by Dee | Sep 6, 2016 | Featured, General
We have seen in recent years a rise in publicity surrounding women applying for courses and jobs in roles formerly dominated by men.
But more than seventy years ago, a multitude of women were in fact employed as part of the workforce in the reconstruction of Waterloo Bridge. Not to mention our own Royal Family during the war – the two Princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret contributing to the home work force with their much publicised car mechanic abilities.
So why are we acting as if we invented the wheel? The fact is women are now more aware of the prejudices surrounding their gender and parental status. It was actually printed in The Times recently the list of female politicians who are childless. Why is this of any significance in this age of Women Presidents, Prime Ministers and Leaders. Why were men excluded from this statistic?
It is still a fact that we are still archaic in our perception of women and our capabilities. I attended a conference recently entitled ‘Inspirational Women’ and was astounded that it was opened by an American Middle Class White Man, who kicked off the debate by saying that he was a key supporter within his International Billion Dollar Organisation, of women in Senior and Male Dominated roles. Reason being that many women were in fact more equipped than men in many instances, in the Boardroom, in Human Resources incidents and general work/lifestyle balance. So without sounding gender specific, perhaps being able to multi-task more than men and other fundamental differences.
This had apparently been the case in his particular Organisation since the fifties, when it advertised for employees of ‘any gender or colour’ – which would seem incredibly unacceptable these days, but then was ahead of its time.
As a result they embraced the concept of a large number of female employees from the outset, and they feel their diversity is a huge contribution to their success.
Many women decide not to have children, and in some cases are attacked for their ‘unnatural’ feelings of anti-motherhood. A very close friend of mine was sterilized many years ago at the age of 28 and was ostracised from one group of women, saying that she needed psychiatric help. The fact is, she simply did not want kids, and has not had one moment of regret since – she has in fact had a fulfilling twenty years pursuing her own career opportunities, and enjoying her nieces and nephews without any of the responsibilities, a decision she felt right for her.
I am quite sure we still have a long way to go into realising this outmoded perception of women – in spite of the recent awareness raising campaigns.
This is evident by the amount of women giving up their career mid stream – on average around the age of 35 – due to lack of support after having children. Many are still victimised after giving birth, even being made redundant without good reason. This means that ultimately we are in a ‘no win’ situation where work and kids are concerned, so we are dammed if we do and screwed if we don’t.
A recent case which got to court, was an employee of a well-known Estate Agent – a female who was a top performer and expert in property sales, who was served notice only six weeks after returning to work from Maternity leave. She won her case, but how many women just get out and shut up with an out of court settlement, not wanting to go through the hassle of fighting their case.
But one thing for sure, women are a tough breed, and we will not be fazed by an archaic rulebook still run by a disillusioned clique of male misogynists.
I rest my case, and would like to hear from you if you have had a similar experience of any of the above issues in the work place.
by Olivia | Sep 1, 2016 | Featured, General
As we witness echoes of the Margaret Thatcher or the Iron Lady with the recent election of Teresa May – it seems the World has regressed to even tolerate the unbelievable ramblings of Donald Trump.
Eight years ago, we all celebrated the evolvement of the human race in electing a Black President in the United States, and even though our own leadership with Blair was under scrutiny – we slept easy in our beds and walked the streets without looking over our shoulder without the prospect of a Hitleresque regime with our staunch Ally.
I would go as far as to say that the US are in the grip of a hypnotic frenzy of panic seen throughout history in the most extreme cases of fascism.
With his recent visit and meeting with the Mexican President, he has now declared that there will be a wall high and long separating Mexico with the USA.
The Mexican President, Enrique Pena Nieto has retorted with the statement that he will not pay for a wall and that Trump Threatens his Nation and yet we can still hear the cheers of the Trump supporters as he makes his speech of falsehoods.
Is it because nations need to behave like sheep and elect a leader however schizophrenic, who they believe will make their country a safer place to live, with the exclusion of any sense of humanity. Are we that desperate that we will support a mad megalomaniac who is leading a hate campaign in his own back yard.
How long will it be before Trump goes the extra mile, and rounds up all the Citizens of mixed race or colour in his distorted mission to lessen the threat of terrorism and make the US a ‘pure’ country.
It was even more worrying that Trump had a visit of support from the dangerously racist Nigel Farage former leader of UKIP, representing a proportion of our own country in his quest to further his career in politics.
Does Trump not take into account that only a few hundred years ago, the White man invaded his very own sacred society, and killed off most of its inhabitants and certainly its cultural heritage in the Native Americans.
Trump was born into a privileged family, and has never had to suffer hardship, so what does he know about the common people? How far do we have to go to shake the Nation into some sort of reality, and let them know that they are signing their own death warrant.
Wake up America – you are in a downward spiral to Never Never Land.
by Dee | Aug 24, 2016 | Featured, General
The day has arrived and all the preparations are in place. Vaccinations and micro-chip booking has been made. I had been contacted by the breeders who have given me a five week free Insurance from the Kennel Club.
I am still checking out on the comparison websites the various pet insurance companies, and am still investigating which one is the most cost effective, without the hidden caveats eg the uplift in price after a period of time versus a fixed rate for years. I will report back to you when I have made a final decision.
Princess Milly is a golden Labrador puppy and when she finally arrived on Sunday, I had her cage comfortably fitted with a furry blanket and safe toys – all purchased from Pets at Home. I would recommend this pet outlet as they are completely geared up to new pet owners and have fantastic assistants who will reassure you and get you started on this exciting adventure.
I was lucky enough to find Nicola in the Maidenhead store who spent half an hour taking me around the various isles, and advising me exactly what to do and what to buy. She also worked within my budget and advised me for instance to buy scented nappy sacks at Asda which were cheaper than the Pets at Home poop bags. A breeder herself she also advised me to get tennis balls and squeaky toys which have already proved to work with the new puppy.
The breeders and my local kennel owner advised putting her in a cage overnight and ignoring her cries like a baby. I was really dreading this part of it, as I was never good at leaving my daughter to cry as a baby. But the first night I pulled the puppy cage into my bedroom – still locked the door but to my amazement Milly slept through the night and only woke early to let me know that she needed to go out for a toilet break.
I decided to take the first week with Milly with no other commitments, as my friendly local kennel owner and trainer had offered to assist me with the toilet training process for the first few days.
To my utter delight and amazement, Milly has had no accidents in the home as a result. It may sound tricky, but I have acted on the expert advice, and take her into the garden every hour, and as a result she is practically toilet trained after only three days. I do believe she had a good start with the breeders, but apparently any animal will welcome boundaries – as they feel nurtured in the same way that children respond to discipline.
A couple of useful tips – I have been setting Milly up by calling out ‘pee pee and paw paw’ as I take her outside and congratulating her when she does both. It has certainly worked so far.
My visit to Vets at Home yesterday for Milly’s vaccinations and micro-chip and flea and ringworm treatment went without a hitch. She received cuddles from the fabulous staff, and the vets bill was reasonable for the entire package, and I have taken out a monthly cover for flea treatment which includes nail clipping and a puppy check for around £14 per month.
My next appointment is in a month’s time, and even though I was warned that she would be quiet for the first 24 hours after her jabs, she has displayed no signs of distress, and will be ready for her first walk and social meet and greet with other doggie neighbours tomorrow.
Check back here for more Milly news next week – I will keep you fully updated.
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