There must be an election in the air!

Today we saw Tim Nicholls MP, Peter Matic BCC Councillor and Saxon Rice the LNP candidate for our local area at One Park Road. The event was the announcement that should the LNP win on Saturday week, they will provide funding for the Brisbane City Council to improve the street at Park Road. The idea is to make it more attractive and so attract more shoppers to the area. The local press where there taking photos of us all and I had the chance to spend some time talking with Tim Nicholls and Saxon Rice. It has to be good news for the retail environment .. but we will see who wins next Saturday.

Mark managed to grab a couple of pictures.. me in the crowd for the press photographer and at the front of the shop with Tim Nicholls and Saxon Rice. Our newsletter is meaning we are very busy at the moment with lots of customers taking advantage of our manufactures rebate when you buy 2 bras. Talk soon.
Deb.

Our heart goes out to the people of StGeorge, Roma etc

Sitting here safely in Brisbane I cannot begin to imagine what the poor citizens of StGeorge and surrounding areas are going through with these floods. Yet again! I was also saddened to read that people evacuated by bus could not take their pets. It seems to me that those who could not self evacuate and needed to use the bus would probably be pensioners. And to those senior people in our society, the family pet is a very important part of their lives.

I remarked to Mark that if I coudn't take my pets... Then I wouldn't go. Sorry Mr Policeman! If you are affected by the floods and you think we can help you, then please get in touch. We'll do whatever we can to be of assistance.

Happy Australia Day...

So you know the year is starting to age. The kids are back at school and Australia Day is upon us. But what does it mean to you? A day at the beach? (Going to be wet and windy in South East QLD apparently!) Or a barbeque with friends? Do you now what we celebrate? To be honest I am surprised at how many younger Australians don't know what Australia Day is all about. You tell them it's the day the First Fleet dropped anchor in Sydney Cove and they look at you with a blank face. And now 224 years later, we put Australian flags that are made in China on our cars that are made in Korea/Japan/Malaysia and some that are even made here and celebrate all that Australia means to us. At least I hope we do. To me Australia has been a place where you get a fair go. An egalitarian society where we look after each other. This has been shown to be true after the floods in Brisbane last year.

I hope our Australian way of life where we all fit in together; those born here and those who come to share our lifestyle and contribute to make a better Australia continues to be. Just yesterday I saw a car with a sticker that said "Australia, love it or leave it". A bogan sentiment? No I don't think so. Just an outward expression of how we all feel about the greatest country on earth.

And if you know some young people, do yourself and them a favour and see if they know what Australia Day actually celebrates. If they don't know.. fill them in. The Boutique will be closed on Australia Day.. but we look forward to seeing you on Friday and hearing about how you spent Australia Day. Our next newsletter is due out in March.. keep your eyes peeled for it.

Debra

And so this is Christmas...

So here we are again... Christmas Eve, the last working day for us for 2011. And my birthday. I have to thank Glenda from Amoena who breezed in and brightened my day with this delightful plate of goodies! This past year has been hard going for a lot of people. Floods, tsunamis, earthquakes and poor business conditions. In November nearly 100,000 full time jobs vanished in Australia. Very sad. And just today the poor people of Christchurch have been subjected to yet another earth quake.

How much more can these brave people endure. We have friends in the South Island of NZ and our hearts go out to them. And finally to all of our customers thank you so much for your support this past year. I am hoping that for all of us 2012 turns out to be a brighter, happier year ahead. Take care out there over the break and we will see you all on the other side of New Year's Eve. The shop will reopen on January 3.

Debra

Oh dear me.. the internet is good when it works!

This past week I have been tearing my hair out over our website shop. It crashed! Went away.. somewhere... not too sure but it is back now.

At this moment I need to thank Mark and a couple of our web friends, Jeremy and Clement for their help in putting it back. We are looking at developing a newer and better web presence in the new year. Stand by for that.

I am hoping that it is now working properly.. I have my fingers crossed. If you have any problems viewing or ordering then please ring us at the Boutique on (07) 3511 4222.

All the best

Debra

At the 11th hour of the 11th day...

So at 11:00 tomorrow.. will you stop and remember that day the guns fell silent on the battle fields of World War 1 Europe? As a school girl in Victoria we would all stand to attention for 1 minute's silence to remember those who had fallen in the theatre of war. If you walk through a modern shopping centre these days you will be hard pressed to notice any change to the every day as the clock strikes 11 on the 11th day of the 11th month. At the Boutique we like to stop and remember.. although sometimes our customers are in a hurry and don't want to wait for that one minute. We understand that.. but it saddens us. My husband Mark's father saw service in World War 1 so for our family this is a big deal. If you see a digger selling poppies tomorrow... by one and wear it with pride!

Meanwhile here at the Boutique our new Juliette Mastectomy bra is going out the door fast. The bras feature French lace and we have brought in a small order that is literally walking out the door. Juliette is exclusive to Spirit of Life and stock really is limited. Available in a beautiful silver with pink roses. Interested.. then don't waste time on this one.

Debra

So now we're 10!

October marks the 10th birthday of the Spirit of Life Boutique. And what a journey it has been. At first I managed the shop for the original owners (Coloplast) and then 7 years ago this month Mark & I purchased it. It has been a trip full of happiness from being able to help our special ladies and also tinged with sadness as we lost a few along the way. Today we celebrated with a few special people including long time staffer Jen, breast care nurses, our extended staff in the form of Helen our long suffering accountant, Desleigh our book keeper and Monte our Google master. We also had a visit from our good friend Tim Nicholls MP. Tim has been a friend of ours for many years now and is always interested in the boutique and always quick to offer helpful advice. He is one politician to watch in the future.

To all of the crew who joined with Mark & I tonight.. than you so very much. We'll do the next one in 5 years!