Monthly Archives: December 2015

ALEX AND THE SEVEN GIANTS

Those who have pets will certainly understand me better than those who don’t. But each one of our seven large dogs so obviously has such a distinct character from the others, that is sometimes feels uncanny.

Somehow we seem to associate character variances with humans only, which definitely isn’t the case. Dogs might even have more differing dispositions than we do, perhaps due to the lack of social and ethical pressures and norms.

So it all started a few years ago, when we decided to go to SPCA to get ourselves a puppy. However, upon stating that we had a lot of space and a pleasant disposition, they craftily ‘sold’ us three large ones instead!

It is obvious that everyone wants the puppies first, so it is easy to find a home for these. But it is not everyday that such big suckers as us walk in and agree to take half the damn dogs they have in their kennels…

From left to right – Lucy, Maya, Baci. Orion, Jetty, Chubby and Cessie

So this is how we got Lucy, Cessie and Jetty.

Lucy is a light brown, short-haired tal-Fenek (pharaoh hound) and tal-Kacca (Maltese hunting dog/pointer) cross. She is very ‘pointery’ and does actually point quite often. She is a very keen hunter for anything that crosses her way – birds, lizards, insects, anything, or rather nothing – stands a chance. She is most definitely the most human of them all. Sometimes I think that she is inside my head.

When there is someone at the gate and all the other dogs are barking furiously at the stranger, totally fixated at the person there, she is the only one who barks in the stranger’s direction, while constantly looking back at the house to see whether we have noticed or not. And after a while she starts barking more and more in the direction of the house, so as to summon us outside.

She also loves to mimic others. I often notice that when the other dogs pee, she often goes straight there and pees over theirs. But that is probably to smother their scent and lay down hers instead. However on one occasion I kid you not, I was peeing myself in the bathroom while she was next to me, she looked up at me, squatted down over the tiled floor, and started peeing too. She obviously decided that it was pee time for all, and for the first time ever, actually peed inside right next to me.

But what I find by far the most fascinating about her, is that although I do not tend to feed them at exactly the same times every day, and I am always moving around the house for much of the time, the moment I decide to go and feed them she somehow senses this and starts barking and screaming like crazy. How she does this I have no idea. But honestly the moment I get up to go and feed them, in the same way I get up to do a hundred other things, she knows immediately that this time my intention is different, and goes wild with excitement.

Then there is Cessie, who very simply is the other extreme. She is a German Shepherd cross who is part gentle and part grumpy. All she wants is to be left alone. She is extremely docile with us but occasionally snappy with the other dogs when their boisterous nature starts to bug her.

It takes a lot to stir her up and in many cases even when all the others are barking like crazy at whatever caught their attention, she remains still, lying down, and occasionally looks up secretly just moving her eyes, to ensure that all is ok, while pretending that she is totally oblivious to the commotion around her.

As for Jetty, her story is a bit more sombre I am afraid. Her first owners were monsters out of hell who used to beat her as a puppy!! but let’s not go there and spoil our mood… So she has remained extremely skittish and even with us after many years she still tends to go through phases. Sometimes she is relatively fine but sometimes she doesn’t even let us touch her. If for example we need to hold her down to change her collar, pull out a couple of ticks, check her out, or whatever, she is so traumatised by the experience that it takes us many months to gain her full confidence again and to be able even to pet her.

The poor thing tries and when say I am in the middle of them all playing and petting them, she is circling around me coming very close and wagging her tail. But sure enough as soon as I tend my arm towards her to pet her, she dodges it and moves just far enough for me not to touch her.

The poor thing has been marked for life and it would be worse to try and force her. There are the odd moments when she feels safe and lets us touch her. We then give her a big hug and a good scratching on her belly, which she thoroughly enjoys.

She is called Jetty because being a black labrador cross, she is a shiny jet black and beautiful.

About a year after we got our first three, I was walking in the countryside, when I encountered this extraordinarily beautiful puppy. A black, and speckled grey male tal-kacca with truly fantastic features. In spite of his tender age, he was left for most of the time on his own, next to a hunter’s lodge, and visibly fed nothing more than dry bread. However I still realised that he wasn’t totally abandoned and did not intend to take him with me. However after playing with him for ages, he wouldn’t let me go, and as I tried to lose him by rushing off, he did his best to chase me on his little shaky legs.

He followed me on and on for ages, until I arrived on a main road full of people and traffic. It was obvious that if I didn’t take him home, somebody else would have, or even worse he would have been run over by a passing car!

I still somehow felt guilty and imagined his owner eventually going on site and finding him missing. So I called SPCA for advice on the matter. But when I explained the conditions this poor puppy was enduring, they insisted that we keep him as ours.

The poor puppy’s belly was totally bloated due to his diet which consisted soled of bread. So we called him Chubby and we really love him dearly.

As he grew he quickly became the king of the castle, surrounded by his harem of bitches. It is so funny watching him in his typical macho ways. We had a large four-dog wooden kennel built and he loves climbing on top of it barking down at the girls beneath him. Cessie couldn’t be bothered and just glances up at him in scorn, probably thinking what a waste of useless energy. Jetty wouldn’t dare challenge his authority and just looks up at him in awe. Lucy on the other hand, would definitely like to have a go and often tries to hop up next to him. But Chubby always fights her down again, strongly affirming that this is his, and only his, superior perch. Once he has fully affirmed his dominance and unquestioned authority, he happily jumps down again and strategically lifts his leg at every corner, spraying every nook and cranny of his territory with his manly urine.

Then came Maya, a truly stunning Alaskan Malamute who was cruelly kept chained to a parked immobile truck in a garage, before she was given to us, so how could we refuse. Our other three bitches were sterilised before being given to us, so we never bothered snipping Chubby for this reason. But when Maya was given to us, she was nine months old and literally came on heat for her first time on the exact day we got her.

Initially Chubby would have nothing to do with her and tried to ignore her, but she visibly seduced him by constantly chasing him around the garden. She gave absolutely no attention to the girls, but she was really all over Chubby, and kept nibbling at his ears and face. He pulled away time and time again, but she simply wouldn’t take no for an answer. This girl knew exactly what she wanted and she kept grabbing him from the neck and scruff, pulling him toward her.

Then suddenly something came over him and he just went for her and then they were at it all day and night. Suffice to say that in typical doggie fashion they got well stuck on a couple of occasions, until something was obviously well and done.

So Maya is a very hardheaded dog who always gets her way. She has incredibly expressive eyes, always looks directly into yours, as she howls constantly at you, in a manner which perfectly mimics talking. Each time you talk to her she howls something directly back to you, in a very uncanny way. She also turned out to be a superbly dedicated mother.

She gave us seven heavenly puppies which all turned out spectacularly beautiful.

We had to give five away but kept two of them along with our others. My wife kept her favourite one, whom she called Orion. He is now the largest of all our seven dog and looks like a small horse. As may often be expected from a giant, out of all our dogs he is by far the most laid back and docile. Simply nothing moves him. Even to the extent that there were times earlier on when we wondered whether he was perfectly normal. As his sister Baci, who is an enormous terror, bit him and pulled painfully at his ears, he wouldn’t even budge and would virtually sleep right through it.

But now we have come to realise that it is simply his character. Nothing much bothers him and he seems to be a very content dog. Content simply at taking life easy and letting the others tease and torture him while he retains his total zen. Then once in a blue moon, not very often at all, he terrifyingly lets off steam when out of the blue he jumps up, crashes all the others to the ground beneath him, snarling at them with exposed teeth, showing them that he has both the power and the temperament if he really wanted to, before subsiding back into his semi-stuporous state.

So thats leaves the terror Baci, who was my favourite out of the puppies. I called her Baci because she is always licking and kissing your face whenever she can. She is most definitely hyper, a big bully and can also be rather nasty to the others. She always wants full attention, to dominate every situation and has to be the centre of attraction. I wonder why I love her so much…

She is naughtiness caninified! Always up to no good and making a nuisance of herself. But I love her to bits and when she turns up her big brown eyes, seeking both attention and sympathy from me, like the typical female that she is, it feels exactly like having another perfectly spoilt daughter. It goes without saying that I invariably give her what she wants.

Seven dogs, seven tremendously diverse characters, but all so loving and adorable.

MUNCHIES, Ghadira Bay, Mellieha – revisited

I am so glad that we decided to visit Munchies in Ghadira again, firmly placing this establishment as a favourite stop when touring the North of the island.

Following a nice walk along L-Ahrax and Little Armier areas, we initially decided to stop for a quick drink, somewhere on the way back home. And as we drove down into Ghadira Bay, we saw Munchies and decided to stop there.

This is a much larger facility than one imagines. There is the main upstairs interior dining area, the large upper terrace, a long balcony on the front, the spacious patio downstairs, as well as another large interior dining area downstairs, and all are very appealing in their own way. You are therefore spoilt for choice.

The place was heaving with people, which is rather extraordinary for this time of year, and good luck to them! They have certainly transformed this place into a great venue and the décor both upstairs and downstairs is very pleasant.

So we sat inside downstairs which is very attractive, and once we were there our quick drink turned into a bottle of Santa Digna Cabernet Suavignon, which was excellent and very full and fruity for a cabernet, I must say.

Then the smell and sight of food all around us compelled us to take a meat and cheese platter which was extremely impressive and generous in size. All the ingredients were of excellent quality and were thoroughly enjoyed. What a generous feast it turned out to be.

I finished off with a casatella siciliana, which was also lovely and which I couldn’t help gobbling up.

And naturally then came the coffees and drinks…

So as expected, our quick drink ended up in pretty much in what could be called a meal in itself. And the great thing is that they also operate continuous service throughout the afternoon, as the kitchen doesn’t close.

What a splendid venue to keep in mind and how very flexible. They are open all day, you can go just for a drink, for a snack or a platter, or for a full meal. And above all the location is truly stunning, the food is excellent and so is the service.

Pretty hard to beat all round!

TRATTORIA AD1530 – Xara Palace, Mdina

We have often dined at this establishment in Mdina. It is a typical trattoria insofar as it offers an informal style menu and ambiance, yet being in Mdina and more so as part of the Xara Palace, it also withholds a certain level of class and refinement.

In the warmer months we thoroughly enjoy eating outside in the splendid square. On this particular occasion however, especially as we were there in the evening, we preferred being seated inside, although their outside area was well heated. I would immediately recommend that a simple spring be installed on their main door, enabling the staff to enter and exit without either having to turn back after their hands have been freed to close it, or as was more often the case, leaving it wide open, regaling us with chilly drafts most of the evening.

We started off with a bottle of French Domaine La Baume sauvignon blanc, which was very pleasant, especially for its relatively humble category. As expected with good French sauvignon, this was less aromatic and floral than most new world equivalents, however it presented lovely crisp, elegant, and fresh flavours instead.

There were three of us dining and for starters one of us had a lovely, largely assorted salad with gorgonzola, pears, Grana shavings, nuts and mixed greens, which was more than satisfactory.

While two of us had a beef carpaccio with all the trimmings and seasoning, which also proved to be delicious.

For mains we went for the fettucine with prawns, asparagus and spinach, in a prawn bisque, which was also very much enjoyed, especially as the various flavours and ingredients seemed to blend in and to compliment each other perfectly.

Also the ravioli with ricotta and artichokes, which were a slightly plainer dish, yet still of a very high standard. And a black Angus beef tenderloin, which was ordered blue and accompanied with salad, rather than vegetables.

When the steak arrived it was deemed to be slightly overcooked. It is true that in the centre it was still rather blue, however as admitted by the staff, it had effectively been sealed a little bit too much, rendering quite a large proportion of its edges well cooked. Additionally, they erroneously served vegetables instead of salad.

However, in keeping with the friendly and streamlined service throughout the meal, this was immediately remedied without fuss or bother. In no time whatsoever we were served another, perfectly blue steak, as well as a dish of salad, although we repeatedly insisted that this was not necessary, especially as the vegetables were beautifully prepared.

No problem is ever a problem when it is immediately solved, and this was one of those cases where good service and keen customer care more than saved the day.

I finished off with a nice apple pie, before we embarked on a wondrous walk around of Mdina by night.

WORD OF MOUTH – RECOMMENDATION

SYNOPSIS IN POINT FORM

• Word of mouth should always work in your favour – it is a normal and expected aspect
• If it is working against you, then you need to urgently analyse what is going wrong
• It is a great misconception that with frequent recommendation, advertising is not necessary
• On the contrary, advertising will only work if you are being recommended
• Each new client acquired will draw in many new ones for you
• Analyse who, why, how and when you are being effectively recommended
• Direct your marketing spend in this exact direction, which will render much better results
• Reward client referral with real incentives
• Thank clients for referring you
• Formulate group purchasing advantages, encouraging further recommendation

FULL ARTICLE

Word of mouth, or recommendation, should not be something you are particularly proud of and boast about, with regards to your business. It is about as normal and to be expected as any other regular feature of your business, and perhaps akin to boasting that you do not cheat your customers.

If people who know you do not recommend you, then there is something drastically wrong with what you are doing. So don’t make it sound like it is something out of the ordinary. It is in fact the most normal and typical way that all businesses grow and evolve.

With this in mind, it becomes very obvious that those entrepreneurs who say that marketing and advertising is not important for them, as they depend on recommendation, are totally missing the point.

I would, without a shadow of a doubt, go as far as saying that the complete opposite is true. it is only when word of mouth and recommendation is working in your favour, that you should engage in advertising.

Why? Most simply because each new client that you acquire through often costly advertising, will in all circumstances in turn refer new clients to you, thereby resulting in a snowball effect. This is when advertising really works, and not when word of mouth is working against you. In this case, the new occasional client obtained, will quickly move away, without pulling in others for you, thus resulting in a waste of money and resources.

On the other hand, if your advertising does result in word of mouth working in your favour, each Euro spent will generate great returns, not so much through the actual advertising itself, but from the ensuing client recommendation.

It is therefore a big misconception that such businesses do not require advertising. It is in fact they and only them who always receive by far the biggest benefits.

There are also other methods through which you can further multiply your takings from your advertising campaigns, within the scope of this scenario.

As people are recommending you, do your very best to analyse exactly who these people are, and which segment of your business they mainly recommend. Find out why, when and how they recommend you, and then do your best to focus your advertising in this specific direction. Let us say that you have various activities all combined under the same umbrella, but that you seem to be recommended mainly for one of them. And say that this recommendation usually comes when offering a certain variant of this activity, by a certain type of individual, and it is mainly based on a specific quality and aspect of your operation. This could be regarding price, value for money, quality, style, customer care, after-sales, or any other specific aspect of your business.

In this case therefore, try to direct much of your advertising specifically toward this exact target, which you know will definitely generate a lot of recommendation, rather than spreading it around finely amongst your entire audience.

Other ways of capitalising on client recommendation is to reward clients passing on the good word, by incentivising them in various ways. You may otherwise reward group purchases when your clients combine their orders with those of their own friends and contacts.

Even simply asking new clients who recommended them, and getting back to the original client to thank them, will go a very long way in encouraging them to continue doing so, as well as to greatly strengthen their loyalty towards you and your brand.

Word of mouth is by far the most effective and powerful way of promoting your business, and above all it is free. Once you know that it is working in your favour, then you can start advertising – but not before.

DAS BRANDENBURGER TOR

– inspired by William Turner‘s unfinished painting

Still riddled with bullet holes that are patched with non matching cement. Testimony to the endurance and perseverance of art and culture, and more so of the tenacity of humanity at large, despite those who would destroy it. Symbol of man’s will to supersede imposed power.

The falling of the Iron Curtain, Perestroika, Glasnost, Arab Spring. Going back – the French Revolution and Joan of Arc, in between – the Holocaust, coming forward – Isis and Charlie Hebdo and the recent Paris attacks.

Dictators have come and gone, as did Hitler amongst many others. Hitler, who in many ways caused the division of Berlin, or at least whose actions eventually led to it.

There it still stands today. Das Brandenburger Tor. Wrecked in WW2, but restored after the war.

Strong. Symbolic. Strategic. Steeped in Significance.

Humankind can never be put down. In the face of repression we rebel. In periods of pain and suffering we strengthen. When stifled we only bounce back with bigger resolve.

The Berlin Wall which was once over 140 kilometres long, mostly destroyed in a sudden and unexpected wave of freedom. Brandenburg Gate however remained. Evoking mixed feelings of joy and sorrow, of victory and defeat.

The harsh reality of war and subjugation. Of political exploitation and the forced division of people. Friends, families, couples, parents and children, tragically destined to survive on different sides of a wall. Yes a simple wall!

The bullet holes will remain. As will the mismatched fillings. As if to kick off the healing process in a clumsy, unlikely, but effective way.

Time has since passed. Peoples have now reunited. For most it has now blended into the distant past. For others it is but another chapter in their unimportant history books.

The wounds have healed, perhaps clumsily and in a mismatched manner. The rich and arrogant West with the demanding and needy East. But such distinctions are now over. They are now truly one.

And in the same way the bullet holes blend into our collective conscience, as they become part of our daily lives and slowly sink into the mundane, we erect right there one of the most heartwarming symbols of fondness and affection.

A Christmas tree.

We choose to forget the pain and the suffering. Das Brandenburger Tor is now a historic structure, an architectural building, a tourist site. A place to be adorned with a pretty Christmas tree, now symbolising joy, rejoicing, festivity, family and friends.

It forms an integral part of our turbulent psyche, always in motion, always evolving, never still.

A works in progress like William Turner’s painting, which is far from finished and which hopefully never will.

WHAT’S UP DOC!

Happiness is most definitely the most important aspect of our lives. With it everything is good, without it nothing is.

So a little trick I taught myself in recent years, is to try to transform every experience and activity in my daily life into an enjoyable one. After all everything is subjective and today I tend to have fun even in the most unlikely situations.

I have a scream at court – people-watching and making mental notes for a funny writeup, I have a ball with my dentist – who has an equally warped sense of humour, and I had been long trying to find a doctor who would also provide me with welcomed entertainment.

Every day is precious and even one without joy and fun is truly wasted forever…

So after many years trying, I also managed to fix the GP matter much to my satisfaction. After a serious of nondescript ageing gentlemen over the years, who provided me with about as much amusement as a big rusty injection, I think I finally hit the jackpot. This came by chance in a relatively far-off little pharmacy where I had stopped to pick up some tablets and where I was suddenly feeling rather ill. Destiny dictated that the doc walked in right at that moment and realised my state, inviting me in to examine me…

This was many months ago and since then I have always returned to see this same medical practitioner whenever necessary, and even at times when not so necessary, in spite of the relative distance.

My doc comes in the form of an attractive, late thirties, bubbly woman, with a slightly sporty, tomboyish yet very feminine air about her. I must have seen her about four times now, culminating in my last visit only days ago.

I do admit to being a huge flirt, and my doc is anything but immune to this. I always refer to her and treat her as a woman, rather than a doctor, especially as I stare deep into her eyes. This never fails to evoke a special telltale glint in them in return, as if to beckon me inside, and not necessarily into her eyes only…

On a recent occasion she also insisted on fondling my balls and making me cough, although my ailment concerned back pains, which were at most imaginary on my part. However I must say that we both visibly equally enjoyed this little charade!

So on my last visit she asked me to remind her of my age, upon which she replied “oh that’s the very best age for a man, and you look so fit and young and with it”.

I must admit that I instantly developed a semi. In my typically false modest approach, I told her that on the contrary, I really needed to lose weight, to which she laughed and told me that to most standards, I could be considered anorexic by comparison, and that according to her I had the perfect build.

She said this as she was sitting directly in front of me, wearing a relatively short skirt, with her legs slightly open (it was definitely white!), in a rough and ready way, with her head slightly tilted forward, while looking up above her glasses with big searching eyes…

That was it! My dick shot up on guard to the max! Fucking amazing. So what do I do? Naturally I look down and point and tell her in a sad tone, there you go, you see what you’ve done now! To which she replies with an evil grin “Well we don’t have to check that one out do we. You certainly don’t have erectile problems”.

Now how fucking observant was that! I think I’m going to be sick often this Winter…

PARANGA, St. Julians

Literally positioned partly over the water, it is hard to get a more unique spot than this. The view across St. Georges Bay may not to truly stunning, but it still never fails to impress, especially on such a glorious late Autumn day.

We were very pleased to be accepted for a very late lunch and were warmly welcomed and also advised that we could park our car in the Eden parking for free, by presenting them with our ticket before leaving. So we moved our double parked car into their car park and settled in right at the water’s edge, while enjoying the rather chic ambiance and slick service.

We started off with a bottle of South African Two Oceans blend of chenin blanc and sauvignon blanc, which sounded quite novel and interesting. However it did not turn out to be such a successful mix, as it tended to lose the lovely floral and aromatic flavours of the sauvignon, as well as the crisp and acidic characteristics of the chenin. So it wasn’t an excellent choice on my part.

We were not excessively hungry, so we decided on one dish. My wife requested a carpaccio, which was naturally listed under starters, and asked for this as a main course. However, must to our dismay, she was informed that it couldn’t be served in this manner.

I have already commented on this before. I do understand that portioning and costings and presentation, as well as other related matters are of great importance, however restaurants unable to arrange for such a simple manipulation are doing something seriously wrong. It really is not rocket science to provide a larger sized portion of most dishes, unless it is say a whole fish, whereby providing one and a half fish makes no sense.

So I pushed her into having two different starter sized carpaccios, one octopus and prawn, and one veal. Both were excellent in taste, texture and presentation.

I went for the tagliatelli ai frutti di mare, which were only listed as one size and one price, however instantly I was asked whether I preferred a starter or a main course portion. I nearly choked on my wine when I was told this… talk about irony!

In any case the pasta was also of good quality, so certainly no complaints on the food.

The service was fine throughout – smart, efficient, prompt and technically correct, with service and clearing always conducted from the right hand side, which seems to be fast being forgotten these days. There were times when it did feel a bit superficial and not so genuine, in a five star hotel sort of way, but we can live with that.

What certainly was not in keeping with five star hotel standards, was when suddenly towards the end, we heard mad and enraged singing coming from the kitchen, which was not only audible, but even rather loud from where we sat, which was a great distance away. This wannabe Pavarotti must have been really singing at the very top of his voice, and I am not in any way exaggerating. I actually asked the waiter what on earth this racket was, but he only smiled and shrugged his shoulders and admitted that yes, it was the chef who often just loses it completely. Lovely, we thought, as we desperately hoped that this was the only way he manifested his apparent madness, and not in any way which might affect the food he cooked.

You might be thinking that there is little connection between the two. But when someone is so crass and negligent to scream at the top of his voice in the presence of customers, in what is meant to be a rather classy establishment, I think that my questioning does have some basis.

We went for coffees and drinks and I asked for a Hennessy and I enquired which malt whiskies they had in stock. I was advised that amongst others they had Macallan, which I particularly enjoy. So it was a Hennessy and a Macallan that we ordered.

However when the bill came over I noticed that we were charged €12 for a Macallan Amber, which is a superior special edition version, and €8 for a Hennessy VSOP Fine de Cognac. Therefore €20 for two drinks.

This is another common trick I have often mentioned here and have been pointing out that many restaurants are using to dupe customers into spending more. There have been instances when for certain valid reasons, such as being offered several on the house, I decided to take it in my stride, but frankly the frequency of this devious trick led me to put my foot down on this occasion. Enough is enough! Why should I pay €20 for two drinks when these were not what I ordered!

There is something within me that seems to shift instantly from laid back nice guy to pig-headed, iron-willed maniac, and if I think I have been cheated and decide to speak out, they could bring the tough guys, the cavalry, the Spanish Inquisition and more, but honestly nothing on this planet will make me budge. I remember some time ago on a similar cheated experience in Gozo, the establishment threatened on calling the police, and I said oh no no you won’t, I will! And I really proceeded in calling them and insisted that they come on site without delay. At which point the restaurant staff dropped their claims and called the police back themselves to inform then that the issue had been amicably solved.

In this case however, I am glad to say (for the establishment that is) that they had the foresight of immediately apologising and fumbling up various excuses. First I was told that they served us doubles by mistake, then they decided to take back the bill and to replace it with one with different descriptions and clearly stating Hennessy VS rather than VSOP.

Being an aficionado of alcoholic drinks, which sounds so much better than alcoholic, I can usually even recognise such variances, and I do believe that it was a Hennessy VSOP Fine de Cognac, which I know well. Also, although I am not very familiar with Macallan Amber, I am with the standard Macallan, and this one did seem a bit different. So in all probability we were served these superior versions, however very simply this was not what I ordered. End of story!

I very strongly suggest that everyone follow suit and act in the same manner as I have decided to do from now on. When ordering I will purposely not bother specifying that I request a standard spirit and let them serve me something better, if they wish to treat me. But believe me I’m not paying for anything more than that!

This practice makes so little sense that suffice to say there are bottles which cost literally thousands of Euros under certain brands and Hennessy is one of them. So am I supposed to receive a bill including a tot of cognac for say €500 only to be told – oh yes that is because we served you a Hennessy Beaute du Siecle, which would roughly equate to the price of one tot.

Incidentally I also found that €4.20 for a bottle of water, €12.50 for a starter carpaccio and €18.80 for a main course pasta was over the top.

So I paid up, half the original requested prices for the two drinks, admittedly still a bit disgruntled, handed them my parking ticket for validation, and we proceeded to the Eden car park for our car. However when I tried to exit, the barrier wouldn’t open. I gave my ticket to the security guy and also showed him my Paranga bill. He passed my ticket through the machine and told me that it hadn’t been validated at the restaurant and that I must have forgotten to hand it to the staff there for this purpose. I told that that I had, at which point he said he really couldn’t understand what had happened, as it clearly hadn’t been processed on their side.

I am not sure if it was simply because he was a nice guy, or because I also insisted on showing him my restaurant bill, or perhaps because he sensed my intentions of walking back down there, picking up their best cognac and malt whisky bottles and screaming at them “Just try to stop me!!!”, that made him decided to let us through.

So I suppose it is always best to insist not to pay for more expensive drinks than you ordered, when you aren’t parked in the restaurant’s car park!

BUSINESS BLOGGING

SYNOPSIS IN POINT FORM

• Blogs are an efficient way of providing useful information
• The subject matter is usually related but not directed at your business’s function
• The main reasons are to direct traffic to your site, and to elevate your status to expert
• Readers can often be invisible, so check out your site stats for exact traffic
• In time you will be seen as an authority on the subject
• This will position you well ahead of your competitors
• There are several other reasons you may run a blog
• The most important aspect of all is the quality of your blog’s content
• The choice of writer is therefore paramount to success
• The better your writer the more engaged the audience and the longer the text which may be featured

FULL ARTICLE

Over recent years there has been a marked trend with many businesses to include a blogging feature in many of their online platforms.

This normally comes from an angle of providing resourceful and useful information to customers and non-customers alike.

In most cases a blog usually speaks about subjects related to your area of business, but certainly not necessarily about your business or its services themselves. The trick in fact, is often to purposely steer away form the obvious and rather than staging it as a simple continuation of the rest of your promotional material, to deal with topics and subjects which are firmly removed from your business itself.

Some examples would be say featuring a blog on lifestyle and design, when running a furniture and home interiors shop, or a blog on health and fitness when operating a gym. Similarly you might manage an antique shop and blog about history in general.

Provided that the subject matter of your blog will attract most of your clients, then do not be afraid to venture as far off as you wish. The trick is finding areas of common interest.

The two main reasons behind a blog are increasing traffic to your site or online platform, and establishing yourself as a recognised authority on the subject.

In the first case it is obvious that having a static site with the habitual home, about us, services, contacts, etc. will usually draw people in once, and never again. If you are regularly updating offers and news, or even if you wish to remind your customers simply that you exist, then you need to find ways of drawing them in more regularly. There might be other reasons you require traffic, such as in the case of advertising or collaborating with third parties.

In many blogs there is little or no interaction with readers. This however does not mean that it is not being read by many. It is therefore important to check out traffic properly through Google Analytics or other similar means. This will clearly indicate how many people are viewing the blog pages and also the time spent there. This will identify those who are truly reading through the text and those who are just quickly browsing through them. Furthermore, it would also be a good idea to occasionally ask your audience personally what they think of your blog, to receive more detailed feedback.

A blog can be a very effective means of driving constant traffic to your site.

If many come to your blog to learn new and interesting things, then in time they will come to consider you as an important resource of information in their lives. This will elevate your status from businessperson to teacher and instructor. It will transform your image from shopkeeper to expert in a particular field.

People will automatically associate you and your business to that line of work and whenever they require your types of products or services, you will instantly come to mind. Moreover, you will be much more trusted by them, which will evidently lead to greater sales.

Furthermore, the fact that you take the trouble to disseminate free information to all, is good for your image and will also increase your popularity with many.

A blog can be one astute way of positioning yourself well above your competitors and being seen as an authority on the subject.

There could be other reasons behind a blog. This could also be utilised as an advertorial to market both yourself and third party collaborators. It could also be cleverly used to influence people on specific topics and to shift ideas and create trends. Another interesting idea is to use it to reply to customer queries in a helpline sort of way, where replies to problems are expanded and developed into short articles.

However the blog’s main focus will remain firmly positioned on increasing traffic and improving perception.

Naturally the crux of the matter is very simply the content!

If you have poor and mediocre content, then your blog will be useless and also possibly counter-productive. If, on the other hand, you have engaging and captivating material, it will then sell itself and attract many.

So you must start off by sourcing a good writer. Although very clear guidelines are always advisable, do not suppress or limit your writers to the extent that they cannot express themselves fully and develop their styles and ideas.

Similarly, we all seem obsessed that nobody reads anymore, and that anything more than a couple of short paragraphs is too much. Yet full-length books still sell, as does Kindle, and both offline and online magazines, most of which still feature full-length articles…

I believe that the main difference today, is that there is infinitely more to choose from, so readers are much more selective.

An average writer will engage a reader for the first few sentences, a good writer might do this for a couple of hundred words. An excellent writer however, will have the audience wishing the article will never end, no matter how long it is.

So try and get yourself a very good writer and do not be afraid to go beyond the very basic and often useless short articles, which provide nothing of substance to their readers.

Alexander Bonello

Marketing & Sales Consultancy and Professional Writing