It’s on! It’s happening! The countdown to the summer holidays has begun!

What am I saying? Belle has been counting down for about the last two months. She has been crossing days off on an actual calendar, like they do in films.

I feel like I’m a bit down on the summer holidays sometimes, so I wanted to write something to show I’m not a complete misery. I did offer you a £50 Tesco voucher don’t forget, to add to the holiday fun times, so it can’t all be bad.

So, here are some things I’m looking forward to this summer holiday:

1. A trip around Ireland in a motorhome. Do you remember last summer, we took that Bailey motorhome around England, ticking off all the counties? Well, Bailey have very kindly offered to lend us a van again, and this time we are venturing into Europe. I’m a little nervous about the driving, but keep remembering what an amazing time we had last year. View Post

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If you’re looking for that classic romantic island paradise for your honeymoon, then a honeymoon in Antigua could be just the one for you.

Take a look at this picture for a minute, then close your eyes and imagine yourself there, a cocktail in hand, the sun warm on your face. Everything feels pretty right with the world, doesn’t it?

honeymoon in AntiguaFor me, a key element of my honeymoon is going to be getting away from the children. I don’t mean this to sound mean, I love them very much obviously and enjoy holidays with them, but it’s not really the honeymoon vibe is it? (Light bulb moment – I wonder if this is why September weddings are so popular? Is it parents avoiding honeymooning in the school holidays?)

September and October are ideal months for a honeymoon in Antigua; it’s late enough in the year to avoid the crowds of families on their summer holidays, but still warm enough the enjoy the cocktail on the beach fantasy, with average temperatures in Antigua in September and October in the high twenties. There are still plenty of things to do in Antigua at this time of the year too – September for example plays host to a two-day fishing tournament and seafood festival, (yum), and at the end of October you can get involved with a week-long programme of activities and events celebrating Independence Week. View Post

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I was sent an HTC One M9 recently from EE. I’ve been having a play around with it, so I can let you know what I think of it.

Shiny right?

HTC One M9

First though, let’s give this review a bit of context.

Douglas Adams said something about technology that is so true; it goes like this… View Post

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Today I have a guest post from Bee – please give her the pep talk she badly needs!

…

Hey guys. It’s Bee here. I know what you’re thinking, go back to your own blog right?

I basically just wanted to write this post because I need a kind of pep talk from you all about this new fitness journey I am about to embark on. I know this isn’t really the place to do it, seeing as I wouldn’t exactly call this a pro running blog, but I thought you could help me anyway.

So when I was young and naive, all those years ago when I was about to start uni, bright eyed and bushy tailed and about two stone lighter than I am now, I decided optimistically that I would run a marathon before uni was out. Then a couple of months ago, when I was starting my Major Project (dissertation for those who basically did a real academic course with exams and stuff) a thought popped into my head.

“Oh, crap. Got to do that marathon. Eh. It will be fine.” View Post

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Tomorrow morning we’re going back for a second look at what I’m 95% sure is going to be where we get married. As you may remember, when we visited the first time I became a little bit emotional and had to take myself off into a corner to pull myself together, a sure sign, given my notoriously stony heart, that it was the place for us.

So now I’m scared.

What if when we go back the second time it doesn’t feel the same?

What if I look at the stained glass and don’t feel the same swelling in my chest? What if I gaze up into the beautiful ceiling and don’t get that prickling sensation behind my eyes?

It’s a ridiculous thing to worry about I know, but I was so blown away by the intensity of my feelings last time, so convinced by how right everything felt, that I can’t quite believe I’m going to be able to go back a second time and feel the same. I just want everything to be perfect and beautiful, to create this wonderful, happy day that stays with me forever.

Mr & Mrs View Post

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Here are two things I love:

  • Trying new things
  • Cheese

I was pretty much guaranteed to have a good time then when I visited the Boursin Sensorium at the Alexandra Palace Foodie Festival last weekend, to have a go on their Oculus Rift Boursin experience.

Boursin Sensorium View Post

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Mornflake Cereals

I love a day out.

I particularly love a day out where I’m promised free food, so I have to confess that the offer of a delicious breakfast in the middle of a beautiful oat field, swiftly followed by a tasty buffet lunch, went quite a long way to persuading me to take the trip up to Crewe to the home of Mornflake Cereal, to find out what goes in to producing a box of oats or bag of granola.

I wasn’t disappointed, as you can see: View Post

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This isn’t a sponsored post, it’s literally me walking to Tesco and buying you a voucher, I just wanted to make a small gesture to say ‘Guys! The summer holidays are nearly upon us! I FEEL YOUR PAIN!’

Truth be told, the summer holidays are a lot easier for me now than they were a few years ago – a 12 year old takes far less looking after than a toddler in practical terms. What does tend to happen though is that you fall into that trap of leaving them staring at an iPad for seven hours at a time, or let them stay in bed until midday every day, and really that’s not very wholesome is it?

Entertaining children is expensive though, which is why I thought it might be helpful to have a little something extra to go into the summer holiday kitty. Perhaps you could spend it all on treats for a picnic, or maybe some games for the garden? Crafts are popular with children, so I’ve heard, or maybe just buy a huge bottle of gin and drink the holidays away. View Post

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bedroom makeover tips

A guest post from Bee

Recently I moved into my first very own flat. Well, I mean, I rent it, with other people. But still. A couple of days ago I moved rooms to the best room in the house (because I’m the best, obviously) and made a start on decorating it. I put on some music and lit some incense and set about making it my own. I’ve moved house enough times now to know exactly what I want my room to look like. But if you are about to redecorate your room and don’t really know where to start, I’ve got a few extremely wise tips to share with you. 
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A guest post from Bee.

start your own business

We all have that business venture that we think about starting up from time to time. Last week I found myself dramatically excited about starting a business outside of All Bar One after a couple of cocktails with my friend Lia.

“OMG, LET’S JUST START A BUSINESS, like you and me, right now! Let’s just start a business! Let’s go! Let’s just bloody do it” I was screeching across the table at her, as though I was thinking of buying a bar and calling it Puzzles. (Why Puzzles you ask? Well, that’s the Puzzle!)*
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My featured charity this week is Magic Breakfast, a hugely important charity helping to provide meals for children living in poverty. Please read about their work and support them with just £3.50 a month.

Magic breakfast #charitytuesday

So, what’s the problem?
At least half a million children in the UK go to school hungry each day*. A hungry child cannot concentrate, missing out on core, morning lessons and a chance at educational success.

How does Magic Breakfast solve it?
The charity provides free, healthy breakfasts (of porridge, low sugar-low salt cereal, bagels and fresh fruit juice) to primary, secondary, PRU and SEN schools where more than 35% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. It helps schools to set up and run breakfast clubs and establish alternative ways of getting breakfasts to hungry children, if needed, including playground and classroom feeding. Over 17,500 children in 443 schools currently benefit from eating a “magic” breakfast each day.
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A lot of people get a bit high and mighty about online gambling, as though you’re out on a park bench every night, swigging from a bottle of cheap gin out of a brown paper bag, but it’s really not like that. With most things, an ‘everything in moderation’ approach works well – I have an online betting account, but I use it responsibly and find it fun. I’ve placed a bet in a casino and everything.

Here are a few top tips then to help you gamble responsibly:

Only bet what you can afford to lose

It seems obvious, but of all the advice I can give, this is the one thing you should remember. You might go for an evening out and spend £100 on dinner and drinks and that’s fine, you choose to spend £100, you have fun, and that’s that. It’s the same with gambling – if you can afford to spend £100, then lucky you, go for it, but don’t bank on winning.

Shop around

There are masses of deals to be had online, so do shop around for the best online casino bonus and offers. Take care to read the small print so you know exactly what you’re signing up for.

Make it about something other than the cash

I have quite a fun way of gambling – if there’s an event coming up that I really don’t want to happen, like the Tories winning a general election, I place a bet on it happening. That way if the worst happens and they do win, I have some cash to compensate and if they don’t win I may have lost my money, but at least I can be happy politically!

Make it social

The classic image of an online gambler is something of a social recluse, so to avoid isolation, how about turning it into a social event? If you have other friends who are interested in the occasional flutter, why not invite them round for the evening so you can enjoy a bit of online gambling fun together?

Collaborative post

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