Friday, April 27, 2012

Best Comment Wins! €15 Hair Fascinator Giveaway..

I asked  what you would like from Krishenka's and here is the top choice for today's giveaway. How can you win this little beauty? easy peasy, just leave me a comment and tell me why you would like to win this Fascinator. I will pick the one comment that appeals to me. You can enter as many times as you like so off you go and good luck. Look forward to reading your comments.

Bronze 100% silk puff with 3 layers of organza in the centre to create a flower, a little pearl and curly silk thread to finish. Behind is gathered white netting with a beautiful soft white feather floating on the side. Attatched securely to a hair clip. The bronze puff measures 2.5" (6.5cm) across and from top of netting measures 4.5" (11cm)  Value €15


Open worldwide and will close next Friday 4th May and if you feel like sharing this giveaway then that's just fine with me.

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ps: you dont have to follow my blog to enter but if you do then thank you

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Light & Shade from Japanese Prison Camps by Dick Dawson Prisoner of War

Last week I went to visit my Auntie B who is not actually my Aunt at all but she likes to be called that and I am only too happy to oblige. B has had a short spell in  hospital with an infected knee but thankfully is now back home and recovering. For a lady and I mean lady she is a truly remarkable woman and I feel privileged to know her. But today it's about her husband Dick.


When I saw Auntie B last week she asked me to pass her a book from the sideboard and low and behold here was I holding a book that she has just had published taken from her husband Dick’s diary. The book is based faithfully on the notes Dick  Dawson wrote up in November 1945 following the traumatic events he witnessed and was part of whilst a prisoner of war in Changi and other camps for three and a half years, and is dedicated to the memory of all those who lived and died in South East Asia between 1942 and 1945. It's about survival and death, unbelievable cruelty and deprivation, yet suffused with companionship. The experiences were written straight after repatriation in an attempt to exercise the horrors, and as a personal de-briefing.
Dick, whom I never met had just completed his medical training in 1941 and wished to see active service and volunteered for posting abroad. While awaiting his departure he was billeted at Colchester and there by chance in the Red Lion he met his future wife my Auntie B. Dick wanted to see active service and was posted to Singapore in November 1941 and that’s when the bottom fell out of his world when he became a prisoner of war.

I was very moved by reading this book, perhaps more due to the fact of knowing Auntie B, tears were shed and also an amazing sense of humour came through. I only wish that this book could be available for all to read as it is a true insight to one man’s experience of being a prisoner of war. Dick sadly never knew his diaries were published as he died in 1992. Auntie B had her 94th birthday last month and is doing well. A special thanks to Nick (A long time friend and son of Auntie B), also to Nigel Stanley, Brian Morgan,Jonathan Veale and Geone Stone for bringing this book to fruition. I have suggested that perhaps this could be turned into an e.book so others can read this facinating story.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

What's in your bag Girls? I want to see

I was with two girlfriends the other day and was searching in my bag for some of these new tiny almost invisible elastic bands to show them a new hairstyle called messy Pony tail that my daughter found on Pinterest. I couldn’t find them so tipped my bag out and thought to myself why am I lugging all this stuff around?   I have added the messy pony tail picure below as I can  now do my hair in just a couple of minutes with this style and if you click the pinterest link it will take you to her great blog. Now where was I before I got carried away with  hair.

I then thought just for a laugh to get them to do the same, there were a few protests but they were game and here’s what they tipped out.


Sun cream (been raining for weeks), headache pills, electronic ciggies,yougurt,Papaya ointment, camera case,recipes, medical cards,chewing gum, till receipts,passports,mobile phone, one tampax, bit of orange peel and a yogurt and some vitamins. Not telling you which one is my bag but you might be able to guess!
What’s in your bag and I dare you to take a picture and send it to me and I will add it to the list. Double dare!!! oh go on. Krishenka@gmail.com

Friday, April 20, 2012

United Nude we Stand

I popped into see a girlfriend today to have a quick catch-up and she showed me a pair of red shoes (pictured above) that she had just bought from a company called United Nude. When I first saw them I thought they were some sort of fashion prop and not a real shoe, she talked me into trying them on and so I did, guess what? For the first time in 15 years I have found a pair of heels that I can actually walk in and not feel like I was going to fall over any minute, so comfortable that you felt that you were walking on air. Will these catch on? I really don’t know but I loved them despite their strange style, but then if they were always made like this and someone invented stilettos we would think them odd!  One of these days I will show you my girlfriend’s collection of shoes that would make Imelda Marcos collection look weak! She has one room dedicated to shoes of every shape colour and style you could on dream off. Be patient I will be back.
Would love to hear what you think of this style and have you tried them?

Monday, April 16, 2012

Poppy's Time Capsule Buried Today

Poppy watched a kiddies gardening programme today where they buried a time capsule, so of course she wanted to do one too! I found an old tin and she went and collected a few bits, a couple of walnuts, a pine cone, her brothers carJ that she insists he really really does not like anymore, a mirror she doesn’t like anymore, a picture she drew of a castle, an elephant and three marbles and a piece of broken spiro graph. I wonder if in a year’s time she will even remember we did this? well time will tell. So we have buried it in a secret place in the garden that only she and I know of. Now I wonder if I will even  remember to dig it up next year!



For reasons only known to Poppy she has asked me to add everything she has eaten today so here goes. All times are approximate ish times.




8am Breakfast:  Bran cereal where she picked out all the rasins. She does not like them today.
10.30.. snack slice of brown bread with cherry jam
1.00.. Grilled bacon bun with tomato.
2.30..  Four walnuts and an apple
4.00.. Just a few crisps much to her annoyance and told me to buy more for the next time she comes! plus an orange which I had to peel and remove outer and inner skin what a palava
5.00.. Cup of tea
6pm Cauliflower & Stilton quiche with beans followed by a slice of bread and jam and then bread and honey
7.30 warm milk and honey
8.00 Tommy the tractor and then bed:)






Saturday, April 14, 2012

Little boy lost finds his mother using Google Earth

 
An Indian boy who lost his mother in 1986 has found her 25 years later from his new home in Tasmania - using satellite images.

Saroo was only five years old when he got lost. He was travelling with his older brother, working as a sweeper on India's trains. "It was late at night. We got off the train, and I was so tired that I just took a seat at a train station, and I ended up falling asleep."
That fateful nap would determine the rest of his life. "I thought my brother would come back and wake me up but when I awoke he was nowhere to be seen. I saw a train in front of me and thought he must be on that train. So I decided to get on it and hoped that I would meet my brother."

Saroo did not meet his brother on the train. Instead, he fell asleep and had a shock when he woke up 14 hours later. Though he did not realise it at first, he had arrived in Calcutta, India's third biggest city and notorious for its slums.

I do not think any mother or father would like to have their five year old wandering alone in the slums and train stations of Calcutta”
 "I was absolutely scared. I didn't know where I was. I just started to look for people and ask them questions."
Soon he was sleeping rough. "It was a very scary place to be. I don't think any mother or father would like to have their five year old wandering alone in the slums and trains stations of Calcutta."

The little boy learned to fend for himself. He became a beggar, one of the many children begging on the streets of the city. "I had to be quite careful. You could not trust anyone." Once he was approached by a man who promised him food and shelter and a way back home. But Saroo was suspicious. "Ultimately I think he was going to do something not nice to me, so I ran away."

But in the end, he did get off the streets. He was taken in by an orphanage, which put him up for adoption. He was adopted by the Brierleys, a couple from Tasmania. "I accepted that I was lost and that I could not find my way back home, so I thought it was great that I was going to Australia."

Saroo settled down well in his new home. But as he got older the desire to find his birth family became increasingly strong. The problem was that as an illiterate five-year-old he had not known the name of the town he had come from. All he had to go on were his vivid memories. So he began using Google Earth to search for where he might have been born.

"It was just like being Superman. You are able to go over and take a photo mentally and ask, 'Does this match?' And when you say, 'No', you keep on going and going and going."

Google Earth image that helped Saroo find his way home

Eventually Saroo hit on a more effective strategy. "I multiplied the time I was on the train, about 14 hours, with the speed of Indian trains and I came up with a rough distance, about 1,200km."

He drew a circle on a map with its centre in Calcutta, with its radius about the distance he thought he had travelled. Incredibly, he soon discovered what he was looking for: Khandwa. "When I found it, I zoomed down and bang, it just came up. I navigated it all the way from the waterfall where I used to play."

Soon he made his way to Khandwa, the town he had discovered online. He found his way around the town with his childhood memories. Eventually he found his own home in the neighbourhood of Ganesh Talai. But it was not what he had hoped for. "When I got to the door I saw a lock on it. It look old and battered, as if no-one had lived there for quite a long time."

Saroo had a photograph of himself as a child and he still remembered the names of his family. A neighbour said that his family had moved.

"Another person came and then a third person turned up, and that is when I struck gold. He said, 'Just wait here for a second and I shall be back.' And when he did come back after a couple of minutes he said, 'Now I will be taking you to your mother.'"

Lost and found

• 1981: Saroo is born
• 1986: He loses his family and ends up living on the streets of Calcutta
• 1987: He is adopted by an Australian couple and grows up in Tasmania
• 2011: He finds his home town on Google Earth
• 2012: He is reunited with his mother in Khandwa

"I just felt numb and thought, 'Am I hearing what I think I am hearing?'"
Saroo was taken to meet his mother who was nearby. At first he did not recognise her.
"The last time I saw her she was 34 years old and a pretty lady, I had forgotten that age would get the better of her. But the facial structure was still there and I recognised her and I said, 'Yes, you are my mother.'
"She grabbed my hand and took me to her house. She could not say anything to me. I think she was as numb as I was. She had a bit of trouble grasping that her son, after 25 years, had just reappeared like a ghost."
"Although she had long feared he was dead, a fortune teller had told Saroo's mother that one day she would see her son again. "I think the fortune teller gave her a bit of energy to live on and to wait for that day to come."
And what of the brother with whom Saroo had originally gone travelling? Unfortunately, the news was not good. "A month after I had disappeared my brother was found in two pieces on a railway track." His mother had never known whether foul play was involved or whether the boy had simply slipped and fallen under a train.

"We were extremely close and when I walked out of India the tearing thing for me was knowing that my older brother had passed away."
For years Saroo Brierley went to sleep wishing he could see his mother again and his birth family. Now that he has, he feels incredibly grateful. He has kept in touch with his newly found family.

"It has taken the weight off my shoulders. I sleep a lot better now."

And there is something to make him sleep better - with memories of Slumdog Millionaire still fresh, publishers and film producers are getting interested in his incredible story.

Saroo Brierley spoke to Outlook on the BBC World Service

What a heartwarming story and I want to keep it hence the post

Thursday, April 12, 2012

I wish I had a Euro for every mail



Today makes the 17th email I have received to ask if this ring is still for sale, ok I would be €17 in fact better off.  Why would it be in my shop if it were not for sale? I woud like with your help to create a witty response to any future mails I may receive. So how would you respond? let me have it. And I might just use it next time:)

Hello Seller,

Am .xxxxx,I came across your item on ETSY, i will like to buy the item,is it ready for the immediate purchase, before i proceed with the payment i will Like to ask about the item..


1) Is the item still available for sale? I just checked and she's still there so the answer is yes.


2) What is the present condition of the item? It's feeling quite sparkly today thanks for asking.

3) Do you accept PAYPAL as your mode of payment? .........Do you mean you want to pay cash and perhaps send a courier to collect to save me any hassle.

4) what is the final asking price? .............The price you see it listed in the shop



Kindly get back to me with your reply to (xxxxxxxx) Oh I will indeed



Best Regards.

.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

PURE Papaya Ointment Review and 3 Winner Giveaways



I have to start by telling you about a product that I came across recently, in fact only 10 days ago now. On receiving my 25g tube of PURE Papaya Ointment that describes itself as a multi- tasking year- round skin saving saviour - bold words indeed! I decided to put it to the test. My initial reaction was, yes, very attractive tube but how long will a 25g tube last me? I checked out the ingredients, which I will detail later, but am happy to see that they are all naturally derived.

I decided to concentrate on one elbow that is constantly dry and often itchy (I have psoriasis on both elbows and knees). For 8 days I used it once a day in the morning after showering and  I am more than impressed. The itching has stopped and I now wish I had taken a picture of before and after. I am equally amazed at how little I have used, one drop on the tip of my finger was sufficient to treat the whole area.

I have since gone a bit mad with it and have used it on my lips as a lipgloss and I love the soft subtle tropical smell and it has a slight fruity taste. Excellent on my hands and is not greasy which is one of the major drawbacks of my prescribed ointments which invariably are set on destroying my clothes. I also tried it on my hair after drying and it gives it a great sheen, goodbye expensive hair serum and hello Papaya. All in all I am so far very happy with this product and in fact I have just ordered a tube for one of my grandsons who has eczema. As I can’t try out all their suggestions below I popped over to have a look at the testimonials and the list seems to grow. Multi-tasking it is indeed!

• Dry irritated skin
• Nappy rash
• Sore cracked nipples
• Eczema & dermatitis
• Cold sores
• Aftercare of tattoos
• Aftercare following tattoo removal
• Hard calloused skin
• Sunburn
• Burns & scalds
• Pressure ulcers & sores
• Insect bites
• Cuts & abrasions
• Rashes
• Eyebrow taming
• Healing scars
• Dry chapped lips
• Post epilation
• Hair styling
• Hair serum

Now I will round this off by telling you that I decided to contact the supplier to tell them how delighted I was/am with their PURE Papaya Ointment, and after a few email exchanges I agreed  to write an honest review based on my own personal use.
I can only say that it is early days for me in using this ointment and as I am always on the search for the magical treatment I will continue to use it. Although this may not cure me, it does go a long way in making me feel good. The price of this product seems very reasonable in my opinion and includes free shipping to uk and europe.
One of my lovely followers will win a 200g jar (value £35.99 /$57), 2nd prize a 100g tube (value £19.99/$32), and 3rd prize a 25g tube (value £9.99/$16). On top of that I have an extra special discount of 15% using “PUREpapaya15” this discount can be used twice per customer. Just add the code at the checkout.

To enter for a chance to win all you have to do is go to www.PUREpapaya.co.uk and ‘like’ their fan page by clicking on the Facebook icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the homepage, it’s that simple. So I can keep track of entries, any existing or new fans wishing to enter, please leave your name in the comment box on my blog, tweet this giveaway and gain an extra chance, share this on your page and you gain an extra entry. In fact the more you share the more chances you have. This giveaway is open worldwide and will close 21/04/2012. The winners will be announced here on my blog. You don’t have to follow my blog to enter this giveaway but if you do then a big thank you.

I promised you the ingredients and here they are:-

Shea butter, Macadamia oil, Jojoba oil, Papaya ferment, Vitamin E, coconut derivatives, Beeswax, Olive derived emulsifier, Silica, Fragrance (naturally derived), Bark resin (Styrax benzoin), Marigold flower extract - As you can see all truly natural derived ingredients and no petrochemicals.

I would also like to say a huge thanks to Nic for this great giveaway. Good luck everyone

www.purepapaya.co.uk/testimonials

www.twitter.com/PUREpapaya

www.facebook.com/PUREpapaya
Papaya flower

Monday, April 9, 2012

Facilitutors Fabulous Easter Champagne Giveaway!!


Sharing this Champagne Giveaway I can even enter whoo hoo!

Firstly a Happy Easter to everyone and welcome to Facilitutors Fabulous Champagne Giveaway.


So what do you need to do to win? Well I have two aims, firstly to spread the word about Facilitutors and all the great work that my lovely tutors do and the amazing venues that are available to hire for courses, parties, seminars....Secondly, I would like you to help me raise money for Mary’s Meals. You can find out more about them by clicking the link on the home page of www.facilitutors.com but basically they offer a really simple solution to world hunger.

Firstly you need to join my blog and / or subscribe to it : http://www.blog.facilitutors.com/. Secondly you need to be old enough to drink alcohol legally in your country of residence.

Now to spread the word, I’d like you to share the news about Facilitutors in any way you can, here are a few ideas:

By sharing a link to this blog post

By posting a link on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Stumble Upon.....

By sharing a link to my Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Facilitutors

By sharing a link to my Google+ page: https://plus.google.com/109358636371589970856

By clicking the share buttons on http://www.facilitutors.com/ for Facebook, Google+ etc

By including a mention in your newsletter or on your blog

By accosting total strangers and not letting them go until you’ve told them all about Facilitutors....only joking!!

When you’ve done your bit, tell me about it by leaving a comment on this blog post and the person that I judge to have done the most will be the winner of a lovely bottle of champers from http://www.champagne-direct.eu/index.php . Don’t forget to leave your contact details, because I can’t award the prize if I don’t know who you are!

So how does that help Mary’s Meals? Well, for every 100 people that click the Facebook “Like” button I give £10 to Mary’s Meals and for this giveaway I will also donate £10 for every 100 people that click the Google +1 button, both buttons as well as Pinterest, Twitter buttons can be found on http://www.facilitutors.com/.

Many thanks to Linda Cronin for use of her photograph

Closing date for comments is midnight on 30.4.12

L'abus d'alcool est dangereux pour la santé, consommer avec modération

Posted by Wendy Wise at 06:34

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

ForgottenMuse

This has to be one of the most elegant shops I have come across on Etsy, with stunning photography and a fabulous variety of wonderful vintage items ranging from the 1940's upwards.  Beautiful hats, coats, dresses and many accessories.  Pop over to her shop and  feast your eyes, this is just a taster and I wanted to add them all but.......







ForgottenMuse Etsy
ForgottenMuse Facebook

Monday, April 2, 2012

"Moonstruck" Penstemons and Herbs - Gardening by the moon

Urban-Astrologer.com
An English garden in France,  http://www.penstemonsandherbs.com/



A small, family run nursery, that specialise in growing Penstemons and herbs. Trading direct from their nursery, and also online for either pick up or delivery. Situated in Central France, near the border of Creuse and Indre. Jayne is very interested in Lunar planting and she has popped in today to tell us a little more about it. I personally have never tried this method but most of my French neighbors follow moon planting and would do it no other way, me I have a lot to learn. Thanks so much Jayne.
I often have people asking what “gardening by the moon” actually means and does it work or is it just hocus pocus? For us it works and compliments our organic approach to gardening and it helps to keep us organised and give structure to our planning. On first impressions it can seem quite complicated and confusing so I’ll try and outline the principles in a simple way as I understand them.


Mankind has believed in and used these principles for thousands of years; they are not new-fangled ideas. For me they are real and have far more authenticity than many scientific facts or statements that then are later proven to be false.

Lunar gardening follows the path of the moon throughout each month and year and accordingly the phase of the moon dictates which tasks would be done most successfully. Plants are influenced by the moon in the same ways as tides have the gravitational pull, affecting the world’s oceans and seas. Plants benefit from these natural changes of environment, for example, seeds germinate more quickly, leaf and root growth are stimulated, harvests bear a greater yield and even the dreaded weed can be slowed down!


Most people are familiar with the terms Full Moon and New Moon and the lunar month is divided into quarters. These quarters are then separated into waxing and waning periods, also known as the phase of the moon.

1st quarter – New Moon – waxing – during this period it is favourable for balanced leaf and root growth. Moisture is pulled up from the earth in the waxing phase.

2nd quarter – waxing – strong leaf growth. A good time for planting.

3rd quarter – Full Moon – waning – planting root crops, perennials and biennials, bulbs and transplanting, because of active root growth. Moisture is pulled down to the earth in the waning phase.

4th quarter – waning – resting period so good for cultivating, weeding, mowing the grass to retard growth, harvesting and pruning.

How to tell what phase the moon is in:
The diagram below shows the 4 quarters and as you look at the moon in each phase where the curve is prominent tells us which phase the moon is in. After a new moon when the light is increasing the curve of the moon is on the left hand side and can be symbolised as the letter C. After the full moon the light is decreasing and the right hand side is the part we see. This, too, can be symbolised as the letter D.


scienceworld.wolfram.com
Moisture is highest in the soil when there is a new or full moon and so this period of the lunar cycle aids germination, helping the seed sprout and develop more quickly.

We try to follow the lunar cycle in our regular routines and it keeps us on track with our planning. We have found it to be successful, especially with sowing seeds and when we take cuttings. The type of plants and vegetables that you plant all have their time in the lunar calendar for best results and the French in our area are quite strict in their approach – we have learnt a lot here and continue to enjoy and learn.



Want to see more:.....Jayne on facebook

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