For most of us, there’s a big chunk of the year where we simply don’t use the garden. When it’s cold, wet and dark outside, it’s usually more preferable to be wrapped up in the warm than digging around in snow, rain and sleet. Which is fine, none of us can control the weather and we just simply have to switch up what we can do around it. However what it does mean is that when the warmer months arrive, we really should be making the most of our outdoor space. It’s essentially an extra ‘room’ we can use on our property, and when it’s only really nice to use for half of the year then why not use ... read more
The Rustlers Burger Hacking Challenge #RustlersHack
It's all got rather foodie here on the blog hasn't it? I can't even pretend to be some great culinary whizz in the kitchen, but all these years of eating and feeding others, plus buying a crazy number of cook books, does at least seem to have taught me something. I think I've got a pretty good understanding of what things go together and I can get quite inventive with using the contents of my fridge and cupboards to pull a meal together quickly. Being able to produce a meal quickly seems to be the key thing as my kids get older. So many evenings are spend playing mum taxi and driving ... read more
Celebrating Yorkshire Pudding Day with Toby Carvery Yorkie Wraps
I may have lived down South for a while now, but I'm a Yorkshire lass at heart and it will always remain that way. My heart is very much in Yorkshire, and my food preferences too. Therefore when Toby Carvery invited me to join them at their food innovation centre to come up with some new recipes for Yorkie wraps for Yorkshire Pudding Day I just couldn't refuse. Let's start with some basic facts. Yorkshire puddings (or "batter puddings" as my ill-informed Norfolk born other half insists on calling them) are quite simply the nicest foodstuff known to man (or woman) kind. Admittedly it's ... read more
Life Is Hard Enough: Staying Smart
Life is hard, hard enough that one feels like they have the right to complain about how hard it is. Of course, not everyone is as unfortunate and some end up being able to take it easy a bit, but don’t let yourself fall into the mindset that you will never be able to do the same. In fact, even starting tomorrow, you could start making life easier for yourself, because right now, we have opportunities in life which were not around a mere few decades ago. We are living in rather tech-oriented times, and if the fact that the president of the United States keeps impulsively posting on twitter ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: What on Earth are we doing?
No - this isn't some statement about the state of Ladybird Tuesday on this blog (although - maybe it should be!) but instead the question posed in the title of this week's Ladybird Tuesday book choice. What on Earth are we doing? is part of Ladybird's 1970s Conservation series (series 727). These books seem to have been published with two different cover versions, but I have to be honest and say that I'm not exactly sure which version of the cover came first. This title was published in 1976 and judging by the man on the cover of both versions I believe it to be just the covers that ... read more
Trying to find a home
For all of the second half of 2017 I kept saying that once Christmas and New Year were out of the way my next plan was to try and find a new home. A family home. A family home that is the right size and shape for our new family shape. I kind of have in my head what I want this home to look like, but unfortunately no matter how good the online house search engine you can't just put in there something like "it has to feel like we can turn it into our forever home". And now we're in 2018, that's exactly what I'm looking for. Of course you can search for some simple criteria. Things like ... read more
Can Wi-Fi influence our travel choices?
The digital age is upon us, and young people are using it to their advantage. When it comes to travelling, more people seem to be jetting off, and what once was seen as a luxury has now become a necessity for the younger generation. Business Wi-Fi providers, KBR look to see whether having an internet connection can determine how we travel: Changes to booking travel Companies around the world are having to readjust their strategies to attract new and potential consumers, especially within the travel industry. When it comes to the millennial demographic, 46% book travel through a ... read more
Jog On: Awesome Job Ideas For Fitness Fanatics
Are you somebody who lives and breathes exercise? Do you love the feel of the air on your face when you go out for a run or a cycle ride? Do you continually push yourself to the next level within your fitness training? Then a job within the fitness industry may be for you. Whether it’s something you do to earn extra income or a legitimate full-time career, we have some job ideas we think you will be interested in. Consider the following... Personal Trainer (image) We all need a little help sometimes, and there may be people who have not attained the levels of fitness you may ... read more
Top places to visit in Paris
Paris. The city of love. It's a place that everyone around the world knows, but when I came to visit for the first time I wasn't actually sure where to go or what to see. Since then Eurostar has given us a quick route right into the city centre and whilst I'm far from being a total expert I do at least have a good idea of my top places to visit. So, why not set yourself up finding vacation rentals in Paris and then head off, map in hand, to see what this European capital has to offer. Eiffel Tower No trip to Paris is complete without a visit to the Eiffel Tower. The country's most ... read more
The Lost Penguin – Claire Freedman and Kate Hindley
It's a little while now since Master C and I met Oliver and Patch in their first adventure. Back in that book Oliver had just moved to a big city and was lonely until he met Patch. They came together and started having some lovely adventures together whilst they looked for Patch's real owner. In The Lost Penguin, Oliver and Patch (and Ruby, Patch's real owner) are back, but this time they're visiting the zoo together. They growl at the tigers, smile at the meerkats and laugh at the funny penguins. But one little penguin catches their eye. Peep is new to the zoo. He's lonely and misses his ... read more