It's Got legs

So, it's just 27 days to Christmas. Not long now but the threat of Xmas has been looming for some time – my mother called in September to organise the family Christmas lunch. There are eight of us and each year it is a military precision exercise and logistical nightmare to bring us all together.

As there are eight of us, each year my dad suggests that we serve octopus for lunch so that we can have a leg each. This joke doesn’t actually work as half of us are vegetarian; but he still tells that same joke every year. My wife also claims she is lactose intolerant but it turns out she is just intolerant, especially of my mother’s cooking. Each year, my dad also tells the story of Asda joining forces with MFI – that 70s dodgy furniture shop. He muses “I bought a turkey there once but on the way home the leg fell off”.

Mince Pie (& Tart) Review

It’s that time of year, the time when the TV and shops are inundated with Christmas decorations, presents and food. The mince pie season is officially open. Over the next few weeks I will give up my time and waistline to test the ever-growing range of mince pies (and tarts). I’ve rated each pie by flavour (up to 5 stars) where the higher the better. I have also rated them by cost (up to 5 pound signs)where the higher the more expensive. So look for lots of « but fewer £.  I’m attempting to create my own MPI, mince pie index, but I haven’t fathomed the maths yet.

Management according to reality TV

Is there anyone out there who doesn't have a TV? There are usually one or two who proclaim "television kills the art of conversation, now where's my book" or "where's my knitting". I'm a fan of TV as I believe it is educational. I even believe that we can learn from that scourge of television, the Reality TV show. If you look very closely you will unearth some hidden gems on business management.

Reality TV is cheap TV, it involves no actors or scripts, it preys on wannabe celebrities being watched by more wannabe celebrities. And there is our first business lesson – don't spend money on a high-quality product or service when your audience, your market, just wants cheap and cheerful.

Son of a Viking Demigod

This is a guest blog by my good friend Nigel Oseland.

When I introduce myself for the first time, people often say "that's an unusual name". And I reply "it's not that unusual, Nigel is a traditional English name". But today I want to talk about the origins of my surname "Oseland".

In the UK, the Oselands are all based in the Black Country – they are highly geographically immobile. But they didn't move there until the 1870s, when they went to work in the coal mines and steel works. Before then the Oselands lived in the countryside in villages such as Cleobury Mortimer located along the Severn valley in Shropshire.