Happy New Year and welcome to 2017. The beginning of the year is always about contemplation and renewal and we believe you should consider a new car for the family. Now is the best time to think about it as you have summer holidays to plan for and you may need a fresh pair of wheels for that. Also as your children go through school, they may pick up more friends meaning you have to pick up more passengers during the school run. So much to consider when it comes to your family car.

Depending upon what you want from your family car, we have a few great suggestions for you. There are a variety of ways to get these cars and one of the easiest is through car leasing with no upfront deposit. All you need to do is pay monthly for an agreed period, usually 3-4 years.

Skoda Octavia

Skoda have long been rated as excellent cars and the Octavia is one of their best. It is brilliantly built, both inside and out and is very safe, making it great for your family. In fact, Skoda updated the Octavia last year, giving it a new high tech petrol engine and extra equipment.

skoda-octavia

Octavia’s Engine

There is a wide selection of engine options available for the Octavia, so we will cover the cheapest, the fastest and the greenest engines just to give you a flavour of what you could get for your family.

The cheapest model of the Octavia comes with a 1.0-litre TSI S petrol engine. It develops 115 bhp. With that power, it accelerates from 0-60 mph in 9.9 seconds, making it great for getting up to speed on the motorway. It has a top speed of 126 mph. With regards to the fuel economy, you get a very respectable combined fuel economy of 62.8 mpg. You will not be losing shed loads of money running this car.

The greenest Octavia is the 1.6 TDI 110 SE Technology Greenline III (mouthful). It has a four-cylinder diesel engine producing 110 bhp. It has a top speed of 128 mhp and accelerates from 0-60 mph in 10.6 seconds. More importantly however, it has a combined fuel economy of 80.7 mpg. You won’t be filling this car up too often and it’ll save you plenty of money.

The same cannot be said for the fastest Octavia. This model is the Octavia 2.0 TSI vRS. Under the bonnet you will find a four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine developing 220 bhp. From this power, this Octavia has a top speed of 154 mph and accelerates from 0-60 mph in 6.8 seconds, making it one quick car off the mark. It does come with a combined fuel economy of 45.6 mpg, which isn’t too bad considering the power you get with this model. Truthfully if you have chosen this car then fuel economy isn’t high on your priorities.

Octavia’s Interior

Climb inside the Octavia and you will find a brilliantly well-built car. The dashboard is simply set out and easy to use so no need to mess around with the dials whilst driving. The materials are all up to the quality of its German rivals (so excellent). The infotainment system is easy to use as well. It comes with large icons and can be used on the move without having to take your eyes off the road for long periods of time.

Now when it comes to space for the family and friends, the Octavia has plenty of space for 5 six-foot adults to sit comfortable with plenty of legroom and headroom. That means when on the school run, your children and their friends will be very happy. Head around to the back of the car and open the boot, you will find an impressive amount of space. You get a whopping 590-litres of boot capacity and if you don’t need to take all the children and need some additional space, you can drop those rear seats and increase the boot capacity to 1,580-litres.

The Skoda Octavia is the best family car on the market without a doubt, but that doesn’t mean it will suit your taste. Therefore, check out our next suggestions!

Audi A3 Sportsback

Audi are great at making brilliant cars and for the practical family car, they have one of the best. Their premium family hatchback is the Audi A3 Sportsback. It comes with five doors for better access, so no more squeezing yourself or your kids in and out of the back.

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Audi A3 Sportsback’s Engine

The one model to consider is the 1.6 TDI Sport model. It comes with a four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine producing 110 bhp. It has a top speed of 124 mph, which you will never need to reach, but it’s good to know. You will be able to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 10.7 seconds, which it can both smoothly and quickly so it is great for motorway driving. It is also a money saver, having a combined fuel economy of 70.6 mpg.

There is a faster model in the form of the Audi A3 Sportsback 2.0 TDI 184 Quattro S Line (another mouthful). It has a four-cylinder turbocharged 2.0-litre diesel engine with automatic gearbox. It develops 184 bhp allowing it to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 6.9 seconds making it quick off the mark and great for the motorway. It also hits a top speed of 143 mph. Despite it being such a quick car, it has an impressive fuel economy of 57.7 mpg. It is quick, powerful and still has low running costs. 

Audi A3 Sportsback Interior

With Audi building the A3 Sportsback, you can be assured that the build quality will be high. The plastics are soft-touch so you have no rough surfaces. You also have leather and piano black or aluminium trim to break up the design and gives you a very upmarket feel. You get a fully up to date infotainment system that is controlled by a physical knob ensuring that you can keep your eyes on the road without having the mess around with touchscreen.

Lets talk passenger space. Audi have ensured that six-foot adults can sit comfortably both in the front and in the back without concern. If you have four adults you should be very comfortable, but add a fifth and whilst it is still comfy, it is a little tight. You don’t have to worry about this with your children. They should have plenty of space. Boot capacity is 380-litres so it isn’t as big as the Octavia, but it is still plenty of place for practical use for day to day use.

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Vauxhall Astra

The Vauxhall Astra is one of the best staple family hatchbacks available on the road today. It has in fact been around for over 36 years and in its lifetime, has sold over three million cars. I continue to be an affordable family car that would be perfect for the school run and commute to work.

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Astra’s engine

Like the majority of family cars, there are a variety of engines to choose from. Our first model is the 1.4i 16V Design. Under the bonnet you get a four-cylinder 1.4-litre petrol engine that develops 100 bhp. With that, this Astra hits a top speed of 115 mph and accelerates from 0-60 mph in 12.6 seconds. It also comes with a combined fuel economy of 52.3 mpg.

The greener model is the 1.6 CDTi 16V ecoFLEX Design (what is it with these mouthfuls?). This one has a four-cylinder turbocharged 1.6-litre diesel engine. It produces 110 bhp and has a top speed of 124 mph. It accelerates from 0-60 mph in 10.2 seconds. More importantly it has a combined fuel economy of 85.6 mpg ensuring you save money on running costs.

Now let us talk speed. The fastest Astra model is the 1.6T 16V 200 Elite. It also has a four-cylinder turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine. It develops 200 bhp, allowing it to have a top speed of 146 mph and sprints from 0-60 mph in 6.6 seconds. Despite the speed and the power, this Astra has a decent fuel economy with 46.3 mpg.

Astra’s interior

For the price, you pay for the Astra, you get a well-built interior and easy to use infotainment system. The dashboard comes with either seven-inches or eight-inches and has a newer, simpler layout compared to older models. The materials in the cabin are good quality and well put together ensuring you enjoy being sat there. Quick note: the speedometer rises in 20 mph so there isn’t actually a 30 mph mark.

Passenger space is great for families in this car too. You get plenty of space for both adults and children, although add a fifth adult in and it does get slightly tight. The Astra’s boot has 370-litres of boot capacity and when you drop those rear seats, that increases to 1,210-litres or 1,235-litres depending upon your model of choice.

There are many brilliant family cars and these are our top suggestions for you. Now should be a time of considering how 2017 can be will be the best year for your family. One way of making that become a reality is why decided if you have the right car for your family.

Getting that perfect family car can make such a difference and make everything so much easier. Driving away with a car like a Skoda Octavia or an Audi A3 has been made even easier thanks to car leasing. You don’t have to worry about placing a deposit. All you need to know if your monthly budget and how long you want to agreement to last and you can drive away with a leased car in no time.

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Do you remember back in the summer me talking about Simples, the new online insurance tool from Compare the Market?

No, I didn’t think you would. Honestly, it’s like you’re not even paying attention.

Anyway.

The product is still in beta, but it’s had quite a few updates since the summer, so I wanted just to remind you about it and let you know how to sign up, if you haven’t already. (Which I’m sure you did the moment you finished reading my first post?)

What is Simples?

Simples is a bit like a smart online filing cabinet. It’s somewhere to store all of your insurance documents so that you can be reminded when they are due for renewal and easily access key policy information. If you’re anything like me, you just sign up for the second cheapest (my life philosophy) and then totally forget how much you paid, what you’re insured for and where you put the documents.

You have the option to set reminders so that you remember to get quotes when your policies are coming up for renewal, plus you can text Simples with any straightforward questions you might have if for any reason you don’t have access to the site or need a super quick response.

So what’s new?

Simples has added quite a few new features since I last reviewed it, which now makes it even simpler to use, with more support for different types of insurance product. This was one of the points raised by the bloggers who got together in the summer – we were keen to see more types of insurance included.  View Post

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Do you get that post-Christmas urge, as soon as all the mince pies are finished, to start tidying up and throwing things away?

I do.

It’s not strong yet, as I’m not feeling well, and the idea of doing anything much isn’t terribly appealing, but I know that as soon as I’m back on form, I’ll want to start organising. One area that’s always ripe for a bit of an overhaul in our house is Belle’s wardrobe. She has grown so quickly in the last year or so, and I don’t think we’ve quite kept up. We had a little sort out of her clothes before Christmas and so much of it was inches too short for her.

To help you get your kids’ clothes organised, I’ve come up with a few helpful hints. I’d love to hear your advice too. Or you could just bring me round a medicinal sherry. Either is fine.

Fix the foundations

There is quite literally a whole layer of clothing to get right before you start adding jumpers and trousers – underwear. I’m particularly bad at this, probably because I can’t see it on a daily basis, and it’s a long standing joke that Belle always has pants that are ridiculously small for her. She does have a teeny bottom, but not 3-4 years teeny. So, get out everything, assess it properly, and then restock, based on how many pairs of socks, pants and tights you think they realistically need.

Underwear quickly becomes a mess, so invest in some drawers dividers or mini boxes to keep the inside of the drawer tidy.

Think capsule wardrobe

Because capsule wardrobes aren’t just for women who work in offices and wear tan coloured patent shoes. (Although in my head they are.) Depending on the age of your child, and the things they like to do, you can easily create a capsule wardrobe. For example, do you have a girl who likes to dance, or run around a lot outside? If so, you’ll want to stock up on your girls’ tracksuits. If you have a teenage boy who loves nothing more than seeing how low he can wear his jeans without them actually falling down, then, well, I don’t know what you do about that. View Post

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Learning to respect wildlife is a lesson we learn from a very young age. We are taught that animals are to be loved and cared for, and that their natural environments should be preserved where possible.

Our children must learn to respect wildlife and know the difference between an animal that we can keep as a pet and those that are more suited to live in nature, rather than in our houses!

But how should you teach your children about wildlife? Well, here a few ideas…

Put up a bird feeder together

One of the best ways to teach your kids about nature and wildlife is to get them involved. So, attract birds to your garden by putting up a few bird feeders and allowing your kids to fill the feeder themselves. Birds enjoy eating a variety of food including sunflower seeds, mealworms, peanut granules, flaked maize and barley grains, and there are a variety of bird feeders on the market too. This gazebo style bird feeder is easy for children to fill up with bird seed, and because it has a wrap-around seed tray, there’ll be plenty of opportunity for little ones to watch the birds that flock to it!

Feeding birds is an easy way to get your kids excited about wildlife. Providing birds with food will not only bring birds closer to your home, but it will also help to educate young children about the different eating habits and behaviour of certain bird species.

Bird watching as a fun hobby

Get your kids excited about wildlife by making it a fun hobby for them to enjoy. You can do this by getting them to draw pictures of the various bird species they have seen in their own back yards. Pack a little ‘adventure bag’ for your child and take them to the nearest forest park or nature reserve. The bag could include items such as a pair of children’s binoculars, a notebook to record their findings, and a well-deserved snack for all their hard work!

Learning about local wild animals

At first, it can be difficult for kids to understand the difference between wild animals and pets, but it is an important lesson to be learned. You don’t have to go far to teach children about wildlife – just take a look in your own garden! You probably already have a few visitors outside. Talk to your kids about the different animals in your garden, discussing the various types of food and shelter each species requires.

Finally, you get creative juices flowing by having children make colourful welcome signs for the animals who have made your garden their home. For example, take a piece of wood or an outdoor chalkboard sign and have your kids write welcome signs such as “Frog’s Welcome Here” or “Robin Nest Inside,” to get them eager and excited about learning more about wildlife.

Teaching kids to respect wildlife can be achieved by getting them involved with feeding birds, creating log piles to act as shelter for smaller creatures and making them welcome in the back garden. Give these ideas a go and see how you and your family get on.

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More and more single women choose to go through IVF alone in order to become a mum. In fact, in 2013, 952 singles were registered with a fertility clinic in the UK. This represents an increase of 226% since 2006! Whether having expressly chosen to remain independent or having simply not yet found the right man to have a child with, for these women and others like them, in vitro fertilisation (IVF) represents an excellent solution to becoming pregnant without a partner.

Why choose IVF?

Opting to have a child alone is not an easy decision to make. However, whether it’s due to the ticking of the biological clock or simply a matter of choice, some women decide that it’s not because they are single that they are forced to give up on their dream of becoming a mum. In vitro fertilisation is often a second option for women who first try artificial insemination without experiencing any success. IVF is therefore seen as an alternative for singles who require a sperm donor in order to conceive.

In short, IVF is a fertility technique that involves the fertilisation of eggs with sperm in a laboratory dish. The result, called the embryo, is then placed into the woman’s womb. Regarding the woman’s fertility, the eggs can be hers or those of a donor.

Where to find a sperm donor?

To get pregnant through IVF, solo women can find their donors in various ways. They can opt for an anonymous donor chosen from a sperm bank or a fertility clinic. Some prefer to select a donor they know, for instance a close relative or a friend. One of the advantages is that they are already familiar with the donor’s personality and physical appearance.

Another alternative is to find a sperm donor on the internet, via a website. On these online platforms, women who want to become a mum have access to different profiles that will help them to find the right donor. There, they’ll have the chance to get to know him, to meet him and to ask him questions. You also have women who deliberately choose this option because they want to offer their child the opportunity to have a relationship with their donor.

How does IVF work?

First of all, it’s important that the woman goes to her GP to get informed about all of her options for becoming pregnant. She’ll have to undergo a series of tests to ensure that her body is able to have a baby. If the woman is using her own eggs to become pregnant via IVF, she’ll have to use medication to supress her natural menstrual cycle and then boost her egg supply by taking a fertility hormone. The next step is to collect the mature eggs with a needle in order to fertilize them with sperm. After developing in the laboratory for up to 6 days, the embryo is finally transferred to the woman’s womb with a catheter. Once that is done, patience is the name of the game, as our potential mum must then wait for 2 weeks before taking a pregnancy test.

The success rate of IVF is dependent on a woman’s age: 32,2% of women under 35 will have the chance to have a baby via this method as opposed to only 1.9% of women over 44. Becoming a mum can certainly present a lot of hurdles when you are a single woman. However, let’s stay hopeful: the joy of motherhood will be worth the effort!

single woman IVF

Image – Valeria Aksakova/shutterstock

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Adding a orangery to your home can add extra room, a great new place to relax and entertain guests and can also add value to your home in a similar way to an extension. However, do you need planning permission to put one in? It is an extra part of your house after all, but it’s not the same four brick walls as an extension usually is, so it can be a little confusing. If you’re thinking about installing a new orangery ready for the summer, take a read of this handy guide so you know exactly what you need to do to make sure your orangery is legal and safe.

orangery planning permission

Orangeries can be a great way to upgrade your space without going for a fully fledged two storey extension. Luckily, when you’re building a one storey extension, you don’t usually need planning permission. Crystal Living has some great tips that you can check to make sure that you’re within the guidelines. These include:

  • You will be exempt from planning permission if at least half the wall and 3 quarters of the roof is glazed or made from a translucent material.
  • If your orangery has an external door that separates it from the rest of the house, you won’t need planning permission.
  • You won’t need planning permission if your orangery is on ground level, is less than 30 square meters in floor area and 4 metres or under in height.
  • You will probably need planning permission if your orangery has a completely tiled roof, as this would count as a simple extension of the house.

If you’re looking for more tips on what does and doesn’t qualify your orangery for planning permissions, take a look on the Crystal Living website for more information so you can make an informed decision about what you want to do and what routes you need to take when it comes to permission. Crystal Living are experts in conservatories, orangeries, extensions and more so if you’re still not sure on the rules or you’d like to get the ball rolling with building your dream conservatory, you can visit their website, look at all the different options and arrange a free consultation.

orangery planning permission

Sponsored post.

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When it comes to exercising at home, there are many different types of equipment that are available and that can give you a great workout. One of the best all-around home exercise equipment pieces you can buy is a rowing machine.

To find a rowing machine model that’s right for you, check out this website for all of the rowing machine latest reviews, and keep reading for our tips on how to correctly use a rowing machine.

Today’s rowing machines range from simple, easy-to-use models to sophisticated machines with all of the bells and whistles to truly take your home workout to the next level. Unfortunately, as straight-forward and simple as a rowing machine may look at first glance, many people often make crucial mistakes while working out that won’t allow them to gain the full potential the machine can provide. If you already own a rowing machine, or are thinking about buying one, here are some common mistakes and ways to avoid them to get the most from your workouts.

Not Understanding How the Machine Works

The first thing you should do before using a rowing machine is to learn about the different parts of the machine and how it works to give you a full-body workout.

While there can be differences from model to model, every rowing machine is built with the same basic design. A rowing machine is built on a long, low platform. At the front end there will be a tank of water or a flywheel that provides resistance when you pull on the handle from a seated position. There is a small platform that you put your feet on to push, and you sit on a seat that is on tracks and moves forward and backward as you row.

Because you use your arms and legs, many different muscles get a good workout, including your calves, quads, abs, glutes, biceps, triceps and deltoids.

Doing Too Much Too Soon

Hopefully, since you bought a rowing machine or will soon be buying one, you want to use it for a long time. The hardest thing about working out is sticking to your routine, especially if it’s been a long time since you had a workout routine.

You may say to yourself that you want to workout five or six times a week. This is a noble goal, but you should start out slower than that for the first few weeks to avoid burning yourself out.

Instead, tell yourself that you are going to row for 20 minutes, three times a week. This is a commitment that allows you to gain the benefits of exercise without the undue pressure of forcing yourself to workout more than you may want to. You can increase the time or the amount of workouts per week as you use the machine more, and before you know it, you may be using it five times or more a week.

Not Using the Right Resistance

Once you know the basics of a rowing machine, you can adjust the resistance accordingly so you can maximize your workout.

Many first-time users may just jump on and start rowing, which can be a big no-no. If the resistance is set too high, you can injure yourself or just not be able to workout long enough to get the good effects. If the resistance is too light, your muscles won’t benefit. Adjust the resistance so that you can row for fifteen or twenty minutes, but not so easily that you are not tired by the end of your workout.

Imagine the resistance being like the gears on your bike: the heavier it is, the more difficult it is to use for extended periods of time. Find the right resistance as you start out, and then you can increase it over the following weeks for a more intense workout.

Rowing Only Your Arms

When you watch someone else row, it may look like they are mostly using their arms, but this is wrong. The truth is, a rowing machine is such a good choice precisely because it works out your entire body when you use it correctly.

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Don’t make out like you don’t have them too.

We all have little voices in our head from time to time. Not in a worrying ‘the vicar called Tony told me to paint the cat red’ sort of way – I just mean that ongoing internal monologue. We tell ourselves we can’t do things, or that we’re going to make a fool of ourselves, or that we’re looking a bit chubby today. That sort of thing.

Except I don’t really.

I was thinking about this the other day, and I reckon I have my internal monologue pretty well trained. It’s taken effort, and I think a lot of it is to do with age, (I’ve always thought my forties were going to be awesome and I’m building up to that), but on the whole my head voices seem to generally be on my team. They are cheerleading rather than criticising, and I’m grateful for that.

Let’s imagine I look in the mirror.

Here I am:

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Those cubby cheeks! I look about four years old.  View Post

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I have a reputation in my family for being very hard indeed to buy presents for. Apparently I have this face when I open presents, that looks kind of disappointed, horrified, sad and indifferent, all at the same time. I’m very conscious of doing the face, and so in my efforts not to, I think I just make it worse.

I’ve tried to recreate what happens for you here:

Chirstmas wish list

You can see why people dread buying me presents.

The truth is though that I don’t ever hate any of the presents. (Okay, so maybe sometimes…) Mainly it’s just that I’m not especially bothered about things. I love buying other people presents and watching them open them, but that’s different. The downside of being a grown up is that if there is anything you desperately want during the year, you just buy it for yourself, so Christmas isn’t that whole thing of finally getting the toy you’ve waited all year for.

So, when it comes to Christmas presents, I find it really hard to think of things I really want.

But then the team at Vorwerk asked me to take part in their #AllIWantForChristmas campaign, designed to uncover what is on the ultimate Christmas wishlists of some of the UK’s top parenting and lifestyle bloggers, (that’s me by the way), so I had to think about it. I did say that a robot hoover probably wasn’t going to be on the list, even though they do look very cool, but they said that was okay, they were just interested to see what did make the list.

I decided that I’d come up with a proper fantasy list – all the things that I’d never be able to buy for myself: View Post

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Most people turn to vaping as an alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes. While research is still being carried out on the long-term effects of e-cigarettes, what’s clear is that vape concentrates, when compared to smoking tobacco, have clear health advantages.

Quitting Smoking

If you want to stop smoking, vaping can help with the process. E-Cigarettes allow you to control the amount of nicotine you are inhaling and this gradual process of cutting down can help with withdrawal symptoms, in the same way that nicotine patches can.

Smoking also has a psychological element and so with vaping you can still enjoy the sensation of smoking, with none of the resultant tobacco smoke. Vaping can also be enjoyable as you are moving away from the taste and smell of tobacco and instead have the choice of a wide range of e-liquids to choose from, which not only taste great but smell good too.

Most smokers know traditional cigarettes are not good for them and are keen to kick the habit. If vaping can help curb that addiction and in the process help extend your life expectancy then that can only be a good thing for you and the people around you.

What’s Inside a Tobacco Cigarette?

The main problem with tobacco cigarettes is that every time you light up you are breathing in a cocktail of over 4,000 chemicals, at least 60 of which are known to be carcinogens in humans. The list includes lead, arsenic, cadmium, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. Most of the time we would run a million miles from these chemicals but in cigarettes we seem to accept them.

This mix of chemicals enters our bloodstream every time we inhale, and it is what causes the 14 different types of cancer linked to cigarettes; plus heart disease; and a variety of other lung diseases including the disabling COPD.

The Risk of Passive Smoking

Smokers are risking their own lives but they are also putting others in danger through passive smoking. This can be particularly acute in confined spaces such as inside the home or during a car journey.

Every time a smoker lights up they are increasing the risk of a non-smoker in their vicinity getting lung cancer by 25%. In addition, they are also exposing them to higher risks of pharynx and larynx cancers, stroke, heart disease and COPD. To get an understanding of the severity of passive smoking, we only have to look at the estimated figure of deaths caused every year by second-hand smoke, which stands at around 600,000 people globally.

In children the effects can be even more striking with a higher risk of asthma, respiratory infections, meningitis and cot death all being associated with passive smoking. In part, this is why the government imposed a ban on smoking in vehicles with under-18s present in 2015, and why some people would also like to see a smoking ban imposed in any homes where children live.

Because vaping doesn’t produce tobacco smoke, the NHS has indicated that the risk from passive vaping is negligible. Therefore the vehicle ban does not apply to e-cigarettes.

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When I was 19 years old, I moved into my first home of my own. I lived there with Bee, then about two years old, and her dad. It was a new build – a teeny tiny thing with a living room, small kitchen and two small bedrooms. We were renting it, obviously, and the landlord was clearly not looking to splash out on the fixtures and fittings.

I imagine him having a conversation with the builders along these lines:

‘Here are the carpet swatches we’ve got,’ says the builder in my head, ‘what do you want to go for?’

‘Hmmm…’ says the landlord, ‘they’re all a little bit carpety. A bit warm and cosy looking. Do you have something cheaper? Something a bit more like the sort of mat you wipe your feet on as you come into a supermarket?’

‘Well,’ says the builder, ‘we have this really scratchy, brown cord, but it’s pretty nasty. We’d normally only put that in prison visiting rooms.’

‘It’s perfect!’ says the landlord, ‘let’s have that in the whole house!’

It wasn’t nice. View Post

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I’ve been thinking today about all of the different village halls and community centres I must have been to in my life.

I know that sounds boring, but bear with me.

Some that I particularly remember:

  • The village hall I hired when I stupidly agreed to Bee having everyone in her class to her fifth birthday party. (Note to parents of girls – five year old boys are LOONS.) Also, I forgot the cake. Whoops.
  • The two different community halls where both Bee and Belle went to Badgers. (It’s St John Ambulance for kids. Not actual badgers.)
  • The hall I went to as a child to learn to be a majorette. I never quite got good enough to be allowed a baton in parades – only pom-poms. I did however master what has been forever known as my majorette face – the face I apparently pull whenever I am concentrating. (I expect I am making it now as I type, although you can’t see it obviously.)
  • The forty seven at least different halls that I’ve visited to offer moral support to my mum at a craft fair.

And these are just examples – I can think of masses of them, and I’m sure you can too.

The fact is that most us have probably been in dozens of village halls without really paying them any attention or appreciating the value they pay in the community. Village halls like this one at Creech St Michael – a little village about ten minutes from me:

Creech St Michael village hall Cif Community Clean View Post

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