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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.

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An Online Health Food Store Supplies More Info For Consumers on Natural Products Like Health Drinks

Online Health Food Stores have become a one-stop shop for health drinks and all natural foods that you can’t find in typical supermarkets or even retail health food stores. While it’s difficult these days to determine what items are really healthy and “natural” by looking at labels, online health food stores often have far more in-depth information available to consumers. Many times, products like health drinks may have only one natural ingredient, but still be labeled, “natural”, which does not always mean they’re healthy. This can be confusing for health conscious shoppers who want the highest quality nutrition.Online health food stores are often much more thorough in describing the true nature of their health drinks and other products. They go to great lengths assuring customers that things like preservatives, isolated vitamins, artificial dyes or sweeteners are not included in their all natural foods and health drinks. They investigate the manufacturing facilities and processes to be certain that products are processed at low temperatures to maintain the whole food structures and live enzymes inherent in truly natural ingredients. Unfortunately, some of the so-called health drinks and all natural foods at typical stores are devoid of nutrients because of the processing and pasteurization in the packaging processes.There has never been a better time to discover a new way of shopping for healthy products. Here are a few examples of things you will find at an online health food store that may appear the same as typical store bought items on the surface, but are vastly different in the way they are processed:* Vitamins – At the online health food store it is more likely these are whole food vitamins, not isolated vitamins, which will give you more effective absorption of nutrients directly into your cells.* Natural low carb and high fiber foods – These are not fake-food substitutes, but real, all natural food formulas prepared with long-term results in mind.* Health drinks and teas – Not enhanced bottled waters or candy colored sport drinks, but herbal beverages with whole food ingredients and live enzymes.* Alkaline Foods and Drinks – Unlike overly processed foods and drinks that create an acid ash in the bloodstream, alkaline foods and drinks support a healthy pH balance, so you can avoid health problems such as bone weakness and arthritis.* Nutrition for athletes and pregnant women – Concentrated with many pounds of natural ingredients to produce one pound of finished product, these online health food store products provide more power in fewer calories.Many of the all natural foods and health drinks from an online health food store are likely to contain ingredients that have been grown on small farms or even in the wilderness, without the use of harmful pesticides and chemical fertilizers that are robbing our foods of real nutrients. This is far different from mass-produced products made with so-called “natural” ingredients that have been manufactured on giant factory farms with artificial fertilizers and dangerous pesticides.If you wouldn’t use it in your own garden, then you probably won’t find it in products grown for all natural foods and health drinks at an online health food store. You would be surprised to know how many non-organic foods, and even some labeled as “natural”, have been grown that way. The United States Department of Agriculture defines organic food as produced by a farmer practicing soil and water conservation. In addition, they must make use of renewable resources in order to protect the environment for future generations. These are the types of all natural foods and health drinks that you will find at a reliable online health food store.Today, some people avoid healthy lifestyle choices because they think the cost is too high or that alternative choices will rob them of modern day conveniences. However, it is important to realize that modern technology can bring those conveniences to anyone with Internet access. If you can Google, you can find an “online health food store with all natural health drinks”. Don’t fall into the unfortunate trap of not making the switch because you believe that you can’t afford all natural foods and health drinks without making major sacrifices. It won’t matter if the weather is bad or if you don’t have time to get to the market. It’s easy to order health drinks and other items from an online health food store with more detailed information on what you are buying than you could ever get from a typical store.As consumers, we know that it is time to restore ourselves with nature. The quick fix and shortcuts that have rooted us in our everyday lives no longer serve us well, if they ever really did. This is not a passing fad. It is a wake up call that you see more and more as online health food store owners are leading the way for a green generation to discover a better way of shopping for truly all natural foods and health drinks.

What Makes a Radio Commercial Effective?

In one sentence – A clear and concise message that drives the listener to do what you ask of them makes a radio commercial effective. Vague: Yes, True: Very. Radio commercials are effective when this principal is put into play in a very targeted manner at a very targeted audience. Bottom line, one size does not fit all when it comes to radio commercials. You need to know what you want to offer, and who you are offering it to. If you think you will save money by showcasing “EVERYTHING” in one commercial, you will be in for an expensive surprise, your message will not be targeted and won’t move anyone to take action after hearing your radio commercials. Why? Because chances are your competition stated much more clearly than you, the benefits of a specific product or service that they too offer, in effect – it spoke directly to the consumer who needed it in their radio commercials. Where as the “Everything” approach got lost in the shuffle.Sure, you may have an array of services or products that are amazing! But chances are, the consumer who hears your message is only interested in one of those services or products. If you want their business, they need to be aware that you offer it, and offer the best. If you want to focus on more than one product or service, than create more than one commercial to effectively communicate this point. In a perfect world, every time your commercial plays the consumer will drop everything they are doing, stop talking to whoever they are talking to, and devote 110% of their attention to your radio commercial, every word in your radio commercial and the lovely background music you picked out. However, we don’t live in that world. They will catch the commercial in small “snack size” pieces. The piece they catch, better be what you wanted them to hear.For example: If you are an office supply store and want to let the public know about your sale on ink cartridges, 90% of your commercial better be about ink cartridges, the other part about where you are and how to contact you. However all too often when this hypothetical store wants to push ink cartridges they create a commercial that is 10% for ink cartridges, 10% for software, 10% for cell phones, 10% for office furniture, 10% for sharpies, etc…. Not only will the consumer (who could really take advantage of the ink cartridge sale) not have any clue about the sale, they also tuned out the rest of the message because they had no need for the other product blurbs in the radio commercial. Had the commercial focused on their goal of showcasing “ink cartridges”, they would have likely known about the sale and made a note to go to this store.Not only does the commercial need to be focused, it needs to be compelling. Just saying “We have ink cartridges on sale”, is not enough. Radio commercials needs it needs to be relatable. The consumer needs to be put in a mental situation where they say to themselves “Oh yea… I know what they are talking about, I really need Ink Cartridges too”. This can be done through humor, scripted situational acting, a offer that is too good to pass up or a strong call to action, or the announcer making a compelling ploy that does not sound like he’s “selling” a product. Don’t just rely on the radio stations “free” production services to get you the effective script you need (most times, you get what you pay for). Making a relatively small investment and hiring a professional radio commercial production company can pay off 10x in the long run as compared to having an unqualified “free” production service do your commercial for you. If you’re going to spend money on a radio schedule, wouldn’t you want to put the most effective message possible on the air?So to review – An effective radio commercial consists of a clear and concise message: targeted at exactly the person you want to reach for the product or service you are selling. The radio commercial also has to have a very narrow focus speaking directly to that persons needs and emotions. The radio commercial is also needs a strong call to action that they consumer won’t want to pass up.