Exeat: 97/84: Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day sees hollyhocks threatening tomatoes

Boris' new sprucified livery for the nation's VIP A300 airplane has occasioned typically vacuous media coverage. How much did it cost? Is the Union flag the wrong way up? Discussion of the potential benefits of showing the flag as with perpetual discussions of a new Royal Yacht Britannia for HM The Queen seldom happens. What Boris has planned for our post-Brexit global seafaring nation is certainly much more about the successes of micro/small/medium-sized businesses [MSMs] as about multinational giants from the FT's top 250. We were already exporting 50% of our journals from MCB when annual sales were less than £1m.
June 27th has been endorsed as MSM Day by the UN since 2017.. MSMs provide some 50% of all employment across the world and from acorns oak trees grow. Only today here in the UK we read of the life of Tony Pidgley, late Chairman of Berkley Homes. Adopted by Travellers from Dr Barnado's when he was 3 he lived in a disused railway carriage until leaving school at 15 with poor reading and maths skills. He saved to buy his first old truck; built a trucking enterprise; sold out and entered housebuilding. At his death yesterday Berkely Holdings was valued approaching £4 billion and last year they constructed close on 4,000 new homes. We were a small academic consultancy business at MCB in Bradford in 1967 when Ronald Yearsley, David Ashton and I purchased Management Decision for £1. Today that nascent enterprise which Bev Bruce, Mike Cross, Mathew and I led across the digital threshold 25 years ago caries the 'new' name we crafted, emerald, and it's grown to be worth £100m lately under last-man-out Keith Howard's leadership. Today it sponsors his beloved cricket stadium at Headingly!
At our Prestoungrange Gothenburg today, coping with the Covid19 pandemic are Publicans Calum and Michelle Wilson, proud founders of Wilsons Ales Limited 18 months ago. They broke even in their first year and were then forced to close the doors for some 100 days with plans now to partially reopen on July 6th. They've worked non-stop to stay in touch with customers and their families with school breakfasts, take outs and virtual online quiz nights. Not the business they thought they were in … we've got to give them every best wish and all possible support over the next year as they fight their way back. We are certain in our own minds that their customers will be there supporting them too.
But then again, more than half all new business startups fail! Since the creation of joint-stock companies with limited liability in the mid 19th century it's been possible to learn from mistakes and start again … if at first you don't succeed try [once, suggested Peter Drucker!] again.
Call from David Stock re my right hip! Seems 3 Shires Hospital is gradually getting back in order and been released from NHS duties. Getting that hip sorted is a high priority second only to Avril's AMD, and despite the fact I'm male and over 80 which make it statistically risky if I catch Covid19 after the operation. As long as the hospital is clear I'm ready to go because although I have very little pain, I'm not much physical use as my mobility is severely limited. We await the Call .. then it's 14 days self isolating + tests twice and 2/3 days @ the 3 Shires again. Been a regular visitor there for two knees, a prostatectomy and skin cancer on my arms!.
Challenge with Hollyhocks falling onto Avril's 4 tomato plants. I was summoned after a fine crispy streaky bacon + Heinz beans lunch to saw a small piece of wood and attach a dresser hook so our hollyhocks can be wired up straight and coarctated, compressed … The fruit from these 4 tomato plants will be edible and need protection whilst the most welcome heavy rain today had the hollyhocks threateningly toppling … tomorrow we'll need the annual picture of the Youngers of Lochnaw and Dolphinstoun standing tall next to them.