The Martinshof Story - A Philosophy of Happiness - Life Awareness - Maps & other Text series

Most of the long standing loyal employees (some having served the company for 30-40 years!) are being made redundant. As a result one of the hallmark features of the original Martinshof business : its well established close personal contacts and relationships with its jeweler customers will be largely lost.

Martinshof, as a self contained unit, has been the most profitable company within the Aurum group, but it appears that a narrow minded management perspective, focused solely on "the bottom line", has prevailed.
Modern day business philosophy (exemplified by my father's running of Martinshof and now also gradually being considered in Government policies of an increasing number of countries), which includes serious quantified considerations of the well-being of its employees and of the wider community, has clearly not reached this Dutch company as yet.
Harry Harberts (long standing Martinshof employee since 1970) is organising a "Farewell party" of Martinshof as it used to be. It will be held on April 1 (2011) in Zutphen, the place where my parents started their lifelong highly creative adventure in the jewelry business. Many of the former as well as present staff will attend.

Wednesday & Thursday, March 9 & 10 2011 (diary)

Heavy downpours alternating with dry overcast skies are the order of the day with rarely a glimpse of blue sky. But as a result it remains relatively cool (low to mid 20s °C) and I love it. It is wonderful to sit snug and cosy in my cabin, writing away on my laptop, while the rain is gushing down the roof.

Tuesday afternoon I collided against the back of a car which suddenly stopped in front of me, in a median strip while tuning into a main road. The classic situation of an overcautious driver (in the car in front of me) seeing a car on the main road approaching, but as yet too far away to have to stop for.
"Oh, that has happened to me before." said the very polite driver to me. Why didn't that surprise me at all?
My right headlight area is damaged and will cost me $500 "own risk" before the insurance picks up the rest of the bill. But I can still drive the car and even the right hand lights are still working. Well, one has to live with such things occasionally.
I am back into the swing of things with bridge (although still somewhat jaded from the long journey), playing both Thursday afternoon in Darwin and Thursday evening in Palmerston. Freda and I will be regularly pairing up on Thursday evenings again, which we both enjoy, we have been playing together for many years.

I received an email from Trisha, the Head of the Casuarina Seniors College (CSC) night classes, confirming my offer to run a Blues improvisation course next Term (Term 2 - starting April 29). It will go ahead provided at least 8 students enroll. Something different for me to do.