Targets Met - Holidays Beckon

For the first time since I joined Instanta 21 years ago we are having a summer factory shutdown for a week. As everyone has almost six weeks holiday now we were finding it hard to make sure that everybody got a summer week without leaving the factory undermanned so next week we will close. We hoped to have absolutely everything in stock to cover us for the week's closure and have managed - almost. Unfortunately we could not predict every order that would be placed this week and have run out of just one model the WB-2 3kW. Factory leader Tony (above right) and colleague Steve Eyres have told me they'll see what they can do before we close to make sure they're ready at the start of September. Well done to everyone in the factory for hitting production targets in every month bar one this financial year. Tony tells me that the only month we missed the target was the one that he and Jason had a fortnight's holiday.



I have not lost my marbles as the Instanta blog camera turned up safe and well this morning. It was where I thought it might be and we'll leave it at that.



Exciting news this morning as I read that the BBC is making a documentary on the Masquerade phenomenon of the 1980's. If you don't remember, author and artist Kit Williams created a marvellous treasure hunt picture book, which, if you solved its riddles, would lead you to this fabulous buried jewel. Loving riddles and treasure hunts I became a "Masquerade" obsessive and thought that I had cracked the code.The story revolved around the sun and the moon and when I turned up at the spot and found a pub called The Sun and another called The Moon nearby I was convinced. The whole family joined in and supported my crackpot solution. As a result my mother ended up lost on a Welsh mountainside wrapped in a black bin liner. (it's a long story, don't ask).



Here's the mock up cover for my novel. I am going to be uploading it on the Authonomy website in the next few days and leaving it there for all the world to see. I am a bit nervous about how it will be received but the pleasure came in writing it and whilst I would love it to be published there are hundreds of excellent unpublished works on the site and I would be foolish to imagine that I will be successful. I live in hope.

Here's the pitch.

"It is 1969 and young single Liverpool mother Maggie Johnson heads for the Greek island of Symos to escape life in her overbearingly religious family.

Forty year old Nico, whose youth was blighted by illness, war and a sponge diving tragedy, finds solace in the organisation of his spectacular firework displays for his fellow islanders. He owns a cottage in a beautiful remote location and becomes Maggie’s landlord and tutor in her quest to perfect her Greek.

Back in Liverpool, Maggie’s father begins to question the impact of his faith on those around him whilst, on the island, her imaginative son thrives and becomes firm friends with a local boy.

Relationships develop until Nico is confronted by a moment of crisis that brings a devastating result.

The book concludes with an amazing family birthday celebration and one very simple decision for Maggie to make.

The story, set against a background of Greek sponge diving, fireworks, sixties pop music and the Apollo missions, explores the impact of religion on childhood, how secrets can destroy lives and how, with thought and understanding, prejudice can be overcome."

Time to go now so I'll finish with a song for everyone in the factory.