Last chance for mastectomy singlet tops.

Hi there ladies.. the year is whizzing by. Cannot believe that my pup Dorothy turns 10 today. Mark and I took her to the park for a cupcake as a treat. Just talking work for a moment; one of the most popular items we have ever had in the boutique is the new mastectomy singlet and T shirt bras from Amoena. We have bought the very last of these for our ladies and if you like them as much as most of our customers, then don't waste any time in getting yours. At this stage there are no plans for any more to be imported to Australia. You can see a video on them here.

Well.. a man's got to do apparently.

These past 2 weeks have been very busy at the boutique. And also during this period Mark has been on a "journey of discovery" (his words) to Birdsville and back on his trail bike. I thought he was crazy, but with his friend Gregor they did their own Long Way Round out into the bush. Sleeping rough lasted one night... and then they started checking into motels. It's good to have him home again. As they say you don't miss the water till the well runs dry. If you've got the time you can read about his trip there and back right here!

ANZAC Day and the progress of womens' affairs.

Well today is easter Monday; but it is also Anzac Day. A time to remember the bravery of our service men and women who put it all on the line in conflicts all over the world so that we might live in peace today. And for a lot of those men and women.. they paid the ultimate sacrifice. These people literally died to preserve our way of life. A life in this country where we all have our freedom of political ideology, our freedom of religion and the opportunity to work hard and enjoy success. We must never lose this! And sometimes the enemies of our lifestyle live amongst us. I refer here to people who seek a better way of life for their families by coming to Australia and then fanatically opposing our egalitarian society. Last night I watched the ABC telemovie about Ita Buttrose and the Cleo story. As Mark said while watching it with me.. "Women have come a long way in the past 40 years.. it's great to have been here to see the change."

Of course not all women are fortunate enough to have an equal relationship with their husbands. I am sure that like me as you go through life you see men who treat their wives as subordinates. These men control "their women" to within an inch of their lives.

Fortunately most men in Australia these days see their wives and women workmates as equals... I know that is how Mark and I get on. It is a refreshing change to my mother's generation where married women had to resign from Government jobs such as teaching etc. Sadly in a lot of countries this is not so. Women are seen as possessions. They are not even allowed to drive a car! Talk about living in the middle ages.

The iron fist in the velvet glove of feminism must continue to bring pressure on these cultures until these women too see that they have the potential to be whoever they wish to be.

Congratulations Ita and Cleo. You have certainly played a big part in the many changes for the better in the lives that Australian women lead today!

Lazy Sunday Afternoon....

When I was a teenager, the Small Faces had a hit with Lazy Sunday Afternoon. All these years later I really got to experience such a Sunday afternoon. Today Mark & I joined with our good friends Allen & Lindy O'Grady for a quiet lazy late lunch at Moo Moos wine bar and restaurant in the city. Moo Moos were one of the many unfortunate business's that went under in the Brisbane flood. Now back up and running it just has to be Brisbane's best steak restaurant. Late last year Mark did some food photography here and it was he who introduced me to Moo Moos. If you're looking for a great place to dine.. you won't go wrong here. (Mark grabbed a picture of Lindy and me with the "Wall Street Bull" outside when we were leaving.)

Our newsletter sale at the boutique is flying along and we have been very busy at the shop. Remember our factory rebate on Amoena bras finishes on the 30th so with the Easter & Anzac day holidays there are not a lot of shopping days left in which to take advantage of this sale.

Debra

A new product and a new video!

Something a little more positive after my insurance company rant of last week. (Although I do have more to say about that!). I have just posted a movie to Youtube featuring our new mastectomy singlet top. Have a look here!

Debra

Like a lot of others... our insurance company ran away.

After the floods here in QLD, a lot of poor people found out that their insurance wasn't worth the paper it was written on. It's all because of the way the insurance companies determine the meaning of flood. Now my theory is that the water fell from the sky.. it's that simple. While our boutique itself wasn't flooded, we did have the issue of no access to the building and when we did get in we had no power or phones. Because of this we literally couldn't trade for around 2 weeks. Of course we had "Business Interruption" Insurance which we purchased through AON Insurance Brokers. The insurance itself was underwritten by Chateris Insurance.

After we were back to normal, we lodged a claim. On no less than 4 times, the loss assessors contacted us and asked for the same material to lodge our claim. Each time it was a different person... and the whole process started again. Sort of like trying to fix your phone with Testra.. only a lot worse. So today.. they advise us they have knocked back pour claim. Why? Because the problems we had were caused by flooding and not storm damage. Can you believe it??? The storms caused the flooding! To say that both Mark and I are shattered is an understatement and our hearts go out to all those who are also doing battle with these uncaring corporate bookies.

So it gives me no great pleasure to advise any fellow business owners out there to avoid both AON Insurance Brokers and Charteris Insurance at all costs. When it came to the crunch.. they were inefficient and couldn't run away fast enough. We are sure there are other bad news insurers out there. After all, birds of a feather flock together. But for our money.. avoid AON and Chateris at all costs if our experience is anything to go by.

Debra & Markl

In case you're wondering why we were closed ...

In case you're wondering why we were closed this morning ... the police came along and did a drug raid on One Park Road this morning! We and all the other tenants were "asked to leave" while the fire brigade cleaned out all the gear and the chemicals. It would appear that a man in his thirties with an office upstairs was to quote the police)"helping them with their questions". He is known around the area and this might send him away for a long time....

All is back to normal and we're back in action again!

Debra