Kindness and A Thomas Sabo Bracelet

Yesterday was #nationalkindess day and I simply couldn't do without the kindness of my friends and fir this I'm truly grateful from kind words on Twitter to direct messages on the same platform. Whatever the social media medium I know my friends they are that have my back. Karma has a way of working out in people's lives I'm sure of it, when I was told that a Quartz would protect and keep me safe.

My beautiful friend Sian To is the friend who told me of this and you know what earlier this this week , I won a bracelet from Judith Hart Jewellers in Derby , the very same jewellers I had my eternity ring from. The bracelet is a Thomas Sabo bracelet of which I had a choice of the very aptly named karma beads.

Friendship doesn't have to be complicated friendship it is just being, I love my friends and I love my bracelet.

Foggy Days Photography A Wander

I could almost hear the rattle of past village life one before the motI love all the seasons and when the other day I had to go out in the fog , I didn't sigh I was elated.

The beauty of my village is shown to me all the more.

Of course I was going to visit the church graveyard! 

The sun was trying to pierce through the fog as I walked past the working farm.

Far from feeling apocalyptic it felt homely 

Compare The Market Helping The Elderly #GreatBritishSwitch

The cold is just starting to come to us now , I know this as I have just started wearing my bobble hat so it must mean it is getting colder. I feel the cold really badly , I have changed changed my energy supplier to another company so as to get a cheaper tariff. My Father in law is coming up to 82 and his partner she must be coming up to 88 and she is a strong willed lady, they enjoyed their coach holidays to Scotland and watching their soap opera on television. When they do  have their soap operas on however then you mustn't ring them or if you happen to be visiting then you must stay quiet, and they have the fire on so they are warm and cosy. So we made sure we got to my Father in Laws before the soaps were on , on one of our regular visits and we told them of our energy switch over and we discovered that that they could save money . 

Comparethemarket.com are particularly keen to encourage elderly people to think about how much they could save – research suggests that around 90% of those aged 65 and over have NEVER tried to switch energy supplier, despite the fact that a typical household can save up to £350 a year by switching energy suppliers. Having swapped ourselves we have saved £200 ,money  that is in my pocket now and no long frittered away with another energy company.

My father law is ecstatic that he has saved money , so long was he set in his ways , he always asks us things like "How is your job going ?" Is the car still going" which makes us chuckle as we wouldn't have been visiting him if the car wasn't going. My father in law has saved £220 , which is going straight to you guessed it a coach trip. Now if we. Now if we can only get him into the smartphone modern way then I'm sure he'd be converting the other pensioners on his trips out ! 

It is very important to look after the elderly they did and do so much for us , now is the time for us to do something for them and helping them save money is just one of the many things we can do this winter. Also encourage your elderly relatives and friends once they have switched to taken advantage of making sure that those savings do not fly out of an poorly insulated house, see how you can also help them keep their house warm.




In fact the other day I was talking to a lady in her fifties at a bus stop after our bus was delayed for an hour , she had sadly lost her husband recently. She was doing her best to keep her herself busy and was taking advice was age uk , one of the pieces of advice was about changing energy supplier. This courageous lady visits elderly people herself from her church while doing her up most to save them money where she could.


When you first go to Compare the market you come across this friendly screen with Oleg the baby meerkat , most of us have seen the adverts.

It doesn't matter if you don't have your bill you are still able to work out your savings by entering how big your house is, how many people live there etc.

It then asks you for email address

After you have entered this it shows you the prices.

Help spread the world with the #GreatBritishSwitch. Join The Great British Switch on Thunderclap and show your support.


Help keep the elderly warm this winter with the #GreatBritishSwitch from 14th – 16th November. For every switch this weekend comparethemarket.com will donate £5 to Friends of the Elderly


Disclosure: I have been given a fee for writing this but also money is being donated to Friends of the Elderly on my behalf.

#Blogfest the Review

The Good

I won a #blogfest ticket which is the  Mumsnet , they describe themselves as the sweary one that eat biscuits and your reputation does tend to come before you somewhat. From what I had heard last year was it was somewhat contraversial the equilvant of a rock star throwing a TV out of the window. Now I don't want the issue was but this year it was like going to a rather WI meeting only I wish I had, had the noddles and not the beef.], which was pardon my French bloody awful.

I didn't walk into this blog event and burst into tears feeling overhwhelmed , no did I come back from it feeling like I had lost my head , yes my frame of mind is different now.

Friends.

Friends is what matter.

Yes., I saw people there that gave me a glance of disdain and it is magnified because you are in a bloggers fish bowl for the want of a better phrase.


The Good

• I found my friends and what friends they are , I really do need friends when I come to these events to giggle with , discuss and feel human again.

• I felt I was lost in my feelings till I came but I found solace in my friends @mummygadgetgeek @messedupmum @beautwins @placticrosairies @snowingindoors  ( keeper of the scones) @dearmummy <<< super new friend.

The Bad 

The back turning on myself , the contrived hellos of some bloggers lost as they listened to other people about me.

C'est la vie I care not a nuns knickers.

The Good

The think bomb session was amazing for me and I really wish that 'some' cliquey bloggers could take this to heart and not make this scene like school sometimes but as ever I take the rough with the smooth.

I felt a little out of sorts on the self esteem table but I spoke , not quite sure I got what I wanted to get across . I was amazed and humbled by people like Charlotte Taylor who goes out of her way to talk to people and always has time for you.

When I first came into blogging I had my toe in many worlds , I was a new and exciting pet to behold for s, as blogging went on my obvious shinyness wore off for some Also my depression really kicked put my feelings out of kilter, and reactions to me in some cases were very serious ( and a dew know of this ) but in balance I can not stress enough that no one knows what battles we are truly fighting either them or my selves.

Coming to #blogfest I had good friends that put me in good balance before I got there and they understood that I need care and compassion , it is the ripple affect as I will go onto help many people myself.

Self Saucing Chocolate Pudding

Self saucing pudding, I saw them on the Great British Bake off with great awe, I couldn't do that could I ? surely not. I was utterly amazed how it works after all, it is like be a wizard in the kitchen

Ingredients

• 150g self raising flour
• 165g caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 125ml milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract/ or to make it different try an orange flavouring which would work really well with the cocoa.

• 30g butter melted
• 150g dark brown soft sugar
• 1 egg 
• 4 tablespoons of a good quality cocoa powder
• 425ml hot water

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. 


Grease an rectangular  ovenproof baking dish. Sift flour and cocoa into a large bowl. 

Stir in sugar.



Mix the butter, milk and egg in a jug, add the vanilla.

Next slowly  add to flour mixture, whisking until well combined and smooth. Spoon into baking dish. Smooth top with the back of a metal spoon.





Slowly pour  boiling water over the back of a large metal spoon to cover pudding.( This is the magic part ) 


Place dish onto a baking tray. Bake for 35  minutes or slightly less if you have a fan assisted oven  or until pudding bounces back when pressed gently in centre. 

Serve hot  in little ramekins with clotted  cream.

Disclosure : I kindly was provided with a gift card from Tesco in order to purchase some home ware items and ingredients. All recipes and thought, words and opinions are my own.

Please do adapt this recipe as you see fit.