What a strange phenomenon in the UK. A Christian society with Church of England as their official church, they are not even allowed to mention their faith in their recruitment advertisment. What does this “Customer Insight and Strategy Director” mean? Are they looking for someone to attract congregation back to the church? “A Visionary Christian Evangelist” may be? If they are not allowed to mention that the candidate must be a Christian, will they accept a Muslim applicant? Are they even allowed to ask the candidate about their faith and beliefs? If not, how can they be sure that someone of the same belief will be hired? If they hire someone who has a different religion, how can this person do his or her job to allure people back to the Church of England?

Same as the human rights law, the equality concern in our society is tipping to its unbalance to a stage of not making any sense. Any sensible person will look at this advertisment and think “What”? They are putting a veil of commerce terms to hide the true identity of a religious person.

- track record of designing, developing and implementing customer insight programmes

- influence customer behaviour

Sad.

CUSTOMER INSIGHT AND STRATEGY DIRECTOR

Employer

Church of England

Posted

16 Nov 2011

Location

Church House, Westminster

Job Discipline

Insight, Other

Experience Level

Manager

Sectors

Other

Contract Type

Permanent

Hours

Full Time

Position

CUSTOMER INSIGHT AND STRATEGY DIRECTOR

Salary

£65-£73k p.a.

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• Add to my shortlist

Apply online

Interviews: Likely to be 06/01/12.

You will ensure the Board’s work reflects the needs of its customers, and the challenges of the current pensions environment: building customer insight based on rigorous qualitative and quantitative research, developing an appropriate strategy in response to your findings, and ensuring all stakeholders are fully engaged from the very start.

A strong strategic thinker with experience of delivering significant institutional change, you must have a successful track record of designing, developing and implementing customer insight programmes. A good understanding of how to use different communication channels to inform and influence customer behaviour is also essential.

For further information about the Church of England, please visit www.churchofengland.org

The National Church Institutions (NCIs) support and promote the aims of the Church of England. Applications from a minority ethnic background and from women are particularly welcome as they are currently under-represented in parts of the NCIs.

To apply, please visit www.prospect-us.co.uk/job/c2216-272-1.

Alternatively call 0844 880 5154 quoting Ref: C2216-272-1.

Closing date: 07/12/11.

I was further introduced to French cuisine after marrying my Scottish husband, whose family, not unlike many British, is fascinated by French food and culture. Over the years, we have tried many different types of French food and cuisine. Here I will try to mention some that I think may represent what French cuisine is and I hope I can help answer the not-so-easy question of “What is French cuisine?” I take this answer from one of my friends as the best answer: “French cuisine is about using fresh local ingredients and bringing out the best of those ingredients with skills and artistry.” That explains why you seldom see heavy source in French cuisine.

Morels (morilles) is a type of cup fungi used in French cuisines a lot. The honey-comb liked head is what makes it distinctive. Apart from truffles, this is my favourite mushroom so far. It’s got a smokey favour and goes very well with beef or in a simple creamy mushroom sauce. I was lucky to acquire some in a small village on the French Alps. The same amount of morels (morilles) at Geneva airport was six times more expensive.

Morels (Morilles) are used a lot in French food.

Morels (Morilles) are used a lot in French food.

Morels (Morilles) used in French cruisine: Filet de Boeuf du Simmental pure race saisi, l'epaule braisee aux morilles, millefeuille de petit pois, lard fume et moelle (Fillet of beef of Simmental purebred seized, shoulder braisee with Morels, yarrow small peas, smokedn Bacon and marrow)

More to come…

The story started with this:

“FRIENDS of Gordon and Sarah Brown last night called their second baby heartache an ‘enormous blow’ – but said the couple were determined to stay strong.” and the story continued to say that

“One friend said: ‘Fraser’s condition has been an enormous blow, as anyone can imagine, particularly after the loss of Jennifer. But Gordon and Sarah are determined to be strong and positive. You would never know Fraser was any different to any other little boy. He is putting on weight as he should.’”

Who are those ‘friends’? Is this ‘friend’ the member of public that The Sun claimed in their statement today (12 July 2011): the information was obtained from a member by the public, who has a family member whose family has also experienced cystic fibrosis?

In no where did the original story mention a member of the public. If it is true, why did they protect this member of the public’s identity at that time? If the purpose was to raise the public’s awareness about cystic fibrosis, why did this member of the public’s relative was not mentioned about the illness?

I found it sick that The Sun sensationalise this and profit from other people’s sadness or misfortune. This is sick, really sick.

If this member of the public really exists and he reported this to The Sun but did not reveal his own information, did it mean that he sold the story? Sorry, not convinced that they did this to raise people’s awareness. Sorry.

Statement from News International: “Following allegations made yesterday by Gordon Brown against The Sun, we have been conducting an inquiry. This is in line with normal practice and procedure.

“We are able to assure the Brown family that we did not access the medical records of their son, nor did we commission anyone to do so.

“The story The Sun ran about their son originated from a member of the public whose family has also experienced cystic fibrosis. He came to The Sun with this information voluntarily because he wanted to highlight the cause of those afflicted by the disease. The individual has provided a written affidavit this afternoon to a lawyer confirming this.

“On receipt of the information, The Sun approached Mr Brown and discussed with his colleagues how best to present it. Those colleagues provided quotes which were used in the published piece which indicated his consent to it.

“We believe that the article was written sensitively and appropriately. We are not aware of Mr Brown, nor any of his colleagues to whom we spoke, making any complaint about it at the time.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3691260/The-Sun-denies-Brown-son-claims.html

Of course the Treasury would need to provide a quote when approached. What choice did they have? Deny it? Got angry with them and never spoke to them again? Using power to stop them publishing the story?

Heidi, her years of wandering and learning; a story for children and those who love children was written by Swiss author Johanna Spyri (12 June 1827 – 7 July 1901) in 1880. The book is about a little girl Heidi, who lost her parents and was taken under the care of Aunt Dete. The story tells her life on the Swiss Alps with Aunt Dete and her family, her secluded grandfather, the illiterate goat-herd Peter and the disabled Klara.

Full text of CHAPTER I

UP TO THE ALM UNCLE.

From the pleasant village of Mayenfeld a path leads through green fields, richly covered with trees, to the foot of the mountain, which from this side overhangs the valley with grave and solemn aspect.

Where the path begins to grow steeper, begins also the heath with its short grass ; and the perfume of sweet mountain plants seems to advance as if welcoming the traveller. From this spot the footpath rises almost perpendicularly to the summit.

Along this steep mountain path a stout, healthy girl was climbing, one clear, sunny morning in June, leading by the hand a child, whose cheeks were so glowing red that she looked as if an inward flame

were shining through her sunburned skin. And little wonder, for the child was as much wrapped up on this sunny June morning as if to protect her from bitter frost. The little girl could be scarcely

more than five years old; but her natural size could not even be guessed at, for she had on two, if not three, dresses, one over the other, and over all, wound round and round, was a great red woollen shawl ; so that the little shapeless figure, with its heavy hobnailed mountain shoes, toiled hot and weary up the steep hillside. They had gone on in this way for perhaps an hour from the valley, when they reached

the hamlet, lying halfway up the Alm, which is called Dorfli. Here the wanderers were hailed and oreeted from almost every doorway, now from a window, and once from , the road ; for the girl had

reached her native villagre. She did not, however, pause at all, but answered all questions and greetings as she went along, till they reached the end of the hamlet, where only a few scattered cottages stood.

Here some one called from a doorway :

“ Wait a minute, Dete, I will go with you if you are going farther.” As Dete stood still, the child freed herself from her grasp, and seated herself upon the ground.

“Are you tired, Heidi?” asked her companion, ” No, but hot,” replied the child.

” We are almost at the top. You must exert yourself a little more, and take very long steps, and in an hour we shall be there,” said Dete encouragingly.

A broad, good-natured-looking woman came from a doorway, and joined the pair ; and the little one followed the two old acquaintances, who were deep in conversation about the inhabitants of Dorfli and the surrounding cottages.

” But where are you really taking the child, Dete?” asked the newcomer. “It is of course your sister’s child, the one she left when she died.”

“It is,” said Dete. “I am taking her up to the uncle’s, she must stay with him,”

“What, leave this child with the Alm uncle ! You have lost your senses, Dete. How can you think of such a thing ? He will soon send you to the right about with your plans.”

” No, that he cannot do ; he is her grandfather, and must do his share. I have cared for the child up to this time ; and now, Barbel, I have the offer of a situation which I cannot let escape because of this child. Let her grandfather now take his turn.”

” Yes, if he were like other people, Dete,” rejoined Barbel anxiously. ” But there, you know all about that. What can he do with the child ? Such a small one, too ! It will never succeed. But where are you going?”

“To Frankfort,” explained Dete, “where I am promised an unusually good place.

The family were at the baths last summer.

I had the care of their rooms in the hotel, and looked after their comfort so well that they wanted to take me back with them then. Now they have come again, and repeat their offer ; and you may believe that I mean to accept this time.”

” I should not like to be in this child’s place,” said Barbel, with a gesture of aversion..

” No one knows how he lives up there. He will have nothing to do with other people, year in year out. He never sets foot in a church ; and when he comes dawn here once a year, with his thick stick, everyone avoids him, and is afraid. With his thick gray eyebrows, arid his frightful beard, he looks so like a heathen and an Indian, that everyone is thankful not to meet him in a solitary place alone;”

“But for all that,” said Dete defiantly, ” he is the grandfather, and must take care of the child. He will probably do it no harm, or will have to answer for it if he does. It is not my affair.”

“I should really like to know,” said Barbel inquiringly, ” what that old man has on his conscience, that he casts such glances about him, and lives all alone up there on the Alp, and never lets himself be seen. They say all sorts of queer things about him ; but you must know the truth from your sister, do you not, Dete ? ”

” Certainly, but I will not tell ; for if he should ever know that I had said anything, should not I get a scolding ! ”

But Barbel had long wanted to know why the Alm uncle had such a look of dislike to other people, and why he lived alone up on the mountain; and why people spoke so cautiously about him, as if they could not say anything favorable, and would not speak against him. Neither did Barbel know why the old man was always called in Dorfli the Alm uncle. He could not be the real uncle of all the inhabitants ; but as they always called him so, she did the same.

Barbel had only been married a short time, and came to live in the village after her wedding. She formerly lived in Prattigau, and therefore did not know all the ins and outs of the life there, nor the peculiarities of the people in Dorfli and the neighborhood. Her good friend Dete, however, was born in Dorfli, and had always lived there with her mother until her death ; then she went to Ragatz Bad, and served in the big hotel as chambermaid, with very good wages.

That very morning Dete had come with the child from Ragatz ; a friend had given them a ride in a hay-cart as far as Mayenfeld. Barbel, having learned thus far, hastened to improve the opportunity to find out still more. So she laid her hand confidentially on her friend’s arm, saying:

” From you, Dete, one can know the real truth about the Alm uncle, and not be dependent on what the people here say. Do tell me. What is amiss with the old man ? and has he always been feared, and always seemed to hate his fellow-beings as he does now ? ”

” Whether he has always been like this I cannot be expected to know exactly, as I am just twenty-six years old, and he is at least seventy ; so you will not require me to tell you how he was when young. If I could only be sure that what I tell you will not be directly known in all Prattigau, I might give you some information ; for my mother and he both came from Domleschg.”

“O Dete ! ” replied Barbel, somewhat offended, ” what do you mean ? They are not such terrible gossips in Prattigau. afterall ; and I can keep a secret, if necessary. So tell me, do, and you shall never have to be sorry for it.”

” Well, I will ; but mind you keep your word,” said Dete warningly. She turned to look behind, to see if the child were near enough to hear what they said, but Heidi was nowhere to be seen. She must have ceased following for a long time, but they were too busy talking to notice her absence. Dete stopped, and looked about in every direction. The path made one or two curves, but yet the eye could follow it almost down to Dorfli. There was no one visible for its whole length.

” I see her now ! ” exclaimed Barbel ;

“down there, don’t you see her?” and she pointed to a spot quite distant from the mountain path. ”

She is climbing up the cliff with Peter the goatherd and his flock.

“I wonder why he is so late to-day. It is lucky for us, for you can go on with your story while he looks after the child.”

“It will not be necessary for Peter to exert himself much in looking after her,” said Dete. ” She uses her own eyes, and sees all that goes on. I have found that out, and it will be of use to her now, for the old man has only his two goats and the Alm hut.’

” Used he to have more ? ” asked Barbel.

” He ? Yes, indeed ; he had much more, formerly,” replied Dete eagerly.

” He had once the very best peasant’s farm in Domleschg. He was the eldest son, and had only one brother, who was quiet and steady. But the elder would do nothing but play the gentleman, and travel through the country with bad company, about whom no one knew anything ; and he lost his whole property at play and in extravagance, and when it became known, his father and mother died one after another from mortification, and his brother was reduced to beggary, and obliged to go no one knows where, for vexation ; and the uncle, who no longer had anything but A bad name, also disappeared. At first, no one knew where he had gone ; but after a while they learned that he had joined the army, and gone to Naples. Then nothing more was known for twelve years or more. Then he all at once appeared in Domleschg, with a half-grown boy, and sought to introduce him to his

relations there ; but every door was closed against him. This made him very bitter. He said he would never set foot in Domleschg again, and so he came to Dorfli. He lived here with his boy, and must have had property, for he gave Tobias, his son, a trade. He was a nice fellow, a carpenter, and well liked by every one in Dorfli. But the old man trusted no one. It was said that he had deserted from Naples. He had a bad time of it ; having killed some one, not in battle, you understand, but in a brawl. But we recognized the relationship, because my great- grandmother and his mother were sisters ; so we called him uncle, and as we are related to everybody in Dorfli, on our father’s side, gradually everybody called him uncle ; and since he has moved up here on to the Alm, he is known to every one as the Alm uncle.”

” But what happened to Tobias?” said Barbel, who had listened eagerly.

” Only wait, I am coming to that ; I can’t tell everything at once.

” Tobias was sent to learn his trade in Mcls ; and when he had learned it he returned to Dorfli, and married my sister Adelheid, whom he had always liked. And when they were married, they got along well enough together ; but that did not last long. Two years after his marriage, as he was helping to build a house, a beam fell on him, and killed him, and he was brought all crushed to his home ; and Adelheid fell ill from the shock and from sorrow, and had a fever from which she never recovered. She, who was formerly so strong and hearty, fell often into swoons, so that one could not tell if she were waking or asleep. Only two months after Tobias’s death we buried Adelheid. Everybody was talking far and wide of the sad fate of these two and they said softly, and then aloud, that it was the punishment that the uncle deserved for his godless life ; and the pastor, appealing to his conscience, told him that he must now do penance : but he became more and more gloomy and morose, spoke to no one, and at last every one avoided him. Then we heard that he had gone up on to the Alm, never coming down, but living a solitary life, at war with God and man.

“ We took Adelheid’s little child to live with u.s, my mother and I. Heidi was a year old. Then, after my mother’s death, I decided to go to the baths to earn something; and taking the child with me, I gave her in charge of old Ursel in Pfafferserdorf. I could remain at the baths during the winter, for there was plenty of work for me, and I can sew and mend very nicely. The same family returned early this spring from Frankfort whom I served last year, and they again wish to take me back with them. So I am going the day after tomorrow ; and it is a good place, I assure you.”

” And you will leave the child up there with that old man ? I cannot understand what you are thinking of, Dete,” said Barbel reproachfully.

” What do you mean by that?” answered Dete. ” I have done my share for the child, and what more can I do ? It is not to be expected that I can carry a child of five years old to Frankfort with me. But where are you going, Barbel ? Here we are already half-way up the Alm.”

” I am almost come to the place,” said Barbel. ” I have something to say to the mother of Peter the goatherd ; she spins for me in the winter. So good-bye, Dete !  Good luck to you ! ”

Dete held out her hand to her companion, and stood still while the latter went toward the small dark-brown cottage  which stood a little way from the path, in a hollow where it was somewhat protected from the mountain winds. Standing half-way up the Alm, it was fortunately situated

in the sheltered hollow, and yet looked so crazy and weather-worn that it must have been a dangerous dwelling when the Fohnwind blew strongly over the Alm, making everything shake and tremble, and setting- all the rotten beams a-creaking.

It could not have stood long, in its present condition, on the summit, but would speedily have been swept down into the valley. This was the dwelling of goat- Peter, the eleven years old boy whose business it was to drive the goats from Dorfli. every morning, up on to the Alm. to let them pasture on the short, succulent bushes that grow there. In the evening he led his nimble- footed herd down into Dorfli again, gave a shrill whistle on his finofers, at the sound of which the owners came to the little square to fetch each his own goat. Generally little boys and girls came for the animals — such gentle creatures could do no harm — and thus Peter was for a short time every day with companions of his own age ; otherwise he lived during the entire summer only with his goats.

To be sure, he had his mother and his blind grandmother ; but he left the hut early in the morning, and returned late at night at Dorfli, because he liked to amuse himself with the children there as long as possible, spending only enough time at home to swallow his bread and milk as fast as he could, to get off early with the goats in the morning, and to his pillow at night.

His father, who followed the same business, and was called also goat- Peter, had been killed while felling wood the year before. His mother, whose name was Brigitte, was always spoken of as goat- Peter, or goat- Peter’s mother, from the connection ; and for everybody, far and near, his blind grandmother had the same name. Dete stood waiting for certainly ten minutes, looking in every direction for the children and the goats, who were nowhere to be seen ; then she climbed still higher to get a view of the valley, searching in every direction, with signs of increasing impatience on her face and in her movements. In the mean time, the children had gone quite round in another
direction ; for Peter knew of many spots where all sorts of bushes and herbs grew that were good for his goats to nibble at, and to reach which he twisted and turned about from one place to another with his flock. At first the child climbed after him, but with the greatest difficulty. Enveloped as she was in her heavy wraps, and suffering from their weight and moreover from heat, she was obliged to exert all her little strength.

She said nothing, however, but looked now fixedly at Peter, who, with his bare feet and light trousers, sprang here and there without the least trouble ; now observing the goats, which, with their thin, slender legs, climbed still more easily over the stocks and stones, and even up the precipices. Suddenly the child sat down, pulled off shoes and stockings as quickly as possible, stood up again, threw off the thick red shawl, unfastened her dress, cast that away, and had still another to strip off; for Dete had put on all the child’s Sunday clothes over her every-day garments, for convenience’ sake, so that no one else need carry them. In a twinkling the child tore off her every-day dress too, and stood in her light petticoat, and stretched her bare arms with delight out of the short sleeves of her little shirt into the cooling wind.

Then she folded all her clothes together into a neat little heap, and leaving, climbed up after the goats to Peter ; going with them as lightly and easily as the very best.

Peter had not noticed what the child was about while she stood behind ; but when she sprang up beside him in her new dress, he grinned in the most comical way; then, looking back, he perceived the little heap of clothes, and his grin became wider, until his mouth seemed to extend from ear to ear ; but he said never a word.

Now that the child felt herself so free and comfortable, she began to talk to her companion, and he had to answer all sorts of questions. She wanted to know how many goats he had, where he was taking them, and what he did when he reached his destination. At last, however, the children and the goats reached the hut, when Aunt Dete caught sight of them.

As soon as the latter saw the little company of climbers, she shouted out,

“What are you about, Heidi? How you look ! What have you done with our two dresses and the shawl, and the new shoes that I bought you for the mountain, and the new stockings I knit you myself? Are they all gone, all ? Heidi, what have you done with them all ? ”

The child pointed quietly down the mountain-side, saying only, “There.” Dete looked ; and following the direction of the child’s finger, certainly, down there she saw something lying, on the top of which was a red spot. Could that be the shawl ?

” You mischievous child ! ” cried Dete, in great excitement. ” What are you thinking of? Why have you taken everything off ? What does it mean?”

” I do not need them,” replied the child, and did not look sorry for what she had done.

“Oh, you unlucky, thoughtless Heidi! Have you no idea about things ? ” said Dete, scolding and complaining at the same time. ” Who is to go down for them ? It will be at least a half hour’s work. Come, Peter, run down and fetch them for me ; don’t stand there staring, as if you were nailed to the ground.”

” I am too late already,” said he slowly, and stood without stirring from the spot, with his hands in his pockets, just as he stood when Dete’s cry of alarm first reached his ears.

” You stand there, and open your eyes as wide as you can, but do not stir,” cried Aunt Dete to him again. ” Come now, you shall have something nice ; do you see this ? ” showing him a new, shining

five-cent piece.

In an instant he ran down the mountain, taking the shortest way, and reaching the clothes by great strides, seized them in his arms, and was back again so quickly that Dete was forced to praise him, while she gave him the promised five-cent piece without delay. Peter stuck it quickly deep into his pocket, while his face beamed and shone with pleasure ; for a like treasure rarely fell to his lot.

” You can carry the bundle for us up to the uncle’s, you are going that way, I believe,” said Dete, while she applied herself to climbing the steep path that made an abrupt ascent from behind the goatherd’s hut. He was quite ready, and followed her, carrying the bundle under his left arm, while he swung his rod with his right, Heidi and the goats sprang joyfully about in every direction.

In this manner the little procession reached at last the summit of the Alm, after about three-quarters of an hour’s climbing. There stood the old uncle’s hut, exposed, it is true, to all the winds of heaven, but getting the advantage of every ray of sunlight, and commanding too a most beautiful view of the

valley.

Behind the hut stood three big, very old pine-trees, with long, thick, untrimmed branches ; and then the mountain background rose up, up to the old gray rocks, first over beautiful slopes covered with succulent herbs, then through thickly Strewn bowlders, and at last came the bald, steep pinnacles.

On the side of his hut overlooking the valley, and fastened there securely, the uncle had placed a bench. Here he was now seated, his pipe in his mouth, his hands resting on his knees, looking quietly down at the children, the goats, and Aunt Dete, as they came clambering up.

Heidi reached the summit first, and going directly towards the old man, stretched out her hand to him, saying, ” Good-evening, grandfather.”

” Well, well, what does this mean ? ” answered the Alm uncle harshly; gave his hand, however, to the child, looking at her with a long, piercing gaze from under his bushy eyebrows.

Heidi returned his look with equal steadiness, not once letting her eyes swerve from his face. Such a strange-looking man as her grandfather, with his long beard, his gray eyebrows growing together in the middle like a bush, seemed to her worthy of study.

In the mean time Dete and the goatherd stood beside Heidi, Peter looking on to see what was to happen.

” I wish you good-day, uncle,” said Dete, stepping up. ” I bring you Tobias and Adelheid’s child. You will scarcely recognize her, for you have not seen her since she was a year old.”

“And what is the child to do with me ? ” asked the old man. ” You there ! ” he called out to Peter, “go on with your goats. You are none too early. Take mine along with you.”

Peter heard, and obeyed ; for the uncle had looked at him, and that was enough.

“The child must stay here with you,” asserted Dete. ” I have done my share for it these four years past, now it is your turn.”

“Indeed!” said the old man, casting a withering glance at Dete; “and if the child begins to cry for you, and whimper, as these senseless little creatures do, what is it be done then ? ”

“That is your affair,” said Dete. “I mean, no one told me how I was to manage with her, when she was thrown on my hands a three years old child ; and I had already as much as I could do for my mother and myself. Now I must go with my emplovers, and you are the next of kin to the child. If you won’t keep her, do with her as you like. If anything happens to her, you know, there will be no further trouble.”

Dete’s conscience was not easy about this proceeding ; and therefore she was working herself into a passion, and said more about what she really meant. As she uttereu these last words, the uncle stood up, and looked at her so strangely that she involuntarily drew back several steps. He stretched forth his arm, and said in a commanding voice, ” Go back to the place from whence you came, and do not show yourself here again in a hurry.”

“Then farewell, and you also, Heidi,” said Dete, not meaning to wait for a repetition of these words ; and she ran down the mountain-side, without stopping, till she reached Dorfli, for her inward excite- ment drove her onward as if impelled by steam. In Dorfli everybody called to her, even more glamorously than before, for all were curious to know what had become of the child. They knew Dete very well, and to whom the child belonged, and all its former history. So they called from door and window,

“Where’s the child?” “What have you done with the little one, Dete ? ”

She shouted back impatiently, without stopping: “Up there with the Alm uncle, I say. Don’t you understand?”

But she was very uncomfortable ; for the women all exclaimed, ” How could you do such a thing?” “That poor child ! ”

” The idea of leaving such a helpless child up there ! ” and again and again, “The poor little tot!” and soon, and so on.

Dete ran on as quickly as possible, and was soon beyond the reach of their voices ; for she was not happy about her conduct, as her mother had given the child into her charge on her death-bed. But she tried to quiet her conscience by saying to herself that she could do more for the child when she had earned something ; and she was glad to get away as quickly as possible from her old friends, who questioned her too closely, and to go into service with a good family.

For full text, click here.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4g6P4JFRgU']

Only years later did I have the chance to experience this when my husband’s family rented a chalet in Morzine on the French Alps and we were invited to go.

Morzine is a very small town and is one of the many ski resorts on the foothill of the Alps in France, close to the border of Switzerland and France. The chalet in Morzine we stayed in was called Chalet les Sapins, which is about one and 15 minutes drive from Geneva Airport.

What to see near Morzine:

Les Lindarets: only about 20 minuts’ drive from Morzine centre, you can arrive at the goat village Les Lindarets. The goat village is a small lovely village with many friendly wild goats, who are so used to tourists that they are not shy to come close to you to get food.

Lac de Montriond: only 10 minutes’ drive from Morzine centre, there is a beautiful alpine lake in Montriond. You can have lovely circular walk all around the lake. There are also two wonderful restaurants: Le Verdoyant and Le Bout du Lac, both serving fantastic food and with fantastic view of the lake. We tried both of them. Le Verdoyant is relative more casual restaurant with simpler menu. But it was very good with basic seafood. The white baits I had were wonderful. Le Bout du Lac is a bit more refined. We had the famous French cuisine frogs’ leg (cuisses de grenouille) and it’s simply the most delicious frogs’ legs I had ever had. Sorry if I offend any vegetarians here. But if you are in France, you can’t be too sentimental with animals, can you? I am just quoting Peter Mayle from his book “A Year in Provence“, in which he claims that “The English are too sentimental about animals, except those men who chase foxes, and they are mad.” (p.178)

Lac des Mines d’Or: drive or walk up the river running through Morzine, there’s Lac des Mines d’Or, also a lovely mountain restaurant there and wonderful views. Walk on up a track above the lake to Ferme de Freterolles which serves a rstic lunch, very charming and unusual.

Lake Geneva:  it’s only 45 mins’ to each Lake Geneva and there are many different towns around Lake Geneva can be explored either by a car or by taking a boat trip.

這個夢原自七＋年代的一部日本動畫《飄零燕》, 描述一個孤女海蒂在阿爾卑斯山脈生活的苦與樂, 大部份是樂, 海蒂在山上的自由, 從自然界支取到的統真與堅毅, 令我神住, 想不到差不多要到四＋年後的今天才有機會來尋找兒時的夢,  海蒂, 請容我跟你一同尋找人生的真與樂。這是法国腳下的其中一個小鎮 Morzine，冬季時是滑雪勝地, 夏季別有一翻景緻, 小時侯常看的卡通片段突然如夢景出現眼前.

On the hillslopes of the French Alps 傳統阿尔卑斯山雪山小屋

Chalet les Sapins – a Chalet in Morzine

Chalet les Sapins – a Chalet in Morzine

Outside Chalet Les Sapins -a Chalet in Morzine

Chalet les Sapins – a Chalet in Morzine

Chalet Les Sapins – a Chalet in Morzine

Chalet les Sapins – a Chalet in Morzine

To see the formidable Mont Blanc only takes 20 minutes’ drive. 要見威武的 Mont Blanc 只需二＋分鐘車程

Sunset in Morzine

The Goat’s Village (Les Lindarets) near Morzine

The Goat’s Village (Les Lindarets) near Morzine

The Goat’s Village (Les Lindarets) near Morzine

The Goat’s Village (Les Lindarets) near Morzine

Lake Montriond, one of the alpine lakes near Morzine

Lake Montriond, one of the alpine lakes near Morzine

Lake Montriond, one of the alpine lakes near Morzine

One day I decided to quit…
I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality… I wanted to quit my life.
I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.
‘God’, I asked, ‘Can you give me one good reason not to quit?’
His answer surprised me…
‘Look around’, He said. ‘Do you see the fern and the bamboo?’
‘Yes’, I replied.
‘When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.
I gave them light.
I gave them water.
The fern quickly grew from the earth.
Its brilliant green covered the floor.
Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said.
‘In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.
But I would not quit.
In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would
not quit.’ He said.
‘Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared
to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant…But just 6
months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.
It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.
I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.’
He asked me. ‘Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots’.
‘I would not quit on the bamboo.
I will never quit on you.’
‘Don’t compare yourself to others.’
He said.
‘The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern.
Yet they both make the forest beautiful.’
‘Your time will come’, God said to me.
‘You will rise high’
‘How high should I rise?’
I asked.
‘How high will the bamboo rise?’ He asked in return.
‘As high as it can?’ I questioned.
‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Give me glory by rising as high as you can.’
I left the forest and brought back this story.
I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.
Never, Never, Never Give up.
For the Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.
Don’t tell the Lord how big the problem is,
tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

When I searched “Japan earthquake” 曰本大地震 on Google.com in Chinese today, a lot of the results returned with forum posts with revengeful messages like celebrate Japan earthquake. A lot of the Chinese people still cannot forget and forgive the crime done by the Japanese in China during the Second World War. In one city (Nanjiang) alone, more than 300,000 people were killed, many of them women and children. Even nowadays, many Japanese are still freighted to travel to Nanjiang for holidays, fearing of revenge. Years ago, there were a Japanese couple travelled to Nanjiang specially to apologise.

Everyone is equal in front of natural disaster. Amid natural adversity, we should put aside cultural differences, nationalism, politics and even history. Just think of everyone as a human being. Let’s care for Japan earthquake and tsunami disaster victims. Offer whatever you can offer to help: money, prayers, communication, blogs. May be in doing so, we discover some common traits in all human beings, above race and nations.

Below is a very positive view from a Chinese media working in Japan about how the Japanese handle the earthquake. It’s written in Chinese. I have summarised in English below:

Although the recent disastrous earthquake and tsunami have caused a lot of sufferings to Japan, the Japanese people still maintain unity and uphold the discipline and respect for the values ​​of mutual assistance.

There are long queues in the Tokyo subway stations and convenience stores. Every person is just waiting very quietly, no jumping, no looting, no cursing. School hall is a safe haven for the victims, unlike the schools in Sichuan when earthquake stoke China. The Chinese Internet users see the the stark differences between the Sichuan earthquake 3 years ago and the quake in Japan and give thumbs-up to the Japanese.

After the earthquake, there are long queues everywhere. The railway is suspended and a large number of people cannot go home. At stations in Tokyo, hundreds of people are quietly waiting to buy tickets. You don’t hear angry complains.

In Japan’s Haneda airport, the situation is the same, long queues, but quiet and orderly. Dozens of people line up on both sides of the stairs and left in the middle a smooth path for people to move. Restaurants offer free curry rice. A number of schools along the Tokyo stations open up to office workers who are stuck and cannot go home. Inside them, there are sufficient food and blankets enough for thousands laid out in order. Many hotels change their sign from a price to “sanctuary” for free accommodation. Sendai survivors who are restaurant chefs cook free curry rice. Electrical shops offer free mobile phone charge. It only takes one click of a button to get drinks from the slot machine. Public telephones are free to dial.

Japanese Internet users leave messages after the earthquake: “We must assist the evacuation of foreigners who do not speak Japanese, even if you only say Hello or OK.” The internet users also remind each other: “to care for the elderly women in particular. Is your neighbour living alone? Remember to knock on the door.” “Please tell your friends who cannot go home that they can stay in the following places for free” There were reports of looting and shops increasing their prices after the quake in Christchurch, New Zealand. Tokyo is an equally developed city. But there’s no such thing in Tokyo.

Of course, Tokyo is not the hardest hit. Chinese Internet users witnessed the Japanese fleeing from disaster and wrote on-line, “hundreds of people gathered in the square, during the whole process, no one smoked. The store attendants came to send blankets, hot water, biscuits. Men helped women carry things, tuned in radio. 3 hours later, the people dispersed and there’s not a piece of garbage on the ground.”

One Chinese working in a convenience store in Japan left messages on a forum, ” My mother asked me whether the fare was increased to take advantage of the earthquake. I told her no. Food and drinks are free and there’s no looting. After people took the free food, they lined up in the checkout and said thank you.”

The Chinese media continued to say that the Japanese shared a common value which is “taking the big picture into consideration”. This helped them overcome adversity with dignity and compose.

(source: http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/110312/4/n6rq.html）

And then, it used Hong Kong as a comparison to say that the British should follow what Hong Kong has been doing – to have a low tax system.

After living in Hong Kong about half a century before moving to reside in the UK 7 years ago, I have something to say based on my own experience.

But I am no economist. I can only offer my opinion as a citizen with experience in both countries.

The low tax system in Hong Kong indeed is very good in the way that people have more disposable money, with that they go out and spend and in turn it helps the business, especially the small businesses. Everyone has an opportunity to get rich in Hong Kong, really rich. It’s very easy to start a small business. The whole city is very entrepreneurial.

There are only 8 million people in Hong Kong. They have announced in earlier this year that a 26-billion-Hong Kong-dollar (3.34-billion-US-dollar) budget surplus for the past fiscal year and said that its finances had been buoyed by rising tax revenues and land sale.

What a different picture to the UK.

But I want to say that money is not everything for a society. People in Hong Kong can get very greedy (although some economists may say greed is good). Money can blur other values in a human being’s life.

I see less entrepreneurial people now. But I still like Britain. Its devotion to quality. Its pursuit for knowledge. Its logical thinking. Its charity mentality. Its tenacity to protect the underprivileged. Its commitment to give respect to everyone in the society no matter he’s rich or poor – all these qualities appeal to me as a foreigner in Britain.

I don’t know which tax system Britain should pursue. But whichever way, I hope the British can uphold all the above values for human beings and understand that getting rich is not the only thing in life.

Elizabeth Gilbert in her book Eat, Pray, Love has said that there’s a word in every city, which defines what people think most of the time. If you could read the thoughts of the people on the street, you could discover that most of them were thinking the same thing. In Rome, it’s “sex”; in Vatican, it’s “power”, in New York, it’s “achieve”. I found this concept particularly appealing. What is the word for Hong Kong? I would say “money”.

Hong Kong is a financial city no doubt about it. You can get the news about stock market, investment tips, millionaire success stories almost anywhere anytime. I turn on the TV, there’s Bloomberg type news with in-depth analysis before and after main news hours. I get into a mini-bus*, the radio is talking about investment opportunities in China. I go to a cafe, the single lady sitting on the next table is trading stocks over the phone. When I get home, my 73-year mum is talking about the falling price of a stock she bought recently. By the way, there are more than one weekly magazine dedicated to success stories of millionaires and celebrities and there is stock market index running live inside the underground trains all the time.
*mini-bus: a type of public transportation in Hong Kong with which you can stop anywhere you want. Just speak loudly to the driver when it’s close to your destination, for example “the tree ahead” or “the green house ahead.

“Stock in Hong Kong is local produce, like orange in California, tulips in Netherlands. You’ve got to buy some,” someone said in a movie.

When I was living here, I did not notice this. Only after I have moved to the UK, where the news was centred around politics, health and education did I start to realize the stark difference.

The word for Hong Kong is definitely “money” – there’s what people on the street think most of the time. One of my friends told me once when visiting Hong Kong as a tourist that he’s never seen so many Mercedes-Benz on the street in any other city.

You can feel the pulse of the city with people’s drive to make more money. This gives it buzz, energy and life. The place is peppered with small shops with all kinds of business ideas.

I am going to make an effort to discover these business ideas and share some with the readers. This article will be updated from time to time. Do come back and check.

- BBQ Fields:
Background: the Hong Kong-way of BBQ is different to the West. In Hong Kong, people like to use a long fork (I mean really long, almost a meter) and with it they hold the meat above the fire instead of putting the meat right on top of the BBQ rack. See picture below.

But what is the same with BBQ all over the world is the preparation and cleaning afterwards. Some small business owners in Hong Kong make use of an empty outdoor space (usually it’s a garage or an abandoned construction site) to run the business so that people do not need to prepare anything for the BBQ. The set up is simple. Customers pay an entrance fee to get everything prepared for them: fork, marinated food, charcoal, parking. You may even get company!

- Temporary bra shop
Background: the trading activities in commercial property market are very active. Shops come and go. You see a shop here during a visit. The next time you visit Hong Kong again, it may not be there any more.
Smart businessmen spot a business idea here. They rent shops which are between rental contracts, normally in the period of a few months. The set up is very simple – only a few tables and they sell cheap bras to target lower-end market. No pressure in rental contract. No set up costs. Some made millions of Hong Kong dollars out of this business model!

- 24  hour bespoken suit tailors
This is actually nothing new. Hong Kong is very famous for that. But not everyone has heard of it. Hong Kong is a commercial city. Many businessmen stay only a few days for meetings. Offering quality and quick service, businessmen are more than happy to get a new suit done before they carry on with their new business adventures. The business has extended to London. Tailors fly to London for a couple of days to serve the businessmen there.

- Private Kitchens (Speakeasies)
Hong Kong is a heaven for food. Low income tax, high disposal income, rich choice of restaurants, competitive food market, international culture mean that Hong Kong people have a spoiled palette. Eating out is just so affordable and accessible that some families don’t even bother cooking at all. In average, I would say that, every family eats out at least twice a week. They certainly know good food and it also means that they constantly try to escalate their experience in food. After the financial crisis in 1997, there was a surge of independent good cooks opening their house to cook for just a few people. A majority don’t have menus. You only know that the cook is good at French food or Vietnamese food or Shanghai food etc.  You just eat whatever the cook cooks for you on that day. Marketing is by word of mouth. As the sniffing dog looking for cocaine, people found their way to these unlicensed kitchens and the Private Kitchens entered the food  market and became a fringe restaurant business. They normally are very good and have now been established as a tourist attraction for Hong Kong. Some food guides have designated the following criteria to be listed on their Private Kitchens publications.

1. no signage, a lot of them are in residential apartments
2. no walk-ins
3. no menus
4. selling point is the skills of the cook
5. serve less than 10 people each time

Efforts have been made by the Government to regulate the Private Kitchens, balancing the demand from the market and the normal regulations for a restaurant.

- Golf membership trading
This is actually one of my friends’ business. Hong Kong is small. Space is a very expensive asset. Therefore, golf, which needs lots of space, is an expensive game. Even if you have money, you have to wait until someone gives up his/her membership. Sometime, you may need to wait for years. I know someone who has started to wait for his son when he was three and he finally got it when the son reached 15. This gives a gap for a  business opportunity. Someone will sell their membership if situation changes, like immigration. Acting as an agent, my friend will help find the buyer and seller and she takes the commission.

- Second-hand brand name hand-bags
There are many wealthy women in Hong Kong. Every season, they buy many brand name handbags. Some of them only got used once or twice. They still look very new. And what to do with those out-of-season bags? Some opened a shop and called it Milan Station to serve as an outlet for people to sell their used out of season but still in good condition brand name handbags. Other people who do not mind carrying out of season bags are quite happy to pay less to get a bag they always want to get especially the bags look so new as well. Milan Stations proved to be very successful and now there are many other “Stations”… You can say this is eBay on the street, but focused on brand name handbags.

more business ideas to come…

My best travel experience in Spain was not Barcelona, which of course is always fascinating to visit when you are surrounded by Gaudi’s architecture and Picasso/Dali’s paintings.

But my most romantic luxurious experience in Spain was visiting the Paradores.  The original meaning of Parador is Inn. It’s now a brand name for the selection of state-owned luxury hotels, often in a building of historic or artistic importance. Some of the most romantic memories my husband and I have were in the Paradores.

Below is the official description of the origin of Paradores from the Paradores organization:

At the initiative of the Marquee Vega Inclan, S.M. in 1928 King Alfonso XIII opened the first establishment in the Paradores de Turismo Network in the Gredos Sierra. Since then, Paradores has maintained the concept under which it was created: to act as guardian of our national and artistic heritage while promoting quality tourism and dynamising those regions with fewer economic resources. Now in the 21st Century, Paradores de Turismo maintains the principles on which it was founded, adopting them to the needs of today’s guest. To do this, it incorporates and applies the newest technologies, is sensitive to the care of and respect for the environment and projects the finest image of Spanish tourism, gastronomy, history and culture beyond our borders.

Paradores offers its guests diverse and modern cultural activities in accord with today’s demands, which include: history, art and customs, sports and leisure, contact with nature, the sun and the beach, and of course, the search for peaceful havens to calm the tensions of daily life.

They are not the cliché romantic luxury Spa hotels that you see in most of the holiday advertising. They have a lot more than just massage and jacuzzi to offer.

In essence, every Parador is a history book. Be it an Arabic Fortress, a residence for the bishops, a palace, a medieval castle, a convent or a hunting house, every Parador is unique. They are no chain hotels. If you like history, you would love it. If you are not keen about history, you would love it too. Inside every Parador, you feel like you have entered into a classic movie, surrounded by period set and costumes with a big cast. Walking pass the corridor flanked by the life size soldier armour sets, passing through an underground alley before you reach the swimming pool, eating under a middle-age chandelier, very quickly, you will wonder if you are actually the lead actress or actor?

I am going to introduce some of those Paradores that I have stayed in with my husband here and write a separate story for each of them later.

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The first one, which was also the very first Parador that we stayed in, is the Parador de Siguenza , about 3 hours’ drive from Barcelona.

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The second one is a 13th Century Arab Fortress Parador de Jaen .

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And the third one is a hunting house Parador de Cazorla