I thought the most difficult thing about setting up a Spanish branch of Pimlico Plumbers would be getting to grips with local plumbing systems, since different climates and building techniques always lead to different approaches to solving plumbing problems. But it turns out the actual work isn't causing a problem at all, in fact on that front things are going really well. I wish I could say the same about the legal side of things - I thought we had a lot of unnecessary red tape back home in Britain, but out here the lawyers just love the stuff! I've never filled in so many forms in all my life!

There you go, good news on a Friday morning! The people's bank, RBS, the one we own 84% of, has just posted a half year profit of £1.1billion - that's almost a billion quid we can cut off the deficit! What do you mean that's not how it works? Maybe the entire country should stop paying their credit cards from next month, maybe then these guys might get the message about servicing debt.
To be honest it'd be a good start if they at least appeared a little grateful, but actually they seem to have a lot more in common with the feckless unemployed, with their attitude that somehow we owe them a living!

I thought the Daily Mash's take on the story was not bad either!

I read a very encouraging email yesterday from 'ideas entrepreneur' Oli Barrett. Who, unlike a load of knockers I encountered after I suggested setting up partnerships between schools and businesses that would see trades people going in to their local schools to help students repair their own buildings, thought it was a thought worth persuing.
The idea is that those not so interested in academic careers, would be able to gain valuable work skills while still at school which would stand them in good stead for the future. And let's face it with 69 graduates competing for every job and the UK in a 15 year skills shortage, vocational jobs are pretty promising option!
Anyway I've invited Oli in for a cup of tea and a bacon sarnie to see if we can get something going with the idea.
Looking forward to it.

Yep, I'm pleased to announce I've got my hands on LAV 2. I'm not sure who's van it'll end up on yet, but what's certain is it will be on a Pimlico van on Monday morning. We've got 150 vehicles now which means that all our long serving plumbers already have their own cherished plate, and once they've got one they are hard pushed to change (even for a classic like LAV 2) as customers often ask for them by the number plate. Never saw that coming when we got our first plate DRAIN 20 odd years ago, but there you go.
Eventually the idea is to have one for every vehicle; we would have done it by now except we keep expanding so I can't keep up. But just because we're in the market, along with a lot of imitators these days, doesn't mean we're out there splashing the cash, so to all those brokers and freelancers out there, if you think it's worth £20k let me educate you. It ain't!