Swan Rescue

Another of our Yorkshire holiday trips was a visit to Lightwater Valley Theme Park, once again courtesy of Tesco Clubcard vouchers.

Two things made an impression on our arrival at the park – the lovely countryside setting and the amazing animatronic dinosaurs at the entrance.

On entering the park properly, the first area that we came to was filled with fairground rides, although we soon realised our favourite of these (the dodgems) was missing. What did grab our attention was the birds of prey centre, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Containing many species of owls and other birds, and even a small snake section, this made for interesting viewing and a change from the rides.

A wide selection of rides are on offer at the park, a good number that are suitable for younger children, as well as some more daring thrill rides. The park setting is great for picnics and the little train that runs round the park is a good way to view what’s on offer.

The Lightwater swan rescue begins!

One of the more traditional attractions available is the pedalo ride, little boats in the shape of swans. We fancied a relaxing trip across the lake, so we climbed aboard. The boats hold four people and are operated by a steering wheel as opposed to a tiller. This should have been straightforward, but unfortunately we were assigned a boat that malfunctioned.

A short way into our ride the steering would no longer allow for a right turn. “Never mind”, we thought, “We’ll just do a circuit bearing left.”

But no! It then refused to go in even a straight line (having jammed) and would only send us round in small circles. As we started to drift into the bank, we waved at the attendants on shore – who promptly ignored us!

For some time we debated how best to remedy our situation, until finally another family came along and offered to tow us in. This was not as easy as it sounds, as both boats kept drifting, but after a concerted effort, we made it back to dock – some 40 minutes after setting out!

The young girls managing the ride were still oblivious to our plight, and looked blankly when we tried to explain. However, we eventually managed to persuade them to contact maintenance and left it in their hands.

Looking back we found the situation slightly comical, but at the time it was extremely annoying!

Our saviours!

Apart from this blip, we quite enjoyed our day; Lightwater Valley is a bit different from other theme parks that we have visited.

June’s Japes

The warmer weather has seen a return to the family picnic. One of our favourite picnic spots is Reculver in Kent, where we recently enjoyed another lovely trip. For those of you not familiar with Reculver, it’s on the North Kent coast and is the site of a former Roman fort, still boasting the ruin of a 12^th century church. The area is also a country park with small visitor centre and has a beach complete with rock pools. Car parking is a bargain, at 20p per hour or £1 for the day! However, the car park is not that big, sometimes resulting in queues. Despite that it’s a great place to visit.

Of course, a picnic isn’t complete without the food, for which I turn to the Tesco picnic range for additions to the usual home-filled rolls and healthy fruit. Their tubs of picnic goodies can be bought on a two for £3 deal, and include pasties, cheese onion rolls, pizza pockets and our new favourite, mini chicken kievs.

Until last year we owned a static caravan, which we kept on an independent site on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. However, following our rural move, we decided to sell up and just in the nick of time it now emerges! When we’d first bought our caravan we’d kept it on a Park Holidays site in Kent, but due to astronomic charges and appalling service, we moved to an independent site – Broadland Sands. Now I’ve heard this once lovely caravan park has been taken over by, you’ve guessed it, Park Holidays – a company that I do not recommend. If we hadn’t already removed our caravan from the site, we would now!

In light of that last revelation, you may like to read Static Caravans Can Move and Static Caravan Update

Finally, having had a couple of years break from English Heritage, we’ve just rejoined using Tesco vouchers. For £30 worth of vouchers, we’ve been able to take out a year’s joint membership (includes up to six children under 19 free), which is great value considering the number of places we can now visit at no extra cost. It’s a great use of Tesco Clubcard vouchers!

How did June work out for you?

The Controller Of The Bus

Buses remain a popular (perhaps by necessity), if somewhat frustrating, means of transport. There are various bus companies dotted around the country, with some performing far better than others.

My local area is served by Arriva, and sadly I have had some recent cause for complaint. Despite the fact that fares seem to increase every few months, services don’t always run as expected and communication with customers is rather lacking.

Living in a more rural area, we certainly seem to get a rough deal. With buses timetabled at varying intervals of between one and two hours, we suffer terribly when a certain bus fails to turn up, which seems to be happening more frequently. What makes this even more frustrating is that our complaints and comments fail to be met with any concern by Arriva.

Following a disastrous journey, when yet another bus failed to turn up as expected, meaning a two-hour gap between buses, I used the online complaints procedure operated by Arriva. The automated email response assured me that I would receive a reply within ten working days – over two weeks later I was still waiting!

Eventually, nearer three weeks after the event, I was called by an adviser, who although uttered an apology, did not make it heartfelt, nor were there any promises to endeavour to provide a better service in future. Despite the mechanical ‘sorry’, the tone of the whole conversation indicated more of a ‘hard luck’.

The missing bus was blamed on a breakdown, which I appreciate does happen, but my real gripe was lack of information. Considering I was boarding the bus at a major bus station to journey home, and had spoken to an inspector who had assured me that the bus was on its way, I was naturally frustrated that I was not told when it was discovered that the bus was taken out of service.

According to the adviser at the other end of the telephone, this was because the bus station had not been informed. But why ever not? Surely keeping passengers informed of such circumstances should be a priority. It should have been quite straightforward to notify someone at the bus station of the problem, with that person then passing on the message to waiting passengers. This should just be basic procedure.

However, it seems that bus operators can just do as they please, even if it involves leaving passengers stranded for hours, without much thought for their welfare. Communicating with the public seems totally beyond them and they really don’t seem bothered by this. The problem is, in many areas, there is no decent competition to make the bus companies try harder. There is no incentive to be more customer friendly.

There are, I believe, some bus companies that serve passengers better than others. On a trip visiting family in Dorset, it struck me how much cheaper and how more frequent services were than in my area. Indeed, I’ve heard that in some areas fares are very reasonable, but Arriva South East certainly run a more costly service that leaves much to be desired.

Indeed as I write this post I’ve heard of a reduction in services on certain routes, combining a current half-hourly service with a twenty-minute one, forming a hybrid of the two routes with buses running half-hourly. Yet their advert for this new service proclaims: “Buses more often”! Can’t work that out at all; Arriva obviously can’t do their maths.

What do you think of your local bus service?

Travelodge – A Peaceful Harbour

It’s been some time since we stayed in a Travelodge, having not had any distant family gatherings or long haul visits needing accommodation in the past year or so. However, a couple of weeks ago, hubby and I decided to have an impromptu break whilst our son was up to knees in a river in Wales (geography field trip).

My husband had wanted to visit The Turner Contemporary in Margate for some time, so we decided to head down to Thanet and make an overnight stay of it. The gallery itself was disappointing (see wheres-turner for more about that) but our choice of Travelodge was a great success.

Before travelling, I’d trawled the Internet for B&B accommodation that looked promising, but didn’t find much to my liking. So I decided to see if there were any Travelodges in the area that may be worth a try. I was immediately drawn to the Ramsgate Seafront hotel, which overlooks the harbour. Prices were reasonable (£47 for double room) and we decided to go for the breakfast option bringing the total to just over £60.

Although this branch did not have dedicated parking, it was opposite a public car park where it cost just £4 to leave our car for 24 hours.

On arrival we received a friendly greeting from the guy on reception and were promptly directed to our room. My immediate thought as I entered said room was that it actually looked different from other Travelodge rooms we’d stayed in before. It definitely felt a bit ‘higher end’ with a really comfy king-sized bed, tasteful decoration and a smarter looking bathroom. I understand that Travelodge is currently updating some of its hotels, so hopefully we’ll be able to enjoy more of these improved rooms.

The cleanliness of the room was also better than some we’d visited and all of the staff that we encountered during our stay were friendly and helpful.

We’d never gone for the breakfast option at a Travelodge before, partly because all that had been on offer was a ‘pre-packed’ version, but at this branch a full buffet breakfast was provided. By pre-booking our breakfast it was £1 cheaper per person than if we’d decided to request it on the day, a small saving but worth bearing in mind. We were able to help ourselves to whatever we wanted from a number of choices including various cereals, fruit, croissants, scrambled egg, bacon, sausages, tomatoes, beans, toast and various preserves. There was apple and orange juice to drink as well as tea and a range of coffee. We left feeling very replete!

There had also been an evening meal option too, but we had decided not to go for this, as we had wanted to stroll out in the evening and eat elsewhere. As luck would have it, just a very short distance from where we were staying, we found a pub/restaurant called ‘The Goose’. This worked on the principle of a Wetherspoons but the food was actually nicer and even better value. We enjoyed two main courses for just £8.95 and two delicious desserts for just £4.75 (not each but for the two!) I can highly recommend the food and service at The Goose!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Travelodge Ramsgate Seafront and would certainly return for another visit. Thank you to everyone there.

You can view this accommodation at travelodge.co.uk/hotels/510/Ramsgate-Seafront

You can also read my previous Travelodge reviews and comments by visiting:

travelodge-tales-latest

travelodge-tips

travelodge-tales  

Open All Hours

It’s been reported that a record number of convenience stores will be opening their doors on Christmas Day this year. OK, so technically the word ‘convenience’ implies that they’re there for you, but surely there has to be a time when even these shops close for a well-earned break.

The thought of all shops being closed on December 25^th appears to horrify some customers. “What if we suddenly discover we’ve forgotten the brandy butter or batteries?” they despair. So what? You carry on without them just like we did in the days when shops not only closed for the one big day, but several others too. If Christmas Day and Boxing Day fell at the weekend, Monday and Tuesday were declared Bank Holidays, with shops shutting for the full four days! And this in the days before a lot of homes featured a freezer!

Celebrate don't shop!

Another argument for allowing shops to open on this date is that not all religions celebrate Christmas, so should be allowed to do as they please on this day. Fair enough up to a point. However, I see no harm in declaring December 25^th a National Kinship Day, where people have the day off (with the exception of those providing vital services, of course) to celebrate family and friendship. Sometimes we all need a bit of time out of our busy schedules to appreciate those around us, unwind and be grateful for our lives. Whatever your beliefs this is a concept that we can share.

So personally, whatever I find that I’ve neglected to buy on Christmas morning, I will definitely not be venturing out to the shops to track down. Nor will I be scuttling out come Boxing Day to attack the sales. This time of year, I’m quite happy for shopping to take a back seat.

Sadly with our 24/7 culture many people want everything permanently on tap. But here’s a thought, you can survive when the shops are shut!

Memories At Manston

It’s been a while since we’ve had a family day out, what with trying to arrange our new home into something vaguely liveable (read more at ruraljoy to throw some light on this one) and the weather becoming chillier and gloomier. So when a Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny, it seemed a good time to take my son out on a quest for material for his art project on ‘conflict”.

We trawled the Internet to find somewhere in our home county of Kent that would make for an interesting visit, whilst fulfilling the brief, so to speak, choosing the Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum at Manston.

Situated on the old airfield site, the museum is easy to find and both parking and entrance are free, although there is a donation box, which merits your attention! You can also purchase items at the shop (I bought an interesting wartime-related cookbook) and enjoy a cuppa or a meal at the Merlin Cafeteria attached to the museum.

Although small, the museum does have rather a ‘wow’ factor, displaying one of the few surviving Spitfires and a famous Hawker Hurricane, each housed in their own room surrounded by interesting and diverse memorabilia. Indeed, there are some very poignant displays, telling the stories of the men involved in air combat in WWII. There are also examples of everyday items from the World War II era, giving more depth and understanding of the time.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and my son was able to get some great photos to help with his art.

On leaving the museum we noticed another building opposite, which turned out to be the RAF Manston History Museum – another little gem, so we discovered. With admission costing just £1.50 for adults and 50p for children, this contains items representing the history of the airfield between 1916 until the present day, with examples of both military and civil aircraft.

Displays include a section of a wartime street (my son found this particularly interesting), film footage of the bouncing bomb, aircraft of various types and ages and military vehicles. There is even a doodlebug!

We found the two museums very informative and enjoyable and I can definitely recommend a visit to them both, as they each have much to offer visitors – an enlightening experience!    

I Love My Loyalty Cards

Like many shoppers, I was quite incensed to hear that Sainsburys’ are halving the amount of Nectar points that they award to customers as of April next year. They will only be awarding one point per pound spent, as opposed to the current two (two points are only worth 1p ).

It’s true to say that Nectar points always have been slightly inferior to those awarded by Tesco Clubcard, with the exchange rate of the latter being four times their face value when converted to Days Out vouchers, and each point being equal to 1p .

There are some shoppers (misguided in my opinion) that question the value of loyalty cards, but I believe that any reward you are given for shopping is better than no reward at all.

Less effective than a loyalty card

The argument goes, that if stores are operating reward schemes, they subsequently have to set their prices a little higher to offset these incentives. However, I would refute this, as many good value items I buy are purchased in shops that offer reward points.

Many of the products that I purchase in places such as Tesco and Superdrug, are not only cheaper or at least comparable to those offered at other shops, but earn me points. Over the years I have acquired so many points under the Clubcard scheme, that we have been able to pay for several family days out each year, including trips to expensive theme parks, which we would not otherwise have afforded. Even if I have occasionally paid a few pence more for the odd product or two, I have received this amount back umpteen times over. It’s true to say, that if I could have bought some items slightly cheaper elsewhere and put the pennies I’d saved into a savings account, I would not have accumulated anywhere near enough to pay for the equivalent number of fun outings.

I regard all loyalty cards (and I can boast a considerable collection) as mini saving schemes that allow me to enjoy life’s little extras. Unless prices are considerably higher in a shop that offers a good value scheme, I am unlikely to shop for identical products somewhere that does not offer me these extra benefits.

So my message to Sainsburys’, and any other stores planning to reduce or withdraw their points schemes, is that this may result in a customer-cutting exercise as opposed to your intended cost-cutting one!

Return To Lidl

Following my discovery of gorgeous cherry brandy and yummy chocolate at Lidl (loving Lidl post), I decided to return to the store, scouring the aisles for more products that might be worth a try.

It’s true to say that I did find some surprises! I was quite impressed with the fresh meat, Red Tractor assured British no less, and bought 500g steak mince for £2.59, diced chicken fillets for £2.69 and four fresh quarter pounder burgers for £2.99 – all lean products at reasonable prices. It’s definitely worth stocking up with some of these packs of meat and popping them in the freezer.

The whole family also enjoyed the frozen Harvest Basket potato wedges and oven chips at just 59p a bag, which make handy standbys to accompany many a meal.

Also highly recommended is Valley Spire Mature Cheddar. It’s a great price at just £1.75 for a pack and has a good flavour, great with crackers.

What will I find next?

The Casualty Experience

Last week I had the misfortune to visit the A&E department of my local hospital. It was a worrying experience, not just because of the nature of my symptoms, but I knew the hospital was in special measures and had suffered recent bad press.

As a former nurse I am always more critical as a patient, as I know what should happen ‘behind the scenes’ so to speak. So it was with some trepidation that I arrived in the department as a patient.

The initial reception was quite good, I was booked in straight away (it was about midnight and reasonably quiet) went directly to triage and in no time was sitting in the queue for an x-ray. At this stage of the proceedings I was relatively impressed.

However, after this great start, things went downhill somewhat. Despite there only being about half a dozen patients in the general waiting area, a couple of hours seemed to pass with only the odd person being called. Now I know from experience, there is also the trolley area to account for and Resus (resuscitation area) to staff, but usually there are nurses assigned to each area. A couple of ambulance drivers appeared to book in patients, who then seemed to walk out and join us in the general waiting area anyway. So I can’t understand the delay, especially as I observed several staff members just wandering aimlessly around. When I worked for a time in A&E, I never remember having time to amble, but was kept busy the whole shift.

All that said, when I was seen by a doctor, the service and attention I was given was very good. She examined me thoroughly and performed a few tests, the results of which I then had to wait for until a final diagnosis could be made. This involved another couple of hours waiting time.

Finally, with the results back, I was discharged with appropriate medication and advice, which has thankfully since enabled me to feel much better.

But that’s not the end of the story.

Getting out of the car park proved to be a bit of an ordeal. It’s one of those parking arrangements where you pay at a machine just before you leave, although I do believe this used to be free during certain overnight hours. Anyway, we attempted to put our money in the machine (£5 would you believe?), but it kept rejecting our coins. As it was we had to scrape around for the funds as parking charges are hardly the first thing on your mind when you rush off to casualty.

Finally a member of staff came and directed us to another machine further away (by this time I was really tired and still in pain, despite analgesia) and just wanted to get home. Unfortunately this machine didn’t like are coins either, so we had to locate help, enabling us to hand over our money to a real person to validate our ticket. I do think the whole system of hospital parking is atrocious as I’ve formerly blogged see here

As a final postscript to my visit, a few days afterwards I received a text asking me to rate my experience and state how likely I would be to recommend that particular A&E department to family and friends. What a ridiculous question! If you’re experiencing an emergency situation, you’re hardly likely to survey people you know, you’ll just head to the nearest place that will help. Although in a separate text I was given the freedom to say what I wanted about my visit – perhaps I should just send them the link to this blog!

Shopping Habits

Despite my recent move, which means that I’m now much further away from the nearest supermarket (see ruraljoy ) I’m not about to change from doing my weekly shop in person, to ordering online.

I’ve heard tales from friends and family, bemoaning incomplete orders and poor substitution of products, which certainly don’t inspire me to join the online shopping revolution.

OK I know that for every negative story that I hear, there are probably many positive experiences to be shared, but my aversion to online supermarket shopping goes much deeper than all that.

The problem is I’m a very fussy shopper (you may have realised that by now if you’re a regular reader of my blog) and take great pains to select the right items fit for my shopping trolley. I turn over many a bunch of bananas, bag of potatoes, pack of meat etc before making my final choice. The thought of someone else making these decisions for me brings me out in a cold sweat – I need to be in control of the shopping!

Well, maybe that sounds a bit extreme, but there’s no getting away from the fact that I like what I like – and I quite like to shop. So no matter how much longer it may now take to get to the shops or how far the distance involved, I will continue to trawl the supermarket aisles and fill my trolley with exactly what I want.

Are you a fussy shopper?

A Day At Thrigby Hall

During my latest stay in East Anglia, I visited the delightful Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens near Great Yarmouth, which proved to be a real treat.

Thrigby centres on the wildlife of Asia, housing creatures such as tigers, leopards, red pandas, gibbons, crocodiles, snakes and storks. Although not one of the country’s largest wildlife parks, it offers a lovely garden setting, and represents great value for money, with admission costing just £13.50 for adults and £9.50 for children.

One of the things that my son and I particularly liked about our visit was the opportunity to get close to the animals due to the walk-through enclosures, treetop walks and tiger tunnel. The treetop walk near to the gibbons’ enclosure allowed us to watch these fascinating animals swinging through the trees whilst being at their level.

One of the most stunning animals from our point of view, however, was the clouded leopard, which has the most beautiful markings. Other high points as far as my son was concerned were the crocodiles in the swamp house and the snakes (he particularly enjoyed feeding time for these).

Overall Thrigby is very well laid out and I was pleased to discover that the café provided very reasonably priced lunches – soup and a roll for £2.50, hot pasties for £1.80 and a selection of sandwiches, snacks and jacket potatoes. Ice creams were also standard prices, as opposed to the over-inflated ones charged at some attractions.

We thoroughly enjoyed our day at Thrigby and recommend it for a fun, yet educational, family day out.

Return To The Hills

I’ve really been enjoying the recent sunny, summer days and spending time at my caravan in East Anglia, where we’ve been on some more fun family outings.

Last week we made a return visit to Pleasurewood Hills in Lowestoft, that we visited for the first time last year.

Once again we were entertained by the fun parrot and sea lion shows, but instead of the illusion extravaganza supplied last year by Sean Alexander, we were thrilled by the amazing Acapulco High Dive Show team, who demonstrated a great range of high dives displaying both dramatic and comedic elements. The show definitely had the ‘wow’ factor.

Of course we also enjoyed a variety of rides, though I must confess to be more of a spectator when it comes to the big ‘thrill’ rides such as Wipeout (a large roller coaster that goes backwards, forwards, upside down etc) and Enigma (with its dramatic plunge). But thankfully, Pleasurewood Hills offers a good variety of family rides, which are literally much more down to earth.

It was very relaxing to ride the paddle boats (OK, I was a passenger allowing others to do the work), great fun being driven in the dodgems by my son, who is a master of the avoidance technique, and like a return to childhood riding the carousel and miniature railway!

The theme park has a lovely, friendly feel and a relaxing countryside setting, making it a great choice for a family, summer outing.

In May I …

… have been getting to grips with mastering my new hairstyle. My new cut meant a change in blow-drying technique and even saw me ‘investing’ in a set of straighteners. It called hardly be called investing however, as I picked up a bargain from Sainsbury’s where Phil Smith hair-styling sets were being sold at a 75% discount. For around £7 I bought a handy travel bag containing ceramic-plated mini straighteners with cover and a handy folding hairbrush. A really great buy!

 

… ate lots of Duerr’s Ginger Preserve. It all started when I lost my appetite due to a bug, and the thought of most food left me feeling queasy. As ginger is recommended a stomach settler, I decided to give it a go, and am still totally hooked on it long after recovering from said bug. It’s delicious on toast.

… made lots of lists. Lists of people to notify about change of address, lists of jobs to do on the current house to leave it in order, lists of what is to be stored where during our complicated multi-stage move, lists of food for my mother-in-law’s 90^th birthday bash … perhaps what I really need is a list of lists.

 

…read ‘Peril On The Royal Train’, another great story from the Railway Detective series, penned by Edward Marston. I really enjoy these crime stories set in the golden age of steam and featuring the masterful Inspector Colbeck and the feisty love of his life Madeleine. The tales are very atmospheric – a piece of history and crime combined.

… also read ‘The Missing One’ by Lucy Atkins, which I found quite chilling yet felt compelled to read at the same time. The book demonstrates how keeping family secrets can have far-reaching consequences and disturbing effects.

My Best Buys This May

I’ve really been enjoying the return to salad weather and tucking into Tesco Sweet and Smoky Beetroot – shredded beetroot that actually isn’t dowsed in vinegar. To my mind this is how beetroot should be eaten. I’m a bit unsure about the packaging though. It proclaims, “I’m new” and “Keep me in the fridge”. Er, I don’t think it can actually talk Tesco, so why insist on trying to thrust this human quality on it?

In our household, we occasionally enjoy a glass of Sprite/7Up Zero, but it can be pricey at around £2 for a 2-litre bottle, so I was thrilled when I discovered Tesco Lemon and Lime Zero for just 65p for the same size bottle. But then I was even happier when I found Sainsbury’s Lemon and Lime Zero for just 55p a bottle! Although the price has now risen to 60p it’s still a great buy, which is as tasty as the big name brands.

For a lovely summer meal, we’ve been enjoying Sainsbury’s Minted Lamb Grills (frozen, 4 for £2) accompanied by Sainsbury’s Microwaveable Golden Vegetable Rice (frozen, £1 for 2 sachets) and served with a salad. This is a tasty, budget, family meal that is quick and easy to prepare.

As a bit of a treat I’ve bought Marks and Spencer Passion Fruit and Peach Jaffa Cakes. They are absolutely gorgeous, but strangely come in packs of eleven, what’s wrong with twelve? Nevertheless, Jaffa Cakes have come of age!

Follow me on Twitter @shoppersjoy

A Life In Boxes

As I write this I’m sitting in a house filled with boxes. Cardboard boxes of all sizes that are currently being filled with what amounts to my life.

This may all seem very melodramatic, but I’m sure the coming months (and beyond) are likely to be filled with a certain amount of drama. We’re about to embark on a rather complicated move, which we’re trying to synchronize and plan with precision. Yeh right!

In our household we don’t often do plans. We more commonly operate on a kind of ‘make-it-up-as-you-go-along’ mentality. Many a time we’ve enjoyed an outing or holiday where the kids (can barely call them that now) have exclaimed, “Wow, you did well planning that one!” At which point hubby and I exchange knowing looks indicating, “Well, actually we made it up as we went along”.

What I’m actually anticipating is an element of chaos and the likelihood that ‘plans’, such as they are, will change on a near daily basis.

We’re currently at stage one of said move – packing all the things that we can manage quite nicely without for some time into a series of boxes, duly sealed and labelled. These will then be stored so that we can enter stage two.

Of course, part of this process involves ditching the junk, which is easy for me as I’m a ‘serial sorter’ anyway. Any excuse and you’ll find me rummaging through various cupboards and drawers, throwing out unwanted items and meticulously putting the rest in order. It’s something I do when I have things on my mind that I just can’t seem to resolve – a psychologist would have a field day with me! The good thing is that now the rest of the family have the incentive to clear out all their junk too!

So on to stage two. This will mean moving all our remaining belongings into what we are calling ‘temporary accommodation number one’. Basically a brief period spent kind of indoor camping at a relative’s outbuilding, before spending the majority of the summer in our beloved static caravan.

OK. With me so far?

At the end of summer we’ll be getting ‘temporary accommodation number two’ in place and that’s when the fun begins …

More than that I won’t reveal at this time, as final arrangements have to be confirmed and we have much work to do. All I will say is that we’ll be trading a suburban lifestyle for village life, views of the house opposite for a countryside scene and busy roads and good transport links for winding lanes and an hourly bus service.

So keep watching for future posts when more will be revealed …

Follow me on Twitter @shoppersjoy

Paper Bills

The Internet has proved such a useful tool in so many ways. The choices are endless – ordering shopping, booking holidays, comparing prices, researching everything from family trees to ‘useless’ facts – but using it should remain just that, a choice.

It appears that the answer to almost anything is increasingly becoming “Look on the Internet”. This is fine for those people who are actually able to do so and, indeed, want to. However, there are still a large number of people who don’t have access to the Web, whether it’s due to financial restraints, lack of skills or personal choice. That is why in any situation people should be given a valid alternative without penalty.

Even though I regularly use the Internet for a list of tasks, there are still a few things that I prefer not to do online. When it comes to bills, online versions are all very well, but I have to remember to look for them. At least receiving a paper bill requires no more thought than retrieving it from the doormat!

Of course, pre-Internet we all regularly received our paper bills as there was no alternative, but if we want to continue receiving them in this way, we often have to pay a charge. Although not extortionate (commonly around £1.50), this is still unfair to many people who do not have any choice in the matter – pensioners, those on a low budget etc. The very people for who every penny counts!

 

Although I opt for some of my bills to be sent on paper, it’s exactly that, a choice. For others it’s a necessity for which they should not be charged.

Companies obviously opt for online billing to reduce their costs and paperwork, but if they could afford to send paper bills out at no extra charge when all customers received them, then surely they can continue to do so for the reduced number of people now receiving them in this way.

As for the ‘saving paper’ argument, those bills that I do receive online still have to be printed off for tax purposes as we’re a self-employed household – and we’re not the only ones.

So maybe it’s time that companies reviewed the billing situation to allow everyone a ‘free choice.

What do you think?

This March I’ve …

… seen the Lego Movie, which was essential as my son is absolutely mad about all things Lego. It was actually really quite fun, although I thought the appearance of ‘real people’ towards the end spoilt the atmosphere somewhat. And for days afterwards I went round singing, “Everything is awesome!” – an annoyingly catchy tune!

… been drinking Lemsip Max Wild Berry and Orange cold relief drink, having succumbed to a bout of the sniffles. I’ve always found the lemon version too acidic; this is more like drinking mulled wine – although of course without the wine.

… started the spring-cleaning. Like many people I’m not a fan of all the scrubbing and deep cleaning, but I love a good sort out. In fact any time of year I will happily dejunk cupboards and drawers and rearrange things into neat boxes – I find it very therapeutic. I’m definitely not a hoarder.

... been doing lots of present shopping. In addition to Mothers' Day and Easter, there are a lot of family birthdays to buy for this time of year, but I love trying to find novel gifts.

… discovered the books by Elly Griffiths, a series of crime mysteries set in Norfolk featuring DCI Harry Nelson and forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway. There are some gripping story lines that take many twists and turns, making compelling reading.

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Free Coffee

There have been loyalty cards available from coffee shops, and indeed anywhere that you can purchase a cup of the brew, for many years.

I’ve spent a good many years myself peeling the little stickers off McDonald’s coffee cups, collecting the required six per card to claim my free cup of latte.

For some time I’d also had my Marks and Spencer loyalty card stamped, although this required ten stamps to qualify for a freebie, until the service at my local branch deteriorated somewhat, and I decided to seek refreshment elsewhere.

Last year I acquired a Tesco Family Café (Fonta Nella) card, which in the spirit of McDonald’s requires six stamps for a free coffee, and is handy for grabbing a latte to get me through the weekly shop.

But most recently, I’ve added a Greggs’ loyalty card to my collection – rather startling considering I’d had a bit of a falling out with them just over a year ago. I still haven’t returned to their cafés, but do sometimes grab a take-away coffee when on a shopping mission. In this case, you have to get the card stamped nine times (strange number) to be rewarded with a coffee, so it’s not as good as Tesco and McDonald’s but preferable to M&S.

Mind you, all of the aforementioned cards appear to offer better deals than a Costa card as far as I can see. I abandoned thoughts of getting this one, when it appeared that I’d have to spend the equivalent cost of a small family home (OK, bit of an exaggeration) to having any hope of having a coffee on the house.

But I have to say, free is always good, so I’ll keep collecting those stamps!

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The Cost Of Crafting

I enjoy working on a number of different craft projects, including knitting, crochet, cross stitch, tapestry and rug making. But I have to say that it can become quite an expensive pastime if you’re not careful. Ever the thrifty bargain-hunter, I endeavour to enjoy my hobbies on a budget.

In the past, it seemed that knitting garments was a cheap way to kit out the family. My mum knitted me many a cardigan when I was small, which I imagine she did quite cheaply as we operated on a tight budget. Many people used to unpick unwanted knitted garments and use the resulting wool to make new ones, which was a good way of recycling too.

Today wool can be very expensive. I recently spotted a pattern for a lovely jumper that I quite fancied knitting. However, I soon changed my mind when I realised that I needed 600g of the specified wool costing almost £7 per 100g. I could have bought several ready made jumpers at that price! OK, I wouldn’t have had the enjoyment of making them, but I need my hobbies to be cost-effective.

I often stock up on wool when I see a special offer or sale, and for some basic makes wool from Wilkinson or The Works is adequate, though not good enough for a supersoft jumper. I often make small items such as gloves and scarves from odd bits of wool that I have left over. But I really can’t get enthusiastic about some of the more twee knitting projects that I see – what would I do with a collection of knitted cupcakes anyway?

Knitting patterns too can prove a large expense, which is why I tend to buy the occasional knitting magazine. For around £5 I get a number of knitting patterns and often a knitting accessory or a couple of small balls of wool included in the price.

Many other crafts were traditionally used as a cheap way to make things for the home. Think rag rugs, hand embroidered table linen, colourful samplers and a host of sewing projects run up on the trusted ‘Singer’. Now many crafts have become big business, with shops such as Hobbycraft (too over-priced for my liking) cashing in on the trend.

I love cross stitch, but once again the kits can be very costly – even the price of separate aida fabric and threads can add up. I’ve discovered a good trick is to buy the cheap kits from the ‘bargain bins’ regardless of whether you like the design.  I recently bought a few kits at just a couple of pounds each, some from a local craft shop and some from The Works, resulting in enough materials to make plenty of cross stitch cards over the coming year and maybe a small picture too. To get inspiration for the designs I buy Cross Stitch Magazines from time to time, so that I always have a suitable project to work on.

To my mind, although I largely work on craft projects for the enjoyment, I also need them to be value for money, so that I can gain pleasure from them without breaking the bank.

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Happy Valentine’s Day – Again!

The presence of heart-shaped chocolates and the increase of cute, fluffy toys in the shops over recent weeks have heralded the approach of Valentine’s Day – and now it’s arrived.

Last year, I wrote about the history of Valentine’s Day, which you can read here. The tradition of Valentine’s certainly gives us the opportunity to remind a loved one how much we care and for some it proves an ideal time to drum up the courage to ask someone they fancy on a date. It can be a popular time for proposals, and indeed weddings. Valentine’s Day is actually my wedding anniversary too!

But we shouldn’t just rely on today to be romantic and show how much we care. Whispering sweet nothings and presenting our loved ones with little gifts and chocolate shouldn’t be things that we do only on special occasions. Whether we are talking about the love we have for our husbands/wives/partners or the more general love we have for family and friends, we should take the time to express it once in a while, whatever the day or date.

At the other end of the scale, Valentine’s Day can be a sad reminder of loneliness for those not in a relationship or at least surrounded by a good network of friends. The full-on hearts and roses theme of the day can make some people feel a little excluded.

So this Valentine’s Day, don’t just remember romantic love, take the time to show and tell others how much you appreciate them too, and remember to make people feel loved and wanted all year round, not just today.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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