Wedding Cakes by the Bucket

Standard wedding cakes that were dished up at the formal reception after the marriage ceremony were constructed of rich fruit cake clad in almond paste, it had a minimum of three tiers from big to small and on top of the last level there were a bride and a groom posed between a number of pillars and the remaining portion of the cake was decorated with pink sugar roses. That was the cake no argument, and most often it was created by Auntie Charlotte and her help Lettie- four or five months before the wedding so it could reach maturity.

As a concession the lower layer was made of cardboard with a little door to gain access to the numerous little pieces of pre cut cake wrapped in cellophane, which every guest got one of. The slicing of the cake with a large silver blade which required a hand each from the groom and bride was pure fake, although obviously there had to be a picture of the ceremony.

Anything at all goes these days with wedding cakes from leaning towers, to tiers of cupcakes, to individual little truffles all bundled in such a way as to form a tower. In reality anything you can dream of, that wedding cake can be created. Just check on some wedding cake websites for some examples (like on http://www.fabweddingcakes.co.za).

The only thing that remains traditional of wedding cakes is that it has to be remarkable, and attention grabbing, and that the guests would ooh! and aah! and be more conscious of the cake than to the bride. Little Johnny of course, would see nothing else and would usually have to wait for several hours to get a disappointing morsel of the lavish looking affair. One more thing that went out the conventional window is Auntie Charlotte and Lettie, for that matter. Nowadays Mr. So and So, the chief pastry chef from the Lord Abbanoth Hotel spent FORTY HOURS on the cake, you know? That snippet was picked up as a whisper from the bride’s mom to a renowned racehorse trainer’s ex wife.

And, of course, listening to these wedding co-ordinators speak on TV in their la- di- da voices and phoney accents everything has to match and be co-ordinated – we can’t have the cake arrangements clashing with the bride’s eye shadow or the colour of her footwear. And wedding cakes this month are so passé darling, you must have countless small cakes exquisitely iced in bright green and maybe violet, so they won’t be missed. In the meantime we will watch every British and American wedding mag to pick up the latest flavour and have that instead. It takes ages to finalise the details on the wedding cake, after not only talking to a number of titled pastry chefs but also some specialty bakery shops. Now we need to get the two mums to agree to the final detail while the future bride throws a couple of tantrums because Daddy is balking at the cost of darn cake, for heaven’s sake.

Tell you what Suzie, just phone Auntie Charlotte and let her know to get on with it!

Kinds Of Coverage You Can Get By Way Of Motor Insurance Quotes

Preparing an inventory of all your assets you want to cover with replacement prices is among the first things you should do when contemplating insurance cover, prior to looking for the ideal insurance company and insurance quotations. Short term vehicle and house insurance is the best option that can be purchased, covering every one of your most important assets in the event of unanticipated accidents.

Obtaining insurance estimates from different providers also gives you the chance to evaluate the premiums and determine what one suits your wallet best. One has to be realistic when looking for quotations as it is preferable to try to find the cheapest, most comprehensive cover rather than just looking for the least expensive premium. The insurance policy you select must protect all of your current possessions. Don’t take risk leaving some of your belongings off of the inventory list as this may be the item that could get taken first in a theft. For more information on insurance products, go to http://www.ppshomeandcarinsurance.co.za.

When looking for estimates you should also consider the kind of coverage you’re looking for, and ensure that the provider you choose offers that exact coverage for the cheapest possible premium. Insurance providers typically offer 3 types of protection, and these include; Complete cover, which incorporates collision, fire, thievery and liability insurance. This type of cover is more costly than the other two coverage schemes. With the 2nd kind of protection you will get liability, theft and fire cover and will not protect your vehicle in case there is an accident, the lowest level of insurance that will cover third party legal responsibility only.The lowest level protection is only a good idea if your car doesn’t have a high reselling value and is paid off.

Car insurance is fast becoming compulsory in a great many countries all over the world. In these countries, if you do not drive around with good insurance cover for your automobile you will be liable to a fine. This is regrettably a costly thing for many people so to make sure you get the very best rate out there you have to compare quotes. Even though insurance might not be compulsory in your country it is certainly essential, especially if your car has been financed. Should your vehicle be involved in an accident and is a write-off while you are not insured, not only do you lose your automobile but you’re stuck with the task of paying off a vehicle you do not own and that is a great deal more costly than paying extra per month on an insurance premium.

Due to the fact that accidents can occur with the high crime rate in Southern Africa, one has to ensure that you are making provision for these unanticipated occurrences. You’ve already taken the initial step towards ensuring that you don’t have to endure worry if these things should happen by searching for insurance quotes. Make sure you execute a thorough search and comparison of quotes to make sure you are paying the very best rate for the coverage that you’re seeking. Be safe and enjoy peace of mind, get protection for your property right now.

Have You Been Considering Timber Flooring? What You Need To Know

Timber flooring gives a certain feel and look to a home which can’t be imitated by many other materials. Solid timber creates a sense and feel of warmth due to the natural insulating abilities yet it’s also visually very interesting. Most older homes would have timber flooring that are still in good shape and the explanation is that timber is incredibly resilient and when taken care of can literally last ages.

What type of timber to buy

There are numerous species of timber which can be utilized for flooring. Timber species also each have different specifications, they differ in color, grain and also hardness. A number of the more commonly used species of timber for floors are pine , oak and mahogany. The type of timber you decide on will vary in price according to the species as well as based on the hardness of the timber. For more information on wooden poles, go to http://www.vukacmd.co.za..

You can pick the timber for your floor depending on the durability along with the colour that you want. The colour will mostly be based upon taste or to match with the interior planning of your property.

Red mahogany for example is a reddish colour, it is very hard and also resistant against termites. Then there’s pine which is a varies in hues of yellowish-tan. Pine is available in different hardness also depending on the type of pine it is.

How to look after your floors

There are various ways which you can take care of you timber flooring. When cared for in the proper manner timber flooring will last for more than a century. Place protective padding over the legs of pieces of furniture. It will stop the home furniture from scratching the wood when furniture is being moved.

Ensure that people sporting high heeled shoes leave their shoes at the front door. The heels of high heel dress shoes can leave scuff marks and dents on the floor. To prevent this you could have a few pairs of slippers at the front end door.

Make sure to resurface your timber floors every 4-5 years. This process is the light sanding of the varnish then re-varnishing the floors. The moment done make sure you wait 48 hours so that the varnish is correctly dried before replacing furniture.

Place rugs and mats over areas which are highly trafficked for example by the front door. Also place a rug under your lounge area table.

If you have a fireplace place be sure to place a protective casing in-front of the fire or a protective mat to stop cinder from spoiling the floor.

In order to keep your floor clean use a dry mop to remove dust and utilize a damp cloth to eliminate any tough spots.

Responsible buying

Always make sure that the timber yard the place you buy your timber from have sourced their timber in a legitimate way, they ought to adhere to their timber regulations and their products must prove this compliance. Accountable timber sourcing is critical for the protection of our natural environment.

Precisely What Gear For Your Construction Undertaking

Every building project is different. The buildings are going to be carried out based on different plans, they’ll be different heights and they’ll have different surface finishes and all kinds of other things. This means that you will likely require different sets of tools to complete each project. It is important that you make sure that you have the right tools to do the job to be able to make sure everything is done properly.

You are going to need a cement mixer. Cement is used to hold the actual bricks of the building together and to lay the foundations. You really cannot have a building without cement. If you blend the actual cement on the floor manually then you might not get the mix evenly spread and this could result in weak spots. It is better to have a proper mechanised mixer that will keep the cement liquid as well as blend it all evenly. For more information on scaffolding, go to http://www.vertexsa.co.za.

You will likely need scaffolding at some point. Regardless of how many stories your building is going to have, the building is going to get over your workers heads at some point and they are going to have to be capable of getting high enough to carry on with the construction. It is vital that you make certain the scaffolding is set up properly and that it’s stable before you decide to allow work to begin each morning.

You’re also going to need the general tools that should be in each and every handyman’s toolkit. Things like hammers as well as screwdrivers and all that kind of thing. There will be electric wires to set up as well as plumbing pipes to lay and fixtures to mount and you have to have the various tools for these jobs too. If you do not then things will not be laid properly and you’ll have lots of problems on your hands a few years down the road.

Remember that your workers are also technically part of your tool set. You need to ensure that you take care of them and that you only employ the very best that you can find. Any careless work is going to be on your head later on and you need to make sure that you aren’t going to have any issues like this.

Just like any kind of job, it is crucial that you choose you construction tools carefully. When you construct a building you’re literally going to be taking people’s lives in your hands and you have to be sure that your conscience is clear with regards to the safety of the building. The last thing you want is to have substandard craftsmanship endangering the lives of those who are going to be using the building at a later stage.

You shouldn’t have to make a plan to get some thing done. You should always ensure that you only use the right tools to do the job. Anything else isn’t going to do the job correctly and, in construction at the very least, not doing the job properly could endanger lives.

Call Centre Management Software To Ensure Smooth Operators

In order to run an enterprise which is productive, effective utilization of resources both human and other along with attention to customer support is necessary. Managers need to observe the different operations and make the necessary corrections that need to be made to always have a smooth flow in operations. As a way for management to do this information is needed.

An excellent manager can’t make the correct judgements devoid of the accurate information. In a call centre environment it’s the task of call centre operators to take care of consumers. The responsibility either requires addressing customer questions or contacting potential customers to market and sell items. The correct management of the call centre is crucial to deliver the most effective customer care possible. In terms of call centre management, the manager is only able to find out how successfully his employees are doing their work by keeping track of particular information. For more information on Call Centre management, go to http://www.up-time.co.za.

Call centre management software will help management determine the proper plan of action to take with the feedback the sofware offers. This info has the additional benefit of being given in realtime. So by looking on his or her screen the manager can see precisely how the call centre is operating in any moment.

This enables management to:

Keep an eye on the efficiency of call centre operators

Managers instantly can easily see how long operators are spending on a phone call or whether they take calls or not. They can also view the telephone number of the person the operator is talking with.

This may look like snooping but it is essential for managers to be aware of which operators are least effective in doing their job because in the long run it’s the client and the business which suffers.

Determine the quantity of call centre operators needed to manage workflow

Managers need to know exactly how many call centre agents they need to be able to deal with the volume of inbound and outbound calls. An incorrect quantity of staff could be specifically difficult in inbound call centres. Not having enough personnel signifies that consumers are kept waiting on hold for lengthy intervals of time. This is very bad for the organization image as consumers become angry at having to waste time as well as their money. Having too many agents will mean that not all will have work to perform while the business is losing profits in the paying of salaries.

Improve call operator training Managers can also boost customer care by paying attention to recorded telephone calls between the agent and the consumer. This permits management to ascertain the topics on which their agents need to be better educated. Managers may supply operators with data on the best way to do their job yet it’s only by listening directly to the way a operator relates to a person that management really can see which parts of communication has to be worked on.

Speedier problem resolution Certain customers may be problematic, with obtaining the data about the numerous consumers management can instantaneously redirect a specific consumer to the operator who’s more competent in handling a particular problem.

Commercial Insurance- Getting The Cover You Require To Be Safe

Commercial insurance is the insurance coverage that you acquire to insure your company against any kind of loss. The loss which may happen to ones business may be considerable and when a business owner performs a risk analyses he or she will quickly see that commercial insurance is the only way to safeguard the organization against loss. There are various forms of commercial insurance out there however when you are considering covering the basics your commercial insurance ought to cover these kinds of odds.

Each and every company is different though so it’s often best to meet with a commercial insurance professional who can assist you with determing the best forms of commercial insurance for you. Having an agent assist you in choosing the most beneficial forms of insurance for your business will guarantee that you are always covered. For more information on business insurance, go to http://www.ting.co.za/commercial-insurance.php.

Loss or destruction of stock

The loss or damage of stock on account of incident or theft could cause a business a large amount of money particularly when a business is over-stocked. Applying for commercial insurance allows you to have a financial security net should several of or all the stock be taken or destroyed. Your inventory is your funds tied in physical products so make sure to protect it.

Property damage

If your business property be damaged as a result of vandalism, fire or natural disaster you would have to have instant available funds as a way to fix the destruction before you could continue with business as usual. According to the quantity of damage this might either be a simple or somewhat rapid procedure not resulting in too much inconvenience or it might be a lengthier process which has effects on your business revenue in a big way. Not merely will you be losing profits on a daily basis but you would also be requiring to pay cash to deal with the destruction. Commercial insurance may ensure that you will have the required money available to fund damage as well as cover other costs which need to be covered in the period of time it takes to fix things up.

Worker Injury

Should one of your staff are wounded on your company property or when using a piece of work equipment while working you will be held responsible to pay for their medical costs and other types of compensation.

Punitive damages

Accidents happen and it could very possibly happen on your business property. What happens if one of your customers sues you for damages? Do you have enough money to cover lawyers in addition to make a pay out to the consumer should they win the case?

Car insurance

Your enterprise car is usually an indispensible part of the daily operations of your organization. Taking out business vehicle insurance is very important in order for you to proceed to operate your company. Having auto insurance for your business vehicle is a given specifically since it is normally one of your staff members who actually drive the car. Make sure that each automobile within your fleet is in proper working condition, is often serviced and is insured.

Bakkies For Sale In The Local Market

Bakkies, as a method of transport, are incredibly well-known in South Africa. These vehicles are in use in practically every industry, business, farm and local authority along with many utility companies. Also well-liked by the general public, these cars can be obtained in numerous types to suit a large application area.

The bakkie was made popular in South Africa by a modest 1400cc vehicle of Japanese manufacture. This unique model has long been discontinued from manufacture but you will still find a lot of them on the streets. They were known for their durability, even though they were tiny awkward little things, which nevertheless reached iconic status and are still well-known today in refurbished form with individuals as a way of “mass” transport! When these bakkies were eventually written off, their engines continued to be used on farms to drive water pumps and other implements. Other than providing basic transport these (mostly light blue) bakkies were fashionable as starter motors and many a kid mastered how to drive in one of these little bakkies.

Bakkies for sale these days, range from the functional to the luxury and everything in between. One can choose from a large selection of engines and may be powered by either diesel or petrol. The application area is wide for these motor vehicles, but a considerable part of sales are taken up by farm owners who use these bakkies for all round transport. Another considerable slice of sales is taken up as delivery vehicles by businesses. These bakkies will mostly be single cab (or king cab) versions as they are regarded as commercial vehicles without any VAT payable. The vast majority of bakkies sold to the private sector will be of the double cab 4×4 types, which are largely used as leisure vehicles. Game Lodges also are big customers of bakkies in which application they are customized to carry up to 10 game watchers.

There is much rivalry between the different companies in bakkies for sale, particularly in the utility, local authority and government markets, as sales numbers are big and much vying for position happens. Incumbent vendors, providing good service, stand a high probability of maintaining business in these marketplaces. The South African market, today, is served by Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indian and European manufacturers. The Japanese manufactured bakkies seem to hold the majority market but the Koreans apply aggressive marketing techniques and their goods are of good design and style and quality placing them in 2nd spot.

The modern bakkie, in particular those bakkies for sale in the leisure market, is a long way away from that little 1400cc bakkie of yesteryear. These bakkies are mostly of double cab setup backed up with 3 litre or more engines, run by either diesel or petrol and in the main quite high-class. These motor vehicles often act as family transportation doubling up as leisure and holiday vehicles. South Africa naturally produces the capacity for this type of auto with rugged country a long sea-coast and neighbouring locations like Namibia and Botswana which are well-known safari locations. Bakkies for sale will long get by in South Africa.

The buzz Of The Double Cab 4×4

Just as recently as a decade ago the double cab 4×4 of many of the companies, one of them a relatively well-known one, sold dreary uninspiring types of the vehicle, because it was viewed as an expansion of a utility vehicle. The situation, today, has turned on its head with all the companies of these motor vehicles vying in the luxury vehicle market with the top end of their design ranges.

The double cab 4×4 has solidly identified itself as a luxurious leisure vehicle complete with ABS and all of the other cool gadgets, leather seats, car like interiors, SATVAV, extravagant entertainment systems, more comfortable suspension systems and naturally big wheels with mags! The instrumentation clusters have grown to be appealing and the overall design of these vehicles has been changed into swans. Whether the manufacturer is Japanese, Korean, Indian or Chinese, they all appear to have employed Western designers, comprehending the taste and value of their largest markets. Many a South African family today in the more youthful age group have a double cab 4×4 as a family vehicle, whereas the older age brackets will have these motors as a 2nd vehicle, used mainly on weekends and vacations as well as very well liked Mom’s taxis. There is much competitiveness in the local market for these vehicles, but the Japanese manufacturers seem to have the main slice of the market, with their brands being household names in South Africa attained based on dependability and durability of manufacture.

South Africa and her citizens lend itself to double cab 4×4 vehicles. The continent is tough and the individuals sports mad as well as great outdoors fans but nevertheless worried about their image as to the vehicles they drive. Such situation fits the modern double cab 4×4 to the tee since they are tough but very desirable to the eye, expensive and luxuriate in a great image among all, including women. Extremely popular as true leisure vehicles, these cars are much applied to camping and exploration holidays are go-anywhere mobile “holiday homes” as they can be equipped with all of the creature comforts for the daring family including roof tents or they can be employed as towing vehicles for bush trailers detailed with kitchens and even bath areas and a tent. Sporty men and women also like these cars as they can definitely use their double cab 4×4 bakkies looking for their fishing or hunting trips. Areas like Sodwana Bay, St Lucia as well as others along the northern KZN coast teem with these cars over holiday seasons and long weekends.

Outings to Namibia and Botswana along with local game reserves may also be popular with young families revelling in the outdoors life style made available from these venues. There are actually of course many places to check out on such trips which are not accessible by sedans. The Richtersveld as well as the dunes of Namibia being well-liked trips open only to the 4×4 brigade, lends some further status to some tourists. For relaxing and splendid go-anywhere transport, buy yourself a big shiny double cab 4×4!

4×4 Cars In The Local Industry

South Africans are car crazy and it is a characteristic of our land to have a tendency to drive cars and trucks we can’t actually afford, hence the expansion of models and makes obtainable in our reasonably small market. The SUV (also in the 4×4 form) appears to have taken the fancy of the family man, but the traditional 4×4 (bakkie) remains the transport personal choice of a lot of people, because it is also a great recreational vehicle.

The dream of many a young child is to have a 4×4 mainly because it invokes the romantics of pursuit, uncovering and independence. In addition to being vehicle crazy South Africans are also zealous sports and outdoors people so to many the 4×4 is totally the ideal motor vehicle also elevating the image of the driver. The accusations that numerous South African 4×4 owners have no need for the capabilities of the vehicles are true as even females love driving these assertive vehicles and at most scale pavements with them, fetching the youngsters from soccer practice. There is however those that use the vehicles substantially in experiencing the leisure possibilities of the nation and many of these cars are well furnished to act as a mobile go-anywhere holiday house. Africa and also Southern Africa is the perfect terrain to go discovering on holidays with its numerous game reserves, nature reserves and long shoreline offering many vacation possibilities. There are a few great spots both coastal and away from the coast that are only reachable by 4×4 due to the surface and along the coast due to weighty sand tracks.

The northern KZN coastline as well as the southern Mozambique coast is famous playfields for the fisher, divers as well as other water sport fanatics, but only reachable by 4×4 motor vehicles. Comes the December and Easter getaways , the area looks a huge 4×4 shop with all the people descending on their favourite holiday spots with these gleaming 4×4’s and their fishing boats on tow. The land further offers many great inland holiday vacation and camping opportunities, quite a few these are found along dirt tracks, which in turn may turn into tracks not suited to a sedan. While 80% of the roads in the Kgalagardi Game reserve are navigable by sedan it is the other 20% that’s the real fascinating stuff, requiring a 4×4. If you want to cross into the Botswana part of the park your sedan won’t cope with 10 kilometres without becoming ineffective in the sand tracks.

Yes, South Africa is a 4×4 world for those with a bit of bold spirit and who don’t mind skipping one day without a hot shower. Although these are generally tough vehicles, it often is not sensible to buy them second-hand when they belonged to real 4×4 enthusiasts, given that they get used to the full by these fanatics often subjecting the motor vehicles to severe conditions in the execution of their sport. Specialist 4×4 tracks abound in South Africa and several competitions are held to test the effectiveness of the motor vehicles and the skills of the motorists. Like was said right at the start of this article, South Africans are fond of cars!

The Fun Of The Small Car

The larger vehicles of the pre 90’s have made place for medium-sized and smaller sized motor vehicles, aided by the expense of fuel but also due to budget issues, smaller households needing less space and manoeuvrability issues and parking space scarcity. The small car has arrived to stay.

In a place like South Africa where 2 motors are a necessity because of the absence of adequate trains and buses, it also seems sensible that the 2nd vehicle should be small because of cost of purchase and functional costs favouring the small car. Small car style and design has developed so much that most small cars can handle transporting 4 individuals in comfort and ease over short distances like urban travel. Modern engine technologies have progressed where 1 litre and 1.2 litre motors are more than ample to power these cars rendering them very economical. While not ideally created to cover extended distances in great comfort one often spot these little cars in urban centers far removed from their registered cities, which means men and women are prepared to travel distances with a small car. Whereas in the 60’s, 1970’s and even the 1980’s large cars were normal in South Africa that market has shrunk to the executive level only which is reasonably small in favour of medium and small cars.

Asian car manufacturers in particular has cashed in on the small car industry, while in addition there are some European models accessible in South Africa. These modest cars are pretty, cheeky and well furnished, making them very well liked as a first car buy among the younger generation who are further attracted to the options accessible to customize the cars. The designers have pulled out all stops to make these motor vehicles funky and fun to travel in and some are equipped with excellent entertainment systems. The days where ones success in life and size of income somewhat was coupled to the size of the car in your drive way have thankfully all but disappeared, certainly among the middle class of the population. Looking at the traffic in our towns the small motor vehicle is most visible in their numbers while twenty years ago they were visible as oddities.

Today Korea, Japan, India and china are the market leaders in the manufacturing of the small car with Europe having woken up to the way forward for the small car. These cars, which even 10 years ago, specially those from Asia, were a bit sloppy, plastic and cheap, but that has all improved. Some renowned small cars have actually grown in size, while other producers produced some of the world’s most compact cars. This trend seems to have settled and many small vehicles are rolling off the manufacturing lines with even the Americans having had to concede to some more compact models. The financial aspects of these vehicles simply makes sense as you can buy a medium sized car and a small vehicle for even less than the price of some large motor vehicles which in South Africa reach prices of R600 000 upwards when compared to the small car for even less than R100 000 in some cases.