Fighting Flies - Best Fly Prevention and Repellents

Here in the UK, flies are only really a problem during the hottest part of summer, which can range from seemingly a couple of days, to several weeks, depending on how kind the British weather is feeling. This being the case, no one wants to spend a lot of money on swanky electric fly-zappers, or other costly and cumbersome gadgets, but flies are still irritating and gross, so what else works to prevent, or repel flies? Included in this post are some of the most effective and low-cost fly prevention and repellents available, all-natural, humane and pesticide free. Feel free to let me know in the comments if I'm missing any brilliant ideas, we need all the help we can get!  

How to Make a Cheap, Sustainable Book Advent Calendar

With so much emphasis on sustainability in our current climate, as well as a need for an awful lot of us to try to save money this Christmas, I challenged myself to make an advent calendar for my adult daughter (I know, I know, don't judge me, she still gets a stocking too, I just can't stop myself!), spending as little as possible, while also reusing and repurposing as much as I could. Here's how I got on and I hope I haven't left it too late to pass on these ideas to anyone who could use them. The best part is, you can make this advent calendar for any age from toddlers to grown-ups who are probably too old for this nonsense, but why let details spoil the fun? 

Small Business Christmas Gift Guide

 Somehow the year has once again flown by and our attention is turning to Christmas. This is likely to be a tough one for many and I thought it would be nice to produce a guide to some of the small businesses and sole traders who are fighting against huge brands to be seen and heard in the marketplace. Many of us would like to support more small businesses, but it's not always easy to find them, so I'm hoping this will be a good place to start. I can update this guide at any time so if you know of a great small business that you have used or think could benefit from a shout-out, drop me a comment or email me via my contact page and I will add as many as I can. 

Hotel Deloix Review - Large Groups, Small Dupes, Stray Poop

For our family holiday this year, we stayed at the Hotel Deloix Aqua Center in Benidorm. The hotel is about a mile from the beach, situated in a pleasant area that isn't noisy or busy but does benefit from a few shops and entertainment venues a short walk away. I had not intended to write a review, however, when I got home, I realised that I had quite a lot to say and an unsponsored review might be of benefit to anyone thinking of booking a break in Benidorm. This is why the photos are a bit more haphazard than I'd like, but I hope you can still get a feel of what you get for your money here. The hotel was booked as part of a package holiday, so I can't tell you the exact cost of our stay, but the hotel advertises rates of £157.49 per night for full board in June at the time of writing. 

10 Ways To Survive Christmas without Gaining Weight

Anyone who struggles with their weight will know how hard it is to stay on track over Christmas. Temptation is everywhere; special offers in the shops, gifts from well-meaning friends, offerings at the school fete, the list is endless! Christmas these days seems to centre predominantly around food and there are no end of tempting treats that we feel compelled to buy in the shops, because it's traditional. No one wants to undo all their hard work in just a couple of weeks, though, so I've put together a list, with some ideas to keep us all motivated. If something has worked for you, feel free to comment below!

Christmas Packaging - What can you Recycle?

Over Christmas, the UK population generates 25% more waste than normal. With waste collections becoming less frequent and rubbish bins getting smaller (in our county, anyway!), this can pose a real problem for households. Add to that, the strain on the environment, and this means it is even more important than ever to up our recycling and upcycling game to try to keep landfill to a minimum. This post aims to sort out the facts when it comes to recycling your Christmas packaging, as well as what you can do to ensure you don't end up with a lot more landfill waste this Christmas and some alternatives to traditional wrapping.

Snow White at the Bristol Hippodrome Review

 This week we were lucky enough to be invited to the free press night showing of a classic tale: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. We did a little dance when the invitation came our way because while we were all sat indoors, twiddling our thumbs, eagerly awaiting the day we can look at this pandemic and say - “It’s behind you!” getting an invitation to escape it for a few hours was the next best thing. The pantomime is showing until January 2nd and you can get your tickets via this link www.atgtickets.com. It was a magical experience to see the Bristol Hippodrome eagerly throw its safety curtain up and doors wide open after this year of turmoil for the theatre industry.