Introduction

I have arranged this blog so that it reads like a book for, after all, that is what it is.  It is a project which has enthused me for over thirty years and I intended to publish it as a hard copy. In 1981 I had a couple of “rants” published (Western Daily Press and The Guardian – you will find them later in my blog), in which I declared that I would write “The Rise & Fall of a Small Business, dedicated to Margaret Thatcher who assisted in our demise”.   It is now 2013. I have written three chapters in thirty years – it has been more fun just talking about it …   
 The blog has come about because my granddaughter Emma, opened a blog for my daughter Julie, and now Julie has done the same for me.  I am now in my eighties and not very computer literate, but with some help we are going to get it 'out there' at last.  The advantage of sharing my story this way, is that I can work on it over time, add any number of illustrations from my vast collection of ephemera, and be able answer your questions and comments.  As I am still working on it, you will find 'empty' chapters at the end, waiting to be filled, I may not use them all!

Welcome, and I hope you enjoy reading about our business.

All the words and illustrations are copyright protected and belong to Jan Morland. Please do not use them without my permission.

Besides photographs and illustrations, which were created by members of the family, I am also including some professional photographs and newspaper articles.   I understand from the copyright law that I may do this, provided I acknowledge the sources, which I have done wherever possible.

Grateful thanks to the photographers and to local newspapers such as the Central Somerset Gazette and Western Gazette etc, and later to Gifts Magazine and to The Guardian and no doubt other publications for allowing me to use this material.  I apologise if my references are incorrect – please write to me at 18 Cavendish Lodge, Magdalene Street, Glastonbury BA6 9FD if necessary.

Saturday 20 April 2013  2 am   The first 3 chapters were written around fifteen years ago and submitted to a Writers News magazine critique - which was quite favourable.   I used them as a basis for a talk I gave to our U3A Local History Group on The Rise & Fall and then re-wrote them early in 2012.   But I didn't proceed with the project because we still lived in our bungalow in Glastonbury and I had over 600 pots and tubs to look after ...  Now we are reasonably settled into our retirement flat, oldest daughter Julie has insisted on setting up this blog, so I will have to get on with the story.

Please forgive me if some of the events are repeated.   I never remember what I have written, unlike local journalist Rachel Humphries.   In 2001 she wrote a lovely piece about us  (in the Bristol Post?   I will have to find the article when I go down to the storage container this week) and last year, when Seve Balesteros died, she remembered that we had mentioned we had a letter from him after he won the Open at St Andrews, when John had sent him one of his hand coloured prints of St Andrews golf course.  She remembered something she had written over 10 years previously!   I can't remember what I wrote yesterday.

I have finished my cup of coffee and must go back to bed.   In the morning, I will start looking through the box of papers for 1972, which will form the basis of Chapter 4.