This picnicker is Emily McDonald

Hello!
Thanks for visiting my site

What I’m trying to say is that it’s not owned by a food or picnic games company, nor a faceless techie. But you could tell that already, right?!

My background

Born in Northern Ireland, I lived there until I was 18, when I left for college in Birmingham. Back in the days before computers, I did a secretarial course with languages and then moved to London.

This is an old family photo I found recently from the 70's but we started picnicking well before that of course.

Now our children have left home and my husband and I have moved to the country, to the south of England, on the Hampshire/West Sussex border, a fabulous place to go picnicking.

Unlike the majority of people I know, we have worked together most of that time. I’m sure some people would find that difficult, or even impossible, but it’s worked out well for us – with just the odd stressful moment!

My working life has been very varied and I've loved every minute of it. Well, of course there have been a few rather horrid minutes (hours or days even, and weeks or months recently!) but then that's life, isn't it?!

In 2004 we sold our house in the city and moved to this more rural location to be closer to most of our family, including my mother. We bought a renovated farm building, which is a couple of hundred years old and used to be a cowshed!

I wasn’t sure I was going to like living in the country but I love it. For the first couple of years I kept thinking I was on holiday and would have to go back to the city soon!

Then a few years ago I had to give up working in the office and sales environment I enjoyed because of a hearing problem, which seems to be getting worse every year. Yes, both my ears are broken! Maybe because I listened to too much loud music in the 1960's and 70's (my Dad warned me!) - or maybe because of a car accident in the 1980's. I'm not sure which.

At roughly the same time, my husband semi-retired and we started to enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle than the hectic one we used to have. There's more time to enjoy our family - three grown-up children who really make us proud, as well as two gorgeous grand-daughters and, since 2010, an adorable grandson.

I've become an olderpreneur!

However, I also found myself with spare time on my hands and I started to explore the worldwide web. Back in my office life, I’d used a computer for correspondence etc. and I was able to send emails - but the internet was a new experience for me.

So I jumped right in and started to explore. I discovered an online company, who help me make websites which turn into e-businesses. I learned how to create this website and now I'm helping others make theirs too.

It’s enormous fun, allows me contact with people all over the world (visitors and fellow website makers) and, most importantly it has helped keep my old brain cells alive a bit longer!

You can take a look at some of the facts and figures of this site if you like.

I've also written an SBI review which gives you a bit more information about how I made it - with the help of SBI but with no techie skills whatsoever.

So, that's it!

I hope this brief resume gives you some idea about me, Emily McDonald - the person in the back office here.

Thank you for reading this far, but . . .

if you have another moment, I'd really appreciate it if you would sign into my Guest Book while you're here. Thanks. It's so interesting to see who comes visiting!

However, if you want to ask me something without your message being published, or tell me something about the site that really bugs you and you want to let off steam, then please use the form below.

I'll get back to you asap. if you want me to.

Your privacy is important to me; I won't share, distribute, or otherwise disclose your contact information without your permission. That's a promise.

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