A very Happy Birthday

Our Romanian neighbours were celebrating the first birthday of their son Dimitri, and insisted that we went along to the celebrations. So, along with family and family we went to the setting, in the local stables, in in keeping with their culture there was a great deal of food, lots to drink and of course music and dancing.
  We had met many of those there previously and felt at home, even with some language difficulties. The setting was excellent for the families with children as the stables have a play area as well of horses  of various shapes and sizes, of course, as well as other animals.
  It was interesting to see their customs, a little different from a typical English party, but tradition dictated a birthdaycake, complete with fireworks instead of the more traditional candles!!

Inspired Beatrix Potter

HAVING lived and worked in the Lake Distriuct prior to departibng for Crete, it is a pleasure to hear a move that saves a special place.

  An estate on the shores of Derwentwater which inspired Beatrix Potter to write The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin has been given Grade II listed status.

  Lingholm, built in the 1870s, was designed by architect Alfred Waterhouse

  The Department of Culture, Media and Sport said the listing would preserve the home, Lingholm, at Portinscale, near Keswick.
  The home and surrounding area are said to have inspired some of the author’s most famous works, including The Tales of Peter Rabbit, Mrs Tiggywinkle and Benjamin Bunny.
  The woodland nearby and its population of red squirrels is also recognised as an influence behind The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, and Potter was known to be a dedicated conservationist who spent much of her life trying to preserve the area.
  The listing means the home is recognised as “being of special architectural or historic interest” and protected against “unauthorised demolition, alteration or extension”.

Modest decline in foreclosures

A STUDY carried out by the Greek Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen and Merchants finds €50bn bank recapitalisation is likely to result in only a modest decline in the rate of closures.
  Some 40,000 small businesses across the country are likely to close in the second half of 2013 at a cost of up to 90,000 jobs, despite a major bank rescue program implemented before the summer, a study published this week warned.
  The survey of 1,200 small businesses conducted between found that the €50bn bank recapitalisation was likely to result in only a modest decline in the rate of closures, from an estimated 55,000 in the first half of the year.
  The idea behind the recapitalisation program, part of the country's second international bailout deal, was to pump cash into the real economy.
  The survey also found that some 65.7% of small businesses said t hey had reduced hours or salaries for staff so far this year, while 75.4% described their situation as being worse than in 2012. Source: AP,