Category Archives: Life & Style

Hape The Rainbow Route Railway and Station Set Review

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So the every spoiled Frost toddler has yet again had his eyes light up. A train fanatic at the best of times, he spends hours building his train sets and playing with his trains. So this Hape The Rainbow Route Railway and Station Set was sure to be a hit, and, boy, was it so. It is the ultimate train set. There is a little of everything to keep the toddler entertained for hours while you have a G&T, sorry, I mean, get on with work or chores. There is a musical element in the shape of a xylophone and tambourine track, as well as some puzzle tracks. The track is bright and fun with plenty to educate as well as entertain. We cannot say just how much we love this train set for little ones. It is the perfect gift for any special occasion. Frost loves, and so does the Frost toddler. 

Hape inject a pop of bright colors with added fun and entertainment, transforming your traditional train sets into something like never before with The Rainbow Route Railway and Station Set. Perfectly suited to your toddler’s attention span around every corner excitement awaits as children aboard a journey fuelled with music and color!

With The Rainbow Route Railway and Station Set little ones have everything they could ever need, perfect for all those budding railway enthusiasts. Creating music to your ears, this set includes a number of musically interactive elements. Find your way through the bead maze then journey onwards taking the bumpy road across the tambourine track, but beware it isn’t just all fun and games as a problem solving puzzle await, sort the different shapes to venture safely back.

But what’s missing? Every railway set needs a station, and how about decoration? Why not add some beautiful trees to your railroad? With this 30 piece set nothing has been missed to create the ultimate experience.

Creating an opportunity for little ones to work in perfect harmony, this set encourages interaction between peers, ideal for entertaining the kids this summer and getting some peace and quiet.  There is no mistaking the fact that this track is sure to head to the top of the toy box.

As a treat for both the eyes and ears with the sights and sounds track, Hape‘s railway collection can grow along with your little ones as you add additional tracks and elements to suit the development of your child, sparking imagination and creativity in the youngest of railway fans.

The Rainbow Route Railway & Station Set is suitable for ages 18M + and is available to buy online from Amazon.

Designed first and foremost for the child, Hape make only the best for your little ones. Using only natural materials and water based paints while exceeding quality and safety standards, make an investment that matters to encouraging endless fun and laughter.

Words for the Wounded announces the launch of The Georgina Hawtrey-Woore Award

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Words for the Wounded is run by three grannies, all writers and reviewers, all conscious that we need to help our unwell and disabled veterans. So what better way than by creating opportunities for aspiring writers, something of great importance to all three grannies..

This is why they launched their International Words for the Wounded Award five years ago. It has proved, with help from Frost Magazine, to be one of the most popular Awards ‘on the block’. This is because Frost Magazine sponsors the Award by providing publicity and opportunity to the winning authors of this self-published competition.

Not only do the two winners of all four categories receive a review and biography published in the magazine, they are offered the opportunity of writing A Day in the Life for Frost which will further bring them to the notice of all the readers out there.

This year  WforW have re-named the award  in honour of the founder’s editor, Georgina Hawtrey-Woore, who so sadly died last year. Founder Margaret Graham adored Georgina who was an editor supreme. Not only the doyen of Saga writers but someone who understood writers and their work.

So, here we have it:

Words for the Wounded’s Georgina Hawtrey-Woore Award for self-published authors
(physical, pdf of paperback and hardback and e-book accepted) and it  is now open for entries. It closes on 11th
March and winners will be announced on 6th June 2018. Cost of entry is £12.50.

Previous winners have been taken by literary agents, or gone on to review books for Frost Magazine,or to win other awards, all of which raises their profile, and improves sales.

WforW have altered the make up of the Award too, and have four categories this year. Fiction, Non-Fiction, Young Adults
and finally – Children’s Picture book.

The two winners in each category will receive a review and profile in Frost Magazine, and the opportunity to write A Day in the Life for the magazine at a time of their choice.

There will be commended and highly commended.

Do remember that Words for the Wounded raises money for physically and emotionally wounded veterans, and every penny raised goes to this endeavour,as the three grannies absorb all the expenses of the charity.

Milly Adams, bestselling Arrow author will head the team of judges.

Please go to www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk for details of the charity and The Georgina Hawtrey-Woore Award.

And a  reminder that the WforW LitFest takes place on April 21st at The Community Hall at Downley, It is a Hall which is  central to the arts of the area,

Details are available on www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk

WHY I TRADED IN A HIGH-FLYING CAREER IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY TO PURSUE MY ACTING DREAMS, AND HOW I DID IT

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By Peter Meyer, author of The Boy from the Wild

Most of us dream about quitting the 9-5 (or is that the 8-7) rat race, but few ever do.  The author Peter Meyer is proof that following a dream can be more than just a daydream. He hung up his suit and left a highly-paid job in the hospitality industry to embark on a career as an actor – and was soon rubbing shoulders with Brad Pitt.

I grew up in the hospitality industry, quite literally. I was born and raised on a game reserve in South Africa that my father created. It had a safari park, a five-star hotel and a conference centre. It was once known as Safari World and its pioneering fusion of Disney-style theme park and nature reserve  made it akin to a real-world Jurassic Park

When I was older, I graduated from Les Roches Hospitality University in Switzerland and went on to work all around the world in places including the UK, Jamaica, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur.  I worked in different director roles in sales, marketing and business development for groups like Hilton, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, JA Resorts & Hotels and then YTL Hotels.  At one point I was even one of Hilton’s youngest directors at 26 years old.  I had it all going for me – the experience, the qualifications, the connections, the lifestyle and so much more…. but then it all changed.

In 2014, I dropped everything to spend time with my father after hearing he had a very rare form of terminal cancer.  My father was my life and an incredibly special person, so I was going to be by his side.  After I lost him I lost a part of myself and realised that you are vulnerable – and that life is governed by time that we take for granted.  I tried to get back into hotels and got a huge position in Kuala Lumpur but was ultimately in a very bad mental state and lost my zest and desire for the industry.  I was missing my dad plain and simple.

By chance a short while later a family friend suggested that I try acting and modelling for fun, and at least until I’d planned my next move.  So, a short while later, I signed onto a website that was a portal for jobs in that industry.  Within the space of a few days I was contacted by a production company, which asked me to do a TV commercial for Ford.

I did the shoot and was told I was a “natural” and was advised to do more! Two weeks later I got a call from a director making an independent British film and I got a tiny part as a news anchor with some lines.  It was then that I realised how much I loved acting and it woke me up out of semi-depressed state for my father.  I decided to see where it went.

Suddenly I was getting acting and modelling roles and even got my first lead in a short film within three months of starting.  My biggest came when I got a call to audition for Allied with Brad Pitt and got the smallest part to sing.  Sadly, the role was cut but I was still an extra and got picked to be near Brad Pitt and enjoyed getting to know him. I then got chosen to work as an extra next to Liam Neeson this time on The Commuter.  He partly inspired my book “The Boy from the Wild”.  In less than 18 months all this had happened.  I was also doing a lot of plus size modelling and was Tesco’s first plus size male model wearing Jacamo.  But I have also modelled internationally with groups such as El Corte Ingles wearing Hugo Boss, GANT, Ralph Lauren and more.  Who knows what’s next?

I’ve gone from surviving animal attacks and snake bites on a safari park to surviving the concrete jungles of Hollywood.  How, people ask?  Well, get headshots, get a showreel, get an agent, brand yourself to get your followers and have passion.  If you are determined and do what you love then you will achieve.  Sometimes you have to risk it to get the biscuit. A dream is yours and yours to fail, so don’t let it.

The Boy from the Wild by Peter Meyer is out now, priced £9.99 in paperback and £3.99 as an eBook. It is available for sale on Amazon UK. Visit  www.petermeyer.com

Vera’s back on our screen – F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S news, and in THIRSK on 30th January.

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How come? The White Rose Book Café have arranged for Ann be at The Old Courthouse, Rural Arts, Thirsk, YO7 1QS on 30th January. What a treat.

The doors open at 6.30 and the evening starts at 7 pm not 7.30 as previous stated.

Frost Magazine loves and adores Ann Cleeves’ unique detective DCI Vera Stanhope and another series has started on our TV screens this week.

As a North Country girl myself, the whole series resonates for me, but so it does for people who have never set foot north of London. Starring Brenda Blethyn at whose feet I have worshipped ever since I saw her in the magical series Outside Edge, the first episode of the 8th series was on 7th January on ITV called Blood and Bone. Totally up to scratch it was mesmerising. But then with the combination of the cast, and Ann Cleeves, how could it not be.

I have no intention of telling you the plot, because you have recorded it, if you weren’t around to actually watch it. And it’s also on catch-up, so go on, enjoy yourselves.

But don’t restrict yourselves to the screen, Ann Cleeves latest mystery is now published simultaneously in the US (by Pan MacMillan) and in the US (by Minotaur Books). Written with her usual elan, Cleeves takes Vera Stanhope on a visit to her local prison, wherein resides an old enemy: former detective superintendent, and now inmate, John Brace.

Brace was a close friend of Hector, her father; then he was convicted of corruption and involvement in the death of a gamekeeper – and Vera played a part in his downfall. Brace promises Vera a deal: information about the disappearance of Robbie Marshall, a notorious wheeler-dealer, if she will look out for his daughter and grandchildren.

He tells her that Marshall is dead, his body is buried close to St Mary’s Island in Whitley Bay. However, when a search team investigates, officers find not one skeleton, but two…

 

The White Rose Book Café have arranged for Ann Cleeves to tell us more of her life and ‘whodunnits’ on 30th January at The Old Courthouse, Rural Arts, Thirsk, YO7 1QS.

 

The doors open at 6.30 and the evening starts at 7 pm not 7.30 as previous stated.

Ticket tickets are £10 but going fast, which is hardly surprising as this crime writer is the recipient of the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger Award, the highest honour in British crime writing.

This is not a chance to be missed.

 

The price includes a copy of The Seagull. (ask Ann if she will sign it, eh?)

Contact White Rose Book Café for tickets. Tel 01845 524353

 

Felicity Everett The People at Number 9 | Author Interviews

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I loved your book. Where did the idea for The People at Number 9 come from?

I’m glad you enjoyed The People At Number 9. The idea had probably been bubbling under for a long time before `i thought of a way to make it into an entertaining story. I’ve always been susceptible to ‘dangerous’ friends – the kind who are fun to be with but unreliable and sometimes worse! It started in primary school for me, when I was desperate to be in with a little gang, led by a queen bee who decided on a weekly basis who was ‘in’ and who was ‘out’. Even after the agony of being sent to friendship Siberia on a number of occasions, I didn’t learn my lesson and find a proper friend, just hung around until my turn to be ‘in’ came round again. I’m not saying Lou and Gav in The People At Number 9 are as mean or calculating as this – they probably aren’t aware of exploiting Sara and Neil (who maybe deserve it anyway!) but it’s that attraction, like a moth to a flame, that interested me.
Did you expect it to become so successful and resonate with people so much?

Of course any author hopes for  readers, but you can’t write the book you think people want to read, because it won’t be authentic. You have to write the book you’ve got in you.  More than anything, writing is communicating. It’s a way of asking ‘is it just me or…?’ So when I wrote The People At Number 9, it was my curiosity about the subject that drove me forward. I hoped people would get it, but it was surprising and thrilling that so many readers reacted so positively to it. From the feedback I’ve had, I think it resonates because it’s a rare person who hasn’t at some time in their lives been the underdog in a friendship – the one who always makes the phone call, books the tickets, turns up on time and is kept waiting around. Not many people are daft enough to let a situation like that get out of control the way Sara does in the novel, but they can empathise enough to enjoy the journey.

How long did it take for you to write?

It took about two and a half years to write, which is quite along time for a short novel, but I wrote it when me and my family were living in Australia for a little while, and there were many distractions!

What is your writing process?

I don’t plan very much. I take a theme and some characters and sort of improvise, although for No 9 I did have a vague route map for the story. In the past I’ve tried to do that thing that some writers do of creating a life for their characters before they even start writing, listing their record collection, where they lived as a child, their favourite colour – stuff like that, but it just didn’t work for me. I think I find my characters by hearing them speak. I love writing dialogue.

I am a compulsive rewriter – I can’t just rush to the end of a first draft, knowing it’s terrible and then rewrite it from the beginning, I have to go back and make each paragraph right (or as right as it can be) as I go along, which is very laborious. My finished first draft is effectively a fifth or sixth draft. I don’t send it to my agent until I’m pretty sure it’s as good as I can get it.

Do you have a daily word count?

No. It’s so dispiriting if you don’t reach it. I’m happy if I can write five hundred good words a day. Sometimes a good day’s writing can actually be deleting a page or two, if the scene’s not working, or the writing is flabby, so I tend to think in terms of progress rather than pages.

Where do your ideas come from?

That’s a tough one. I don’t really know. I think I’m very influenced by place and I’m interested in the psychology of relationships. I suppose I tend to take a fairly mundane universal situation – a friendship gone awry or a move to the countryside (in the case of my new novel) and then ask ‘what if?’ If you ask that question enough times, it can take you to some pretty dark and twisted places!

Do you have a specific place where you write.

I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I write in bed! We moved to a new house, and I got the study all kitted out, had the desk positioned in front of the window with the lovely view, got all my books organised, and then found I never went in there. It was just too daunted by the open lap-top on the pristine desk. It felt too ‘intentional’, as though I had to write really impressive sentences; be ‘A Writer’. So now, instead, I wake up and grab my laptop, read the news, check Facebook and then open my document – I sort of sneak up on it. I re-read what I last wrote, alter a word or two and then, before I know it, I’m in full flow and if I’m lucky I’ve written a page or two. The only problem is that all that slouching is doing my back in!

Who are our favourite writers?

Jonathan Franzen, Colm Toibin, Anne Enright, Elizabeth Strout, to name a few. I love a family novel and I like social commentary. I’m a big fan of short stories – The New Yorker has a wonderful archive and I’ve discovered some great novels by writers I’ve first come to for their short stories – George Saunders and Curtiss Sittenfeld being two.

What books have you read recently that you loved?

Eligible by Curtiss Sittenfeld and Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (see above). I’ve also re-read Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier because it’s a tutorial in evoking a sense of place and a compelling atmosphere, two things I am attempting in my new book.
What is next for you?

I’m writing a gothic psychodrama!  It’s a novel about a couple who move to the countryside to make a fresh start, but find themselves haunted, not only by their own past, but by a strange unease in their new community and the landscape that surrounds it.

 

 

The Sore Throat Season is Here with a Vengeance

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Research by Ultra Chloraseptic, the anaesthetic throat spray which relieves pain in seconds, reveals that sore throats have a big impact on our work, social and family lives.

I should say so.

Having felt very sorry for myself over the last week, the only thing that actually helped, and helps, is an anaesthetic throat spray and so I’m all for this product.

Cough cough, sneeze sneeze.

Apparently I’m not alone, because a survey of 1,000 people aged 18 to 65 found that nearly half said the pain of a sore throat felt like they were swallowing razor blades. More than a third said they felt something scratchy at the back of their throat, a quarter said they had no energy and more than one in five said it felt like their throat was wrapped in barbed wire.

The new research by Ultra Chloraseptic reported how throat sprays could be a useful aid in treatment.

Mr Alasdair Mace, an ear, nose and throat surgeon says consumers are right to be concerned. He says: “Most cold germs are breathed in, so the first battle-front for our immune system is often the mucosal tissue lining our throat. Although sore throats are a relatively minor problem, and will eventually clear of their own accord, these infections cause considerable discomfort. Healthcare professionals should not dismiss the importance of fast symptom relief that targets the sore throat directly.”

GP Dr Paul Stillman explains: “Ultra Chloraseptic is an anaesthetic throat spray using the fast-acting ingredient, benzocaine, creating targeted pain relief within seconds, and helping to relieve discomfort when swallowing. Benzocaine works by blocking sodium and potassium from entering nerve cells and activating the pain pathway. As it is rapidly absorbed by mucosal membranes in the throat — the tissues which become painful and inflamed when we have a sore throat — benzocaine provides almost instant pain relief. However, absorption beyond the mucosal membranes is poor, so hardly any benzocaine reaches the bloodstream so overdosing is not an issue.

“Unlike many anaesthetic throat lozenges, which also numb the mouth, this spray provides targeted relief. It is also sugar-free — an important consideration for anyone with diabetes or those minimising sugar intake for general good health and in line with recent guidance that we should halve our intakes.”

Of course, tea and sympathy also has its place, but perhaps cold and easy to eat foods such as ice cream (forget the diet) jelly or why not  slurp some soup. Leave the spicy foods for another time.

As for work, most of us feel we must stiffen that upper lip and carry on, but best not to get too close to chums or colleagues. You will not be thanked for causing the whole department to be sent home sick.

Remember you can also gargle with warm salty water, but keep the throat spray with you at all times. Have a quick squirt when things get tough, and then you can keep going.

Children over 6 will be fine with it..

 

 

 

 

 

How to Win at Feminism Reductress Interview And Book Review

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how to win at feminism, reductress, feminism How did you come up with the idea of Reductress?

 

Sarah: We were both writing and performing sketch comedy, and realized there was a lack of spaces for women to create comedy for and about us. Then Beth came to me with the idea for a fake women’s magazine, and we were happy to find that nobody had really done it before.

 

Beth: Yeah, plenty of people had made fun of women’s media before but it felt like there was so much more to cover in a more expansive way.

 

It is such a smart site and we love the book too, is it easy to come up with new ideas?

 

Sarah: Yes and no! Comedy is always hard, but fortunately the bizarre nature of women’s media and the internet at large have given us a lot of material to work with.
Beth: Yeah, luckily we have a team of super funny contributors and they’ve had plenty of experience reading women’s media and existing as women in the world to draw on.

 

What advice to you have for anyone who wants to follow in your path? 

 

Beth: Use your disadvantages to fuel your work. In comedy your frustration is part of your voice.

 

Sarah: Don’t give up on a good idea. Don’t be afraid to fail. It’s part of the process, and there’s always something to learn from it.

 

Do you think women’s magazines are damaging to women or helpful?

 

Sarah: Somewhere in between. Obviously a lot of what Reductress does is comment on the ways in which they have been harmful, but women’s media has definitely made a lot of strides since our mother’s generation.

 

Beth: Yeah it really depends on the magazine and the writer and the how they’re writing about a given topic. When it’s done in a one-dimensional way that speaks down to women, it’s harmful.

 

Describe a typical day.

 

Sarah: Answer emails, post everything on social media, bitch to everyone about whatever’s happening in the news? Order salad. The rest is a salad-eating blur.

 

Beth: Email, hide my private email server, pump breast milk, write, edit, eat salad furiously.

 

How do you run the site?

 

Sarah: Efficiently.
Beth: Girls.

 

Tell us about writing the book.

 

Sarah: We wanted to write a book about how women’s media has co-opted feminism. So, we wrote a proposal in early 2015 and got our editor-at-large Anna Drezen on board and we did the thing!

 

Beth: It was exhausting but fun. Lots of weekends sitting in a Starbucks thinking about the patriarchy.

 

What is the biggest issue affect women today?

 

Sarah: I don’t really think there’s one issue, and it definitely depends on which part of the world we’re talking about. In the states, I think the treatment of marginalized women (women of color, transwomen) and lack of representation overall is a huge issue.

 

Beth: If you mean biggest in terms of how many people it affects, I think subtle sexism is really insidious, but if biggest means most serious, then I think reproductive rights and the maternity leave policies are huge in the impact they can have on women’s lives.

 

What’s next?

 

Sarah: We’ve got some things cooking! For now, check out our podcast, Mouth Time!

 

Beth: We’re gonna go eat more salad!

 

How to Win at Feminism is an awesome and original satirical book on feminism written by the subversive women’s magazine Reductress. Which is read by an audience of over 2.5 visitors a month. It will make you laugh out loud and nod your head in agreement.

UK and Commonwealth rights were bought by HQ Senior Commissioning Editor, Anna Baggaley, from Harper One in the US.

Beth Newell and Sarah Pappalardo, the authors of How to Win at Feminism, said: “we are excited to bring our book to the UK and hope that British readers will enjoy it half as much as they do Pippa Middleton’s bum!”

Anna Baggaley said: “As someone who is been a huge fan of Reductress and their sharp observational comedy for a while I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to publish such a funny, wry and necessary book”

Filled with tongue in cheek humour, colour illustrations, bold graphics, and hilarious photos, How to Win at Feminism teaches readers how to battle the patriarchy better than everybody else. From the her-story of feminism to how to apologise for having it all, and by using celebrity studies such as Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, How to Win at Feminism is a fresh take on women’s rights through the lens of some of funniest women in comedy today.

How to Win at Feminism is out now in paperback original £12.99 and ebook £9.99.

The Art of Feminism by Reductress is published by HarperCollins.

“Reductress has discovered a rich, deep seam of comedy.” 

Graham Linehan, co-writer of Father Ted, Black Books and The IT Crowd

“People say women can’t be funny. WRONG… I love Reductress.” 

Sam Bain, writer of Peep Show

 

Reductress is a fast-growing satirical website that delivers mischievously hilarious, on-point criticism wrapped in hilarious headlines and feature articles. Referred to as the “feminist Onion,” it pokes fun at the messages fed to women from an early age and throughout adulthood. Since its creation in 2013, it has exploded in popularity, with over 2.5 million monthly visitors. Reductress was founded by Beth Newell and Sarah Pappalardo, the authors of this book.

 

 

 

 

MumsThread On Parents Taking It Easy On Themselves

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baby, shared parental leave, feminism, equality, childcare, leave, maternal, work, working mothers, lean inThis column is late. It’s late because my son was ill. But mostly, it is late because I decided to take it easy on myself. We are doing our Christmas gift lists at the moment and they are a huge amount of work. That on top of all of my other jobs and activities, along with caring for an ill child, meant I was working hard and working a lot. So I decided to be easier on myself. Not killing myself by overworking, getting a takeaway so we didn’t have to cook, or going into the playpen with the toddler so you don’t have to chase him around the home. Unless you are a surgeon, or you work in a war zone, parenting is the hardest job in the world. It is 24/7 with no sick days. But you already know that. What you might not be doing is taking it easy on yourself. So I am going to tell you of because self care is important. Be kind to yourself. That is the only way you can be the best parent to your child. Here are some tips for you to help you take it easier on yourself.

 

Prioritise.

Some things are important, and those should always be done. Others can wait. Sure the oven needs cleaned but you have been on your feet all day and it can wait a few days. Every day do what really needs done, anything else can wait.  As for cleaning, make your home as clean and tidy as you are comfortable with. Unless you really want to, don’t waste your time making your home look like a show home. Your time is limited, don’t waste it cleaning.

 

Life Hacks.

There is usually an easier way to do something. A quicker way to cook, an easier way to clean, a better way to do your work quicker. Efficiency is important when you have a child. Cook one pot meals, it cuts down on cleaning afterwards and is quicker. Always cook too much so the extra can be used for lunch or supper the next day. Do your emails on the go, or when you are out and the baby is napping in the pram. Make sure you get the other half to pull their weight. That always makes a difference.

 

Don’t care what other people think. Know that compromise is fine. 

So what if your child is not wearing matching socks, If sometimes you feed him food from a jar or that you sometimes need to put a cartoon on? The most infuriating thing when you have a child is that everyone has an opinion on how you should raise them. That’s fine. Every one is allowed an opinion, but they should have the grace to keep it to themselves. It is your child, not theirs. Good for her, not for you. People will be rude and sometimes bitch. Ignore them. They clearly don’t care about your feelings, so don’t care about theirs. I have no childcare. I work and take care of my son. I do it well and I do it efficiently. My son rarely watches cartoons during the day, it doesn’t stop people bitching the times that he does. And on the subject of cartoons: I don’t get the snobby attitude towards TV. I know for a fact that some cartoons have helped my son progress. Say this aloud: screw them and screw their opinion. For extra help read the The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k: How to stop spending time you don’t have doing things you don’t want to do with people you don’t like it is a great book for clearing your mental clutter.

 

Clear the physical clutter.

 

The thing that has made the most difference to my life is clearing out clutter. The less stuff you have, the less stuff you have to worry about. The less things to clean and the easier the surface area is to clean. It just makes sense that the less stuff you have, the less stuff you have to worry about. Personally, it has made such a difference to my stress levels and our home is looking much better.

 

Do you have any tips? Share them below.

 

 

This article was originally published in December 2016. We republished it because it was popular.