the big little badge co

LITTLE BADGES - LOVE LOVE LOVE AND LOVELY BADGES

2012-01-25T10:40:00.000Z

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com
little Ebay store

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

All you need is love...Love is all you need.

Technically not accurate... but you can see what they were trying to say with that.

So who has caught your eye this year. The over indulgence of Christmas a long distant memory, signs that Climate Change (Weather to you and Me) are allowing spring flowers to spring up early, that mysterious substance called Love is in the air... mixed with exhaust fumes and the latest made up super virus.

It's almost February and that bloke or woman at the photocopier suddenly looks a little more appealing.

Now I am one of the lucky ones. Each year I do not have to do the dance of love to attract a mate as I already have one. Very lucky I am indeed too. She's a cracker.

Oh dear lord above (fictitious character) I would hate to have to try and find someone before Valentines day. I am... what you might call, not the most natural of lovers (Bleurgh). Not smooth, not drop dead gorgeous (shut it), no George Clooney. But I can make a woman laugh.That does not mean by just getting undressed...it was cold.

Thankfully that particular avenue of 'hunter gatherer' ship has sailed for me.

It's not a world like it used to be, apparantly it is against people's human rights to pull their pigtails anymore. No longer do I have a boy network around me giddy enough to run up to a girl and say 'My mate fancies you' and watch from afar as the girl sees who sent the message and turns to her friends... Head thrust back way beyond her shoulders in an almighty laugh and guffaw...to the point of almost stopping breathing. (you know who you were?)

No I am glad I am well out of it. But I have unfortunately fell into the Smug pile. For those that have still to find their love and lobster, this must be a very trying time of year.

Do you stalk your intended victim on Facebook, twitter them, but be aloof, text them using code words. (all texting is code now lol) Do a spotify or itunes mix mp3 for them... and deliver it on an ipod (man modern life is costly, was only the cost of a cheap recordable tape when I were a lad)

And what happens if it all goes wrong. The 8 people that witnessed my embarrasment at lower school when I was SHUNNED ( I am over it)... Well now, it will be all around school, or the office in seconds. Before you know it you will get a text or email with a youtube attachment showing the world your demise because some little shit videoed it on their HD all singing all dancing phone that is not very good as a phone but brilliant at video and sharing!! grr.

And quite frankly the worst invention of Valentine's day..... The valentine's day meal.
DO NOT ORDER SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE. You might love it, you might really feel like it, but for the love of god (fictitional Character) you are not sat at home wrapped in your comfy dressing gown, watching Coronation street or some other soap, while picking odd strands of spaghetti out of your cleavage (men included), and wiping your face with the back of your hand with little affect other than smearing your face so you look like the 'Joker'.

No this is a proper grown up place with badly treated waiters and waitresses looking for any excuse to belittle you in front of your new found love. Dont opt for the SOUP either. Whole host of trouble there. Keep it plain and simple.

No. Quite frankly, now I have thought about it, do not bother with Valentines this year if you do not feel like it. Don't be pushed into it because your friends are all loved up, your parents talk in hushed tones to your aunties and uncles...pause, look over at you, pause again then carry on whispering.

It's no body elses business but your own. If however there is a special someone this year, keep it old school. Say it with a badge. Original, none of those standard red roses which go up in price on the 1st of Feb, non trackable, easy to slip into someones bag, and a sure sign someone got your intended pressy and is willing to recipricate if they actually wear it.

On the other hand you can cast your net wide, instead of go for one individual tell the world you are open to the best bidder or kisser by advertising it on yourself with a come one come all badge.

Happy valentininginging... whatever it is called.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES FOR YOUR HALLOWEEN PARTY

2011-10-13T16:54:00.000+01:00

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

little Ebay store

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Something wicked this way comes......

It's creeping up on us like a small menacing ghost girl with long hair across her face. Tis the month to be spooky. The nights get darker...heck the mornings get darker too. The leaves are all going golden brown and falling to the ground and the witching hour is approaching at full speed on the back of a broomstick.....

..... Mwhahahahahaha. Gulp.

I have to say, apart from Christmas... this has to be the second best time of the year. I never buy pumpkins at any other time of the year... but come October I cannot get enough of those large Orange Vegetables. Man they are heavy though. I then delight in cutting their tops off.... and grabbing the innards (or brains of the pumpkin as I like to think of them) scooping them all out and erm...throwing them in the compost bin.

Each year we seem to buy something new to decorate the house... some skeleton head lights, pumpkin lights, hanging spiders, halloween cocktail stirrers (Never going to use them....never going to use them!).
I have my beedy eyes on a severed head which speaks to you as you near the door....but my wife said that may actually scare all the trick or treaters away.

And I always (accidently) buy more treats than we actually need, and of course have to try and consume them before christmas...as they will surely go off these chemically enhanced and preserved
e-numbered little treats...that you have to really chew...and chew...and chew before they break down.

I know some people can't stand trick or treaters and I must admit the teenagers wearing a mask as their costume who turns up rattling a can of loose change leave our place with childrens sweets only. My philosophy is try and enjoy the night. We get some great kids around who really do make the effort, and any kid brave enough to walk up our pathway while the parent stands at the gate, deserves as many treats as they can fit in their pockets. We have had witches, and wizards, and ghosts and ghouls and zombies come to our door in the past. The werewolves and mummies tend to stay away, I suppose they are a little shy.

So we hope you have a fantastic Halloween weekender party this Halloween. And to get you and your little monsters in the mood we have put together some lovely little treat packs. Inside you can get 10 random 25mm Halloween badges taken from our vast array of 153 different Halloween designs. Hopefully something for all ages. And at Just £4.60 for 10 badges we think you will agree that that is a Halloween TREAT!

So prepare your homes for the 2nd best night of the year.... and Happy Halloween to you all... be you a boy or a Ghoul!
Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - BADGE 'O' THE MONTH SEPTEMBER - CROMER HERE WE COME

2011-10-02T11:31:00.000+01:00

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

little Ebay store

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Oh we do love to be beside the seaside....

Almost every year we have a lovely break in Cromer in Norfolk. A lovely seaside resort that time has passed by. The east coast gem, the beautiful sea air and my favourite place in the world... the little gap at East Runton.

It is a real place where you can get away from everything. We have lived in London for over 14yrs now, and it does you good to get away from it. Don't get me wrong. I love London as much as I love Cromer. The two are so very different that they complement each other.

Just the other night we went to a BBC tv recording of Live at the Apollo and saw the cream of British comedy talent for the price of a hotdog and a round of drinks. That would not happen in Cromer. We are huge comedy fans and love going to all the comedy haunts, Jongleurs, The Comedy Store, Chuckle Club, Hampstead Comedy Club, Amused Moose....none of which we can get while we are in Cromer. The west end shows, the busy pubs, the hustle on Oxford Street. You either love it or hate it. We both love it.... but at the same time, I have a hankering for Cromer.

Somewhere deep within me is this pull. It is a lovely place to relax....truly truly relax, even more so than on a holiday abroad. It is so familiar to us now, we no longer have to hunt things out. We know Cromer like the back of our hands.

Our first stop, once we get there is to walk to the pier...overlooked by the impressive Hotel de Paris, a formidable building which looks haunted if ever a hotel should be haunted. It is on the pier that we have watched shows like, Chas 'n' Dave, and the Barron Knights without a hint of guilt. Just a good fun night out. It is also the place we have the first drink of the hoilday. Then it's off to the best chip shop in Cromer 'Mary Janes' where you know you are in for a treat of a meal as the queue for chips spirals out from the door and around the corner. With fish and chips in hand we march up to the shelter near the council offices to sit and watch the sunset with greasy chips and greasy lips. Magic.

Then there are the shops. From art shops to cafe's to bistros, to restaurants (like the excellent cromer curry house) to cheap tack shops... we love them all.

And it is here we stock up on books. We always pack lighter than we need and take the biggest suitcase possible because for some reason Cromer has the best bookshops and charity shops for books in this fine land.

A trip to Cromer is not a trip unless we pop into the quite brilliant 'Bookworms of Cromer'. A compact and bijou bookshop, filled to the gunnels with excellent quality books at the right price. There is another bookshop going out of Cromer on the high street but for some reason you always come out of there feeling disorganised and techy as it is hard to find the books they are stacked so high....and mostly falling to bits.

Then when we are done with 'Bookworms of Cromer' we hit all the charity shops. I do not think there is a time that I can remember when we have not come back from Cromer with less than 10 books. Sometimes....it is many many more. Then there are the vinyl records. Such a reasonable price for vinyl, and if you buy enough...easy to transport home in a suitcase.

And with Cromer comes East Runton. Quite frankly a place where I would be happy to pop my cloggs looking out from the sea defense at 'The Gap'. Just to stand for an hour or more watching the dog walkers, the parents with children trying to entice them into the arctic waters... and the insane Surfers doing their thing when the surf's up! Not owning a dog of our own it is a lovely chance to spot dogs, and to hopefully have an encounter and to pet one. To look out to sea with binoculars and watch the freight ships pass by. Suprising how busy the sea is. To catch a glimpe of the porpoises hanging around the crab fishing pots... to watch the sun go down on yet another gorgeous day in Cromer....The Pier to your right, the sea growling at you on the pebbles in front of you in a rhythmic fashion and the sunset saying good night...here come the stars and the moon on the left hand side. Pure magic.

And it is for this very reason that we promoted 'Cromer Crabs' to the heady heights of Badge 'O' the month for September. And thank you Cromer for yet another wonderful relaxing stay. We salute you all in Cromer. Thank you.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - BADGE 'O' THE MONTH THE MILK MONITOR COMETH

2011-09-05T16:57:00.000+01:00

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

little Ebay store

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

There are some succesful stories around at the moment about brainy youngsters getting above and beyond what they hoped for with their A-Levels and GCSE results. Well done the lot of you.....

...but unless somewhere on your CV for future employment you have the highest school accolade going, all your effort may have been for nil.

It is not all about grades, and sometimes those that come away from education without the grades often find a way of rising to the top of the barrel. Academic achievements are all well and good but unless you can also show, determination, grit, and can handle positions of importance with ease...then actually nailing that job in future may be a tad difficult.

What you really need on your cv is a section with all your school achievemnets. Be it Head Girl or Head boy, blackboard monitor, lunch tray monitor etc. This shows employees some worth.

The coveted achievement though has to be....*Drumroll*....Milk Monitor. That is the one everyone wanted. It's the pinacle of your education. To be named for a whole term as official milk monitor to your class...wow. It does not get much better than that.

Now as I am a little long in the tooth and it may well be the case that our little darlings of today are not allowed milk, because of cutbacks and more than likely health and safety (What a small child handling a glass bottle) it may well be the case that there are no longer milk monitors in school.

If this is the case then something very very very wrong has gone wrong with this world.

To deny little Cuthbert, Helen, and Zak (the cool kid from America who chews gum) the utter pleasure freedom and one upmanship over your fellow school chums is a crime.

I know the 'Maggie thatcher Milk snatcher' was a popular chant when she took school milk from schools, when she was in power, but I hope with the passing of time, those in power can see the value of children drinking something healthy in school instead of an Irn Bru, Tango or a dreaded Coca Cola.

No. Being a school Milk Monitor got you places...well out of the classroom to go and collect the tray of mini milk bottles covered in bird crap. Taking the long route back with your warmed up milk that has been sat out in the sun all morning, a quick whizz in the toilets....don't bother washing your hands, and then returning to the classroom like a hunter gatherer to stand proudly by the teachers desk and hand out bottles to your class chums. Making sure that they have one bottle each, and strictly only one little red straw. Making sure your best mates get the cleanest bottles and the lower ranked kids the ones that have the worst of the bird mess on them. Oh happy days. Happy days indeed.

Oh...What....you mean you were not a Milk Monitor. Oh sorry. The power of it all went to my head then. Well it's lucky for you, that Augusts Badge 'O' the Month is 'Milk Monitor'

Now you too can swan around the place with your head held high and recieve the adoration of your colleagues. Yes I know we are no longer at school..... but the work place is a wonderful place to reintroduce the MILK MONITOR ethics.

I salute you Milk Monitors everywhere.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - GOING GEEK BADGE 'O' THE MONTH JULY

2011-07-14T10:31:00.001+01:00

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

little Ebay store

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Come on now....Admit it. We all have a little geek in us trying desperately to get out... or in most cases being suppressed to within an inch of it's geek life. God (whom does not exist) knows we would hate our friends to find out. They would ridicule us mercilessly.

Nay I say. Nay nay and thrice nay. Let the Geek in you out. There is no shame in it. It shows people who you really are. It shows them that you are not all nicely cut hair, clean teeth, and trousers or skirt wearing individuals....but in fact...well actual bone-a-fideeee individuals.

So we encourage you all to let your geekiness shine through.

My geekdom is well documented around these parts. I always seem to be a little different to those around. I never shy away from saying I like something if I do, just in case it amazes or upsets someone else. If I like something I like something.

At School I was happy to let everyone know I loved Rolf Harris's songs. There I've said it. It is out there in social network land. Of course the cooler kids tried to mock me.... but If you take no notice of them, they soon come around to realising that you are the cool one. I never tried to fit in... I probably deliberately tried not to fit into the norm of school social standings. And guess what... people end up respecting you for it.

I love everything about the Harris. His artwork, his enthusiasm, his style...his beard his glasses. He just makes me happy.

But if you like something, I don't see why you should feel ashamed about it. Heck I even like The wurzels. But then again when you look at my music likes I have an enormous eclectic taste.

I also love the work of 'King of the geeks' Jonathan Coulton. An Internet phenomenon who traded in working as a codemonkey to become a musician. His songs are weird, and range from yeti's to Zombies, to computer in putters to Tom cruise and Ikea. Well worth a listen.

Although I do not dress in the traditional geek style... (and having been to Jonathan Coulton gigs....there is a definite geek look) I have Geek within me. I love singing along to a song about Zombies who are trying to break into the office to make ex workmates zombies too. Who would not.

I have many geeky tendencies too... as we all do.

So this month let your inner Geek out. No longer hide your geekness.

With this in mind we have dedicated our front page of the shop to a little bit of geek magic.

Plus we had to...with my love of Rolf and my geeky online tendencies, promote our NEW ROFL badges to the mighty heights of Badge 'O' the month. Available in 6 different colours...(so geeky)

Let the geek inherit the earth!

Go geek.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGE - WIMBLEDON BADGE 'O' THE MONTH JUNE

2011-06-29T15:46:00.004+01:00

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

FLAMING JUNE....(said in a course Australian accent). We were spoilt in May with Sunshine a plenty. The water utilities companies started rubbing their hands together and suggesting that we would run out of water if this warm spell continued into June. They were readying themselves to bump up the cost of water, while under investing in piping...oh and that little thing called reservoirs! But how can these companies build more reservoirs when they have sold off the land....Doh!

The Global warming gang came out from under their tinfoil covered caravans and started suggesting that this is it....we are all going to die because another polar bear died and an icecap melted a little.

The religious nuts started babbling about god punishing us for his sins (shouldn't have sinned then should he....if he were in fact real) and this is it...it's the beginning of the end of the world.

Now I'm not a betting man..... but I was pretty sure June would prove to be wet. It traditionally is, and yet each year people forget about it like a forgetful aunt.

We all know it will rain in June......because Wimbledon is on! Guaranteed water from the sky.

Which also means that we are guaranteed a visit by Sir Cliff. Who can forget his assault on peoples ears on Centre court that year when everyone was fed up with all the rain and the lack of tennis play. Yet Sir Cliff took it upon himself to selflessly entertain the baying crowds. And because we are British and all closet Sir Cliff fans we all sang along and enjoyed every minute of it. A true British living legend. The English Elvis and an annoyingly young looking bloke for over 70yrs old.

It's a national tradition to mock Sir Cliff, and to try and poo poo the fact that he had a hit in every decade. Got to admit..... no one can listen to 'Wired for sound' without having a sly smile and thinking....TUNE.

But like rain, Sir Cliff goes hand in hand with Wimbledon. It would not be a successful tournament if the aviator sun glassed Sir Cliff did not turn up in the Royal Box. I mean...he is Royalty isn't he.

And even though those naughty people at Wimbledon Tennis association invested heavily in a roof for centre court so the viewing public would never have to see a repeat of Sir Cliffs rousing pick me up music again....he will still be there.... somewhere, so keep your eyes peeled.

So it is with great pleasure.... that we promoted 'I saw Sir Cliff' badge to Badge 'O' the month in June. It is almost like aligning the planets and stars.....Rain....Wimbledon....Sir Cliff.

Of course all the attention should be on Andy Murray.... but he has enough pressure on his shoulders. If only Gregg Rusedski and Tim Henman could have broken through earlier and won Wimbledon so we do not have to hear about this being the first British (British when he is winning...Scottish when he is not) player to try to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry last won it in 1936.

No for us this year...even though I love Wimbledon Tennis fortnight, the sport we will be following is spotting Sir Cliff in the crowds and spotting people wearing our lovely Wimbledon badges in the audience. Now available in 38mm so easier to pick up on BBC HD... in between those tennis balls whizzing back and fourth over that net thingy.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - BADGE 'O' THE MONTH FOR MAY

2011-06-15T11:27:00.008+01:00

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Well it's that time again...yep....after the event. May came and went, and has been filed away for yet another year under M.

We like to promote a badge each month to the lofty position of Badge 'O' the Month and May was no exeption. Normally it takes us 3 quarters of a bottle of whisky and some real heated discussions. "I like this one"..."Well I like this one", "Well I don't like this one as much as this one"....etc etc.

But May was a little different, thanks to me being in at an opportune moment. I happened to backing up some files... and the doorbell rang. My first thought was... could this finally be my delivery of a unicorn that I have been paying monthly installments for over the last 12 months to a helpful chap in Unicorn Land with a Manchester bank account. The postie would definitely have to ring the doorbell to deliver that.

So I rushed down the stairs with pure excitement in my heart...Only to open the door to two ladies wearing black and holding a leather satchel each. I looked past them obviously to see if they had the unicorn around the corner, but alas no.

Instantly my...'oh-dear-lord-what-are-they-trying-to-sell-me' demeanor came over me.. Which involves the standard opening of the door with one foot lodged behind the door and my arms crossed in front of my chest. But they were smiling and it was a nice day... and they said good morning which is a rarity from strangers in London.... so I relaxed.

And I'm glad I did, as I had a lovely little chat for the next 30mins with them.

The upshot of our conversation is... I am going to Hell in a handcart. Which may seem a little harsh from people that smiled and said good morning to me not 29minutes before hand.

The good thing is.... I have no belief in Hell and hand carts although very popular at one time or another are fast going out of fashion like an ipod generation 2.

I knew something fishy was going on when they did not offer me cheaper gas and electricity than my current supplier (who they actually never know who you are with anyway so how would they know). After telling me what a lovely garden we had, they asked me if God was in my life. I said "I hope not we can't afford the council tax for him too". I think then it dawned on me. They were selling something so I went straight back into arms across chest folded mode.

The older lady of the two, then tried to put a pamphlet in my hand, which I said no thank you to. She then said, can I read you a section from the bible, to which I replied "sure".... and then "if you don't mind I will read you a section from Alice in Wonderland". The older lady did a very good blank look at me and proceeded.

Now Although I have read the bible (bloody had to at school and for RE.) I cannot remember what she was saying as one of my neighbours walked past and I waved at them.

I politely told them that that is all well and good and is a nice little story but that is were it ends for me. It is a nice story. As I started to close the door, the older woman looked at me incredulously and said.... Do you not believe in God.

My default setting is Atheist/humanist. I believe in science and proof.

She then showed me a copy of Watch Tower or whatever it is and said that they too believed in science and had scientists writing in their magazine. I had to stop her in her tracks and point out that their religious believing scientists had written in their magazine...but what they did not have was a counter argument, or a name for the scientist and his qualifications. I had to point out that the Watchtower was paid for by their organisation and would not print anything that did not agree with their beliefs.

She then directed me to the bible again and said it was all written down in here.

I had to tell her that the bible was written by people over a period of 1400 to 1800 years by upto 40 different authors. Who wrote down what they had heard on the grapevine from scholars and disciples.... and well what with chinese whispers and the human need to exagerate everything....Well then I can no more follow the words according to the gospel of the bible, a fine work of fiction, as I could do by following the equally talented writings of C. S. Lewis as gospel.

I set them the task of repeating back to their others exactly the words I had used with them on the doorstep without changing one word in the retelling. Hell I know the 22nd cub scouts of Northampton were a little backward but even we understood that when playing chinese whispers with 24 of us that the phrase "Johnny smells of old lettuce leaves" eventually came back as "Johnny smiles, shoots and leaves".

What absolutely flawed me though was their reluctance to take Evolution into the equation in any shape or form. I was stunned. We were all created magically.

Based on the recorded dates and geneology in the Bible we are expected to accept that the world came into being in 5500 BC or about 4000 BC. This geneology is based on ADAM and EVE getting it on and creating humans in the image of god...... But earth came into existence.... wait for it...roughly 4.6 billion years ago.

I asked them if they had ever visited the Natural History Museum....Where you can actually see evolution happening...Not live but in front of your eyes. But they said they had scientists that could disprove evolution.

I for one evolved from sludge and debris and the right scientific conditions... and hell yeah I was an ape boy. I admit it. The way I still act around people...is proof positive I evolved from the ape world. Just ask my wife.

I prefer to set my beliefs on truths and facts as much as I can and I cannot bring myself to live my life by a work of fiction however much of a blockbuster it is. But we are living proof that evolution exists and thousands of years down the line our future selves will look back on us in Museums and try and get there heads around the fact they they in there hovering brain capsules actually had podgy bodies like us.... and somehoveringbrainthing will still argue we came from God.

So, For me.... I had to go with 'Hands up for evolution' to show my support for my monkey brothers who made me the man I am today.

Now does anyone want any nits picking.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - GO LARGE WITH 38mm BADGES

2011-05-23T11:07:00.013+01:00

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Go large....

...we as consumers are always being asked to go large. Small/medium/large popular carbonated drinks in the cinema (the last large one we bought was like a bucket!) extra fries with your order, a few more onion rings (ummmm onion rings) Sharing bags of crisps....Like we actually share them!

And inevitably because of this... we now have SMALL through to XXXL in clothing. Mind you... I remember a time when a size was a size. If it said it was 40" chest...It was a 40" chest, not a 39.5" chest or a 41" chest. And those designer labels trying to make you feel fat. Every other shop you shop in you are a medium to large jumper....But if you buy pretentious designer clothes suddenly you are XXXL size with a whale warning on it.

I'm broad...Not fat, but I have fat on me. I remember in Ted Baker London store just off Covent garden once going in to buy a suit. They use a numbering system 1 to 5 or something like that. So I was in a hurry and said Jokingly, what size do I try on if I am fat bloke size. The assistant looked me up and down twice, and said start with a 5...but if that does not fit, we have nothing for you! I was a bit taken aback and blushed slightly. In the end I fitted into a 3 and a 4 size.

But the thing is.... It is always nice to have a choice. We founded our company on trying to create amazing little badges that could communicate a message or design within the limitations of 25mm. Not as easy as you may think.... and sometimes hard to convey to customers when they want to fit a paragraph of text onto a badge... and are dissapointed when you show them the mockup which is in 2pt type and unreadable.

We feel really proud, when we achieve it, and the designs that sell the best are always the ones that hit that brief.

But we have been increasingly asked if we can do the same badges.... in a bigger size. Just like a shirt that you like... you sometimes want it that little bit bigger. Your freedom of choice.

So we decided. Well hell yeah, why not!

We are very proud of our little badges (which have appeared on TV, press and News)(alas not a film yet!) So why not show them off in a bigger size.

So...Tadah!... We have. We now supply all our lovely lil designs...in slightly not so little 38mm. A whole 13mm bigger than the 25mm Button badges. And wow...Does it make a difference. They say size does not matter (mainly men say that), but that extra 13mm really does look different. We knew the sizes before we bought, and you look at it on a ruler, and you think..Okay..yep they will be slightly bigger, but when you actually compare them side by side... the difference is massive! 13mm massive.

Like all shiny new toys... we are a bit taken with the new size.. and have heard murmers from the 25mm badges that they may form a union and strike, if we promote the 38mm badges too much. But they have nothing to fear. We love the 25mm badges to pieces, but felt we had to offer our friends the consumer something different.

25mm badges have their place...and 38mm badges have their place. Although all of the 25mm designs look great as 38mm badges, where they really come into their own are for corporate clients, or people with events or special occasions they would like to celebrate.

The 38mm badges work great for bespoke badges. Your company logo, a friends Hen/stag do, a local event, a wedding day card attachment or favours as a memento of your special day. One day events at a show or just as a lovely keepsake, or a new product launch to be handed out in conjunction with your product.

And so...what are the other benefits of a 38mm badge. Well, for one they use a safety pin back, so are suitable for children... whereas the original 25mm badges have a traditional D-pin back which we mark as not suitable for children under 36months.

And..well sometimes you just want the message to be a little bigger. I personally like having a peak at 25mm badges on people as I like to see if they are wearing ours..but mostly to see what the message is. With a 25mm badge you have to look and become engaged with the badge, and the wearer is wearing it so that you enquire a little more as to what they are wearing.

With a 38mm badge, that peering is a little less intense, as you quickly see what the wearer is tring to tell you.

So, we are very very proud to now offer 38mm badges to our collection. We hope you will love them as much as we do... and it seems you already do!

So all it leaves us to ask is....

....would you like small....

....or do you want to GO LARGE!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - I'VE BEEN DRIVING IN MY SOAPBOX CAR

2011-02-22T10:57:00.017Z

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Well we have some interesting clients and customers (friends) here at thebiglittlecadgeco.com . We work hard to make sure our customers are satisfied, and we love to hear from customers about their purchases, why they purchased etc etc. Basically I am very NOSEY.

We have people that have bought second's badges to recover a table top...to Upcycle it, we have had sculptors buy from us, and we have had artists who make up pictures from our lil badges.

We have teachers that buy badges, for teaching aids, to involve children in history, to help with schooling and praise....and we have people that buy badges to add to their collections and are happy to show us them in their new homes and environments being looked after with Custard creams and cups of hot tea.

I love getting feedback from our customers as that is the only way to improve and to help people in what they need to achieve, and it is not with trepidation that I open correspondence emails from our customers.

So the other month I opened a very lovely email from Peter Vivian who I think had purchased from us for the first time. To say my jaw dropped would have been an understatement, and to say I had an almost Ready Brek glow of pride about me for the rest of the day certainly would have been true. Anyone around that could have been shown the email.....was shown it.

So what was this email and it's contents.... Someone covered head to toe with little badges, an item with our badges featured on BBC Breakfast. No, what it was was one of our badges taking pride of place on what has to be the most beautiful hand crafted object I have seen.

The email contained this lovely message and two stunning pictures:

Thank you for the badge you sent me recently it arrived in pristine condition, I thought you might like to see it in its new home, it has a very important new job!

Now we take pride in our badges, and we only sell quality made objects...... But when you see the work of Peter we pale into insignificance.

Absolutely stunning. So being NOSEY like I am I had to find out more about what Peter did, and if he had a website or outlet for selling these amazing one off pieces.

So let us tell you a little bit about Peter Vivian.

Peter started his business 3yrs ago called Creative woodwork specialising in hand made one off pieces of furniture. Rocking horses, heirloom toys etc. made from love and skill. With other people also creating rocking horses (not as good quality either) Peter was looking for something unique to turn his hand to, to stand out from the crowd.

Now what could be better than combining one love with another, and Peter being a bit of a petrol head decided to enter a hand made Soapbox car into the Soapbox Derby at the Hotrod Hayride. First time of entering ....they came in second only to an out and out downhill specialist.

With such a great start....Peter decided to enter it again at Goodwood where they won 'BEST CART' (unsuprisingly) and the award for most money raised for Charity.

The soapbox pictured above became a little star and was featured in 'Classic and sportscar magazine' and 'Custom car' magazine. Centre spreads I hope.

The cart featured with our little scotland badge was the first customer cart they produced. **GLOWING WITH PRIDE**

Peter is now onto his second commision which is a 20% larger open topped roadster. He is recieving enquiries from all over the world, New Zealand, Germany, Finland, Florida and even Wales and to be honest you can see why. If he get's any spare time (which i think will be in short supply) Peter is planning on entering this years 'Hotrod hayride' with a 1930's indy car.

Unfortunately having been let down by a web designer (surely someone can help Peter to show his product to the world) His website is currently offline..... But do not hesitate to contact him on this email address to place all your lovely orders Peter Vivian or give him a ring on this number:

Creative Woodwork 01202 723854

Too often you hear that this country does not produce anything, and I know that this country produces some of the finest things around.

We are so proud to be a little part of what Peter is doing, but all the praise has to go to the incredible workmanship of Peter Vivian.

Don't delay....put your orders in with Peter today :)

Finally having made my jaw drop once...Peter managed to do it again when he sent over this picture of a FULL SIZED wooden sports car that he made 20yrs ago and still owns.

Just amazing and it is just such skills like this that need to be kept and treasured.

I have given the link to my wife and am hoping that she has mentioned it to SANTA.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY SAY IT WITH FLOWERS

2011-02-14T04:31:00.008Z

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Well it's that time of year again. Men wandering around aimless wondering what to get their wives and girlfriends...(not irons, saucepans...or Lingerie). Probably at the same time as grumbling about the Commercialization of Valentine's day....and oh buggers I forgot to get a card...I forgot to get a card.

I hope it is still a day celebrated and feared. For Single people it can have the same effect as midnight New Years eve....but at the same time it could well be the day they stop being single as someone plucks up the courage and shows their affection to them.

When at school it was always a big deal. Weeks before the event, you began to get groups or herds of giggling girls trying to seperate boys from their mates to give them a gentle hint or kick, and to subtly suggest that it may not go unrewarded if you were to show some interest in so and so.

And of course from the boys point of view you did not want to be the one left on Valentine's day without a kiss or at least one Valentine's card. For some reason your mates always seemed to have loads of cards even though they were deemed spotty and ugly with no social graces, and had in fact shown little interest in girls, but yet on Valentine's day they would gladly show you the amount of cards they had recieved. This would normally include one from their parents, and the other's looked like a box set from the market all suspisciously written in the same handwriting...and normally the left hand.

From my own point of view, my gimmick was to send a Yellow rose to someone I fancied....I felt that this made me stand out from the crowd, and would generate more conversation. Plus Yellow roses are a damn sight cheaper when Valentine's day rolls round. Not as daft as I might look.

Of Course the general conversation it probably generated on Valentine's day was "Some muppet has sent me a Yellow rose on Valentines day...What a muppet. I'm going to go out with (add boys name here) as he did the decent thing and showed his love with an overpriced red rose"!

To Anyone in the Northampton area who recieved a Yellow rose on Valentines day...I apologise!

And although Valentine's day is for annonymous lover's or as they are called today sex pests (quick get an Asbo...sorry CBO now), It was amazing how many girls were able to break the code of the sender....Normally just looking at the victim...Sorry boy would have him blushing, and his mates all hitting him on the arm.

So it is with that in mind, I hope our little badges have helped in some way in getting one person to say 'I love you' with the medium of a lil badge. Of course if your plan of suprising your intended with a little badge has backfired and the conversation goes "Some muppet has given me a little badge for Valentine's day instead of roses....what a muppet" well then we apologise.

So with that said, why not stock up on Valentine's day badges this year and for next for all your lover's. We wish you all a very HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY and wear your hearts on your sleeve....collar, lapel, bags or even your scarf!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - LET'S ALL SAVE NORBURY LIBRARY

2011-02-04T11:04:00.005Z

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

thebiglittlebadgeco.com proud to be supporting SAVE NORBURY LIBRARY.....AND NORTHAMPTON....AND KINGSTHORPE.....AND......WELL ALL OF THEM.

BUY SAVE NORBURY BADGES HERE

I spent my young life in local libraries, my college years in libraries and my later years in libraries researching my family tree (oh please let one of them be a rich land owner and not a farm hand) so for the life of me....... I cannot for the life of me think of one good reason why local authorities like Croydon council and many others across this once great country would want to close them down... not one.

I can think of many bad reasons...but will come to them later.

I could not...and cannot imagine going through life not being able to read and write. It would be like having a blank spot in my life. Trees, would seem less green, simple tasks would become mammoth and unbearable tasks, street signs would be unreadable...oh yes and those pesky ballot papers would just be a blur. Maybe that is why they have the little logos on the ballot paper.

My first experiences of libraries that I can remember are when we used to go up to the Whitehills pub car park (I never said I come from a classy area) and climb into, what seemed like then, a MAMMOTH mobile library van. It was magical. Well technically it wasn't but it felt like it. Giant pictures of the Hungry Caterpiller, small tables for us little ones, low sections of children's books for our little hands to grab, and towering shelves to the roof of the wagon with more adult fiction. Books which would later be available to me because of my ability to read.

Yes I know with age, things become rose coloured.... dog mess was white then, and you could buy penny sweets for a penny... but without this service my whole life would have been blighted.

I would not have developed an imagination (some say over active), I would not have developed a craving for knowledge, I would not be able to write these words now, without the wonder years of learning behind me.

Such books as Roald Dahl's The Twits, Swallows and Amazons, Stig of the Dump, The Hungry Caterpillar, The Hobbit, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fungus the Bogeyman, The Railway Children, Tom's Midnight Garden.... would have all been just titles on a shelf.

The local library was somewhere for us to meet and interact with other kids.... for my mum who had the unfortunate job in life of looking after me and my sister, a break to chat with fellow mums.

The thing about books is....once you read one...you want to read another...and another. You are like a sponge and let's face it, there are so many books in the world that I will never read them all in my lifetime.

From the mobile library, we were lucky that Kingsthorpe got it's own Library. I moved onto Dr. Who books, Tin Tin, and was able, due to their extensive stock, to work my way through them all. The Cybermen were scarier in my mind than on the television.

And when Kingsthorpe library no longer had the stock I needed, I was fortunate to be able to go into the town centre...to the mother of all libraries. Such a stunning building (always thought I was going to see the librarian ghost from Ghostbusters in there) it demanded respect from me.

Northampton Library was the elder brothers of all the other libraries... I learnt respect, I learnt manners, I learnt to interact with the professional librarians who were only too happy to help you further your reading. I also learnt to use the reference library, which helped me understand the past and history of where I was born. To complete school projects with a vast array of knowledge, a place to lose yourself and really concentrate without the buzz buzz and beep beep of modern life.

I later returned from London to Northampton on various trips to spend happy afternoons in the library researching my family history. Where oh were will this amazing reference material disappear if our libraries disappear! Lost forever, or transferred to computers that can......FAIL.

Between college and my first job...I used the library to photocopy the jobs pages from the advertising industry magazines, and sit in the library and write to all the job applications. For £1 I could get the information from 5 different magazines (Creative Review, Campaign, etc.) which would have cost me well over £12 if I bought them all.

And when I got my first job in Advertising (as the internet had not been totally rolled out then) we had an account with the local library near Great Portland Street.

So like I say....I can think of no good reason to close libraries.

In Norbury...that is all we really have from Croydon council. All our council tax goes into trying to keep the white elephant of Croydon from financially sinking, and into projects to deal with the problems of Croydon. In Norbury...or 'Forgotten Norbury' as I like to call it, we do not have the big businesses, the shiny buildings, the cleaner streets, the transport links that Crydon enjoys.

You can count on your hands the amount of times Norbury has benefitted from Croydon Council money.... we have finally got more than one bin on the high street, and that is only due to the persistance of local residents associations.

But, the council believe that we in NORBURY can do without a library.....and could have book tokens to buy our books as that would work out cheaper than keeping a library......

See article on Councilor Sara Bashford: http://insidecroydon.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/bringing-crass-councillor-bashford-to-book-over-library-costs/

The thing is... apart from being wrong about the cost of books compared to the cost a library can purchase and lend them for.... we don't even have a BOOKSHOP in Norbury! Pure Croydon council logic at it's best. Instead they keep giving out shop permits for restaurants and fast food chicken shops...because it's more important to eat unhealthily than to educate our youngsters.

The main reasons we may well lose our Norbury library are that we in Norbury are under a Labour run ward....And Croydon Council is a Tory run Council. Plus the library currently sits on some very valuable land that the council would like to get their hands on for building more flats along the London Road to meet their quotas. It is nothing to do with the library being underused. It is always busy with parents and children, retired adults, jobless and students......

...It is due to Croydon Council's short sightedness, for a quick buck..... Once these libraries are closed, they will never reopen! Full stop.

So I urge you all to join library read-ins across the country this Saturday 5th February and show these cultural neanderthals at Croydon Council and your local councils that destroying a generations quest for education and personal improvement is one step too far.

For more details of NORBURY library READ-IN go here:

NORBURY GREEN RESIDENT'S ASSOCIATION

So much for this trademarked 'BIG SOCIETY'

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - JANUARY BADGE 'O' THE MONTH

2011-02-03T21:31:00.007Z

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Well that was 2010. How was it for you. For us it was fast and December was lovely and busy.

Christmas came and went in a blink of the eye. We did the family thing for Christmas, going to the 'outlaws'. And then back to it, a build up of orders to rush out before the New year.

Then before we knew it it was 10mins before midnight on New years Eve and we all stood laughing at me covered in champagne having narrowly missed taking my eye out with the Champagne cork. I felt like a Formula 1 winner. We are proud to announce that we have a cork dent in the ceiling now.

So here it is 2011. I'm not a big fan of New years celebrations...I am normally found in a corner all melancholy thinking, well yeah after a bit of a giggle and a celebration we will all wake up with headaches and look forward to the inevitable tax rises, and monetry squeezing that is on it's way....because we are all in this together! But I must admit for some reason I enjoyed the prospects of 2011.

I am looking forward to meeting and helping all our new customers and helping all our current customers with their badge needs. We are also planning on a little expansion in 2011.

So as I am normally a bit gloomy....We introduced our 'JANUARY SMILES' offer this January and we will be looking to repeat with more offers this year. It was our take on the January sales...but hopefully without all the pushing and shoving and stress related to January sales on the high street.

We offered BUY 3 get 4th FREE on our little badges which are normally buy 5 get the 6th FREE.
And we are happy to announce that the 'JANUARY SMILES' offer helped put smiles on our customers faces in January going by the feedback we received.

So it was with no surprise that JANUARY'S BADGE 'O' THE MONTH was a little smiler. Granted it was a strange 3 eyed smiler but hey...we are a little odd here at the big little badge co.

We also had a lovely virtual window display of badges with smiles on...so the welcome page featured any smiley badge related badge that we have in our shop. It was nice to be greeted by a smile everytime you entered the shop....It made us smile anyway.

So although.....it is now February already!!! wow the years go fast, we are pleased to share with you January's very smiley 3 eyed smiley badge....

**Smiles to oneself...it's infectious**

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - A BADGE IS NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS

2010-11-19T08:48:00.010Z

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

A few frosty mornings, some fog around, a keen chill in the air....oh yes and the heating is on. It can only mean one thing...It's summer in England! No , no, it means we are hurtling headlong towards Xmas at an incredible speed.

Now...and don't shout at me.... I blooming love Christmas. I always have. My parents did me proud growing up, Bike, munchman game, race and chase, rubiks cube and snakes etc. Always something exciting....

.... I even like sprouts. I even love cooking the Christmas dinner for everyone, getting up at 5 past fart in the morning to caress a raw turkey with butter before smelling it start to cook at 7:30 am.

Christmas is a time for family and friends....and I still get excited about opening a present with my name on it. Even if....I probably know what it is.

The only stuff I don't like about Christmas is the religious rubbish. All that rubbish about following a star and an immaculate conception (pull the other one). Hymns and the sort, and people thinking that they can become a little more religious as the holidays start....and that damn nativity play....pure fiction.

As a practising athiest I am fully aware that the Christians hi-jacked Christmas and shoe horned there beliefs into it.

No, not for me.... I just love Christmas for being Christmas. A time to celebrate, a time to over indulge, a time to have a blooming good laugh and to buy presents and the like for the ones you love to show them that you are thinking about them and appreciate them for all the help or guidance they have given you throughout the year.

I also love in the run up to Christmas that moment when you actually feel Christmassy.

For these reasons we have created what we think are lovely Gift badge tags for Christmas presents. Something a little different and special for your special Christmas present recipients. Something with a little extra to say... you are special.

These Gift Badge tags are:

Height: 12cm
width: 6cm

With brown string and a gorgeous little 25mm metal button badge attached.

This is the gift that keeps on giving, not only is it a lovely tag to adorn your special presents but it is another gift in it's own right. Take the 25mm Button badge off and wear it till the New year....or longer.

We have a set of 6 gift tags for just £9.99 + £0.39 postage and packing or buy them as individuals for just £1.75 plus £0.39 postage and packing.

These can currently be purchased here:

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/thebiglittlebadgeco/_i.html?_nkw=gift+tags&submit=Search&_sid=37719932

So this year show that someone special how much you think of them by adding one of these gorgeous Christmas badge tags to your presents.

Oh yes, and just in case I forget..... Have a very very very happy Christmas.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES-BADGE 'O'THE MONTH NOVEMBER

2010-11-11T10:00:00.007Z

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

I'm beginning to think that people are collecting leaves and depositing them in our front garden. We have a lovely London Plane tree outside our house...but it does not have that many leaves surely.

Luckily we have a green waste collection so we can keep bagging them up to be made into compost with our local council....but still, where are they coming from. (don't you dare say the trees)

Well, I hope you all had a fantastic Bonfire night, and even a Bonfire night weekend, including diwali the festival of lights. Wow, I do not think I have seen so many fireworks go off near us. But many many many gardens around here put on their own display.

I am still petrified about doing a garden firework display as I know I will probably set fire to the shed...the London fire brigade will get called, and then the court appearance would happen. So I am happy to run upstairs on bonfire night and watch other people's firework display. And as we are so close to Crystal Palace we get to see the giant fireworks display from our home. Upstairs, mug of tea, warm radiators on and a clear view across the rooftops. Top notch.

Although I have not seen, or seen any evidence of Hedgehogs in our garden, I always think to myself I hope the little hogs are okay. That is why this month although it is Guy Fawkes night and Movember....this months, Badge of the month is dedicated to those little hedge hoggy hedgehogs. Please always check your pile of leaves for hibernating hogs, and if you are still setting light to bonfires (not sure we are allowed to around here) please check your bonfires before burning.

Here's hoping that we will get a hog move into our garden......well better go and clear up some more leaves now!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - BADGE 'O' THE MONTH OCTOBER

2010-11-03T16:11:00.002Z

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

So, the nights are fair drawing in. The leaves are falling on the ground and covering the dog mess, making walking on the pavements a real gamble. The weather is definitely getting chillier...and then without warning getting mild (not due to global warming before any of you start).

No, we are into the countdown before christmas.... but before we get all warm and fuzzy about that, let us not forget, we have some fun to be had before then.

I love Halloween, I do not know why....I suppose it is because I was never baptised. I like the darkness, I find it confusing in the summer for it to still be light at 10pm and me sat on the sofa in a dressing gown.

No, now I can get into that dressing gown as soon as I am home. Lock out the outside and not answer the door till the next morning. It is a time for hot beverages and cracking TV.

Having said that, The one night of the year I love the doorbell ringing after dark is Halloween night. We actively encourage it.

However I am a little worried as it falls on a Sunday night this year! And do we also do something on the Saturday or is that frowned upon. Should we carve the pumkins on Saturday and make a weekend of it..... but if someone Trick or Treats on a Saturday surely I should rebuff them and send them on their way with the message to come back tomorrow.

Tis a worry. And what of the weather... will rain stop play, and should I give treats to a teenager who has bought a very very cheap mask and done nothing else who rattles a can of money at me.

We go the whole hog though. We decorate the whole front of the house...basically in an attempt to say to Trick or Treaters that we are open for business, and instead of annoying the old woman that lives next door to us...come and spook us. We are going for a pumpkin light decoration of the windows, and a 3....yes three pumkins carved montage this year. Two in view from the road and one on the wall outside...the smaller less detailed pumpkin which will be knicked when people head home from the pub.

So here is to Halloweeeeeeen. Have a fun fun time and don't let the Daily Mail readers frighten you off from actually going out Trick or treating or taking your kids out trick or treating.

Our lil tribute to Halloween this month is a NEW badge simply with the word's blood donor on it. It is an instant classic and we would love to share it with all you happy Halloweeners.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - BADGE 'O' THE MONTH AUGUST

2010-09-29T09:28:00.003+01:00

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Yes...your right. I have been bad. Very very bad. I need a good spanking (can a spanking be good). It is almost the end of September and I have not told you about August's lucky Badge 'o' the month.

Normally we have intense discussions late into the night about which badge will be upgraded to the lofty heights of badge fame. Back and fourth discussing loudly over wine, some twiglets, and finishing with intense conversation and demands while having a dram of whiskey... we normally come to a final decision.

But August was different for us.

We awoke to the news that those Hollywood muppets had remade yet another classic (and quite frankly perfect film) The Karate Kid!! We both looked at each other over our Malted wheaties and porridge...then shouted abuse at the GMTV presenters who had broken the news to us!!

Livid was not the word, I nearly choked on a sharp intake of milk!

HOW DARE THEY!! How blooming dare they. Ralph Macchio would be turning in his grave if he was dead, and as for Mr Miyagi... well he would probably no longer have the concentration to capture flies with his chopsticks.

Why (well it's all about the money and no new ideas) oh why do they keep remaking quite perfect films!! Are we that stupid that we need to keep seeing an updated film with new CGI but without the magic of the original Movie. And who...who is it that keeps going to see these films. Not me for certain, Once I make my mind up not to see a film...that's for life. (still have never seen Titanic - a rip off of the Poseidon adventure!) Why not just rerun the films in the cinema so a new generation can fall in love with the original films. Just because a film is old...does not make it a bad film.

The amount of remade films is staggering when you think about it...and these films should have a council preservation order on them so no grubby hands can get hold of them and break the magic and tarnish the image of the quite brilliant originals!

As a quick guide...The Italian Job!! (original..genius) The poseidon Adventure (Genius) 12 Angry men!!! (no.. hands off) Alfie (why oh why....and Jude law to boot!) Cape fear (another film with Deniro mumbling his way through) Planet of the Apes (genius classic)

For a full staggering list...go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_film_remakes

It makes me fear for the future. What next, remakes of Ghost, Digby the incredible growing dog, Top gun, Citizen Kane, and of course the best film ever ever made.... FOOTLOOSE.

I say no hollywood. That morning I started a twitter campaign #handsoffhollywood. And I realised I was not alone. We had over one hundred suggestions of films that should never be remade.....Mainly classics and one odd one called Spacejam (I had to look it up).

So, In honour of all great films that should be left alone, we give you August's Badge 'o' the month"Wax on Wax off", our homage to the genius that was the original film. Lets hope the remake flops, and people stop wasting their money going to see these inferior rehashes.

Nuff said (mr angry)
Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - BADGE O THE MONTH JULY

2010-08-19T11:08:00.003+01:00

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Okay okay...Who nicked JULY. One minute it's there, the next minute it's gone. Where have you hidden it.

It may be a sign of age, but I am beginning to question where the year has gone like nan's and paps do. I even found myself saying the phrase in the hairdressers the other day...Mind you, that is because I am not good at small talk and really just want my hair cut.

So yep, July just whizzed by. A busy busy month for us, but that is no excuse for not writing the blog about the prestigious Badge 'O' the month.

This month, the winner as chosen by our lovely badge friend was a classic. One of the first badges we designed and still as popular today as it was in it's first year. This badge still consistantly outsells other badges and has been in the top ten of sales since the beginning.

We asked our lovely badge friend (twitter name @kinkyclawz) to choose this months badge as she is a true purveyor of quality badges. Her badge collection must be amazing, and cheekily I have asked for a picture to see how vast it must be.

The badge 'o' the month that she chose was 'SAVE THE DODO NOW'. We love this little badge for the irony of it all.

I wonder what we would do with the Dodo now though if they were still around. My bet, looking at them is that they would be farmed for meat like chickens, turkey, duck and goose. It would probably become a christmas favourite to replace Turkey if Jamie Oliver just happened to mention how blooming tasty they were.

I know we cannot save all species and am a great believer in survival of the fittest and not wasting good money on trying to keep hold of a species that has run it's course...no matter how amazing, or beautiful it is. If we do the planet will get over run with them....and we all know in our heart of hearts that until the aliens arrive we are the master race, and need space to build our ever bigger houses.

So three cheers for @kinkyclawz for picking such a fab Badge 'o' the month and raising it to the top of the pile for July. All hail 'SAVE THE DODO NOW'
Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - FOOTBALLS COMING HOME...IN A SUPERMARKET TROLLEY

2010-06-11T00:44:00.013+01:00

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Apparently there is some kicky type football thing happening in South Africa. Lots of different teams from (not really all over the world) around the world are getting together to kick a pigs bladder around for 3 weeks.

And the whole nation is gripped by this....Erm well not so, when is the tennis on?

Having lived through quite a few of these World cups, and not seeing the best of results...I'm erm, less so.

I love to play football...or more likely I used to love playing football...But to watch it, well there's always a Top Gear on Dave I could be watching instead.

When I was a lad, you had your Umbro football boots, with interchangeable studs (always one worn down to the metal where you had walked for 5 miles on pavement to get to the local park, some naff "off the peg" training bottoms, t-shirt and jumper (jumper being the most important object of any football match) and an orange.....lolly for half time.

Only ever one person had the ball, and the game never started till they turned up, and finished when they had to go home. The pitch was marked out by "Jumpers for goalposts" and that was about it. The length and width of the pitch depended on where the stinging nettles were and the centre of the pitch was where ever you guessed it would be. The most important bit is...THERE WAS NO REFEREE. It worked on a mass collective. And there certainly was no 90 mins, or breaks. It would go on until the last player could stand no more or Greg took his ball home.

This was football...Long hot summers, jumpers for goalposts, cut grass with the whiff of dog muck hanging heavy in the air. Kids heads, noses, elbows and eyes bleeding from the beautiful games full contact approach...But we were happy!

The trouble with the world cup is...Well they have rules don't they.

The thing is, every 4 years is the same...We field a team mostly with recurring injuries, or injuries that are just about to be inflicted by a beefy German winger, and the team is always 1 or 2 men down by the end of the first game. We have certain players, that never really got to grips with anger management, and we are told that these players are not bully boy neanderthals but simply 'Passionate' for their team and country.

And we as a nation are passionate for it...Or so we are told. Like feeding time in a zoo we pack into badly constructed pubs with, even worse positioned tellies to cheer on, jeer on and jog on, anyone that manages to spill any beer over anyones naff slip on shoes.

And you have to wear the uniform...or you are looked at...really quite harshly sometimes. I remember going to a pub once with a yellow T-shirt on. The pub was in Clapham Junction...Proper pub, not a posh boys pub...and England were playing....Yep you guessed it, BRAZIL. Everyone else had there replica football strips on, St George flags wrapped around their shoulders, faces painted with war paint and huge non legal jugs of alcohol with a st Geroge's cross just for good measure.

I have never been so mauled, pushed, stared at, growled at, intimidated in the toilet and scared for my well being in all my life. My one mistake as a, so so ,well if it's on, England supporter, was to turn up to the party not wearing the right uniform. Probably did not help that I got confused and cheered a Brazillian goal either, but hey ho.

But I refuse to wear a football kit, in public, in a street and most definately not in a pub. For as a man of a certain amount of years, I am not what you would call BUFF. And as such find a football shirt very unflattering. But that does not seem to put off the other beer belly front lounge footie experts from turning out in...Sports wear.

Finally...I don't hold the optimism for England that I am supposed to and for that reason (people can just tell) I get shunned. I can't get excited about a lettuce in a supermarket wrapped in a plastic bag with a football design on it...I don't want a Ball-B-Q with a st. George's cross on it, I don't want deally boppers, I don't want flags for my car (I don't have one) I dont, want a beach towel, a tub of football twiglets (there still just twiglets) a well known chocolate bar which is normally black with a st. George's cross on.... I just dont want, bunting and frollie or inflatable balls hanging above me in a supermarket like something out of the Prisoner, I don't want Chelsea buns with a cross on them.......

.... I'm just happy to wear my badge to say football, nice to play....but to watch it is a branding excercise....

But for those of you who do want all the gear...Why not check out our alternative Footie badges in the Occasions section. Show your pride, button it down a little...and by little I mean...25mm :)

Oh Yes, and good luck England Vs America on Saturday.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - ELECTION FEVER POLLS 2010

2010-04-27T09:14:00.012+01:00

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Well you could cut the tension with a knife....No....really...not that bothered, oh well!

I know what you mean, I think I was more excited about the result of the 1997 General election.
I stayed up all night, and normally do for all general elections,. to watch the coverage and see how the news programmes try and jazz up and make exciting what is basically an X factor vote that only two sixths of the population of England vote in. The rest of the votes are all made up...(but that is a seperate conspiracy theory right there. It involves the Masons!)

So I normally settle down just after midnight with a duvet, and strong coffee on the boil all night.

I love to watch candidates talk a good talk and look gutted when the results are announced, and they realise that all the people they have met on the door who said they were going to vote for them....Lied.

I do the same thing though, As you never see your Councillors and Mp's until they want something from you. I will not mention, my troubles with my local council exept to say that mysteriously in the last 4 weeks they have been filling potholes like mad, removing graffiti like it was going out of fashion, pruning trees and bushes in all local parks, and actually removing rubbish from the streets. Their normal policy is to leave rubbish, general and fly tipped until enough people complain or come down with a mystery illness. Apparantly they will be fined by europe for putting too much into landfill and have found a brilliant way of avoiding that!...leave it where it is on the streets! genius.

Whenever they do crawl out from under their rocks and deam me floaty enough to bother trying to convert I always look them squarely in the eyes and say with a smile...yes, I will be voting for you come the election. I find it is the quickest way to get rid of them. I tried telling a conservative councillor, labour councillor, and Liberal councillor before that if they would pay me £5000 they would guarantee my vote. It was just a rouse on my part to see who blinked first, but the Conservative councillor definately mulled it over for a minute while we carried on talking.

As it stands at the moment, I will be voting labour, liberal, conservative, green, and independent!! hehe.

I love the fact that the media is so set on controlling the result along with those in power and money in the stockmarkets. How can 80% of English media be controlled by a conservative supporter and yet at the same time produce unbiased reporting on the election. Well the simple answer is you cannot.

The main gambit at the moment is always reporting on a hung parliament. This technique is used solely and relentlessly to force people into a decision one way or the other to vote for a majority. But I say Hang it....and hang them. Let it be hung. The stockmarkets wont like it, and will say that this is the end, and a double dip recession is on the cards unless we really decide, but seens in less than two years the ftse has almost recouped all the losses from the Big recession of 2005-2010. They all go home with huge bonuses and still have the keys to their front doors.
No. dont worry about those poor city guys and the money they will lose (hehe) It's time to decide what we want.

I wish there was a box on the voting forms that say no vote. I would like to see that, as otherwise you are forced into either not voting at all or voting for opponents to show a protest vote.

And the constant polls. Poll upon poll upon poll. All created by different organisations with different agendas. One of the main one used is supported financially by a media mogul.

Well I can give you the ultimate Poll of the 2010 Uk election based on political badge sales.

Our most popular badge is 'I'm a Brown sugar (but i fear this may be students taking the p**s)

Second most popular is 'Cons Britain'

Which leaves less sales for the Liberal democrats...which in effect makes them the most popular in a way.

So forget your yougov and Mori polls. The 2010 biglittlebadgeco Uk elections results are out.

See you all on the other side of the elections. Let's hope the sky does not fall in as reported by some newspapers.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

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2010-03-24T16:06:00.001Z

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LITTLE BADGES - FOX JACKSON-KEEN ...THIS BOY WILL GO FAR

2010-03-18T00:27:00.003Z

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

When you think of Billy Elliot, you think of the brilliant Jamie Bell in the wonderful film by Stephen Daldry. The music was fantastic, the story fantastic, the acting and dancing all fantastic, and it is a film with real hope under a tremendous backdrop of pain and heartache...

So I hear you ask...What can be better than Billy Elliot the film.

Well that is a simple question to answer....BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL.

I have to say when I saw it, I was blown away by it. The stage direction the acting (yes ACTING in a musical) the music....and above all else the incredible dancing.

Each scene has such passion. Passion from the performers that you can feel...It's in the air, it envelopes the audience, the audience get entranced.

And throughout the Musical, the young boys who play Billy the main character not only sing their hearts out, dance their shoes off, and touch you emotionally with their acting... they are able to do the whole show, without collapsing to the ground.

Because let's make no bones about it....This is a demanding role for anyone, let alone somebody holding the show on their own at ages 12 - 14 yrs of age.

So I come onto FOX JACKSON - KEEN. This young man....has it. Forget your reality shows looking for somebody who can just about hold a tune, manage to stand up on ice, and learn a foxtrot. This young man has the X - factor. The whole package. Maturity passed his years, an old head on young shoulders, a passion to perform, a determination to be the best.....and a performer that has the potential to leave the audience wanting more.

and yes, the audience always want more as they rise to their feets to applaud this young star. And they will go back and see him again and again and again....and he will always deliver....just that something more....just that something a little bit different.

This guys going to be big!

But what am I saying. He is already big at such a young age, he has been on television, in film roles and has entertained thousands of people for the last 2 years as Billy.

But alas... all good things must come to an end, and so on March 27th young Fox Jackson-Keen will leave his role in Billy Elliot to rapturous applause and continue on his journey into the world.

It is of course with heavy heart we will see him go

We were asked to produce a commemorative badge to signify his last performance in his role as Billy, and it is our honour and privelage to have done so. Something special for his fans.
Sadly his last performance as Billy will be March 27th (the day before my birthday...no...no...don't send any gifts....no really...oh okay then)

http://www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com/fox.htm

and his fans will continue on that journey with him....always there to offer that support.

We look forward to Fox Jackson-Keens next role with anticipation.

If you are not already doing so please join his fan club on Facebook run by Jonas called of course.....

"The Amazing Fox Jackson-Keen"

With less than 10 days to see a true star... I urge you to beg borrow and steal (well maybe not steal) to get tickets to see him. It's going to be emotional!!!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES....LIES, DAMN LIES AND GENERAL ELECTIONS

2010-03-01T17:32:00.002Z

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Well, the jockeys (or Jokies) are readying the horses, the biggest race of their political careers is about to start, the printers are on standby to print out the latest half truths and down right lies, and the political leaders are being given a quick polish.

So what's on offer. Why all this excitement about an election. Well the winner gets to run the country. Bit of a poison chalice, but hey, think of the perks. And let's face it there are loads of them. All the money, all the attention, all the travel, and afterwards, even if like most of them, they end up failing.... they get a nice slot in the house of lords, even more money, even more consultancy...even more money, after dinner speaking, security for the rest of their lives...more money, have I mentioned the money!

But if someone said to me...Hey, you can run the country...I would probably say yes please.

So how do you get into power, Well you need to get people to vote for you. The "General" public, like you and me. And what's the best way to gain this support from people.....LIE!

Yep, I know, I have said it. But this is how any prime minister, president, dictator, warlord etc have always got into power. Tell you what you want to hear, tell you it over and over again, and how you are the one that can change things.. a vote for me means change!

The truth is...No, nada, not on your Nelly me old beauty, no chance...It's not gonna happen.

You have just bought into the 'Snake Oil' syndrome. Which is something that has so much promise, but cannot actually or ever will live up to your expectations.

It all comes down to numbers in the end, and blow what happens to them after wards.

The only certainty about politics this year is....There will have to be an election!

But we are furious this year so there will have to be some smart thinking on the doorstep. I mean you cannot just add the word New to your parties name ( New Labour, New Conservatives, New Liberal democrats) We already fell for that one. You cannot claim that your party is transparent as we know that every party is as transparent as mud. So what do they do.....

....Smile a sickly smile and tell people exactly what they want to hear on the doors. "Oh no, under our government there will not be cuts", "don't worry, no no, public services will not suffer", "as soon as we are in local government we will resurface every road so there are no potholes - it's due to the last council that your roads are falling to bits", "LITTER...it will be abolished under our government...we have a zero tolerance on fly tippers (but it is very hard to catch them)"

All I ask is, when the foot soldiers come knocking and ringing at your door, asking who you will be voting for...take a long hard look at what they have actually done. Take a long hard look at how much money you pay your local government each month, then look at your surroundings and think..have they spent that money wisely. Is the money you pay in your ward...spent in your ward! Then times that amount each month by the amount of houses in your ward and ask which offshore account the surplus is being invested in..and then ask, if there is surplus, why do they keep increasing the Council tax each year!, then take a look at projects that have been undertaken, they are always rounded up to £1million. A seesaw put in your rundown park...Oh that will cost £1million to install, a new curb....Oh yes that will cost £1million, a light bulb replaced in your street lighting, yep, yep you guessed it...that will be £1million pounds please.

A local example for me is, as a commuter I am trying to get a closed entrance/exit opened at my local train station, which is closed with a shutter and a padlock. They don't know why it was closed....they don't know where the key is, they have been promising to look into it, and open it since 2007. The latest is, the train station wants £100k to open it up!! Well, we have youths around here that could open it with a jemmy in under 20mins.

And...is it just me, or do you only see these Councilors when they need your vote. Very very quiet the rest of the year, sometimes very hard to pin down if you ever want to get in touch with them, but come an election, well you can't move for them. Jumping out at you at the station, suddenly on first name terms with shopkeepers in your local launderette, kissing babies and dogs (not cats, that's just wrong).

So i ask, nay plead....take a hard long look at the fake smile at your door, and only vote if you really feel that something will be done for YOU.....and to try and get local issues solved why not try this website http://www.fixmystreet.com and take the time to mark on it every problem in your local area or even the area around your work.

Together we can make a difference....Vote me!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES....LOVE IS IN THE AIR - BADGES 'O' MONTHS

2010-02-11T08:36:00.004Z

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Woahh there Nelly! What happened there then. Eh. Where did January disappear to. One minute it's there falling into place after December, the next it get's hidden under 'The Big Freeze" (as all the news channels have trademarked it, along with the pointless phrase 'Since records began')

We awoke from our slumber...to discover we'd missed it...gone, and it's already February. (this is the latest February on record to follow a January....'Since records began')

So....We've got some catching up to do.

January's Badge of the month was a corker. With Valentines day, creeping up like an Elephant in a china shop...wearing hobnail boots....and some of those strange yet musical Morris dancer bells we went for something which had a toe in two waters.

Being a huge Alan Partridge fan, this badge ticked both boxes. "Kiss my face".

So.... What badge would be lofted to the heady heights of Badge 'O' the month for February..... Yes.... yes, you've got it... A Valentines day badge. I know predictable, but it's one of our faves.

This lil badge which is titled 'British lips' started it's life while listening to the quite brilliant Rolling Stones....who have to be fair, been knocking around a bit. While listening to the stunning 'Mono' (who needs surround sound when music is raw) version of 'Paint it black'.

It conjured up images, of Portobello road, Mini's, mini skirts, and a sense of being proud to be different. The thought of Twiggy, popped in, and before you new it, we had a design of lips with the British flag on it. Simple.

So, Valentines day is a mere 3 days away, and running headlong at us. We have been kept busy sending out lovely little Valentines badges. Some people buy one, some two, and some 12! They are either very loved up, or have a string of people they are sending them onto.

We would like to think that somewhere our lil badges are putting smiles, on certain someone's faces, or being used as a sign for new love..... In the way of, "Meet me under the clock at Waterloo station, I'll be the one wearing a British lips badge on my Beannie hat!

With our love xx

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES - BADGE 'o' THE MONTH DECEMBER. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND THANK YOU

2009-12-22T11:02:00.003Z

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Well....The month has pretty much passed us by. We have been frantically shipping stocking filler badges out this month and last, and well, I did not realise it was almost Christmas day and we had not hero worshipped our December badge.

I for one apologise. (welling up)

So yep, At the BEGINNING of December we put up one of our favourite Christmas badge.
"Who ate all the mince pies". We love it because it's true. I for one cannot get enough of the little fellows.

Since I was a young boy, My neighbour a lady called Mrs Wilkinson, and her daughter would always make us the most incredible home made mincemeat and mince pies! Delicious. Every year without fail, they would bring around a tin (a big tin) of layers of Mince pies.... and our little faces would light up.

Sadly I had to grow up and move away from home, which meant, no more of these delicious Mince pies......

And then as if by magic that first Christmas away from home, I realised that.... I could make the mince pies myself. I knew a recipe or two, I have very good pastry making hands. Why not. How hard can it be.

Well, trying to garner years and years of mince pie making prowess into my first year, I can admit that I did not manage to make mince pies as well as Mrs Wilkinson.....but, they were not bad. And now with many more years experience under my belt and a few thousand mince pies under that same belt, I can make a pretty decent mince pie.

Mr Oliver recipe for the shortcrust pastry, and Mrs Delia for the homemade mincemeat. and of course a dusting of snow and a little magic brings them all together.

And that is why "Who ate all the mince pies" deserves the accolade of Badge 'o' The Month.

So to all of our fantastic and amazing customers, pile into the shop for a virtual Mince pie, and a virtual mulled wine or traditional cuppa splosh!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank every single customer we have had the pleasure of serving this year. To all those that got in touch, emailed, commented, purchased, browsed etc etc... A very big heartfelt HAPPY CHRISTMAS to you all. Without you we are nothing, together we are invincible...

Rock on Badge buddies, feel free to keep our idle fingers working over Christmas, as you know, you are always welcome, and we will meet up again soon in the new year.

Merry Christmas.
Paul xx

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES - BADGE 'O' THE MONTH NOVEMBER EQUALS MOVEMBER

2009-11-04T10:39:00.004Z

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

It's that time again. Badge 'o' the month time. Wow how the months are whizzing past.Before we know it, Halloween will be over, bonfire night will have burnt itself out and Christmas will be knocking on the door shouting...."let me in...let me in...It's blooming freezing out here".

Strewth (don't know where that Australianism came from) Halloween has passed, Bonfire night is literally hours away....and it is definitely getting colder.

So, November is already here. It's upon us, we had a fab night for Halloween, some ghouls and boys popped by to relieve us of sweets, and I have dusted off the sparklers to use for Bonfire night.

But I no longer think of November as the exciting Bonfire Night month, with Jacket potatoes laden with hot baked beans and grated cheese atop...The feeling of throbbing cold fingers as you come in out of the back garden where you have stood getting a free view of other peoples fireworks displays....the smell of burnt sparklers heavy in your nose and the pangs of excitement at finding a damp spent firework cardboard shell the next day in your garden.

The magic for me of Fireworks left many years ago. It must be an age thing, but I do not relish standing out in the cold for hours going..."ooooh"...."ahhhhh"

And the whole Guy Fawkes thing! Guido Fawkes was a Fall guy for the rest. And they never actually blew up parliament....mores the pity.

For me now, November has been successfully renamed Movember. It is the month when men (and women I suppose!) grow a moustache for men's health. The idea is to get people to sponsor your moustache growing abilities, and have competitions to grow the biggest or longest moustache in Movember. Proceeds of this heroic action go to Prostate Cancer, and at the end of it....you have a fine moustache like Tom selleck! the god of Moustache wearers.

And lets face it....As far as November morphing into Movember.... well who else apart from Guido Fawkes sported such a fine tash!

http://uk.movember.com

And that is why this month we have lofted 'Gringo Moustache' to the lofty heights of Badge 'o' the month.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES - FIGHTING THEIR WAY THROUGH THE POSTAL STRIKES

2009-10-28T10:46:00.004Z

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

We have introduced a new stamp onto each and every bubble wrap envelope we send out, to try and give our badges that extra, added protection in these dark days of Postal strikes.

The Stamp (in Bright red) reads FRAGILE - Little badges travelling to their new home!

We hope this gives them that added piece of protection as they are man handled through the postal system, slung into mail bags, hurled into delivery wagons, and eventually plummet onto your doormat from the height of your letterbox.

Inside the badges should be happily nestled in a bubble wrap duvet, hopefully travelling with other badges for company (nothing more despairing than sending a lone badge), free from the worries of World domination, terror attacks, global recessions, swine flu and personal hygiene.

As you can clearly see, the journey of a badge or badges can be a traumatic affair, so we highly recommend , bringing them up to room temperature in clear sight of a cup of tea and in smelling distance of a Custard cream biscuit. This helps them to re acclimatise to there new surroundings.

Whatever you do....do not feed them after midnight!! Oh no sorry, that's Gremlins isn't it!!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES - GOING TO THE DOGS

2009-10-19T08:56:00.013+01:00

Photo: (left to right) Greyhound (no.3) Hope Susannah, Lene Somer and Henrietta Koch

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

The thing I love about our business....is our customers. I cannot stress highly enough, without them, we would be nothing. Literally.

It is for that reason we take an interest in every customer we serve....and also, well... I'm a little bit nosey! There I've said it.

It is due to my Noseyness that I can tell you about a lovely customer we recently had the pleasure of helping. We sell a set of Greyhound badges, 1 through 8, based on the designs of the coats worn by the racing greyhounds. Nothing odd about that...I hear you cry (•coughs). Well no, there is not. We sometimes sell individual ones as birthday badges...we sell complete sets of them, we have had requests to personalise them for certain racetracks...., but this order was different.

The lovely Lady buying them bought all the same number, and what seemed an odd amount. So I had to follow up contact once the badges were let out the traps and posted to her, just to find out a bit more.

Well it turns out, that she wanted the badges for an excursion that she was making to Portsmouth Greyhound stadium. Nothing odd or interesting there you may think...but no. Dig a little deeper and a lovely little story emerges.

Jayne Bought the Number 3 Greyhound button badges for herself her Husband and two current World Cup holders for the 470 sailing class called Henrietta Koch, and Lene Somer, oh and she owns two of her own Greyhounds.

Jaynes Husband is a sailing coach for the Danish Olympic Sailing team!! I know....that's what I thought. Fantastic. He is currently training the girls for the 2012 London Olympics, so I expect a lot of you to be shouting for them when the Olympics come around. Remember those names, Henrietta Koch, and Lene Somer because we could well be seeing them picking up medals.

The girls had never heard of Greyhound racing before they met Jaynes husband, and Minnie their retired greyhound, and Demonforts Lady (also affectionately known as 'Mavis', their racing greyhound. The girls wanted to go to a greyhound race and see Demontforts Lady race.

And which trap does Demontforts Lady race in.....Yep, you got it, Trap number 3! We are very proud to say that the team of them all wore trap number 3 button badges to support Demontforts Lady.

Unfortunately....Demontforts lady did not win her race that night (ahhh) but she did win the previous Saturday though. (hurrah) Here is how Jayne her owner describes her.

"She's a fantastic little dog. She'll never amount to much but she's the most gutsy little dog you could imagine. Her whole attitude is 'GET OUT OF MY BLOODY WAY' when she's on the track. Absolutely nothing daunts her. Her trainer thinks that when she retires she'll probably qualify for a bravery award! "

Photo: (left to right) Lene Somer ,Henrietta Koch and Greyhound (no.3) Demontforts lady

The Winning dog in the photo at the top of this page with the two girls, is Hope Susannah, so as you can see Lucky trap 3 worked, and hopefully the power of the support that the girls showed, doubled with the lucky trap 3 badges... helped to secure a win for 'Hope Susannah'.

Jayne says:

"The winning dog on the podium is Hope Susannah who's a fantastic dog and wins most of the time. Both Susie and Mavis are trained in the same kennel. My other dog Flying Arkwright (pet name - Stanley) would have been racing that night but there was a hold up with his paperwork and everything has to be right before they can race. He races in trap 6 though. "

which brings me onto the third bit of this interesting story, We have the Danish sailing girls, Jayne's husband the danish sailing team coach, the racing greyhounds.... and of course Jayne who bought the badges in the meantime.

Not only does she love her dogs, and the greyhound racers but she also volunteers her time to her local branch of the 'Retired greyhound trust' and running their website. This is where retired greyhounds who have given their time to the track get a chance to retire, and re-home with a loving family for the rest of their retired lives. This is their time of life, to bring joy to a family and receive the love back that they deserve, and Jayne and her team make this a possibility and a reality.

Liz is a Kennel owner, who also trains Jayne's greyhounds and the owner of the winner in the picture 'Hope Susannah.

Liz's mother Molly was one of the founders of 'GREYHOUND RESCUE' and Liz has taken up the challenge after her mothers death, to continue the great work her mother started.

Jayne says:

"Thanks to her kicking it all off, the future for retired greyhounds is much brighter now and most of them live out their lives happy and loved. Liz sponsored the dog race for the Danish girls as a thank you for me running the website and going up twice a week to do voluntary work for her. The girls thought it was fantastic. "

"last month completely bucked the current trend and more dogs were adopted from Portsmouth than in any other month."

So I urge you all to take the time and visit this website and support Jayne and Liz in their efforts,

http://www.portsmouthretiredgreyhounds.org

where I am quite sure you will fall in love with these adorable animals and do what ever you can to support this very worth while cause.

and here for the central website for Retired Greyhound trust:

http://www.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk

Thank you to Jayne for purchasing the badges in the first place and letting me into the story of why she bought them.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES - BADGES OF THE MONTHS, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES

2009-10-13T08:54:00.003+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Well I have to admit. I've been a bit lax. A whole month went by last month, and I forgot to tell you about our Badge ' o ' the month for September. I have many excuses, not least being away, sorting out a remortgage, cleaning my teeth etc etc. But I know you guys have come to depend on these blogs!

Every month, we get the opportunity to go through our collection and choose a Badge ' o ' the month. A badge that we feel, should rise to the surface and take it's podium in the spotlight of life. And what with it getting that little bit chillier, and the smell of burning tyres in the air as the nights draw in and the ferral youths decide, the best action in life is to set light to things...Sitting with the curtains closed at 6:30pm wondering if it is time to start making Toad in the whole and stews...we decided to go for one of our lovely Halloween badges to get you in the mood for the coming October. Yes yes...we now we were a bit early but quite frankly if Tescos can have Halloween stuff out in July then I feel we are justified.

So......Our first Badge ' o ' the month for September was a sinister pumpkin face.

Funnily enough this is the same style face I carve into pumpkins each year. We have one in the fireplace, one on the doorstep to encourage the Trick or Treaters to venture down our path (if they dare!!) And one which we balance on the bannisters so that it looks like a floating head in the Hallway. And quite frankly....what says Halloween more than a Pumpkin...apart from a witch. But apart from a pumpkin and a witch, and of course a black cat.....what says Halloween more! And of course a vampire. I mean that goes without saying a Vampire.

Which Happily brings us onto Octobers Badge ' o ' the month.

How on earth do you follow a Pumpkin....Without introducing you to Christmas badges in October. Well we had to ponder long and hard about this. We are putting together special Badge ' o ' the month sets so we needed to be similar...but not too similar. Halloween is traditionally all over October like a bad moss, so we could not turn our backs on it totally. We needed something that could say Halloween one week, stylish iconic and trendy badge...the next.

So after downing half a bottle of Ardbeg Whisky, a bowl of salted cashews....much arguing and bickering.... we decided on a 'Poison' Badge.

We love this little badge as it falls into two camps. Halloween for the kiddies and statement for your teenagers. No need for a teenager to speak with this badge on...It conveys all their emotions in one foul swoop.

So there you go folks....long time coming, but still the dedicated deliberation over each Badge ' o ' the month.

Have a very Happy and Haunted Halloween. We will be in, ready to pounce on any unsuspecting Trick or Treaters while eating the treats and watching Most Haunted live. Be good.....and if you can't be good... be very very bad.

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LITTLE BADGES - FLY ME TO THE MOON OR NOT....

2009-08-17T11:19:00.005+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

I'm not a suspicious bloke (I just don't believe anything anyone tells me), but did the 1969 moon landing actually happen?

When you look back at the footage and the timing and everything, it just seems a bit convenient that America who wanted to be the main superpower over Russia.... Just happened to develop a working spacecraft before the Russians. And they landed on the moon!

Added to that we have not been back since 1972 - Which again was American.

So it does beg the question did America Land on the Moon or dupe an entire Generation and generations to come into believing that they landed on the moon. I cannot pop up there and verify a flag on the moons surface, and I am sure that when someone else eventually gets to the moon and discovers no flag.....We will be told that after 40+ years it would have naturally disappeared.

I'll be honest with you.... I just don't see it. More was to be gained by pretending than actually doing it. And let's face it, it is not the first conspiracy to come out of America. They just keep popping them in and hoping people will not notice.

But if you are on the same page as me and think they did not land on the moon in 1969.... Then it begs the question how did they do it.

I would imagine NASA had control of Visual feed, so that could be pre recorded and beamed at the appropriate time, I imagine 3 men in spacesuits is not hard to convince the general public watching at Cape Canaveral that they were watching Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and the other one entering a space rocket, with Apollo 11 written on it.

What does impress me is that Neil Armstrong And Buzz Aldrin after all these years have not broken down and said..... Yep you got me, it was a con. Unless of course if like all great illusions they were also conned. I suppose it would be easy for NASA to hold them in a chamber before take-off, and release them along a tunnel, etc into a spacecraft which they truly believe to be the spacecraft that is to take them to the moon. This becomes a sealed room scenario whereby, anything they see and hear can be controlled by NASA. Projections or television screens on the windows, feeding images that would have previously been filmed on unmanned missions.

How hard would it be for these people to simulate a rocket firing up, and the feeling and shaking and rattling to occur inside a cockpit, all controlled in an out of site hanger. Just hold them there for the mission time, and release them out into a special Hollywood studio environment to make them believe they have stood on the moon. Collect some stuff etc, get back in and pretend it has taken off again.

Samples were never analysed by Neil or Buzz, so to them they believe they have picked up stuff from the moon.

I know these are the ramblings of a mad man.... but it is just so obvious as to be invisible. The saying goes if you want to hide something big, hide it in the most obvious place, and that would be in front of the general public that you intend to deceive.

I am reminded of a Johnny Vaughn Show called Space Cadets. Much lower budget..... but did decieve the people into believing that they were in space. http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/S/spacecadets/

Just from a 1969 budget point of view..... How much cheaper would it be to pretend to send someone to the moon instead of actually sending someone to the moon.

Would love to hear all theories on this subject. Let your imaginations run wild.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

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LITTLE BADGES - TWEET TWEET TWITTER TWITTER

2009-08-11T10:24:00.002+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

We are now twittering on twitter.....

Tweet

tweet

tweet.

follow us at http://twitter.com/biglittlebadge

or simply access it by the twitter button we have added down the left hand side.

Off to do some more tweeting!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES - BADGE 'O' THE MONTH AUGUST

2009-08-05T08:03:00.002+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Wow! What happened to July. One day it stood there looking me square in the eyes and then, pzzaz..... It's gone.

Which gave us the added headache of working out over a couple of bottles of wine and an Ardbeg whiskey, what should be the Badge 'o' the month this month.

In the end due to watching the news, while deciding, we had to go for the 'little dark raincloud'.

Last months, Ice cream badge was a mere pipe dream as it became clear that we had been lied to again by the weather forecasters.

But I should have realised that this was just a conspiracy. We all know that hot weather makes us reach for our wallets and purses and buy stuff that we don't want and will use once in a blue moon..... for example, barbecues! In England, I ask you. Where on earth do we think we all live, Australia.

When I was growing up, we had a Ball B Que Bar B Que, and many a Sunday would see my dad huddled in the garage cooking burgers, in a plume of smoke, while it hissed it down outside!
Then we would be forced to stand outside in the great outdoors to enjoy the delights of outdoor eating. Where do all those insects suddenly come from, when there is a whiff of Tomato relish in the air.

So the Government obviously had a hand in the met offices decision to promise yet again such a lovely summer. I know we did have some hot days, as I was insulating the roof on the hottest day of the year. Who needs saunas when you have a loft.

So here is a big cheer for the Little dark raincloud badge, may it have the reverse effect just like the ice cream badge!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES - IT"S MY BIRTHDAY AND I WILL CRY IF I WANT TO

2009-07-31T07:53:00.002+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Well it was me 'ole' mums birthday the other day. Happy Birthday Mum for Wednesday.

If it does not make her feel old, then it definitely makes me feel old. As we have all moved away from home it is very difficult now to meet up on birthdays, but thankfully technology has moved on now from a couple of cans and a piece of string, so we had a chat, and I sang her a screeching version of 'Happy Birthday' which has become a tradition.

It's hard to imagine how, technology has zoomed ahead in her lifetime. Televisions, to the first colour television, mobiles, MP3 players. Mind you when, i think of record players as old technology, when I am older, I will be reminiscing about MP3 players. The scary thing is my parents and my wife's parents are more up to date with technology than we are. They both have computers, they both have bigger televisions than us etc etc.

When We were last back home, unfortunately for a family funeral, we sat and looked through some old family photo's. As we were looking through the photo's and listening to the stories, and how my parents met, and all there friends, you start to realise that, your parents were young once as well. They had teenage angst, they had crushes, they had the cheeky underage drink in a pub and got caught by their parents, they had their first holidays together pre children. Funnily enough, my dad was a rocker, and my wife's dad was more a MOD, yet they get on like a house on fire when they meet up.

So here is to all those Birthday people out there, another year older, but with another years worth of memories and the knowledge that they have had a great life even with children.

Happy birthday

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES - BADGE 'O' THE MONTH JULY

2009-07-01T18:44:00.003+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Well it has rolled around oh so quickly.....but yes folks, it is Badge 'o' the month time again.
We've had Wot no credit in March, George:0 Dragon:1 in April, strawberries and cream in May, Corruptus maximus MP's in June and of course what with the weather at the moment, it can only mean one thing.......

.......ICE CREAM.

So there you have it, after much careful thought, a couple of glasses of Ardbeg whisky, a shortlist of ten whittled down to one, the winner for this month is, the Ice cream.

Not just any ice cream either, we chose the one on the green background. Discussions went on late into the night, both parties almost walked out without coming to an agreement, but here we are.

Well as the SUN would put it, 'It's been a scorcher' and for once instead of being annoyed by the constant chime of the ice cream wagons, cruising up and down the roads, mainly on dark and damp days, I have kept some change in my pockets, my shoes near the door, and a keen ear open for those incredibly haunting tones of 'Popeye the sailor man' calling to me from two streets down.

And what is the best ice cream to have on a scorcher. Well I have to go traditional and go for a 99er with flake. It would be rude not to. Mind you for many years I always asked for a Screwball as they had a bubble gum in the bottom.

But I've grown up now...... well a little anyway

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES - A CAMPING WE SHALL GO

2009-06-28T15:09:00.002+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

A friend of ours mentioned to us the other day they were off camping for the weekend. Heading off to Epping forest, to camp beneath the stars and listen to all the other happy campers snoring.

We first started camping when we left college. A bunch of college friends would all go camping each year for quite some time before we all drifted apart and settled down more.

I can honestly say these were some of the funniest camping holidays I have been on, and we all still mention them when we meet up. Of course what with people getting married, buying flats and houses, having kids, and holidays being so much more precious now, we do not camp together anymore......or in fact camp.

As the years go by, the fun of sleeping on a tiny lilo inflatable bed, feeling a twig digging in your back, rolling off the lilo in the dead of night, being cocooned in a sleeping bag, and waking to hear something or someone right outside your tent are long gone.

People with cars tend to bring more and more home comforts. A full size inflatable bed that can be blown up by connecting it to the battery of the car, gas barbecues, washing machines..... well maybe not washing machines, but you know what I mean.

Instead we now jet off to some overpriced, overpopulated (by tourists) holiday resort, just so you can say you've been abroad this year.

But I must say, when our friend mentioned they were going, I suddenly had a pang for camping again. I know exactly where the tents are in the loft, and the rucksacks are already packed ready to go.

Apart from the amazing laughs we had, we also had some amazing moments from nature. We all got caught out in a torrential downpour, in the sun, where the rain was hot, and a series of rainbows appeared all around us. We opened our tent one morning to see loads of deer just on the border of the forest, eating and looking back at us. And of course if you have been camping in the New Forest you will have had the odd New Forest pony tripping over your tent lines, and almost bringing the whole thing down.

But above all else, the best thing I love about the camping, provided you wake to a lovely clear crisp morning, and not torrential rain, is the fried breakfast.

I am not allowed fried breakfasts at home, so this makes them all the more special. Sausages, eggs, bacon, mushrooms, beans, and fried tomatoes. Some toast or if you are lucky fried bread and a mug of tea. Absolute heaven!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES - BADGE 'O' THE MONTH JUNE 2009

2009-06-12T10:55:00.002+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Well after much deliberation (a full bottle of wine, and watching the goings on on the news) we felt that really there should be only one badge from our collection that takes the top mantle of Badge 'o' the month this month and of course that is Corruptus Maximus MP.

Nuff said really.

When, oh when will they learn, and at the same time.... When, oh when will we learn.

What with all the goings on and the intense media pressure to oust Gordon Brown, there was little sign of my local MP's of any Persuasion turning up on my doorstep. I kept hearing on the news, how sorry they were about everything, and how they had listened to their voters on the doorstep....... Not one. Not one single one of them turned up to explain themselves and their parties actions. I had about 5 leaflets hastily stashed through my letter box, but that was it.

So in the end I showed them the respect they had shown me...... and did not turn out for them.

I am afraid, people claiming for their moats to be cleared is a disgrace, when we have a local moat here in our borough due to the local council (conservative by the way) not getting off their arses and clearing the blocked drains for the past 3yrs and saying it is the previous councils fault!!!

I would urge everyone to at some point go to their local councils meetings and sit in the public (paupers) gallery and watch the school like behavior of your elected councilors. Every question goes unanswered, and each blames the other, without achieving anything. And at the end of it we are paying them and seeing no improvements, and increased litter. The councilors fiddle while our community burns!

So to all MP's and you are all tarred with the same brush for years and years of lies and deceit to us commoners. This badge is for you, and you should all wear it with pride. I wear mine, so you can see how much we distrust you.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES - THOSE FOXY LITTLE FOXES....WHY I OUGHTA!

2009-05-22T16:05:00.002+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Originally we were very excited to discover we had fox cubs in the garden. Small little bundles of joy and fun. First, one fox cub ventured into our garden, following a butterfly. It was like something out of the Jungle book. Then before we new it, two little fox cubs..... then a third, and now a fourth foxy cub.

Now there will be those of you out there that are thinking, they are so lucky...... and yes we are, it is fantastic to watch them playing, and fighting, and mock hunting, but then....

....you also get the other end of the stick. Little thank you messages all over the decking (I think they like to poop on the decking as it is a nice warm surface for their behinds), the tunelling, then there is the fun of biting through the netting of the vegetable patch, the uprooting of small plants, and their most enjoyable pass time, the daily attack on our most prized new garden plants Aliums!

We planted ten of them. We watched all ten start to grow. First the spidery bottom leaves and then finally, the central stalk which holds the beautiful top section of the Alium flower, with it's amazing star like flowers on little stalks. We nurtured and watered them daily, to the point where they were just about to flower, and then the foxy cubs found them. Systematically over a series of a week, they jumped on them, bit the heads off them, rolled over them again and again, and then started digging at the roots.

From our original ten Aliums we now have just four left. These are now heavily protected, but with the foxes bounding around and getting bigger and more boisterous by the day, we fear the Aliums days are numbered.

Oh well, I suppose it is our fault for not protecting them earlier.

The other thing the foxy cubs have done, is to chew through the cable wire to the little garden video camera we have set up to watch the little foxes. They obviously felt that their privacy was being invaded and just chewed through the cables! Mind you they are plugged into the mains so they must have got a little jolt.

But to be honest, even though they are causing a nuisance and really starting to annoy my wife, I still love to see them playing in the garden. Those cute little foxes can really cheer up your day.

Maybe I should get around to fixing the fence where they are getting through (wink)

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES - NAUGHTY NAUGHTY MPS, SHAME ON YOU

2009-05-21T16:48:00.003+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Well..... It's been an interesting few weeks, with the Telegraph, releasing lot's of juicy details about the government, the pretending government, and the have runs of the political world.

And who said politics was not interesting. My ears are on stalks at the moment, loving the squirming, the self delusion, and back stabbing chit chat. It's like a stuffier version of 'Heat' magazine.

They know they have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar, and they all knew about what they were doing, and were often briefed on how they could milk the system for all it's worth, and yet they try and make a political point and stand there with mock regret as they happily say....' Well yes, our MP was caught out and claimed for this but, look at so and so on the other political team, he was caught claiming for more, so that makes it all right.

Honorable men and women my backside. The moment they get any power, does not matter at what level, local or national, they get corrupted. One bad apple in the apple barrel and it infects them all.

Let's not forget the timing of the release either. The Telegraph are as corrupt as the rest of them, as they are after a certain result in the European elections which will benefit them. Everyone does something for their own means, so the people at the telegraph cannot start trying on their pure white coats yet.

Mind you, it has been done with such dignity coming from a broadsheet. Imagine the fun we would have had if it was the SUN or MIRROR releasing the information, and the way that they got the lurid information.

It's a difficult one, as you need someone in power. Who else would we have to moan about when conversation ebbs away, if not for our corrupt government. My teachers (politics teachers mainly) always instilled in me that we have the right to vote, and should use that vote wisely. All the time they were grooming us with this information they were taking potshots at the tories, hoping that their political views would help their political favorites get in. But If I have the right to vote I also have the right not to vote.

We are always told if you waste your vote on one of the lesser parties, then someone terrible will get into power. The thing is, someone terrible has been getting into power for all these years and we never learn. 'New' this and 'fresh' that, and 'eco' here and 'right on' there, and yet nothing really changes apart from how much money we each make out of each pound earned. I claimed on expenses once for 14 taxi journeys..... I felt really guilty, and have this feeling that one day someone will say.. ' Hey you...those taxis you claimed for!'

I found it very funny that one side was, bath plugs, porn, mortgages etc and the other was moats, chandeliers, horses, gardeners etc. I'm afraid as long as we let it happen, they will just keep rebadging themselves and telling us what they are going to do to please us until they are in power and then forget all about those promises. "Taxes....yes we will lower them the minute we are in power, if you vote for us" (crocodile smiles all around).

It's time to question all in power, be local government or national.

To all MPs and those who will one day become MPs.... Shame on you

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES - WEDDINGS.....I DO

2009-05-12T09:31:00.004+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Well I awoke to the news (is it really news) that Peter and Jordan are supposed to be splitting up. 3 Yrs after getting married, 2 kids together later and little Harvey , and the end is nigh apparently. I am a little surprised given that Peter Andre is about to release his brand new album after years away. What a terrible time to be going through a break up..... Surely he could do without this kind of media attention at a time like this. Maybe as a form of therapy, they could film their divorce.

It reminded me of the day I got married to my beautiful wife. I had managed to escape the pressures of getting married for quite some time, always in my mind to get married to my beautiful now wife. In the words of Take that..... ' Today this could be....the greatest day of my life '. And as sickening as it sounds, It was so far the greatest day of my life, apart from my own birth I suppose. Everything else pails into insignificance. And as I stood there in front of my wife and declared my vows to her, I heartfelt, meant every word of it.

Sometimes I think people can get so immersed in the show of the whole day and forget what is actually important. Your commitment to each other. That moment when you exchange rings, clears your mind of the wine bill, venue hire, stress of what the parents want from the day.

We planned everything to the last detail and enjoyed every single moment except from a few hairy moments at the start of the process when we had to forcefully remind outside parties whose, actual day it was.

We thrived on the organisation, the wall chart plans, the details, the wishes and desires of each other, the feel we wanted for our day, and all the little little details that leave the day memorable for yourself and of course your very important guests that have given up their time to help you celebrate. We loved the fact that our parents helped making our own confetti, we loved filling the little favours boxes with fun little sweets, we were over the moon that some of our guests were hyper on a mixture of sugar and alcohol from the retro flying saucers provided at the bar, but above all we loved making the whole day very personal to ourselves and to our guests.

Recently we had an order from someone wanting to add that personal touch to their wedding, and we provided each guest with their own badge to commemorate the day. Another wedding, a civil partnership between two lovely ladies resulted in us providing badges for the guests to give to the couple which was simply a badge with MRS & MRS on it.

We have so many lovely stories from customers who have used us to help celebrate their wedding days and we feel very priveledged to be asked to supply for them.

Thank you to all our married customers and to our future married customers. Enjoy your big day.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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LITTLE BADGES - Anyone for tennis?

2009-05-11T10:44:00.002+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Another great weekend of sunshine, has reminded me that Wimbledon is just around the corner.

For me, and I imagine everyone, we grow up with a specific player at the top of their game, and try and emulate them. With me, It was Boris Becker and Ivan Llendl.

To me that is the era that defines tennis, as it is when I was playing regularly and in the school team.

Before these two titans of tennis had come along, It was always McEnroe and Connor's.
And if you ever get the chance to see a challenge match now with McEnroe, don't dismiss him as being out of the game, he still plays some incredible tennis with sparks of genius, not unlike Henman and Murray.

When Boris Becker came onto the scene, he was a real breathe of fresh air to the game, In the same way that Andre Agassi was, when he turned up in full whites at the Wimbledon tournament.

Just 17 and 7 months when he Won his Wimbledon title, He was not that much older than us, that we could all imagine ourselves playing at Wimbledon. The Girls adored him, with his longish hair, and the boys admired him for his gung ho spirit of chasing down every ball. And when we all saw him dive and roll for shots that others would have left, well the school tennis courts where a scene of carnage, with blood stains everywhere on the tarmac surface, And grazes that would make your mothers nearly faint. Plus Tennis became sexy.....which meant we became more sexy, and would get crowds watching us play and practice before, during and after school.

Then I changed from a Becker fan to a Llendl fan. I had such empathy for him, winning every tournament, but not being able to win his most coveted goal which was a Wimbledon Title. Plus he had cool long sweat bands!!!! Tennis just seems to improve and improve, with one hero being replaced by another, Edberg, Aggassi, Pat Cash.

I never really got on with Pete Sampras. I know he was and is a great tennis player, but his attitude and demeanour rubbed the wrong way with me. I always cheered his opponents.

Having sporting heroes, does really really improve your game, and I encourage everyone who loves tennis to go out and play the game for yourself. One day you may be the next Tim Henman or Andrew Murray. Take up thy Tennis rackets and play, I only wish I still played!

Roll on Wimbledon Fortnight.

Why not buy a badge set 'SETW0001 £4.50 + £0.70p&p' in our Badge sets section. Or check out all our Tennis badges in the occasions section.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Little Badges - BADGE 'O' THE MONTH MAY 2009

2009-05-06T08:13:00.004+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Well it's that time of the month again. A new little badge get's lofted to the heady heights of....'Badge 'o' the Month'.

Last months 'Badge 'o' the Month' was a worthy contender,
George: 1 Dragon: 0, celebrating St George's day, which garnered accolades from Adelaide to Arbroath.

So this months 'Badge 'o' the Month has a lot to live up to. But the little fella is keen and with it's bright red plumage does not fail to dazzle.

We have chosen a Strawberries and cream graphic this month in the recognition of the great Wimbledon Tennis tournament. (Lived in London for 10 years and never been yet). Nothing really sums up an English summer than punnets and punnets of Strawberries and cream.

During the Wimbledon fortnight over 2,000 kilos (8,000 punnets) of strawberries are consumed daily during the Fortnight and that's topped off by 7,000 litres of fresh cream!!!
Unfortunately for me, Strawberries tighten up my throat, but I still love the taste of Strawberries and cream. Mind you it is a shame that Fish & Chips are not the main dish at Wimbledon, I would be more than happy with that.

The other thing that Wimbledon Tennis can guarantee is 2 weeks of dodgy weather! Bring 'all season weather' clothing if attending. Like the lyrics of a Crowded House song, we do get 4 seasons in one day. But this year for the first time, we have a automatic roof for Centre court, so there should be less disruption to the championship this year.

Mind you, I am more old school when it comes to Wimbledon. I remember the rallies and battles of the great Jimmy Connor's and John McEnroe. The amazing matches of Boris Becker, a breath of fresh air into the game, and the uphill struggle of Ivan Llendl to claim a grass court win at Wimbledon.

So this year, Enjoy your strawberries and cream and show your support to our brave little badge by wearing this little badge to the Wimbledon Tennis tournament. Maybe just maybe it will be spotted on television.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - RUN.....NEVER STOP RUNNING..RUN MORE

2009-04-23T14:31:00.007+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Good luck to all those running the London Marathon this weekend. You mad fools.
Hopefully the weather will work out fine for you all. Not too hot, not too cold and hopefully no rain.

We have been to support the London Marathon a few times. We have a friend who has nothing better to do with his life, so he runs marathons, and has run the London Marathon a few times. The last time we went to support him, we stood near the tower of London heading towards Canary Wharf as he told us we would see him running both ways. It was raining all day, but we stood there with umbrellas waving and cheering everyone on. 5 hrs we stood in the rain and did not see him once. We did see an old College friend run passed but not our mate. He told us that he was running in a bright pink top, which his charity had supplied. It was not until we caught up with him for a meal afterward that we found out he was running in a fluorescent yellow top!!

Still it was a day out. He is running it again this year but I'm afraid apathy has crept in, and although it was exciting the first year we will think about him running from our nice warm bed this weekend.

However I am quite excited about it, as my hairdresser is running for the first time in the London Marathon. She was lucky enough to get a place and she has been telling me about her training. On my last visit to the hairdressers I think the realization of what she would be doing was sinking in. But she has put so much training into it, I am sure she will do well. Looking forward to seeing her medal next time I go in.

I myself do not do jogging. To be honest, I don't see the point in it. People that jog are obviously running away from something. It does freak me out when you are walking along a pavement in the morning, alone, and you can hear heavy footfalls coming from behind and a rhythmic snorting sound.

I am sure there will be the usual nutters out wearing full suits of armour, or very bad fancy dress decision outfits running this year, good luck to them, but please don't do yourself any injuries.

And of course, those so called 'Celebrities' will be out in force using another event to hog the limelight and shout look at me...look at me...oh I'm so caring... (who are we running for)..I'm not at all over exposed, it's just Heat magazine did not want to do a feature on my bathroom habits this week. Run as much as you like celebrities but the Tax man will catch you and take your un-hard earned cash in the form of 50p per pound! Well done Darling.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - We never knowingly put a healthy badge down

2009-04-21T09:37:00.005+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

we never like to put an otherwise healthy badge down, and so save them from the big little waste paper basket in the sky. It has got to the point where we have hundreds of little badges recuperating in a drawer, their only crime in life.......Not being perfect!

As an imperfect human being myself, I cannot bring myself to just dump them, make them someone else's problem, when all they want to do in life is cheer up someone's old coat or bag.

Let's just get this straight, they have done nothing wrong, and in these Credit Crunch™ times (oh how I hate that trademark slogan) the most important thing is....they eat absolutely nothing. Nada, zilch. No need to set an extra place at the dining table as they are good to go. They survive on your love alone, and the cheeky chance they will catch the eye of another, or even meet another little badge out there with similar interests and a passion for fashion.

All that is wrong with these little badges is the following, and as we are very picky, it is normally very minor things that stop them going to their new homes:

A surface scratch on the mylar (plastic coating)
A tiny bit of fluff (or other dust particle) under the surface of the mylar
a raised bump
or...... and this is the most tragic..... being slightly off-centre! (well who isn't these days).

So I call on you good people to dig deep, deep deep within yourselves, and give these little badges the chance they deserve in life, a chance to shine on an otherwise un-sunny day. Free them from their lives inside a warm drawer unit and unleash them onto the capital, no... the world.

For today you could make a little badge stand that little bit taller.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Little badges - Spring has sprung and somethings been spotted

2009-04-07T07:54:00.007+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Spring has well and truly sprung in our garden, and all those dead looking plants in our garden have decided to give it one more go this year and have burst into life.

They have been moved around so much, I'm surprised they know what time of year it is, or which way up they are meant to be growing, but they have done us proud.

So far the only fatality is our Bottle brush, which decided one day to commit suicide, for no apparent reason apart from maybe the world economic thingy. One day healthy as anything, the next shriveled up and brown, with no vital signs showing. To my wife's annoyance, I have left it in the ground this year with a haircut and a hope that it will just buck it's darn ideas up.

The other fab thing, and I know that some think this is sad, but we have some new birds nesting in our garden. Not over the border, or next door, not in that nice thick tree over my neighbors back garden, not even in the alleyway. We have some very welcome guests who have decided that our eucalyptus tree is the perfect place to bring up young. Maybe it's due to the location, panoramic views across South London, maybe due to the jet stream (blimey it's a windy spot they have picked), which will help with fledging , as they can just hop from the nest and be blown to Crystal palace. Maybe it's due to the vast amount of birdfood that I put out, in the selfish hope of attracting birds into our little garden (buy in bulk.....repent at leisure)

Whatever reason it is we are over the moon at our new visitors. We have had Blackbirds nesting before, Sparrows nesting, and Blue tits and Great tits, but never before have we had our new additions.

Yes we have a beautiful pair of Gold finches taking up residence and yet paying no rent or food bills. They are fantastic little birds which, look like they should for no reason belong in this country as they are so showy and friendly. They have a lovely bubbly call, with a chatty kind of nature to them, and they flit and bob about the garden, but luckily keep coming back to their new nest, which they have handily built within perfect view of our top back bedroom.

Mind you, I think the woman over the back of us is becoming alarmed at the amount of times we are at the back window with a pair of binoculars. Maybe we can use this blog as evidence if we get accused of peeping.

We are hopeful they will have a full nest of youngsters and will do our best to keep them all well fed and watered. Which reminds me....... when does Spring watch start!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Little badges - One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, wow that's a hell of a flock

2009-04-03T16:56:00.004+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

I've just been reminiscing about a lovely little short break we took earlier in the year. The reason for this is I've just discovered the questionnaire that I was meant to fill in and send back.

We have a penchant for castles and decided we needed a break. We have stayed in Castles in, Scotland, and England, and got married in a castle, so our next adventure had to be in Wales.

We booked at the beginning of the season, and arrived in torrential rain. Even the taxi driver, from Wales said he had not seen rain like this for years! We pulled into this fantastic Gothic inspired castle in south wales near the Brecon Beacons and soon found out on our arrival, that one, major work was being carried out, as they had gone to remove some of the ceiling in one of the three bars and discovered that the entire ceiling joists were rotten! and two we were the only guests staying that week in the whole place.

Well because of this we got upgraded to a lovely room, overlooking the courtyard, and away from the building work. We settled ourselves in and then went to explore the place. Spooky and eerie and cold, it was a fabulous building. We soon found the bar that was open, being heated by the only fire going as we were the only guests and hey whats the point in warming rooms unnecessarily. We settled into the old chesterfield sofas in front of the fire gazing out the windows over the valley and watched the fire and the weather pass by. We stayed there till dinner.

Anyway to cut a long story short although we were the only guests the hotel staff could not have been better and looked after us well, even though we felt a little guilty.

The break did us the world of good, and the scenery and the walks around the castle were breath taking.....

But we could not help coming away with a stereotype view of wales that it is wet...... and full of sheep! You could not look at a view without a sheep popping up. Even as we watched clouds pass down the valley, a sheep would suddenly pop out from behind a bush at the top of the mountain..... followed by another.... then another.... oh yes and another.

Because of this constant sheep counting, we slept very well..... even in a haunted castle!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Little badges - My, haven't you grown

2009-04-01T14:11:00.006+01:00

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

So, yes.... a couple of days ago it was my birthday. The usual bunch of friends sent me cards, and the usual bunch of friends did not send me a card, even though we always send them cards! But I'm not bitter, I'm just glad to be another year older.

I won't embarrass you by revealing my age but let's just say, that coal is no longer considered one of your five a day vegetables hehe :)

I love birthdays, I start getting excited about a month before. And then as the days tick down I get even more excited. When people ask me what I want, I always suggest, cars, money etc.... but alas no one has been forth coming with the car.

People always tend to ask me if I have achieved what I wanted to in my years and my reply in my mind is always the same, I have achieved very little but I am happy.

I miss family based birthdays now, as we have all dispersed to different corners of England, and If I had my way would have dispersed further to Hawaii. When you were little you would meet up at Nan and Paps house to be spoiled rotten by them and then, as if by magic other members of the family would turn up, aunties, uncles, cousins etc, and make even more fuss over you.

And each one would come out with the classic line, "ooh haven't you grown"!

Well I think I have done all the growing I am going to do now, apart from growing outwards.

So thank you to all that celebrated my birthday, and roll on next year!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - Connecting with our Friends (customers)

2009-03-27T17:59:00.013Z

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

One of the joys of making badges, is of course the response we get from our customers.

When we send a badge out or a selection of badges we always wonder, who they might be for, why did they connect with that badge, is it for themselves or is it a present for somebody else.

So when we get feedback and dialogue from our customers it always helps to understand the badge choice.

Recently somebody bought 10 x JFK assassination badges from us, I needed to email them anyway as they had not chosen 2 FREE badges on checkout. When they replied they asked very politely if there was any chance they could have 2 FREE Titanic based badges for their Free ones.

This threw me a little as we don't actually have any Titanic badges on our website, or should I say didn't. When I explained that we did not have any of those but could produce some in the next couple of days, the gentleman replied and explained why.

He is a history teacher, and two of the sections he is teaching his students is the assassination of JFK and The Titanic. As an incentive for great work he gives something relating to these two major events.

Well who were we to stand in the way of this. We offered a 'Bourbon' biscuit to the first designer who could create a new Titanic badge and get them up on our website for the gentleman to see.
Now anyone that knows designers knows that the offer of biscuits and cake is one of the best incentives and within a day we had 3 new designs up.

The History teacher picked one of those designs and now hopefully within a few days one of the history students will have a new badge to wear. An absolutely lovely customer and a great use of badges.

Into the bargain I got a history lesson about the JFK assassination with some very eye opening information about the scale of the JFK assassination, which I never knew and is absolutely fascinating.

Another time we sold 7 x 'Save the DODO now' badges. Well I was intrigued. If they had bought 6 I would not have given it a second thought, but 7, well that's just madness!

I could not resist emailing the buyer, who said he loved the badges, and told me what they where for. Apparently for as long as he knew, his kids and grand kids always called his wife by a nickname, 'Dodo'. So he had bought a badge for each of his children, his wife and his grandchildren.

He also then sent me a couple of great slogans to use on future badges.

Like I said we love making that human connection with our little badges so, if you want to tell us your story feel free.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Little badges - CHICK CHICK CHICK

2009-03-26T18:45:00.008Z

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

I'm getting ready for the big hunt..... Not wild cats or Zebra, The big Easter egg hunt.

I love Easter, not least because spring is sprung and more wildlife and plants and colour are about, no, mainly because of the chocolate eggs. It's Just far enough away from Christmas to get excited about.

I know when I was a kid, I could not wait for Easter. As soon as Christmas was out the way I had it in my mind that about two weeks later it was going to be Easter time. I kept nagging my parents about Easter eggs and chocolate, and they kept saying, it's not yet, it's in 4 months time.

I knew they were wrong or just pulling my leg, and started to get really worked up about Easter, thinking it would be the following week or the week after that.

As I have realised with a lot of stuff my parents told me....they were in fact right. There was nothing else for it, I would have to go back to playing with my Christmas presents until Easter arrived.

I soon learn't that once the RE teacher started changing the curriculum and putting up more god posters and stuff about Easter, it could only be around the corner.

I am not a religious man in any shape or form, I cannot even pretend to believe in anything great and all seeing apart from the government, and they are not great. For me Christmas is a time for presents and family, and Easter is a time for Chocolate eggs and hot cross buns. Simple as that, it makes life a lot simpler.

What still confuses me about the time in between Christmas and Easter is the fact that a week after Christmas all these lovely easter egg boxes appear on the top shelves at supermarkets (chocolate porn) that you can look at and salivate over until much nearer the time when they suddenly decide to make them all half price. Well I suppose they have been gathering dust and mouse droppings since Christmas so they should be cheaper.

Last year I bought a dozen Creme eggs and hid them throughout the house. I told my wife they were somewhere and it took her till after Easter to find all 12. I had also hid two very large Easter eggs, but she found them without much trouble (the packaging is so big it's hard to hide them). The joy for me was seeing her sheer enjoyment at finding them. She tried to break me a few times with Chinese burns but I held out, and she found them all herself without any help or clues.

This year I am upping the anti, more big boxes (I have already scoped out some brilliant and cunning hiding places) and because it bought me pleasure as well I am going for two dozen small creme eggs.

Happy hunting!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Little Badges - FOR ENGLAND AND ST GEORGE

2009-03-25T18:46:00.010Z

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

For England and ST. GEORGE. Ah.... Makes me proud!

A couple of weeks ago...everything went a little green. People with questionable Irish links and those with none what-so-ever suddenly started giving it all the blarney and drinking Guinness.
Ah to be sure. Some people I know (who have never been to Ireland) got on planes and flew to America to join in with the St. Patrick Day celebrations!

Everywhere I looked while coming home through London, seemed to have some link to Ireland and St. Patrick's day. Even China town!! Every single bar had a quickly made up banner to hail the fact that they had Guinness on tap, but not just Guinness, mainly the ice cold Guinness (wow that makes your hands cold). Restaurants as well were putting up signs, or chalk boards outside proclaiming to have St. Patrick Day food inside. Dim sums, Noodles, Pancakes and sandwiches.... all very authentic stuff.

And then there are the silly hats. Buy 5 pints and get a silly hat. WHY? What are you going to do with that apart from use it to Barf in on the Tube home. By 11pm the whole tube had a whiff of Guinness about it.

My wife's place of work even had a St. Patrick's lunch menu that included sticky toffee Guinness pudding! or something like that. I then asked her will they be doing a St. George's Day lunch menu, and she said no!

Now roll on April 23rd and we have a day that Britain, England, etc can be very proud of. A day to puff out your chest a little and try and find some dragons to kill. There will be pubs that mark, the occasion, but maybe not so many restaurants and I will be suprised if China town even realises this date (mind you they would do a good trade on dragons).

It's a strange one. I worked for many years on ad campaigns for St Georges day and Beer brands, and at every meeting someone would be clenching their bum cheeks and highlighting the association with the BNP. How the St George cross can be seen as racist! And every time I would tell them to go jump.

Political correctness is so engrained in people that at every turn we are so conscious of offending someone somewhere. Oh dear what if we offend foreigners. Well we should not worry in the slightest as St. George may be the Patron St. of England but at the same time he Freelanced for loads of other countries and is also their Patron St. But what about it being racist! Everything can have a racist tinge if you look for it. If you make something racist by attaching something to it, that was not there in the first place, it can be seen as racist. Heck half of us that live in England as English people are Celts or from Viking blood and St. George was a Roman soldier (but I think he was born in Palestine!)

So I wear my St. George's Day badges with pride and I do feel a sense of English pride on St George's Day. As I sip at my English ale, and think of England....Cry God for England and St.George it brings a tear to my eye.

So please celebrate St. George's Day this year with no worry or fear of offending, raise a glass to the legend that is St. George and Enjoy yourself without the guilt.

And if you happen to see any dragons run them through with your sword and you too may one day be heralded as the New St. of England.

Dragons like Bourbon biscuits you know!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Little Badges - LITTER LITTER EVERYWHERE

2009-03-13T16:58:00.007Z

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

It's one of my bug bears I'm afraid. I can't stand it, it makes my hackles go up when I see it.
Litter Litter everywhere. I am like Victor Meldrew, picking up litter in my front garden and taking note of what crisp packet or fast food takeaway packaging it is.

Yet it has got so bad under our council, we have fly tipping as well. So instead of the usual stuff, I have recently been getting babies nappies complete with content turning up in my garden.

I don't know what it is about litter that gets my back up, but I look down what should be a lovely avenue, and your eye keeps catching site of a newspaper flapping in the wind, a plastic bag in a tree, or the silver glint of a Hula Hoop packet in someones hedge.

I am not of that mind set that says, someone else will pick it up, that's what street cleaners are for, it's up to the council to sort it. I was always taught to put rubbish in my pockets or hold onto something until I see a bin. Now by bin, I do not mean a hedge, on top of a wall, by a doorway, in a tree, behind a green BT box, over someones wall, down an alleyway entrance etc. I mean a proper bin. Yes there are fewer of them these days, taken out during the IRA bombings and never replaced because of the cost, and the fact that it would take away money from the councils Knees up. But they are around.

I have often told people to pick up rubbish if I have seen them drop it. Yes One day I will be stabbed if the News is anything to go by, but it is a principle. I would not dream of walking down someones road and throwing something on the floor. It's not in my make up. Because I was taught it, because I was in fear of being shouted at by a local Bobby on the beat if I did, or a park warden (where are parkies anymore), mainly because I can't stand to see this detritus on the streets!

I followed a family of Romanian people in full traditional clothing walking down our street the other day. Two kids, two women, and as they walked down the road they proceeded to drop detritus behind them. The kids had been bought some toy cars from the local Tesco's, wham bang, into the packaging toy out, and packaging dropped on the floor. The Mother or grand mother then dropped a receipt, and started unwrapping 4 Ice lollies for them all. 1-4 Ice lolly wrappers dropped over their shoulders. One even looked over their shoulder before doing it.

Well I was just furious, so I picked the stuff up and tried to hand it back to them. I said " There are wheeled bins all down this street just put them in there" but I was greeted by a shrug, a laugh between them and they carried on, with me stood there holding their litter. I ended up putting it in my bin, and then was angry for the rest of the day.

And before you think to yourselves, oh he's one of these on about rosier times, and blaming the kids of today.... It's not just the kids. Litter louts spans so many ages.

You have your litter droppers. Drunks getting rid of their cheap lager cans on the floor, kids and workmen throwing down their kebab wrappers and fast food containers where they finish them, Mums with kids, giving some sweets to their child and then just dropping the packet, smokers just dropping their fags, and people finishing a newspaper and putting it on the nearest flat wall.

Then you have the refuse tippers. Those who can't be bothered to wheel out their wheely bins, and just put their black bags on the street. Some on collection day, but most just when the bins filled up in their house. These are a sneeky bunch. You normally see these people about 6am in the morning or after dark at night. Piling bags up one by one, looking both ways, trying to act nonchalantly. By morning these bags are ripped open by Rats and foxes alike and the contents strewn along the road. But once it's out of their site, it's as if it was never theirs in the first place. Once the foxes and rats have opened it up, it has nothing what so ever to do with them.

To top it all, my council are rubbish. They talk a good talk but are so useless it is unbelievable that any of them have jobs. Councillors after councillors have made empty promises, head honcho's of the Street cleaning team have assured me they are doing everything within their power as long as it is between 10am and 4:30pm to combat this problem. Unfortunately I can't name names or mention my Council on here, but looking at the different London Boroughs I would say the same is true of all of them.

I recently came back from Wales. Staying near the Brecon beacons, the views were stunning, and I thought this is fantastic, this is what the country even inner and greater London should look like (not the mountains of course). Then I was hit in the face by a hula hoops packet!! Walking further up the mountains it just became apparant that litter seems to get everywhere, as I noticed water bottles, childrens dummies, bread bags etc on my walk.

Oh well I am sure I am not the only one that feels this way so feel free to comment.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Little badges - So you wanted milk and one

2009-03-03T09:24:00.008Z

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

I have a terrible memory. Well okay not terrible, but in areas very very bad.

If someone tells me their name, especially if it is a work thing, I will instantly forget. I apologise now to anyone I have met in the past. I don't know what it is, but someone will introduce themselves to me, I will shake them by the hand and say hi, even repeat their name as I shake their hand, and then, 2 mins later, that's it. All knowledge of the name is gone. Or worse in my head I have a totally different name for someone.

Faces though, I am brilliant at. I can see someone in the street and know that I have met them before, but woo, ask me their name and I have no chance.

I have to do that thing , where I stop them and say, "how the devil are you, It's been ages, It's me Paul" and hope that they feel a little embarrassed and give up their name in conversation.

I have tried memory techniques whereby I give the person a character based on their appearance or habits, like someone that waddles becomes Pocahontis to me. But the trouble is that I am so tempted to call them Pocahontis when I meet them it gets me into more trouble. Or I am talking to a friend and I am saying " you know thingy from college.....Pocahontis" and of course they have not got the foggiest what I am on about.

My other real area of memory disability is in doing the Tea and coffe runs at work. It does not matter how long I have worked with someone, I am unable to remember how they want their tea, or in fact if they like tea or prefer coffee. I end up making more Teas and coffees than I need and putting them on a table, and saying, I've got one here with milk and one sugar, or a coffee without, and then just offer them to anyone who takes an interest.

I have to write down notes like a waiter or waitress on a scrap of paper, an initial with T + M + S for Tea with milk and sugar. That's why I designed these badges for tea, Coffee ones will follow, but Tea is the main drink at our place. I am eventually learning what people want by visualizing the person wearing the badge.

It's not infallible but I am getting there.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Little Badges - I'm a pinball wizard, I wish!

2009-02-27T15:51:00.008Z

Hi

The virtual kettles on..... So while I let it boil i just have this to say

I have craved a Pinball table for as long as I can remember. I think it was because they had one in the eatery on 'Happy Days'. The particular one I fell in love with is the 1970's Evel Knievel Pinball machine. There is just something about it, that grabs me, and of course I grew up in the era of Evel Knievel and had the stunt bike toy etc.

I have whittled about getting one for so many years now, and every time I run it by my wife, something new comes up to block me owning it. Originally when we were both out of college and living together in a one bedroom flat, three storey's up, It was to do with the space.

So I wore her down, and she agreed that if we bought our own flat, and it was bigger than a one bedroom flat and on the ground floor, I could buy it. So we stopped renting our little flat and bought our first flat together. Ticked all the boxes. Ground floor, two bedrooms and even a garden which was a treat for us. Firstly the place was a run down shell, which needed a lot of work doing to it to get it up to standard, hence why we could afford to buy it. For the first 3 years we spent every penny on decorating, replastering etc etc. By the 4th Year we had done all the major stuff and the money was going towards cushions and curtains and things. And then we finally finished it all, we were able to sit back and relax and enjoy the place.

I remembered the conversation about if we bought a flat, with two bedrooms, on the ground floor etc, that I would be able to buy the Pinball table of my dreams. I found the one I was after, the prices had shot up from 4 years ago as they are getting more rare, but I found one that could be shipped from America to our front door. Well I broached the subject of the pinball table again, and found out that the goalposts had been moved without me realizing.

Apparently the second bedroom now was only big enough to be used as a second bedroom and was to be kept clear for guests...... Where had that come from!

So we ended up selling the flat and moved into a Large 3 Bedroom house. Not only did it have an extra dining room, but it had a very large third bedroom and loft space.

I have recently broached the subject again of the pinball table...... But alas it seems we need all 3 bedrooms, 2 for guests and the dining room is for Dining in, not to be filled with a large pinball table.

I am now beginning to realize that I may never own my beloved Evel Knievel Pinball table, and the closest I will get to seeing it is on the internet as the prices rise and rise.

But you never know. In the meantime the closest I have to Pinball table stuff is a lovely picture book and the pinball bumper badges above.

Well a man can dream!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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Little badges - I've got a brand new combine harvester!

2009-02-26T12:03:00.008Z

Hi

The virtual kettles on..... So while I let it boil i just have this to say

Ah, the smell of a tractor, the wind in your hair, the thrashing blades of a combine harvester by your side!

I was very lucky when I was growing up, as our parents best friends were farmers. They were not always farmers but when Uncle Nev's dad died he inherited his dad's farm. Oh yes, and he was not actually my uncle, but for some reason we always called them uncle Nev and auntie Eileen.

We lived on the edge of town. Walk one way and you went to town, walk the other way and you were out in the countryside. I preferred the countryside to the town. We seemed to be over the farm helping a lot. Especially during the summer months and Lambing time.

For us a kids it was great because they had kids our age and slightly older. And while the parents worked and helped out we would be playing around the farm and the yard. Chasing rats in the grain barn, staying clear of the temperamental but gorgeous sheep dog (the dog was nev's dad's and went a little funny when his owner died).

As well as being beautiful and idylic a bit like Darling buds of may, It could be a dangerous.....very dangerous place. I managed to fall in the sheep dip, luckily while no sheep were in it, I almost got trampled by the cows (wow, they are very big when you get up close to them), I almost sank into the grain in the grain hut without any trace, I was cornered by the biggest rat I have ever seen in my life, and I fell off a haystack. Happy times!

Whereas kids at school would have there favourite cars, Lambourghinis, ferraris etc, I was a big fan of the old John deer green tractor, and the brand new combine harvester, which dwarfed their old combine harvester.

We often helped or hindered with the Combining, stacking the bails of hay, sheep dipping. I remeber onec I was riding in the cab of the new combine with Uncle Nev and my dad. He jumped up out of the seat and asked me to hold the wheel for him, he took one look at my dad and they both darted out of the cab leaving me driving the monster. Nev just kept smiling at me and shouting point it towards the gate!!!! I have never been so scared and thrilled in my life except for the Hulk ride in florida.

The best experience for me was lambing. We got a call at 3am one morning, and dad whipped us up into our clothes and we drove over. The lambing was just starting and we got to watch as 3 or 4 sheep were lambing. They were so matter of fact about everything, and I learn't loads, but the scariest was when they had a difficult birth, and had to winch the lamb out by the legs. Thankfully all survived and within minutes were up and about.

If you ever get the chance to witness it, I urge you to do it.

Living in the city now, I really miss those days, and although they are viewed through rose tinted glasses I hope the memories never fade.

Thanks to my parents for being brave enough to let us explore and to Nev and Eileen for giving us a great childhood.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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Little Badges - I ain't afraid of no ghost

2009-02-25T16:38:00.011Z

Hi

The virtual kettles on..... So while I let it boil i just have this to say

"We came...We saw...We kicked it's ass" shout's Dr. Peter Venkman. Ghosts everywhere, coming out of the sewers, in closets, on buses. Great film and like everyone else at the time I went a bit Ghostbusters mad.

But that was then and this is now, So why on earth do I still believe in ghosts. I could not put a time frame on when I started believing in other things and other worlds which can crossover but I am sure that Ghostbusters helped seal my belief.

I remember somebody bought me a fantastic colour book about the paranormal and the unexplained one Christmas. Apart from the usual stuff, Nessie, the Yeti, curses on Egyptian tombs and a particularly gruesome picture of the remains of a burnt leg which was the result of self combustion, there was a section on Ghosts, and Poltergeists.

They had some amazing photographs, that I am pretty sure have been debunked now, of a white ghost coming down a staircase. But that did not matter to me, it was the text really that opened up the possibility of what if? From there on I sort of Searched out local history ghosts from where I used to live, and when you start looking there is an awful lot of stuff about the subject.

One story that grabbed me was about a female ghost or male ghost depending on your sex that would appear to people at an old unused cemetary where I used to live. The story goes that if you see the image of a woman (you being a male) and she attracts you over and kisses you, you have 48hrs to live. Likewise if you see a man (you being female) and he does the same you will only have 48hrs to live. It was something to do with being a spurned lover and their body was buried at this old disused cemetary.

So after reading that the first thing I did, was get my gang of mates to saddle up on our BMX's (they had BMX's, I had a cheap heavy copy by Raleigh in Copper and black) and head out to the cemetary. Mind you it was the middle of the summer holidays and blazing sunshine, but we camped ourselves outside the cemetary for hours just waiting. One of us would suddenly say something like, "there, something moved" and our heartrates would jump a little higher. Nothing, not a sausage. But what on earth would we have done if we had seen and been enticed by this lady ghost. Panicked!

But I still hold out for something to this day. I watch all the normal rubbish on TV to do with it. Sit there for hours upon hours watching Most haunted live for nothing to happen apart from a load of screaming for no apparant reason, and camera work just like the Blair witch project. And as usual at the end of the night they sit around and discuss just what did not actually happen, but could have. I am getting to the point where I want Carl and Yvette Fielding to be attacked in front of a locked off camera!

And of course there was the great Derek Acorah who would go into a trancelike state and start hurling obsenities into the face of Yvette, which looking back was probably more to do with his contract and the fact that they no longer got on, than any paranormal occurance.

But much later in my life I had my one and only ghostly experiences. I was working in a pub while I was at college. It was the Old Queens head in Penn. The place used to be an old Tithe barn with a coaching Inn attached. It had just gone under extensive refurbishments when I joined.

First of all I worked as the Kitchen Porter, washing up into the wee small hours on a Saturday night and Sunday night. I always felt when I was left alone at the end of shift to finish cleaning and shutting down that there was something behind me, but nothing ever happened. Later I moved to being a barman, and would finish bottling up around 3am, and sit down with the others and grab a drink. The first experience happened regularly enough around 3am on a Saturday morning. The church opposite had a security light and this would go on, and then a couple of moments later the door to the pub which had a gate latch, would click up and open fully and close with a latch as we all sat there. Not that remarkable some might say, but the door was a heavy wooden door and had a fire hinge at the top which was hard to push at the best of times. This happened so regularly, the same pattern, that we named this thing George. And would raise our glasses and say "Morning George".

The next strange occurance was much more personal. The Tithe barn area, the oldest part of the pub, had just gone under major refurbishments to house an new set of toilets. Well I was in there not long after they had finished and was....Well doing my business having a pee. There was only me and two other staff there and I could hear them down stairs. There was nobody behind me, nobody else in the toilet and the squeaky door would have alerted me if someone had dashed out. All of a sudden I felt a focused hard push on my left shoulder, which spun me around a bit. Nothing no one there. I had not finished peeing so had to finish up quick smart but then again another harder more violent push to my left shoulder. That was it for me, and I can only apologise for not washing my hands that night, but I was gone, Out of the loo and very quickly out of the pub. Oh yes and I had had a few pints that night but even so, it jolted me out of any slightly merry feeling I was having.

It wasn't that long after that I quit my job there.

So until I find out otherwise I am AFRAID I am going to carry on believing. I could have told you about the night where flying cutlery and knives went by my head but that was just the chef. He was a nutter!!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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Litlle Badges - OOH look at the pointy spears

2009-02-24T14:40:00.009Z

Hi

The virtual kettles on..... So while I let it boil i just have this to say

Apparently....3D is coming back. Woo Hoo I hear you cry. But the question is, did it ever leave us. In it's time, 3D was brilliant. I must admit, I was a late starter to 3D films but, wow how excited was I when they played the first one on TV and you got a FREE pair of 3D glasses with your copy of Radio Times or TV Times.

We all sat around the telly, a little closer than normal, all sat there in Our 3D glasses which were very uncomfortable, looking all modern and space age (amazing what a bit of red and blue celluloid can do). If I remember rightly, the film was about Cowboys and Indians. I would not say it had a memorable plot in any form, basic cowboy and Indian stuff, but it did have an awful lot of people jabbing stuff straight at the screen. Knives, guns, and lots of flaming arrows!!

But to give it it's due, I was young in the 80's and I got quite a thrill out of it. My dad was convinced that one of the arrows would actually come out the screen and kept trying to pull us out of the way. He does get excitable.

And then in the 80's the floodgates seemed to open for a while and everything was going 3D. Even Jaws! I thought then we were on the cusp of greatness, and did not even realize that this format had lived and died before in the 50's!

And yes, naïve as I was, we all thought that those special cheap little glasses contained a magic that could make the modern real world even more 3D. We would push sticks at kids faces wearing the glasses, and they would scream "oh it's all so real and 3D...It looks like it is really coming at me"!

When I was over in Vegas a couple of years back, stuck in the smokey casinos, not gambling just watching other people gamble (I am a cheap date), Me and my wife would slip away to the IMAX theatre in the Luxor and watch some 3D movies. No longer the two tone glasses, these just seemed to be grey, we would happily spend 30mins watching these movies, and the technology had definately moved on. We really enjoyed them.

So I can only hope that the 30 plus films being produced at this very moment in Hollywood will actually be good. Maybe less randomly pointing pointy things at the camera, and a much better plot line, and it might just work and take off this time.

Talking movies were ridiculed to begin with, but hey, they seem to be doing all right these days, even the real stinkers.

I personally cant wait to be wowed by the movies again, but I am easily pleased..... and maybe after 3D there will be 4D! Pass the popcorn, wow you nearly had my eye out!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Little badges - Me please sir...Me ...me

2009-02-23T16:16:00.008Z

Hi

The virtual kettles on..... So while I let it boil i just have this to say

It was a coveted position. All wanted it, but only one could have it, and yet this wondrous honour fell upon me at my lower school.

Yep, that's what I'm asking as well. Why me. Did I look like Milk Monitor material. Did I have an angelic face, where my hands the right size at that age to hold the bottles. Did I scream with responsibility.

I cannot answer any of those questions...... but I was proud to be the Milk Monitor.

I had a little badge that said milk monitor. Oh how the other children coveted that badge. I won't lie to you, I used to shine it up with my little grey jumper sleeve. When you are Milk Monitor you have to have standards you know.

But for the life Of me I cannot remember why I got the job. Was I the nearest to the door, did they do a ballot and I won. Was it down to the fact that I was bought up to hold doors open for teachers. (It was manners....I was not a crawler) or was it something more in the realms of destiny.

A chance conversation with my dad the other week revealed to me that he too had been Milk Monitor at his school. Was this my destiny. Is there some inter school code of honour that means that the offspring of the coveted Milk Monitor get preferential treatment, and are then too welcomed into the halls of Milk Monitor land.

What it gave me was respect from teachers. I don't know why? There is something about being a head boy or head girl that automatically gives you a little edge of power and possibly the chance of seeing into the hallowed 'TEACHERS STAFF ROOM' But I had started out on the lower rungs of Milk Monitor, and bye jove I was going to Milk it for all it was worth ( I can only apologise for that pun).

Before morning break I was allowed to leave our classroom and walk down to the delivery bay. Where each classroom had their crates of milk. My responsibilities covered 4 class rooms, where I would go and deliver these crates one by one. Then finally delivering our classroom crate, the specially hand picked crate that had not been in the direct sunlight all morning, to my class mates.

Then It was my job to hand out the milk bottles, they were only tiny bottles, and a straw to each classmate. Of course I would pick my bottle out first, and I always had two straws. I made sure I did not have the milk bottle with the dried bird muck on the lid. Then I would hand out the bottles, carefully weighing up my audience and giving out premium bottles to my favourites.

Oh the power. But I often thought it was a little unfair that other kids could not do it. Especially when it was raining. I often wondered on those cold wet days, maybe I should deputize somebody for the day to let them enjoy the thrill of being milk monitor. But alas with power comes gret responsibility and I was not allowed.

So for all of you out there who did not manage and craved so much to be the milk monitor.....Now you can.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Little Badges - Ladies and gentlemen..... Let's...Play....Darts

2009-02-22T11:32:00.009Z

Hi

The virtual kettles on..... So while I let it boil i just have this to say

Firstly, I know it's not one of those trendy sports, and I know it has a low brow reaction from my friends......but I just love darts!

I have worked in loads of Advertising agencies..... and not once has an account handler suggested wining and dining clients at a darts match. Football, all the time. Most agencies I know have use of a corporate box. Rugby again, seen as an upper class sport. Formula 1 again is a popular one to take the clients to. But alas Darts less so.

But why? It has the skill of any other sport. It has the tension of any other sport, it has the speed of any other sport, and it has the unpredictability of any other sport. But why so low brow.

I was hooked as a young lad by the Eric Bristow, John lowe, keith deller era. The arenas where sponsored by cigarette companies, and the air was thick with smoke, and the smells of stale beer and cheap lager. And yet the cream always rose to the top. In any sport you have to have the outsiders, the just there to make up the numbers, and the favourites. It got to the point where the two greats Eric Bristow and John Lowe where the titans, and the final was already set before the end of the tournament. Basically you had to decide out of those two, who you were going to pick. The crafty cockney.... Skill personified, a natural swinging talent, with that cheeky glint in his eye, a quip and a friendly chip on his shoulder. A darts master. Sometimes the villain sometimes the hero. Then you had John Lowe. A serious looking man, a steely determination and skill blistering out of the ends of his fingertips. John Lowe stood tall like a Clint Eastwood character and stared down the dartboard until it relinqued to his skill. Both top players, both bubbling with skill and talent.

I always wanted to see John Lowe win. I don't Know why, maybe because that's who my dad supported. When the darts was on in our household, we would follow each match and each set of darts to it's conclusion. Mesmerised by it. The hypnotic thud thud thud of the darts hitting the board. The sing song way the caller shouts out the darts scores, and the shear joy for the player when they drop in a 180. Have you ever tried to hit a 180. For years I could never do it. The blokes on TV did it regularly. Once a match had finished I would go out into the cold garage and try and replicate it. Most times I could barely get a 20 or a single treble twenty. Just recently I have started hitting 180's more regularly but maybe over a year of playing only 24. Whereas you watch the Phil taylors, The count, the Mervyn Kings of the modern darts and they are hitting over that in one tournament.

But still over all these years I am more of a closet darts fan. I try not to be, but if you start a new job it's always Which football team do you support! My reply is none, as I find it one of the most boring over ego's sports going. The next question is what sport do you like then. I always reply honestly with Formula 1 being my top sport, but I do always add followed by darts.
Some peoples reaction shear horror, then a nervous laugh.... and then non conversation from that point on. But every so often you get someone that follows it, and you see a little light bulb go on behind their eyes as they are allowed to connect with someone else about this great sport.

And it is a great sport. Take a set of darts and try and hit 180. Then once you've achieved that memorise the out shots on the doubles and try and hit the coverted 170 out. Treble twenty, Treble twenty and Bullseye!!!!! It's difficult. To this day my highest out score is 126! I'm still a long way off.

So ladies and gentlemen..... I urge you...... Let's Play Dart's!

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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Little badges - Money Money Money

2009-02-21T10:14:00.010Z

Hi

The virtual kettles on..... So while I let it boil i just have this to say

Well you can't turn on the telly, or read a newspaper these days without some ill informed reporter shouting in a slightly panic ridden voice about the end of the world, being just around the corner (that bloke on oxford street could have been right then!) or how the pound has plummeted to a 15 year low, since records began 15 yrs ago.

Each day the channels and the news reporters try and out do the other with doom. One will quote, stock market loses 15 million in one day, and the paper just next to it on the paper stand reads 18 million lost in the city in one day. Wow there is a 3 Million pound difference there! That's a lot.

I have to stop myself screaming at the telly these days, when someone says this is the worst data to have come out since records began! They don't tell you that records of the specific event have only been recorded in the last 15 years. That's only back to 1994.

The other thing that really riles me, is that the footsie 100 can rise for five days straight without any coverage..... Yet if it drops for one day, it's in the news..... If it drops for two days, It's a catastrophe.... if it drops for 3 days, we may as well shoot ourselves, the aliens are coming to invade the world, were all doomed!

E sales are up massively year on year, but high street retail is suffering. Why is this..... One if you live in Britain the prices are too expensive, Two if you shop on the high street the prices are too expensive, Three shops in Britain have basically become the 3D version of the Argos catalogue . You go in, browse the items, touch it, feel it, abuse it to see if it scratches easily and then you go home and do an internet search for the cheapest version of it.

Oh yes and experts! Wow, there seems to be an expert for everything. 1 yr old fossil found, we will now ask Dr peter spligdolski who is an expert on 1 yr old fossils his opinion.

Expert should be reclassified as average Joe with an opinion and guess work. Just because someone is referred to as an expert does not mean they are right. Most cases they are towing a company line or they are just widely guessing and getting paid to give their opinions. Because lets remember, nobody, anywhere does anything for FREE.

So with that all in mind, I still and always "will work for money"

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

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Little Badges - Why drink water when you can drink tea

2009-02-20T08:03:00.005Z

Hi

The virtual kettles on..... So while I let it boil i just have this to say

I can't get enough of it! I had not realized I had an addiction, but wow. I am like a chain smoker with mugs instead of ciggies. I just finish one delicious hot cuppa, and my brain is already saying to me..... Oooh I fancy a nice brew.

My poor old kettle must be getting a thumb indentation on it's 'on' switch. Now don't get me wrong on this. I am not one of those tea snobs. You will find no Lapsang doo dah in my cupboards, or this trendy Roobush malarky, ( I worked in an office once which was full of women, and they used to pontificate and try and get me to drink Roobush, OOh you must try it, it is divine)! Let me just stop them there. It is not divine. It is a teabag in hot water without milk. Not in my book TEA!

No I am a simple man (much said) and I have simple tastes. I do not care if it is a teabag with the sweepings up off the floor from a tea house in an economy range, a builders tea, in a round bag, pyramid bag etc. I Just want TEA.

People get a bit funny about tea as well, not me. People come to my house, and I offer them a tea, and some of them say have you got this brand, or do you have this speciality tea etc. To which I gleefully reply no. I have tea or I have not got tea. You either drink it or you dont. Some people, parents in particular having been on the planet for a number of years and proffess to you that, oh they don't mind what they get, will then take a sip and say something like, that's a bit strong or that's a bit weak, or do you put the milk in first.

I am afraid I was bought up with manners, and would not dream of saying to someone that has made the effort of making me a lovely cuppa, ooh that's too strong, or too weak. I am happy to have tea as it comes, as long as it has milk and tea.

I am afraid that the idea of a Tea break has long gone, and we will grab a couple of mouthful swigs when we can, on a platform, in a cafe, or mainly at our desks staring into the infinity of a computer monitor. But I can hand on heart say that every mouthful of tea I do get, it sends a happy message to my brain. There would be rioting if tea was taken away.

And of course I know that tea has it's other detractors, the well rounded aromatic sexy sounding coffee with it's silly rituals and even more ridiculous names, and yes I have gone to the dark side, mainly when I am tired or watching an F1 Grand Prix in the middle of the night while sensible people sleep, but I always come back to tea, because unlike coffee it is not a snake oil salesman.

An honest cuppa for an honest man (okay I did once eat some sweets out of the Pick and Mix at Woolworths without paying, but I have lived with that guilt so they were not free), none of this Hippy coffee empire rubbish with it's stereotype clients. Just a good cuppa...or two....make that three, oh go on then just another, oh yes and the parents are coming round so I will have another then, and then their are the ad breaks.....and....oh yes and...ooh and I could.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling (finally) so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Little badges - Bad news always gets buried

2009-02-19T08:56:00.004Z

Hi

The virtual kettles on..... So while I let it boil i just have this to say

There's a lot of bad news out there... I appreciate that, but of course some news is more bad (wow terrible English).

Some of you may have heard about (as the newspapers and media channels like to put it) Chaos, crisis, catastrophe, plunging stocks, since records began news that the finances of the nations might not be as healthy as we thought in 2007-2008. But amazingly and to prove a point that really bad news is buried, I have only just found out from a mate down the pub that.........

....... Bill Oddie the great Bird watcher and gruff grumpy and dangerous wildlife Tv presenter has walked away from the next series of Spring Watch!!!

I know.....That's what I said! I used more 4 letter words than that, well I had had a few glasses of Exmoor gold, but yes, the sentiment was the same.

Bill Oddie is Spring Watch! I can't get enough of the Live Spring Watch and Autumn Watch episodes when they are on. Bill is often off hand, grumpy, impassioned, and does not suffer fools gladly. You never know what he is going to do or say and for that matter even though they do rehearsals neither do the directors!!

Tv gold happens nightly as Bill often has to correct the other woman ..... what's her name... no can't remember, as she chattily gives over a fact that she has been given as if it's her own (Kate Humble i think) and Bill rolls his eyes and corrects her like a school master would.

After I had cleaned up after spilling my pint at the news, and realising that it had been well and truly hidden in the news, I decided to wear an arm band in memory of the great man.

Come back Bill! All is forgiven, even your dirty sex talk about the ducks in the studio, not quite Manuelgate but very close given the audience.

We have a very popular badge that says 'I'm an Oddie Watcher' see website: http://thebiglittlebadgeco.com under Film and Tv, but of course I am going to have to change that to 'Where's Oddie' now!

Oddie we love you and salute you.

Oh well that's me done for the day..... the virtual kettle has boiled now

Milk or sugar?

Well that's me

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Thank you to all our lovely customers

2009-02-18T16:00:00.009Z

Hello

Well the virtual kettles on, so while I just let that boil away in the background we would just like to say a big thank you.

Thank you to all our customers over the last year. We have met some interesting people, we have heard some interesting reasons for why you chose certain badges, and all in all we have enjoyed serving each and everyone of you.

As you all know by now.....each of our little 25mm badges is very special to us. They are created based on what's happening in the world, how we are feeling and on what you are looking for. We shed a little tear as we send off each of our badges to it's new home. But we know from feedback that our little badges are very well looked after. During the snow the other week, we sent out orders on the Monday. We warned customers that although we managed to get to the postbox, the postman might not. The feedback was of understanding. One customer let us know that...."the badges did arrive...they were a little cold, but they warmed them by the fire.....and they soon perked up". Knowing we have such loyal and understanding customers is a real joy.

Now for some other news. You can now buy direct straight from our website. We have set up each badge with an add to cart button. When you have chosen the ones you would like just simply pay via PayPal, either with a credit or debit card or with a PayPal account. You don't even need to have a PayPal account to buy from us.

Well little badge lovers, the kettle has boiled.

Milk and sugar?

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