As I sit here writing this blog post now St Albans is bathed in sunlight and there is a very, very light sprinkling of overnight snow on the ground. More snow is forecast for later on today, but as a northerner I'm not totally convinced that this isn't just the media getting their knickers in a twist about something and actually it's the kind of weather that all Southerners go to pot about, but Northerners just put on their big coat and get on as usual. The one thing that people do seem to be worried about (or looking forward to, depending on whether you're a child or an adult) is the ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Flight Four: India
This post has now moved over to Penny Reads, the new home for all my book related blog posts. Click here to read the post in full. If you, like me, have a fascination for old Ladybird books then please take a look at all the books I have featured here on Ladybird Tuesday over the years. There’s a list of the titles I have and links to when I covered them on Ladybird Tuesday here, but I will warn you that it’s rather in need of an update. If you have any old Ladybird books that you no longer want, photos of books in your collection that you want to share, or are trying to track ... read more
The Importance of Work-Life Balance for Small Business Owners
With the amount of pressure people feel nowadays to make money and reach sometimes unattainable goals, people often devote too much of their time to work. It’s not the type of devotion that employers want to see in those that work for them. It’s devotion that’s more of a chore. It’s not always on just employees either. Sometimes employers overwork themselves without realizing the effect that it has on their employees. You start to resent your job and dread waking up in the morning, knowing that you have to suffer through another day there. If you feel like this, you’re one of many in the ... read more
Birdy & Bou: The Floating Library – Mandy Stanley & David Bedford
These last nine months have seen me living literally next door to a library. Anyone who has read this blog before will know how much I love books and am a huge supporter of libraries, yet for the first few months of living here we hardly visited. I'm not totally sure why, but I've put this right recently though and the kids and I have become library regulars, even remembering to return books before they become overdue! Both kids have really discovered the joys of audio books and our local library actually has a huge collection of them which they can borrow for free. I just daren't tell the ... read more
Plant Pairings – A Green Thumb’s Guide to Companion Planting
Source: https://www.rd.com/health/wellness/health-benefits-of-gardening/ As the characteristics of a neighbourhood can affect the experience of a homeowner, the features of a garden can affect the wellbeing of its plants. Noisy neighbours can disrupt life, whereas quiet neighbours can allow for relaxing living. In order to run a peaceful garden, the needs and wants of each plant must be met and its environment must be tailored accordingly. Companion planting, also known as intercropping, is a common way of ensuring that the environment of a plant is beneficial to its well being. It has been ... read more
Brio Central Train Station and Bus and Train Station
Master C's love of all things rail just continues to grow and grown. Whilst it was originally limited to the trains themselves and pushing them around simple track layouts he seems to have been inspired by all the model train shows that B and I keep taking him to (and the railway modelling magazines that I find him reading in bed by torchlight!) and at the moment he is fascinated by railway infrastructure. Whether that be stations, points, sidings or "end of the line bits" as he likes to call them. He's started thinking much more about the whole passenger journey. How they get to a station, ... read more
It’s Time for These Harmful Dental Habits to Bite the Dust!
Photo Credit When people think about looking after their teeth, the basics are obvious. Brushing twice a day, flossing, visiting the dentist on a regular basis, avoiding sugary drinks etc. However, there may be some habits that you aren’t even aware that you are doing which are causing a great deal of harm to your pearly whites. Here, we will talk about a few of them to encourage you to break them once and for all! Nail Biting Nail biting is the type of nervous habit that may seem harmless (albeit a little annoying) but it can actually lead to chipped teeth and jaw dysfunction. Try applying ... read more
Look After My Bills – saving money with minimal effort
Saving money on your energy bills is one of those thrifty things that should be easy. There are sites out there offering to help you save money on your bills by finding the best tariff based on your usage and where you live, but the key thing that you have to remember is that these sites are just helping you at one moment in time. On the day that you enter your details they assess the market and tell you what the best deal is for you that day. But what about when your current deal ends? Do you remember to make a note of when your deal is due to end? Or do you just wait until you see that ... read more
Spring Is Here! Use These Suggestions To Get Your Garden Ready For Summer
The springtime is now upon us, and so you need to start thinking about getting your garden ready for the summer. The temperature is beginning to improve, and so you won’t have to wear your coat or worry about freezing outside. You just need to work out how you plan to use your garden this year so you can start getting things sorted. There are some suggestions below that should come in handy and point you in the right direction. Use the advice from this article to ensure you don’t overlook anything critical, and your garden looks stunning by the time summer arrives. Clean your patio and get ... 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