This is another article on 'non joined up writing'.
Simon Fairlie wrote in the Sunday Times (19th September 2010) that the government had solved the dangers posed by the 9000 year old practise of feeding swill to pigs ( a great recycling system) after a farmer failed to cook the swill and caused a disease outbreak. Instead of making sure that controls were in place and education to ensure that swill had been cooked prior to feed (and after all we had survived 9000 years with the same practise) our esteemed politicians decided to ban the practice (not nice for pigs when they are designed for a meat and veg diet and rubbish for carbon emissions). Instead we now grow GM soya by cutting down South American Rain Forest and contributing to global warming. Clearly better to kill off the whole human population via global warming disasters than risk the non cooking of pig swill.
This morning papers run articles that the latest ban on Tier 2 workers is going to have an impact on our ability to climb out of recession. Another great politician blunder by failing to sort the problem. All industry is now dependent on global workforces. Some of the best performing internet businesses rely on global programmers. Closer to home the last government raised the standard of living so that it is now not possible for employers to be able to get white English people of their unemployed backsides because benefits far outweight what they are worth paying in the workforce (and what the wider population will pay for goods). What is this governements plan to tackle that? Border control, stop the workers coming in. Wouldn't a better answer be to just reform benefits? Make people want to work?
The crutial issue is though the damage that will be done now when industries as diverse as ship building and catering cannot employ workers because no one at home is qualified or motivated enough to do the job anf foreign workers cannot come here. Why this 'visible' labour, that adds into our wider economy through spending in shops etc. is not acceptable when the government bangs about Globalisation being good and then lauds the industries using labour around the world to manufacture/programme/process and hence build the economies in those countries is beyond me.
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
Thursday, 3 June 2010
Fontana House - Why it works so well....
We've just uploaded new photographs of Fontana House in Paxos onto our site at www.simpsontravel.com. We have a stunning portfolio of properties in Paxos and sales staff have come back from an educational visit and were blown away by the properties which really are now some of the best we have.
I travel each year and this year again we are staying in Fontana House in Paxos. The guys in the office wanted to know why this worked so well for me and so I thought a personal view would help.
Fontana House is set on its own in an olive grove just a short 5 minute walk from the centre of Fontana. Fontana village is very small and only has two amenities - a taverna and small shop selling bread and a few provisions. For us the fact that the taverna is considered to be one of the best on the island just completes what is otherwise an idyllic villa and location. In the main we cook ourselves being very fussy about food and so the well equipped kitchen and outside barbecue work really well for meal times, but a treat at the taverna or indeed buying a take out of sizzling lamb from the spit to go with a home made greek salad is difficult to beat.
The villa has a feeling of space and openness and that together with the stonewalled garden means that you have privacy as well as a great space to just be in. That is why out of the main season it sells so well to couples travelling together. As a family of five (we squash Tom on a camp bed which isn't ideal but the kids insist it's fine) it's important for us that Tom (aged 5) can kick a football around and hunt for lizards in a safe garden and that the older two can swim in the pool while Sarah and I sip a cold drink on the balcony off the living area that overlooks the pool (keeping out of splashes!). Last year we packed a few drinks and walked to Erimitis bay from the house, probably best attempted after the main heat of the day but you get to see and smell the real greek outdoors. We can spend days hidden away here and I'm looking forward to turning off my phone and being invisible for a while this year.
Paxos is not a large island so you are never far from anywhere. Not creatures of habit we are slightly surprised that we keep on returning but then having only just made it across to AntiPaxos last year and being blown away by its beauty (and sandy beach and another great taverna) we just feel drawn back. I first travelled to Greece in 1990 staying Skopelos in a small cottage with an outside kitchenette and travelling everywhere on a moped. Twenty years on life does not seem to have moved that fast and Greece's charm as a getaway from all that normal life has to throw at you will surely be the reason why we will keep returning year after year. Having lived in the Far East and lived and worked in Africa I've been lucky to see some amazing places. For us, Greece has everything that other destinations have ... and more. Six weeks and counting till we go!
Fontana House - Why it works so well....
We've just uploaded new photographs of Fontana House in Paxos onto our site at www.simpsontravel.com. We have a stunning portfolio of properties in Paxos and sales staff have come back from an educational visit and were blown away by the properties which really are now some of the best we have.
I travel each year and this year again we are staying in Fontana House in Paxos. The guys in the office wanted to know why this worked so well for me and so I thought a personal view would help.
Fontana House is set on its own in an olive grove just a short 5 minute walk from the centre of Fontana. Fontana village is very small and only has two amenities - a taverna and small shop selling bread and a few provisions. For us the fact that the taverna is considered to be one of the best on the island just completes what is otherwise an idyllic villa and location. In the main we cook ourselves being very fussy about food and so the well equipped kitchen and outside barbecue work really well for meal times, but a treat at the taverna or indeed buying a take out of sizzling lamb from the spit to go with a home made greek salad is difficult to beat.
The villa has a feeling of space and openness and that together with the stonewalled garden means that you have privacy as well as a great space to just be in. That is why out of the main season it sells so well to couples travelling together. As a family of five (we squash Tom on a camp bed which isn't ideal but the kids insist it's fine) it's important for us that Tom (aged 5) can kick a football around and hunt for lizards in a safe garden and that the older two can swim in the pool while Sarah and I sip a cold drink on the balcony off the living area that overlooks the pool (keeping out of splashes!). Last year we packed a few drinks and walked to Erimitis bay from the house, probably best attempted after the main heat of the day but you get to see and smell the real greek outdoors. We can spend days hidden away here and I'm looking forward to turning off my phone and being invisible for a while this year.
Paxos is not a large island so you are never far from anywhere. Not creatures of habit we are slightly surprised that we keep on returning but then having only just made it across to AntiPaxos last year and being blown away by its beauty (and sandy beach and another great taverna) we just feel drawn back. I first travelled to Greece in 1990 staying Skopelos in a small cottage with an outside kitchenette and travelling everywhere on a moped. Twenty years on life does not seem to have moved that fast and Greece's charm as a getaway from all that normal life has to throw at you will surely be the reason why we will keep returning year after year. Having lived in the Far East and lived and worked in Africa I've been lucky to see some amazing places. For us, Greece has everything that other destinations have ... and more. Six weeks and counting till we go!
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