Rebecca A. Hughes

Rebecca A. Hughes - by Nigel A.  JAMES

The Beauty of Future Summers

Ten years in the future is a long way away, but, the ten that have just gone have either flown quickly past – or - have crept snailpacingly by to where they are now which is the same as where they were then!

But, action means speed, and, the more that one does, the quicker the clock actually turns; and time for Rebecca A. Hughes and her partner Jeremy Barth has become shorter and shorter since they started their business just over a decade ago!

But, what is important is now; and, the seeds which Rebecca and Jeremy then hopefully planted are now blossoming. And the results are amazing! Their gardening landscape business, Oakapple Services, has well and truly taken root in the green north of England where they live!

In the beginning was the vision, and, with this in mind, Rebecca went to work on herself by turning herself into herself by making her hobby her life. At first came the hard work of learning – studying garden architecture is a hard and time taking challenge. The task of convincing future clients followed ; and then, finally, the turning of barren garden plots into islands of beauty and penetrating goodness and peace.

But, when good things start rolling, they take on a speed of their own, and one has to run to keep up. Word quickly spread!

And now, with just ten very short years to their credit, Rebecca and Jeremy are busier than ever, and their works of pure horticultural art are no longer secrets. They are there and growing for all to see, admire and enjoy!

After-all, when an acorn starts growing, its strength keeps on expanding for ever. And where it is planted is very important! It provides not only a quality of life for now, but, also for many future summers as well!

A Late March Poem

A Red, Red Rose

by Robert Burns

My love is like a red, red rose

That's newly sprung in June:

My love is like the melody

That's sweetly played in tune.

As fair thou art, my bonnie lass,

So deep in love am I:

And I will love thee still, my dear,

Till a` the seas gang dry.

Till a` the seas gang dry, my dear,

And the rocks melt wi`the sun:

And I will love you still, my dear,

While the sands o` life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only love,

And fare thee weel a while!

And I will come again, my love,

thou`it were ten thousand mile.

listen to ‘A Red, Red Rose - by Robert Burns’ on Audioboo

Charley Steidl

 Charley Steidl - by Nigel A JAMES

More Than a  Big Grey Elephant

Farewells belong to the way that life is. And, sometimes these points in our lives are best understood when viewed through the distance of years. And this is how Charley Steidl remembers a day from long, long ago.

It was 1939. It was late summer, it was hot, and Charlie was still only three. And, so strong and so deep did this day impress Charley, that it still swims on on the top of his thinking.

Because of the fine weather, his family had decided to spend the day at the Viennese Prata, an amusement park just close to the centre of town. Rides, swings and roundabouts, a wonderful treat for the kids! And it was fun. Charley even won an inflatable elephant. He was happy, his world was perfect! But, this day was not only for rides! Eating, instead, was top of the list!

Lunch was spent at Emminger's, a restaurant very close to the Prata. Charley remembers that the meal was good, but he no longer recalls that which he had. After finishing lunch, the party then moved onto another nearby eatery, the Hauswirt, for afternoon coffee and cakes, and then, with the coming of evening, Charley's father ordered roast goose. The fun and the eating then carried on until late.

And, of course, it was much later in life that Charley realized the meaning of all of this eating. His family weren't being greedy, they were simply bidding farewell to the good times of plenty! And they were right! Within just a very short time, the dark clouds of wanting had darkened the world. The world was at war! All that was good was falling apart. The sun was not to come back for a very long time!

Richard Siwy

Richard Siwy - by Nigel A JAMES

Behold - The Ice Man Cometh!

last week, I had the very great pleasure of bumping into Richard Siwy again; and, after a mere thirty years, or so, I was very much surprised that I wasn't surprised to find that he was still exactly the same as before, and, by the same, I mean, he is doing that which he always did best; and, that is, following himself.

We were talking at Vienna's Ice Dream, a frozen paradise for skaters which is bang in the middle of town; and, that which Richard told me turned out to be an exciting and fascinating insight into non-business school ways of becoming successful. And, paradoxically, it all has to do with towing the line! But, which line?

Richard succeeded by conforming. Not to a system of rules - but to himself! In other words, he simply allowed his business to build itself up! By following his instincts, he now has an events managing company of size, and, Vienna's Ice Dream is just one of his clients.

And where he is going is where he is now! Tomorrows simply happen, and today was once just a point in the future; and, today has come and gone with no trouble at all.

So, wherever you are, and whatever you're doing, be you at a museum or be you at a concert, or be you skating on ice, or watching Stars of Tomorrow on TV, the chances are high that the strings are being pulled by Richard and co. The most successful of all, after-all, are the ones who remain out of sight.

And dreams, just like The Vienna Ice Dream, come true if you want them to. Just be like Richard and follow yourself!

Halina Seidl

Halina Seidl - by Nigel A  JAMES

Fog Hidden Dreams

Big chances in life often come about by taking advantage of circumstances at the time; and, sometimes it’s better to go where life leads you than to try and plan it and shape it in advance.

Halina Seidl grew up amongst the dying dreams of socialist Poland. Things weren’t easy and the prospects for improvements and great advancements were practically non-existent. The future, it seemed at the time, was like a fog on the horizon - and no different at all from the ever rolling mists of the moment.

Being the youngest of a very large family, Halina knew how to fight and manipulate; and so, being armed with the confidence of success, she set out on her way through life. One of her brothers had already left Poland, and it was to him in Vienna that she went for a holiday one summer.

Her vacation turned into a working holiday. A friend of her brother’s needed some help in his restaurant. For three weeks she saw no sun, nor did she lay on the beach, but what she saw was better than even the most breathtakingly beautiful sunrise! Appearing before her were all of the opportunities that were waiting to be picked. For Halina, the fog had suddenly cleared and the sun had come out! Vienna had decided to keep her.

Starting anew in a foreign country means more than just getting a job, there is also a new language to be learned. This proved no problem for Halina. Soon her German was fluent enough for her to take over and run one of the greatest Viennese institutions of all, a sausage stand. Halina was in business for herself. And to run a sausage stand successfully means acceptance, and the number of regular customers that she had was also proof of her popularity.

Business grew, and the sausage stand soon gave way to a small restaurant in the 13th district of Vienna. On the menu are the popular dishes that are part of the fabric of the Viennese soul, and because sausages, too, are part of the Viennese heart, Halina has kept the street side of her tiny restaurant as a sausage stand. But if sausages are the food of today, then, children are the hope of tomorrow!

And children are very important for Halina. As well as building up and running a very successful catering business, she has also been quietly running a family and bringing up two beautiful girls. Most people complain about the lack of time, but the truth is, we all have as much of it as each other! Halina has been leading more than just one parallel life, she has been leading four! She started a new life, she learned a new language, she launched her own business and she founded a family! What is she going to do next?

Halina’s restaurant and sausage stand is to be found in the 13th district of Vienna in the Hietzinger Hauptstrasse at number 90 (just where the railway crosses the street).