Latest news with #Rowena
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
‘He obviously decided that he'd wasted his life, focusing on career, marriage and family goals'
Sorcha tells me that I need to do something and obviously, I'm like, 'Er – as in?' Yeah, no, Angela – the wife of my brother slash half-brother – has been on the phone from the States and Sorcha is running out of excuses. I'm fixing breakfast for the boys when the dude eventually arrives downstairs in the company of a woman named Rowena, who wears leather trousers, has a smoker's cough and works – so she says – in, like, hospitality? She goes, 'I wouldn't say no to a coffee.' READ MORE And Sorcha's like, 'Well, if the walk of shame takes you through Dalkey village, I can recommend the Country Bake.' I love my wife, but – yeah, no – she can be colder than a witch's tit. Rowena, by the way, is the third random woman that Brett has brought home this week. 'So come on, tell us,' Sorcha goes – this is right in front of her, by the way – 'where did you meet this one?' It's Rowena who answers. She's like, 'Tinder,' and then the woman looks at me and sort of, like, narrows her eyes, like I do when I'm trying to add two numbers together, and goes, 'Do I know you from somewhere?' I'm there, 'If you're a rugby fan, then possibly?' She's like, 'No, nothing to do with rugby, no,' in her husky voice. 'Your face is just–' I put a cup of coffee in front of her, portly to shut her up, but also because it's nice to be nice. Sorcha goes, 'Brett, Angela has been ringing – as in, like, your wife?' I think she's expecting a reaction form Rowena to the news that he's married. But she doesn't respond in any way. Just sips her coffee. It's not her first rodeo. I'm there, 'No, I'm most definitely not on the apps,' except at the same time I can feel my face flush? — Ross Sorcha goes, 'She said she's been trying your cell.' He's there, 'I lost my cell.' Sorcha's like, 'How can you be on Tinder if you've lost your cell?' Very little gets past her. Twenty years of being married to me will do that to you. Rowena goes, 'That's how I know your face! Are you on the apps?' I'm there, 'No, I'm most definitely not on the apps,' except at the same time I can feel my face flush? She's like, 'We've definitely met.' Brian, Johnny and Leo are unusually quiet. They're just, like, staring at this woman, open-mouthed. Johnny is actually looking at her chest. Like father, like son, I'm hugely tempted to say. Sorcha cops it too. She goes, 'Johnny, eat your cereal,' and then, at the same time, she gestures to me with her eyes that she wants a word in, like, private? Thirty seconds later, we're outside in the gorden and Sorcha is going, 'Ross, what the actual fock?' I'm there, 'Yeah, no, I'll tell him to go. I'll tell him that we don't approve of this kind of behaviour under our roof,' at the same time hating myself for sounding like Sorcha's old man. She goes, 'Ross, what did you say to him?' I'm there, 'Excuse me?' because I knew I'd end up getting the blame for this. She's like, 'The way he's carrying on, Ross, it's very – I don't even want to say it – but very you behaviour?' I'm there, 'I knew I'd end up being blamed.' She goes, 'It's not a question of blame. I'm just asking, what did you do to encourage this?' I'm like, 'Fock-all, Sorcha. And I mean that literally. The goys – we're talking Christian, we're talking JP, we're talking Oisinn, we're talking, in fairness, Fionn – may have told him some stories about my carry-on over the years in terms of rugby and in terms of – yeah, no – the deadlier of the species. And Brett, who may have already been in, like, midlife crisis mode, decided that I was – yeah, no – some kind of, like, role model to him?' Sorcha goes, 'Oh, Jesus – God help him.' It's nice to see that Sorcha – while being a very, very good person – remains, at hort, an out-and-out south Dublin snob I'm like, 'Excuse me?' because it sounded like a bit of a dig. She's there, 'I just mean – actually, I don't know what I mean? But this can't continue. It was Amory on Saturday night, Summer on Wednesday night and, I don't know, what did she say her name was?' I'm there, 'Rowena,' a little too quickly for Sorcha's liking. 'She said she works in, like, hospitality?' She's like, 'Rowena – whatever. With her leather trousers and a focking black bra showing through a white shirt.' And it's nice to see that Sorcha – while being a very, very good person – remains, at hort, an out-and-out south Dublin snob. She goes, 'Ross, you have to talk to him.' I'm there, 'Excuse me?' She's like, 'Ross, he's only in Ireland because of you. You were the one who–' I'm there, 'Don't say it. Do not say it.' She's like, 'I'm going to say it, Ross. You corrupted him.' I go, 'I didn't corrupt him? Like I said, the goys made me out to be some kind of absolute rugby legend and he obviously decided that he'd wasted his life, focusing on career, marriage and family goals.' She's like, 'Ross, even without being directly responsible, you basically caused this? You're going to have to talk to him and tell him that this can't continue.' So – yeah, no – no choice in the matter, I end up agreeing to have a word with the dude. So we tip back into the kitchen. I could be wrong but it looks like Rowena has undone another shirt button. I'm there, 'Dude, all that shit the goys told you about my rugby career–' He goes, 'It was inspiring.' I'm like, 'Yes, I accept that. But no good can come of you trying to live like me.' He's there, 'Why not? I mean, look at you!' It's lovely for me to hear. I'm there, 'That's lovely for me to hear. But you have everything going for you back in the States, in terms of – yeah, no – a hot wife, a beautiful home, a couple of, in fairness, kids–' He cuts me off. He's like, 'Well, maybe I don't want that any more. Maybe that's not the end of the rainbow for me.' I'm there, 'Oh, you're telling me that's the end of your rainbow,' flicking my thumb in Rowena's general postcode and hating myself for it. 'Dude, that woman is not the end of anyone's rainbow.' Rowena goes, 'Oh my God, I remembered how I know you now. I was with you a few years ago – when you crashed the porty for the closing of the Berkeley Court?' And I'm like, 'Sorcha, we were almost certainly on a break at the time.'
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Worried mum issues harrowing plea after her daughter vanished from a popular lookout spot - as frantic search is launched in state forest
A distraught mother of a young woman missing for more than 24 hours has shared a desperate plea as police launched a search in a NSW national park. Esmé Caverly, 25, was last seen at Minyon Falls Lookout in the Whian Whian State Forest near Lismore in the NSW northern rivers shortly before midday on Wednesday. As NSW Police launched a public appeal into her whereabouts on Thursday, her mum Rowena took to Facebook to reshare the post with a harrowing plea. 'Esmé is my daughter. She has been missing for over 24 hours,' she wrote. 'Please share the police post far and wide.' 'My heart is aching. The plea comes as local police launched an extensive search in Whian Whian State Forest in partnership with State Emergency Services and the National Parks and Wildlife Service crews. Inquiries into Ms Caverly's whereabouts began after police were notified of her disappearance when loved ones were unable to locate or contact her. Police and Ms Caverly's loved ones hold grave concerns for her welfare. The police Facebook post has received more than 1,200 shares. 'Hope you are okay Esme, such a beautiful person. Thinking of you and your beautiful Mum,' a concerned friend posted online. Ms Caverly is described as Caucasian, 170cm tall, medium build, medium-length brown hair and has a nose piercing. She was last seen wearing a dark-coloured shirt, dark-coloured pants and black sneakers. The 25-year-old is known to frequent the Whian Whian National Park and Suffolk Park areas. Ms Caverly also has ties to Melbourne. Police urged anyone with information into Ms Caverly's whereabouts to contact Lismore Police or Crime Stoppers. Anyone who was in the Minyon Falls Lookout area around the time Ms Caverly was last seen with any available dashcam or mobile phone footage is also urged to get in touch.
Metro
17-05-2025
- Business
- Metro
How Lush stood the test of time — 30 years of bath bombs and shower jellies
Responsible for bringing the bath bomb into homes and onto Christmas lists across the UK, some say you can smell a Lush store before you see it. As the unofficial sponsor of fancy bathtimes, the store's infamous window displays spew whimsically named products such as Sex Bomb, Keep it Fluffy and Angels on Bare Skin, and are often so bright they almost require sunglasses. And when it comes to being green, the high street staple is even more eco-friendly than dads when they separate rubbish from recycling on the evening before bin collection day. Since it launched in 1995, Lush has accumulated over 104 shops in the UK and Ireland, and over 886 worldwide in 52 countries. But it all started as just a dream shared by friends Rowena Bird, Helen Ambrosen, Paul Greaves, Mark and Mo Constantine, and the late Liz Bennett. And it nearly never happened at all. Their Lush journey was first put into motion when Mark and Liz met working at a Dorset hair salon in the early eighties and soon started their own herbal hair and beauty clinic, creating fresh homemade products, including henna, scalp treatments and skincare, which were sold to The Body Shop. Mo, who was married to Mark, soon came on board, and over the next few years, Rowena, Helen, and her friend Paul joined the team as they launched beauty brand Cosmetics To Go in 1990. Setting themselves apart from other beauty retailers, the gang would send orders out on the same day they were placed — something almost unheard of 25 years ago. However, despite being ahead of their time, Cosmetics To Go was over before it properly began due to a computer flood and overtrading. 'We were too generous,' Rowena admits, with the benefit of hindsight. 'We gave free postage and packaging, and always put a stick of rock or something in the parcel. Talk about giving away your profits!' After the crash, the group separated, but Rowena, 65, tells Metro that they quickly discovered being a part of other people's companies was never going to work out for them. 'We all gravitated back together. It was almost against our will,' she adds. The friends put their energy into creating their first shop in Dorset, which they eventually called Lush and what followed were long hours working at 29 High Street, Poole, with their first product being a solid shampoo bar. (The bath bombs soon followed). Helen would make products upstairs and pass them down to Rowena, who'd place them on the shop floor. She remembers they hung theatrical velvet curtains on either side of the products – many of which are still for sale, such as Ultrabland, Butterball bath bomb, and the Dream Cream body lotion – to make them more enticing. Inspired by wine shops, the daily offerings were written on blackboards — still very much a Lush feature. Such was Rowena's commitment that when they opened their second venue in Covent Garden, she lived above it so she could be there constantly. Each of the friends naturally fitted into their space in the business, which still dominates the vegetarian beauty products space. 'Mark has the amazing vision, Mo is incredible at manufacturing, Helen has perfect attention to detail, Paul is IT and security, and Liz looked after training and development, nurturing staff to learn and grow. She strongly believed in promoting talent from within and developing Lush as a learning organisation,' explains Rowena. 'Me? I do whatever is required. The variety of jobs I've done in my time is phenomenal. 'I am a jack of all trades and a master of none, which is my strength,' she laughs. 'When we started, it was fax machines and no mobile phones. We worked hard for basically no money, as we couldn't afford to pay ourselves. 'My financial input into the business was from a credit card, and I had no idea how I'd pay that back, which was challenging but I learnt that when things are tough, there's not a big black hole that's going to open up and pull me in, instead I get through it.' It took three years of graft before Rowena finally paid herself an £8000 annual salary and eliminated her debt: 'I remember walking up the high street thinking 'I'm so rich, I can buy anything'.' Although Lush had to rein in some of the founders' generous tendencies, they weren't interested in abandoning them completely. For instance, staff are encouraged to upsize products free of charge or sneak a bathbomb into a customer's bag. 'Our margins are probably smaller than most other companies of a similar size, but we're not worried about that. We respect the right to make a living, but it's always been about more than that,' Rowena explains. Just last month, they launched the Liberation bath bomb to celebrate trans lives after the Supreme Court ruled that sex is defined by biological sex under equality law. It sold out in a week, with 75% of the sales price donated to organisations advocating for trans rights and the remaining 25% covered the costs of producing them and taxes. 'Trans people are getting a tough deal, and the people in the community who work with us said they need the support. We felt it was important to stand with them publicly,'says Rowena. Although she is proud to feel like she's always been on the right side of history, not all their choices have been celebrated. When a group of women, who'd been tricked into relationships with members of the police force, reached out to ask Lush for their support in 2018, they agreed. Shops were adorned with fake police tape and slogans such as 'police have crossed the line' and 'paid to lie' to highlight that for over 40 years, a secret unit of undercover officers spied on 60 law-abiding female victims, who were often simply involved in campaigning for environmental causes. The Police Federation called Lush's campaign 'an insult to the hard work, professionalism and dedication of police officers throughout the UK', while they also received a barrage of criticism from customers. 'We got a lot of flak and backlash for that. It was Marmite,' admits Rowena. 'Sometimes people don't initially want to hear things, but education is important.' Often, the world catches up, Rowena says, and highlights that ITV did a programme about this exact subject a few weeks ago (The Undercover Police Scandal: Love and Lies Exposed). Another key part of their ethos is that Lush does not buy from companies that carry out, fund, or commission any animal testing, with their products instead being tested on human volunteers. Of course, not everyone is a fan. Reddit has several threads which aren't so positive – some question if the brand is still as relevant as it once was, while others simply state 'I hate going to Lush stores'. Further criticism has come following Lush's move away from social media, after stating that they don't feel comfortable with the safety issues surrounding it. While their reasoning is somewhat honourable, it's an interesting choice in an increasingly digital world, with many companies, such as M&S and Stanely, using the platforms to speak directly to customers and show their authenticity. The decision has left some consumers saying they feel a 'disconnect' with the brand. 'Genuinely, though, I don't know if anyone is using this anymore,' beauty content creator Maddie Evans recently said on TikTok. Others said they 'completely forgot' about Lush – ouch! Then there are the completely unfounded accusations that their bath bombs can give users thrush, UTIs or yeast there is no medical evidence to prove that they are responsible, that does nothing to slow the discourse. 'We were originally going to be called The Cosmetic Warriors from The Temple of Temptation, but realised that was quite a lot to fit on a label,' says Rowena. To find a replacement name, they asked the general public to help. In their first catalogue, they placed a question mark on the cover where the name would usually go, and asked people to write in with their suggestions. 'Mrs. Elizabeth Burnett from Edinburgh sent us the name Lush Gardens. We weren't sure about the garden bit, but loved the word Lush, so we just went with that,' she recalls. 'It's short and punchy. It's one of those words that was starting to be used by the youth as well. It has the meaning of growth, richness and abundance, which was everything we wanted to. When asked if there were any close seconds, Rowena says: 'We thought about Keep It Fluffy, which is one of our perfumes, but the second place was so far behind Lush.' Despite their critics, Lush has played the long game, and Rowena simply says it feels 'amazing' to have been around for 30 years. 'When you hit a milestone like that, you think, 'Goodness, where has the time gone then?' It's made me reflect on how the business began and how different the world is now.' Indeed, they were reminded of this during the 'damaging' pandemic, something they are still recovering from. 'We were scared it could be the end of us,' she says of the loss of profits from being unable to open physical stores for months. On the same week that the government ordered the closure of the shops in 2021, original founder, Bennett, died from lung cancer. Mark called it a 'week from hell, although you don't realise that at the time when you are going through it,' in a written article for The Times. The team say that Bennett's influence is still everywhere in the Lush brand. Today, Rowena enthusiastically holds up the new red and pink Lush packaging to the camera on our Zoom call, and it's clear that she hasn't lost her love for the beauty industry, which began when she was just a child. More Trending Her interest was first piqued by her glamorous Auntie Penny, who wore false nails, eyelashes, and bouffant hair. 'She had the most amazing dressing table, because it was full of makeup and bits and bobs. If I were staying at my grandparents, then Auntie Penny's room was my playroom. I'm sure she was really cross with me there, but I loved it,' she recalls. As she got older, Rowena would wear coloured tights, wigs and never leave the house without makeup, insisting it was for her and not others.'I'm not as wacky now,' she insists, as her pink bob glistens in the afternoon sun. When asked if she still has any dreams left for Lush, Rowena says, 'Mark jokes that in 30 years we'll have our first store on Mars, but I just hope that the company is still here and that people are still finding it an oasis of kindness. I want the people working at Lush to enjoy themselves and feel part of a family.' What about herself? 'I have considered retiring and visiting every country in the world,' she adds. 'I could leave now… but I just can't because I love Lush so much.' Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: From Samsung to Scrub Daddy – here's our expert's 18 best buys for this weekend MORE: Major checkout shake-up could see key payment rule scrapped in all UK shops MORE: I lost half my weight on Ozempic — this is what happened to my body when I stopped
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
I-90 Speedway hosts season opener
HARTFORD, S.D. (KELO) — I-90 Speedway held its first night of races for the 2025 season with nearly 100 cars in Hartford Saturday night. Lee Goos Jr., of Hartford, claimed the Racesaver Sprint Car win. Sioux Falls' Cory Yeigh earned the checkered flag in the Late Model Street Stocks. Dustin Kruse, from Baltic, picked up the victory in the B-Modifieds. Rowena's Landon Krohn secured the W in the Hobby Stocks. Yeigh moved one victory away from second place in wins. See full results from Saturday's races. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Courier
25-04-2025
- General
- The Courier
Stagecoach probes 'abuse' aimed at Fife wheelchair user on bus
A Fife bus user has raised concerns about the accessibility of Stagecoach's buses after her 'horrible' experience on one. Wheelchair user Rowena Arrandale was on the 39 service to Kirkcaldy on April 15 when she claims she was 'verbally abused' by a fellow passenger. The 42-year-old social care worker says they targeted her after two buggies had to be folded to allow space for her wheelchair. In a Facebook post, Kirkcaldy resident Rowena described the operator's new minibuses as 'ill-equipped'. Stagecoach introduced six new zero-emission minibuses to its fleet at the Glenrothes bus depot in November last year. Rowena told The Courier: 'There were passengers just talking amongst themselves about why they should have to fold up their buggies. 'A passenger basically said 'why is that allowed on the bus?' And they just kept going. 'I felt really unsafe because they were riling up other passengers around them and it's not fair. 'One lady was particularly mouthy and I could hear what was being said between passengers, even though they weren't shouting. 'It's horrible because I had to face the other passengers as a wheelchair user. 'Everybody else put their heads down and stayed silent. 'Some passengers even laughed at me.' Rowena is a regular user of the buses, but posted she was playing 'wheelchair roulette' when boarding services. On this occasion, she had joined the 39 service around halfway between Glenrothes and Thornton. Rowena added: 'I had a word with the bus driver at the end and he was apologetic and polite. 'I just want him to understand I needed help because I felt like the responsibility was put back on me. 'I want change out of this. 'The old design of buses had their flaws, but there was always space. 'Stagecoach has to provide buses suitable for the needs of people today.' Rowena complained to Stagecoach East Scotland. The operator says vehicles based at its Glenrothes depot are compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act. The company also discussed the incident with Rowena. A Stagecoach East Scotland spokesperson said: 'We were concerned to hear of this incident and immediately launched an investigation. 'We are committed to ensuring bus travel is accessible to everyone and can confirm that all of our vehicles are wheelchair accessible. 'Our conditions of carriage state that wheelchair spaces can be used by customers if not in use, and that walkways must be clear in order to meet safety standards. 'Our drivers will instruct any non-wheelchair users in the wheelchair space to move elsewhere when a wheelchair user requires the space. 'Our drivers receive extensive customer service training, which specifically focuses on disability awareness. 'We take all feedback very seriously and continue to use this to improve our services.'
