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  1. Getting my house in order

    February 15, 2013 by Mike

    If you’ve ever visited Winchester, you’ll know that it’s a bit of an eccentric place. Jugglers and string quartets line the High Street, and local bands hang out in the grounds of the Cathedral, writing new songs and drinking cheap cider. The yearly Hat Fair is a blaze of quirky talent and bright colours. The spirit of bohemian Winchester was recently immortalised in Frank Turner’s song “Wessex Boy”, complete with references to the Railway Inn and the Buttercross. It’s a creative hub. So it’s little wonder that even the cleaners in Winchester possess a certain artistic streak.

    Take Jo Maw, a cleaner who is also a talented artist in her spare time. Or the appealing sounding Cheerful Char? One Winchester cleaning firm – Splash Clean – blog about their cleaning experiences, giving out tips on baking and interior design as well as cleaning. Last Christmas, they gave out Splash Clean ducks and challenged their clients to take photos of themselves in random locations with the ducks. The best picture got a bottle of champagne. They also run something called the “Winchester Jelly”, an informal meeting for home workers and freelancers, where people get together for a chat and a lunch. It’s all very Winchester and friendly.

    Of course, not every cleaner in Winchester arrives on a unicycle. Shine cleaning are a company that work in close partnership with the council to provide cleaning services. They may not juggle the feather dusters as they work, but they do have 20 years’ experience and give a “100% satisfaction guarantee”. Another long established cleaning company in Winchester is Orchid cleaning, who offer a variety of services and a senior citizens’ discount.

    Then there’s SwissMaid, who operate in Winchester as well as other areas. Established in 2001 by Ellenor Burrell, it comes highly recommended and their cleaners know how to look after the antique furniture beloved by Winchester dwellers! Their testimonials are impressive and their services highly professional, so they would be a great choice too.

    So, there you are – a host of cleaners in Winchester. With such a variety, you’re sure to find one that matches your home and personality. Even if you’re a fire-breathing unicyclist!

    Category General Thoughts | Tags: , , | No Comments

  2. My trip to Hampshire

    February 5, 2013 by Mike

    I’ve always had an affinity with the South of England.  It shares many similarities the landscape of certain parts of Northern France where I grew up and I still have many friends in the area.  Whilst the population in general is a little older there are still some great places to visit if you like an active night-life, new things to try out in the daytime, places to visit, or one of the handful of art galleries particularly in Southampton.

    While I was visiting this time I wanted to discover more about the history of some of the great houses of Hampshire.  Often tucked away out of site from public view you have houses like Petworth House and Avington Park in Winchester.  I particularly like Petworth, the village has a chocolate box façade that seems to have remained in stasis since the early 1800′s.  There are several high end antiques shops as well as some catering for more modest budgets.

    These high profile houses naturally garner a lot of attention from visitors to the area but I was keen to uncover some of the lesser known houses that are open to visitors, in particular, as the weather is improving,  houses with gardens that are open to visitors.

    wedding venues in hampshireHoughton Lodge in Hampshire was one such house.  Boasting an amazing collection of orchids Houghton Lodge and it surroundings have to be among the best private gardens in Hampshire open to the public.  As you wander around the gardens there are some pretty spectacular views of the river Test and the surrounding countryside.  The garden’s immaculate lawns flow from the house down to the river bank and I found myself really enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the area, I could have stayed there for ages!

    It’s funny how when you visit a garden like this that you start to get some unusual ideas, despite being single I couldn’t help but think that Houghton Lodge would make a great venue for a chilled out wedding.  In fact when I looked at the literature in the House I saw that Houghton Lodge do promote themselves as one of the best wedding venues in Hampshire, and I can see why; there’s an inherent romanticism with a traditional English garden like this, set so close to the riverside.

    A really enjoyable day out.

    Category UK | Tags: , , , , | No Comments

  3. My Thoughts On Why I Set Up This Blog

    January 21, 2013 by Mike

    I just wanted to briefly make a post about the reasons why I decided to set up this blog. This came to me as a result of thinking that perhaps having a blog is a slightly narcissistic thing to do, well that might be the case, but for me it was really about sharing the experiences that I’ve had (and are having) travelling around Europe and the world and the friends I’ve made along the way. Rather than being shameless self-promotion it gives me a great opportunity to highlight some of the tips and must visit spots I’ve encountered along the way, and some of the restaurants, companies and hotels I’ve become quite fond of.

    Nowadays the idea of personal recommendations is such an important factor when people are making decisions on where to stay and what to do, so from my perspective I really wanted to share my knowledge that I’ve developed over the years so that potentially you don’t make the same mistakes I do. Helping you to find the best opportunities and spots around the world quickly and easily.

    Before deciding to start the blog I did extensive research into the techniques used by some of the world’s best professional bloggers to try and identify what worked, so that I could implement the same so the techniques on this blog. Most people will be familiar with the likes of Tim Ferris and Pat Flynn, but for me those guys have already reached the pinnacle of success when blogging, I wanted to find somebody like me who was just starting out because ultimately I thought they would be far more honest and upfront about the experiences they’ve had along the way as they’ve set up, and maintained, a successful blog.

    One new website caught my eye very early on in the process; www.blog-writers.com, it’s a brand-new blog designed to share some great tips and techniques from people who are already well established blog authors, either using their blogs to augment their self-promotion and marketing, or as a way to promote the products and services that their particular business offers.

    At first this didn’t have a great deal of resonance with me but then I read a few the blog posts that were available and realised that there were actually loads of great tips and techniques buried within each of the existing blog posts that were already up on the site.

    So with the information in hand decided to set up this blog. Once again I really want to reiterate that whilst a blog may seem like a narcissistic and self-indulgent thing to do, in reality it’s actually a great way to get information out, so that you can provide your own spin on the information available to everyone, in the hope that some people may find it interesting. And I certainly hope that you find this blog helpful.

    I really hope you like the blog, please feel free to leave comments in any of the sections on any of my blog posts and I’ll do my best to respond as soon as I can.

    Happy travels!

    Category General Thoughts | Tags: , , | No Comments