this rule isn’t always true, the majority of business owners can attest to the fact that labor costs are what keep them awake at night. The problem is reducing labor costs while protecting revenue.The other cost that is especially troubling for many small business owners is taxes. In fact the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), who would be a position to know about such matters, ranked taxation issues as one of the three leading causes of small business bankruptcies. Reducing the tax burden by any legal means is vital to the long term success of your small business. This alone can reduce your financial problems to the point where cash flow problems disappear altogether.Many small business use some form of financing to finance growth or smooth out the bumps in their cash flow picture. Weather the cash flow problems are caused by expanding operations, inefficiencies, or seasonal business cycles financing is another valuable tool available to the business owner to solve their cash flow issues. Financing solutions for small businesses are available in many forms, including lines of credit, loans, and additional investment provided through either equity or debt financing.No matter the other problems faced by your small business, it’s clear that financing problems will always rank high on the list of problems faced by small business owners. It’s how well you deal with these problems that will determine the success you experience in your small business.
Small Business Financing Problems and How to Solve Them
Major Areas of Study at Tennessee Technology Center at Nashville
Tennessee Technology Centre at Nashville is one of the 26 technology centers established in the year 1963. The technology center excels in offering technical training programs in various fields.Types of Degrees The Tennessee Technology at Nashville is a public institute that has 2-year degree programs as its main offerings. In addition, the technology center also offers less-than-one -year and less-than-four-year degree programs. Here are the lists of courses offered by the technology, classified on the basis of their duration.Less Than One Year Skin Care Specialist: The course prepares the individuals to become licensed skin care specialists and estheticians.Technician: Various courses help the individuals to become technicians in aircraft power plant technology, auto body collision and repair technology, automotive mechanics technology, dental laboratory technology and drafting and design technology.Other Courses: Other less-than-one-year degree programs available at the technology center are:
Business office automation technology
Child care and support services management
Medical laboratory science
Cosmetology
Electrical and electronics equipment installation and repair
Vocational nurse training
Machine shop technology
Management information systems
Welding technologyLess Than Two Year Various less than two year degree programs at the technology center are:
Child care and support services management: It prepares the individuals for provision and management of child care services.
Cosmetology: It prepares the individuals to become licensed cosmetologists.
Dental laboratory technology: It prepares the individuals to become experts in dental anatomy and other dental procedures.
Electrical and power transmission installation: The course prepares the individuals to become expert in installation of residential and commercial electrical systems.
Vocational nurse training: The program helps to impart skills of a nursing assistant in the individual.
Pharmacy technician: The program imparts skills related to preparation of medications and provision of assistance to patients.Less Than Four Year Some of the main degree courses at the Tennessee Technology Center at Nashville with duration less than four years include:
Aircraft power plant technology
Auto collision and repair technology
Drafting and design technology
Refrigeration and air conditioning maintenance technology
Management information systemsThe students interested in one of the courses at the Tennessee Technology Center at Nashville can also learn about the admission procedure and student aid offered by the center using an online college directory.
Types of Communication
Humans live their daily lives through a series of communications without which nothing in this world would be achievable. The medium through which men convey their innermost thoughts and will are expressed through a variety of communication channels. When you take a closer look at the number of expressions and responses that human beings make everyday you begin to understand the types of communication that exists in the world of Homo sapiens.The types of communication that humans use come in different forms. It may be verbal, which means that there is the use of words, and nonverbal which denotes communication through actions and behaviors. It can also denote, whether an event is formal or non-formal. The types of communication used indicate that some things can be described with the use of words or paragraphs. There are also things that words could not fully describe. Where only an action or gesture could express the real meaning that the speaker is trying to convey.Knowing that there are many types of communication opens your mind to all the things that are happening daily in your surroundings. Imagine if a person knows only verbal communication and has no inkling that nonverbal communication is possible. Then, he is an alien in that realm of communication.Without the existence of a variety of communication options, your life would be a less rich experience. Knowing only the verbal side or the nonverbal side may lead you to miss out on things that you want to do.The types of communication do not only happen in the world of men. Animals also have their own types of communication. Even the birds of the air and the fish of the sea have their own methods of communicating.And who knows. Maybe even plants have their own ways of talking to one another. We can assume that, all living creatures of whatever species have their own forms of communication which are only understandable to them.We may never fully understand the communication of birds and other animals. We can only assume what is being conveyed but never fully comprehend it. You might also say that it is the same with some people.You would never fully relate the to the way that members of another species communicate with each other. You may say that the sound that birds create is the verbal part and the flapping of the wings is the nonverbal part. Is this true?We don’t really understand how they communicate. Their types of communication may be that of stomping their legs or raising their wings, or turning around in an elaborate dance. It could be that their verbal communication relies on the times that they stomp their legs or by the pattern of the flapping of their wings. It could even be that their nonverbal communication might be the way they fly. Frankly, the types of communication of animals are something that has not yet been fully understood by science.You must also keep in mind that any conclusions you come to are by default flawed. This is because all of your decisions about what things mean are filtered through your own experiences and beliefs. This is what Heisenberg described in his uncertainty principle. Just the mere act of observation will affect the outcome.Learning the various types of communication available to you, enables you to enhance your communication skills, whether verbal or nonverbal.For instance.It is important for a child to learn the way that his or her parents speak so that they can also communicate in return. It has often been said that babies understand some verbal communication before birth..However, research shows that a child you don’t talk to, will, to a large extent lose the ability to learn to speak after they reach a certain age.To expound further on the types of communication is to make a direct inquiry into the heart of every known language. Isn’t it that because of the existence of the types of communication, a French man marries an American woman? Even without words from the very beginning, he just looked her way, she looks his way, and it ended in tying the knot. No words were used here, just a look, and maybe a smile.The types of communication also enable one to distinguish the differences between a simple meeting and the big meeting. It helps the person know when to make a “Morning!” and when to say “Good morning ma’am.” In this case there are only types of communication, the formal and informal. Formal communication is done in cases where a formal tone is needed and adherence to certain formal rules or principles in communication must follow. These are seen in business meetings, business correspondence, memos, official letters, government related documents, and so on. Informal communication on the other hand can be used in communicating with friends, families, peers, etc. It has no standard format.All types of communication present in this world are unique and it makes everyone special and different from one another. It creates harmony, and enables the expression of thoughts and emotions so together we can all fully understand what it is to be human.
How to Manage Your Investment Holdings
The uncertain condition of today’s economy is not encouraging investors. This lowered investment trend can be traced back to the past 5 years where investments have been slow with subscriptions to how to manage your investment holdings magazines taking a dip. Many investors are uneasy over investing their money into a volatile market as stocks have been plummeting in value in recent years, with small rebounds here and there, now and then. This does not give investors enough confidence although there are many investing associations that offer courses or tips on how to manage your investment holdings.Good Monitoring of Investment
It is crucial to monitor your investments especially in this time of market uncertainty or volatility. Choosing the best investments is no guarantee of positive returns, much less huge returns, if you are not tracking the movements of your portfolio. As in any investment, there will be profits and losses; you can waste a lot of time and your hard earned money if you do not have good tracking habits or strategies such as proper record keeping. It is essential for any serious investor to review their portfolio’s performance when you are serious about how to manage your investment holdings for good returns.There may be taxes that are incurred, retirement computations which may lead you to make further decisions on your portfolio or opportunities that come by your way to grow your wealth. There are now many online resources for your picking to assist you on how to manage your investment holdings by keeping careful records on every investment you make, be it stock, bond, mutual fund or security. Once the easy setup is done, you will only need to commit to a weekly or bi-weekly check up on the performance of your portfolio. This way, you will not be taken by surprise on any adverse news as you monitor the organizational news of your portfolio.Online Investment Services
Online investment tracking services will update your portfolio automatically to reflect any price changes on a daily basis with a re-computation of your assets. They also assist in comparisons of your investments to your targets and the expected returns of your portfolio. These online investment services also alert the investor on potential purchases to add on to your portfolio. They may even have tips on how to manage your investment holdings that will benefit you.Self-directed investing
This is for those who want to manage their own portfolio; those of you who might be retirees and are keen on how to manage your investment holdings can consider monitoring your own investments with a sufficient bit of basic understanding of the various investment types available for your own consideration. You will need to be familiar with tax consequences as well as investment earnings and related costs with any investment you plan to undertake.You will need to be computer savvy if you are engaging technology in your own monitoring of your portfolio as well as be comfortable with the investment terms and conditions.Self-directed investment requires online accounts monitoring, evaluation and understanding before an investment transaction can be performed. There may be a substantial online research required to confirm or refute financial assumptions.Other factors
There is still a need to engage an investment company or professional broker to perform some of your trades or investments. An online broker may charge certain fees for his services. You should check out the reputation and performance of online brokers first before engaging their services.When you get going on how to manage your investment holdings, you may need to consider it as a long term goal so that you are able to pace your time and effort on the portfolio that you are going to set up. A good investment plan is usually for the long term to enjoy its good returns. Discipline and patience are two virtues that are required when you want to manage your own investments as most stocks do not bring in huge returns in the short run. It’s a great commitment to those stocks which you think will fare well in the long run.
How is Parkinson’s Disease Treated?
Parkinsons disease is a comparatively common condition of the nervous system which is as a result of problems with the nerve cells in the part of the brain which generates dopamine. This is a chemical substance that is needed for the smooth management of muscles and motion, so the symptoms of the disorder is a result of a reduction of that chemical. Parkinson’s disease mostly impacts individuals aged over 65, but it can and does come on at younger ages with 5-10% developing before the age of forty.
The chief clinical features of Parkinson’s disease are a tremor or shaking, that will commences in one arm or hand; there is often a muscle rigidity or stiffness along with a slowness of motion; the stance gets more stooped; additionally, there are equilibrium concerns. Parkinson’s can also cause greater pain and result in depression symptoms and create problems with memory and sleep. There isn’t any specific test for the diagnosis of Parkinson’s. The identification is usually made primarily based on the history of the symptoms, a physical along with neural evaluation. Other reasons for the signs and symptoms also need to be eliminated. There are imaging assessments, such as a CAT scan or MRI, that can be used to eliminate other issues. From time to time a dopamine transporter diagnostic might also be utilized.
The actual cause of Parkinson’s isn’t known. It does appear to have both genetic and environmental elements with it plus some specialists think that a virus may induce Parkinson’s as well. Decreased amounts of dopamine and also norepinephrine, a substance which in turn is responsible for the dopamine, have already been found in those with Parkinson’s, but it is not yet determined what is causing this. Unusual proteins which are named Lewy bodies have been located in the brains of those who have Parkinson’s; nevertheless, experts don’t know what role they may play in the development of Parkinson’s. While the specific cause just isn’t known, studies have identified risk factors that establish groups of people who are more prone to develop the condition. Men are more than one and a half times more prone to get Parkinson’s as compared to women. Caucasians are much more prone to get the condition as compared to African Americans or Asians. Those who have close members of the family who have Parkinson’s disease are more likely to develop it, implying the inherited contribution. A number of toxins could raise the potential for the problem, implying a role of the environment. People who experience difficulties with brain injuries can be more likely to go on and have Parkinson’s disease.
There is no identified remedy for Parkinson’s disease. That will not imply that the signs and symptoms can’t be handled. The main method is to use medicines to raise or replacement for the dopamine. Balanced and healthy diet together with frequent exercise is crucial. There may be changes made to the surroundings at home and work to keep the individual involved as well as active. There are also some options sometimes for brain surgical treatment which can be used to relieve some of the motor symptoms. A diverse team of different health professionals are often involved.
Understanding the Impacts of Gout
Gout is among those historical problems because there are numerous mentions of it in historical literature, at least since ancient times. The traditional typecast of it is that it is related to the upper classes that binge in alcohol and certain foods. This image was pictured in early art work illustrating people who had gout. Gout has stopped being viewed as a problem of over consumption, because of the current research demonstrating an important genetic component to it.
Gout is a distressing inflammation related disorder which mostly impacts the joints, most commonly the great toe joint with the feet. It is because of uric acid crystals getting placed in joints in the event the bloodstream uric acid quantities are increased. The uric acid comes from the breakdown of purines which come from the consuming of foods like venison, salmon, tuna, haddock, sardines, anchovies, mussels, herring along with alcohol consumption. It is possible to understand how that old misconception was produced according to the overindulgence of the higher classes in those types of food and alcoholic beverages. The actual problem is not really the quantity of those foods which can be consumed, but the actual genetics of the biochemical pathway which usually breaks the purines in these food items down into the uric acid and how your body deals with it.
While diet is still important in the treating of gout and lowering the quantity of food which have the purines with them continues to be considered essential, however it is becoming apparent recently that this is just not sufficient by itself and just about all those who have gout probably will need pharmaceutical management. It goes without saying that drugs are likely to be needed for relief of pain throughout an acute flare up. The acute phase of gout is extremely painful. Over the long term there are two forms of drugs which you can use for gout. One kind of medicine block chemicals in the pathway which splits the purines into uric acid, which simply implies there will be much less uric acid in the blood stream that could find its way in to the joints to trigger an acute episode of gout or lead to the long-term gout. The other main kind of drug is one that can help the renal system remove much more uric acid. This would also reduce the urates in the bloodstream. Generally, only one of those drugs is all that’s needed, however occasionally both are needed to be utilized at the same time. Since these prescription medication is ordinarily pretty successful, that will not indicate that the life-style and eating habits changes may be pushed aside. Local measures, including wearing good fitting shoes if the big toe joint gets too painful is important. Also ice packs during an acute flare up will also help with the relief of pain.
How To Approach Removing Asbestos Removal in Sydney
Planning to renovate your home built decades ago? Well, you got to be careful! There is a good chance it may have asbestos. This is a popular building material used throughout Australia before it was completely banned in 2003.
Asbestos is not generally considered hazardous. In fact, homeowners are only allowed to remove up to ten square meters of non-friable asbestos. More than that, people are advised to seek professional help, especially handling friable ones. Because of the health risks involved, DIY removal is considered illegal.
This is particularly prohibited in Sydney. Hence, the expertise of your trusted asbestos removalists is required to handle the dangerous job.
Why Removing Asbestos Can Be Dangerous?
There are many DIY ideas. Some are equally fun. Whilst, others can be hazardous, like removing asbestos by yourself.
Here are some reasons why removing asbestos without proper knowledge can be dangerous:
Exposure to diseases
Small quantities of asbestos are present in the air most of the time and are being breathed in by everyone without ill effects. But, exposure to high levels of asbestos for a long time is pretty serious. It can cause asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.
Accidents and Injuries
Asbestos is used in cement sheeting, drainage and pipes, guttering, and even roofing. But, asbestos roofing can become fragile over time. Hence, you might risk breaking it apart, releasing harmful fibres into the air. Also, a single sheet of asbestos can weigh 30-50 kilograms. Such weight can cause injuries.
Wrong removal and ill-fitting equipment
You may not know the proper ways to remove asbestos, exposing you to very harmful fibres. And the recommended removal equipment is quite expensive. You don’t have to deal with it on your own.
How Much Does It Cost To Remove Asbestos?
Asbestos removal can be pretty costly. It is determined by the type and size of the area, as well as the amount of debris to be removed. The safety risks of asbestos also increase the cost, especially when friable asbestos is involved. But health is wealth. It is always worth the price.
Most junk removalists in Sydney are priced from $99.99 per cubic metre, however, given the highly dangerous nature of asbestos, prices may be higher. It’s important to receive a few quotes before proceeding with an asbestos removal service.
How To Find The Right Asbestos Removal Provider?
There are a few key things you can do right now to ensure that your search for a provider is a successful one. They include:
Check Online Reviews
Does the asbestos removal service provider have an abundance of positive Google reviews? Check the history of their reviews to make sure that they are in-fact, legitimate. Businesses with legitimate reviews tend to have a stream of reviews that span across years of their lifetime; not just all within a few months.
Service Locality
Hiring a local asbestos removal business is always best. This ensures that you receive the best pricing as the business is local and nearby to your location. Typically, local businesses tend to take more pride in their workmanship as a positive reputation is key to their ongoing success.
Number of Years in Business
Given the highly dangerous nature of asbestos, it’s important to check how long the business has been in operation. A business who has over 10 years servicing the local community may provide cheaper pricing, given that they likely will have more refined practices.
Conclusion
Take your time while in search of a suitable asbestos removal provider. Due-dilligence is important and always shop around for the best quotes.
A Pall Settles Over America
I see it in their eyes, downcast and wary. I see it in their steps, shuffling and tentative. When they talk, they use a word I rarely hear, depressed.
These are the producers, those who make the country work. Hourly and salaried employees and managers, who go to their jobs every day, work hard and provide for themselves and their families.
They’re the kind of people who have been with us since the country began. Back then, we called them Pilgrims, sod-busters, and settlers. Today they go by many names, Physician, Technician, Engineer, and Laborer. But for all of them, life has a rhythm, just as it did two centuries ago, that comes from our agricultural heritage.
Spring has always been the time for planting, and looking forward to the year ahead. Summertime is when they cultivate the crops. Fall is harvest time when we enjoy the fruits of our labor and thank God for blessing us. Winter is the time of austerity, the time to prune, the time to cut back.
But not this year. This year, we are still in harvest time. Yet the pruning has already begun. Major companies across this land are already cutting back, eliminating staff to reduce.
For thousands of laid-off workers, it comes at the worst possible time. Just before the holidays. A time when many who have children will have to cut back this Christmas. There will be little joy for those who lost their jobs these holidays.
If you’ve lived through a corporate “downsizing,” you know that anxiety runs high. No matter how often the boss has assured you that you will be kept on, you’re never sure about your future. Should you start looking for a new job now, or wait? Does the boss know what lies ahead, or might he be on the corporate chopping block? There is no job security once layoffs begin.
But there is much more to our collective angst this year than at any time in our memory. These corporate cutbacks are merely reflecting a more significant issue, an issue that is nationwide.
Our country is headed in the wrong direction. That is a sentiment shared by three-quarters of us. And we’ve felt that way for a couple of years. Producers know that the country should be operating better. Yes, there were all difficulties associated with the Pandemic. But those are now behind us.
Today recovery should be well underway. But it’s not. Despite all the trillions of dollars pumped into the system, our standard of living is falling. Each day inflation marches on; real income is declining. Gasoline, food, and shelter costs accelerate in real-time, but a salary rise comes annually. Corporate raises will arrive at the end of the year and likely come nowhere near the level of inflation we’ve already experienced.
Producers see all of this.
Producers also know that many, perhaps most, of our problems come from Washington. We see that a feeble old man has his bony fingers on the nation’s tiller, steering us straight for the shoals. He, and those who surround him, have a policy of austerity. In their eyes, less is better, and fewer is preferred. We should use less heat this winter, drive smaller, preferably electric vehicles, and eat vegan. And the less we consume, the better. From this perspective, we are the problem. Our destiny is to have shortages and wants. And they’ve pushed us in that direction.
However, these leaders told us last week that we could change everything. By walking into our voting booth, we could make our voices heard. We, the people, could take this country in a new direction that our leaders were indeed subject to the will of the people.
That didn’t happen. Counting votes has become a haze of computational complexity and slow-walking results. So that the incumbents in Washington get the results they want, it’s the complete inversion of the principal and values that the country’s founders intended. But there it is—today’s reality.
It’s the reason the word I hear most often from Producers today is: depression. And I’m afraid that’s where we’re headed.
How to Choose the Right YouTube Channel Name for Your Brand
Who is your target audience?
Before you even think about branding, you need to have a clear understanding of who you wish to reach out to and what your main marketing message is going to be. If you are launching a YouTube channel for your new e-commerce business that sells jewelry, the first question you need to ask yourself is who your target audience will be. This will help you further decide how you want your channel to look and what content you want it to feature. For example, if your target audience is females aged between 25 and 40 years and you want to focus on brand engagement, you can use your YouTube channel to post behind-the-scenes videos of your product creation process. Alternatively, if you want to use your channel as a sales and marketing tool, you can create tutorial videos that showcase the various ways your products can be used and even provide suggestions on how to pair them with other accessories.
What do you want to achieve through your channel?
Now that you have identified your target audience, the next thing you need to ask yourself is what your main purpose is for having a YouTube channel in the first place. Is your channel meant to attract new customers, build brand awareness, or increase your sales? Whatever your channel’s main goal is, it is important to convey this to your audience through your channel name. For instance, if your channel is meant to increase your sales, you can use a name that suggests discounts or offers. On the other hand, if you wish to build brand awareness through your channel, you can go with a name that clearly communicates this message.
What words and phrases do you want to be associated with?
Before you even begin thinking about a YouTube channel name, you need to have a clear understanding of words and phrases that you want your channel to be associated with. For example, if you wish for your channel to be associated with creativity and originality, you can go with something along the lines of “Creative Jewelry” or “Jewelry Box”. On the other hand, if you wish to be associated with fashion and style, a good name would be “Fashion Jewels”. A good idea would be to jot down all the words and phrases that you wish your channel to be associated with, and then start brainstorming for possible channel names. This can be done by listing out all the words and phrases that are relevant to your business, crossing off the ones that don’t make sense, and then combining two or three words to create a new and memorable name.
Be Short and Catchy!
The average human attention span is now 8 seconds – that’s how long it takes for your prospective customers to decide whether or not they wish to continue reading or watching your content. This means that you have about 8 seconds to grab their attention and make a lasting impression. And since you only have a few seconds to make a good first impression, it is important to make the most of it and create a name that is short, catchy, and easy to remember. For example, the YouTube channel “Daily Jewelry” is way too long and cumbersome which makes it hard to remember and even harder to type when creating the channel URL. However, the channel name “Jewelry Box” is short, easy to remember, and will definitely make people curious enough to click on your channel. It is even better if you can use an emoji or a GIF in your channel name as they are presented more visually.
Choosing the right words for your brand name.
When choosing the right channel name, it is important to remember that the words you pick out will not only be used to create your channel name but will also be used as keywords for your YouTube SEO. This means that you have to make sure that the words you pick are relevant to your content and that they make sense when put together. For example, if you wish to create a channel that features jewelry tutorials and designs, “Jewelry Box” is a perfect name as it suggests creativity, originality, and even organization. On the other hand, if you decide to go with a name like “Daily Jewelry”, the words “daily” and “jewelry” don’t really make any sense when put together, and the name isn’t very original either.
Summing up
All in all, the name you choose for your YouTube channel is extremely important because it will be the first thing your prospective customers will see and read. Your channel name will also be used as keywords for your YouTube SEO, so it is important to make sure that it is short, catchy, and grammatically correct. While coming up with a brand name is never an easy task, there are a few things you can do to make the process a little bit easier. The best thing to do is to make a list of all the words and phrases that you wish to be associated with your channel and then start brainstorming for possible names.
Shoe Repairs And Several Other Things When I Was 7
Shoe Repairs And Several Other Things When I Was 7
My Dad repaired most of our shoes believe it or not, I can hardly believe it myself now. With 7 pairs of shoes always needing repairs I think he was quite clever to learn how to “Keep us in shoe Leather” to coin a phrase!
He bought several different sizes of cast iron cobbler’s “lasts”. Last, the old English “Laest” meaning footprint. Lasts were holding devices shaped like a human foot. I have no idea where he would have bought the shoe leather. Only that it was a beautiful creamy, shiny colour and the smell was lovely.
But I do remember our shoes turned upside down on and fitted into these lasts, my Dad cutting the leather around the shape of the shoe, and then hammering nails, into the leather shape. Sometimes we’d feel one or 2 of those nails poking through the insides of our shoes, but our dad always fixed it.
Hiking and Swimming Galas
Dad was a very outdoorsy type, unlike my mother, who was probably too busy indoors. She also enjoyed the peace and quiet when he took us off for the day!
Anyway, he often took us hiking in the mountains where we’d have a picnic of sandwiches and flasks of tea. And more often than not we went by steam train.
We loved poking our heads out of the window until our eyes hurt like mad from a blast of soot blowing back from the engine. But sore, bloodshot eyes never dampened our enthusiasm.
Dad was an avid swimmer and water polo player, and he used to take us to swimming galas, as they were called back then. He often took part in these galas. And again we always travelled by steam train.
Rowing Over To Ireland’s Eye
That’s what we did back then, we had to go by rowboat, the only way to get to Ireland’s eye, which is 15 minutes from mainland Howth. From there we could see Malahide, Lambay Island and Howth Head of course. These days you can take a Round Trip Cruise on a small cruise ship!
But we thoroughly enjoyed rowing and once there we couldn’t wait to climb the rocks, and have a swim. We picnicked and watched the friendly seals doing their thing and showing off.
Not to mention all kinds of birdlife including the Puffin.The Martello Tower was also interesting but a bit dangerous to attempt entering. I’m getting lost in the past as I write, and have to drag myself back to the present.
Fun Outings with The camera Club
Dad was also a very keen amateur photographer, and was a member of a camera Club. There were many Sunday photography outings and along with us came other kids of the members of the club.
And we always had great fun while the adults busied themselves taking photos of everything and anything, it seemed to us. Dad was so serious about his photography that he set up a dark room where he developed and printed his photographs.
All black and white at the time. He and his camera club entered many of their favourites in exhibitions throughout Europe. I’m quite proud to say that many cups and medals were won by Dad. They have been shared amongst all his grandchildren which I find quite special.
He liked taking portraits of us kids too, mostly when we were in a state of untidiness, usually during play. Dad always preferred the natural look of messy hair and clothes in the photos of his children.