Whatever happened to supper?
Didn’t we get called in for supper?
Supper ain’t no more, now its called dinner.

Dinner was at 12 noon.
Now, its lunch.

In those days we made a lunch to take where we going so we could eat it at dinner.

Who changed all this?

It has to be the restaurant industry.

They wanted a new idea. These food people took breakfast and lunch and created a brunch: all you can eat, we’ll charge you accordingly.

Dinner became lunch for the business community.

But what about supper?

Just a minute, we have a word left over, we’ll call it dinner.
And dinner it is.

Good grief….

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Okanagan home sales were up year-over-year in each of the first four months of 2012, and, although May statistics have yet to be released, developers have told “Business In Vancouver” that they expect the trend to continue.

Home sales across Metro Vancouver are sluggish and listings are rising, according to the latest Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver statistics.

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The U.S. media just loves The Royals, and especially The Duchess of Cambridge. They watch intently what she wears, whether she has a baby bump, how she handles the public… anything to make a story on her. I picked this up the other day about the shoes she wears.

“The former Kate Middleton, now Duchess Catherine of Cambridge, has been getting high marks for her fashion choices, but observant fashionistas are now all asking the same question: Why does she wear the same shoes?”

I mean seriously, she wore the same shoes twice. Isn’t that what the world wants her to do?

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The first part of the week it’s Charlie telling us all about The Canadian Safe Tub, and he says that so we’ll know it didn’t come from China. And then in the middle of week the old man Pat Boone makes an appearance pushing the Safe Tub and when he says “Made in North America” a Canadian Flag appears.

These commercials own the noon hour on Vancouver TV.

Have any of you ever dealt with these companies? How much are these tubs worth, even though they say there is a rebate available up to $750.

How does it all work? Dose the company wait to get orders in an area and then move a crew in? Do they have people locally who will do all the paper work and the measuring etc.

Who are these Safe Tub people?

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Here is a new one and it’s a robo call.

The message opens with, “You can have $2,000 towards your next trip, and if you wish that to happen, press two. If you want to opt out and she gives you a number.

First of all don’t do either. It is a scam both ways.

Hang up the phone.

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Rumours and Things . . .

The Mission Group and BigSteelBox have made a deal to work together in the future. Jason Seibenga started the BigSteelBox Company with an idea and now has 18 locations from B.C. to Ontario.

You can’t miss those boxes, they are everywhere. What started out as storage space for business has developed into living and office quarters for companies anywhere.

That is what created the merger because The Mission Group was attracted to the company because of the work it was doing in modifying the containers in so many ways...

According to a Randstad Canada survey of 7,000 Canadians, engineering and construction (48%) was voted the country’s most desirable sector. Respondents ranked it first for long-term job security and working atmosphere...

It wasn’t that many years ago I was writing about John Mellencamp’s new home on the lake. I received more reports from very reliable people that John was about to become a neighbor.

That was just about the time that Arnold Schwarzenegger was said to be buying a ranch in the Coldstream area.  Many people saw Arnold in his black GMC Hummer driving around the property.

Helped nurture those two stories… it was a lot of fun and the people who believed were legion.

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It is really on sale now - the land around the Tower Ranch Golf Course - long ago established as home sites for the future by the original owner of the project Intrawest Resorts.

Originally, a couple of years ago, the 500 plus sites were for sale for $20 million then last fall I was writing about the new price of $14 million, and now Colliers Kelowna have it listed for $11 million.

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My good friend for many years John Teitzen has sold his chain of nine Wendy’s restaurant to an Alberta company and is briefly stepping away from the business.

John came here after his 13 years with Keg Restaurants and in 1998 he bought three Wendy’s stores in Kelowna, Vernon and Kamloops. There are now nine stores in the chain.

The buyers from Alberta are now the largest Wendy’s franchise in Canada.

He started the famous Dream Lift with money raised from one day in January that helped send the deserving kids to Disneyland. I have worked there as a table cleaner for 17 years.

Teitzen played CFL football with both the B.C. Lions and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The company has a major position in kid’s soccer sponsoring teams from Kamloops to Osoyoos every year with sweaters.

His company Inland Restaurants also started the first Little Caesars’ pizza franchise locally.

John and his partner Mike Raffan own Township 7 Wineries in Naramata and Langley. They supplied the wine for the Queen’s last visit to Canada.

It is one thing to say you’re quitting the restaurant business and it is another thing to do it. 

John will be back.

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Well-known Kelowna entrepreneur Brad Field has resigned his position as Vice President Corporate Development with Armor Works Enterprises in Phoenix and Kelowna.

Field, the founder of Pacific Safety Products, is going to return to Kelowna.

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World’s most powerful luxury brands in 2011:

1.     Louis Vuitton
2.     Hermes
3.     Gucci
4.     Cartier
5.     Chanel                                   
6.     Rolex
7.     Hennessy
8.     Moet B Chandon
9.     Fendi
10. Burberry

I never heard of some of these brands, but of course I only shop at The Bay and Winners.

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Why does Australia produce so much good licorice?

We have never tasted the softness and taste of such a treat. Their black licorice is something but their flavours like strawberry and blueberry are exceptional. London Drugs seems to have the freshest on the shelf.