The Lockdown Birthday Cake Disaster of 2020

This is a story from a while ago, right at the start of Lockdown, on the very the first day that the schools were closed way back in March. With all the craziness that's been happening, I've only just got around to sitting down to write about it. This is the story of my son's lockdown birthday, which began with the greatest birthday gift he could have received, the closing of his school on his birthday, and went very much downhill from there. But doom and gloom have no place in a world where there are so many ways things could be worse, so read on to find out how we made the best of it all.

Managing Long Term Chronic Pain - Course Notes

I have been suffering from a chronic pain condition for over 10 years now and I continue to fight it every day. I experiment with nutrition and exercise to keep the pain under control and always live in hope that one day it will go away altogether. I am an optimist. However, since seeing a rheumatologist last year, I've been informed that, medically speaking, there is nothing more that can be done and I'm stuck with it. I've now been referred to a Pain Management course and I thought maybe it would help other pain sufferers to hear what happens, so these are my notes on part one of a group therapy course designed to help sufferers cope with long term pain. 

Why New Year's Resolutions are So Last Year

I've been having a long think about New Year's Resolutions. So long, in fact, that this post is a day late, but more on that later. My issue with resolutions is this; if you resolve to do something that you have previously failed at, are you setting yourself up to fail? It seems that so much emphasis is placed on resolutions; ie, what you intend to get right in the new year, that that you are almost obliged to come with something you are currently dissatisfied with. But do such public declarations of intended success ever end well? Particularly if you don't first address the reason you haven't previously achieved it?

How to Help Retain Important Memories

I have never been very good at remembering things. My short term memory is diabolical, I don't just forget to do something, I can forget I even agreed to do it in the first place! I try all the usual tricks to help me remember, such as writing things down, but then I have to remember to look at what I wrote. It's a work in progress. What bothers me more, though, is my long term memory. I hate not being able to remember things we've done as a family, or details about my children's earlier years. Recently, I've been looking at ways to help me retain important memories and I thought I would share them with you.

In the Audience of a Live TV Show - The Last Leg #IsItOk

My daughter and I have been big fans of The Last Leg for a very long time. The show, which was first commissioned to accompany the 2012 Paralympics, is hosted by Adam Hills and co hosted by Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe. It has evolved to become an insightful and fun topical show, focusing on the previous week's major events and explaining politics in such a way that even I can understand the more complex issues affecting our nation. The show has a live studio audience and did you know, you can get free tickets to see it? My daughter managed to get tickets and has written this guest post to give you an idea of what to expect if you get the chance to watch a live show being filmed.

Blogging, Advertising and Sponsorship

I've seen a few posts on social media recently talking about advertising and sponsorship in blogging. A few things came to light, from reading the posts, that made me feel it was time to write about it, from a personal perspective. One of the overriding points that came from comments I saw, was that there is some confusion and negativity around the role of blogs in advertising and media. I thought this might be a good opportunity to explain a bit about the different types of blog advertising and why I, and possibly other bloggers too, sometimes advertise products or services through my blog.

How to Make Social Media and Blogs Accessible for the Visually Impaired

Reading is something most of us take for granted, but if you are visually impaired it can present a challenge. Traditionally, braille, or audio books, have been relied upon, but this can be a problem. Not everyone who is visually impaired can read braille, and not everything you may want to read is available in this format. What if you are visually impaired and just want to browse the internet in a more spontaneous way, without waiting for a more accessible translation to come along? This post explains what we can do to help the visually impaired access social media and blogs.

Why I Love Instagram but Still get it Wrong

There are certain things I really like about social media, and certain things I don't. It has great power to affect a person's mood, outlook, even relationships, which isn't good, but on the other hand, it can provide a lifeline for people who are lonely, or just not very confident socially. The key seems to be not to take it too seriously, which is why I'm particularly fond of Instagram. It's mainly inoffensive pictures and quotes and a mindless scroll is quite relaxing. Also I love taking photos and looking at other photos, so it's perfect for me. It seems, though, that I've been doing it all wrong, but I'm not about to change. Here's why.

2017 A Year in Review

I am convinced as I get older, that time goes more and more quickly. I find that the year starts off slowly enough, full of promise and good intentions, but once we get to the summer holidays, it suddenly speeds up. We try to cram in as much fun and adventure as we can into the holidays, wringing out the last remnants of summer for as long as possible, but once everyone is back at school, Christmas starts creeping in  and then *boom* I'm sitting here writing this post! This is one of the great things about blogging. though, I can look back over the year and remind myself that we did do a lot of fun stuff along the way. This is 2017, our year in review. 

Thoughts on Saying Goodbye

I went to put up a Sunday Photo today and realised that I hadn't posted since last Sunday, which seems impossible, but this week has gone in kind of a blur. So, I thought instead, I would write a bit about why I have been so unnaturally quiet this week and what's been happening in between. The reason for my absence hasn't been a happy one, but sometimes you just have to write what's in your heart and hope no one minds. I often, like now, right these introductions before I write the actual post, so I don't know how they are going to turn out. However, I do know that I am going to try to end it on a bit more of an upbeat note, so try to hang in there, if you can.

How to be a Proper Blogger

I have nearly reached five years of blogging and, during that time, my approach to blogging has changed dramatically. I started blogging purely because I like writing. I didn't consider making money from it for a good three years. After that, it sort of happened accidentally and I now enjoy the fact that I can make money from doing something I love. The downside is, it's been a major contributor in changing the way I blog and the way I think about blogging. Over time I've become more interested in whether I'm blogging 'properly'. I look at other bloggers, and I wonder if I should be blogging more like them, if I could be more professional, perhaps. These are my thoughts on 'proper' blogging.

When Your Best Friend Dies

I've been very lucky in my life. The only people who have passed from it, have been older relatives. Now, as much as there is never a good time to go, it's a little easier to come to terms with when you have lots of good times to remember, you know they had a long and happy life and contributed a lot to the world. They will be remembered because they made their mark; in their profession, through their clubs and hobbies, on their friends and colleagues. Everyone will say 'Oh yes, lovely chap, had a good innings' and, after the initial loss, you can at least have that little crumb of comfort, they got the best out of life. Then, your best friend dies. Very suddenly and very young, and all of that changes.

A Round Up of Recent Adventures: March

I know I've been trying to do a weekend post as often as I can, but we have had such a crazy couple of weeks, it's gone a bit by the wayside. So, instead, here's a round up of a few of the fun things that have gone on in our lives since I last had a chance to write about fun stuff. I may carry on with this format, so that I'm not limited to weekends and I don't have to bore you to death if nothing interesting happens! Highlights over the last couple of weeks included L's birthday, the party, War Horse, oh yes, and of course cake. A big cheaty cake, that I sort-of made, but still cake!

April the Giraffe, a Time-Consuming Tail

I never thought I would become this addicted to a Youtube feed, but I have, so I thought I'd better share the saga with you. Normally it's all Minecraft and mayhem in our house, but, a few weeks ago, I caught wind of an interesting development over at Animal Adventure Park in New York, where a giraffe was soon to go into labour and produce a cute baby giraffe in front of the world via a 'giraffecam'! It doesn't get much more exciting than that, I thought, so I tuned in to watch. Two weeks and two days later (and I was late to the party!) we are all still waiting! It's #AprilWatch, folks!

Our Weekend Wanderings, Week Nine

We're late this week, sorry, wifi issues! This is more of a Saturday post, really, but quite a lot happened, so I'm hoping it will still be interesting and no one will mind. A lot goes on in Bristol, there was even a fire limbo dancer! And cake, of course, there will always be cake. It's also more about my wanderings, as I decided I would do something a bit out of character and go totally rogue. Oh yes, you heard me right, I went out, completely unsupervised. So, basically, what I'm trying to tell you, is that the title of this post is a bit of a big fib, really. But, I can't change it, because then it wouldn't be Weekend Wanderings, and anyway, Saturday is half the weekend, after all. 

Our Weekend Wanderings, Week Eight!

Last weekend began on a Friday, because I couldn't let some awesome artwork pass by, without giving it a mention. I have to admit, it wasn't the most exciting weekend, as I somehow managed to injure my leg, doing absolutely nothing and haven't been able to walk on it since. It's really been annoying me. If I get a painful injury, I want an exciting story to go with it. At the very least, I want to have done something to earn it. No fair! We did manage a couple of trips out, though,and Jade did very well after being dispatched to Lush for emergency bath bombs! 

What to Give Up for Lent

I was going to write about Shrove Tuesday, as everyone loves a pancake, after all. However, I see a lot of great pancake-based posts each year so, instead, I thought I would tackle another conundrum that affects a lot of people around this time of year; what to give up for Lent. People take on this yearly challenge for different reasons. For some it's specifically a religious undertaking, to recognise and focus on the true meaning of Easter. For others it's a time to reflect on overindulgence versus the needs of others. Some simply view it as a great opportunity to detox something negative from their lives. Whatever the reason for the undertaking, the question of what to give up is an important one.

Our Weekend Wanderings, Week Seven!

It's been half term, which has turned out to be a much needed rest from the school and work routine. The February half term is a strange one. It always seems to come around really quickly after the Christmas holiday, but I always feel like we really need the break. I think it's because Christmas is so manic, but the break isn't all that long, so we get thrown back into work and school without really recovering from all the festivities and effort involved. It is also usually the worst holiday for bad weather and, sure enough, it was damp and grey here until Friday. Then the temperature suddenly improved, so this week's Weekend Wanderings features our first sunny day out of the year! Hurrah for Spring! 

Our Weekend Wanderings, Week Six!

Welcome to week six of my weekly weekend updates. I think I'm getting better at this, it's just gone 1am, so it's still technically Tuesday in my opinion. I'll be getting these out on a Monday by the end of the year, no problem. I need to, because I have the worst memory, so it's either that or start taking notes, like a journal for my journal. Which sounds time-consuming. Photos help. I actually think that's one of the advantages the digital age has brought us, pictorial reminders of the little things you'd otherwise forget. Things that might not matter, but suddenly do, like when did I buy those shoes that just fell apart, or when did we last get our haircut. Anyway, I digress... 

Our Weekend Wanderings, Week Five!

It's hard to believe it's week five already. It's been nice writing these posts, I feel I'm getting to appreciate the good bits of life a bit more, before they fly by. This was actually quite a busy one and I even remembered to take photos. It was a weekend of firsts, as I did something I've never done before. Wait for it... I went to a Frankie and Benny's! I know, I know, how did I manage to exist on the planet for all these years without ever crossing the threshold of an F&Bs, but there you go, it's been a sheltered life. In another first, I also had my first 'proper' cocktail, but before that, there was cake and fabulous shoes, just in time for our night out. This is our weekend and what we loved about it.