Brrr. It might be freezing outside, but I am pleased to report that things are finally hotting up round my parts; no sooner had I posted last week’s column than my email inbox was positively bulging with offers from you lovely readers.
I must admit, many of them were unprintable in a family magazine, although I have managed to whittle them down to three. Not that I will actually name names at this stage, as I am not that kind of girl – discretion is my middle name you understand.
Suffice to say, while the country is being battered by the Beast from the East, I am looking forward to some cozy nights in with the Mouth from the South, the Blessed from the West and the Horse from the North.
The only problem is that I am currently under a foot of snow so I will have to wait for the big thaw to see who comes out on top. Then again, I might just plump for all three.
Mind you, I am not the only one who has been suffering from the weather. Apparently the print industry has been hit hard, too, with Pensord Press, which handles PrintWeek, taking drastic action. For the first time in over 20 years, they are enforcing a factory shut down “to keep our employees safe”. In other words, don’t expect your magazine to come out on time…
The industry’s trade body – the BPiF – is also concerned. In fact it has set up a dedicated area on its website to dish out advice to its membership, complete with a checklist, which according to the blurb includes “a list of items providing some important factors to review on site through the continued cold weather”.
This includes such gems as “check to ensure leaks are prevented from roofs and/or guttering which could create an icy walkway from constant dripping?”, although my personal favourite is “ensure your car has an adequate level of fuel for your journey, plus extra and that your mobile phone is fully charged, especially for travel through rural areas. For lady drivers – a SheWee could prevent any of those embarrassing moments!”
And who says the print industry is way behind when it comes to diversity…