Lifestyle

What to buy your dad, grandad or uncle this Christmas

December 5, 2018

What to buy the older men in your life is often the most difficult question you have to answer whilst Christmas shopping. They often tend to be minimalist in their possessions and often set in their ways. They mumble ‘oh don’t get me anything’ or end up with a bottle of their favourite tipple. There is nothing wrong with that as a present but if you are looking for something different maybe I can provide some inspiration. As I am married to a 60 year old and have a brother of 70 and nephews around the age of 40 I’ve had experience of living with the likes and wants of the Grumpy Old Man!

I’ll start with socks, I know that buying socks is a bit of a joke but you know good socks really are important to men as they mature, in the same way that comfy shoes are to women. My husband has strange feet, I know too much information! Socks form holes within 2 or 3 times of wearing. I was given a pair of these Blueguard Anti-Abrasion Durability Socks for him to trial and they are indestructible and comfortable too. 3 years now and not a sign of wear. My brother has some too and loves them. In fact my brother once said that he would rather have 2 good pairs of socks rather than many of poor quality. I highly recommend them. A bargain at £7.99 – £11.99

These are virtually indestructible socks for men

Blue Guard socks

If you have read my gift guide for the mature women you will have seen that I recommended packing cubes for the lady who likes to travel. I think the same gift is appropriate for the man who likes to travel too. Even if they are only for the lady in their life to use for them! Mature men often have a larger disposable income to spend on holidays and travel. I think these make a great gift if your relative or loved one fits this category. These ones fit the bill nicely at around £20 Packing Cubes Travel Organizer Mesh Bags

Packing cubes

What to buy the guy who is a gadget freak or even if they only have a couple of items such as their phone and ipad there are cables to be used for charging and travel. This Cable Organiser at around £12.49 is a useful gift and often not something they will purchase.

Cable Organiser

Of course there is always the gift of a voucher if you are totally at a loss what to buy, Most men would love an Amazon gift voucher they can be bought online or sent as an e voucher. This provides them with the choice of thousands of gifts.

The next gift appears quite basic but men have to shave and if they prefer a wet shave they are very particular about the quality of razor they use. However replacement blades work out expensive. This Gillette Shaving set is a nice gift with many replacement blades which will keep on giving long into the New Year for around £32

Gillette shaving set

Most mature men tend to wear belts with their trousers. Therefore a good leather belt like this one in a presentation box for under £20 is something they may like and wear often.

Quality leather belt

I’ve already suggested one idea what to buy them If they travel a lot how about a Travel toiletries kit at £25.99 contains 13 travel size toiletries ready to go and suitable for carry on luggage. Everything they need for a holiday/

Travel Toiletries set

If your man wears a hat in winter for running or walking how about a wonter hat with speakers and blue tooth connection for under £15 Winter hat with bluetooth connection and speakers

Winter hat with blue tooth speakers

If the male in your life loves novelties or has everything how about a novelty Garden Gnome in football teams colours they can be bought wearing the colours of his favourite football team again under £20. Being a passionate Manchester City fan I’ve illustrated a gnome in my teams colours but many more are available.

Official Licensed Manchester City Garden Gnome

A novelty garden gnome in your football clubs colours

If you want to splash the cash how about some luggage, especially a wheeled carry on case for around £60 Carry on wheeled suitcase

Well, thanks for looking and I hope I’ve helped and provided some inspiration. If your looking for something for the mature female relative or friend take a look at my gift guide for the mature female in your life.

If you like anything or have your own suggestions then I’d love to hear from you please comment or email me

Gift Guide for the mature females in your life this Christmas

December 3, 2018

Gift Guide for the mature women in your life

This gift guide is to help you choose a gift for the mature women in your life. This could be your mum, nanna, auntie, neighbour or friend.

As an over 50’s female I know what I like to receive and hopefully can provide you with some gift ideas that will be enjoyed.

There are many gift guide around at this time of year but I hope I can provide some different specific inspiration for the over 40’s/50’s female.

some of these gifts have affiliate links which mean I may be paid a small fee or a free product when a purchase is made. This does not affect the price you pay and I only recommend products I would use myself.

Under £20

I am a huge fan of Aldi and I love make up. Earlier this year Aldi sold some fabulous eye shadow palettes, that are similar to the fabulous and must have Urban Decay palettes. I was lucky enough to be bought an original last Christmas by my husband and I loved it. However once I saw Aldi’s version I invested in a couple of theirs. I can honestly say I think they give as good a colour coverage and high end look. Aldi are releasing some more this week in stores and online. At £5.99 I think they are an absolute steal and would be a fabulous present to your make up wearing female.

Aldi Lacura eye palette

This next gift may not look very festive and seem out of place in Winter, but as a menopausal woman plagued with hot sweats it is becoming my best friend. The Chillmax gel cooling pillow is so versatile. It can be inserted inside a pillow case, or beneath your bottom sheet to help keep you cool at night and reduce and maybe even prevent hot flushes. It can also be used behind your back when sat watching TV or travelling. At £11.99 it is great value.

Chillmax cooling mat

Most people these days use ear phones either when travelling or at the gym or watching TV in bed on tablets or ipads. I love mine and do have several sets in my gym bag, at home in my handbag. As a female it’s nice to have a little bit of bling wherever you go – I think it’s good for the soul. These Rose Gold ones from Amazon look sensational and I would love to receive them in my stocking. At £20 I love them.

Rose gold earphones with bling

As a mature woman my hair texture has changed as I age. I touch on this more in a later product suggestion. I love hair products to keep my hair looking good. This plumping whip by Toni and Guy is one of my favourite products. It smells and feels luxurious and does provide great fullness for fine hair. At under £10 it would make a nice gift or stocking filler.

Toni and Guy volume plumping whip

Most modern mature women are still active and like to go to fitness classes or be comfortable when out and about, maybe just be on the go caring for younger family members. Yoga pants are must have in my opinion and I certainly can never have enough pairs. These are super comfy and look smart.

Yoga pants are so versatile

My final suggestion in this price bracket is for the lady who likes to holiday and travel. I love Packing cubes and think they are invaluable. Makes packing for trips easier and also helps once you have arrived. The cubes can just be transferred straight into the storage provided at your destination.

I have these particular ones and find them great, the toilet bag even includes a small pouch that can be used for jewellery or travel cosmetics.

Packing cubes for the lady that likes to holiday

Gifts under £50

In my gift guide I want to add some higher priced suggestions. It’s not just men that experience hair problems as they age. We women can experience thinning of our hair, losing body and texture and hair styling can be a challenge. I am continually searching for new products to help my hair stay looking good. I have a few products that I would recommend as a treat. My first recommendation is in the under £20 section.

Living Proof Style Lab texture Volumizing cream is expensive but applied to your hair after styling close to the roots adds great volume which is still present the next day.

This styling cream can be used on dry hair to create instant volume, touchable texture and flexible hold – hair is never stiff or frozen and is revivable for up to 48 hours.

Living proof amp provides body to fine hair

I have always moisturised my skin but only this year appreciated the benefit of serums for improving the look of my skin. This is often not a product anyone would purchase for their selves, particularly busy working women or mature women who have not always used serums in their skin regimen. My first set was bought for me and now I appreciate the need for multi layering products as we mature. This gift set of Boots Protect and Perfect would make a fabulous gift to start that special lady on the road to great skin.

Serums for glowing mature skin

Gifts over £50

My final couple of suggestions are for gifts for people who you really care about and wish to buy something special for.

As we age there is nothing like comfortable shoes and feet, particularly if like me you’ve worked as a nurse or in other professions, such as hairdressing, that have required hours spent on your feet whilst at work.

These Fitflops are fabulously comfort and come in many designs many with that touch of glamour and bling like these. As they can be expensive they are a luxury that border on an essential and make a fabulous present, especially for the lady who likes her holidays.

Fitflops for comfort and style

My final suggestion is a Sensationail gel nail kit. I have written before about how much I enjoy having nice nails and my local nail salons are full of mature ladies being pampered. This can be an expensive look to maintain but this gel nail kit is like giving a whole years full of beautiful nails. I have used this and found it easy to use and the results look professional and last.

Home gel nail kits save time and money

I hope I have provided you with some inspiration in this gift guide. I’d love to hear what you think, whether any of these suggestions have helped you. I aim to be back later in the week for the gift guide for the more mature men in your life.

Please comment or contact me by email

Also if you need more inspiration why not pop over to Karen’s blog The Geordie Grandma, as she also has some great gift ideas for women over 50.

A Michelin Star Experience – Northcote Manor

November 30, 2018

A Michelin Star dining experience has been on our wish list for a while. So we visited Northcote Manor on the night of my lovely husbands 60th birthday last month. I had booked and planned this as a surprise for the actual night itself. We are both foodies and love dining out as well as watching hours of cooking on TV. He knew I’d booked an overnight stay but not where however, as the day grew nearer I was a bit panicky about surprising him and revealed the venue and Michelin Star experience the week before.

Northcote Manor is a renowned small luxury hotel with a Michelin star restaurant situated on the edge of the Ribble Valley, in the heart of Lancashire. Lisa Goodwin Allen is the Executive chef after taking over from Nigel Haworth, both seen regularly on TV Cookery programmes, including the Great British Menu.

We traveled by car and the journey took less than an hour. It was easy to find and is a manor house set just off the main road in expansive gardens which include an area where they grow some of their own produce.

Our room was in the Garden Lodge set aside from the main Manor house housing the restaurant. We had booked the Tasting Break which included an overnight stay, a 6 course dinner and breakfast the following morning. We were allocated room 21, which was huge, a large double bed, sofa and doors to a private terrace fully surrounded by a hedge for privacy. The bathroom was fabulous with complimentary Temple Spa toiletries. Check in was super smooth and there was a birthday card from the hotel waiting for John in our room.

Dinner was booked for 7 and we had a pre dinner drink in the bar in the Manor House, this was so cosy and inviting. The short walk from the Garden Lodge to the Manor house is lit up and well paved, umbrellas are available in each room in the event of inclement weather. As it was October the terraces were bare but it was clear to see that there were many outdoor chairs and tables available to enjoy a drink outside in the summer admiring the surroundings and views. We were served 2 small hors d’oeuvres in the bar before being invited into the main restaurant.

The restaurant is luxurious to look at with attentive service. It is a high end experience as expected by a Michelin Star restaurant. Every course was explained to us as it was served. I chose to purchase the wine flight for myself, John stuck to beer, and the Sommelier provided a choice for a couple of courses. The service was excellent but a little too formal for our liking, after all we are only humble people who like to experience a taste of the good life and good food occasionally.

Our menu was:

AGED HAND CUT BEEF
Roasted Celeriac, Smoked Marrowbone
Maison Antech, Crémant de Limoux, Rosé Émotion, Languedoc Roussillon, France, 2015 (125ml £8.50)

WEST COAST SCALLOP
Clam ”Chowder”, Bacon, Chervil
Cottanera, Etna Bianco, Sicily, Italy, 2016 (125ml £10.00)

West Coast Scallop

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE
Black Truffle
Dry Sack, Amontillado, Williams & Humbert, Andalucia, Spain, NV (70ml £11.50)

Jerusalem Artichoke

CORNISH TURBOT
Orchard Apple, Watercress, Walnut
Chardonnay, Heitz Cellar, Napa Valley, USA, 2014 (125ml £15.75)

Cornish Turbot

RED LEG PARTRIDGE
Leg Bolognaise, Mushroom, Squash
Reserva, Viña Tondonia, Rioja, Spain, 2004 (125ml £15.25)

Oops! Forgot to photograph prior to eating!

FLAVOUR OF ECCLES CAKES
Muscat Grapes, Caramelised Pastry, Tea
Monastrell, Dulce, Bodegas Castaño, Murcia, Spain, 2010 (70ml £8.00)

Neither of us like pink meat, we could be classed as old fashioned as we love all meat dished ‘well done’. The Aged Hand Cut Beef was a version of steak tartare, so we asked for an alternative if possible. The request was no problem and we were given the equivalent course from their plant based menu, which was:

HAND CUT ROAST CELERIAC
Horseradish, Smoked Butter
Maison Antech, Crémant de Limoux, Rosé Émotion, Languedoc Roussillon, France, 2015, 125ml £8.50.

The courses were small but very rich with fabulous mixes of flavours and textures. The Partridge wasn’t really us, although we did eat most of us. My favourite course was the Cornish Turbot, absolutely delicious.

Following dinner we had one final nightcap in the lounge bar, with its roaring fire and dimmed lighting. Before retiring back to our lovely room. We were both full and satisfied from this luxury experience.

Following a great nights sleep we returned to the main restaurant for their version of a Full English Breakfast. Service was a little slow at breakfast but the food when it arrived was just the right portion size after the previous nights hearty dinner.

Cooked English Breakfast

Overall this was a one off experience for us for a special occasion, it was expensive, costing just under £600. There are large service charges added to each aspect of service. Our after dinner drinks of a pint of cider and a Baileys cost £24! We were really pleased to be able to experience this dining experience but would not repeat in a hurry. The one downside for me was that the temperature in the restaurant both at dinner and breakfast was too warm, I appreciate that being in the throws of the menopause this was my problem, but Mr Fitz also felt uncomfortable at times in the heat.

In summary though it was a fabulous experience for a pair of foodies like us for a one off celebration. If you were looking for a top class venue with Michelin Star food I would highly recommend it.

Dining out is our favourite pastime.

Have you had a luxury dining experience or a similar treat for a special occasion let me know what you did or where you dined at. We are always looking for places to visit to stay and dine. Leave me a comment or email me, I love to hear from you.

Thanks for popping in today

A busy October having fun in retirement

November 18, 2018

I had a very busy October and I know I’m it’s already mid November and I’m late in posting, but hey better late than never. Time is flying so fast. This third age of my life is truly the best especially spending quality time with family and friends. When I was working full time as a nurse I was either too busy or too tired to really enjoy my social life.

Where Did I Go in October

The month of October was dominated by Mr Fitz’s 60th birthday, both preparation and celebrations. I had planned a surprise night away for him on the actual night of his Birthday. We are both foodies and Mr Fitz can watch hours of cooking programmes and demonstrations from Celebrity chefs, as well as dining out. With that in mind I had booked a night away at Northcote Manor a Michelin starred hotel and restaurant not too far away. He hates surprises so closer to the date I did actually tell him where we were going. We had a lovely stay and fabulous food, very expensive but a one off experience befitting the milestone in life. I will write a full review of this experience in a separate post.

A selection of the food on offer at Northcote Manor

Michelin Star Food

We both enjoyed a weekend away in Blackpool with friends at the beginning of October, staying in their static caravan. A great time filled with lots of laughter and a trip to the Blackpool illuminations was enjoyed by us all. I reflected on the Illuminations as part of my Blogtober18 series, if you haven’t read it already you can take a look here.

Blackpool Illuminations

With the christening of Johns great niece Delilah Belle we got to spend some quality family time with Johns close and extended family. It was as few days before his birthday so they presented him with gifts and sang Happy Birthday to him. After years of missing out on many family celebrations due to the unsocial hours and shifts that are required as a nurse, in retirement I fully appreciate how precious days like this are.

Mr Fitz Receiving gifts for his 60th birthday

Family time

After football and blogging my other passion is for entering competitions. I have like minded friends and we all share our winning prizes and experiences amongst ourselves and our friends and families. My lovely friend Juliet won a trip to meet Jamie Oliver in London. It was a promotion in collaboration with Hotpoint and Jamie Oliver to reduce foo wastage and to be creative with leftovers. There were 5 winners who had been judged to submit the best ideas for the use of leftovers. The winners and guests were invited to a pop up event in East London. A truly enjoyable day and an opportunity to see Jamie demonstrating his cooking skills at close contact.

Enjoying a celebrity chef experience with Jamie Oliver

Watching Jamie Oliver live

Another of my friends won a meal at Rain Bar in Manchester for 4. This is a gastro pub where the food was really tasty with great service and attention. It also gave myself and my friends the opportunity to get together and plan an upcoming trip to London in December

Lunch at Rain Bar Manchester

What Did I Read in October

I’m ashamed to say I am still on the same book from the Village series that I was reading last month – I’ve barely picked my kindle up and I need to read more to help me unwind at the end of the day.

What I watched on TV in October

I completed watching the series on Sky Witness The Truth About the Harry Quebert Story, I mentioned this last month. It was quite a slow moving who dunnit but I enjoyed it, lots of twist and turns.

I’ve been catching up on an older TV series, A Place To Call Home and watching in snatches. I find this a really relaxing storyline and series. It’s set in Australia an tells the story of a family throughout the years.

Naturally there has been wall to wall football being watched here!

I didn’t get to watch any specific films apart from dipping into the many Christmas movies being continuously shown on Sky. By the time Christmas arrives I will have possibly seen snippets of them all. These are great movies to have on in the background while I work, particularly photographing and listing stock for my Ebay shop.

Home Improvements

If you have read earlier posts about our house purchase partially funded from my retirement funds, you may know that I so love this dream house and this is the most enjoyable part of my retirement. I love spending as much time as possible inside working from home. When we moved in it had been repainted throughout and re carpeted in neutral tones. Over the three years we have lived here we have gradually made changes and put our personal stamp on it. We had wooden flooring in our previous home and loved the look and clean feel of it. But as the carpet was newly fitted when we moved in changing it immediately seemed inappropriate. This month though we thought 3 years was a respectable length of time to change it and we had wooden flooring fitted through the lounge and dining room. Due to my menopausal brain fog I have become really indecisive and struggle to choose decor etc. Thankfully Mr Fitz is able to make good choices and where once I made the main decisions I am happy for him to take the lead. He chose a dark colour which I possibly wouldn’t have chosen myself, possibly because I make ‘safe’ choices and he is happy to be out there sometimes. I am happy with his choice and love the new look.

November goals

To continue at the gym and attend yoga classes hoping this results in weight loss.

I am going to aim to eat a low carb diet 90% of the time to reverse the state of insulin resistance that I appear to be in, caused by my lovely constant companion that is the menopause. I am watching a series of videos from a nutritionist in America Dr Becky Gillaspy, as I have a Masters Degree in Health Studies, I know that what she talks about makes sense.

Procrastination

Oh and yes my accounts have still not been submitted – I need to pull my finger out!

Finally I am planning to redecorate my 2nd bedroom, including a full declutter. I will post about this when the project is complete.

How is your November progressing? How you’re all moving forward, my favourite saying at the moment is from Emma Drew of Emma Drew info who is helping me with my blogging journey, and that is we should strive at all times for progress not perfection! So true. I am prone to getting lost in the minutiae of details to be perfect that I end up making no progress at all.

Let me know if you have any similar experiences to any of my recent ones? I love to hear from you and receive inspiration

Comment or email me

Also I would love you to subscribe and share if you wish to hear more about my retirement life and having fun after 50.

Thanks for reading, it’s always appreciated

Mulled wine – the perfect drinking glasses

November 8, 2018

As someone who enjoys a glass of mulled wine or a hot toddy during the festive season I was kindly provided with glasses from Jeanine at Blessed Bee Group. They were the Ozeri Serafino Double Wall Thermo Glasses, a set of two 12 fl.oz. 0.35ml.

Set of 2 heat and shatter resistant borosilicate glasses that each hold 12 oz.
Stronger and more durable than common glass, each glass features a wraparound contour that provides a natural aesthetic grip.
Patent-pending double wall design that suspends drinks within an inner wall, creating an engaging optical effect.
Designed to keep your hands cool with hot drinks, and free of condensation with chilled beverages.
Completely dishwasher, microwave and freezer safe. Ships in an elegant 4 color printed box with a 1 Year Warranty. Satisfaction Guaranteed.

Good packaging

The box is eye catching – simple shiny black with a clear picture on the front of the contents.

The glasses look attractive and are nice to hold due to the wraparound contour, even for someone like me who has small hands.

I have used them for hot and cold drinks and can confirm that the temperature of the contents is not transferred to the outer wall. In fact that is the only downside, when I took my first sip of the hot chocolate drink I nearly burnt my tongue as there was no indication of how hot the drink was inside!

In my opinion these are perfect for a hot toddy and mulled wine as well as enjoying a chilled cocktail in the garden in summer, as they are shatter resistant.

Disclaimer: If you purchase via my link I will receive a small commission.

If you like these please read my review of the Ozeri Bathroom scales also kindly provided by Jeanine.

Thank you for reading, please comment or email me if you like these and think they would be perfect for you or you would like me to review a product for you.

My pride at being nominated for a Blogger Recognition Award

November 5, 2018

I have been really thrilled to have been nominated this week for my First Blogger Recognition Award. As I have been working hard to build and promote my blog in recent months this makes me feel my efforts have been worth it.

The Blogger Recognition Award is given to bloggers by bloggers who appreciate the hard work, dedication and vast amount of hours we all put into each and every post. My nomination was from the lovely Hazel Jackson at Tea & Cake for the Soul. Hazel is the owner of a lifestyle blog and covers many subjects particularly Mental Health, Travel and Books plus lots of blogging goals info. The whole feel of the blog is as soothing as the name implies. Reading her posts is like snuggling up on a comfy sofa and being soothed by calmness and tranquility.

Rules for the Blogger Recognition Award

Write a post about your award
Thank whoever nominated you, including a link to their blog
Give a brief story of how your blog began
Share some advice for new bloggers
Nominate 10 other blogs you wish to give the award to – include this in your post and tag them on twitter
Leave a comment on this blog post

Why did I start blogging?

There are days when I keep asking myself this! Particularly during the recent #Blogtober18 promotion. Joking apart though I tentatively began my blog in 2015 after taking early retirement from my nursing career at age 55. Up to that point I had little knowledge of what blogs were. I had only come across them in my hobby of entering competitions. Finding myself with more leisure time and being a huge fan of Twitter I clicked through to blogs via their twitter links. I was fascinated and most mornings whilst enjoying my morning brew I would disappear down the rabbit hole of social media reading bloggers content. As I ma known for being a chatterbox and having lots to talk about I decided to start my own. My posts were sporadic because I hadn’t a clue what I was doing or how to promote etc. It was purely for my own pleasure. In recent months after some coaching from the lovely Emma Drew at Emma Drew info I have fallen in love with the whole process. My head is full of trivia and random information and I struggled to focus on what I was good at and what subjects I could focus on most. I feel its such a huge work in progress and my head is swimming with ideas for content, I’m still in the infancy of my blog but learning lots and loving my personal space on the internet.

Advice for new bloggers

It’s hard to give advice while I still feel I’m such a novice myself but here are 3 things I will offer

Be passionate about what you want to say
Join a coaching group for experienced advice
Start off self hosted – saves you pain and frustration later down the line.

My 10 nominees:

This was easy and tough at the same time as I have networked with so many great bloggers

Looking after your Pennies

Adventures in Websterland

Tea and Cake for The Soul

Miss Many Pennies

My Fifty Plus Life

@emmadrewinfo

@SarahBethBlogs

@KarenLauraJane

@ClearlyBex – who is more familiar with my newly launched sister blog beespiesandrainyskies.info

@becinmonton

@laypennies

@FrugalMrsW

@teaandcakesoul

@Hayleymaym

@myfiftypluslife

Ozeri Precision Pro II Digital Bathroom Scale – Product Review

November 5, 2018

To enable this product review I was kindly given the Ozeri digital bathroom scales by Jeanine at Blessed Bee Group.

Scales original packaging

I was very happy to review them as my current scales were becoming unreliable and needed replacing. If you have read some of my previous posts you can see that weight gain in the menopause is one of my struggles so these will be a useful tool in my weight loss journey.

The features that the Ozeri Precision Pro II Digital Bathroom Scale have are:

New Weight Change detection Technology displays your net change in weight in GREEN for weight loss and in RED for weight gain.
StepOn Activation captures the precise weight measurements upon contact (no tapping required).
Uses 4 high precision G sensors to weigh up to 200 kilograms or 440 pounds in 0.1 kg or 0.2 lbs increments.
Award-winning design features an oversized weighing platform with impact-resistant tempered glass.
Automatically turns off to conserve battery life, and runs on 2 AAA batteries with battery indicator (batteries included).

They retail for £24.99 on Amazon. The Ozeri Precision Pro II Digital Bathroom Scale arrived promptlyfor me to review and the first thing I noticed was the weight – they seemed much heavier and larger than the bathroom scales I already owned.

Once unboxed I instantly liked the sleek black and chrome appearance. There was an easy to follow instruction leaflet and batteries are included.

Sleek black and chrome appearance

Clear instruction leaflet

The footplate area is large making them easy to stand on. The digital display is exceptionally clear. The great added facility is that they remember and store your weight. Next time you step on and are weighed again you then get a second display that informs you whether you have gained or lost. If you have gained the amount flashes up in red and if you have lost the figures are green. It took me a couple of attempts to see this display to complete my review, I erroneously remained stood on the foot plate. The gain/loss display only appears once you have stepped off again.

Easy to read digital display

Green display indicating weight loss

Red display indicating weight gain

I really liked these Ozeri scales but in as part of my review in my opinion they have one disadvantage in that they only store one persons weight. Therefore the weight gain/loss function does not work when there are 2 people sharing the use. To reset this the batteries can be removed and reinserted but it is a bit of a faff and it still does not solve this issue.

These cost of these Ozeri Precision Pro II Digital Bathroom Scale was reimbursed in payment for this review. This did not influence my opinion.

Disclaimer – If you purchase these via my link I may receive a small fee.

An Autumn Walk in the Lake District – Coniston to Tarn Hows

November 1, 2018

I know I repeatedly say that Autumn is my favourite time of the year but it really is. That’s the time of year Mr Fitz and I visit the Lake District most frequently. The place is marvellous at the best of times but with the fabulous colours the landscape and views become even more spectacular.

Autumn Lake Coniston

I’m going to share and recommend a walk we took from Coniston to Tarn Hows. We were staying at The Waterhead Hotel in Coniston and the route of the walk starts close to the Hotel.

Route Coniston to Tarn Hows

Whilst mentioning the hotel I will briefly say that it is in a nice setting. It is a very old building with large rooms and high ceilings. It is set on the edge of the lake, we stayed for 2 nights and enjoyed our stay. There is a short walk, which is dark and not well lit at night. We managed though by using the torches on our phone!

The Waterhead Hotel Coniston

Back to the walk itself, on the day it was a bit grey and drizzly. We were well wrapped up against the elements and with a hat on we were able to stay warm and dry.

Dressed for the grey drizzle

The walk begins along the road then steadily climbs through a forest. My OH is far fitter than me and could power ahead but stayed not too far in front and waited for me. The walk was quite a bit harder for me reminding me how much my fitness level had dropped over recent years and that I was carrying too much weight. He thought I may give up but that is not in my nature – I’m very stubborn

Walking Uphill in the Forest

The colours of the leaves and trees an the walk were spectacular – a word I cannot use enough to describe how clever mother nature is.

Love the colours

Once we reached Tarn Hows, we found ourselves in an area of peace and tranquility with great views over the Tarn. It was a popular place and can be reached by car, but even though there were plenty of people around it was still peaceful.

The view at Tarn Hows – beautiful even on a misty day

The return walk was obviously a lot easier as it was downhill. Like all good walks at the end it is lovely to reward yourself with a nice beer and pub grub. There are some lovely traditional pubs in the Village. We ate at The Yewdale Inn.

Let me know what your favourite walk is, we’re always looking for new routes.

If you wish to see more content from my lovely blogging friends involved in #Blogtober18 hosted by Mandi at Big Family Organised Chaos please click on the logo to see more.

Why I dislike Trick or Treat #Blogtober18

October 30, 2018

This post will be very short and sweet. Trick or Treat is something I dislike with a passion.

Don’t get me wrong I think in a controlled environment where parents take their children to their friends houses I think that is fun. However in my experience there are loads of children who just roam around knocking on random doors. I live in an inner city and in my previous address the whole evening of halloween involved constant door knocking and rattles on the windows, to the extent that my door knocker was pulled off once and left on the path.

Before my mother passed away and was elderly she was scared witless when kids in scary masks knocked on her door. She never opened the door at night without looking through the curtains and window first. She was horrified when a child in a mask peered back at her. Mum had no awareness of what Trick or Treating was – she was so scared by the experience.

To be honest I’m not sure why we have bought into the whole Halloween thing from America. I love America and its people but this is one trend that does not do anything for me.

So there it is – my feelings on this are out there

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Instagram Obsession – 7 Instagrammers I love

October 30, 2018

I love Instagram to the point that I probably spend more time viewing others pages than I do uploading to my own! Which is definitely not good for business.

I love to look at clear, colourful images and gaze in envy at some of these fabulous pages. I’m trying to learn more about the art of a great Instagram account to continue to improve, build and promote mine.

Anyway here are my top 7 in no particular order.

Mrs_Rackley.home The images of this Bloggers home are inspirational but why has she no clutter at all???
Superluckydi I enjoy entering competitions as a hobby and have done so for many years. This account from Di Coke is about her efforts – she is the current voice of the competition community at present
Mrshinchhome I love a clean home particularly now I’m retired – I love keeping my house clean – this page is full of hints and tips
Homesense – I love the images of their products, one of my favourite shops
Misspond – a personal blogger who is a foodie and a runner – lovely images of food
youbabymemummy – Aby is a blogger who specialises in teaching other vloggers how to build a business – her images are colour themed and clear, with great stories attached.
bettedavisestate – I love Bette Davis – my absolute all time favourite actress who is no longer with us. This page is full of marvellous images of her and of stills from her movies. I cannot get enough of these.

Let me know you’re favourites I’m always looking for more to follow.

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