Shopping Hard

I'm so pleased with myself and have been giving myself a big pat on the back as I have actually started my Christmas shopping.  In fact, I'm doing rather well with it.

Now, I love the atmosphere of the shops over Christmas time but after working all day it is so much easier to get some things online and have them delivered to home.  And there is the added bonus of only having to go to all the lovely Christmas markets with the children rather than dragging them around all the shops until we are all starting to go a bit mental.

So my plan for this year has been to buy online for all the big brand bits & pieces and then pick up the quirkier and more personal things at the shops so I can support the smaller local businesses and enjoy the festive ambience.  So far it seems to be working out well - it could be the way forward for me over the years!

Of course, I'm sure that you all know that you can now book online for a collection.  If you didn't then you can click here and choose your slot.  It couldn't be any easier and you continue to support a local business but from the convenience of your own home!

::Ruth::

Party Season is on the way

**WARNING: this post mentions Christmas!**

With Halloween and Bonfire Night successfully celebrated, it's time to start thinking about ... CHRISTMAS.  I have every intention to be organised this year and get my shopping done in the next few weeks so that I can spend December feeling festive. 

For me that means decorating my house, choosing a tree, going to the Christmas fairs at school, visiting the Christmas markets that pop up around Kent ... and going to every Christmas party possible.

I already have two Christmas party invites and the dress codes couldn't be more different.  For the first one there is a prize to be won for the best Christmas jumper (oooh, I have grand plans for mine) and the second is a posher affair and means I need to get my party dress out.

So while I'm sewing tinsel and baubles onto my jumper, working out ways to add flashing fairy lights and trying to create a masterpiece of a Christmas Jumper at least I know getting my second outfit ready will be much easier. 

Last time I wore my favourite party dress I noticed the zip was breaking and by the end of the night it definitely needed a good dry clean!  Fortunately we have an amazing local seamstress that we use at Iron Maids.  So I booked it in for a repair and clean and when it came back to me it had been beautifully cleaned and the zip was repaired perfectly.  So all i need to do is take it out of the wardrobe and put it on - simples!  Although now I think about it, perhaps I need a new pair of shoes to go with the dress!!!

So if you are planning for your party season  call us on 01622 870111 and let us take care of the dry cleaning (and your washing and ironing) so you can find yourself a new pair of shoes! 

::Ruth::

London 2012

Potential spectators are waiting patiently in the wings, bank accounts plugged and tickets flow across the country like confetti. The London Olympics are here! Cherry White Design have devised a short list of interesting facts about what this Olympics means for Britain. So whether you are a looking for ways to promote your business during this time or simply just an interested spectator, read on:

·        26 Olympic sports will be played

·        19 Paralympic sports will be played

·        There will be 60-70 London 2012 sponsors

·        The London economy is projected to grow by $80 billion by 2015

·        The Games are projected to generate 12,000 new jobs in the Olympic Park

·        31 competition venues will be utilised

·        20,000 press/media will be in attendance

·        10km of new roads will be built

·        There will be 500,000 spectators per day

·        9,000 new homes will be built

·        There will be 9.6million tickets for sale – 8million for the Olympics and 1.6million for the Paralympics.

·        Organisers say 75 per cent of all tickets will cost less than £50 and offer free travel on London transport.

·        A sell-out rate of 82 per cent for the Olympic Games and 63 per cent for the Paralympics is estimated.

·        Tickets for the athletics will start at £15 and there will be 20,000 £10 tickets for the Olympic Park to watch

·        The village will be converted into 3,600 apartments, most of them will be affordable housing.

·        After the Games four arenas would be ‘deconstructed’ and relocated to other parts of the UK along with the swimming pools that are used for water polo and the 50m training pools.

·        Charities will be given the sports equipment used in the Games for free.

·        80 per cent of athletes would be within 20 minutes of their events and 97 per cent of athletes within 30 minutes of their events.

·        93 per cent of training venues are to be within 30 minutes of the athletes village.

·        There are 9,000 planned park and ride spaces to be made available at Ebbsfleet where spectators can board a 10-minute javelin service to the Olympic Park. This is the same station where continental spectators travelling by Eurostar will join the javelin to the Olympic Park.

·        It is predicted that on event days 78 per cent of spectators are likely to travel from within London and 22 per cent from the rest of the UK and Europe.

·        It is estimated that over 135,000 hotel rooms will be available within 50km of the Olympic Park.

·        Number of foreign visitors: 350,000 per day

·        Food and Beverage potential: 18 million meals

·        Value of tourism benefit: an additional £2.1 billion

·        Total workforce needed: 200,000

Whilst you are enjoying the olympics, we can take care of all your dry cleaning, washing and ironing.  If only Extreme Ironing was a sport - we would be going for gold!  Whilst you enjoy the olympics, let us take care of all your dry cleaning, washing and ironing - call us today on 01622 870111 or book online http://www.iron-maids.co.uk/book

Holiday Packing

There are those who believe that the simple approach to dressing works equally well on holiday. Pack ten t-shirts in a suitcase, throw in some swimwear and flip-flops and that's about it. But then there are those who believe that you will have a better time on holiday if you feel right. Clearly "feeling right" differs from person to person and holiday destination to destination. That said, there are some guiding principles that can help to up your style ante on this year's summer break. We'll leave it to you to think laterally and adapt to suit.

Don't have a holiday wardrobe - have a holiday style instead. One that means you wear your usual summer clothes but in a crafty holiday-ish way. Not only does this save cash and time spent in badly lit changing rooms, it is the fast track to looking more stylish. This means admitting that the summer dress you bought for a party can easily be your sightseeing dress. A blouse you normally wear with jeans will look good with shorts for an alfresco lunch. This isn't wardrobe downgrading, this is wardrobe multi-tasking. And your holiday snaps will thank you for it.

Beach coverups are for Liz Hurley to design and then tell us about on the pages of an August issue of Vogue. They are completely unnecessary! If you need to cover up on a beach then just get dressed. Pull on your shorts, button up your silk blouse, shove on a sundress – whatever. But don't fiddle about with a useless piece of floral-printed sheer fabric.

The keenest eyes will have already noted that the scruffy top-knot has silently become the hairstyle to have this summer. Its reach has extended out from the standard Hollywood pap shot of celebrity-plus-Starbucks-plus-scruffy-top-knot, to the parks of East London and beyond. Basically, it is a high bun with loose tendrils of hair pulled out to frame the face. It's super easy to do so there is no need for a patronising explanation and it makes for the most perfect holiday hair. Great for the beach, great for a windy ferry crossing and great with a brilliant pair of sunglasses.

Too much luggage, even on the super-deluxe scale, is a bad thing. Consider the picture that Paris Hilton tweeted of her pre-World Cup packing. Genius and iconic yes, but testament to her superior holiday style, not at all. It doesn't suggest that she has a huge holiday reading backlog to get through, it says she's indecisive and not particularly confident in her holiday-styling ability. Ditto Coleen and the clutch of suitcase minders she recently had to employ after her most recent hols. Coleen's cases also highlight another luggage truth: suitcases (barring Vuitton trunks and The Queen's stamped Globe Trotters) are ugly. If you really want your luggage to say you are stylish, then you need an unbranded minimal leather holdall. It suggests that you are pretty loose with the packing, and thus well-travelled and effortlessly chic. Sadly not the most portable option.

Once you've enjoyed your relaxing holiday, don't stress about getting all the holiday washing but let us take care of it.  We will collect at a time convenient to you and have your items returned 48 hours later - you'll feel like you're still on holiday!

Call us on 01622 870111 or book online http://www.iron-maids.co.uk/book

Summer Holiday

Have you booked the time off for your summer holiday?  Are you ready in your mind to take a summer holiday?

It’s July – yes, already!  Summer seems so short because we just love the freedom lighter clothes and shoes seem to give us, and the wonderful evenings watching the sunsets or camping under the big trees, and looking at the millions of stars or walking through the woods where everything is lush and green, or being in or on the water enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon "just cruisin'".  We love the familiar summer music – Beach Boys – amazing how those songs have stuck around, isn’t it?

Are you ready for your holiday?  Have you booked the time?  If not, that’s the first thing to do! Another great thing to have for the summer are checklists. They’re easy to build in Microsoft Word or on an Excel spreadsheet – you can create them, save them in a file, print copies and keep the copies in a binder as a collection of tick boxes when you’re doing all the summer things you’re doing –

Why not title them and put in the name of the activity.  Under that title, horizontally, place the following columns

Items to Pack (list all items you need to take with you)

Number of items

Several Date columns.

As you pack, simply check off what has been put into your suitcase or cooler or bag – whatever container you’re using.  This system will ease the stress of packing for the event.

It’s a good idea to have one check off list for each activity.  Once they’re created, of course, every year all you have to do is reach for your binder and there they are – ready to use!!!

We can help with all your dry cleaning, alterations and laundry needs so add a tick box on for "Call Iron Maids" and let us take care of the rest!  With free collection and delivery, you get a service that fits in around your holidays.  Call us on 01622 870111 or book online http://www.iron-maids.co.uk/book

Wimbledon

For many of us this is the year we have been waiting for and for others it is the year of dread! We are now firmly in the period of huge sporting events, now that the Euro football championships are done and dusted we are in the Wimbledon season and well on our way to the Olympics. So when did the tennis championship start?

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is a private club founded in 1868, originally as 'The All England Croquet Club'. Its first ground was situated off

Worple Road

, Wimbledon.^[5]

In 1876, lawn tennis (a game devised by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield a year or so earlier and originally called 'Sphairistike') was added to the activities of the English Lawn Croquet Club. In the spring of 1877, the club was re-titled 'The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club' and signalled its change of name by instituting the first Lawn Tennis Championship. A new code of laws were drawn up for the event. Todays rules are similar except for details such as the height of the net and posts and the distance of the service line from the net.

The only event held in 1877 was the Gentlemen's Singles, which was won by Spencer Gore, an old Harrovian rackets player, from a field of 22. About 200 spectators paid one shilling each to watch the final.

The lawns at the ground were arranged so that the principal court was located in the middle with the others arranged around it; hence the title '

Centre Court

', which was retained when the Club moved in 1922 to the present site in

Church Road,

although not a true description of its location. However, in 1980 four new courts were brought into commission on the north side of the ground, which meant the

Centre Court

was once more correctly defined. The opening of the new No. 1 Court in 1997 emphasised the description.

By 1882, activity at the club was almost exclusively confined to lawn tennis and that year the word 'croquet' was dropped from the title. However, for sentimental reasons, it was restored in 1899 and since then the title has remained The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

In 1884, the All England Club added Ladies' Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles. Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles were added in 1913. Until 1922, the reigning champion had to play only in the final, against whomever had won through to challenge him/her. As with the other three Grand Slam events, Wimbledon was contested by top-ranked amateur players until the advent of the open era in tennis in 1968. No British man has won the singles event at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936 and no British woman has won the Ladies Singles since Virginia Wade in 1977, although Annabel Croft and Laura Robson won the Girls' Championship in 1984 and 2008, respectively. The Championship was first televised in 1937.

We are experts at keeping sports kits clean and fresh. From cricket whites to football kits - let us save you the hassle so you can sit back and enjoy the summer.  Call 01622 870111 or book online http://www.iron-maids.co.uk/book/

Money saving tips

The chancellor has recently revealed plans that will translate into increasing austerity for millions of British people in the months and years ahead.  These plans include spending cuts, benefit cuts and higher taxes.

In times of recession, high unemployment and rising living costs, it’s becoming more and more of a necessity to reduce expenditure and make savings where possible.

Below are some useful tips on cutting household bills and expenditure:

Shop around and find the best deal. Energy costs have risen quite significant recently and many energy suppliers have increased their tariffs.  A quick and convenient way of doing this is using an energy broker or online comparison site who will search many companies and help you to find the cheapest supplier for your usage and area.  We recommend Energy Helpline who are fully accredited to the Consumer Focus Confidence Code to compare energy for domestic consumers.

As with many things – it pays to shop around and this is particularly true with insurance.  Whether it’s home insurance, car insurance or life insurance – it pays to review your policies periodically not only to make sure you’re not paying more than you should be, but also to make sure your policies provide you with the right kind of cover – especially if your circumstances have changed since you last took out or renewed a policy.

You can save a lot of money simply by changing where you shop, changing what you buy or not buying "stuff" that you don’t really need.

Do you tend to buy over-priced premium or top-brand products when you could get a virtually identical product for much cheaper?  Research has shown that for most products, less known or Supermarket own brands are as good as leading brands – but are often significantly cheaper.

Try experimenting – just change a few top branded products in your shopping basket for cheaper brands and see if the alternatives are as good.  If they are – stick with them and then save more money by experimenting with more products.

How many times do you walk down shop aisles and get tempted to buy something you don’t really need because it’s at a reduced price or part of a special offer such as ‘buy one get one free’?  There’s nothing wrong with treating yourself or your family now and again, but stop wasting money on things you don’t need!

One final tip, be sure to use any loyalty schemes that various shops or supermarkets may be running. The points you receive usually entitle you to a percentage off your shopping as well as access to special deals on products that you already buy.

To help you save money, we offer all our customers FREE collection and delivery for any of our services - washing, laundry, dry cleaning - just call 01622 870111 or book online http:www.iron-maids.co.uk/book

Father's Day

It would be interesting to know how Father's Day came into practice and celebrated worldwide with an equal sincerity and respect as any other significant special days.

About 4,000 years ago a young boy named Elmusu wished his Babylonian father good health and a long life by carving a Father's Day message on a card made out of clay. No one knows what happened to Elmusu or his father, but the tradition of having a special day honoring fathers has continued through the years in countries across the world.

The Countries, where the Catholic Church were of particular influence on the culture of the society, Father's Day is celebrated on St. Joseph's Day. However, a more secular celebration which is not associated with any religion is followed in recent times to highlight the increased diversity among people from all over the globe co-existing together in one place.

Father's Day is celebrated commonly on the third Sunday in June in many parts of the world. The idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman called Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. President Nixon, in 1972, established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be held on the third Sunday of June. So Father's Day was born as a token of love and gratitude that a daughter cherishes for her beloved father. Roses are the Father's Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.

Treat your father to an Iron Maids gift voucher this year - we don't just iron, we take care of dry cleaning too and all with free collection and delivery.  Call us on 01622 870111 or book online - http://www.iron-maids.co.uk/book

Scents

Our sense of smell is such a powerful trigger for pleasure.  When we taste food, so much of the enjoyment and flavour is actually mixed with what we are smelling.  Given that we often associate food with childhood memories, celebrations and happy events, it’s no surprise that the right aromas mean a lot to us too.  While many of us might not think we are the aromatherapy people who want to turn our kitchen into a laboratory filled with exotic essential oils, we do enjoy enhancing our homes with wonderful smells.  Beyond giving our homes an appealing impression of cleanliness, the right scents can help us relax, feel invigorated or they can simply cheer us up.

Where our parents might have been happy to spray heavily perfumed concoctions around the hall before visitors arrived, now we crave after more natural scents in our fabric conditioners, shampoos and room fragrancers.

Floral aromers offer a light scent and the pleasure of

Relaxing scents are great for the bedroom but can work in the right living room too.  Lavender is popular because it is regarded as an excellent scent to aid relaxation, ease headaches and help get you off to sleep.  Some people find lavender a little old fashioned because their grandmothers would have used lavender sachets around their own homes, but the plant has come back into fashion as herbal remedies have risen in popularity.  Pretty jasmine has a powerful smell and is associated with improved well being and useful for reducing anxiety.  It can be a little soapy if used in small enclosed spaces but when the windows are open and it mixes with fresh air the distinctive aroma is much more enjoyable.

In the sunnier months of the year, fresh scents like apple and citrus fruits are perfect for kitchen and bathroom.  Try lime as a good balance of the sweet and sour somewhere between orange and lemon.  Soaps infused with scents like mint are also wonderful for this time of year.  For autumn and winter, as our cooking habits swap salads for casseroles and bathtime is more about soothing chill-out time than the quick daily showers of spring and summer, aromas such as ginger, cranberry or cinnamon are more suitable.

At Iron Maids, we make sure all our laundry smells delightful.  Call now on 01622 870111 - or book online by clicking here.

Most of use have probably never even thought about using a linen spray, but just because we don’t have acres of white tablecloth to iron, scents like French Linen are making a real comeback in candles and room sprays. It's a fresh light tone that seems more clean and modern and suits any room. Similarly, green tea has a refreshing tone about it that is appealingly contemporary and wonderfully calming.bringing the outdoors inside.  Delicate fragrances such as lilac, gardenia and jasmine are a good choice for rooms you use during the day.  Be careful with rose scents as they are capable of producing the most wonderful aroma of all flowers, but if they are too intense they can begin to smell harsh and almost vinegary.  Make sure you select a subtle floral scent.

May Day

May Day is related to the Celtic festival of Beltane and the German festival of Walpurgis Night.

May Day falls exactly half a year from November 1, another cross-quarter day which is also associated with various northern European pagan and neopagan festivals such as Samhain. May Day marks the end of the unfarmable winter half of the year in the Northern hemisphere, and it has traditionally been an occasion for popular, and often raucous, celebrations.

As Europe became Christianized, the pagan holidays lost their religious character and either changed into popular secular celebrations, as with May Day, or became merged with or replaced by new Christian holidays as with Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and All Saint's Day.

In the twentieth century, many neopagans began reconstructing the old traditions and celebrating May Day as a pagan religious festival again.

The earliest May Day celebrations were held in pre-Christian times, with the festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, and the Walpurgis Night celebrations of the German speaking countries. It is also associated with the Gaelic Beltane. Many pagan celebrations were abandoned or became Christianized during the process of conversion in Europe. A more secular version of May Day continues to be observed in Europe and America. In this form, May Day may be best known for its tradition of dancing the maypole dance and crowning of the Queen of the May. Various Neopagan groups celebrate - reconstructed to varying degrees and versions - these customs on May 1st.

The day was a traditional summer holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures. While February 1 was the first day of Spring, May 1st was the first day of summer; hence, the summer solstice on June 25th (now June 21st) was Midsummer.

In the Roman Catholic tradition, May is observed as Mary's month, and in these circles May Day is usually a celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this connection, in works of art, school skits, and so forth, Mary's head will often be adorned with flowers in a May crowning. Fading in popularity since the late 20th century is the giving of "May baskets," these are small baskets of sweets and/or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbours' doorsteps.

St George's Day

In recent years the popularity of St George's Day appears to be increasing gradually. BBC Radio 3 had a full programme of St George's Day events in 2006, and Andrew Rosindell, Conservative MP for Romford, has been putting the argument forward in the House of Commons to make St George's Day a public holiday.

In early 2009, Mayor of London Boris Johnson spearheaded a campaign to encourage the celebration of St George's Day. Today St George's day may be celebrated with anything English from morris dancing to a Punch and Judy show. In 2011, a campaign to make St. George's Day a public holiday in England began on the UK government's e-petition website. If 100,000 signatures are obtained before the deadline in August 2012, the matter will be opened for debate in the House of Commons – so get signing quick!.

A traditional custom on St George's day is to wear a red rose in your lapel, though this is no longer widely practised. Another custom is to fly or display the St George's Cross flag in some way - pubs in particular can be seen festooned with garlands of St George's crosses on 23^rd April. It is customary for the hymn Jerusalem to be sung in cathedrals, churches and chapels on St George's Day, or on the Sunday closest to it. Traditional English foods and drink (e.g. afternoon tea) may also be consumed.

There is a growing reaction to the recent indifference to St George's Day. Organizations such as English Heritage and the Royal Society of Saint George (a non-political English national society founded in 1894) have been encouraging celebrations. There have also been calls to replace St George as patron saint of England, on the grounds that he was an obscure figure who had no direct connection with the country. However there is no obvious consensus as to whom to replace him with, though names suggested include Edmund the Martyr Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, or Saint Alban, with the latter having topped a BBC Radio 4 poll on the subject.

Enjoy your St George's Day!

Iron Maids - ironing maid easy - call 01622 870111 or book online http://www.iron-maids.co.uk/

Outsourcing

Outsourcing, in its early days, seemed possible only by larger companies which farmed out many low end business processes. Since then, outsourcing has become more of a standard practise than a possible option to be considered. Apart from the cost savings, outsourcing is seen as a strategic move that can allow businesses to gain a competitive advantage.

It certainly has opened up opportunities for organizations to utilize skill and expertise that they normally would not be able to access without large investments. It has also become a saviour to new and small businesses which quite often have to work within a tight and limited budget.

At the lower end of the spectrum, outsourcing back office jobs such as data entry, customer support and payroll processing have helped organizations save a staggering amount of money. Now, there are service providers across the world who specialize in simple back office services to high end services like manufacturing design and legal outsourcing, to name a few.

Before people decide to outsource, it is important to define what specific goals are to be met. Lower costs are probably the prime goal of outsourcing. You can get work done at a fraction of the cost that you would have to spend locally, while getting better quality as well. Finding skilled people is one of the biggest challenges faced by companies today, not to mention the investment required to train employees and the attendant infrastructure required, which can rapidly drain funds. Outsourcing frees companies from these hassles by providing access to skilled people at lower costs, with the additional benefit of not having the burden of managing them directly.

Outsourcing not only brings cost advantages but can also improve the efficiency of business operations. If your business goals are properly aligned with the deliverables in outsourcing, productivity and efficiency are bound to increase.
When certain functions are outsourced, companies also distribute or do away with the risks associated with running that particular function. For instance, if payroll management is eating up your operational time and money, outsourcing it to a payroll services provider gives you the freedom to focus your concentration on other core activities of the business.

Customer service is paramount to any organization. Through outsourcing you can service your customers faster, provide better quality and decrease turnaround time.
Since outsourcing takes care of the skills necessary to run a particular business process, your business is much more flexible in investing in key resources. Instead of worrying about hiring people for your back office operations, you can focus on getting resources to grow your core competencies.

Why not outsource your laundry to Iron Maids.  We offer free collection and delivery on all dry cleaning, washing and ironing.  Just call 01622 870111.

It's pretty much common knowledge that Easter is a Christian celebration of Christ's rising, but this period also has pagan origins. Where did the coloured eggs, cute little bunnies, baby chicks, and lilies come from? They are all symbols of rebirth.

 
The ancient Egyptians, Persians, Phoenicians, and Hindus all believed the world began with an enormous egg, thus the egg as a symbol of new life has been around for thousands of years. The particulars may vary, but most cultures around the world use the egg as a symbol of new life and rebirth. A notation in the household accounts of King Edward 1st of England showed an expenditure of eighteen pence for 450 eggs to be gold leafed and coloured for Easter gifts.

The first book to mention Easter eggs by name was written five hundred years ago. Yet, a North African tribe that had become Christian much earlier in time had a custom of colouring eggs at Easter. Long hard winters often meant little food, and a fresh egg for Easter was quite a prize. Later, Christians abstained from eating meat during the Lent season prior to Easter. Easter was the first chance to enjoy eggs and meat after the long abstinence.

Some European children go from house to house begging for Easter eggs, much like Halloween trick or treaters. Called “Pace Egging”, this comes from the old word for Easter, Pasch. Many old cultures also attributed the egg with great healing powers. It is interesting to note that eggs play almost no part in the Easter celebrations of Mexico, South America, and Native American Indian cultures. Egg-rolling contests are a symbolic re-enactment of the rolling away of the stone from Christ's tomb. The decoration of small leaf barren branches as Easter egg trees has become a popular custom in the United States since the 1990s.

Have a wonderful Easter - from us all at Iron Maids. 

April Fools

For over 600 years – 620 to be exact – many parts of the world have been associating the 1st April with foolishness.  The earliest association was in Chaucer’s Canterbury tales and  for the past six centuries people have been playing practical jokes on each other and pranks on each other.
 

You have to be quick off the mark in some parts of the world as, like the UK, the joking stops at noon and any tricks after noon make the prankster the “April Fool”, but in many parts of the world, including the US and Ireland the joking lasts all day. In France and Italy, children stick paper fish on each other’s backs and shout “April Fish”.

The jokes can be elaborate and have involved TV programs – think of the much respected  BBC program Panorama, which fooled legions of viewers with its infamous “spaghetti tree” hoax in 1957. See the link:

100 Best April Fool Jokes of all Time

This blogger has a distinct memory of the Daily Mirror in the 70s reporting on the need for the Coldstream Guards to keep trimming their bearskins hats which continued growing due to being worn on warm heads *blushes slightly and hangs head in shame*…….. 

But why April 1^st?  Many believe that it coincides with the Vernal Equinox and many societies would celebrate this “new year” around the beginning of April.  It was only when the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1562 that New Year was celebrated on 1^st January and some people just refused to accept this huge change and such traditionalist were referred to as “April Fools” and were routinely teased and ridiculed

Other parts of the world also have celebrations of fun and tomfoolery.  The Romans had Hilaria, the end of Winter celebration, on 25^th March.  In Denmark, May 1 is known as "Maj-kat", meaning "May-cat", and is also a joking day. May 1'st is also celebrated in Sweden as an alternative joking day. When someone has been fooled in Sweden, to disclose that it was a joke, the fooler says the rhyme "April April din dumma sill, jag kan lura dig vart jag vill" (April, April, you stupid herring, I can fool you to wherever I want") for April 1st jokes………catchy eh? 

In Iran they play jokes on each other on the 13th day of the Persian New Year which falls on either the 1^st or 2^nd of April.  This day has been celebrated as far back as 536 BC and is known as Sizdah Bedar and is the oldest prank-tradition in the world still alive today; this fact has led many to believe that April Fools' Day has its origins in this tradition. 

However it all began and where is all began is shrouded in dispute but wherever All Fools Day is celebrated it brings with it lots of fun – mainly in the planning! – some red faces and the one day when perhaps the News is not to be taken too seriously!  Happy Fooling!

We don't fool around when it comes to ironing - book online and see how easy it really is

Gift Vouchers - the perfect present?

Throughout the year we are all faced with the never ending problem of what to buy our friends and loved ones on those special occasions, and with so many times to celebrate and mark with presents, ranging from birthdays, Christmas, weddings and anniversaries many of us will struggle to find that perfect gift.  The answer for many is often the good ol’ faithful gift voucher.  So what’s the history behind this present saviour?

The first voucher to be issued was The Book Token in 1932.  In 1936, Boots Gift Tokens were launched, which were later re-named Boots Gift Vouchers. 

It was in the early 1960s that consumer incentive schemes began with the introduction of Green Shield Stamps and many collectors faithfully collected the familiar stamps to stick in their books and then “spend” their value in the Green Shield Stamp catalogue shops. These shops were later to be re-branded as Argos.

In 1972 the Bonus Bond gift voucher was the first ‘multi retailer’ gift voucher and a couple of years later, Bemrose Booth produced Littlewoods Vouchers and were later to issue Luncheon Vouchers in the early ‘80s which became a popular employee benefit and were redeemed at a rate of 200 million per year at the height of their use.

By then the majority of high street retailers had a gift voucher scheme and High Street Vouchers were launched: multi-redemption vouchers targeted towards Christmas savings.  Customers could redeem these at Woolworths, Dixons, John Collier, Dewhurst and Cordon Blue.  The scheme continues today and has been rebranded as Love2Shop and involves over 75 retailers and 19,000 stores nationwide.  The brand also expands to Love2Play and Love2Travel covering the experience and travel markets.  The latter are excellent examples of how the humble gift voucher has entered the B2B market too.

Beginning as the giving of a piece of paper or card in lieu of a present, modern day vouchers now come either as plastic cards the recipient can spend or top up, or e-vouchers, where the recipient is sent an email advising them of their spend power in the outlet(s) concerned.

This blogger remembers receiving her  - paper of course – Boots Vouchers as a child and being delighted that I could “spend” them on anything and then struggling to spend the exact amount, as it was in the days before change was given against cards and the “top-up” option was unheard of!  Armed with my Charley perfume, I left a happy girl!  Now my own children appear to receive nothing but vouchers on special occasions and they love them!

Vouchers and loyalty card have revolutionised the way we buys presents today – some would say they have taken all the thought out of present buy – but it is one way to ensure the recipient gets exactly what they want.

Our experience shows, that people want thoughtful gifts that are meaningful to them and for many busy folk, time is a precious commodity.  We can help you give the gift of some time back to your busy loved ones with an Iron Maids voucher – who wouldn’t want their washing and ironing done for them!  This has also proven to be a popular gift for new mums.

Contact us on 01622 870111, 01233 779009 or via iron-maids.co.uk

Spring is in the Air

The phenological definition of spring relates to indicators - the blossoming of a range of plant species, the activities of animals or the special smell of soil that has reached the temperature for micro flora to flourish.  It therefore varies according to the climate and according to the specific weather of a particular year.

Meteorologists generally define four seasons in many monthly areas as spring, summer, autumn and winter.  These are usually specified by the values of their average temperatures on a monthly basis, with each season lasting three months.  The three warmest months are referred to as summer, the three coldest months are known as winter and the remaining gaps are spring and autumn.

Spring, when defined in this manner, can start on different dates in different countries.  In terms of complete months, in most North Temperate Zone countries, spring months are March, April and May (although differences exist from country to country); summer is June, July, August; autumn is September, October, November; winter is December, January and February. The vast majority of Southern Temperate Zone countries will have opposing seasons with spring in September, October and November.

In the USA and some other regions in the Northern Hemisphere, the astronomical vernal equinox (currently around 20 or 21 March) is often taken to mark the first day of spring, and the summer solstice is sometimes taken as the first day of summer.  In another US tradition, 2 February - Candlemas - can be regarded as the start of spring if it is mild.  In South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, spring begins on 1st September and has no relation to the vernal equinox.  In Ireland spring traditionally starts on 1st February - St Brigid's Day.

In South America, the Tupi-Guarani calendar from the former inhabitants of what is presently Brazil, Northern Argentina and Paraguay, counted 365 days plus a fourth part of a day, needing no extra day every four years. The beginning of the solar year was marked by the rising of the Constellation in the horizon, which occurs between June 5^th and June 11th in this part of the world.  For these native people, the four seasons were clearly identified by the solstices and equinoxes.  The trajectory of the Sun throughout the year was divided into "The New Age" and "The Old Age".  Ara Pyau was spring and summer, and Ara Yma was autumn and winter.  This calendar, which had no graphed or written form, marked activities such as hunting, fishing, planting, harvesting and religious rituals.

Enjoy the warmer weather and let us take the stress out of washing and ironing for you - make the most of Iron Maids FREE collection and delivery service by contacting us on 01622 870111, 01233 779009 or via www.iron-maids.co.uk

Mothers Day

Now the clocks have gone forward and the sun is beginning to emerge out of the damp cloudy skies, it must mean that Spring is finally here! And of course the first date in the diary for this period is Mothering Sunday or Mothers day as it is more commonly called. Have you ever wondered what the history of Mothers day is?

Mothering Sunday is always the fourth Sunday of Lent, however as the dates vary as to when Easter and Lent fall, the actual Sunday chosen to celebrate it does tend to  vary.  Most Sundays in the year, churchgoers would worship at their nearest parish or "daughter church”. In olden times it was considered important for people to return to their home or "mother" church at least once a year. So each year in the middle of Lent, everyone would visit their "mother" church.

The return to the "mother" church became an occasion for family reunions, when children who were working away from home returned. The majority of historians think that it was this return to the "Mother" church which led to the tradition of children, particularly those working as domestic servants, or as apprentices, being given the day off to visit their mother and family. This special day has now become a time when people give thanks to their mothers and offers an opportunity to express both love and thanks for the work that they do. So why not show your mother how much you love and appreciate her by letting us provide a professional service for her or give her a gift voucher to use when she needs it most!

Why not check out our services on our website http://www.iron-maids.co.uk/. or give us a call on 01622 870111 or 01233 779009. Booking is now even easier as our online facility is now up and running, www.iron-maids.co.uk/book

Bed Linen - How often do you change yours?

How often do you change your bed linen?

The ‘Loose Women’ television programme recently came up with some alarming and amusing answers ranging from “When I remember” to “I can’t think when I last changed them”. Most people would settle for a regular weekly stripping of the bed and crisp, new bed linen for the week ahead. Sadly with the current pace of life, it is usually a matter of how much time you have, especially when you have work commitments, or the family’s social events to sort out. It’s not just the sheets and pillowcases that need to be cleaned; there are duvets and pillows, quilt covers and bedspreads too.

A visit from the mother-in-law might motivate you into frantic cleaning mode and who wants that kind of scrutiny? That’s where Iron Maids can help. Iron Maids will collect and deliver your bed linen, doing our best to fit around your schedule. Duvets can be washed, or Iron Maids will dry clean any items that need special attention. What about the bedroom curtains: these are often neglected, but you’d be surprised what a difference a clean pair of curtains makes to a guest bedroom, or any bedroom!

Don’t forget the hand towels and bath towels, especially if you’re having visitors. Iron Maids can do all of these items, whether you’re having a one off sort out, or it’s just part of your weekly routine. Having expanded our collection and delivery area this year we are certainly more accessible, so give us a ring on either 01622 870111 or 01233 779009.

Don’t forget, Iron Maids will also see to your repairs too!

For full details of our prices for washing, ironing and dry cleaning, check out our website www.iron-maids.co.uk where you can now make an online booking for collection.