Beautiful Balloon Release...

Listening to Radio 4 about seabirds and plastic reminded me of this so I'm updating and re-posting.

Balloons are lovely aren't they. All shiny and floaty. Either being played with by children at a party or floating off into the wild blue after a wedding. Balloons are used for competitions too, whose will travel the farthest? And for sending prayers, or for memorials.  

Like everyone else I think the sight of hundreds of balloons soaring up into a blue sky is a beautiful thing, trailing tags with notes of love to heaven, what a gorgeous idea...

but balloons come down, and when they do they kill things, lots of things.

They fall into rivers, get snarled in trees, drift to the sea, and wildlife gets caught up or eats the burst 'skins' of the balloons (particularly turtles that naturally eat jellyfish drifting in the sea)

Click here to see the (distressing) photo gallery of balloon damage.

You wouldn't organise a mass litter. Please don't organise a balloon release.(Ditto 'sky lanterns')  Maybe you need more convincing, if so here are some links. I'd appreciate it if you spread the word.

 

Marine Conservation Society

Balloons Blow

But just telling people not to do something can be quite unhelpful, so I searched around for some celebration ideas. Here are some other things you could do that would not harm our planet.

I especially like this idea 

"Floating flowers- For a lot of people, the gently upward drifting of balloons gives them a sense of letting go, and at the same time thinking the balloon will eventually reach their loved one. Because remembering a loved one by potentially killing another life isn’t exactly the best feeling, there are many alternatives. Floating flowers or flower petals down a calm stream can give you the same sense of letting go. You will be able to be in nature and feel the energy of your loved one and all the life that surrounds you! Be sure to use non-poisonous flowers and not to let go an excessive amount."

We only have one chance, let's not screw it up - I want a beautiful planet for future generations. I hope you do too.

All Pictures Above Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

Members of Parliament and their members. A Rant about Cock Pictures

So a Minister has sent a picture of his todger to a journalist who he believed to be a young female researcher. He is married with 5 children.

Is he sleazy? Yes. Was he wrong to do it? morally wrong? yes. Was he stupid to send a digital copy of his cock over t'interwebs to a woman? yes

Twitter seem to agree, among the humour and cock pictures are some angry tweets about his stupidity and lack of morals.

Already got someone on radio saying about Brooks Newmark it's time to 'draw a line under it'. I say add a moustache and a smiley face too
— P* (@98Apples) September 27, 2014

Pathetically naive and disgusting behaviour with ZERO respect for wife and kids #brooksnewmark
— Dominic Farrell (@DominicFarrell) September 27, 2014

And at first I agreed, after all what sort of creep, married with 5 kids sends pics of his shlong to young women online? but then I had a rethink, what if the MP was a young woman and the journalist had posed as a man? What if the entrapment was the other way round. And again I wasn't alone, lots of people though the entrapment was the disgusting part. That the newspaper and the journalist were to blame, after all, being sleazy is not a crime, betraying your wife, while pretty vile, is a person's own business.

Furious at this Brooks Newmark story. That is not journalism, that's entrapment. Just a disgusting and unnecessary attempt to hurt people
— Darling (@__Darling_) September 28, 2014

A male journo sent Brooks Newmark explicit pics of who knows who as part of a sting operation. Gutter stuff. Shouldn't be resigning issue.
— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) September 28, 2014

And again I was swayed. I thought 'yes he's been a fool but so what. the newspaper was in the wrong even more'

But then my husband pointed out that we are in a country in a state of high alert for terrorism, we have parliament recalled for talks on war, and during all that we have MPs that think it's OK to send pictures of their John Thomas to female researchers on twitter because they believe on the strength of a few tweets that the woman is who she says she is.

@Nickking who sets up a fake profile & puts months of work into trying to see some ministerial cock? That's what I find staggering.
— Andy Smyth (@antisyzygy) September 28, 2014

Because a Minister needs to be more savvy. If a journalist can take the time to set up an account and create a false persona online just to get a willy picture, then what would others do to get things they need? Using a cock shot as blackmail would be a beginning but leading to what? secrets shared, information accidentally given or even given deliberately assuming that this new twitter friend was a researcher in the House of Commons so she must have clearance...it's all ok right? Because people online don't lie do they?!

So for me after all the outrage at the Sunday Mirror, and the laughter at Brooks Newmark's paisley pyjamas, after all the moral outrage on behalf of his family, I'm left thinking that the biggest question is why we allow MPs onto social media with so little training, they do not seem to understand the basic lesson that I teach my 14 year old.

"On the internet, nobody knows you are a dog"

Peter Steiner's cartoon, as published in The New Yorker

It seems to me that the government needs to ensure that MPs and all who work for the government and use social media need some proper security training. And that is the issue this has revealed.

Small Changes in my shopping basket - organic additions

When Waitrose asked me to try some small changes to make a bigger impact, by adding some organic things to my shopping list, I was happy to help. I have bought organic meat in the past as I don't like the idea of the routine use of antibiotics etc in my food. And of course organic vs chemicals doesn't just affect the consumer, if affects nature too, the entire food chain. I like to buy organic fruit or veg when I can but it's easy to forget that other things have chemicals pumped into them too to increase the yield (and in the west, more often, the profit margin) so I was interested to look at all the other things in the Waitrose store that fell into the 'organic basket'.

I already mentioned that I bought a really nice organic wine, helped in my choice by the extremely pleasant and knowledgeable wine staff. But I also bought organic fruit juice (delicious!) organic coffee (fair trade too and I have bought this before so I know it's good) and organic tea bags (Clipper - unbleached bags, I am impressed with the strength and quality and may permanently switch from my usual Assam).

I bought organic sugar (how can I forget that's a plant too!) Organic milk (I really think I should try and only get organic milk - it makes sense if I like organic meat!) ditto eggs.

I added organic tinned sweet corn, herbs (no one wants to eat leaves that are sprayed with chemicals), and organic tomato passata , and organic pasta - I plan to make a pasta bake from those ingredients, with some cheese on top.

I had some jam and some really tangy and tasty organic orange marmalade too, it seems that I don't think about processed foods or fruit and veg used in recipes so much, so I shall be thinking organic where I can in future. I may not be able to afford to buy totally organic but small changes...

What could you swap for organic in your shopping basket?

Stuck for ideas? Check out Waitrose's excellent organic inspired recipe selection here 

An interesting read on the current news about insecticides can be found here

Disclaimer - I was sent some vouchers towards the cost of my organic purchases but all thoughts are my own

When I am in charge....

Imagine you were in charge. I know it’s a daft fantasy but just imagine for a minute that what you wanted, or decided, could change things. I would, for example, like to rid the world of guns, and bombs too probably. People could settle scores with hand to hand combat or a chat over a pint instead. But that’s a huge change, even in my little fantasy of being in charge. So what a ‘realistic’ changes that I would make to improve things?

Copyright: sellingpix / 123RF Stock Photo

Here are my top 7

• I would ban buskers using amplifiers. Sorry but no more electric powered stuff for buskers. No blaring backing tracks, no amplified electric guitar. You play an instrument, or you sing. That’s it. You are a busker, you are not an act trying to entertain an entire town at once. People like you, they will stop and listen, they don’t and they should be able to get out of earshot PDQ

• I would bring back a dog licence. I’d add all the usual clauses for the truly hard up and the elderly etc but I’d bring back a reasonable licence. I’d use the money to pay for more bins for dog mess and some fenced and dedicated dog parks in all towns. I would consider a test before you get the licence too – maybe updated every 5 years like a dog owner’s MOT. Breeders would have to have a special licence on top of the individual dog ones, and they would remain responsible for every pup they sold. Microchipping would be compulsory.

• I would set up a Parentline, a sort of hotline for parenting questions. So that when your child says “everyone else is allowed” you could ring and check. There would be a lit of ages and bedtimes too, and a guide to TV shows and Films that ‘everyone is allowed’ to watch. Finally you would have some backup! “I rang Parentline and no, not all 10 year olds have their own iPad” “I’ve checked with Parentline and it seems that Bride of Chucky is not watched by all 7 year olds as you claim” “Parentline has confirmed that all 5 year olds DO have to eat their peas” – also there would be an official ‘Wine o’clock’ text sent to anyone that registered.

• I would hire both Grammar and fashion police. They would patrol in distinctive uniforms of bottle green and royal blue respectively. The grammar police would correct signs and might have a dedicated social media team. The fashion police would watch out for extreme hipster behaviour, see through leggings and shuffling teens in Uggs. On the spot fines would pay for these police forces. Especially well turned out people would receive vouchers to spend in local coffee shops.

• Voting would be a legal requirement for anyone over 18, though there would be a ‘none of the useless twats’ box that you could tick to show how you felt, next to this box would be a comments area that the candidates would all have to read by law. I’d also investigate a simple online/telephone voting system.

• I would ban eating food while walking, or on public transport. All food would be consumed at cafes, home or dedicated food benches set up across towns and cities. People would be encouraged to sit and chat while eating (though not with their mouths full) and there would be free iced water and wifi,

• which brings me to – free wifi. There would be free wifi everywhere practical. It would be easy to access without having to fill in 2 pages of details about yourself. Though to get full access to all sites you would need to have signed up somehow and prove you are over 18. Maybe just give people a PIN?

What about you? Any pet peeves you could fix with new rules if you were in power?

If you are inspired to blog your own changes - I've added a Linky thing - do link  up!

Organic September - Pancakes!

I was asked to help Waitrose celebrate Organic September. Waitrose are supporting the Soil Association's 'Small Changes, Big Difference campaign'.

They challenged me to add some organic products into my daily menus. Luckily they sent me some vouchers to help with the change. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that not all the organic options cost more, or if they did, not too much more.

This evening for example I had some Organic yoghurt, they were on offer, so that 8 pots of yoghurt were £3 (I haven't eaten all 8 yet, though they were so nice I did eat two)

But yesterday we started with a bang! Straight in with a proper treat and some proper cooking!

I love making pancakes, but I never ever measure the ingredients, well, I count the eggs but I'm not sure that is the same as measuring...I have taught DD to cook in this way too - I suspect any family recipes will have to be passed on by the 'teach the next generation' method, writing them down is hard...

So here is my recipe: I use 'some' organic flour (Duchy no less, probably ground by royalty), two organic eggs (laid by the Prince himself - Duchy again - those hens must be the most pampered in England surely?), some Organic milk, and a splop (technical term) of organic sunflower oil.

So into the pan my mix went. And then when perfectly cooked - I served the pancakes with banana and maple syrup.

An excellent start to my organic week I think. Oh and I opened a bottle of really nice Organic Italian Wine at £7.79

Watch Giveaway - it's Time!!

See what I did there? Yes it's TIME for a giveaway - a lovely watch form the simply lovely Cherry Diva Store.

Now if you have never heard of them before, or have never visited their website I warn you now, it's full of beautiful jewellery, accessories and other lovelies at stupidly reasonable prices, so you may find yourself buying far too many things from them.

Perfect ideas for stocking fillers for teens, great ideas for Christmas gifts and Birthdays...oh who am I kidding, you'll just buy stuff for yourself, it's what I always do!!

But to get you started in your addiction why not win this lovely watch

For sale at only £10 but you can have it for nothing if you win this competition! Simple to enter - just choose one, some or all of the entry options on the Rafflecopter thingy below. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ooh Flat Lunch box - review

Remember when I saw a new style lunch box on the interwebs and I got quite excited? Excited enough to tell you all about it for free!?

Well guess what, I have been rewarded, rewarded in the form of a new flat lunch box for DD. So that she, and I, could test it out 'in the field' so to speak...well at school as it turns out.

 My first discovery was that initially the zips made it tricky to zip up from flat. However after 3 days of use I was versed in the technique and no longer found it tricky.

The lunch box (bag?) itself is roomy enough for plenty of lunch and being slightly flexible is good for odd shapes. It is made of neoprene so it's great for when you are diving after sharks keeping the food at an even temperature.

There are loads of great colours to choose from and no 'themed' characters so your child won't outgrow it like they will various pigs, trains and kitties. And that's just as well as it's pretty sturdy and I can imagine it will last a while!

As it opens totally flat it is just as I imagined, simple to clean! And it's machine washable too - so you can bung it in with the weekly wash. Perfect! No crumbs in corners, no cracked plastic. I love it.

Folded flat it's quite large so DD tends to only open 2 sides at school. Her friends have declared it 'interesting' and 'cool'.

Being available in smart simple colours would make it good for the office too, opened flat you could use it to protect your suit!

I also think it would be good when camping, as it's its own picnic blanket space! Keeping your snacks off of the grass.

You can but the Flat lunch box at The Nicest Stuff for £27.50 (yes I know it's pricey - but I looked at cheaper lunch boxes and we get through two a year at £8 so....)

Ten must have Gift Ideas from the Great Gift Co

DYou know that game you play where you've won the lottery and think about what you'd spend it on? Don't lie to me! We've all played it, or something similar.

Well I've been playing 'money no object' over at the Great Gift Co. You can search the site by age, gender (yes I know but see final paragraph of this post) , type of product, whatever. I found the best things in the gadget or blokes sections but that's just me haha!

So here are my top 10 things to have:

1. Tetris Light - £35 - seriously geeky but what's not to love, it's a retro classic, a toy for days when you are bored and a light for the evening. Made up of individual Tetrominoes, all you do is stack them in whichever way you please and watch them colour phase. Simply plug one of the bricks into the mains and then, as each new brick is placed into position it will light up! Perfect.
   
2.  The iSpy Tank - £100 - as soon as DD saw this she squealed with glee! How much does she want this? a lot that#s how much! Roam the house and spy on your family, roam the garden and take wildlife pictures! Combine a remote control toy (fun) with photography (fun) = Double fun! The iSpy Tank moves forward, backwards, left/right and also has night vision. You can also take snapshots or record videos.
   
3.  Two Man DogHouse tent - £40 - what's not to love? It's a hilarious tent. Perfect for your actual dog or anyone else. Knowing my love of tents you'll see why this was on the list. Perfect for festivals as an ironic statement maybe? The Dog House Tent comes packaged in a neat bag and includes the Dog House Tent, 6 steel pole sections, 10 tent pegs, dog house water bowl and full assembly instructions.
   
    
4.  Pinball Machine - £450 - OK well into the wrealms of fantasy now but I'd love one of these! Imagine the party fun, in fact I bet you'd suddenly find you had loads of mates. Gt them to bring the beer and have tournaments. Sadly I have neither the space not the cash for this most excellent gift idea.
   
5.  DIY Tattooes - £4.50 - back in the land of the affordable I might actually get some of these - hilarious ideas spring to mind already, great for kids parties too. Send everyone home with a personalised tattoo!Simply select the words you want from the pack and construct your own phrases, messages or mottos and transfer them to your skin using just a damp cloth. You get two sets of 66 words in a pack, so 132 in total.
   
6.  ATM Bank - £35 - finally a way to be modern and teach kids that you can only take out what you put in! Help your kids grasp the concept of saving, and of only withdrawing money they have with this fabulous personal ATM. Oh who am I kidding, I just want one.Pay in and withdraw coins and notes with this fantastic ATM Bank machine. The ATM Bank comes complete with a personal cash card and PIN - a great way to teach little ones about saving and PIN numbers etc, and equally popular with teens and older who either like or need encouragement to save - here they can do it in a fun and contemporary wayThe ATM Bank recognises each coin and it is also possible to set a target savings amount and balances can be checked at any time. Notes are also accepted by the ATM Bank - they are automatically drawn in through the slot.When in use, the ATM Bank lights up and makes realistic sounds. Other nifty features includes the ability to enter a user name and also date of birth (if the ATM Bank is used on his birthday then the machine will sing Happy Birthday) and if the ATM Bank is used on Christmas Day then it will play a Christmas song. Please note that the ATM Bank only recognises UK currency. Seriously love this!
   
7. Cruiser Turntable - £100 - another gorgeous retro item. I actually have an original Fidelity suitcase record player, but I'm tempted by this lovely modern version. Gorgeous. Treat your 45s and LPs to a whirl on this beauty. And it's self contained so you can take your tunes to a mates house and play them there too. Dance around your handbags in your best mate's bedroom!
   
8. Fresher Gift Box for Students - £45 - I don't need this (obviously) but it did make me laugh and it is very topical! Set the student in your life on the right track with this fun and useful (?) selection of goodies. Inside the box are : A Laundry Bag - but with a difference. It reads, 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, NAKED on the front - eg time to come home for mum to do the washing! : Pizza Saw - so your student can show the pizzas they mean business - easy to clean: Hungover Cookbook (or Hungoevr Coobkook as it's correctly titled) - a book full of recipes that are grouped according to the severity of the bender that went beforehand :  Hangover Cure Rescue Pips - they won't cure the hangover but they'll cause a laugh - plus, sugar's helpful when you have a hangover, right? and   Biscuit Skyscraper - for keeping a stash of biscuits safe from harm and pilfering
   
9. Calories Do Not Count on this Spoon - £16 - great gift as a joke for someone you know doesn't give a damn about calories! I know I don't! But I still think this spoon would make cake taste nicer :-)The Great Gift Co has several spoons in their collecton with cute sayings on them. Worth a look, an unusual but cute gift.The Calories Don't Count On This Dessert Spoon is a unique, vintage piece. Each silver plated spoon is unique and even sweeter for the fact that it bears signs of its previous life
   
10. Last but by no means least the Great Gift Co have some lovely scented goodies, I was sent this box of Cedar and Lime scented soap and cologne (I got it free but it retails at £20) which I have personally tested on my husband. It smells gorgeous. It may even mean his luck's in (wink wink) a great gift for a chap as it smells manly but fresh. Really nice, a smartly packaged. A nice gift for teacher, husband or colleague
    
    .
     All in all I loved the Great Gift Co website. I can even forgive the gender separation as so many products are in both sections!. Lots of great unusual gifts from cheap to expensive. I will certainly be paying them a visit this Christmas.
    
    Disclosure - I was sent a Gift Set value £20 for this blog post but all the views are my own.
    

How to buy online (a guide for those of us who would sneer at a guide to buying online)

My good friend Ruth had one of those experiences that can make you cry or make you stronger. I suspect this one did both. It also made her realise that others could learn from her experience, so I agreed to host her guide on my blog (as she doesn't have a blog)

Ladies and gentlemen, I present:

How to buy online (a guide for those of us who would sneer at a guide to buying online)
By Ruth (off of famous singing duo Moss&Jones) 

I’ve been buying stuff online since the 90s, when I had to go into a little internet café on North John Street in Liverpool to get online. If someone had offered me advice on how to buy online a few weeks ago, I’ll be honest; I’d have laughed! However, I think those of us who were early adopters of online shopping have become complacent; we barely think before we click. This isn’t about card fraud or identity theft (although those things do happen) but about what to do when what you’re buying is really important, or you need it for a deadline, or it is hand-made.
Or all three of those things, like, say, a wedding dress.

I was let down at the last minute by a dressmaker of very reasonably priced bespoke mediaeval style dresses on eBay. I bought from eBay in the first place because, well, did I mention it was reasonably priced (under £200, which admittedly is still really dear, but not compared to most bespoke wedding dresses) and mediaeval style? I would have looked like the Waterhouse painting of the Lady of Shallot, in the boat. (Except not going to my doom, obviously.) The dressmaker had excellent feedback; nearly all five stars, so I felt utterly comfortable buying from her. I’d left it a bit late to buy so I contacted her to check she could do it; she promised in a message that I’d have it on time.

Five weeks later, just days before the wedding,  after trying frantically to contact her for about a week (as my dress hadn’t arrived), I ended up having to make a claim for my money back through PayPal, and looking for an alternative dress, last minute, through tears.
Now, much as the temptation to name and shame (or train pigeons to go to her house and poo down her chimney) is overwhelming, I want to do something more constructive that might help other people. I don’t want anyone else to go through this, so I’ve written a little ten point guide to buying (or selling) a wedding dress (or other important/hand-made/deadline-required item) online.

Buyers:
1.    Buy as early as you can. In the dressmaker’s weirdly passive-aggressive missive to me after it all went sour she tried to blame me for leaving it too late. One might suggest that she was at fault for promising she could still do it to such a tight deadline in the first place (weeks, not days, by the way) of course, but I suspect she saw pound signs and promised more than she could deliver.
2.    Speak to them on the telephone before buying. I know, making ‘phone calls these days is a bit passé, but down the line you’ll want to be able to get in touch with the seller immediately, rather than having to wait for replies to messages that may not come. Telephone their listed number before buying. If it doesn’t work, or they don’t respond to messages when you’re thinking of buying, think how much less motivated they might be to answer a call once they actually have your money! Find out how much other work they have on. How long do they usually take? Set some parameters too; when do they think they’ll be able to send? Is it okay to “nag” them to ask for information? How often? Once a week? Will they tell you if there are problems (e.g. with their own supplier)? Be polite, obviously, but do remember this is a business transaction, and a good seller will respect this and not be offended by you asking them questions.
3.    In addition to telephone calls, however, do get everything in writing. The dressmaker in question wanted me to use Etsy to contact her (despite the fact I’d bought through eBay). I did as she asked, but sent copies of Etsy messages to her eBay account, too, and this was useful when I came to get my money back.
4.    Contrary to what I said about ‘phone calls with the seller, please bear in mind that if you buy through eBay and need to speak to a representative there, their “live chat” service is much quicker than waiting for an hour to get through on the telephone. I’m not sure with other online stores, mind you.
5.    Use PayPal! I hadn’t realised this, but PayPal’s buyer protection is really good at covering you in the event something goes wrong. I got my money back immediately with little hassle. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather have had the dress, but still, at least I got my money back.
6.    Have a backup plan. In the worst case scenario, what are you going to do? Is there another shop that sells similar items? What’s the latest you can leave it before ordering from them if you original item doesn’t come? Make sure that this is the deadline for your preferred supplier (and make sure they’re aware of this), so that if they cannot fulfil your order in time, you can still get your backup.
7.    Consider buying from an online shop whose physical presence is still relatively local. That way if it does get to near the deadline, a same-day courier might not be too horrifically expensive, or if you have a nice friend with a car, they could even offer to collect.

Sellers:
8.    Honesty. If you can’t fulfil the order, as soon as you know, tell the buyer. Never take on a project you think there’s even a small chance you can’t finish.  Yes, that does mean you might make a little less in the short term, but in the long term, the damage to your reputation from taking on orders you can’t complete could ruin your business. If you can’t fulfil an order, why not have a list of similar sellers who might be able to? You never know, if you build up a good rapport you might end up sending each other business.
9.    Communication, communication, communication. Keep in touch with your buyer at regular intervals to let them know where you’re up to. If there are any problems, let them know immediately and give them a range of options. When you’ve sent the item, tell them. Understand that if it’s something really important to them, they might be a bit stressed, and some of their communication might appear a little short (buyers, see 3., do try to be polite). Try not to take it personally, unless they are actually downright rude.
10.    If it all really does go utterly pear shaped, and they leave negative feedback, don’t then respond with a nasty reply. It makes you look REALLY bad and they’ll only report you to eBay anyway to get the comment removed. It’ll say, “comment removed by eBay” underneath. How do you think THAT will make you look?


I am very lucky, in that I now have an alternative dress; it’s not quite as amazing as my original, but it’s pretty, fun, and I’m the bloody bride, so anyone who says any different will get in trouble! The wedding’s this Sunday, and it’ll be magic. Besides, I might not have my dream dress… but I have my dream spouse.

Vosene giveaway

Fairly sure it's not coincidence that since descovering Vosene's Nit repellant spray the hair in our household (2/3 members of the house have hair) has been nit free.

But it's back to school, back to poring over text books, hugging in the payground, wrestling on the floor of the boys loos...and touching heads together!

And we all know what that means, yes it means wandering insects wandering.

Luckily my long time friends at Vosene are on the case with an interactive map, so you can check out nitty hotspots, and products to repel the invaders!

There are various products, which I think all smell nice, and are easy to use.

Vosene Kids 3in1 Conditioning Shampoo and Conditioning Defence Spray work together to clean, condition and detangle your child’s hair, as well as containing natural ingredients to help prevent head lice. Say hello to happy hair!

Vosene Kids 3in1 Conditioning Shampoo (RRP £2.54, 250ml) - gently cleanses and conditions your kids’ hair and scalp leaving naturally healthy shiny hair. Our specially formulated shampoo also contains natural Tea Tree Oil and Lemon Eucalyptus to help keep head lice at bay when used alongside our Conditioning Defence Spray.

Vosene Kids Conditioning Defence Spray (RRP £2.54, 150ml) – this fantastic leave-in spray detangles and smooths your child’s hair, instantly taming the worst bed head and the most unruly knots. The clinically proven formula also helps protect against head lice - using natural ingredients such as Eucalyptus Oil, Citronella Oil and Rosemary Oil. Suitable for children aged 3 and over.

Vosene Kids 3in1 Conditioning Shampoo & Conditioning Defence Spray are found in the children's shampoo aisles in high street supermarkets and chemists. For more great advice on helping prevent head lice and keeping hair happy and shiny visit www.vosene.co.uk.

And now the fun bit - you can WIN a full set of Coditioning Shampoo and Conditioning Defence Spray.

So easy - loads of ways to enter - pick one, some or all of the options using the Rafflecopter thingy-ma-bob below.

Best of Luck
a Rafflecopter giveaway


You can also 'Like' Vosene on Facebook for extra info.

Book Review - The Judas Scar by Amanda Jennings

Disclosure - I was sent an uncorrected proof copy to read and review.

And I was sent the copy ages ago! Due to all sorts of pathetic excuses I didn't really start reading this book for a while. When I did the story was pretty harrowing, the subject matter, men who had known each other at school and then drifted apart, now re meeting, is a subjest that has been covered by other authors but this book had both a dark edge and a mystery. Jumping back and forth from the characters lives and histories the reader is drawn slowly into their story.

And as I said it becomes quite sad and even horrific at times. I took a break in the middle of at least a month. Maybe I'm a wimp, but when I asked Amanda on twitter 'do any dogs die?' because I was weeping at every page! and she said something like 'dogs...erm...no, have you read the cat scene yet?' So I took a break to compose myself.

Then a few days ago I picked it back up. Tissues at the ready I carried on. The writing is quite breathtaking in places (and it's always good) There were several phrases I simply loved.

"It's not about what I have to gain, it's that I don't have anything to lose"

 So I urge you to get a copy and see what you think.

Link to it on Goodreads here

and at Waterstones here

Added to the Read With Me Linky at MamaMummyMum

The Marketing of Fear

I received an email today asking me to review a cleaning product and I turned it down. I turned it down because it seemed to be relying on the marketing of fear.

It's something I've been aware of for a long time, and it's been around for a long time, this idea that advertising, successful marketing, is often based on fear. I'm sure I've fallen prey to it myself.

But just as how I will not be forced to be afraid of food based on a perceived 'best before' date, so I try to remain above the advertising of products based solely on fear.

I prefer marketing to look at helping me, to make my life simpler without damaging anything else on the way. Tell be about useful things, don't try and scare me into using them.

And marketing at a parent it's easy to rely on fear, fear that your baby will have nappy rash if you don't use our nappies; fear that your baby won't sleep through the night unless you buy our sleep training program; fear that without this food or drink your baby won't get enough iron, or vitamins ;fear that you will look haggard and old and have no sex ever again unless you buy our hair dye and our makeup...the list is endless.

I really enjoyed hearing that new theories about allergies seem to point to the fact that we don't let kids have enough 'bug exposure' when they are little. For a long time it was said that a dog in the home helped kids grow up stronger, that breast milk (straight from that unsterile boob) was better, that 'we all eat a peck of dirt afore we die' and that 'a little bit of dirt won't kill you'. How many times as a parent do we invoke the 5 second rule on dropped food to avoid waste or extra expense

"hear, let me blow the germs away, the lolly is fine, just eat it"

The use of 'kills 99% of all known germs' products when the very 1% it misses may be the only actual dangerous ones annoys me. Yet as I work in a medical environment I'm very aware of appropriate hygiene. And that's the thing, appropriate. If I tend a sick person I ensure I'm as clean and as germ free as can be, but a 5 year old with a fine immune system? probably not so much to worry about.

So thanks for the offer but I'll stick with cleaning appropriately, keeping 'clean' rather than sterile and I won't let the odd smudge or bit of dirt on a kid worry me.

Now, must wash my hands.

Wait, every other ...what?!

It's been a while since a song in the charts has moved me enough for me to blog about it.

I last ranted about song lyrics here.

Recently DD and I had a long car journey and I was thrilled forced to listen to Radio One for most of the journey. During that time I was privileged to hear ALt J sing Every Other Freckle. I was so amazed by the bizarre lyrics that I assumed I had misheard them (after all I am old) but DD googled them on her clever mobile telephone and sure enough...

So without further ado, here are my thoughts on the song


 Every Other Freckle

Aaah >>open wide ladies and gentlemen because ...
I want to share your mouthful > you see! He's diving right in...
I want to do all the things your lungs do so well > such as breathe? OK then, continue breathing, I'm ok with that...
I’m gonna bed into you like a cat beds into a beanbag >This is where we start getting weird...you want to WHAT? I'm seeing that whole paw-kneading thing and I'm not sure my belly can take it to be honest...
Turn you inside out and lick you like a crisp packet >OK now we have passed through weird and out into freaksville, I can only hope I don't taste of Prawn Cocktail (sorry)

Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
Hey! >hey

You’re the first and last of your kind >Fairly sure other humans exist and I'm not really sure if this is complimentary
(Hold me like an animal on top of her) >I rarely hold animals on top of me, I think you can get into trouble for that
I wanna be every lever you pull >all the boys say that
And all showers that shower you> Yeah OK I'm not into golden showers or water sports in general...
Gonna paw paw at you
Like a cat paws at my woollen jumper >You seem a tiny bit cat obsessed - do you get out much?
Me, I’m in bin >hmmm
Ignore her worth, and some trivia

Hey!

Ooh, devour me >yeah, but no
Aaah
Lou Lou, let the cover girls sing
Hey!

Do, do do do, do do do do
Do do do, do do do, do do do do, do do
Do, do do do, do do, do do, do do
Do do do, do do

All hand claps
Human claps
Let me be the wallpaper that papers up your room >slightly odd, like a fly on the wall you mean? but thinner, more spread out?
I want to be every button you press >you are not really pressing my buttons so far, this might be the least romantic song I've heard since the last one
And all mouths that surround you > slobbery
Yes, I’m gonna roll around you > crushing
Like a cat rolls around the chrysanthemums >OK enough with the cat thing, maybe you just should get a cat?
I’m gonna kiss you like the sun browns you >hot kisses? best thing you've suggested yet

Hey!

Oh oh oh oh oh devour me
Oh oh oh oh oh oh devour me
Oh oh oh oh oh (Oh oh oh oh oh)
Oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh (Oh oh oh oh oh)
If you really think that you can stomach me > fairly sure I can't by this stage actually, sorry

Hey hey!

Hey!
Hey!
Hey!

I want every other freckle
I want every other freckle
I want every other freckle
I want every other freckle
I want every other freckle
I want every other freckle
I want every other freckle
I want every other freckle
Freckle >and we're done.

weirdo

Wear shoes you can run in

Girls should be able to wear what they want when they go out and know that they will be safe.

But until they are I'll be telling DD to wear a sensible coat and sensible shoes.

You might think that I'm a terrible woman, and not a good feminist at all by suggesting such a thing. You might rage at me that dressing 'slutty' isn't an invitation to rape, that getting drunk, or falling over in high heels isn't an invite to abuse, and of course you are right.

You might suggest that by teaching DD to be 'the safe one' I'm asking the rapists and idiots on a Friday night in town to 'target the other girls' and you might have a point.

But what am I supposed to do? Going out is still a risk for women despite loads of high profile campaigns. Young men still seem to live in a world where buying you a drink entitles them to 'something' in return, or a kiss is obviously an invite to more.

Am I a terrible mum to want to protect my daughter? If I had a son I'd be telling him how to respect women, how to protect women, how 'nice guys' don't finish last at all, they end up with girlfriends and live happy lives. I'd be teaching him to stand up to his mates if they are arseholes. I'd ensure he had money for taxis and didn't drink too much too.

What can we do? Us parents? With teens? What are you doing?

Men Can Stop Rape - Where do you Stand? Campaign.