Category Archives: Life & Style

Blurt Foundation Buddy Box by Natalie Jayne Peeke West Country Correspondent

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I stumbled across the Blurt Foundations one day whilst scrolling through Facebook and what caught my eye was their ‘Buddy Boxes’ where I could chose items to be put into this buddy box and I could either keep it for myself or send it to someone who is in need of an emotional  pick me up. The Blurt foundation kindly sent me a box so I could have a look at what they put inside  and how this would help ease the strain of depression and anxiety.

I suffer with both of the awful mental health problems and was eager to see how the buddy box could help.

My buddy box arrived super quick and was packaged appealingly.  Inside I had: a crochet kit, a thankfulness log, some vegan dark chocolate, organic lip balm and a card.

That afternoon (and after a rather stressful morning) I thought I would attempt the crochet chicken kit and i was pleasantly surprised to find it therapeutic , it turned out horrendously due to my poor skills but I felt so much calmer for completing it. Then there was the chocolate and anyone who knows me knows how much of a chocoholic I am so I naturally enjoyed it and the fact that it was vegan friendly is a bonus. The lip balm is lavender and bergamot scented and is beautiful and I use it daily now. My favourite item has to be the thankfulness log where I can write down: how I’m feeling, what I am thankful for , something that made me smile along with a few things that I would like to remember about my day. I keep this on my bedside table ready to fill out.

So on reflection I would highly recommend the Buddy Boxes from The Blurt Foundation, but not just for the amazing and unique items but for what the blurt foundation stands for.

“While depression is a common condition, there are a lot of misconceptions about it. At Blurt we work hard to increase understanding of depression, from the perspective of those who’ve actually experienced it.

We blog about living with, managing, and supporting others with depression in a friendly, accessible way. Our resources explain key issues clearly – we don’t believe in complicating things unnecessarily. Plus everything we do comes with a heavy dollop of empathy.”

https://www.blurtitout.org/buddybox

 

New Wireless Power Bank from Anker: PowerCore 10K Wireless

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Anker Wireless charger, anker, phone charger, review

This wireless charger from Anker is sleek, stylish and does the job. You can even charge three devices at once. A great product.

PowerCore 10K Wireless

The Hybrid Wireless and Portable Charger

Charge Wirelessly On-The-Go

Leave your cables at home and still have all you need for charging. Just place your phone or other Qi-enabled device on the charging pad to get a 5W wireless charge—either in your palm or your pocket.

Charge Multiple Devices

Charge your phone wirelessly while charging up to 2 other devices at the same time via dual USB ports. (12W Total Max Output)

Wireless Pass-Through Charging

When connected to the wall, PowerCore continues to provide wireless-charging to your Qi-enabled devices while recharging itself, so you can wake up to a fully charged phone and pad every morning.

Non-Slip Design

Designed with a rubber coating that not only helps to keep your phone in place while charging but also feels great in your hand.

Wireless Compatibility:

– iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, Xs Max, XR, XS, X, 8, 8 Plus, AirPods pro, 5W Galaxy S20 S10 S9, Note 10 Note 9 Note 8

– Place your phone on the center of the portable charger to ensure stable charging while wireless charging.

– Cases made of metal and attachments such as magnets, cards, and grips will interfere with wireless charging.

– Does not support wireless charging for Apple Watch.

– Press the button to start the wireless charging function for devices.

The Anker phone charger is available here.

Meet the doyen of crochet… Barb, for whom it is a passion, which is great for the rest of us.

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I received a gift for my soon to be born grandson, yet to be named,  (so each week I call him something different, working my way through the alphabet): I am at F, so he is Ferdinand.

I was absolutely delighted with the bonnet and discovered it  was made by Barb, of I Love to Crochet by Barb. It arrived in a superior blue bag, appropriate for a grandson  and that attention to detail is typical,  I have come to discover, of Barb – designer and crocheter (if there is such a word). Because of course, I had to go to the source and find out more about this lovely product, and what else  Barb makes, and how she originally set up and on… and on…

The answer is Barb makes all sorts, including evening bags so with Christmas coming, and if there are any parties under present circumstances, take a look at these.

Chatting to Barb it quickly became clear that crochet is her passion. When I asked if she knitted as well, Barb explained that once that had been the case, but sadly  Fibromyalgia and other conditions put a stop to that.  Nothing daunted she taught herself to crochet – not as easy as it sounds as she is left handed, especially as she learned from books – as there was no Youtube at that time.

Barb explained that she  loves designing and often creates a free-form hat.  She is happy with a pattern, but likes a challenge so if requested will design to the customer’s brief.  She also crochets for charitable causes and the hats look incredibly snug. I look dreadful in hats, but I do really love the  flower on the side, the size of which can be adjusted.

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Barb is married to Colin, and is a mum and grandma, but this doesn’t stop her stock items constantly being replenished, though she loves it when customers approach her with their own designs or requirements. She explains that even the stock items can be personalised: think of a cardigan – what colour, with or without a ribbon, or perhaps hand made ribbon roses? All this  goes to create something unique.

                                          

​Barb’s prices are worked out according to the amount of yarn used, the type of yarn, the cost of the ribbon and time taken. Though in all honesty, as Barb says, the time can never really be fully costed because items can take days to  reach the quality she insists upon. 

Is this a chore to her? Certainly not, for let’s not forget Barb loves to crochet, and to please her customers – it is her passion.  

I know ‘Ferdinand’ (what on earth shall  call him when I reach ‘x’?) will be snug as a bug, and look totally cute. I am ordering another from Barb for Duchess Diva Delilah, who is three. Must keep things even.

If you’re interested as we’re nearing the end of August and soon we’ll be into autumn,  do contact Barb. She is a delight, and approachable, and will do all she can to help.

Photos: used with the permission of Barb.

Facebook: I love to Crochet by Barb

Website: www.ilovetocrochetbybarb.com

Email: ilovetocrochetbarb@gmail.com

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Email: ilovetocrochetbarb@gmail.com

Facebook: ilovetocrochetbybarb

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Please do not hesitate to contact me to ask any questions. I am very happy to telephone you if you email your details.

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The Power of Play Geomagworld Educates and Excites

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Frost recommends the Geomag Mechanics Magnetic Race Track. It is a fantastic and innovative toy. 

We at Geomag know that it is easier to learn when you are having fun, that is why all of our toys are educational with a fun-spin. It’s the fun aspect which allows a child to play, whilst engaging their mind to learn key skills in the process. Skills such as perseverance, cause and effect, investigation, hand-to-eye coordination, and STEM.

These key skills all play a huge part in daily life and we are committed to ensuring every child learns as much as they can when playing with their innovative sets.

geomag, STEM, stem toys

The Geomag Mechanics Magnetic Race Track Set is a unique, exciting and educational toy, which will provide hours of fun for the whole family. The system is made up of magnetic rods, steel spheres and elements of different shapes such as cylinders and modular parts. When assembled correctly, you can use the force of gravity to create chain reactions for never-ending fun.  The interactive marble run has 115 pieces and will harness the invisible forces of magnetism and gravity through original and surprising means. The spheres inside the circuit are set in motion by an innovative magnetic cannon that uses the force of attraction of the accelerating magnet.  The motion is provided by the invisible forces of Gravity and Magnetism, without using electricity or batteries. The play experience is based on these fundamental principles of physics.

The Geomag Magnetic Race Track 115pc MSRP £29.99 from Amazon.

New FOREO Product The ISSA 2

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There are toothbrushes and then they are toothbrushes. FOREO are one of my favourite brands, their innovative products always work and their new toothbrush is the latter, a toothbrush that blows all of the others out of the water. It is an electric toothbrush that you only need to charge once a year, that only needs its head replaced once a year, and it is the world’s first silicone sonic toothbrush. It has 16 speeds for customised cleaning and bacteria-resistant silicone design. The sonic pulsations give effective cleaning. It also looks great. It costs £149 and the heads are £17 but you only need to buy one a year. It comes in four gorgeous colours.

I love the fact its head only needs replaced once a year, making it environmentally friendly. Buy it now.

Dare to do more with the improved ISSA 2. By blending durable PBT polymer and ultra-soft silicone into one remarkable sonic toothbrush that now lasts for 365 days on a single charge, ISSA 2 can keep you smiling without a second’s pause. The improved electric toothbrush with dynamic dual-design

The bar for advanced oral care has been raised once again. ISSA 2 features a sleek, waterproof design that sets it apart from the rest. With improved sonic pulse technology, a combination brush head and a new 365 day charge, you’ll get way more mileage for your smile than ever before.

Available from http://foreo.com/, feelunique.com, amazon and harrods.com

The Zookeeper’s Daughter by Oliver Eade and Lara Isabelle Ruiz Eade: reviewed by Annie Clarke

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The Zookeeper’s Daughter is such a good book, but how did it come about?
Oliver Eade, award winning Young Adult author explains: ‘Written during the lockdown in collaboration with our 9-year-old Swiss granddaughter, this novel  is about a brave little girl who is determined to save endangered animals from being rendered extinct as a result of what humans are doing to the planet. Lara drew the short straw and had to do the illustrations. We dedicated the book to Sir David Attenborough, my life-long hero, and he wrote Lara a lovely thank you letter at 94!’
Frost Magazine was delighted to review this novel, for that’s what it is, rather than an indigestible polemic and Lara is to be congratulated on the illustrations. The Zookeeper’s Daughter explores  the world of endangered species using magic to transport Isabelle  into the body and environment of whatever animal is featured in each chapter. In this we we ‘see’  her experiences of their imagined life, and highlight the inherent danger.
At the same time it also explores Isabelle’s relationship with her younger brother, Joe,  Grumpy Gramps, and her friend. Relationships which grow stronger as their understanding of the Lara’s concerns come home to roost.
But let Oliver Eade tell us a bit more:
In December 2019, my wife and I were enjoying Christmas with our Swiss granddaughters in the Alpine village of Leysin. The younger girl, Lara Isabelle, informed me that she wanted to illustrate one of my children’s books as her elder sister, Olivia, had done two years back. The challenge was set. I was still struggling with my latest young adult novel, The Fire Hills, and welcomed a return to writing for a younger age group. Knowing nothing about the dark menace of Covid-19 coronavirus that had already crossed over from a wild animal to the people of Wuhan in China, our granddaughters’ love of animals came to mind as I wracked my brain for a story to tell. Lara and I sat together and discussed my idea: a half-Swiss, half-Scottish daughter of a zookeeper, fed up with her annoying little brother, is devastated to learn she will not be visiting her Swiss ‘mamie’ (granny) that summer. Her wish to escape the boredom of spending summer with little Joe and their grumpy Scottish grandfather, and to be free like all those lucky wild animals, comes true when a magical spider emerges from a cuddly white chamois her grandmother gave her, and weaves a golden web that can transport her into the worlds of wild animals in a very special book from an old zoo employee who is ill in hospital. Soon after I began writing Lara’s book, the threat of a serious pandemic changed from just another news item to a dreaded reality that now dominates all our lives. I completed the first draft during the early stages of lockdown two months later. Never had I finished a novel within such a short space of time …’
Courtesy of Isabelle
The review team enjoyed The Zookeeper’s Daughter enormously, in part because of the vibrancy of the illustrations (bravo Lara) and of course, because of the certain hand of Oliver Eade guiding and crafting  the structure, and scenes, not to mention his experience as a skilled writer.
So often these novels become worthy and bang on relentlessly about the particular cause they are highlighting, but The Zookeper’s Daughter is multi faceted, cleverly imagined, thought provoking and – so importantly – great fun.
Bravo both of you. A triumph. Vibrant and enchanting.
The Zookeeper’s Daughter by Oliver Eade and Lara Isabelle Ruiz Eade is available at Amazon.co.uk in eBook or pb.
Annie Clarke is the author of the Home Front Girls series. 

Endless Skies by award winning author Jane Cable: reviewed by Annie Clarke

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A fabulously crafted novel from award winning author, Jane Cable, who seamlessly merges the 2nd World War with present day. Not easy, but Cable makes it seem so.

So, let’s meet Rachel Ward, Cable’s main character, who is as flawed as many of us, though perhaps some of us avoid her particular failing which is falling repeatedly for a wrong ‘un. Oh yes she does, and is yet again having to extricate herself from a dead end affair, this time with her married boss.

Unsurprisingly she is forced to leave her long term posting in Southampton, and the love affair,  and head for a temporary role as an Archaeology Lecturer at Lincoln University.

But does a change of scene make any difference? Will she still run full pelt towards disaster when a male student makes it clear he is attracted to her, or will she sort herself out, once and for all, and stop all this self induced pain. But in order to find some balance in her life, and in her emotions, does she need to reflect on why she repeats this self-destructive behaviour? If so, how can she brings this journey of self discovery about?

 In an effort to prevent herself heading for the immediate danger she distracts herself with extra work – for Jonathan Daubney, a property developer.

It is through Jonathan that she visits a 2nd World War RAF base, a base that gives off a disturbing atmosphere. But why?

Well, she wanted a distraction, and it seems she has that in spades as she delves into the local history of life at the RAF station during that painful period.

As well as meeting new friends, she finds a world that might well lead her towards a greater understanding of herself, and towards a happier future. Echoes … echoes …

With a father who was a Battle of Britain pilot I know something about the world Rachel reveals (or Jane Cable I should say) and let me tell you, it’s pretty damned accurate. 

A delicate, thought provoking heartfelt exploration of balance, emotional patterns and love.  Bravo Jane Cable, a triumph, but this is nothing less that I would expect from this outstanding author.

 

Endless Skies by award winning author Jane Cable  availabe in pb and eBook

Annie Clarke is the author of the Girls on the Home Front series, and also writes as Margaret Graham and Milly Adams.

Geomag Magicube Free Building Set of 24 Magnetic Blocks

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Geomag Magicube free building set of 24 Magnetic blocks

Out of all of the toys I have reviewed these Magicubes from Geomag are the ones I recommend the most. They are magnetic building blocks and so clever and versatile. They teach children colours, counting and how to use their imagination. Building the blocks is great for their coordination.

You can use these blocks to teach your children so many different things. They are a great tool for teaching.

Geomag Magicube free building set of 24 Magnetic blocks has the basics of stem and the magnets help build shapes easily. There are available here. I cannot recommend them enough, and neither can my children.