Unfortunately I've had my reply from Sainsbury's, and like most big organization they work about two years in advance. A very nice Fraser McFarlane the Customer Manager explained they give an enormous amount to charity every year which I never doubted, but their quota up to and beyond 2011 had been used up. So this is my latest plea to any caring millionaire, and if there is a God, and I want there to be desperately cos I'm running out of time - please send a message to anyone that could pay the printing costs of my 2011 calendar even if you have to hypnotise them - it is all for charity, and no one gains but the charities involved.
If you haven't already read how I've struggled to get this off the ground - click on If You're Interested then 2010 - and scan down to February 15th that's of course if you are interested.
This very moment I've opened the printers estimate - now I knew it would be a ritzy job it's a top firm, but strewth I never thought it would cost that amount. If I had 1000 printed the over all cost if they were dropped on my doorstep, would be £1,992.00 that works out at roughly £1.99 a throw. Now if we could sell them all at three quid we'd make a killing, but we wouldn't sell them all, not at that price. I can get the price lower by ordering 2,000, and then it drops to a fraction over £1.22 but the cost goes up to £2,458.00 it would be alright if it was Monopoly, and I had a couple of hotels on Park Lane.
Two thousand would be a bit chancy in any case? So it looks like I'm gonna have to put that advert on my home page again that is if I'm going to attract a secret millionaire. Trouble is - all the people who have made money in front of our eyes, like Simon Cowell on the TV, or Richard Branson, on the Internet by owning vast empires like Virgin - get so many letters, emails, and telephone calls - by the time they hear from me they're sick and sight of charity work. Mind you I did tell Simon there was still room on the bus.
How to word it that's the thing - I can't afford to offend anyone, and can't sound as if I'm begging, but I suppose I am really. I'll give it a go for a month, and after that time if no one pipes up - then I'll scotch the whole idea.
Now talking slang, and you know what sent me on this tangent don't you? Pipes up, or Piping up - it's a Naval term - so naturally this brain thought of another "The Cat's out of the bag" This is also a naval term, and the cat they were talking about had nine tails that they flogged a disobedient sailor with. Probably why people say cat's have nine lives as well?
Well I never.