I recently read a book entitled When Bad Things Happen In Good Bikinis which, from the title had all the hallmarks of an easy women's fiction read, after it was recommended by a friend on Facebook. On the day I downloaded it I heard the author on Radio 4 Woman's Hour talking about it, so by the time I read the first lines I knew that it was neither laugh-out-loud, nor a page-turner that you would pick up in the airport departure lounge. And … [Read more...]
Ten Dog Instagram accounts you should be following
I am biased. We are a dog-loving family. I wanted to share my dog so much when we first got her that she has her own Facebook page. Now, eight years down the line, there are many many platforms on which to share your dog's antics, and Instagram is one of the best. I recently discovered that in times of crisis, my Dimpled One can be brought out of a tantrum, soothed after a fall or distracted from pain by a scan through social media and … [Read more...]
Red Nose Day Rice Krispie Cakes
There's a certain amount of therapy that comes with making a batch of sickly sweet Rice Krispie Cakes, especially the way that I do it: crunching them into balls with your fingers. It's an odd thing to do, I know but a technique that has worked well for me in the past for themed food for Pumpkin parties or Frozen birthday parties. I recently pulled out one of the many red noses we own from under a bed and it occurred to me that you could … [Read more...]
What I would miss #WillAid
November is Will Aid month, so it somehow seemed appropriate when the news on 1st November referenced Mark Shand, brother of the Duchess of Cornwall, who died without a Will. As a result his girlfriend of five years, and the person at his bedside at his death, will inherit nothing.* I have two friends who lost their husbands at young ages, leaving them with babies to care for alone. One of these men did not have a Will as he died unexpectedly. … [Read more...]
How to encourage a love of reading in children
I was recently privileged to attend a talk by Marilyn Brocklehurst on Creating Readers. And I do mean privileged. To be honest she didn't look much, sitting at the front of the school hall, bobbed hair and glasses on a chain round her neck looking for all the world like a Librarian, which she is by training. But when she started talking? Golly I was captivated. She spoke with such unending enthusiasm about reading and children's books, of which … [Read more...]
A Global Adventure with Bear Nibbles
When I was growing up and we lived overseas, my tea-fiend of a Nanny (as in Grandmother not full-time child-carer) used to collect the cards from her PG Tips packets and send them out to us. She would send off for the books that PG Tips produced to secure your cards in, box it all up and ship it out to whichever part of the world we lived in. Having them in my life are one of my clearest childhood memories. Fast forward thirty years and I … [Read more...]
In which I become an SEO ninja: ten SEO tips
Some time ago I was a test-case. Exciting as I have never been unusual in any way shape or form (Granny M would disagree because I am her baby and therefore very special and so on....*waves* Hi Mum!) But on that day I was unusual, a test-case, a trend-setter. Along with a dozen other bloggers from the food and parenting arenas, I got to try out the TOTs 100 latest brain child: the SEO summit. That day, people of the internet, and … [Read more...]
