The Directory Administrator's

Middlesex Directory welcomes your contribution to our forums

The Directory Administrator — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:20:00 GMT

Do you run a business in or around Middlesex? Maybe you run a charity or other organisation? Perhaps you're interested in the history of Middlesex? Why not tell us all about it? It only takes a few minutes to join the Middlesex Directory by clicking on the word "join" at the top of this page. Once you are a member of The Middlesex Directory this gives you the power to contribute to any of our forums to tell everyone out there what you do. You can also put a link to your website in your contribution.

We have two new recent contributions to the forums - see

http://middlesexdirectory.com/forums/thread/239.aspx

http://middlesexdirectory.com/forums/thread/236.aspx

Hope you are all having a great summer and enjoying the recent good weather.

Ferret and Lawn mower racing at The Middlesex Show

The Directory Administrator — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:37:00 GMT

This weekend 21-22 June saw the return of The Middlesex Show to its original home of Hillingdon Showground.

On Sunday 22 June, as the sun beat down, crowds were treated to ferret racing, lawn mower racing and sheep dog herding.

Arts and crafts played a prominent role at the Show with wood carved sculptures and hand made jewellery for sale. Home-made jams, marmalades and sweets could also be purchased.

It's great that the Middlesex Show has returned over the last couple of years after a period of enforced hibernation. In my view, it could be improved with a greater representation of local organisations, businesses, crafts and charities. Most people I spoke to seemed to be from everywhere else in the UK apart from Middlesex! However, I wouldn't want to be too critical as the main thing is that the show has a future. The organisers seem to be doing a pretty good job on the whole.

Worldwide celebrations on the 16th May

The Directory Administrator — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:30:00 GMT

Do you think that there is only one Middlesex?

If so, you would be wrong. What about Middlesex Plains, Australia, Middlesex, Belize or Middlesex, Jamaica? Why not take a look at the following website which explains the fascinating history of how the place name Middlesex came to spread around the globe.

http://www.middlesexfamily.com/links.htm

The 16th of May 2008 is Middlesex Day!

The Directory Administrator — Sun, 18 May 2008 12:21:00 GMT

May 16th Middlesex Day

In 1811 the men from the Middlesex Regiment (The TV series starring Sean Bean was based on them) were part of the British forces fighting under the Duke of Wellington against Napoleon.

On this very day, May 16th, 191 years ago the Middlesex Regiment were entrusted to stop the advance of the French into Portugal or the British could have been trapped in Dunkirk fashion with their backs against the sea. Instead of Dunkirk the village on the Spanish/Portuguese borders was Albuhera, and it was here the Middlesex men fought ferociously to keep at bay the overwhelming forces and might of Napoleon's army to give time for the British and Wellington to retrench.

The commanding officer of the young Middlesaxon fighters yelled at the heighth of battle "Die hard my men, die hard". After this tumultuous, history-turning event the Middlesex Regiment became known as the Diehards and on their Regimental badge are inscribed the words "Albuhera".

And this is one reason why on this day. May 16th, we salute all the men of Middlesex who have fought under their County's banner from their earliest recorded battle - the Battle of Hastings in 1066 right through English and British history to similar actions as at Albuhera in the First World War, World War II and Korea.

As the supporters of the Middlesex Regiment gathers today in their HQ from their museum at Bruce Castle in Tottenham to their barracks in Mill Hill and Hounslow and one of their regimental drums at St. Mary's Church, Staines, we must remember the history and heritage of this band of soldiers who have inspired generations to be proud of their County and who have scuppered the plans of more than one dictator at the eleventh hour.

Now the fight to retain the magnificent and honourable Middlesex name is against bureaucracy, or some politicians who wish to merge, disband or abolish a century of history. That is why May 16th has come to mean more than a battle for it has become the loadstone of perpetual Middlesex pride, lest we forget this is the name that men through over a thousand years of history have rallied to in England and Britain's defence.

Middlesex have never let our country down, but there are those who have let our County down, lest

they forget May 16th is our day, Middlesex Day, we will remember them.

HAPPY MIDDLESEX DAY and LONG LIVE OUR COUNTY'S NAME AND PRIDE - our wonderful sports clubs and associations, big and small, now carry the County banner, name and heritage into the future as never before.

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Expand your cultural and social horizons

The Directory Administrator — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 23:31:00 GMT

These days working life seems to become ever more pressurised. Many people find that they have very little scope to plan quality activities to make the best use of their spare time and expand their network of friends.

Why not let Events and Friends, an exciting new Social Club, spice up your free time by introducing you to some like-minded people and broaden your horizons with a varied programme of social and cultural activities.

To find out more, please visit our VISITORS AND VISITING forum or click on the following link http://middlesexdirectory.com/forums/thread/176.aspx

Make your butterflies fly in formation …..

The Directory Administrator — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 23:02:00 GMT

A US survey has revealed that public speaking is considered the most feared activity to be asked to undertake!

The Middlesex Directory contains two very informative articles which could help you improve your technique.

Why not take action and conquer your fear by joining Harrovian Speakers Club. Anyone from total beginners to more experienced speakers are welcome.

To find out more visit our BUSINESS FORUM.

Middlesex Museums

The Directory Administrator — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 18:12:00 GMT

Usually the winter months are great times to explore museums. London museums provide us with the wonderful opportunity of tapping into a wealth of knowledge about the history of Middlesex.

This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting The Foundling Hospital Museum in Bloomsbury. Why not take a look at my review on the VISITORS/VISITING forum or click on http://middlesexdirectory.com/forums/thread/155.aspx

Although the bigger organisations such as the Natural History Museum, Museum of London and Imperial War Museum are great, I would love to visit some of the smaller lesser known ones. I’d welcome your suggestions for any museums you think are worth a visit in Middlesex/London.

Why not join the Middlesex Directory and make your views about museums known.

The Directory Administrator

Middlesex Theatre

The Directory Administrator — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 18:04:00 GMT

For all of us there is sometimes a need to escape from the harsh realities of life. Every night in London’s theatreland the lights go down and the curtain is raised to reveal another world.

Over the last year I’ve been very privileged to see a number of plays and musicals in London.

It always strikes me that we are really lucky to have access to some of the best shows on the planet here on our doorstep. Many of the top performers of our age are up on stage right before our eyes giving their best for our personal enjoyment and entertainment.

As going to the theatre is something that I really enjoy, I’ve decided to write reviews of all the plays and musicals I go to see from now on.

Under the VISITORS AND VISITNG Forum (see http://middlesexdirectory.com/forums/ShowThread.aspx?PostID=160#160 )I’ve placed a review of a Harold Pinter play I recently went to see at The Comedy Theatre in London.

Over the next year, I’m hoping to write some more reviews on different productions and intend to visit some local theatres in Middlesex.

If you have any suggestions for any productions locally or in the London area which you think might be good to see please let me know.

I am really interested in exploring some of the fringe theatre productions. Many years ago I went to see a number of these and was very impressed by the off-beat ideas and originality of it. Any suggestions for good fringe productions would be very welcome.

Any reviews I write are really just my own opinion so, if you have a different view, I would be interested to hear it. If you have been to see a production recently, it would be great to read your review as well so why not become a member of The Middlesex Directory and let your voice be heard?

The Directory Administrator

Welcome to 2008

The Directory Administrator — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:45:00 GMT

I would like to wish all businesses and individual members of the Middlesex Directory a very happy and successful new year!

Kind Regards,
The Directory Administrator

The Business Directory

The Directory Administrator — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 09:20:00 GMT

Hi all,

Do you run a business in Middlesex?

Why not take a look at our business directory at http://www.middlesexdirectory.com/directory/

We welcome new entries from local businesses and anyone interested in writing articles for the directory. Please contact us to find out more.

The Directory Administrator

The Middlesex Show returns this weekend 23/24 June 2007!

The Directory Administrator — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 18:45:00 GMT

Great news! The Middlesex Show and been relaunched and 2007's event takes place this weekend 23/24 June 2007 at Park Lodge Farm, Harefield, Middlesex. Opening times are between 9.30am-6.00pm. Ticket prices £6 for adults and seniors, children £3. For further details see the following websites:-

http://www.middlesexshow.co.uk/
http://www.hdfairs.co.uk/middlesex/

I'm sure a lot of us will have good memories of previous shows and this re-designed county show promises to retain the good aspects of the original event whilst reflecting the modern age and the people who live in the area.

I look forward to meeting some of you there this weekend!

The Directory Administrator

Is customer service now a quaint old-fashioned concept?

The Directory Administrator — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 17:34:00 GMT

Just image for a moment that you have a time machine and can travel back to 1950s Britain. Your aim once there is to go to a local bank and conduct a simple transaction.

What sort of experiences would you have?

Well you might be whistling the lastest tune by a young man called Elvis Presley. So as you’re walking along and humming “are you lonesome tonight,.. lonesome tonight..” you stroll though the door of the bank and within space of time speak to a member of staff who would do their best to help you conduct your business as smoothly as possible.

Now get back into your time machine and travel forward to the year 2007. You want to contact your bank again. This time you pick up the phone. You receive the message “All our advisers are busy assisting customers at the moment, please hold while we try to connect you to an adviser”. In your frustration you gaze out of your office window at a newspaper stand. The headline reads “Blair to go”.

Personal service seems to be an old-fashioned concept in 2007. Some businesses seem to think that we don’t mind holding the line listening to endless banal messages. Usually if you do get through to someone you are wound-up because you have had to wait for so long so are more likely to suffer from “phone-rage” and be less receptive to solving any problems.

If only they thought again and aimed to put personal service at the centre of their operations the advantages would be numerous:-

1. If people can speak to a real person, they will automatically feel in a better frame of mind. Their query is being handled on a personal level.

2. The customer is more likely to be in a better mood and receptive to solving problems. Less "phone rage".

3. Problems are more easily solved in a person to person interaction. All the customer wants is for someone to listen and be receptive to their difficulties not just sell them another product.

The other day I popped into a local watch shop because I had lost the small piece that clips the pieces of my watch band together. When I explained the problem, the proprietor said that he thought he might have one lying around. He found it, attached it to my watch band – and charged me nothing! Where do you think I’ll go when I need a new watch band or even a new watch?

I am not suggesting that everything relating to customer service was better in the 1950s. We now have many more convenient ways of contacting businesses. For example, via the internet or phone. However, it sometimes seems that we have lost an important aspect of human interaction.

Lets jump in the time machine for one final journey moving forward to the year 2027. Once again, we want to try to contact a bank. This time we don’t personally visit it, or pick up the phone or even go on-line. We just touch a screen in our living room and are connected to a personal banking advisor. We are once again face-to-face with someone but of course via a screen.

Could the brave new world of 20 years time come full circle back to something closers to personal service?

However, to change this area today in the year 2007, would not cost the earth and could be of great benefit to both businesses and customers. As the American Economist Thomas Sowell once said “Politeness and consideration for others is like investing pennies and getting dollars back”.

Are you an expert in one area but need help in another?

The Directory Administrator — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 18:01:00 GMT

Hello Fellow Middlesaxons,

As the Middlesex Directory grows it occurs to me that we are in a perfect position to help each other. We have a collection of people who are experts in certain specific areas within our Business Directory. Knowledge-sharing could be a potentially powerful resource for members of The Middlesex Directory. For example, if one person is an expert in say automobiles but has no knowledge of plumbing (but needs a plumber!!) - what do they do? Well, they could call out a plumber and pay good money to have them fix their leak or through their contacts within The Middlesex Directory they could reach agreement with a plumber for them to fix the leak and in return the automobile expert carries out a repair to the plumber's van.

Why not let us know if there are any specific areas of knowledge you would be prepared to share in return for help in another area? We could start to get together a mini-database of people willing to share specific skill areas.

The Directory Administrator

Why not write for the Middlesex Directory?

The Directory Administrator — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 18:01:00 GMT

Hello Fellow Middlesaxons,

Are you running a business or a charitable organisation in Middlesex? Do you ever wish that you had access to a platform viewed by the local community where you could share your thoughts and interact with others? You don't need to be a hi-tech computer wizard or have your own website. You don't even need to own a computer although you will need access to one to enter your information. If you click on the "Forum" section of the Middlesex Directory you will notice that people have set up forums for various subjects such as "Property", "Health" or "IT". We believe that many more people in Middlesex would like to take advantage of this unique on-line soap-box to share their views on work or leisure pursuits. If you have some interesting ideas for articles or some information you would like to bring to the attention of a wider audience, please let us know by emailing administrator@middlesexdirectory.com or contacting us by phone on 0208 248 9768. If we think that the information is of interest to the Middlesex Community we would be pleased to set you up with your very own on-line forum.

The Directory Administrator

Inspired by Strictly Come Dancing?

The Directory Administrator — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 23:53:00 GMT

Are you looking to build up your fitness levels and meet new people? It can be hard to find the time to devote to both these activities so why not combine them both and learn to dance.

There are so many different forms of dance. Some can be undertaken by the individual only - such as line dancing. However, many are partner-based.

I have tried a variety of dance styles over the years from salsa and samba to tango and ballroom dancing. I cannot claim to have fully mastered any of them but I have had a lot of fun. From the point of view of a total dance beginner, with very little time, I would recommend learning ceroc.

Ceroc is a fusion of Salsa and Jive derived from many other dances including French Jive, Swing, Lindy Hop, and Rock and Roll.

Ceroc has many advantages over other forms of dance:-

1. There is no complicated footwork to learn – although as you become more advanced you do have the option to incorporate footwork into your routine.

2. There are a large number of venues scattered all over Middlesex and surrounding areas. Why not take a lot at the following websites for details
http://www.ceroclondon.com
http://www.uk-jive.co.uk

3. There are regular beginners classes where each move is broken down into easy to learn stages.

4. It’s very affordable. Average admission into a venue is about £10. Not bad for a night out with a difference!

5. On a typical evening ceroc offers far more than just a dance class. Usually after the beginners and intermediate classes have taken place there are a couple of hours of freestyle in which you can try out any new moves learnt in the class or just enjoy your existing routine.

6. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere in which anyone can learn and no-one worries too much if you make a mistake.

Finally, I have noted that some men perceive dancing as a predominantly female activity. This view is totally untrue. Lots of guys go to ceroc and have a great time. There is great scope for you to perfect your dance routine and meet new female company. Some female friends have complained to me about lack of dance partners with some forms of dancing. This won’t be a problem with ceroc because it’s so relaxed that you can just go up to a guy and ask him to dance and you’ll find that plently of men will ask you to dance. So there’s no hanging around looking like a wallflower.

So what are you waiting for? Drag your two left feet along to your nearest ceroc venue and reinvent yourself as the next Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers of Middlesex.