Advertisement is association with Thicker Fuller Hair™

I’ve always had fine hair.

As a teenager I would read hair tips in Just Seventeen magazine and spend ages lying on my bed with my head hung backwards over the age, trying to encourage blood to flow to my scalp. At the same time I’d be reading the problem pages and looking at the ‘Position of the Fortnight’ in More and wondering what it would be like to actually have sex with another person. Like how would you even go about it? You’d have to actually talk properly to a boy for a start. I couldn’t get my head around it, hung upside down or otherwise.

(Funnily enough, not long after I drafted this post I found myself talking to some women about More and Position of the Fortnight. How is that feature the only thing people ever remember from the whole magazine?)

Over 25 years later and I do less of the head dangling, although I do still wonder sometimes about how to talk to (now grown up) boys, and my hair is still just as fine. In fact, if anything I probably have even less of it now, what with the impending *whispers* menopause. Hopefully I have few years yet, but I’ve definitely noticed my hair getting dryer, so it’s probably only a matter of time before it starts thinning too.

(Yay! Life is so kind.)

Fortunately there may be something that can ease the thinning hair crisis at least, if not help with the men thing – a new naturally-derived haircare range called Thicker Fuller Hair™. Clue’s in the name with this one isn’t it? While I can’t afford a personal stylist waving products and a professional hair dryer at me every morning, this is the next best thing.

How to get thicker hair

If you have thin hair, or are worried about hair loss, you’re not alone. View Post

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87% of British households have a garden, but how many children get to experience a garden as more than just somewhere to play on a trampoline or in a paddling pool?

Here are some scary facts, based on research conducted amongst 300 4-8 year olds*:

  • Over half of British children between 4 and 8 are unable to name 5 vegetables or fruits that could be grown in a garden
  • 95% were unable to name 3 herbs
  • Only 8% able to identify a trowel
  • 79% believed worms are bad for plants 
  • Only 8% had ever picked an apple
  • Only 6% had ever eaten a fresh pea from the pod

This is crazy isn’t it??

When I was little, getting a little patch of soil in the garden to grow my own flowers and vegetables was an absolute joy, and one that as many children as possible should be able to experience, whether or not they have a garden of their own.

It’s why, this month, Get Out and Grow will award school gardening starter kits to 20 schools nationwide, giving young children the chance to have a go at gardening. The kits, which are sponsored by British skincare brand Sudocrem, will include children’s wheelbarrows, gardening gloves, mini-trowels, seeds and lessons on how to make the most of a school garden.

school gardening kit View Post

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I was gifted these products for the purposes of this post

I seem to spend most of my life vacuuming.

Okay, that’s a lie, I spend most of my life thinking about vacuuming – looking at the cat hair collecting on the carpet, the dust building up on the skirting boards, and thinking ‘God I really should do something about that.’ And then I don’t, because I can’t honestly be bothered to wrestle the vacuum cleaner out from under the pile of shoes in the understairs cupboard and anyway, almost as soon as you do it you stroke a cat and POOF, everything is fluffy again.

What I really need is a series of upright and handheld vacuum cleaners that I can leave strategically around the house, ready to suck up the fluff.

Oh HELLO there new range of Beldray electrical cleaning appliances, now available exclusively at Wilko.

Beldray Quick Vac Lite review

(This is the Quick Vac Cordless Lite and is my favourite because you can arrange the nozzles to make it look like a pet.)

I have VERY generously been given a bundle of THREE Beldray products to give away, worth £95 in total, so I’m going to tell you a little bit about each of them and then you’ll have the chance to win the lot. The range is designed to be easy to use and affordable, so have a read and see what you think. View Post

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Advertisement feature in association with Black Tower

In case you’re thinking ‘low alcohol wine – what even IS that and also WHY?’ then stay with me for a second.

I like a glass of wine as much as the next 40 year old single parent who sometimes wonders about the practicalities of dying alone in a house full of cats, but I don’t always get the opportunity to have a drink whenever I want. Belle hasn’t learnt to drive yet – roll on August – and because I’m the only grown up, anytime we go anywhere it means I’m in charge of the car.

I’ve also heard that there are people who actually just don’t ENJOY drinking all the time. It seems unlikely, but apparently it’s true.

Seriously though, I am joking (a bit) because the older I get, the less I seem to be able to tolerate alcohol. What I DO like though is the whole ritual of opening a bottle and pouring a glass of something. Chinking glasses with a friend in a sunny garden, feeling your shoulders drop that little bit. All of that is just NICE isn’t it?

Alcohol free wines though, or drinks claiming to be alternatives, are often a bit disappointing. I’ve tried drinks called things like ‘Chardonnay without the hangover’ and they are really NOT. Some alcohol free beers are okay, others taste like week old sandwiches.

I was interested then to give the new Black Tower Deliciously Light range a try.

Black Tower Deliciously Light review View Post

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If you’ve ever been to a festival you might recognise this scenario:

It’s a month before the festival and you get an email. ‘We’ve announced the dressing up theme!’ the festival organisers tell you. ‘This year it’s post-apocalypse Alice in Wonderland/1970s disco mermaid/pansexual party pirates!’ (Delete as appropriate.)

Excellent.

You set to work on your costume – gluing scales to your sparkly tights, fashioning a hat made entirely from cucumbers, whatever. You’re proud of your look, you’ve nailed it, you’re ready to go and FESTIVALISE.

Nozstock festival

Image courtesy of Nozstock festival

Then you get there and it pisses down with rain and no one sees your hand-sequinned pirate blouse because you have to spend the whole time in a large waterproof mac.

Sad face. View Post

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Advertisement feature in association with HARIBO

Favourite Haribo Starmix

One of my fondest memories of Belle as a child was the time, about ten years ago, when she found a cola bottle in a mini bag of HARIBO Gold Bears. Belle is the kind of person who likes everything JUST SO, so whereas a more typical child might not even notice, or just think ‘oh a cola bottle’ and eat it anyway, Belle decided that she needed to take action.

She was still surfing the wave of justice from having recently received a £2 voucher from Walkers because of finding a crisp that was ‘a bit funny looking’, so she was confident that she could make cola-bottle-gate work in her favour. She took photographs, sent them to HARIBO with a stern note, and a couple of weeks later was rewarded with an apology and a large packet of Starmix.

Her work was done. Justice was served.

HOWEVER…

If you find something you’re not expecting in a packet of HARIBO over the next few weeks, don’t be too quick to trade it in for a second bag of sweets, as it could be your ticket to a luxury UK family break with Forest Holidays. View Post

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I’ve been banging on about Playgroups and Prosecco, my debut novel, for ages now, so I thought it was only fair that I gave you something back – a thank you for putting up with all my ‘buy it on Kindle for only 99p!’ tweets.

In case you’re not up to speed, Playgroups and Prosecco is a ‘laugh out loud debut’ (my words) about the realities of single-parenting a toddler and a teen in a world of Instagram and Tinder. It’s a diary format, easy to read, but also GOOD, even if I do say so myself. If you want a taster, the first week is available to preview through the ‘look inside!’ feature on Amazon.

It looks like this, for when you want to find it in a bookshop from May 2nd, and take a picture to send me, saying ‘look I saw your book!’

(Please do that.)

Playgroups and Prosecco View Post

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Advertisement feature in association with Ring Automotive

Pretty much every single time I put petrol in the car I look at the tyre pressure machine in the corner of the forecourt and think ‘I really probably should pump the tyres up’. Then I remember that I don’t have any cash, or that it’s pouring with rain, or that I can’t be bothered, and I pay for my petrol and drive away.

In the grand scheme of chores, keeping my tyres properly inflated ranks way down alongside ‘wash the inside of the outdoor bin’ and ‘fix that bit on the banisters where the screw keeps coming out of the wall’.

I.e. it never happens.

It’s silly really. I am a grown woman who owns a box of greetings cards for all occasions for Christ’s sake. I pay into a pension and I once made a hanging basket – I AM CAPABLE. I shouldn’t be neglecting jobs like tyre inflating, jobs that actually have an impact on things like safety and fuel economy.

I’m assuming this isn’t JUST me, which is why I agreed to test the Ring RTC1000 Rapid Digital Tyre Inflator AND managed to wrangle an extra one to giveaway as a competition prize. No more wistful stares across the petrol station forecourt for the winner of this sexy giveaway!

Ring digital tyre inflator review

It’s a pretty straightforward gadget really, but let’s have a quick talk through what’s involved. View Post

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In association with EDF Energy

When EDF Energy sent me a new Amazon Echo Dot, I thought for quite a long time about where to put it.

I considered the kitchen, to use it as a timer and to play music while I’m cooking. Or maybe the living room – I have quite a few smart home gadgets, including Philips Hue light bulbs and a smart heating system, so in the living room Alexa could’ve set the lighting for me or turned on the radiators.

The thing is though, I can control those things from my phone and when I’m downstairs I normally have my phone nearby. Where could I put Alexa that she would add most value?

Then I thought, ‘how cool would it be to be able to finally get rid of my phone from the bedroom and still be able to set an alarm, know the time and listen to the latest episodes of the Serial podcast in bed?’

Even better, if she was in the bedroom perhaps Alexa could make me a cup of tea in the morning? (Spoiler: she can’t do that.)

Here she is:

cool things to do with Alexa View Post

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Post in association with Aquaclean

I think this could actually be the highest value item I’ve ever given away in a competition? Fancy.

Let’s take a look at the prize shall we, get ourselves in the mood. Here it is, the John Lewis Barbican 2 seater sofa in apple:

John Lewis Barbican Sofa in Apple

It looks pretty comfy doesn’t it? You just LOOK at it and you want a sit down.

I feel like if this was your sofa, your life would be full of family barbecues, weekend papers, succulents and Aperol spritz. An adorable toddler with blond pigtails would run at you and clamber up on your lap with a copy of The Gruffalo for you to read. You’d ask Alexa to turn down the acoustic folk music you were listening to and to switch on the reading lamp.

Your partner would come into the room and you and the toddler would both look up expectantly.

‘I was thinking of cooking a big curry and inviting Dan and Emily over,’ they’d say, ‘and can I top up your prosecco while I’m here?’

I’ve no idea who Dan and Emily are but I think they’d bring a bottle of artisinal gin that they’d picked up at a food festival recently and thought you might like. View Post

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I’ve got a lot of time for Barry M.

I’m not massively into make-up personally, but when I do wear it I want something fun and colourful, especially on my nails. Barry M nail varnishes are WAY more exciting than a lot of make-up brands, with loads of different colours and finishes. How cool are these Under The Sea nail varnishes? I wore one of these when I went to visit that aquarium in Boulogne, just to get into the spirit of things.

Barry M Under the sea nail varnish

Belle is HUGELY into make-up and she loves creating new looks and experimenting with different products. British company Barry M is perfect for her as it’s good quality but affordable, meaning her she can add new things to her collection without bankrupting me.

Also, fun fact: Did you know that all Barry M products are cruelty free? None of their finished products or individual ingredients have been tested on animals since the company began back in 1982. Most Barry M products are also suitable for vegans. Vegan friendly products all have a green ‘vegan’ symbol on the ingredients page so you can be sure. View Post

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I really enjoyed our brief period living in Bristol. I made some lovely friends, I joined a netball team and I ate more brunches from independent cafes than you can shake a slice of fried halloumi at.

I missed Somerset though.

I missed the feeling of familiarity and belonging somewhere, of driving past places and thinking ‘I remember going there with Gran and Grandad when I was little.’

When I moved back to Somerset about four years ago (four years!) it felt like coming home, only better than first time around because I appreciated it more. Perhaps it’s age too, that means I enjoy all that shiz like heritage and feeling rooted in a community. I like chatting to people at the weekly farmers’ market in Taunton and buying locally produced food and drink. I like going to garden centres and drinking cups of tea.

I am living my Best Somerset Life.

Given how fond I am of all the tea drinking and local producers and what not, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I was pretty excited when local tea and coffee legends Miles asked me if I fancied coming for a nose around their factory in West Somerset and helping them launch their new range of Tea Kites.

Basically they asked me to be the poster girl for local tea bags. Pretty sure that’s what happened.

Look how excited I am to be holding a box of tea!

Miles Tea Kites View Post

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