Proud to be a Pleb!

Many of us have come across the Vagina Monologues, in which there is a whole section about a four letter word beginning with C. In the play it asks women to reclaim the C word to take it's power away from men (and sometimes women) who use this term as an insult, and to give it's power back to women.

So after the brew-ha-ha that is going on in the media about the Conservative Party Whip allegedly called the Downing Street police 'plebs' I decided to look into the word to find out if it is such a BAD word that the British media is stirring it up to be.

I knew the word was a shortened version of plebeian, but will admit to not knowing it's true meaning, so I looked it up.

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plebeian |pliˈbēən|
noun(in ancient Rome) a commoner.• a member of the lower social classes.adjectiveof or belonging to the commoners of ancient Rome.• of or belonging to the lower social classes.• lacking in refinement: he is a man of plebeian tastes.ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from Latin plebeius (from plebs,pleb- ‘the common people’) + -an.

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Well after reading this I am surprised that all this furore has occurred. Although it is currently being bandied about as an insult, I feel that, as a member of the 'lower social classes' (unfortunately I haven't yet reached the high society invite circuit just yet, or married a Lord), and as someone who probably 'lacks refinement' (if you compare me to nobility............. or even the butler in Downton Abbey) I should proudly reclaim plebeian.
We should all be proud of our heritage, whichever so-called class we are tagged with. I am proud to be a 3rd generation shop keeper, therefore working class, and I have no problem with anyone who is born or rises to the upper classes, we all have our part to play. If many of us stand up and proudly proclaim ourselves to be plebeians then the power of  this word as a term of abuse is removed, so here goes 

"I'm proud to be a pleb"

.......now someone hand the police a dictionary.

They did it! - A Guinness World Record!

A little while ago on my Hello Brolly Facebook page I wrote about a quirky little museum in Peaks Island, Maine, USA and their attempt to get in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The Umbrella Cover Museum in their own words 'is dedicated to the appreciation of the mundane in everyday life. It is about finding wonder and beauty in the simplest of things, and about knowing that there is always a story behind the cover.'

When I last wrote about them they were waiting to find out if they would be included in the GBoWR, and I am glad to tell you that they now hold the world record for the Largest Collection of Umbrella Covers - 730.

They are happy to receive umbrella covers from all over the world, just pop them in the post, and included your story about (or history of) the cover.

Send them to : Nancy 3. Hoffman, Director and Curator, 62-B Island Avenue, Peaks Island, ME 04108

If you want to watch the video of the official count - http://youtu.be/pzzYDZjlxGs
If you want to show a bit of support, they also have their own facebook page http://www.facebook.com/UmbrellaCoverMuseum

A good umbrella. Why? Because you're definitely worth it!

Why do many women pay huge sums for shoes, bags and hats, and then top the ensemble off with a pitiful looking cheap umbrella that wouldn't stand up to a strong breath from a hamster? 

I will now admit to, at one time in my life, being one of these women. I like nice clothes and accessories, but umbrellas were something that I would spend as little as possible on. I thought that they always break easily, and they are easy to lose so what's the point spending good money on one.

Well one day I saw a brolly that mesmerized me, it was 2 or 3 times the amount I would normally pay, but I just had to have it. The quality was so much better than the cheapo brollies that I usually bought, and it just looked good and was a bit quirky.

 (This is the umbrella that started it all, it's such a good brolly that I still use it almost 10 years later)

It started my love of umbrellas, and my change in career to becoming the owner of Hello Brolly. Since starting my business I have, as you would expect, collected quite a number of umbrellas for my personal use. I have big'uns, little'uns, odd-shaped, colourful, plain, frilly, fashionable, long and short, but my one criteria that must be filled is that it has to be a good quality umbrella, and that is also my one true criteria for all the brollies that I sell.

To answer my earlier question, the only conclusion that I can come to is that these women (& men) haven't had the experience of a good umbrella............YET.

Don't think of an umbrella as just something functional to keep the pesky rain off you, think of it in the same way as you buy your shoes and handbags. It should make you feel good, compliment your style, show off your personality and be fashionable. To me a good umbrella won't break on it's first encounter with the wind, a good brolly is something you just wouldn't leave lying around because you like it so much and, best of all, a good umbrella will make you feel terrific even on the most miserable of days.

So please, if you've only ever bought cheap umbrellas, just try going up a level (or 2), it will be a revelation to you how much better they are.