A Flickering Friendship

As we all know, Martini In The Morning stretches across continents and time zones to bring the music we all love into our homes, cars and businesses. Miriam, Brad and all the team are our companions and our friends.

Miriam came to my rescue just before Christmas a few years ago, when Tiffany & Co decided to only sell their Christmas Tree Ornaments in the states due to a shortage of stock. Since then our friendship has flourished and we keep in touch on Facebook.  

A few months ago I posted a picture of a set of candle sticks I had made for a friends wedding.  Solid wood with their initials carved into one side and their wedding date on the opposite side.  In the description I flippantly said that I was taking orders as I was really quite proud of them.  Miriam spotted my post and messaged me saying how much she liked them, asking if I would like to make her a set for her Daughter and Son In Law as a gift to celebrate their wedding anniversary.  To say I was surprised at the compliment and request was an understatement.  To have someone actually want me to make them a set was a wonderful feeling.  How could I refuse.

 

After a few (well to be honest quite a few more than a few) instant messages to and fro across the pond we decided on the way Miriam wanted them to be.  Their initials on one face and their wedding date on the opposite.  I made a few mock up pictures to show her and we were happy to go with the 'less is more' approach.  In a couple of days I had cut them to size, marked and cut the carving.  The wood had been stained and varnished.  My nerves were tingling when I sent through a video clip to show Miriam of them all finished.  I had nothing to worry about as she immediately loved them and couldn't wait to get her hands on them.

Packed up tight with enough tape to secure a wild animal wrapped around the box, it was off to the post office to send the parcel across the Atlantic Ocean.  I don't know if it's a good or bad thing to have the ability to track the package as it made its way from Manchester to LA but the tracking page was probably the most visited website I clicked on for those few days.  At one point it seemed to be stuck in a holding pattern somewhere on the eastern seaboard, being scanned and scanned as it passed by on some belt in some vast warehouse.  Then all of a sudden I received a message from Miriam telling me that the package had arrived safe and sound and she loved them.

A sigh of relief exhaled from my lungs and a feeling of great pride came over me.  I had only ever made things for ourselves and one or two presents for family members in the past but this time it was for Miriam to give out as a present to her Daughter and Son In Law.

Miriam encouraged me to seriously think about producing these hand made, uniquely personal Candle Sticks to order as a very small business opportunity.  So I have set up a Facebook page to test the waters, which can be found by searching for Personalised Candle Sticks on Facebook.  Please contact me on there if you are interested in having a set made to celebrate a Wedding, Birthday, Anniversary or any other special occasion.

I can't wait to hear from Miriam after her Daughter and family have opened them.  I only hope they like them as much as Miriam and myself!

Link to the Tiffany story - http://daytodayhappeningsandthoughts.blogspot.com/2016/05/a-christmas-gift-from-across-pond.html

Link to Personal Candle Sticks Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/PersonalisedCandleSticks/

A Christmas Gift From Across The Pond

A Christmas Gift From Across The Pond

The Martiniinthemorming.com (MITM) hand of friendship stretches the entirety of the globe as anyone who listens in or visits the chat room can vouch for.  Mother Miriam is the metaphorical gel that keeps everyone in the MITM community happy, smiling and feeling a sense of togetherness. Even though we are all thousands of miles apart but close together because of our love for the magical music played 24/7 across the world.

Let me tell you a story about just how wonderful the people at MITM really are and in particular Mother Miriam who came to my rescue without any hint of doubt as to the actions needed to make my plan work.

You see ever since we travelled to New York at Christmas Holiday Season to celebrate my Wife Debra’s Birthday, take in the Christmas atmosphere of the bright lights and shopping in Manhattan and go see Steve Tyrell perform his outstanding show at Cafe Carlyle we have been hooked on collecting the yearly crystal christmas tree ornament sold by Tiffany & Co.  Unfortunately we don’t have the resources to hop on a plane across the Atlantic every year to purchase one from the 5th Avenue shop so we tend to take a trip to London for the weekend and pop into Tiffany on Bond Street there instead. This year I noticed that the ornament wasn’t showing up on the Tiffany online (UK) website so I telephoned customer services and was informed that due to a supply problem our precious little ornament wasn’t being distributed to any other worldwide Tiffany retailers except the USA! The race against time was on. I needed to get my hands on one of these crystal trinkets somehow.

First port of call was the US Tiffany Website, which had them for sale and available. I thought all my worries were over. I placed one in the basket and proceeded to the checkout, only to go through the process and find out they don’t ship internationally…...arrggggggghhh!!

Second port of call was a telephone call to customer services in the USA. After hearing my plight and agreeing how frustrating it was that I couldn’t get my hands on this tiny chunk of crystal she apologised and told me there was no way they could ship it overseas as they have no ability to do so on their system…...arrgggggggghhh!!

She did however suggest that I could have it delivered to a US address and they could then post it on to me.  Who do I know and trust in the states that would be willing to go through the trouble of waiting for a delivery from Tiffany then take it to the post office and send it to me. My plea went out to the only people I know….  Miriam and Brad of course.  The call went out the the dynamic duo and Miriam got right back to me telling me that she would be only too happy to help out, especially as it involves Tiffany & Co.

That was it I had the green light and was raring to go. Straight onto customer services in the states and gave them my order and US address to post it to. An confirmation email was waiting for me with all the order and delivery details, which I promptly forwarded on to Miriam. All I could do now was wait for her to

let me know when it dropped onto her door mat.

After a few days Miriam pinged me informing me that the package had arrived.  I asked her to please open the package and make sure my fragile crystal was intact before she posted it on to me.  She did so and told me there were two blue boxes…. had I ordered two?? I told her yes I had ordered one for a good friend and asked her to open them both to check they were intact.  In them both they had a message card.  One of them was blank the other had a message written on it that I had asked Tiffany customer services to include in the order.  It said on the card

To My Dear Friend

From Across The Pond

You Came To My Rescue

For Which This Gift

Will Be Our Forever Bond!

Thank You Miriam

Happy Holidays

Steven

I think it may have taken a minute or so to sink in but then I got a message back saying what a wonderful thing to do and how thrilled she is with her gift. I think she was a Happy Lady!

No time to waste Miriam. Get a picture of you and Brad holding it up and then get my little blue box to the post office post haste!  She did just that and it was on its way across the Atlantic on the 10th of December with Miriam being informed upto 14 days for delivery to the UK.  WoW it is cutting it tight but fingers crossed for delivery before Christmas Eve.  every couple of days Miriam would check in to see if it had arrived and by the last post on Christmas Eve nothing had dropped through my door. I was disappointed but pragmatic and hopeful it would arrive before the tree was turned into firewood for our log burner.

Ironically it actually arrived the morning after the tree was chopped up, which I was totally gobsmacked about but hey it had arrived, which I was delighted about. A message straight across to Miriam confirming that we had received it and just how beautiful it was to hold it in our hands. Next I had to give it Debra as her very belated extra Christmas present.  While she was upstairs I set up the camera to take a video of her opening it  and hid the postage box under some of the Christmas tree branches. I called her down and told her there was something under the foliage. Me being a bit of a practical joker and her usually being the butt of those jokes she was obviously very apprehensive about lifting the spiky branches off the table top but eventually her curiosity got the better of her and she did so. Her face was a delight when she opened the package, which made the most expensive Christmas Tree gift I’ve ever purchased worth every penny!

Hopefully Tiffany & Co will be supplying them to the UK for Christmas 2016 otherwise I might just have to call upon Miriam again for her help…… or we could take a trip to 5th Avenue of course!! ;-)

Steven Mangini

Mancunian

Martini Fan

MITM Fan

Miriam’s Friend

Pageant Day

The day started well enough. Yes there was rain in the air but everyone seemed to be happy enough. We walked along the street to Westminster Bridge and made our way through the security cordon and onto the bridge itself. All the spaces along the bridge edge had been taken by people looking like they had come prepared to withstand Armageddon itself, we had two weedy umbrellas between the four of us barely keeping the rain off one shoulder each. Westminster bridge with no traffic on was a very surreal experience. Every time I stepped from one side of the centre line to the other I couldn't help myself from turning my head to see if there was a red bus zooming head long in my direction. There wasn't of course, only damp people quietly biding their time. We were in no fit state to be waiting there for five and half hours so we decided to take a walk down to the Tate Modern and check out the Damien Hirst exhibition.

From side streets and main streets along the way more and more people were arriving by the minute, more and more rain was being dumped on central London and we were getting soggier. The Tate was like a refuge for us, a big warm welcoming place where we could spend a few hours drying off a little.

After spending an arm and a leg for tickets to the Damien Hirst exhibition we made our way into the Turbine Hall where the Diamond Encrusted Skull had a room all to itself. The room in question was totally dark with the skull illuminated in a glass case. It was a spectacular sight. The four of us were totally alone in their with it. Just as I got my camera out to take a sneaky snap a torch burst into life from one of the corners and the face of a black security guard, dressed in a lack suit was lit up saying "NO CAMERAS!" to say that we shit ourselves was an understatement! Needless to say that we high tailed it out of there without a picture.

The third floor exhibition had all his famous, shocking macabre items such as the sheep, shark, cow and her calf split down the middle as well as some of his less well known stuff.

For me the giant ashtray with thousands of used cigarette butts made me feel physically sick. The stench was overwhelming and would be a welcome addition to the governments war on the smoking fraternity. The severed calf head and thousands of flies landing on it served to shock and disgust the kids too, but I guess that is what his intentions are. For me I do not see it as art but who am I to judge, he is the one with hundreds of millions in the bank and no wonder when he is charging £36 for a crappy black T-Shirt with a print of the skull on it. The rest of the Tate exhibition pieces managed to capture our attention for an hour or so and when we emerged from the building the weather had improved dramatically and the crowds had swelled exponentially.

When we got back to our hotel and the London Eye area the crowds were thirty deep and every conceivable vantage point was taken. The cheering grew as the boat with the bells clanging passed and we saw bugger all. The pushing and shoving got so bad that we decided to go back to the room and watch from there. It wasn't exactly how we had intended to watch the spectacle but at least we got to see the Royal Barge float by. Then all of a sudden the heavens opened again with a vengeance and we ended up watching the rest of the pageant on the telly with the sound of the hooters coming in through the open window.

Day One Of Our London Adventure

Awoken by our annoying alarm at 05:45 on a cloudy Saturday morning after downing quite a few Peroni's the night before, was not my idea of starting the day as you mean to go on!

A quick shower and cup of tea made all the difference. The kids were as reluctant to muster from their births as they always are, but they eventually relented and made their way down stairs with their usual Kevin And Perry Esq teenager attitude, which we choose to ignore (most times). The time flew by and before we knew it the Taxi was waiting outside the door. The last few things were shoved in any space left in the suitcase and sherper tensing (that's me by the way) lugged it and all the other paraphernalia to the taxi driver to put in the boot. I know it was early but I have never met such a miserable person in my life. Well that aside and being only five minutes behind schedule we made it to Piccadilly Station with plenty of time to catch the train to London.

It's a good job that I prebooked our table seats on the train because it was packed out and the amount of electronic equipment brought out of pockets, bags and god knows where else, plonked on the table was mind boggling. Then the various magazines were stroon across the table and lastly the food and drinks took up any last remaining area of formica. Headphones were plugged in and the kids were off in their own worlds of mind numbing teen music interspersed with the occasional spat over sweets.

We arrived at our hotel at 10:30am, dumped the bags in the luggage room and went out into the now familiar area of the south bank. Walking out of the hotel right next to the London Eye never ceases to amaze me, then catching sight of the Houses Of Parliament, Westminster Tower and Saint Paul's Cathedral is a sight for sore eyes. We walked down to Tower Bridge, skirting the Thames almost all the way and watched it raise as one of the taller of the thousands of boats that were gathering for this weekends river pageant passed underneath. Walking past Tower Bridge we came to what is being dubbed The Avenue Of Sail, which is where the tall ships are being moored for the Pageant. Seeing the flags flying, bunting flapping to the rhythm of the breeze along the riverside was wonderful.

Our hotel room overlooks the newly refurbished Jubilee Gardens with a glimpse of the river, which might be our best place to view the pageant from this afternoon as I have been woken at 05:30 by sirens, barriers bein dropped off and assembled and the sound of torrential rain battering the windows.

Why Oh Why couldn't the weatherman be wrong as he usual is?

Never mind I am sure that the die hard royalist campers along the route have had it a lot worse than us in their ramshackled encampments!

Diamond Jubilee Weekend Approaches

Well you guessed it

There's a long bank holiday weekend approaching and a certain lady is being celebrated for her loyal duties to her subjects

That sounds very royalist from a republican like me but I can't help myself being swept along with flow of national pride that seems to have gripped the entire population. I think it started the moment our Olympic Flame touched down at Lands End a few weeks ago and has been steadily building ever since.

We are off to see the sights of London once again and this time there should be one or two more Union Flags fluttering in the rain.

Hopefully there will be plenty to blog about over the weekend, so keep an eye open for the usual family antics that seem to follow us wherever we go

A Momentous Day

Last Day At School For Olivia Today.

She Has Glided Through School With The Greatest Of Ease.

I Don't Think She Has Had A Single Scrape To Her Knees

Her Teachers Praised Her For Being So Kind, Happy And Pleasurable To Teach

Exams Were Taken In Her Stride As If Strolling Along A Sun Kissed Beach

We Couldn't Be More Proud Of Her If We Try And If I Write Any More I Surely Will Cry

She Is Without Doubt A Most Wonderful Person To Know And Now For The Next Chapter In Her Life

ON WITH THE SHOW!!

Have A Great Final Day Olivia. I Have Packed The Eggs And Flour For Later (Do They Still Do That?)

A Christmas Time Birthday

Well now where to begin?

Oh I know, it has to be the sight of Debra arriving home from work on her final day before the start of eleven days annual leave. Yes you guessed it, her nose was red as Rudolph's, her voice was as grating as the Grinch and her spluttering chest was as if she had been down a few chimneys, ho-ho-ho-ing all the way! In short she was full of a cold.

We still had a day or two before our trip to our favourite Manchester hotel, the Radisson Edwardian for a night out to celebrate her Birthday so I was optimistic. Just to be on the safe side I contacted the hotel and asked about their cancellation policy. My ever vigilant eye for a good deal had worked against me this time. I had booked the room via Hotels.com in advance which meant paying up front with no cancellation refund available. Looks like we are hitting Manchester and staying over whatever state you are in were my thoughts, obviously I relayed them more diplomatically to Debra.

The day arrived and Debra's nose had turned from a scarlet red to a deeper crimson with crusty, flaking bits of skin hanging from her nostrils. Her being the trooper that she is slapped a load of cover up foundation on and numerous other concoctions to make herself look as gorgeous as ever and we made our way to the hotel. Our room wasn't ready so I borrowed a brolly from the concierge and handed over our bags (yes bags as in plural, after all this is Debra we are talking about). A swift walk around the Christmas Markets in Albert Square then off to the Arndale Centre, Havey Nicks and Selfridges interspersed with trips to various watering holes to keep me from dying of boredom. By the time we had had lunch and returned to the hotel I was like a pissed up pack horse lugging countless bags behind her. Shopping and a few beers must have a medicinal effect on women!

Back in the hotel, bags in our room waiting, shower change and out again to the Hilton for a meal and a bop on the dance floor. By ten o clock Debra was knackered and feeling very poorly so we decided against a trip to the cloud bar for our cocktails and made our way back, which in hindsight was probably a good idea as I had totally gone three sheets to the wind. The next morning we made our way back to the shops and I was a hung over pack horse for the duration! All in all it was a great day and night spent out and about in town.

Unfortunately Debra's Birthday was a tea total affair as her cold had turned into sinusitis and chest infection so she was dosed up to the nines with Antibiotics and flu treatments. I will skip over that.

Sunday after her Birthday arrived along with a covering of beautiful snow and a blue sky above that was truly amazing. It is on days like these, when the light is so wonderful that I wish for the skills to be able to paint such beauty. Debra was feeling better, so we made our way up to Milnrow for a rendezvous with the Vaudrey clan, Chris and Jenny at the Belavista. As I drove onto the car park I was amazed that none of it had been gritted and the slope seemed to be like an ice rink. I dropped Deb and the kids off as close to the doors as possible then made my way to a parking space as far away from any other car as I could, then trudged through the snow to the front door. Everyone was there already chatting away. None of the staff greeted us to take our coats so I took myself off to the cloak room and found a vacant hook. I got the drinks in and shortly after placing our orders we were whisked into the restaurant. Having sat down for less than a few seconds and some not even sat down the starters arrived and were plonked down. It was going to be one of those cattle market meals, I could feel it in my bones! Starters and Mains dealt with in short shrift I decided to stretch out the time a little with a visit to the toilet, only to find that upon my return a non democratic coup of a decision had been made that we were forgoing the desserts and coffee! Well I am very sorry but when I go out for a meal I expect to be sat down for a little longer and have a stodgy sweet and coffee to wash it down with. So I argued my corner (if I had a ball I would have taken it home) and low and behold other members of the party decided that they wanted sweets and coffee too. Once the bill had been settled, out we went into the ice rink oops sorry, car park. Deb and the kids waited for me to skate to the car and pick them up the other cars had a hell of a job getting up the slope. Times like these I am thankful of our 4x4 !

We all made it back to Sandra and Sefton's safely. Coffee and Debs home made biscotti served, we all sang happy birthday to Deb, Sarah and Sandra as they blew out the candles on the fabulous cake baked by Sandra. Slices of said cake followed as did the sugar rush from all the sweets. It was really nice to have a pre Christmas/Birthday get together.

However Debra was a bit disappointed that no one commented on her beautiful Georg Jensen necklace except to ask if you could see through the glass drop!

LoL