Tuesday 9 February 2010

A really big Boo and 3 cheers

I don't normally comment on news stories for fear of causing offence but I was very upset to hear that, having given assurances regarding the jobs of Cadbury's workers last week, Kraft have now decided to renege and close down a plant near Bristol. I have no connection with those folks just a strong belief in honesty and integrity. I was sad that this family institution was taken over but even sadder that those involved have taken this decision within a few days of taking over...But then I'm a (Cadbury's) chocolate lover so perhaps I'm biased! Don't let them touch Creme eggs otherwise I may start a petition and a focus group.



But on a lighter note - three cheers for Ben de Lisi who has just designed a hospital gown which leaves the patient with some dignity, rather than becoming the butt of all jokes as they reveal their poor defenceless rears, in the traditional British gown with the delightfully draughty back opening . The American gown designer who usually produces frocks for the likes of Kate Twinset has turned his skills to replacing the traditional horror with something slightly less revealing but with plenty of "access for medical intervention" and in a lovely cotton jersey mix for ease of movement. I'm lucky enough never to have had to wear one of the originals - I hope not to have to wear one of the new ones. Unfortunately I didn't hear any mention of a Cath Kidston print being applied to the fabric!

Stop press - I saw a bank of snowdrops on Sunday!!! Unfortunately couldn't stop to take pictures.

Love Wend

21 comments:

  1. I thought it was very sad news about Cadburys.
    Very interesting about the hospital gowns..about time too!!
    ;-)

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  2. Your description of the hospital gowns made me smile, my husband was in one only the other week for the first time in his life. You are right about the embarrassing back opening and he hadn't even realised he felt so poorly, very undignified.
    It is a real shame about Cadbury, we went and had a good look around Bournville a couple of years ago and loved all of the buildings. Shortly after that I bought a couple of stained glass porch lanterns on ebay. When they arrived I received a letter explaining they had actually belonged to an elderly lady who was one of the Cadbury family and had hung in her house in Bournville, also enclosed were a couple of unopened wartime Cadbury chocolate bars. I still love them and finally hung one in my porch and one in my hall recently, I photographed them in recent post.
    Ann x

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  3. The Cadbury building at Keynsham is the most unusual of buildings to look at ..... a focal point on the outskirts of the town. Those concerned will be hit hard.

    Three cheers for Ben De Lisi! About time somone sorted the gowns out.
    Re the snowdrops, we are lucky enough to have a great big swathe along the outer bank of our garden. They herald the end (hopefully) of winter.

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  4. Having been in hospital 12 times for various reasons, I can't believe that someone has only now designed something other than a "back baring sheet" that let's face it you wouldn't be seen dead in unless you were too ill to worry about, anyway why didn't I think of that??? Love Luvey xx

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  5. Like you I was horrified at the cavalier way Kraft broke their promise to keep the factory at Keynsham open and that so many people will now lose their jobs. I don't pretend to know the ins and outs of it all but I feel that there are some companies who seem set on world domination and that once that happens heaven help us if everything is in the hands of just one or two major enterprises.

    Re the gowns. I used to work in a hospital when I was in my teens and once asked a man to take of all his clothes and put on the gown and when I returned to fetch him for X-ray he had his legs in the sleeves and was wondering how to hold the thing up!!

    Snowdrops - saw a huge swathe of them through the open gates of a large house near here yesterday when passing in the car and hope to go back for a proper look soon.

    Jane

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  6. did I hear chocolate? ^_*
    it really goes against the whole ethic of the Cadbury family doesn't it?
    John Cadbury was quite the socialist fighting for childrens rights and his sons continued in the fashion by donating clothing and chocolate to troups during the war: the legacy of Cadbury will live on with us and our memories of eating their yummy chocolate bars as children, the ads that are embedded in our childhood and adulthood:
    *and steps down from her soapbox*
    Love the story of the lanterns and choc bars from Annie: would have loved those wrappers for my chocbar wrapper book!

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  7. Surely this would have been written into the contact as part of the whole takeover. Could Cadbury's really have been that naive as to trust a verbal assurance???

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  8. It is about time someone did something about those hospital gowns...

    Fingers crossed for Cadbury's.

    Warm wishes
    Isabelle x

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  9. You know, I wholeheartedly agree with you over the chocolate thing - (lets call it 'debacle' for that is what it is).
    Yes, sadly another fabulously British institution has been sold off overseas, and all Im going to say is look what happened to the Terry's Chocolate Orange!

    I could rant about this for hours, Im a chocolate lover and I like British things, they're special, they're ours and they should stay that way. I feel very sad for the poor workers and their families too, its a terrible outcome.

    Good news on the hospital gown front though!

    Love Julia x x x

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  10. Hands off our chocolate! I was given some American choc by a friend - it was horrid.

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  11. My g girl is horrified that her precious dairy milk may go asunder. I'm horrified that another British company has been lost to us.

    And I have had very embarrassing experience of the hospital gown I had no idea the first time, I put it on backwards!

    On another note my g girl was horrified at my last comment about family names, she thought I said too much. I apologise if I did. I hope you had a prolific Hope and Elvis day.

    Jo

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  12. Great re: the gowns! Talking of dignity... can the powers that be abolish mixed sex wards please.

    Bellaboo :)

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  13. I totally agree about Kraft - I was absolutely gutted to hear this news yesterday. It seemed like a betrayal of huge proportions, even though, like you, I have no connection with the company as such.

    I hadn't heard about Ben de Lisi - how fabulous!

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  14. I hope I don't get to wear the new gown too, but am interested to see what the new design will be, those others are pretty hideous.
    Lisa x

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  15. I think you said what I was going to about Cadbury, I can not print what I think of the Government for allowing it to happen, if only we were more like the French who protect their industries & heritage!
    We have lovely clumps of snowdrops in our orchard/allotment, am just going to take some pics whilst the sun is shining!
    Tracey

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  16. I agree, so sad that the people in Bristol will be losing their jobs because Kraft has reneged on commitment.
    Why does this country allow all our industries to be sold? How long before all the Cadbury jobs are moved to other countries?
    If you want to see millions of snowdrops visit Hodsock Priory near Worksop http://www.snowdrops.co.uk/ We have being going since they opened to the public and will be there tomorrow, weather permitting. Wonderful gardens.

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  17. I had to wear the gowns last week - just adds to the embarrasment!! We have a Cadbury's factory here in Sheffield - Used to be Bassetts. I know that the workers all fear that their jobs will go. I hate the way we have lost almost all of our manufacturing prowess here in the UK - I think its very shortsighted.

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  18. Green & Blacks 70% dark chocolate is very dear to my heart - where would I go for my medicine if they stopped that?

    Pomona x

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  19. My thoughts exactly regarding Cadbury's. Those poor people loosing their jobs. My ex pat family in the States always demand that I take bars and bars of Cadbury's over when I visit them. Hershey's is not a patch on ours wonderful smooth confectionary. Just hope to goodness they keep the recipe the same and don't try and change it to fit in with the American style of chocolate.
    I have found one little snowdrop in my new garden, need to do something about that for next year.
    Debbie

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  20. i know what you mean about not commenting on news stories... blogs can be a bit like episodes of coronation street where the outside world doesn't intervene....my mother had a part time job in cadburys when we were growing up and we were the envy of all our schoolmates

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  21. Hi Wend :) Thanks so much by dropping by my blog. I'm delighted to meet you. Lovely blog yourself - and it's great you are so close with your daughter.

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