Ed Vogue's World

I've had the opportunity to stay in a few different hotels recently and they have really varied in quality. Of course it depends upon the price you pay, this determines the quality of the bed linen and furniture but quite often for me anyway its the little things that matter. I quite like the little bottles of shampoo and the complimentary WIFI. I like a bath and a shower in the room and I like the fact that there is a small packet of biscuits to be munched with my complimentary cup of tea. If any of the above are missing then I am a little disappointed. Service is also important. I would like to be welcomed by a smiling person on the reception desk. I don't want to have to ring a bell or phone a pager from a phone left conveniently on the reception counter. I want to be greeted nicely, not falsely, and to be told the important information regarding the location of my room and the timing of breakfast. However, one of my favourite things about saying in a hotel ro...

It was an exciting day in the World of Vogue . With the spring weather apparently upon us, well for a couple of days anyway and a rare day without any other plans or duties it was a chance to get outside and down to the allotment. It was still covered from the winter and today afforded me the opportunity to pull up the covers and expose the fertile land to the elements. The covers had done their job they had kept down the weeds preventing them from taking hold as well as preventing the ground from becoming waterlogged and providing a barrier to allow the soil to warm slightly. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3nGDFzs52Q4BgBYugzY_Uf_zz8hjfDc2AS8VrB8Zq2j1tSiJS5Xnr4ywUCzRqXTE4wC8HTTIr7P4JJXjxGuTb5eNVKyFSLO1x36pAgXEUd9azjIzTw5HRNJ-ibPFCqR5upCEn08Aq8fb/s1600/manure+happens.jpg First the soil needed a little treatment. This came in the guise of some super concentrated manure. Concentrated in chemical fertiliser as well as concentrated in smell. After a...

I was at a wedding today. It was a wonderful event the happy couple looked amazing, the bride particularly beautiful. As is customary at a wedding the day was documented by a photographer. A job that carries a vast amount of responsibility. I guess the job of a wedding photographer is easier than it used to be. The digital age has meant that it is possible to take many more photographs than on a traditional film camera, the photographs can be viewed instantaneously and once uploaded into a half decent photo editing software programme they can have the exposure altered, be touched up or even have an annoying guest removed from the frame. http://digital-photography-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/wedding-photography.jpg Having said all of that I believe that the digital age has brought with it more expectation as to what makes a good photograph and the wedding photographers of the current age have to be especially creative to achieve the desired results. The photographe...

For some time now ecologists have been warning of a big problem that is hurtling towards us at a breakneck speed. If it continues as it is it could have a major effect on the human food chain. It is estimated that a third of the plants that we grow to feed the Earths population require bees to pollinate the flowers of these producers. Without the bees the plants cannot reproduce effectively and seeds and fruits cannot be produced. On a small scale the pollination can be done by hand using an instrument like a paintbrush but this is obviously impractical on a large scale. In the search for nectar to take back to the hive to feed the colony's young the bees help to transport pollen from one flowers anthers to another's stigma ensuring successful cross fertilisation. http://www.wmconnolley.org.uk/bees/DSCN6624-bee-close_1200x1200.JPG In recent years the worlds bee population has been facing what could be described as a perfect storm, and this has been particularly ev...

One of the things that make us British is queuing. I think that we are famous for it. I am writing this blog tonight at 26,000 feet on a metal tube with wings and two loud turbine jet engines with approximately 150 other people. This gives me the perfect opportunity to write about queues as a British airport is the ideal place to experience the population of our fair isles queuing. http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fx_files/24238/2/queue_line_2.jpg Queues permeate themselves throughout an airport but never more so at the gate of low fly airlines. It is commonplace for these airlines to call the gate even before the aircraft has landed and before you can say 'boo to a goose' a queue has formed. Of course it's at least twenty minutes before the flight is due to board and many passengers swap a comfortable seat for a lengthy standstill in a non moving queue. However, there is an innate instinct hard wired into most Brits that means when we see someone start ...

What is your ideal breakfast? In the last few days I have sampled a few different breakfasts, a bacon panini, a traditional home cooked breakfast, eggs benedict, an egg and bacon McMuffin, and cereal with toast followed by fruit. I have to admit that my favourite out of all of these was the cooked breakfast, closely followed by the eggs benedict. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2450/images/2450_MEDIUM.jpg It's funny because in a normal working week I tend not to take much notice to breakfast. With my normal schedule of getting out of the house at 7.15 it is the meal that I'm most likely to skip. When I do eat it I'm likely to eat it standing up. When I have the time it is a meal that I really enjoy. I would never bother to cook a full english breakfast at home its just too much bother and annoyingly creates a lot of washing up. It's also a meal that I would not normally go out to eat. So only when staying in hotels or B and B's am I likely to e...

Hiring a car is an interesting business. Most hirings nowadays will start with an online reservation. At this time you have to select the type of car you want and also any accessories such as booster seats and SatNav. Usually a price is given for a car per day. The total price given is reasonable. Sounds too good to be true, and of course it generally is. You can't choose the car that you are going to drive when booking online. You get an idea about the type of car, for example in my recent booking I was told to expect a Vauxhall Corsa or similar, but in my experience what you actually receive bears no resemblance. When I rocked up at the hire car office I was told that the car I was receiving was a bit bigger than I requested. Instead of the Corsa I had been allocated a Nissan Qashqai; just slightly bigger!!! It also had SatNav built in. This would have cost £70 extra, I'm glad I didn't waste my money requesting it. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b...