The debonair Basil Marigold's

Facebook, arguably one of the two greatest internet success stories of the last decade, the other being Google (to be kind we won't mention, Google +, and most certainly not Google Wave!). They have both become behemoths on the internet; One dominates social media the other internet searches.  So, Facebook has made the move to a public listed company. It has made it with a huge value, £104bn (£66bn). But it is still a small child compared to the large tech beasts, as viewed from market capital; As you can see, Apple dominates the Tech industry with Microsoft quite a way behind. But the fundamental difference between Apple/Microsoft & Google/Facebook, is that they make 'Things'. In the case of Apple, they make very beautiful things. Microsoft make 'not as beautiful things', but they are on millions of more machines than Apple tech.  And this is where both Google and Facebook sit, precariously. Why? Let's talk Facebook. Facebook doesn't make

Or what seemed a brilliant idea at the time, comes back and bites your bum! A few weeks ago, I bought a Butternut Squash for a meal. They are very nice and make a good part of a meal. My daughter, who is now 3 watches a TV programme called 'Mr Bloom', where (apart from the awful, faked Northern Accent, because only Northerners have allotments, of course), he has a shed of animate Vegetables, who he has adventures with and so do the children who visit his allotment. One, as you may have gathered is a Butternut squash, called, 'Raymond'. He is bit slow, but eminently 'lovable' because of this. So, my brain wave was drawing a face on 'our' Butternut squash and e Voila, 'Raymond' has visited my daughters house!  Today was the day that 'Raymond' faced the chop. Literally. But as the act was to be done, so to speak. My daughter came in and said, 'No, don't chop Raymond'. I then tried to explain that it wasn't Raymond, but ju

Whenever you travel around the world, there is always the 'odd' thing that you come across that asks more questions of its existence than it actually answers; One of these objects arose in Malta. Set in a plain, large and bland wall, there was this. Just a locked, safe style door. As I said, set into the anonymous wall which could lead to many attempts to think what it may be or what it may contain. The mysterious door Any offers as to what there lies behind this small metal door, more than gratefully received. Here are some of mine; 1) After 9/11 the entrance to 'Wonderland' was 'beefed' up to prevent any unauthorised entry's, after Alice came. 2) The escape hatch for the Smurf civilisation.    3) The original 'Maltese Falcon'.   4) The unknown, Maltese back door entrance to Mordor.

For the bank holiday weekend and in continuation of what appears to be the Theaker family's exploration of the Midlands Industrial past, we visited the Midland Railway Station today, about two weeks after the brilliant Papplewick Pumping Station. We seem to be a family obsessed by steam at the moment.  This weekend we went to Butterley where the main station is based for deaprtures, not the best part of the track as that would be Swanwick junction, because Grace's Nanny was up and we thought they'd enjoy the time out. The attraction itself is actually, free entry. What you pay for is the train rides to and from Butterley to Swanwick Junction (There is the opportunity to walk the distance too, should you not wish to pay). We went on the trains and the children, who were under 5 went free, so we only paid for 2 adults and an OAP, or more kindly an over 60! I laugh at my mother's age, sadly realising that as she ages, then so do I. The station itself was fairly neat a