tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141811582024-03-07T23:02:42.912+00:00TM's BlogMy blog. My rules. Ranting encouraged. Advice given.Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.comBlogger791125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-39134890115314814152023-03-20T10:29:00.001+00:002023-04-24T09:39:59.309+01:00COVID-19 comes for us all<p>So on Monday 20 March I woke up with a slightly sexy gravelly voice and a mild tickly cough. Because of my work in healthcare I always have a few COVID-19 tests knocking about. "I'll just test to rule it out" I thought optimistically.</p><p>The fact this this is a blog post means the reveal here will come as no surprise. No one blogs about not getting COVID-19.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdG8jO-kKqaWCBS7KqJMtoe1Tyn5bFwXGr9FcrSs60P1m2Hbop-sSoDnOY8XEii2Ebx3YjbNL9xdWxQO9AV70kUyVPi-6VVPoqwbIYE1_FzZyGjfozzSfsYXxdHUPMWY3LJoG9wVGb0G00duXw_YpDQtPhs35pAfTUXBx0g-_luvfhYkT5A/s4608/IMG_20230320_084546.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small white covid test showing two clear pink lines demonstrating the test is positive for covid" border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdG8jO-kKqaWCBS7KqJMtoe1Tyn5bFwXGr9FcrSs60P1m2Hbop-sSoDnOY8XEii2Ebx3YjbNL9xdWxQO9AV70kUyVPi-6VVPoqwbIYE1_FzZyGjfozzSfsYXxdHUPMWY3LJoG9wVGb0G00duXw_YpDQtPhs35pAfTUXBx0g-_luvfhYkT5A/w240-h320/IMG_20230320_084546.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Since COVID-19 first became mainstream news I have followed all the rules and then some. I have stayed home, worn masks, not shopped except via internet and always made drivers leave deliveries on the doorstep. We washed our hands. I have hand gel around the house. </p><p>I had to go out for work in the early days, high risk places where I used full PPE and wore scrubs that could be boil washed while I showered as soon as I got home before joining the family again.</p><p>I continued to mask after the rules relaxed, I continued to stay home, I'm practically a hermit! I didn't see my parents for over a year, I missed a Christmas with my daughter as she was awaiting a test result. I have every vaccination possible as soon as it's available. I have stayed COVID-19 free all this time.</p><p>And yet here I am.</p><p>This sneaky bastard virus has invaded the temple* of my body.</p><p><i>*Like the temple in jungle book, falling down, crumbling and full of monkeys</i></p>Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-16883206649756940772023-03-02T09:02:00.000+00:002023-03-02T09:02:30.895+00:00Toilet Breaks won't Break a Child<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIq10_RYDT0Eo0MnYxwc_j-OG9cbSIMsbh9ramnu3f2FRkX_ciWpbp7Hq5nrh082_d2sfGF5bmh66I-BguRHBHtKpjAboyeXFxns1oA6m3SVfmdw1BtCI9fuIfDGvZ0-9NyslcVndweDj2KDZuwLLAHVlC7JrmMQzheeVnSXA7XcarhQK_w/s1920/drawing-259726_1920.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="childs drawing of a boy and girls crossing their legs looking like they need the toilet" border="0" data-original-height="1289" data-original-width="1920" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIq10_RYDT0Eo0MnYxwc_j-OG9cbSIMsbh9ramnu3f2FRkX_ciWpbp7Hq5nrh082_d2sfGF5bmh66I-BguRHBHtKpjAboyeXFxns1oA6m3SVfmdw1BtCI9fuIfDGvZ0-9NyslcVndweDj2KDZuwLLAHVlC7JrmMQzheeVnSXA7XcarhQK_w/w320-h215/drawing-259726_1920.jpg" title="Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/geralt-9301/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=259726">Gerd Altmann</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=259726">Pixabay</a>" width="320" /></a></div><br />Some UK <a href="https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/national/childrens-charity-comments-on-school-toilet-policy-after-morecambe-mum-raises-concerns-over-locked-loos-during-lessons-4044889" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">schools are restricting the use of toilets</a> both in lesson and break time.<p></p><p>When I was at school you raised your hand and asked to go, the teacher said yes, you went, you came back. End of story. And there were breaks between classes too, so you could nip in then. I never saw any problem with this. It all worked fine.</p><p>I assume schools in their ongoing battle to <strike>subdue</strike> teach children have decided some children are abusing the <strike>privilege</strike> right to go to the toilet when they need to. As we all know, children are terrible at knowing when they need to go, and hopeless at planning, even as teenagers; and of course when children start menstruating that can strike at any time! Nothing worse than feeling that sudden trickle of blood and knowing you need the loo trip NOW!</p><p>My opinion, and what's the point of being an old woman online if you can't have opinions! Is that <b>children should be allowed to go to the toilet when they damn well please</b>. Will the entire class rush out to the loo at once? maybe; and here I shrug, because teachers...this is on you. It's your job to keep the class entertained and engaged enough to learn. </p><p>Children should want to be in your class, they should excitedly hope you are going to do that fun thing you do, tell a joke like you do, have a pop test with prizes, ask a class member to stand up and teach for five minutes, whatever your class loves you should be using to entrance them. Children should be hoping they don't need the loo in your class because your class is great! And headteachers should be supporting you in that, with time, with resources, and with faith in your teaching. And the government should be supporting all of that too!</p><p>Stop worrying about toilets. Start thinking about teaching so no one wants to miss it.</p><p><br /></p>Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-84789664668858010632023-02-18T17:04:00.000+00:002023-02-18T17:04:00.392+00:00Cookie recipe - no life story <p>I made cookies. You can too. Here is the recipe and method.</p><p>Ingredients</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>100g/4oz butter, softened</li><li>100g/4oz light muscovado sugar</li><li>1 tablespoon (15 ml - though my antique ones are twice that!) golden syrup</li><li>150g/6oz self raising flour</li><li>chocolate chips/ chocolate buttons</li></ul><div>Method</div><div>Heat the oven. 180 degrees C, Gas 4, 160 degrees C for a fan oven</div><div>Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and creamy.</div><div>Add the syrup and beat that in.</div><div>Work in half the flour.</div><div>Stir in the choc chips and the rest of the flour.</div><div>Work into a dough with your fingers, form the dough into 14 balls.</div><div>Places the balls on a baking tray, spaced well apart, do not flatten them!</div><div>Bake for 12 - 14 minutes until flat and the edges are a pale gold.</div><div>Cool on a wire rack.</div><div><br /></div><div>Apparently you can store them for 4 days, you won't want to! </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyyUsEynj0oAFvQozyA5Vo_OIEChmajH29_3zBq0cuLh4yjxbDgmym25pDwBa40UPu7S4wgEI9Z1IKNsPoi6zoejX7nr0oEu_h6pTZuTbJOyOz8MqcipTSSzSHLBG7qK3k7AI1x4_PpAJI_2YyZH1Fms2pvz7BoS_iRBPfJYNyz7hknyXpA/s1663/Tusky_Share_Media_20230218_151930.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="golden warm and gooey chocolate cookies" border="0" data-original-height="1663" data-original-width="1247" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyyUsEynj0oAFvQozyA5Vo_OIEChmajH29_3zBq0cuLh4yjxbDgmym25pDwBa40UPu7S4wgEI9Z1IKNsPoi6zoejX7nr0oEu_h6pTZuTbJOyOz8MqcipTSSzSHLBG7qK3k7AI1x4_PpAJI_2YyZH1Fms2pvz7BoS_iRBPfJYNyz7hknyXpA/w240-h320/Tusky_Share_Media_20230218_151930.png" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><p></p>Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-50130002724136794782023-01-29T16:41:00.005+00:002023-02-18T16:53:42.396+00:00Gadgets I use to make my disabled life easier I have got<b><a href="https://tattooedmummy.blogspot.com/2017/09/living-with-invisible-illness.html" target="_blank"> Charcot-Marie-Tooth </a></b>disease. Its a disease that affects the peripheral nerves, it is hereditary and it makes me weak and wobbly and frequently tired.<div><br /></div><div>Because of this disability I use a fair few 'aids' to help me live normally. I don't need a wheelchair (yet!) but I do use a stick for balance, especially on uneven ground or in busy places where people might bump against me. I don't want a repeat of the falling down the escalator on the London Underground experience! I have a few sticks and I'm thinking of getting another. I like them fancy and the collapsible ones are handy. There always seems to be a good selection on <a href="https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=fancy+walking+stick+folding&_sacat=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ebay</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>In this post I thought I would share a few of the things I use to make life easier. There are Amazon affiliate links, that doesn't cost you anything to use but Amazon give me a tiny (and I mean tiny!) percentage of the profits of any sales from them. </div><div><br /></div><div>To help me dress in the morning, as I have very poor fine motor control in my hands and fingers, I use a sort of <a href="https://amzn.to/417sWd3" target="_blank">modern day button hook</a>. To say it's been a life changer is an understatement! For years I relied on my husband to button up the duvet cover and to do up the small buttons on my shirts. I had actually stopped buying clothes with buttons until I bought this gadget! It also helps with fiddly zips, as long as they have a hole in them, those annoying 'cute' zip pulls you often see on ladies clothes that have no hole in are a pain! </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkHq-oLENbO9zooPbTm0mA2nnvIv4H-XVwlWX_P6RyM3GewhLwWaIevHrmPHJWv4hiJO_NVlMVLarOV5dFY7ZMx7-NqS6Gg4OiI9UadpHt3nCzynDSmCr1DmnIRoRehZ7V-tdAdPVDyII90gNv2LLFDvqLj02VAL5LkCuUOkdOE4FjIM2NQ/s1197/button%20hook_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a gadget with a handle and a metal loop, a hook on one end" border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="811" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkHq-oLENbO9zooPbTm0mA2nnvIv4H-XVwlWX_P6RyM3GewhLwWaIevHrmPHJWv4hiJO_NVlMVLarOV5dFY7ZMx7-NqS6Gg4OiI9UadpHt3nCzynDSmCr1DmnIRoRehZ7V-tdAdPVDyII90gNv2LLFDvqLj02VAL5LkCuUOkdOE4FjIM2NQ/w217-h320/button%20hook_.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> You know how in the movies when the hero gives a necklace to his lady love and he just reaches round behind her neck and 'click' the clasp is fixed! Or the lady removes her jewellery at the end of the day, just a quick movement under her hair and the necklace clasp is open... well I have never been able to do that, and now I struggle even using a mirror and doing it where I can see! So I bought some <a href="https://amzn.to/3IbGtYH" target="_blank">magnetic necklace clasp</a>s, I worried they would be weak and fall open but they are amazing and now I wouldn't be without them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4lp-4vFJaUUpKKAV86zSEtYvHpLxtW0mQuugeLjddh5FK9YL1pgWnSJQhZE36mIRcwjci6J7lHoXxZmmp2yN1kZTXLTgKZPcRar5BpisKI-GOqEw_pMGZG5b1K463XQppq5cpSPKQfXBEKlufehmWsrdrAPJegedYh5J8U-t4yyHL_-wEA/s1500/magnet%20clasp0_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="rows of gold and silver magnet clasps for necklaces" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1499" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4lp-4vFJaUUpKKAV86zSEtYvHpLxtW0mQuugeLjddh5FK9YL1pgWnSJQhZE36mIRcwjci6J7lHoXxZmmp2yN1kZTXLTgKZPcRar5BpisKI-GOqEw_pMGZG5b1K463XQppq5cpSPKQfXBEKlufehmWsrdrAPJegedYh5J8U-t4yyHL_-wEA/w320-h320/magnet%20clasp0_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> I can't open jars because of weakness, there are lots of things o the market to help to open jars, gadgets that release the air pressure, twist grips. rubber sheets, but I now use a tiny robot. My <a href="https://amzn.to/3XGwFvp" target="_blank">electric jar opener</a> is just the best thing! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="360px" scrolling="no" src="//gifs.com/embed/unique-automatic-jar-opener-one-touch-can-opener-kitchen-tool-gearbest-com-911K6Y" style="-webkit-backface-visibility: hidden; -webkit-transform: scale(1);" width="640px"></iframe></div>
</div><div><br /></div><div> I am also the proud owner of a granny grabber. I'm fairly sure that isn't it's real name, but standing on a chair when you are wobbly is pretty risky, so I use a<a href="https://amzn.to/3KjKjBI" target="_blank"> long handled grabber </a>when I can.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholQN4Squ_TxuieLLTUKxseVybKI-zxHsjvF_Jdc72Fn2uFI5cInz0ewFr66k2GmzCBixckvwjNdAPRDVgCJaJgmVYQamw33SuD4REBd3LrGcEqpS15ueC2wJVG0YrCstYou9x9YC5FJUOl7dah8fNGjompnCroljmUYonJ7-QjXyo3pVeFw/s1168/grabber_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="long reach grabber with trigger grip" border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1168" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholQN4Squ_TxuieLLTUKxseVybKI-zxHsjvF_Jdc72Fn2uFI5cInz0ewFr66k2GmzCBixckvwjNdAPRDVgCJaJgmVYQamw33SuD4REBd3LrGcEqpS15ueC2wJVG0YrCstYou9x9YC5FJUOl7dah8fNGjompnCroljmUYonJ7-QjXyo3pVeFw/w320-h219/grabber_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>
When walking upstairs I need to hold onto the rail because of poor balance. This means carrying anything up or downstairs is difficult, small items I can put in a stair basket but cups of tea? I can't use a regular tray one handed, but this modern take on the butler <a href="https://amzn.to/3YFBd6E" target="_blank">tray </a>is perfect and I use it a lot. I feel like it would be useful to anyone really, allowing you to open doors etc and giving you one free hand while you move things about. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEc_JH3VpmMAJSmCQhCW3EPosgVY3cYzoNfMhQYN4Z413vid93Va1XgNjpHtufZ0WmsoiZqsiAd-vRtj_whu63l8EQVC5DlB3YOlgGG4EceLtiwFYPGsw_4TTUMsqsBzMEpQb6nMUhB0F7WhEGgRuyuY_4zV_gEpAwVNKATWQR9C6Ms71pA/s827/tray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a white tray with a single handle over the top" border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="827" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEc_JH3VpmMAJSmCQhCW3EPosgVY3cYzoNfMhQYN4Z413vid93Va1XgNjpHtufZ0WmsoiZqsiAd-vRtj_whu63l8EQVC5DlB3YOlgGG4EceLtiwFYPGsw_4TTUMsqsBzMEpQb6nMUhB0F7WhEGgRuyuY_4zV_gEpAwVNKATWQR9C6Ms71pA/w320-h259/tray.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div> Modern cans and tins no longer need can openers (though if they did there is an electric option) but eve a ring pull is tricky when your hands are like mine. So I have a <a href="https://amzn.to/3SeeDzE" target="_blank">small gadget to pop the pull up</a> and then to pull off the lid. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8MMnuUQ2lX9O_Dvy_0j9sio1fMc67CSof_q3wh-hT5Ki09R1QoBuvqASkwg4AR7uSXd5sH0iM_mKHUVtTdzU92UhYNSERGKLFwkXS1u3g2mJuM1vpc8XYXvTp4wOvbwlr7yAAWrIxmXE3R1jGtUYbwNEFw5hK6p20BbQevtxG0EcznUO6Q/s992/pull_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Culinare brand magic pull for cans" border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8MMnuUQ2lX9O_Dvy_0j9sio1fMc67CSof_q3wh-hT5Ki09R1QoBuvqASkwg4AR7uSXd5sH0iM_mKHUVtTdzU92UhYNSERGKLFwkXS1u3g2mJuM1vpc8XYXvTp4wOvbwlr7yAAWrIxmXE3R1jGtUYbwNEFw5hK6p20BbQevtxG0EcznUO6Q/w118-h320/pull_.jpg" width="118" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div> Life is not all doom and gloom of course and I enjoy a tipple. I love to drink cava (Spanish champagne) and of course the cork can be a struggle. You can buy<a href="https://amzn.to/3xzsUgM" target="_blank"> a proper thing to loosen the cork</a> I think, but I use a set of antique nutcrackers, just because I can. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC59ziCA4-kgpHCUX2YMaIxPERyFxDG0buvfs7eSUN1IZvx36Wu7YuULi-R3dkvn46zm4DcgdVHRxZgmxfURXR50KVdOx-xe_kh3JX63TVXgMOWBw4neOM__A7qoQM_z5qSeUC2cjxqdJyCKGq3xxAja2QRdkdgH9XL7nDpbKq8geJjxJh3g/s1500/cork_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="cork grip, resembles pliers or nutcrackers" border="0" data-original-height="985" data-original-width="1500" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC59ziCA4-kgpHCUX2YMaIxPERyFxDG0buvfs7eSUN1IZvx36Wu7YuULi-R3dkvn46zm4DcgdVHRxZgmxfURXR50KVdOx-xe_kh3JX63TVXgMOWBw4neOM__A7qoQM_z5qSeUC2cjxqdJyCKGq3xxAja2QRdkdgH9XL7nDpbKq8geJjxJh3g/w320-h210/cork_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> At our entrance way is a boot remover, I am finding it increasingly tricky to bend down and VERY tricky to have the strength to remove a book without hep. Ours is a<a href="https://amzn.to/3YIH7DO" target="_blank"> cast iron boot beetle. </a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CWLRNDATbg6tUjrnLByfGcZ-ha1hl5VN3r0-8nPeDS3evlAWTvfDVYJxuHGQgG183K2s0z1t7hdT0jFHUfgfYhzAYTqJpPjBWC-FKzxmzHNYcLrej6Ap2WL0XOMiUvLCaXZVez8vh2pFVqKdcYVQOeQT3NEbD6drLH2F-iKnBRIW2dR-Zw/s1456/boot_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a beetle where the antennae work as a heel grip to pull off boots" border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="1456" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CWLRNDATbg6tUjrnLByfGcZ-ha1hl5VN3r0-8nPeDS3evlAWTvfDVYJxuHGQgG183K2s0z1t7hdT0jFHUfgfYhzAYTqJpPjBWC-FKzxmzHNYcLrej6Ap2WL0XOMiUvLCaXZVez8vh2pFVqKdcYVQOeQT3NEbD6drLH2F-iKnBRIW2dR-Zw/w320-h105/boot_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div> So there are some of my useful things, and yes I notice being disabled is expensive. If I find any more useful gadgets I will let you know and you can share any you use in the comments.
</div>Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-9890077874582685702023-01-07T11:04:00.003+00:002023-01-07T11:12:22.057+00:00Time to catch up<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6anQgGsyWTrhFQ7JYdhGYA6PVyR_sN9T9bkI9vRjBy7HZHjb4BkcaOTYw7_QgvgdSqVNfUxfXL6D0r9jBGVB3K-J75SXh4_SOY3046CxQcA1GytSKx8DU1P5SYNVQg_oyxUZhfprLchSEcFCrBDqyZMNoI-cpDS0gThFzgKlZJrBRsbVow/s10000/180540807_l.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a small red tray on a wooden table bearing a cup of cocoa" border="0" data-original-height="5625" data-original-width="10000" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6anQgGsyWTrhFQ7JYdhGYA6PVyR_sN9T9bkI9vRjBy7HZHjb4BkcaOTYw7_QgvgdSqVNfUxfXL6D0r9jBGVB3K-J75SXh4_SOY3046CxQcA1GytSKx8DU1P5SYNVQg_oyxUZhfprLchSEcFCrBDqyZMNoI-cpDS0gThFzgKlZJrBRsbVow/w200-h113/180540807_l.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">I haven't blogged much in ages because a) I didn't have much time and b) no one reads blogs anymore.</div><p></p><p>Point a) I have been in my new job for 4 years now, I'm comfy in it, in fact I've been seconded for special ops for the last year (don't ask) and so I started to realise I can have that time again. I can make space to blog.</p><p>I have been using my lunch hours more productively though. When I worked for the NHS I spent each lunch break at my desk, grabbing a sandwich, catching up with emails, punting out a blog post. Since changing my job I now make a conscious effort to leave the screen, and I tend to read and relax for an hour. It's really rather lovely.</p><p>Oddly part of my new job involves learning to write. Learning to write in a way that is easy to understand and is readable. This will be a good test!</p><p>Point b) Does no one read blogs? I know I stopped reading them but I think that was because I was reading blogs that hadn't moved on, hadn't changed and hadn't grown. This blog started as a diary, then became a place to rant, rave and moan (something social media has stepped up to cater for) and finally became a 'mum blog' following the trials of parenting but now...? Now my baby is 23 and I am...what? Still a mum, still a wife, still employed, a dog wrangler...and maybe a blogger.</p><p><b>So let's cut to the chase. </b>What will this blog become next? Something about me? More rants and moans? Suggestions and top tips? Maybe all of those. I have decided to blog at least once a month. Seems doable. I am on <a href="https://wandering.shop/@tattooed_mummy" target="_blank">Mastodon </a>now, having given Twitter the old 'heave ho' ; check out my waffling over there and I will let you know when I post something longer here. </p><p>I will take another look at the theme here to check it's clean and simple on PC and mobile (let me know via comments or on Mastodon if you see obvious changes that are needed). I will also have a think about the blog name. </p><p>And will I be concerned about SEO? (search engine optimisation) no, no I will not, because if Mastodon as shown my anything it's that we don't need to rely on cheats and algorithms. People pass on the good stuff just fine. </p>
Image © <a href="https://www.123rf.com/profile_enginakyurt">enginakyurt</a>, <a href="https://www.123rf.com/free-images/">123RF Free Images</a>Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-6000079619317766062022-12-18T19:53:00.007+00:002023-05-10T16:00:26.531+01:00What if twitter banned links to other social media?I mean, that would be wild, but then imagine if it banned screen shots of social media accounts, and links to sites like link tree (a site which shows all your links in one spot - <a href="https://linktr.ee/tattooed_mummy" target="_blank">my link tree is here</a>) just beyond a joke really! But that's exactly what happened on 18 December 2022 to everyone's anger and amazement.<div><br /></div><div>With that in mind I decided to make a page here for all my links. so without further ago, I give you... a load of links!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://wandering.shop/@tattooed_mummy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSvFhbIh7huiDRoWOw9uwTGc0H2utlVVR37ODSRHQ0iLC4Lf5G-nfiCwJPKtswN9_r4MBuloMZHSYdT2FVFialzekYiYzRk2fgXddVT_M-h3rNulR4LFA0rJ0JyLJIJZyq_uOB1PaxF3tRyAx71wvyAEEIHiTI-LJ2WUg-rQSuktSal2trA/w66-h66/mastodon_icon_146145.png" width="66" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTOTqKzYF4LyD07QzOLqVzA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiXUHX9jQ5Rt9lkbbxBmZygtjAn_ODswsyIxlqtp_U-OEvweWkhNBbY9rn25Ut2poK8M_rZcabYZbpFfLQg_iCcUv9YH9ADGCw1HazwFbWlniNXukTZf2woHUZQ7BXJs_jbmQ9V0jMO5eLauGx5i1_eMKHRQZZGeQg2B-V817szsRUL8T0A/w64-h64/youtube-music-icon.png" width="64" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/RantingTattooedMummy/" target="_blank"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/RantingTattooedMummy/" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://m.twitch.tv/tattooed_mummy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="60" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCCusIABqmVzoYIGQGBRiDKw1JZRw0JaS7JU553JK2qLAVNRn4Mh0rssL6P8MpFJZJocse1swv8N7rkipvcS49DKwesyjKK5SkN18SHCX1zCFHokPZLGfkd58-TaJn5YA31Sw31VGJh-GFKQDbNMEySBknoCiNCaPAV2uT-oP8g2J2p68NQ/w60-h60/twitch3.png" width="60" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://en-gb.facebook.com/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fen-gb.facebook.com%2FRantingTattooedMummy%2F" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuot2g7bQ1DKqdl7ctZJudIp3m-QrNBLGQt6lrIlXyZ2U8pEsyDjDKylCwHwlZtC2dKoea1cBAg6ULDDswnd-xGLzNi4w1eAaihjYXujCd4HblxdXRVe8YhiL4I-gR5KObJZit/s1600/facebook.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pixey.org/Tattooed_mummy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNztMMMHd8Nwp4uX3fze-8ZVKDMXvl-iT1W7whX3hFBARG8B8_h2lVtbaq7ikSnbPOeHS8mUrDFZbMo7dhlgT15I4VmqWz4JVZ3wG7IHd0n4rBLhO6djmlDd3gU6P4MyT6ovuiP8eTyR1QkjJTD5UINguZ1ITzL8icg_507rL83JDx5s9-ag/w56-h56/Pixelfed_Logo.svg.png" width="56" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-84620987037505464162022-11-28T13:56:00.000+00:002022-11-28T15:29:44.541+00:00Things "social media experts" say you shouldn't post about...You're all seen them, blogs or articles in the news telling you the *sins* of posting on social media. Well here is the thing, there is no right way to post. Social Media is people. (not in a creepy soylent green way) and people are all different and all like different things. So you post what you like, and people that like your posts will follow you.<br />
Some examples of what not to post, why I do it anyway, and why I don't care if you do too.<br />
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<b>1. Do not post about what you just ate.</b><br />
<br />
Why ever not? We all eat, your choice may spark a craving of my own, or send me off on a mission to find a recipe, or in a million small ways start me on a culinary adventure of discovery. It also may just make me hungry, then hate you.<br />
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<b>2. Don't post about your pet.</b><br />
<br />
Again, why not? I like animals lots of people do, some of the best posts are animal images so go ahead, tell me about your dating dog, your freshly bathed cat, or your recently neutered rabbit. Many animal related posts are very informative, and usually blooming funny as well. And of course cute. Share that picture, never stop.<br />
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<b>3. Do not post about social media.</b><br />
Or blog about it presumably. Damn.<br />
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<b>4. Do not post about your workout.</b><br />
<br />
Hmmm health posts, these come in three types, the "I have just run loads, I'm ace"<br />
"I should be running but can't be arsed"<br />
"I'm ill"<br />
All of the above are fine examples of great posts, I can laugh at your running obsession and taunt you with chocolate, I can feel smug that I can't be arsed to run either, or I can offer tea and sympathy.<br />
I've run out if things not to post about...seriously, oh maybe<br />
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<b>5. Do not use social media to promote a blog post, not everyone can access the link via phone.</b><br />
Yeah what ever... Get over it ;)<div><br /></div><div><b><i>This post originally written about Twitter in 2011. Updated in 2022 as I've left twitter for <a href="https://wandering.shop/@tattooed_mummy" target="_blank">Mastodon</a>, and I'm sure all social media 'rules' are still out there to be broken. </i></b></div>Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-63038308741214303742019-05-26T19:30:00.003+01:002023-03-03T14:52:32.466+00:00Leaping aboard the plastic-free bandwagonUnless you live on the moon or a very remote volcano I'm guessing you will be aware of the recent sudden surge of activity to save our planet from ourselves.<br />
<br />
In human history, much like other animal history we pottered along for years and years, using things, replacing things, recycling things and just generally being fairly neutral in planetary terms. But then suddenly we had a leap into the new, we started inventing things, and we went crazy.<br />
<br />
Over only a very, very short space of time (in planet terms) we started filling the place with junk. Using things, tossing them aside, making new things...like children let loose with new toys we just ran amok and suddenly we seem to have sat back and realised we need to take some responsibility.<br />
<br />
People are all looking at ways to do that and actions range from nothing ("governments and big business should do that - it's not up to us, what can we do?"), through going vegan, going vegetarian, not buying new clothes (slow fashion is very much en mode), using cotton bags in place of plastic (the jury is still out on that) to not using single use plastics.<br />
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I have decided to do a small thing. There is nothing wrong with small things, and we can all do something. I am no longer buying any bathroom stuff, toiletries or make up, that is wrapped in, or uses plastic as its container.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaeIOjPHfBz8e4RAuBdjQL6EugB4puCrTP1ThvLudvzhV6SdAX-JWPvE75nGfM2qL1YYy5GxqV5t6AmS9g-XyYHF_6eIJdF97x-e-bhqFB5xO_9mm-eWb584Q-xY9_ApmL_Q2Q/s1600/Plastic+free.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="images to show bathroom products. text is 'plastic free - bathroom products to save the planet'" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaeIOjPHfBz8e4RAuBdjQL6EugB4puCrTP1ThvLudvzhV6SdAX-JWPvE75nGfM2qL1YYy5GxqV5t6AmS9g-XyYHF_6eIJdF97x-e-bhqFB5xO_9mm-eWb584Q-xY9_ApmL_Q2Q/w426-h640/Plastic+free.png" width="426" /></a></div>
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<b>At first this seemed really simple</b>. Years ago I moved back to <a href="https://www.willowandstone.co.uk/made-in-the-uk/kew-garden-soap-english-garden-.php?gclid=CjwKCAjw8qjnBRA-EiwAaNvhwBtpS9EKYZ7AGZugyK4UDA2WsdGHVadcs7W374QVYwrj3cjxdHod3RoCWmUQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">bars of soap</a>. I love that a bar of soap in the bathroom makes the room smell good, you can store the spare bars in your wardrobe or clothes drawers and get the same lovely effect there too. Choosing only soap packed in paper was simple. There are so many choices, from <a href="https://www.lush.com/uk/en/c/handmade-soap" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lush </a>products and <a href="https://www.funkysoapshop.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Funky Soap</a> to small businesses on Etsy.<br />
<br />
Next I looked at <b>shampoo</b>. Again a nice easy one, I already buy <a href="https://www.funkysoapshop.com/collections/shampoo-bars" target="_blank">shampoo bars</a> for when I go camping (no danger of spilling the shampoo) so I would just stop buying bottles at all, and use bars at home too<div>.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0KiwVxh4dLiyOin7cb5_sfwoKksTRRtn2GgfHzZF3Tc-7_pabCTtSSow9ALcwJRI7PyNlIdY5nNE5V9K_IuWxPT7acN1PX06QAGpH-gVMTVwhIle2uHuM0FVG7z2TwbZ1wUa/s1600/sweet+heart2.png"><img alt="gorgeous black woman with glowing skin looks at a flower" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0KiwVxh4dLiyOin7cb5_sfwoKksTRRtn2GgfHzZF3Tc-7_pabCTtSSow9ALcwJRI7PyNlIdY5nNE5V9K_IuWxPT7acN1PX06QAGpH-gVMTVwhIle2uHuM0FVG7z2TwbZ1wUa/w320-h320/sweet+heart2.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I use <a href="https://www.anythingbutplastic.co.uk/product-page/conditioner-bars" target="_blank">conditioner </a>but more importantly I use a glosser or <b><a href="https://amzn.to/2WrAOYs" target="_blank">hair serum</a></b>, so I was pleased to find a few of these in glass. I usually use one that is packed in plastic, I haven't tried these new ones yet, but I have high hopes.<br />
<br />
I'm not a huge <b>makeup </b>user so this wasn't difficult. I only really use facial <a href="https://sukinnaturals.co.uk/products/signature-moisture-restoring-night-cream-120ml?variant=13780234010699&gclid=CjwKCAjw8qjnBRA-EiwAaNvhwJMcItpnxR8TshzVgGd6DZXInr8WyhKxRjKXFn4HIJV7y8_ZzBIGWhoCvhwQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">moisturiser </a>and lip balm. I found a few posh face creams that are packed in glass,and <a href="https://www.funkysoapshop.com/collections/moisturiser" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Funky Soap has some in glass or metal tins,</a> and some on <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/459389612/natural-beauty-cream-face-moisturizer?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=&ref=sr_gallery-1-18" target="_blank">Etsy </a>too (Etsy is fast becoming my go to place). Plenty of companies make<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/223373933/lavender-champagne-lip-balm-cute-lip?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=lip+balm+tin&ref=sc_gallery-1-2&plkey=1c56a48b2e88fa871852c12e0029d38449ce25e1%3A223373933" target="_blank"> little tins of lip balm</a>. Some make <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/600823594/ylang-ylang-patchouli-beeswax-hand-salve?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=tin+hand+balm&ref=sr_gallery-1-4&organic_search_click=1&frs=1" target="_blank">little tins of hand balm</a> too.<br />
<br />
Of course there will be no facial wipes, nothing that is use once and bin is good for that planet. I currently use a flannel, but I am also looking at some<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/180077943/organic-cotton-reusable-cleansing-pads?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=&ref=sr_gallery-2-11&col=1" target="_blank"> cute washable face wipes</a>.<br />
<br />
I <b>shower </b>more than I bath, so <a href="https://primalsuds.com/" target="_blank">soap </a>and shower bars are the new go to. And for the odd bath if I really want it scented there are <a href="https://andkeep.com/products/himalayan-bath-salt-jar-575g-lavender-patchouli?variant=16010246586439&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjw8qjnBRA-EiwAaNvhwMZMr9y5Pum7Q0A73QFRTKRthczArCLlIsqwY4PCLDXlEPbbLbIschoCEVUQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">bath salts</a>, bath bombs or glass bottles of <a href="https://thesoapco.org/collections/body-bath-oils/products/rose-bath-oil" target="_blank">bath oil</a> or foam.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIZJC2jZ_sc1aOwgBrQDQJOmrqgt0Yj2ZjzFGVYZfBgklzEUR3tWGCrKq5hTrQl2rYQ_jChBR8OwCT4gQAEVY6yOZjYHHN5QsudYaiV9RmBIFHpbwnb2M1pYuHxjOSEEzQUuW/s1600/sweet+heart3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a womans white legs in a bathtub with rose petals, her toenails are painted red" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIZJC2jZ_sc1aOwgBrQDQJOmrqgt0Yj2ZjzFGVYZfBgklzEUR3tWGCrKq5hTrQl2rYQ_jChBR8OwCT4gQAEVY6yOZjYHHN5QsudYaiV9RmBIFHpbwnb2M1pYuHxjOSEEzQUuW/w320-h320/sweet+heart3.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Shaving</b> .... I am not binning everything plastic I own already, that would be silly, so I have an electric razor, but the cheap plastic disposables will have to go, I will either have to buy a new <a href="https://www.peacewiththewild.co.uk/product/mutiny-mini-shaving-box-safety-razor-kit/?attribute_soap-scent=Orange+%26+Lavender&gclid=CjwKCAjw8qjnBRA-EiwAaNvhwPLLrQTNn1k29XVfqGSdi1IZYHmTd6OJorxT8cPwoSYbKd_OYMNkhxoC648QAvD_BwE" target="_blank">safety razor</a> and change the blades, or stop wet shaving. (Tip on blade disposal, place used blades in a small tin until the tin is full, then pop into the metal recycling) Shaving soap is available in blocks.<br />
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<a href="https://uk.lush.com/products/deodorants-dusting-powders/aromaco" target="_blank">Deodorant</a>. Back to Lush again for a block of this, although <a href="https://primalsuds.com/product-category/no-bo-bar/" target="_blank">Primal Suds</a> make some too. There are several companies that make <a href="https://www.earthconscious.co.uk/" target="_blank">deodorant packed in cardboard </a>. My main gripe with them is the price, often nearly 10 times the price of a cheap plastic pack, and the lack of a good antiperspirant , but I'm still <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/OSMA-Osma-Alum-Block-75g/dp/B01N050W4S/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=alum+block+antiperspirant&qid=1558893297&s=gateway&sr=8-3-spell" target="_blank">hunting</a>.<br />
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Teeth. You will all know about <a href="https://soseas.co.uk/products/bamboo-toothbrushes" target="_blank">bamboo tooth brushes</a> and there are lots on the market. However I do love my electric brush and I think that's something that companies need to look at. I have quite a few spare heads for the electric brush at the moment so I'll be crossing that bridge later. But what about toothpaste? Almost all toothpaste is packed in plastic. <a href="https://www.boots.com/euthymol-original-toothpaste-75ml-10084919?cm_mmc=bmm-buk-google-ppc-_-PLAs-_-(GB:Whoop!)+Boots-_-(GB:Whoop!)+Boots+Shopping+-+Category+-+Toiletries+-+Desktop&gclid=CjwKCAjw8qjnBRA-EiwAaNvhwM6J5YMjapPeLYfJYV6uMyIEucWuGXPET3q-_wLwQrZdW6V5u8NY6RoCrFEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">Euthymol </a>still uses old fashioned metal tubes but it doesn't contain fluoride (that may or may not be important to you) Most organic and eco toothpastes, powders and tablets don't contain fluoride, which I was pretty annoyed about as fluoride helps protect your tooth enamel. Then I stumbled onto <a href="https://kickplastic.co.uk/collections/best-sellers/products/toothpaste-tablets-with-fluoride" target="_blank">tooth tablets with fluoride from KickPlastic </a>and I have immediately ordered some. What a find the website was! Lots of great plastic free options for <a href="https://kickplastic.co.uk/collections/at-home" target="_blank">home and bathroom.</a><br />
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So that's me sorted. Wood, glass and metal where once there was plastic. I'll let you know if I find any more little gems. And please comment with your own finds, especially makeup - that's not really my thing so I didn't really look for plastic free options there.<br />
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<i>No one paid me to post this, or even sent me anything for review, more's the pity ;-)</i><br />
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<br /></div>Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-85618163723033092942019-03-13T10:07:00.000+00:002019-03-13T10:07:04.398+00:00Wordy Wednesday with Michelle Midnight<b><span style="color: purple;">Wordy Wednesday greetings to you all, let me welcome you to the blog, grab a beanbag or a comfy chair and cuddle up in this virtual nook while I introduce you to the author of the week, Michelle Omari.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Michelle writes as Michelle Midnight. She is a 17 year old writer from a small city in California, and is currently writing her novel, Society's Trial. </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Her hobbies consist of reading (in a tree during the summer, on her bed during the other seasons), programming, and of course, writing. She loves all things dark and morbid. (was the pen name a clue!?) Her favourite author is Stephen King, and her favourite poet is Edgar Allen Poe. She loves shows such as Supernatural, Doctor Who, and American Horror Story. Also, she thinks she may have an addiction to green tea.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">So let's find out a bit more...</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Michelle, how long have you been writing?</span></b></div>
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I've been writing for about eight years.</div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Why did you start writing? And what makes you keep doing it?</span></b></div>
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I started writing in fourth grade when I was nine-years-old. I was in a four-five combo class, and the teacher assigned a writing project for the fifth graders when it was nearly Halloween. She decided to make us fourth graders do it as well, and I had so much fun with it. My story was called Don't Take What's Not Yours. It was a horror story with three characters in it. Spoiler alert: they all died. Since that moment, I realised I loved to write, and I continued to write after that.</div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Who is your least favourite character and why? If the character is one of yours, how hard is it to write a character you dislike? </span></b></div>
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It's difficult for me to dislike a character I've created. I've fallen in love with every single one of my characters, even the most messed up and sadistic villains. However, there are two characters who I despise in my current project. Their names are Lars and Drew. They're only minor characters yet they managed to annoy me. I don't have a specific reason why I don't like them. Maybe I don't hate them, maybe I just haven't learned to love them yet. You probably think it's difficult for me to write them, but that's not true. I love to make them suffer.</div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">What is the best snack to keep you going while you write?</span></b></div>
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The best snack for writing is grapes. They're tasty, low in calories, easy to eat, and they don't leave a mess. </div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Do you have a day job (student?) or do you write full time? If you don't have a job, is being a writer full time your dream or do you have a job you'd love to do?</span></b></div>
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I don't have a day job since I'm still a high school student. In the future, I want to become a software engineer while being a writer on the side. Being a full time writer would be fun, but I love programming and computers, so I'd want to do something related to that in my life.</div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Do you have any unfinished stories that you are not currently working on? If so why have you shelved them and do you think they will be reanimated one day?</span></b></div>
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I have many stories I've started but never finished. I started my first novella when I was a 12 year old middle schooler. It was a dark fantasy/supernatural kind of story. When I started high school, I got bored of it, so I put it away to work on my novel, Society's Trial. I thought about abandoning that novella, but I changed the characters' names and rewrote the outline. Now I'm in love with it again. It's not a novella anymore. Now it's a novel, and it will be my second novel. Even though I fell back in love with it, I still won't work on it until I've landed an agent for Society's Trial. As for the other stories, I refuse to continue working on them because I'm not done living the world of Society's Trial.</div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">What story are you writing right now? Tell us about the plot (no spoilers please)</span></b></div>
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I started writing my current story when I was 14. It's a third person omniscient YA psychological crime thriller titled Society's Trial which follows sixteen year old bookworm Jace Woods. After the bully, Claude, pulls a "prank" that went wrong, Jace gets rushed to the hospital, so he could get his injuries treated and get an MRI scan. The doctor notices a change in Jace's personality, so he leaves the room to retrieve the results of the MRI scan. Jace becomes impatient, so he leaves before the doctor can return. It turns out, certain areas of Jace's brain became "damaged." These areas will "turn off," causing poor judgement, empathy loss, and impulsivity then "turn back on" randomly. What this means is, if these areas turn off while he has a violent thought, his brain will be unable to stop him from acting upon that thought.</div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Can we buy any of your stories and if so where? If not is there anywhere we can read them? </span></b></div>
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Unfortunately, Society's Trial isn't published yet, since I'm currently querying and seeking an agent. However, I occasionally post snippets on my Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/Writer_by_Night" target="_blank">@Writer_By_Night</a>) and sometimes on my Tumblr (<a href="http://midnight-writing-time.tumblr.com/">midnight-writing-time.tumblr.com</a>)</div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">If you could travel to anywhere in the world right this minute where would you go?</span></b></div>
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If I could travel anywhere at this moment, I'd go to an empty field with a stack of books with me. I'd place a blanket on the ground, lie down, enjoy the silence, and read. I'd have the most peaceful day ever.</div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">If you could have one super power what would it be?</span></b></div>
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Only one? That's a difficult question. I'd say the power to control time. The days go by so quick, I wish I can freeze time or slow it down.</div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Thanks to Michelle for answering my questions and letting you all into her thoughts. Do follow her on twitter and be there to watch a novel being born, and then you can say that you were there before she was famous.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">As we don't have a book image to share, here is an image of almost midnight.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Thanks for reading.</span></b></div>
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Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-76628701393097839432019-01-02T21:06:00.002+00:002019-01-02T21:06:59.927+00:00The first Wordy Wednesday of 2019I know I haven't blogged since hector was a pup, but fear not for I have a treat for you today.<br />
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No 2018 round up, no best bits of my year, no lists of funniest tweets or my most read blog posts, no; today for your enjoyment I have revisited a favourite person of mine, a friend and author...can you guess?<br />
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Welcome back to the blog <a href="https://amzn.to/2R8OntZ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ed</a>! I had interviewed <a href="https://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2015/06/wordy-wednesday-with-edward-kendrick.html">Edward Kendrick</a> back in 2015 so it seemed like it was about time to have another chat and see what he's been up to.
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Well Ed, what have you been up to since last we heard from you?</span></b><br />
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Good question (puts shiny apple on blogger’s table). Well, it’s been a funny old time really. In the three and a half years between interviews I’ve continued to write, do some self-publishing and generally tried to make things happen. I haven’t really chased agents in a long time and things have been difficult with work and deteriorating mental health problems, and that kind of thing tends to get in the way of word mining. Total bummer.<br />
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Still, I’ve somehow managed to release another <b>four novels</b>. A trilogy set in the soft toy afterlife about all kinds of serious things as well as fluff, stuffing and prat falls, and a near future sci fi sports biography type thing (you can see why agents are attacking my door with crowbars, desperate to get at my easy to sell goods). They are all pretty good, to be honest, but I would say that.<br />
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In addition to that I’ve written four more novels that are in various stages of development* Plus, I plan to self-publish two further novels in January 2019. The first is called <b>‘<a href="https://amzn.to/2VmnK3r" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Self Portrait</a>’</b> and is the third part in the Gita Askari sci-fi series and the second is a spoof spy/assassin novel titled <b>‘<a href="https://amzn.to/2GQD0lN" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Diamond Double Black</a>’</b>. Art is all in place. Editing has been done, just the formatting and general mucking about to go.<br />
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*gathering dust in a draw/hard drive.<br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">How Does family life affect your writing?</span></b><br />
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Well, it comes in different packages. It makes me want to write things that the kids would want to read as well as more mature readers and I hope it makes me care a bit about people in general, and so show some kindness through to the characters I want to write about. In reality I’m not sure how true that last bit is, but anyways…<br />
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In more practical, nuts and bolts terms, it makes writing very difficult. I have a physical job that can leave me physically and mentally drained. I get back and I want to spend time with the kids and my lovely wife. The writing takes a back stage. If I can get the computer on before 8 o clock then I have a chance of getting some words in that make sense, past that then the exercise starts to become futile as I can’t get passed the fatigue as I have no momentum to push through it.<br />
I wouldn’t put the writing first, ever. My family are the important bit. This is a flight of fancy, promising invisible unicorns and whispered praise that could just be long delayed echo.<br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">What books have you enjoyed reading in 2018?</span></b><br />
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Here is a tricky one. I’ve been very depressed this year and one of the things that does is remove my ability to concentrate for long periods of time. I’ve pushed my head up above water every now and then and managed to get a book in or a tv series I’ve enjoyed, but for the most part it’s been a fog.<br />
Saying that, I read The Real Town Murders by Adam Roberts in January, which I really enjoyed and I’ve been reading A Christmas Carol out loud to my wife in bed. Obviously, we know the story off by heart already but still, it’s good to go back and read it. Still a bit weird that it doesn’t have the muppets in the book, but you can’t have everything.<br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">What’s the best food to accompany writing?</span></b><br />
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This year? <a href="https://amzn.to/2AsZ0O9" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fizzy strawberry laces</a>. Hands down.<br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">What’s one thing that stops you writing?</span></b><br />
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My mental health. If I’m not in a good place then I can still write, but not even I can type when at the bottom of the well.<br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">If you could visit any country on Earth. Where would you go? (all expense paid)</span></b><br />
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I’ve never actually left the British Isles before, which I know is rare now, but it’s true. I’d love to go to lots of places on this wonderful globe but top shot would be Canada. I like the cold and the heat and I love the idea of all that space/northern lights/snow/north American continent stuff without visiting Trump’s America. Plus, I have one of my oldest buddies out there. In truth, I miss him far more than I’d ever tell him, and never contact him enough on Facebook. So, I would go there. (can I go for several weeks to a month, so I could do loads of stuff? Cheers!)<br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">And what does a writer hope to get for Christmas?</span></b><br />
That is a tough one. I normally have my eye on a film or two and some music, but really, that is something I’m pretty sure I’m going to get, so the mystery isn’t really there. To tell you the truth, I really like getting a gift that’s left of field. Every year my older friends gather together around Christmas and we hang for the day and have a laugh. This always involves gift giving. I normally give people handmade gifts. Weird calendars, odd posters, unconventional jigsaws, that kind of thing. They, in return, head to the internet to wow me with the very worst they can find.<br />
I’ll just attach a picture, because a picture can say a thousand words….<br />
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Well, I think that's enough of that!<br />
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Thanks for popping back and I'll check out all the new reads.<br />
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You can follow <a href="https://twitter.com/eddsnotdead" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ed on twitter</a> too where he squeezes out words almost every day.<br />
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<i>This post contains <a href="https://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2017/09/what-is-affiliate-marketing-all-about.html" target="">affiliate links.</a></i><br />
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<br />Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-5235320420443662422018-12-01T15:57:00.000+00:002022-05-07T15:25:13.047+01:00Looking for the Verine Peldon Gas Fire/Stove installation and User Manual? Look no further<p> I've scanned it as I couldn't find a copy online - hope it helps.</p><p>You can find the PDF of the<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JW7M6N9XPojwlxKaZy8QYYhWmmULvw3M/view?usp=sharing"> Peldon Gas Fire Installation and User Guide here</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-87374623672954734492018-11-04T12:58:00.000+00:002018-11-04T12:58:04.260+00:00So you have an extra adult living in your home.My daughter is not just a teenager, she became that 5 years ago, no she is now <b>AN ADULT</b>. As an adult she can do adult things.<div>
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Last Friday she fell in the door drunk after being sent home early by mates because a club wouldn't let her in (she was too intoxicated apparently - which she strenuously and slurrily denied) <div>
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Her bedroom is still a teen land of danger, no one should venture in, clothes litter the floordrobe and various bottles of beauty products are scattered beneath the mirror shrine to instagram. Windows are never opened and curtains rarely drawn, it's a world of gloom, and complex disorder.</div>
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On the whole though, like many adults she is pretty responsible. She has a car (gifted! because she did well at her A levels) and she has a full time job. She is never late for work, works hard and is appreciated by those she works with.</div>
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At home, when requested, (though never spontaneously) she will do chores around the house, sweeping, hoovering, dusting, walking the dog etc etc. Though of course 'tidy your room' is not a chore that currently seems possible.</div>
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So I have a new adult in the house, I can send her out to buy beer, ask her to pick up things in the car (including me!) it's rather fantastic and strange.</div>
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As yet I haven't asked her for rent. It all seems a tad new and weird, this new adult in the house. For years she had pocket money from us, and now I'm looking at that money flowing the other way.</div>
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And I'm wondering how to proceed, there are few manuals about teens, there are no 'Mum and Teen' church groups to join, as there were toddler groups, I rarely chat to other mums of teens and it's hard to do that anyway because as parents we don't want to disrespect our offspring's privacy. </div>
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So here I am, embarking on a new chapter, a new adult in our house, living here, eating here, being messy here, how soon should she be contributing here too? Is it too late? Should I have started on day one of paid work?! Is it too soon, is it nice to allow your teen a bit of fun (assuming you can afford it) when they first start earning?</div>
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<b>I'd love for other mums and dads of adults to let me know their opinion, or what they have done, and even what they wished had or hadn't done!</b> I guess like much of parenting there are no hard and fast rules and what works for one may not work for another, we all just muddle along. </div>
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Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-70691885988790527062018-09-05T13:02:00.001+01:002018-09-05T13:02:06.612+01:00Fun pub games for the sober and drunk alikeI saw a fun thing online this week, in which an elaborate and brilliantly successful prank was played in a <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2018/09/04/guys-hang-fake-poster-mcdonalds-sot-vpx.hln" target="_blank">McDonalds</a>. In case you missed it the story is <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-45402404" target="_blank">here</a>, to summarise, two lads noticed no Asians in any McDonalds adverts on the walls of a local McD's. They mocked up their own large poster and then (and this bit was amazing) used cunning and guile to put the poster up on a blank wall, and there it remained for at least 50 days (and counting). My hat is off to them, the prank was wonderful.<br />
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And this then led to other people on twitter talking about pranks they had played, such as putting <a href="https://twitter.com/BrynnShuller/status/1036737163839201280" target="_blank">photos </a>of themselves in all the photo albums in a store (rather that photos of Jeff <a href="https://twitter.com/Simonreah/status/1036016786414755840" target="_blank">Goldblum </a>which is obviously a superior choice).<br />
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This in turn led me to remember a game my friend and I used to play back in the late 80s and early 90s.<br />
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We started a silly monthly night out on the first Thursday of every month. There was probably a reason this started but it was rapidly lost in time and the celebration of "First Thursday" just continued. The rules were simple, it occurred only on the first Thursday of a month, we had to go out drinking straight from work, we would visit several pubs, and we didn't stay out past 9pm.<br />
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After a few months to spice up the fun we invented the First Thursday Game, in which each person had to buy an item from a charity shop (for less than a pound!) and then leave said item somewhere in a pub, cunningly positioned to match the decor, the object must be in plain sight (no hiding it behind things) and then the following month anyone who could see their item still in the pub claimed a point! There were of course no prizes just much laughter.<br />
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The sort of gems we left included an obviously school made metal work sculpture, an ashtray from Devon and a really cheap and nasty vase.<br />
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Extra points were gained by how cheap the item was, so a 30p item would beat a 99p item for example.<br />
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Some months we'd add a theme as well, such as 'souvenir items with places names on' (see the Devon ashtray) or 'something wooden' etc<br />
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Thinking about this simple game and the joy it brought made me think I should look at bringing it back, I wonder if it would still work?<br />
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I talked about it on <a href="https://twitter.com/tattooed_mummy/status/1036940356665978881" target="_blank">twitter </a>and a few people seem keen to give it a go. If you, (like <a href="http://thesensoryseeker.com/" target="_blank">Joy </a>and <a href="http://www.crazywithtwins.com/" target="_blank">Emma</a>) plan to have a go - do let me know in the comments below. I'm just sad that back when I played, digital photography and phones were not common so I have no photographic evidence of our silliness.Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-73405639822736768182018-07-25T09:07:00.000+01:002018-07-25T09:07:16.374+01:00Wordy Wednesday - Palindrome by Rae StoltenkampToday I begin with some exciting news. A new book from one of my
previously interviewed authors is about to leap into life!<br />
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Very soon (maybe even as this blog post is published) you
will be able to get your hands and eyes onto the new book by
<a href="https://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2017/11/wordy-wednesday-with-rae-stoltenkamp.html">Rae Stoltenkamp </a><br />
The book is
<b>Palindrome </b>and is a prequel to <b>Six Dead Men</b>.<br />
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In my last interview with Rae we chatted about her sci-fi series<a href="https://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2017/11/wordy-wednesday-with-rae-stoltenkamp.html"> '<b>Rainbow Quest</b>'</a> and her favourite character in that world. But what of Detective Robert Deed and his story?<br />
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In <b>Six Dead Men</b> we met a detective among the stories and snapshots of the dead. Six lives extinguished in mysterious circumstances. In life they infected what they touched and in death they continued to wreak havoc. But even contemptible men deserve to have their deaths explained, and so in stepped Robert Deed.<br />
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We met Madie Bricot. Who just wanted to live the normal life of a twenty-six year old. The last thing she was expecting was to be the main suspect in Detective Inspector Robert Deed's investigation.<br />
But Madie was about to learn some things about herself which terrified her into running. Meanwhile Detective Inspector Deed battles against his attraction for Madie...<br />
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In <b>Palindrome </b>we have travelled back into Robert Deed's past. Back to 1975. In Haddington, near Edinburgh, Robert Deed’s 13th birthday approaches. On the cusp of adulthood, this birthday brings more than a coming of age celebration for Robert. He’s about to see the glint of Death’s scythe in the corner of his eye, even touch the honed edge. Travelling the road towards his future, Robert must solve the murder of his first crush, battle his grief, and exonerate a dear friend. Is he willing and able? Can he truly trust in the so called inner wisdom of his instinct?<br />
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If you love a detective story, and love a detective with psychic powers, then grab a chair and a copy of <b><a href="https://amzn.to/2LdSCSh" target="_blank">Palindrome </a></b>and settle in for a journey.<br />
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You can get copies of all of Rae's books over at <a href="https://amzn.to/2zViq0g" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, or check out <a href="http://raestoltenkamp.blogspot.com/p/news.html" target="_blank">her website</a>.<br />
<br />
Sign up to Rae's email news and get a <b style="background-color: #ffe599;">free </b>copy of <b><a href="https://claims.instafreebie.com/free/6evmAXXfU2kSG691UXkd" target="_blank">Six Dead Men</a></b> (no excuse not to read it now!)<br />
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You can even grab a <b style="background-color: #ffe599;">free </b>e-copy of <a href="https://claims.instafreebie.com/free/FLaDO" target="_blank"><b>Six Degrees </b></a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In these Magic Realism vignettes several peripheral characters from <b>Six Dead Men</b> and its upcoming prequel, <b>Palindrome</b>, tell the reader what they think of the Deed family. Sometimes the Deeds get to say their piece too. There are also hints of things to come in <b>Palindrome</b>.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/raedenewrites?lang=en" target="_blank">Follow Rae on Twitter too</a></div>
Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-8360103665528636092018-06-27T13:38:00.000+01:002018-06-27T13:38:10.225+01:00Guest Post - Pride is not for you<b><i>Today the blog welcomes <a href="http://bainser.com/" target="_blank">Nick </a>(who you may know from <a href="https://twitter.com/bainser" target="_blank">twitter</a>) who wanted to share his (strong) feelings about a recent newspaper article about Pride, what it means and what it's for. And straight friends, I have news, it's not for us....</i></b><br />
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<b><i>Here's what Nick has to say ... </i></b><br />
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It’s 2018, <a href="https://ok2bme.ca/resources/kids-teens/what-does-lgbtq-mean/" target="_blank">LGBTQ+</a> people have way more rights than ever before. At least in the UK and many parts of the so-called West, elsewhere our existence is still a <a href="https://antigaylaws.org/" target="_blank">legal question</a> sometimes punishable by death. Here in the UK homophobic crime is still prevalent. Personally I probably get roared at in the street about once every six months. And I’m lucky, to the untrained eye I can sometimes pass for straight. Our camp brothers, butch sisters and trans comrades often don’t have that luxury, and for them it is far more difficult.<br />
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But we’re good right?<br />
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No we aren’t, and <a href="https://www.astroglide.com/blog/the-complete-history-of-gay-pride/" target="_blank">the need for Pride remains</a>. Pride was born out of a bloody battle for equality, from vilification, chemical castration, ostracisation, the AIDS crisis, lost jobs, lost lives, and more.<br />
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Pride is now many things to many many people. From dikes on bikes, to fabulous drag queens, village groups to corporate giants, baby gays slowly making their way from Narnia to aged battle scared queens. This is incredible and I love it.<br />
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But Pride is NOT for <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/liam-payne-says-having-son-bear-has-changed-everything-as-he-speaks-out-in-support-of-london-pride-a3871246.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Liam Payne to say how his son makes him proud</a> and want to be a better person. Bully for you, you utter knob, he should do. That’s your job, you’re a Dad. In the Evening Standard piece that opens with his mug and the headline:<br />
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<b>Liam Payne says having son Bear has ‘changed everything’ as he speaks out in support of London Pride: ‘He’s making me a better man’</b></blockquote>
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You actually have to get to paragraph four before any LGBT person is mentioned. Instead we get a roll call of the great and the good who are also ‘proud’. Get in the sea.<br />
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Pride in it’s origin was not about our children making us want to be better people, doing well at uni, or anything else in the heteronormative world people are proud of. It was saying ‘We’re here, we’re queer and you can get used to it. We are proud of who we are despite the fact you kick the shit out of us.<br />
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So Liam, the <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/liam-payne-says-having-son-bear-has-changed-everything-as-he-speaks-out-in-support-of-london-pride-a3871246.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Evening Standard</a> et al can fuck right off.<br />
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Now I’m absolutely in love with my straight ally friends, and I know we would never have achieved equality without them. I also love them because if interviewed about Pride in London and asked what made them proud, they’d say that the people they love can live their best lives now. They’d reference pride. They wouldn’t make it about them. Because they bloody get it.<br />
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Anything else is stealing the air and experiences from a large group of people who are on the receiving end of more violent crime and hate than you will ever know. We are more observant of the world around us and vigilant because many of will still double check our surroundings before holding hands with a loved one. Yeah still, and it’s 2018.<br />
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Finally giving the headline to a straight-white-rich-able-bodied-man, perpetuates the idea that not being a racist/homophobic/misogynistic/disablist arsehole is something to be lauded. Are you fucking kidding me? Not being these things is human decency 101. It doesn’t deserve a medal. If you can’t manage all of this you have work to do to catch up.<br />
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So Liam et al, I appreciate what you’re doing, the campaign you’re supporting, but no one likes the dickhead that rocks up late to a party and then makes it all about them. If you do decide to make it all about you, expect to be shitting glitter and not in a good way. After all, as the overused meme says, anyone who says hell hath no fury like a scorned woman has never met a mildly inconvenienced homosexual, and at pride there’s thousands of us.<br />
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<i><b>As usual I welcome comments. Or pop over to twitter and tell <a href="https://twitter.com/bainser" target="_blank">Nick </a>what you thought.</b></i><br />
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<i><b>He's not always this angry...</b></i><br />
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Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-32986652589124034302018-06-25T13:06:00.001+01:002018-06-25T13:06:45.147+01:00What to look for when buying a new washing machineAt the weekend my washing machine packed up. The drum just stopped going around. Water fill and empty was fine. Just no movement. I took the back off to check it wasn't something simple like the drive belt (did you know a washing machine drum has a drive belt? It's like the one in the vacuum cleaner so I had high hopes of donning a morphsuit and fixing it, but sadly the drive belt was fine). I fear the motor had finally died. It is not really surprising, we use the machine (an Indesit) a lot and have had it for 15 years. It was a replacement for a Hotpoint one that caught fire one Christmas morning...but that's another story...<br />
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Anyway, the broken machine led to me looking at new ones. I assumed they would have changed a bit in 15 years so I decided to take a good look at the information available. It made sense to look online as I'm not fit enough to get a washing machine home myself so it would have to be delivered anyway, and online you can usually find more information, often even read the full manual.<br />
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Things that were important to us as a family, were<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Size</b>. The washing machine needed to fit to gap in our breakfast bar. I would love a laundry room, but sadly (Americans should look away now lest they are filled with disgust) we have the washing machine in the kitchen. </li>
<li><b>Economy</b>, I wanted an energy efficient machine that used the least water to get a clean wash. </li>
<li><b>Price</b>, we had a budget of £300. Ideally I'd like to get the old machine taken away and a new machine delivered and plumbed in for that budget. As Mr TM is in his 70s and I have some disability issues neither of us is really up for manhandling a washing machine into place or scrabbling about to get all the pipes sorted.</li>
</ul>
I hadn't reckoned with all the modern stuff that I didn't need! I quickly realised I did not need a wifi enabled machine or one that could be controlled via a smartphone. Since the fire incident we don't leave the washing machine on when we are out, so remote controlled seemed pointless. All machines seemed to also have a delay timer, but as even starting it while we all sleep fills Mr TM with foreboding we didn't really need this option either. One thing we did use a lot on our old machine was the <b>quick wash</b> though. A 15 minute freshen up wash, so that went onto the list.<br />
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I looked on a few websites, <a href="https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/household-appliances/laundry/washing-machines/332_3119_30206_xx_xx/xx-criteria.html" target="_blank">Curry's</a>, <a href="https://ao.com/l/washing_machines-free_standing/1-9/1/" target="_blank">AO </a>and <a href="http://www.argos.co.uk/browse/home-and-garden/large-kitchen-appliances/washing-machines/c:29612/wash-capacity-(kg):7kg-%252D-8kg/" target="_blank">Argos</a>. And started narrowing down my choice. I wasn't especially fussed about brand. Our current drum size is 6kg so while bigger would be nice, that is fine for us.<br />
Most sites let you filter and sort by a few options, so I checked boxes for quick wash and price and top efficiency. <br />
AO were very helpful on social media and suggested a machine that looked really nice, large drum size and a good choice or programs. Sadly it turned out to be too large for our gap, but I thought I'd take a look at the same model with a smaller drum size (and thus a smaller depth) , I had a look at the manual online, which turned out to be a really good idea. Washing machine manufacturers give you information on cycle lengths for a basic 60 degree wash so you can compare. This machine had a basic wash time at 60 degrees of 270 minutes...I paused, and looked again...how long?! 270 minutes (for those without a calculator or maths brain is 4 and a half hours) there was an option to make the wash shorter, reducing it to 267 minutes. Crikey. Basic washing cycle length hadn't been in my essentials list but suddenly it was! (by the way if you don't care about washing cycle length and have space then the <a href="https://ao.com/product/hw100b14636-haier-hatrium-washing-machine-white-50638-1.aspx" target="_blank">Haier </a>range looks absolutely excellent!) <br />
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I asked on social media to see if I was odd, did anyone else look at cycle length? was this long time normal? did anyone care?<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb">
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Me too! I bought a Zanussi in a sale. Regular 30 degree wash is nearly 3 hours, ‘quick’ wash is an hour. That’s as fast as it gets. The supposed eco friendly wash takes approx 4 hours! Damn thing. I’ll check in future!</div>
— AJ (@eden2636) <a href="https://twitter.com/eden2636/status/1010888581571858435?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">24 June 2018</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb">
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I didn’t look when I bought my last one but will definitely look next time because it takes far too long. 2 hours on a full and 1 hour on a “fast”. So frustrating. All stuff you just don’t think about. I’ll also be buying one with an extra spin mode so stuff comes out less wet.</div>
— You can call me Al. Call me Al. (@UnicornNebula) <a href="https://twitter.com/UnicornNebula/status/1010888917917323265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">24 June 2018</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb">
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I don’t check but so wish I had! My shortest wash is an hour and and half 😬. Only had the machine a couple of years and im thinking of changing it.</div>
— Joanne Powell (@Joanne_Powell) <a href="https://twitter.com/Joanne_Powell/status/1010808242488971265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">24 June 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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Various answers came back about economy but on the whole people were shocked! Several said they would always now look in future.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb">
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I wish I bloody had checked. Our new machine takes about 4 days to finish a cycle.</div>
— Dr Emma Beckett (@Dr_EmmaB) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dr_EmmaB/status/1010803056668282880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">24 June 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
I noticed that few websites mentioned specific cycle lengths except the quick washes, which varied from 30 to 15 minutes depending on machine. As we don't leave the house with the machine on, 4 and half hours would be a real tie, and imagine trying to get a couple of washes done on a good drying day (we don't have a tumble drier) !<br />
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So the search continued until I finally found the (almost) perfect machine...another <a href="https://ao.com/indesit" target="_blank">Indesit</a>! Pretty much the identical one to the one we have now, except with an LED countdown display and a delay timer. The washing cycle for a full load at 60 degrees is 200 minutes, still a long time but the manual says most wash cycles are 45 minutes. (<i>note the full wash at 60 is a standard hot wash for comparison and may not be the actual time a wash takes, but it does give an idea, and as I said, it's good for comparing like with like</i>) <br />
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The washing machine is being delivered on Wednesday and being installed by AO. I'll let you know how it goes. And what a basic wash time turns out to be in reality! The total cost of washing machine, delivery, installation and removal of the old one? <b>£264</b><br />
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Do please comment with what you find useful to check when buying a new washing machine! If they all last as well as mine has then it's not something we do often and it's a good idea to refresh yourself on what to look for before you buy!<br />
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<b><i>Not a sponsored post - just a chatty one about washing machines.</i></b>Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-45343625192646441562018-06-20T13:09:00.000+01:002018-06-20T13:09:07.143+01:00Wordy Wednesday RebornI have let Wordy Wednesday slowly drift away. You'll have noticed a lack of bookish posts and this cannot be allowed to go on!<br />
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No the words must return.<br />
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You might recall that Wordy Wednesday started as a silly obverse to wordless Wednesday photos posted on many blogs each week.<br />
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For quite a while I interviewed authors such as <a href="https://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2015/07/wordy-wednesday-with-greg-jenner.html">Gregg Jenner</a>, <a href="https://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2015/06/wordy-wednesday-with-joanne-harris.html">Joanne Harris</a>, and <a href="https://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2015/06/wordy-wednesday-with-marion-grace.html">Marion Grace Woolley</a> and a few times I posted about book suggestions or my own reviews.<br />
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I have been using <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/11000856-tattooed-mummy" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> to monitor my reading more and have been failing in the simple task of duplicating my reviews here - I really must try harder.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSQu8qTPbV39TC4RR8lsSashNTQwU2kgY-9jKWdhrHw3XfCwxO6JPm4YDuJ1ynKOo_OwBIjjFOjK3QIOLBwYz-KJgmCcb7-0eb0JTWQdxiYlpMDN-loFTVqtSqJL4TDgTVcTg/s1600/Copy+of+PAINT+AND+PAPER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="560" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSQu8qTPbV39TC4RR8lsSashNTQwU2kgY-9jKWdhrHw3XfCwxO6JPm4YDuJ1ynKOo_OwBIjjFOjK3QIOLBwYz-KJgmCcb7-0eb0JTWQdxiYlpMDN-loFTVqtSqJL4TDgTVcTg/s640/Copy+of+PAINT+AND+PAPER.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Luckily a few die hard bookish blog fans, and even a few authors (<a href="https://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2015/06/wordy-wednesday-with-edward-kendrick.html">Thanks Edd</a>) have nagged me enough that I shall plan at least one Wednesday of words a month, maybe more, from now on.<br />
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Today I shall fill you in on what I've been reading, and also what I've been listening to because words can come at you aurally as well as visually! Yes I've been using my <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=tattoo0e4-21" target="_blank">Audible</a> app lots of the drives to and from work, multitasking to get some extra books into my brain.<br />
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First I re listened to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17315048-the-martian" target="_blank">The Martian by Andy Weir</a>, as it's one of my favourite audio books. Unabridged it's pretty long and the first time I listened I worried it would be bored by the amount of mathematical equations but amazingly it becomes gripping very quickly and the maths adds to the story and the tension rather than detract form it. The narrator is also excellent, which really helps with audible books, I have had to return two books unread as the narrator was just awful.<br />
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I am also a fair way through<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/153747.Moby_Dick_or_The_Whale" target="_blank"> Moby Dick, or The Whale, by Herman Melville</a>, another book with a lot of factual asides and these do sometimes take you so far from the story you forget where you started, but there are some genuine laugh out loud parts, at least in the beginning, some homo-eroticism, and plenty of peril. I'm only 60% through the tale at the moment and Ahab remains relatively sane...but we all know where this is going...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqo0pqQX1Vc0B-haHIHErH5E-WyUHvF089oDyLmatvUyUFrx351r249lI-CStL-KGx9XuELDy59J1EMiDUyNxEwTSsgKLqA_RpOXsw2mJFLnQPNLYi30paykcy-COXBFgL_gY/s1600/whale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="560" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNqo0pqQX1Vc0B-haHIHErH5E-WyUHvF089oDyLmatvUyUFrx351r249lI-CStL-KGx9XuELDy59J1EMiDUyNxEwTSsgKLqA_RpOXsw2mJFLnQPNLYi30paykcy-COXBFgL_gY/s640/whale.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you fancy signing up for <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=tattoo0e4-21" target="_blank">Audible - use my afilliate link</a> and I get some pennies! Also you can get your first book free. After that it's £7.99 a month for a credit against any book, no contract, stop at any time, and they often have two for one deals.<br />
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Lastly I have started an actual paper book. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem" target="_blank">The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin</a>, it's a science fiction story translated from the original Chinese, so far the history is being set for the reader and it's a dark time in the revolution. Our hero sees her father brutally killed and her mother driven insane, but where will this lead ....<br />
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Here's hoping I will be able to update you with more wordy news soon!<br />
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Comment below to let me know what you've been reading, or be my friend on GoodReads and stalk my book habits there.<br />
Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-87622020241244969642018-05-30T10:52:00.006+01:002018-06-04T11:51:09.486+01:00In which a not very girly mummy blogger reviews some dresses...I'm 52 and not glamorous. If you are a regular reader or follow me on social media you will know that I'm more about scrunging around in jeans and a geek T shirt than being girly. In fact I'm more likely to be seen wearing a a <a href="https://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2016/02/deadpool-morphsuit-review.html">super hero costume</a> than a dress!<br />
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But when I saw the JD Williams range (you may have seen some of their recent TV adverts)<br />
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I was tempted by the maxi dresses. <a href="https://www.jdwilliams.co.uk/shop/womens/dresses/dress-styles-maxi-dresses/_/N-118sZ1ytvwxq/products/show.action" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">JD Williams</a> sent me two dresses to try. One was a hippy style swishy handkerchief hemmed summer dress from the Joe Brown's range. It will be perfect for summer days and festivals, easy to slip on and elasticated at the waist the size 14 fitted perfectly.<br />
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The straps are adjustable too so you can choose how high to wear the top...and also alter the length, although as the dress is only down to mid calf that's not an issue for me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4WyziTJRvd6wR2WEce__t8GtZtPv4Vs_mx5JRVOeFH8vlxLRzLp-5u-G6Ki_1U9f0mwQT7IbFPBR22DIHe-NUOSgaOHluxHQZMLddy1Om3tTSjTqq0Cav09sVxh8XK0G7dNi/s1600/DSCF7382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Joe Browns Hiippy style dress from JD Williams website modelled in a green and leafy garden" border="0" data-original-height="1345" data-original-width="1600" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4WyziTJRvd6wR2WEce__t8GtZtPv4Vs_mx5JRVOeFH8vlxLRzLp-5u-G6Ki_1U9f0mwQT7IbFPBR22DIHe-NUOSgaOHluxHQZMLddy1Om3tTSjTqq0Cav09sVxh8XK0G7dNi/s640/DSCF7382.JPG" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
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You can see how swishy the dress is, the viscose hangs so softly, and the colours are lovely, bright on a navy background.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1X5JD9HzDpwpyEO-DwqTdj9c56aaVlmlFnOm9QaIIFsBcsZjm8gjXnBlPrI91bxdRCFQiiF5V5CegHSnlLk43agx5HYPTFMye6T3GcJDt7SS-voasuHciaYu-jIc0l00qOqnu/s1600/DSCF7380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pretty floaty dress from JD Williams website modelled in a green and leafy garden" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1X5JD9HzDpwpyEO-DwqTdj9c56aaVlmlFnOm9QaIIFsBcsZjm8gjXnBlPrI91bxdRCFQiiF5V5CegHSnlLk43agx5HYPTFMye6T3GcJDt7SS-voasuHciaYu-jIc0l00qOqnu/s640/DSCF7380.JPG" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
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The second dress is a longer maxi dress, in a striking black and navy pattern on a white background. Perfect for days out or something more formal. Not a festival dress but nice for sitting around a beer garden and it would look lovely at a wedding.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lBMeDvTChyphenhyphenrWklwhdWqdB1XOQWajMJnBHLBhjc7yjiz-_RNUc2KUApcQ6cOHx8XxI3iPgsiqtHDBur9siKjwi-10TsWZmmOyIfG0XdWstxB_P7EPwSOl-ujmJjEdxFhS98x6/s1600/DSCF7370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Navy and black zig zag dress from JD Williams website modelled in a green and leafy garden" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lBMeDvTChyphenhyphenrWklwhdWqdB1XOQWajMJnBHLBhjc7yjiz-_RNUc2KUApcQ6cOHx8XxI3iPgsiqtHDBur9siKjwi-10TsWZmmOyIfG0XdWstxB_P7EPwSOl-ujmJjEdxFhS98x6/s640/DSCF7370.JPG" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
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Again the straps are adjustable so that the dress can be adjusted by a couple of inches, on me the dress skims the ground. The straps just tie at the shoulder, so I think once you've sorted the bow you'd be wise to pop a stitch through the ensure they don't come untied at an inopportune moment!<br />
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The dress is loose and really comfy but the size 14 is fairly snug at the top, even with my tiny boobs! So if you are a well endowed lady this might not be the dress for you. I'd suggest ordering a size larger that your usual size in this dress anyway. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-qlW12qaMwvOAA1SIq79BhVnniS8Q4d0v2EXpRjzQ085R-FBuRBI06s4JsOWysISSSft_SZ3TiGySdFBNLysze2Q8OPYaJTp0jb3wPvE7tiaCLJ9LmzKUpufb8d2KMoP6YSD/s1600/DSCF7374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="zig zag dress from JD Williams website modelled in a green and leafy garden" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-qlW12qaMwvOAA1SIq79BhVnniS8Q4d0v2EXpRjzQ085R-FBuRBI06s4JsOWysISSSft_SZ3TiGySdFBNLysze2Q8OPYaJTp0jb3wPvE7tiaCLJ9LmzKUpufb8d2KMoP6YSD/s640/DSCF7374.JPG" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
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Of course there are loads of others to choose from, and if I were off to any weddings this year (I'm not) then I think I'd take a look, I like a dress that is formal, but not too formal, you know, the sort of dress that fashion bloggers say will 'go from day to night' ...not that many people ever do that, but could be useful on holiday if you were short of packing space.<br />
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I'm really happy with the service from JD Williams and with the range of dresses and shoes they have on offer (Note to self - you do not need more shoes!) As a 'woman of a certain age' it's nice to see a good selection of fashions that are neither 'too young' nor 'too frumpy'. Take a look at the website and see what you think. <br />
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<i>I apologise for the awkward looking model in these photos (me).</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-bQjb7I8d9sr54Tsn9et9kC2YDAoygxVzrlHqp98p9N5yLyuR5sHF1tQrT-DbzrtdXCTxqYGitygTeaKPvBd6fzH-npyy4PNnFdJpqc86eDKlAvqGpQSHaYQbvbbjzy5lewa/s1600/DSCF7376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="zig zag dress from JD Williams website modelled in a green and leafy garden" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-bQjb7I8d9sr54Tsn9et9kC2YDAoygxVzrlHqp98p9N5yLyuR5sHF1tQrT-DbzrtdXCTxqYGitygTeaKPvBd6fzH-npyy4PNnFdJpqc86eDKlAvqGpQSHaYQbvbbjzy5lewa/s640/DSCF7376.JPG" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>I was sent two dresses to review but have received no payment for this post and the words and ideas for it (along with the dodgy photos) are all mine.</i><br />
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To see the dresses on professional models check out the <a href="https://www.jdwilliams.co.uk/shop/womens/dresses/dress-styles-maxi-dresses/_/N-118sZ1ytvwxq/products/show.action" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">JD Williams</a> website.<br />
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And let me know what you think of my choices by commenting below.<br />
Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-5980771889855861342018-05-18T13:12:00.001+01:002018-05-18T13:12:32.126+01:00Cloth bags instead of wrapping paper. An Eco craft Project.Everyone is talking about the environment. It's as if we all woke up at once to the fact that the earth is a closed biosphere and that stuff we use has to be recycled or we are doomed! So I'm joining in, why not! I'm looking at presents and how we wrap them.<br />
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Paper is pretty easy to recycle compared to lots of things we make. And plain paper breaks down and composts nicely. But fancy wrapping paper, the shiny sort, the metallic sort, the glittery sort, doesn't. And Christmas and birthday wrapping can end up looking gorgeous but being very bad for the planet.<br />
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Some time ago I <a href="https://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2015/01/thinking-outside-of-toybox.html">wrote about using bags for children's gifts</a>, not because of the planet, but because children's toys are so over packaged that an impatient toddler can end up in tears of rage when 20 minutes after unwrapping their new baby doll daddy is still trying to undo all the ties and twists, and because so much toy packaging is geared towards gender. <br />
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But lately I realised that reusable bags would also be good for adults gifts, for any gifts really, and the best thing about a little bag is that it makes gifts easy to wrap, and it can be reusable too!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuH_A8qHz_-ap8Xv43JnYmrrL6MhQ-pLotiQIHdTm5gXSfekc39uWq70hwEgJVm2sccBrJRt8rC5A0mbuozN_kNI-aCBG_W5U8OwgPHmHxSvrJIsaoaH3vH1gbJrt6URykE4bI/s1600/IMG_5242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuH_A8qHz_-ap8Xv43JnYmrrL6MhQ-pLotiQIHdTm5gXSfekc39uWq70hwEgJVm2sccBrJRt8rC5A0mbuozN_kNI-aCBG_W5U8OwgPHmHxSvrJIsaoaH3vH1gbJrt6URykE4bI/s400/IMG_5242.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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If you have a sewing machine they are a snap to make, but even if you hand sew they are far from complicated.<br />
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So with a doubly environmental plan that involved buying cheap clothes at Charity stores purely for the pretty designs on the material and then recycling them into bags, I set to work.<br />
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So far I have actually used new material because I found some cheap 'fat quarters', and the bags I have made are small, but I'm going to keep making them, as and when I have time, so that by Christmas I should have a good choice.<br />
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I have used ribbon for the 'drawstring' on my bags so that they can have a bow tied at the top.<br />
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The simplest design require no finishing of raw edges, just a simple rectangle of material, wide hems sewn at each narrow end for the drawstring (ribbon) , fold the rectagle into a square, and then a quick sew together of the sides.<br />
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Two loops of ribbons are threaded through the hems and ... ta da! a drawstring bag.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QJXqhHpvmbJy7dEb9K2CTD0Kd1ZoqL0V3T8hbKCYs64SLexhluUsFLeLEgAalGMucB6hmk2JL3Rst-OfXdqv59esKrUx9vEr16gfGqXy9B_FoWA46Z6XTYqO-NeF5_XuKIfD/s1600/IMG_5245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QJXqhHpvmbJy7dEb9K2CTD0Kd1ZoqL0V3T8hbKCYs64SLexhluUsFLeLEgAalGMucB6hmk2JL3Rst-OfXdqv59esKrUx9vEr16gfGqXy9B_FoWA46Z6XTYqO-NeF5_XuKIfD/s640/IMG_5245.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<br />Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-16454097305227259492018-05-09T11:35:00.000+01:002018-05-09T11:53:12.323+01:00Why your restaurant needs vegan optionsI'm not a vegan, I'm not even a vegetarian but I think all restaurants, cafes, clubs, bars, and anywhere that serves food should ensure there are vegan options on the menu.<br />
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I don't think that because it's not nice to eat animals (it may not be, but I still love steak and bacon), I don't think it because it's good for the planet (debatable if you look at what plants can grow where and why sheep may sometimes be the best protein creators..but also farts...) I think it because it's good business sense.<br />
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Many people are vegan these days, whether as a hipster lifestyle choice, a deep rooted love for living things or just not really liking meat, the reasons don't matter to a business, what matters is getting customers through the door.<br />
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Some cafes seem to think that one veggie option is enough. "Oh we have jacket potatoes with beans if you like, we can leave out the butter if you are vegan". The idea of 'leaving out' the meat or dairy or egg bits seems a common theme. "hmm vegan? well I think the veggie burger might be vegan, I'll leave out the brioche bun and the cheese" Well let me tell you straight, leaving things out is not a menu option, it's lazy and it looks lazy. It also looks mean, "we'll make you a special meal by leaving stuff out and not replacing it with anything" doesn't look like you are happy to help, it looks like a begrudging afterthought.<br />
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Some eateries think it doesn't matter, after all less than 1% of the UK population is vegan and only 2% of the population is vegetarian. But if you miss those choices from your menu you don't only exclude the vegans, you exclude groups of friends where one of the group is vegan. "Shall we have Jake's party at <i>*Umbertelli's</i>? oh no, they have no real vegan options and Jessica won't want to come, let's go to <i>*Palmita's</i> instead" And the number of vegans is increasing, and they tend to be younger, more likely to eat out with friends.<br />
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It's not only vegans that benefit either, with increasing awareness of allergies a person with a dairy or egg allergy is going to opt for places with good vegan options too. Religious food restrictions can also affect people, in a multicultural society many religious people struggle to find a place to eat out that caters for them, but vegan is halal and kosher, problem solved. When I'm looking for a location for a works party or a meal out with friends I might include vegans, Muslims, vegetarians and Jews...and some allergy sufferers, it's not being 'precious' to want to be catered for at a restaurant and it's not a lot to ask for the <a href="http://www.palmcourtpavilion.co.uk/" target="_blank">menu </a>to be clear about it either.<br />
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Vegan options are not difficult! Add a vegan section to your menu (<i>and mark them as such, use a different symbol for Vegan than for Vegetarian)</i>. Examples of vegan meals include falafel wraps with salad, salads with tofu, stir fries with noodles (egg free) , vegetable soups, hummus salad sandwiches with either no spread or a dairy free spread, olives, fancy breads made with oil, pasta dishes (vegan pesto, tomato sauces etc), risottos with either no cheese or vegan cheese, vegetable burgers, stuffed peppers, garlic mushrooms (use oil or dairy-free spread), <a href="https://www.jusrol.co.uk/products/puff-pastry-sheets" target="_blank">Jus-Rol puff pastry</a> is dairy and egg free! so you can even make some puff pastry treats with fruit or roasted vegetables. <a href="https://www.pieminister.co.uk/pies/kevin/" target="_blank">Pieminister have a vegan pie </a>option. Vegan pizzas, lentil curries. Don't forget to add some vegan desserts too, lots of sorbets are lovely and there are plenty of vegan ice 'cream' varieties to choose from, and exotic fruits in syrup can be a lovely end to a meal.<br />
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Anyone can eat vegan, so including some vegan options on a menu doesn't restrict the menu, it expands it. Now<a href="http://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2018/03/carnivores-guide-to-living-with-vegan.html"> I have a vegan daughter </a>I can really see what a pain it is to eat out when 99% of the menu is off limits, so come on caterers, make it easier, step up and add some <a href="https://www.pizzaexpress.com/vegan-choices" target="_blank">vegan goodies to your menus</a>.<br />
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<b>Are you vegan? Where is good to eat out and which vegan things do you like to see on a menu? I recently ate at <a href="https://www.zizzi.co.uk/food" target="_blank">Zizzis</a> and they have a brilliant menu, clearly set out with vegan options. Are there other good examples out there?</b><br />
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<a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/restaurants/the-best-vegan-and-vegetarian-sunday-roasts-in-london-a3750406.html" target="_blank">The best Vegan and Vegetarian Sunday lunches in London</a>.<br />
<a href="https://restaurantsbrighton.co.uk/vegetarian-vegan-roast-brighton/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="https://restaurantsbrighton.co.uk/vegetarian-vegan-roast-brighton/" target="_blank">Vegan and Veggie Roasts in Brighton</a><br />
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<i>*not real restaurants </i>Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-63686572271857267112018-03-25T10:00:00.000+01:002018-05-09T11:43:24.231+01:00Vegan Chocolate and Chilli CupcakesI often make cupcakes, they are quick and simple.<br />
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When I was a Rainbow leader I used to make them with a team of 5 year olds, if you were wondering how easy they are are to make.<br />
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But now my teen is a vegan...yeah I know....so what to do?<br />
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Help is at hand! In the form of egg replacement. I was sceptical so I tested the <a href="https://amzn.to/2GnAnq2" target="_blank">Orgran </a>brand (other brands are available), and the recipe, so that you can make them with confidence.<br />
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For a deadly twist I went for chilli chocolate flavour, but dried fruit, just chocolate, or other flavours are simple to substitute into the basic recipe.<br />
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I tend to make double this recipe and make 12 cupcakes, it's a bit odd as I realise the maths doesn't add up, but they seem to not rise as much as cakes with real eggs, feel free to experiment based on your pan/cake case size.<br />
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One of the things you will notice is that the consistency of the baked cakes is changed due to the lack of egg, the cakes don't seem to hold together as well, so always let them cool a bit before removing them from the pan, even if they are in paper cases they will still crumble if you move them when they are hot.<br />
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Using chilli oil rather than fresh chillis or crushed chillis means that the heat spreads evenly through the cakes. I decorated the cakes with vegan butter cream icing (using the non dairy margarine) and <a href="https://amzn.to/2uhkT1X" target="_blank">vegan chocolate drops</a>.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Warning: depending on your <a href="https://amzn.to/2pC8eSy" target="_blank">chilli oil</a> - this recipe may be extremely hot.</span></b></div>
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<h3>
Ingredients</h3>
• 3oz Vegan (dairy free) margarine<br />
• 2oz Sugar<br />
• 1 <a href="https://amzn.to/2GnAnq2" target="_blank">egg replacement</a> portion<br />
• 3oz self raising flour<br />
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder<br />
• 2 teaspoons <a href="http://chillipepperpete.com/Chilli-oil-naga-ghost-extreme-superhot" target="_blank">chilli oil</a><br />
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Method</h3>
Cream the margarine and sugar together.<br />
Mix the egg replacement powder with water and add to the mix.<br />
Add the flour and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.<br />
Add 2 teaspoons chilli oil.<br />
Divide into 8 paper cake cases.<br />
Bake for 15 minutes at 180c/250f/gas 4.<br />
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<i>This post is not sponsored, but contains <a href="http://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2017/09/what-is-affiliate-marketing-all-about.html">affiliate links.</a></i>Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-29536063282116193192018-03-24T11:41:00.001+00:002018-03-24T16:06:40.960+00:00Even the BodyShop is going VeganIf you follow me on other social media you will have seen that the other week I was invited to the <a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Body Shop </a>in Chichester to check out all the lovely products, and have a sneak preview at the <a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/trending/new/c/c02014" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">new </a>ones.<br />
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I'm far from a beauty blogger (as you know) but I need to wash, I like a nice bubble bath, I sometimes need to moisturise my elbows and as I age I'm finding I need to pay more attention to my face too. Though I draw the line at makeup. Of course I'm mum to a teen and she uses make up, so she was thrilled to accompany me to see what the Body Shop had to offer.<br />
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I haven't been to a Body Shop in a years. Like many people I fell out of love with them when they were bought by L'Oreal in 2006 and seemed to give up on their natural credentials. It was nice to hear that they are now a subsidiary of a Brazilian company, having been bought by the ethical Brazilian cosmetics B-Corp, Natura in 2017.<br />
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Body Shop now have the coveted <a href="http://www.leapingbunny.org/" target="_blank">'leaping bunny' (cruelty free)</a> logo and in even bigger news most Body Shop products are now <b>vegan</b>! And the few that aren't (they use honey in some products) will be having ingredient changes to move them to vegan soon too. <a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/trending/vegan/c/c02010" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vegan products</a> are being clearly labelled on the packaging too. Body Shop are against all forms of animal testing forever. (Join in and <a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/about-us/against-animal-testing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">sign the petition</a> here)<br />
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But on to the fun things! They have some really nice, and very reasonably priced items in store. The old favourites like White Musk are still there (now using synthetic musk obviously) and a Frosted Plum range smelled very like Dewberry to me, but there are also some lovely new (at least to me) scents too. I am an old lady so this may explain why I loved the British Rose scented body cream, but Raffy is young and she loved it too, and the mango scents.<br />
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The Body Shop has a range of products within each scent, so that you can mix and/or match.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOg5S2kiwjEskBdrVotUqTVtv4auxAjseAPQqbRdIF3hLnwlGua7i5xo3WOzHKiirWiyGaO7JXdcmjsxAYVVE76BWsWF4W6Q_2Fiu1ajRmN45v0t_9ueOF_tF3lKSMb0W9IdEb/s1600/unnamed+%252813%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="85" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOg5S2kiwjEskBdrVotUqTVtv4auxAjseAPQqbRdIF3hLnwlGua7i5xo3WOzHKiirWiyGaO7JXdcmjsxAYVVE76BWsWF4W6Q_2Fiu1ajRmN45v0t_9ueOF_tF3lKSMb0W9IdEb/s1600/unnamed+%252813%2529.jpg" /></a>The soaps smelled gorgeous, starting at £2 a bar and nicely scented. Need a 'not chocolate' easter gift? This limited edition <a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/body/soaps/limited-edition-olive-soap/p/p002807" target="_blank">olive oil soap bunny</a> is too adorable!<br />
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Looking for a scrub without plastic microbeads, but still with 'bits'? Body Shop have <a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/body/spa-body-treatments/spa-of-the-world-french-grape-seed-scrub/p/p002420" target="_blank">French Grape Seed Scrub</a>, have a nice glass of pinot and be grapey inside and out!<br />
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For anyone keen to try a new face mask, Body Shop have a lovely <a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/face/face-masks/himalayan-charcoal-purifying-glow-mask/p/p002002?ds_kid=92700024095313267&gclid=CjwKCAjw7tfVBRB0EiwAiSYGMzT9Ht3vHjJbGArpHorGDyV2tXVZeQ5NS0M2cBrEYPlJUeOhd34wVxoCl88QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CMvIyJ7shNoCFUsx0wodX-IK9g" target="_blank">Himalayan Charcoal Mask</a>, vegan, and formulated without parabens, paraffin, silicone or mineral oil.<br />
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I've been trying out some of the products and have been happy with the quality of them. It's nice that they are vegan, and if you can't pop into a store you can <a href="https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/" target="_blank">order online</a> with free delivery if you spend over £20<br />
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Thanks to the staff at Chichester for a fun evening and for sharing your favourite products with us.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #999999;">Disclosure: I was invited to the event and given a goody bag, I was not paid for my time and all the views in this post are my own.</span></i>Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.com34/35 East St, Chichester PO19 1HS, UK50.8363995 -0.7762041999999382825.314365 -42.084798199999938 76.358434 40.532389800000061tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-49251059816177096612018-03-23T18:08:00.000+00:002018-03-24T09:33:21.557+00:00Just sometimes the world is a lovely placeOn Thursday my lovely daughter, Rafaela, was excited to be heading up to London after college to see one of her favourite singers, <a href="http://www.iamannemarie.com/row/speakyourmind" target="_blank">Anne-Marie</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNolrC33BFAa3DcJhUesGbnNwOy-YKw0sVuMzJtuUHCV6mMGTCC5nSkgu8jftfgj8raftWkTvBrFI5dl5u6sYTw8jShRkF67WaR9M1E5q6Oj9tDSQpyhGVV3Sy3ndkfk8xQLs/s1600/When+a+celebrity+becomes+a+fairy+godmother.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="560" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNolrC33BFAa3DcJhUesGbnNwOy-YKw0sVuMzJtuUHCV6mMGTCC5nSkgu8jftfgj8raftWkTvBrFI5dl5u6sYTw8jShRkF67WaR9M1E5q6Oj9tDSQpyhGVV3Sy3ndkfk8xQLs/s640/When+a+celebrity+becomes+a+fairy+godmother.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Rafaela was travelling alone and like many of us, was slightly panicked about the thought. She had bought her train ticket in advance, had planned her travel across London, had both phone and mental maps of the tube trains she needed to get etc etc.<br />
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What she hadn't counted on was her shoe falling apart just as she arrived at the station. And not just a tiny crack in the sole or a loose aglet either! Her entire sole ripped off the shoe. Leaving her in tears. But after a bit of deep breathing, thinking, looking at timing, (could she make it to a shop and still make the concert? no. Get home and still make the concert? no) she decided the only thing to do was to ask for help from the people that would understand. Anne Marie fans. And the best place to get in touch with them was via Twitter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizc-KOh4LpUbLhvfJVuB8zpSzIiLfCmEWo86FSYyCxMpdf1Syr0kaY-ECr_ULs4zfWZHJaBopbJoDN5xOsSpd_yOzcXCgaEvnz0aTNdwd2PfE_PUCAZ4GLTstioQPsSWbupQDG/s1600/shoes+broken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="colourful boots with sole ripped off" border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizc-KOh4LpUbLhvfJVuB8zpSzIiLfCmEWo86FSYyCxMpdf1Syr0kaY-ECr_ULs4zfWZHJaBopbJoDN5xOsSpd_yOzcXCgaEvnz0aTNdwd2PfE_PUCAZ4GLTstioQPsSWbupQDG/s640/shoes+broken.jpg" title="" width="480" /></a></div>
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What happened next became a <a href="https://twitter.com/i/moments/976819668102139904" target="_blank">Twitter Moment</a>.<br />
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First an urgent request to anyone that was attending the concert, I imagine she hoped maybe someone could bung a pair of spare trainers in their bag to give to her at the gig, or would be able to get some to give her at Victoria station, because by the time she arrived in London the shops would be closing and she had a concert to get to.<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
❕Yo someone help a girl out?? <br />
Anyone going to <a href="https://twitter.com/AnneMarie?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AnneMarie</a> tonight have a spare pair of shoes 😂 cos I’ve just got on the train and the sole has completely come off my shoe 😂😂 currently walking in socks 😩😭❕</div>
— Rafaela🏳️🌈 (@Raffacake1999) <a href="https://twitter.com/Raffacake1999/status/976810494764908545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
But it was Anne-Marie herself that saw the tweet and said she'd sort it out. Even then Rafaela assumed she meant that she would tweet about it, boosting the post. When Anne-Marie asked what size shoes Rafaela wore, she again thought it would be about sharing the problem, but a DM (private twitter message) from Anne-Marie explained more. Anne-Marie planned to get some shoes to Raffy herself.<br />
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A thrilled and now relieved Raffy continued her journey to London. But she still had some travelling to do before collecting her shoes. Cinderella-like she wandered in her socks down to the tube and onward across the city, trying to ignore the odd stares of other travellers. Her feet became increasingly cold, but finally she arrived.<br />
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Once at the concert venue she joined a queue of fans already there. Now, mildly famous, people in the queue were laughing and chatting with her. She messaged Anne-Marie and was overjoyed when someone from Anne-Marie's team came out to give her some new shoes. A JD Sports bag was handed over.<br />
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Raffy was stunned to find inside, a pair of new black Nike AirMax in her size. And just like in the fairy tale they fitted perfectly, and Rafaela did go to the ball. What a fabulously generous act by Anne-Marie.<br />
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Anne-Marie wasn't only generous to Raffy either, she sent pizza out to her fans that had been queuing for a long time in the cold.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Who’s queuing outside The Roundhouse already? I’m gonna send you all some pizzas. Keep an eye out for <a href="https://twitter.com/ashtonmiranda?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ashtonmiranda</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/oli_drums?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@oli_drums</a> ❤️</div>
— ANNE♥MARIE (@AnneMarie) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnneMarie/status/976842863328878594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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And there is another thing about this story that I really loved; twitter Anne-Marie's fans did see the initial tweet, and they did respond, with ideas, love and sympathy. And once Anne-Marie stepped in to solve the problem, and after Raffy shared a picture of the shoes, they continued to be lovely, sending supportive tweets and friendly messages. It's really lovely to see a group of people brought together by an artist who go on to really become like a family. I know that sounds gushy and soft, but really it was so nice to see.<br />
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Just pop over to twitter and look at the sweet replies to this tweet<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Do they fit ok? <a href="https://t.co/lWfjLFtRRv">https://t.co/lWfjLFtRRv</a></div>
— ANNE♥MARIE (@AnneMarie) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnneMarie/status/976875040275861507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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<br />
So thank you Anne-Marie for saving my daughter's day, making her evening and turning a disaster into a really special memory. And thank you to Anne-Marie's fans for being so lovely too.<br />
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<a class="twitter-moment" href="https://twitter.com/i/moments/976819668102139904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Anne-Marie comes to the rescue after a fan's shoe falls apart 👢</a> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.comCamden Town, London, UK51.5390261 -0.1425515999999333951.5291501 -0.16272159999993338 51.5489021 -0.12238159999993339tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-75010970674741859402018-03-18T19:48:00.000+00:002018-03-18T19:48:49.212+00:00Sweet potato and lentil (vegan) soupHere is a nice warming soup for the whole family to enjoy. It's vegan but feel free to add bacon bits or cheese if you fancy.<br />
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It's cheap and cheerful, healthy, colourful and tasty.<br />
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All you need are some sweet potatoes, an onion, vegetable stock (a stock cube is fine), green lentils and some oil.<br />
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First chop the onion, I add some garlic too, then fry that until soft in the oil (I used coconut oil)<br />
then pop half a cup of green lentils into another pan to boil in about 2 cups of water.<br />
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Peel and dice the sweet potato, add it to the softened onion, add a pint and a half of vegetable stock and let it simmer in a lidded pan.<br />
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Once the potato is soft, blend it until it's smooth (a <a href="http://amzn.to/2pokTHP" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">cheap stick blender</a> is perfect for this) then add the lentils.<br />
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I like to serve mine with cheese, because while my daughter is a vegan, I'm not - I think crispy bacon would be good with this too. Otherwise, sprinkle with chilli flakes and serve. Yum.<br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;"><i>*Post contains affiliate links</i></span>Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14181158.post-29348209608326850482018-03-05T14:12:00.001+00:002018-03-05T14:39:25.650+00:00A Carnivore's Guide to Living with a Vegan<br />
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Remember how cool I was when my daughter <a href="https://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2016/09/my-daughter-is-gay.html">came out as gay?</a> Well, after all, what changes? Nothing much, different choices in Valentine's day card purchases, but that's about it. But when Raffy came out as vegan..well that's a whole new ball game!<br />
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When I, a confirmed omnivore favouring bacon and steak above almost any other food except cheese, was told by my daughter that her moving toward vegetarianism, and her lifelong loathing of cheese had taken the dark turn into the land of the vegan, I was stunned.<br />
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Raffy is 18 but she still lives with us,<a href="https://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2017/12/child-turns-eighteen-party.html"> I'm still her mum</a>, and I still have to ensure she eats well and we buy foods she likes (did I mention <a href="https://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2016/11/five-ways-your-teen-is-same-as-toddler.html">teens are as fussy as toddlers</a>?)<br />
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So I set her the task of finding foods that <br />
<ul>
<li>are cheap</li>
<li>are easy to make</li>
<li>are easy to find in shops</li>
<li>she liked</li>
</ul>
This was no mean task as it turned out. But here we are a few weeks in and she remains alive. I am still relatively sane and we all seem to be eating a bit more healthily (I'm still eating bacon and cheese sandwiches, fear not)<br />
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Our larder now carries a few extra 'staples' along with bread and baked beans. We are no longer restocking up on tuna, tinned chilli and most biscuits, even some crisps have had to be refused larder entry. But on the plus side we now have lentils (red and green) tins of chick peas, tins of mixed beans, tins of butter beans and lots of rice. We also have vegan gnocchi, pasta and peanut butter.<br />
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I found several websites listing <a href="https://veganuary.com/starter-kit/accidentally-vegan-products-uk/" target="_blank">'accidentally vegan'</a> foods, one even specialising in <a href="http://www.friendlyandfree.com/accidentally-vegan-snacks-the-british-edition/" target="_blank">vegan snacks</a>, perfect for a teen that constantly raids the larder bewteen meals. So far a favourite savoury snack is <a href="http://www.yushoi.co.uk/products-range/" target="_blank">Yushoi pea snacks</a>, and on the sweet menu <a href="https://www.aldi.co.uk/c/groceries/wholefoods?q=%3Apopular&page=1" target="_blank">Aldi Paleo bars</a> and several other fruit bars in their Wholefoods range<br />
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Maybe if you are a stickler you would eschew foods that say "may contain ..." but we haven't gone quite that far, if it's not in the ingredients, it's good to go.<br />
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So we are still enjoying Jus-Roll croissants, Party Ring biscuits and Biscoff Lotus biscuits and spread. Food is being cooked in vegetable oil or coconut oil and many a chili falafel wrap is being consumed. I'm hoping to add a few vegan family recipes to the blog soon, because many are really nice, I mean, not bacon nice, but nice...and I guess you could always add cheese or bacon. I often add grated cheese to my vegan pasta after serving. (did you know you can get vegan pesto? I was far too excited about that)<br />
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The main pain in the butt is that we have to buy separate milk (Raffy favours the Koko coconut milk, original) and an egg substitute for recipes. Luckily Raffy has never been a huge fan of yoghurts and custards although there are soya versions. And she already preferred <a href="https://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2014/05/eton-mess-recipe-for-delight.html" target="">vegan ice cream</a> to the real deal (weirdo). Veganism is definitely a developing trend among the young. Is it a trendy fad or will farm animals become a thing of the past by the time Raffy has kids? Or is eating animals and the products of animals still the best use of some land types? (I'm thinking of waterlogged meadows and steep hills...) I guess only time will tell. <br />
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Look out on the blog for <a href="https://www.tattooedmummy.co.uk/2017/09/sweet-potato-soup-recipe.html">'vegan recipes</a> for the carnivore' in the near future. I will get Raffy to bake some more vegan cakes so I can blog that - they are very tasty. And if you have any vegan comments (good and bad) or vegan recipes, pop them in the comments below. Thanks.Tattooed Mummyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756762569823259874noreply@blogger.com