How Danish Mills Became Interesting

Preamble,
I am, it has been said, something of a sad git, and perhaps even, a nerd.  But, I’ll come back to that in a moment, because this introduction and the subject of this week’s email are, in fact, one and the same.

A couple of years ago, I received the most delightful and beautifully written email from Hugh, a long-standing customer, who described me, in the third person no less, as follows:
 

"He is obviously a thoughtful fellow who has gone through difficult times and is kind enough to share his reflections. I read them every week, and I’m sure he won’t mind that, despite writing a digital blog, I regard him as a kitchen nerd rather than a kitchen geek. To my mind, the collected knowledge of humanity owes a lot to nerds and little to geeks. On the back of his waves of humanity I am sometimes tempted to buy kitchenware I don’t need, like nice but ill-named Le Creuset dishes and ‘sexy’ colanders!"

Slightly to my surprise, I was able to locate this email again in the twinkling of an eye, which alone, impressed me no end. As this email also paints me in a rather flattering light, I thought I really ought to share it, in case you hadn't noticed just how "thoughtful" I am, and that I have “waves of humanity”…..I don't think anybody has said that about me before, or since, for that matter.

So, having set the scene, you are now warned,  I may inadvertently sell you something you had no intention of buying, and, truth be told, I had little intention of selling.

In point of fact, only yesterday I was sitting in the early April sunshine with an old friend, Mandy, who was over from the States, seeing her family (she’d brought the cake, I supplied the coffee courtesy of my trusty Jura machine from a previous decade). And the subject of my weekly emails came up. She’s an avid reader, obvs, but confessed that she reads my preambles stopping when she gets to product, and doesn't bother to read beyond there. She is not alone. So, when I do manage to sell something, it’s always as much a surprise to me, as it maybe to you.

   
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin.
 
Post amble
If I had my time again, I might pay rather more attention at school. Not out of any sudden awakening or interest in the subjects uttered (because I largely have none), but because I’ve come to realise I have a natural interest in mechanical things. Occasionally I indulge the fantasy that I might have been an engineer, or even an architect, although my friend Simon is such a fine example of the latter that I suspect I would have spent my entire professional life in his shadow. So, no, I’ll forget architecture and you know on reflection, the mathematics alone would have defeated me in engineering, so perhaps it is just as well things turned out as they did.

All of which brings me to mills.