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Chaliepud's 2017 Reading Log


chaliepud

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I must step in and wish you a happy reading year!

 

Gone With the Wind is my favorite book :) I've read it four times!

 

You also might want to read Primo Levi's book about surviving Auschwitz, if you haven't yet. He's often used in contrast to Elie Wiesel.

Looks like I really must get to Gone with the Wind this year too then! :D I have Primo Levi on my Goodreads wish list but I MUST NOT buy it...just yet anyway! :D

 

 

I can't believe Jojo's already 3½ years old!! Where has all that time gone? I'm sorry about her leg/back  I'm sure she'd love nothing better than to just continue running and doing agility and she's wondering why her Mommy won't let her!  Many cuddles to her from me

 

And many cuddles to Obi! :wub: Long live Obi!  :alc: 

 

 

I remember it's the copy I sent you, but I didn't want to mention it because that would probably remind you of the copy of Human Traces you sent me and the fact that I've still not read it yet   Once you read yours, I'm bound to feel I need to read mine... :D

 

I'd never watched GwtW, either, so I read the book without any detailed idea of what it was about! And it worked just fine. It was really great! :smile2: I dare say you'll like it, too! 

 

 The updating the Book Box is so annoying I never once updated it last year, and I did buy over 80 titles... Luckily I got a printer off my friend at the end of last year and I printed out all my TBR titles and so that did the trick. I never would've done it if I had had to write all the titles down! 

 

 

Ah, okay... Try to forget about the hype and just jump in, if and when you feel like it. If it's not your thing, then it's not your thing We can't all like the same books, time after time!  

 

 

Obi so cool :wub:

I wouldn't mention Human Traces...but since you brought it up... :giggle2:

 

I actually updated my Book Box at the weekend, I wanted a sit down activity so that fit the bill nicely, I may even have added a few that I knew were already in there, just to increase my odds of reading them sooner!  :blush2:  :giggle:

 

Jojo is back to normal walks, with a ball sometimes so she is very happy, just have to keep everything crossed that she is mended, physio next Tuesday which will be interesting, she won't be impressed being handled by a stranger!  :o  Have you seen the Supervet on TV? Noel Fitzpatrick? He was the one who operated on Obi when he was a pupster, it was his practice we have been back to with Jojo, and she'll have her physio there too, hopefully they'll be filming there at some point.must remember to always wear makeup!!  :giggle2:

And yes, Obi is very cool!  :P

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Obi has had a large lump on his neck for over a year now, it was huge at one point and then halved. He is fine in himself and we haven't had it tested, he finds the Vets incredibly stressful (and the Vets are pretty scared of him too!) plus we are unable to put him under anaesthetic as he has had to be resuscitated twice during operations! :( He is very happy as he is so we will let nature take its course, I don't think he is ready to shuffle of just yet! :D

 

Maybe it is just a fat lump or a cyst of some kind? If it's been there for over a year, then it just may be one of those harmless doggy lumps that they get when they are older.

 

 

Looks like I really must get to Gone with the Wind this year too then! :D I have Primo Levi on my Goodreads wish list but I MUST NOT buy it...just yet anyway! :D

 

I enjoyed Gone With The Wind a lot. I've never seen the film so I don't know how it compares, but the book was so so good. :D

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Jojo is back to normal walks, with a ball sometimes so she is very happy, just have to keep everything crossed that she is mended, physio next Tuesday which will be interesting, she won't be impressed being handled by a stranger!  :o  Have you seen the Supervet on TV? Noel Fitzpatrick? He was the one who operated on Obi when he was a pupster, it was his practice we have been back to with Jojo, and she'll have her physio there too, hopefully they'll be filming there at some point.must remember to always wear makeup!!  :giggle2:

And yes, Obi is very cool!  :P

Oh I love that Supervet guy...he is so good with animals...maybe we will see you on the telly .. :giggle2: 

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Maybe it is just a fat lump or a cyst of some kind? If it's been there for over a year, then it just may be one of those harmless doggy lumps that they get when they are older.

 

 

 

I enjoyed Gone With The Wind a lot. I've never seen the film so I don't know how it compares, but the book was so so good. :D

I'm not sure, it is rock sold and BIG, my hand won't fit around it (not that I have big hands!) it seems to have just become a part of him and other than restrict his movement a little it doesn't appear to bother him, although he is on constant anti-inflammatories for his arthritis so maybe they are helping that too. He is happy, and if he gets his timing right can still get on the sofa for a cuddle!  :giggle:

 

I'm sold, Gone with the Wind AND The Stand will be read this year, hopefully I'll be able to squeeze a few others in too! ;)

 

Oh I love that Supervet guy...he is so good with animals...maybe we will see you on the telly .. :giggle2: 

He was lovely when Obi and I met him in 2003, albeit in a tiny veterinary practice in Guildford, not the high tech place he owns now! I even got a hug when I was feeling a little overwhelmed, he was able to cuddle Obi too, wouldn't fancy his chances these days, Poor boy has too many unpleasant Vet experiences under his belt and he isn't very forgiving! :o:D

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Happy Reading in 2017 Hayley! Hope it's a good year for you in every way  :hug: Good luck with the cull .. I'm going to do it too .. I need to. Things are getting too overwhelming.

Thanks Kay, I hope 2017 is good for you too, the culling will be hard but necessary! :blush2: I'm glad to hear you Mum is on the up and that you are able to be back in your lovely quiet home, with all even lovelier books to keep you company! ENJOY!!  :friends3:

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I'm not sure how many people pop in here but I just wanted to get some opinions on something!  As some of you will know I went back to work in November last year after many, many years of staying home with my children. I am working in a new venture, which, when it is complete will consist of an indoor play barn for the whole family (open now), an outdoor play area and a farm, including petting barn (opening in the Spring/Summer). There are more ideas for 2018 but they are the plans for now. In the play barn we also have a toy/gift shop which is where I spend 3 full days a week. When I started I thought I was just going to be a staff member, helping order stock etc but no full responsibility...that seems to be changing rapidly and it looks like in time they are hoping that I will be solely responsible for all aspects of the shop, eek!!!  :o

 

I hope this is ok to do:

 

I was just wondering if I could ask you lovely lot what do you think are the most important features of a toy/gift shop? It will be predominantly toys, maybe 80% toy/20% gift, we will have to see how it evolves. :blush2: Do you go into an independent shop hoping to see big names, or more unique items? Is decor important? I'm not the most creative of souls but understand it needs to look lovely and may need to change often, perhaps with the seasons? Do you like offers, or prefers reasonable prices? Or both?! :D Local products? Pocket money toys? Where would you expect to find places like this advertised, or would you go on word of mouth? Do you/your children like themed weeks/months? :grinhat:​  Competitions? With prizes obviously!   :present: We could have name the   :cows: . Obviously there is a bookshelf but I think that will just be limited to children's books, or where would it stop?! :D I think it could quickly become a bookshop! :readingtwo:  :P 

Any thoughts would be very much appreciated as I feel a little overwhelmed with the prospect at the moment, excited too, but it just feels like such a big responsibility! :blush2:  Maybe you know a very good toy and/or gift shop that has a website with pics I could have a nose at?  :flowers2:

Anyhow, thank you for reading! :friends3:  

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Wishing you a wonderful year of reading, Chalie.  :smile:​ 

 

Re your query. I am not sure I am your demographic but.........I love there to be a good variety of stuff, from the pocket money (pens, pencils and key rings) priced right through to worth a bit (books). I ALWAYS (  :D ) buy pens, notebooks and bookmarks, and also love to buy local produce (jams etc).

 

I can spend quite a lot in a gift shop, and will spend even more if there is a charitable bit to it too, regardless as to the charity being a local or national one. My waistline will also confirm that I love homemade cake slices, biscuits etc.  :blush2:

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I hope this is ok to do:

Since you are a well beloved member of the forum who's been here for some time, I think it is fine :).

 

I could answer your questions for myself, but since the shop is in the UK, I don't know if my answers would help you consider I'm not part of the "UK market". And I don't have children, I go in toy and gift shops for myself or to buy things for other people :blush2:.

 

I'll tell you my thoughts anyway, make of it what you will :). We have two main toy shops where I live, they're national wide branches so not independents I'm afraid (but if there was one, I would visit it). I go in those shops on occasion. They sell a lot of toys there, but they also sell DVDs of children's movies, video games and children's books. I always like looking at the plushies too. Lego is very popular here too, and there is a board game section. There are also arts and crafty things for children, and indeed pocket money sort of things. Also barbies and other dolls. I think it'd be nice for the shop to have a variety of things.

 

For me personally I'd prefer reasonable prices and offers, though I don't know the feasability of that. For advertising our shops sometimes send you something through the postbox, unless you have a sticker on your postbox saying you don't want ads. But not all (toy) shops do that here. I wouldn't mind word-of-mouth either, though if the shop isn't running well enough I can imagine the need for advertising. For competitions you could ask the children to make or colour something, and as a prize one of your toys, or a certain amount of money to spend in the shop on a toy / toys.

 

Well, I don't know if any of that was helpful, but we have several members with children (from the UK) so maybe they will be of more help :). Good luck with your job :)! It sounds like quite a responsibility.

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I wouldn't mention Human Traces...but since you brought it up... 

 

:lol: I did re-read the synopsis when I was dusting my books, as I do remember how much you love the book and want me to read it... It sounds really interesting but I fear it'll be too smart for me :blush: But I think you've said it's not hard to read? 

 

I actually updated my Book Box at the weekend, I wanted a sit down activity so that fit the bill nicely, I may even have added a few that I knew were already in there, just to increase my odds of reading them sooner!  

 

Oh you did it already, cool! I like the idea of increasing your odds :lol: 

 

Jojo is back to normal walks, with a ball sometimes so she is very happy, just have to keep everything crossed that she is mended, physio next Tuesday which will be interesting, she won't be impressed being handled by a stranger!   Have you seen the Supervet on TV? Noel Fitzpatrick? He was the one who operated on Obi when he was a pupster, it was his practice we have been back to with Jojo, and she'll have her physio there too, hopefully they'll be filming there at some point.must remember to always wear makeup!!  

 

 I had to google Noel Fitzpatrick as the name didn't ring any bells. No, I've not heard of him or the show. I don't know if we have that series over here. If we do, it's probably allocated to a channel and or timeslot that is inconvenient for me. But that's so cool about him having worked with and for your Obi!! :o Oh I wish that would've been on telly! Oh no, maybe not, as I dread seeing doggies go unconscious and being operated on... But I would've loved to have seen Obi before and after! :wub: 

 

Do try and get on film!! :D You'll have to let us know if you'll be up! And you need to record it for me and send it to me so I can watch it, if it's not available over here!! 

 

I'm sold, Gone with the Wind AND The Stand will be read this year, hopefully I'll be able to squeeze a few others in too! 

 

Yes!! :exc: 

 

He was lovely when Obi and I met him in 2003, albeit in a tiny veterinary practice in Guildford, not the high tech place he owns now! I even got a hug when I was feeling a little overwhelmed, he was able to cuddle Obi too, wouldn't fancy his chances these days, Poor boy has too many unpleasant Vet experiences under his belt and he isn't very forgiving! :o:D

 

Awww, he sounds marvellous! :smile2: Obi's not too impressed, but I think Fitzpatrick can deal with that, being a professional :D 

 

Re: your question about your job. I'm not artistic or decorative at all, so I wouldn't have any ideas, sorry! But what an amazing job you have! I'm sure you'll be great at it :yes: Do you get to mix in with the animals? :wub: 

  

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I can't contribute a huge amount as I'm not really sure what a 'play barn' is like. But, as it will have an animal petting section, the toy shop should definitely reflect that, with toys of the animals that are available for petting. I also would expect a place like that to have own-branded stuff, particularly for the gifts, not big names. Maybe some of the toys could be bigger names for a bit of diversity, but I would definitely try to capture/reflect the identity of the place in what's being sold. Local products are always lovely to find in a gift shop, as are any toys/gifts that donate a portion of profits either to the upkeep of the place itself or a related charity. I'd be willing to spend more money on a toy or gift with a charity name attached.

 

As for prices/promotions, both! People expect gift shops to be a little expensive, so you could probably get away with being slightly above average on costs and then have promotions or competitions. Competitions for naming animals is a great idea, my local wildlife park does that. This is the best picture I can find of that park's gift shop: http://www.uniquefitout.ie/wp-content/gallery/fota-wildlife-park/Shop-Interior-Image-1.jpg

 

You definitely need to rotate the stock in the most prominent areas of the shop, which might reflect a new animal addition, something related to a competition, or just whatever new stock has come in. I'd imagine a primary focus on the key areas customers will be drawn to upon walking in would be the main aim, followed by maybe seasonally moving things around/creating a seasonal theme in the rest of the shop.

 

I usually hear about places through word of mouth, but as it's new, some local advertising might be a good idea.

 

I have no idea if any of this helps, but there you go!

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Hope you have a great reading year Chaliepud!  :smile:

 

The place you work sounds great! Personally I love seeing unique and local items in independent shops. I'm much more tempted to buy things that I know are helping small businesses that have put a lot of love into their products. A student discount sometimes sways my decision too  :D . I've taken my niece to Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park a few times and she always instantly runs to the pocket money toy section they have in their gift shop (which I can't find a picture of!) so I definitely think that's a good idea. 

It sounds exciting anyway, I hope you have fun with it  :smile:

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I don't think he is ready to shuffle of just yet! :D

Bless him. If he's not in any pain and gets stressed at the vets (and can't cope with anesthetic - eek) then letting nature take its course is definitely the kindest thing for him. :)  Hopefully he'll have a long time with you yet.  :wub:

 

I'm not sure how many people pop in here but I just wanted to get some opinions on something!  As some of you will know I went back to work in November last year after many, many years of staying home with my children. I am working in a new venture, which, when it is complete will consist of an indoor play barn for the whole family (open now), an outdoor play area and a farm, including petting barn (opening in the Spring/Summer).

Firstly, well done on doing so well with your new job.  :)

 

Abi used to work somewhere similar (whilst she was at college).  This is their main website

 

When we first moved to the area it was a tiny coffee shop and working farm but now it's absolutely massive.   They have soft play and a 'Cowtastic Farm Park' with a petting zoo, plus shop units that they rent out. 

 

One shop, called the Berry Barn, is half children's clothing (it's not the sort of clothing you see on the high street), and toys - wooden toys, stencils, pencils, pens, colouring books etc, and the other half is gifts such as nice scented candles, scarves, jewellery, soaps, trinkets, handbags, birthday cards... the list goes on (I've just noticed that Farrington's haven't updated their website as they've moved out of the wooden hut they were in, to a unit twice the size).  They sell the sorts of things you'd find in a garden centre gift shop, or in a small, quirky town, rather than on a 'normal' High Street.   It's my first port of call for gifts for friends (but then my friend Lisa and I visit the coffee shop together at least twice a month!). 

 

Honestly, in the last 10 years it's gone from just a restaurant and farm shop to somewhere you can get a hair cut, buy fish and chips, get your dog groomed, restore some furniture... the list goes on!  It's won several awards and certainly appears to be very successful.

 

The don't have a book shelf though! :D

 

Good luck with your new venture. It sounds very exciting.

 

Edit: I popped in to wish you a happy year of reading in 2017 and got completely sidetracked!  :D

Edited by Janet
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Wishing you a wonderful year of reading, Chalie.  :smile:​ 

 

Re your query. I am not sure I am your demographic but.........I love there to be a good variety of stuff, from the pocket money (pens, pencils and key rings) priced right through to worth a bit (books). I ALWAYS (  :D ) buy pens, notebooks and bookmarks, and also love to buy local produce (jams etc).

 

I can spend quite a lot in a gift shop, and will spend even more if there is a charitable bit to it too, regardless as to the charity being a local or national one. My waistline will also confirm that I love homemade cake slices, biscuits etc.  :blush2:

 

Thank you Chrissy, I hope you have a wonderful year too! :) Our demographic will mainly be children, parents and grandparents I would imagine, though hopefully we will make it clear on our website that you do not have to pay to come in if you just want to visit the gift shop. 

 

Bookmarks, how could I have forgotten bookmarks?! :o In time we will hopefully have ones with the company name on but in the meantime I will see what I can source! I'm not sure if we will have foodstuffs other than sweets, mainly because we have a coffee shop with cakes and biccies (plus proper dinners too; the french chef makes an amazing pork stroganoff!)

 

I'm not sure about a charitable angle, we will need to give that some thought, there are plenty of local charities to choose from if we do decide to go down that route. :)

Since you are a well beloved member of the forum who's been here for some time, I think it is fine :).

 

I could answer your questions for myself, but since the shop is in the UK, I don't know if my answers would help you consider I'm not part of the "UK market". And I don't have children, I go in toy and gift shops for myself or to buy things for other people :blush2:.

 

I'll tell you my thoughts anyway, make of it what you will :). We have two main toy shops where I live, they're national wide branches so not independents I'm afraid (but if there was one, I would visit it). I go in those shops on occasion. They sell a lot of toys there, but they also sell DVDs of children's movies, video games and children's books. I always like looking at the plushies too. Lego is very popular here too, and there is a board game section. There are also arts and crafty things for children, and indeed pocket money sort of things. Also barbies and other dolls. I think it'd be nice for the shop to have a variety of things.

 

For me personally I'd prefer reasonable prices and offers, though I don't know the feasability of that. For advertising our shops sometimes send you something through the postbox, unless you have a sticker on your postbox saying you don't want ads. But not all (toy) shops do that here. I wouldn't mind word-of-mouth either, though if the shop isn't running well enough I can imagine the need for advertising. For competitions you could ask the children to make or colour something, and as a prize one of your toys, or a certain amount of money to spend in the shop on a toy / toys.

 

Well, I don't know if any of that was helpful, but we have several members with children (from the UK) so maybe they will be of more help :). Good luck with your job :)! It sounds like quite a responsibility.

Thanks Gaia, you were helpful, thank you. :)  And thank you for the good luck, I am loving it at the moment and look forward to going in every day. :) Plush toys are a definite, we already have some lovely Jellycats! This is my favourite that we stock,  http://www.jellycat.com/truffles-highland-cow-trm3hc/

 

I think we will definitely have to do some competitions, maybe to win one of the Jellycat toys! We will have gift vouchers in time, and certainly in time for Christmas. :)

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:lol: I did re-read the synopsis when I was dusting my books, as I do remember how much you love the book and want me to read it... It sounds really interesting but I fear it'll be too smart for me :blush: But I think you've said it's not hard to read?

You are certainly smart enough to follow the storyline and I know the subject matter will interest you. Faulks is very wordy but I found it so compelling that the story flew by! :)

 

I had to google Noel Fitzpatrick as the name didn't ring any bells. No, I've not heard of him or the show. I don't know if we have that series over here. If we do, it's probably allocated to a channel and or timeslot that is inconvenient for me. But that's so cool about him having worked with and for your Obi!! :o Oh I wish that would've been on telly! Oh no, maybe not, as I dread seeing doggies go unconscious and being operated on... But I would've loved to have seen Obi before and after! :wub:

I don't actually watch it for exactly that reason! :o

 

Do try and get on film!! :D You'll have to let us know if you'll be up! And you need to record it for me and send it to me so I can watch it, if it's not available over here!!

Of course, though I suspect they tend to film out of normal working hours. Jojo and I are there Tuesday for her physio so we will keep our eyes peeled! :)

 

 

Awww, he sounds marvellous! :smile2: Obi's not too impressed, but I think Fitzpatrick can deal with that, being a professional :D

I'm not sure any Vet can deal with Obi these days! :o:D

 

Re: your question about your job. I'm not artistic or decorative at all, so I wouldn't have any ideas, sorry! But what an amazing job you have! I'm sure you'll be great at it :yes: Do you get to mix in with the animals? :wub:

I do love it, the animals should be here in the Summer, I doubt I'll be working with them but I'm sure I will be able to get more than my share of cuddles! :wub:

Edited by Athena
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I can't contribute a huge amount as I'm not really sure what a 'play barn' is like. But, as it will have an animal petting section, the toy shop should definitely reflect that, with toys of the animals that are available for petting. I also would expect a place like that to have own-branded stuff, particularly for the gifts, not big names. Maybe some of the toys could be bigger names for a bit of diversity, but I would definitely try to capture/reflect the identity of the place in what's being sold. Local products are always lovely to find in a gift shop, as are any toys/gifts that donate a portion of profits either to the upkeep of the place itself or a related charity. I'd be willing to spend more money on a toy or gift with a charity name attached.

 

As for prices/promotions, both! People expect gift shops to be a little expensive, so you could probably get away with being slightly above average on costs and then have promotions or competitions. Competitions for naming animals is a great idea, my local wildlife park does that. This is the best picture I can find of that park's gift shop: http://www.uniquefitout.ie/wp-content/gallery/fota-wildlife-park/Shop-Interior-Image-1.jpg

 

You definitely need to rotate the stock in the most prominent areas of the shop, which might reflect a new animal addition, something related to a competition, or just whatever new stock has come in. I'd imagine a primary focus on the key areas customers will be drawn to upon walking in would be the main aim, followed by maybe seasonally moving things around/creating a seasonal theme in the rest of the shop.

 

I usually hear about places through word of mouth, but as it's new, some local advertising might be a good idea.

 

I have no idea if any of this helps, but there you go!

 Thanks Noll, a play barn is simply indoor play with a huge climbing frame/obstacle course/slides, in our case including two drop slides which are very popular, and scary!

 

We are trying to keep to a simple theme of animals, country etc in the shop with a few added extras to appeal to a wider demographic (the odd dinosaur/princess!) We have Jellycat toys, link in response to Gaia, above, plus mini farm sets, puppet toys, greetings cards, tractors and so on. More to come!

 

I am off to the Spring Fair at the beginning of February, which is a large trade fair at the NEC in Birmingham, I'll get to speak to lot of toy, gift and card companies to see what we might like to stock in the shop, apparently we even need to start planning for Christmas now! :o

 

I do love the idea of competitions to name the animal, will have to monitor the choices though! :D

  

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Hope you have a great reading year Chaliepud!  :smile:

 

The place you work sounds great! Personally I love seeing unique and local items in independent shops. I'm much more tempted to buy things that I know are helping small businesses that have put a lot of love into their products. A student discount sometimes sways my decision too  :D . I've taken my niece to Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park a few times and she always instantly runs to the pocket money toy section they have in their gift shop (which I can't find a picture of!) so I definitely think that's a good idea. 

It sounds exciting anyway, I hope you have fun with it  :smile:

 

Thanks Hayley, unique is definitely something we are aiming for, at the trade fair I will be looking for some things that you can't buy in to many other places, my son loves the Thinking Putty we got him for Christmas so I think that could be a good one, I also want to make sure we have plenty of creative/scientific problems for the older children as they are often ignored in gift shops. :)

Bless him. If he's not in any pain and gets stressed at the vets (and can't cope with anesthetic - eek) then letting nature take its course is definitely the kindest thing for him. :)  Hopefully he'll have a long time with you yet.  :wub:

 

Firstly, well done on doing so well with your new job.  :)

 

Abi used to work somewhere similar (whilst she was at college).  This is their main website

 

When we first moved to the area it was a tiny coffee shop and working farm but now it's absolutely massive.   They have soft play and a 'Cowtastic Farm Park' with a petting zoo, plus shop units that they rent out. 

 

One shop, called the Berry Barn, is half children's clothing (it's not the sort of clothing you see on the high street), and toys - wooden toys, stencils, pencils, pens, colouring books etc, and the other half is gifts such as nice scented candles, scarves, jewellery, soaps, trinkets, handbags, birthday cards... the list goes on (I've just noticed that Farrington's haven't updated their website as they've moved out of the wooden hut they were in, to a unit twice the size).  They sell the sorts of things you'd find in a garden centre gift shop, or in a small, quirky town, rather than on a 'normal' High Street.   It's my first port of call for gifts for friends (but then my friend Lisa and I visit the coffee shop together at least twice a month!). 

 

Honestly, in the last 10 years it's gone from just a restaurant and farm shop to somewhere you can get a hair cut, buy fish and chips, get your dog groomed, restore some furniture... the list goes on!  It's won several awards and certainly appears to be very successful.

 

The don't have a book shelf though! :D

 

Good luck with your new venture. It sounds very exciting.

 

Edit: I popped in to wish you a happy year of reading in 2017 and got completely sidetracked!  :D

Thanks Janet, it is very exciting, just a little scary! Cowtastic looks amazing, we will be similar but on a smaller scale for now, we are looking forward to the outside play area opening in the Spring and then the animals coming a bit later in the year. :) The Berry Barn looks lovely, wish it were a bi closer so I could visit! 

 

I have been looking into candles but I want to source natural, eco friendly ones as too many are made of paraffin, ideally they would be beeswax but a GM free soy would probably be ok. The company is very eco friendly, carbon neutral etc so we need to do our bit in the shop. :)

 

Have a wonderful 2017 Janet, and thank you for popping by!  :flowers2:

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Thanks Gaia, you were helpful, thank you. :)  And thank you for the good luck, I am loving it at the moment and look forward to going in every day. :) Plush toys are a definite, we already have some lovely Jellycats! This is my favourite that we stock,  http://www.jellycat.com/truffles-highland-cow-trm3hc/

That plushie is adorable :wub:.

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Thought I might start a simple reading challenge, it is on the first page of my blog but for interest, here it is:

 

 

  1. A book you read in school
  2. A book from your childhood
  3. A book published over 100 years ago
  4. A book published in the last year
  5. A non-fiction book
  6. A book written by a male author - Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
  7. A book written by a female author
  8. A book by someone who isn’t a writer (think Paul Kalathani or Richard Branson)
  9. A book that became/is becoming a film
  10. A book published in the 20th Century
  11. A book set in your hometown/region
  12. A book with someone’s name in the title
  13. A book with a number in the title
  14. A book with a character with your first name
  15. A book someone else recommended to you
  16. A book with over 500 pages
  17. A book you can finish in a day
  18. A previously banned book
  19. A book with a one-word title
  20. A book translated from another language
  21. A book that will improve a specific area of your life
  22. A memoir or journal
  23. A book written by someone younger than you
  24. A book set somewhere you’ll be visiting this year
  25. An award-winning book
  26. A self-published book
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That reading challenge sounds like fun Hayley. I assume you have just started this one...I might pinch it.. :D  I assume you can't double up, each one has to be a different author/title etc.

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That reading challenge sounds like fun Hayley. I assume you have just started this one...I might pinch it.. :D I assume you can't double up, each one has to be a different author/title etc.

Thanks Diane, I shall be doing what I like but yes, I will endeavour to only have one book per category. Some will be harder than others, especially finding a character with my first name and a book set somewhere I'll be visiting this year, we have no plans as yet! :D
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I did this challenge for another book forum, it's good fun, I didn't fill all the categories and kept it to one book per category (although some people didn't!).  Good luck, some categories are easier than others.

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