July’s Blog Review

Wow what a scorcher! The temperature rose, along with tempers in some cases, but I’ve had a fun month and hope that you have too! We’ve been out baring our lily-white legs and complaining about the heat in typical British style, whilst making the most of what the great outdoors has to offer.

With the change in weather I managed a spot of camping and am spending much of my summer in my static caravan on the east coast. What are your summer plans?

Back on the subject of rising tempers, some of the things that annoyed me this month were free bus passes being automatically issued to those in their 60s however well off they are, stores putting their returns departments on their upper floors and people having loud phone conversations, peppered with expletives, whilst on public transport.

There were mixed reactions on the bus pass front, with suggestions that there should be some form of charge for issuing the passes to help with admin costs and comments that the qualifying age should be raised to 70, both of which I feel would help the situation.

In response to my ‘Mobile Madness’ blog, bemoaning the loud, explicit phone conversations passengers have on buses, JC remarked that this is a generational thing, which I agree with to a point, although I can’t help but smile when a really upbeat, current tune sounds as a ringtone, and is promptly answered by some grey-haired little old lady on the bus.

Reviews this month included ‘bake at home’ products, body creams, curl treatments and coffee shops. I also took trips to Colchester Zoo and Penshurst Place, both of which I highly recommend.

There’s lots more planned for August, so keep reading!

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From Treat To High Street

It used to be that you could only buy candy floss at the seaside or at a fair, which made it a big treat and an essential part of a family outing. Watching the sticky, pink confection being wound around the sticks, in anticipation of the sweet, melt-in-the-mouth experience (and the wind blowing it into your hair) was a highlight of many an outing for me. But now it seems this is no longer a treat reserved for trips to the fairground or days out by the sea, as my local shopping centre now has a permanent stall selling candy floss and popcorn.

Fresh popcorn (as opposed to the toffee stuff in bags) also used to be somewhat of a treat that formed part of a trip to the ‘pictures’ as we once called it. Cinemas still sell boxes of popcorn in a variety of sizes, but now this can be bought at the shopping centre stalls too.

Some of you may love the fact that these sweet treats are so readily available, but I feel that somehow they have been ‘demoted’ to something as mundane as a loaf of bread.

By making former treats seem like everyday items, what do we leave for treats in their place? Maybe we all expect much more from a treat today, in a world that has become ever more materialistic, or perhaps that’s just me being cynical.

Of course, we can opt to ignore these stalls (which I do) and still reserve these treats for seaside or fairground days. My son is a big fan of candy floss, but he only ever has it on traditional seaside trips. For him it remains a treat.

What else do you think has lost its ‘treat’ status?

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July’s Random Thoughts

Is it just me, or is there something sinister about the Birds Eye polar bear? I much preferred the ‘cool dude’ bear that used to advertise Cresta fizzy drinks – it’s frothy man!

It's not that random to wish I was there!

What’s happened to Mr Kipling Caramel Slices? They now have an uninteresting sponge base as opposed to the shortcake one, which meant they resembled a millionaire’s slice.

Have you noticed that in stores that are spread over more than one floor, the refund/exchange desk is often on an upper level? Is this to deter customers from using this facility, or is it just really bad planning?

Why is it that as soon as the hot, summer weather comes, the shops ditch all the summer dresses and swimwear and start stocking up on their autumn/winter lines? I want to buy clothing for the season that we’re in, not the one that’s coming in a couple of months!

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Refrigerated Dough Products

I remember when the Pillsbury Dough Boy was on our TV screens in the 70s extolling the virtues of his ‘home bake’ products. The Pillsbury products came in a type of can, which seemed to magically unroll to reveal the dough for the biscuits, buns or whatever you had bought.

Today, you can buy similar products still in these cans, made by Jus-Rol, a company under the General Mills umbrella, the people who bought out Pillsbury.

Spotting these products on half price offer at my local Tesco, I couldn’t resist giving them a go. I selected pizza bases (complete with tomato sauce), garlic pizza bread and croissants.

The pizza bases turned out to be an excellent buy. Each kit contains two quite large pizza bases with a jar of tomato sauce to spread on top. The slight snag is that you have to unroll the two bases which are joined to each other (there is a slight perforation), and you have to be careful not to let the bases stretch too much when doing this otherwise they can become too thin and holes can emerge. You can then top with whatever takes your fancy (I recommend Sainsburys Basics Grated Mozzarella at £1.15 per bag) and bake. The bases are light and crispy and represent really good value even at the full price of £2.65.

The garlic bread was delicious too. I liked the fact that it didn’t have a hard crust, but was soft and tasty. Just unroll the dough, spread with the garlic butter, separate into portions and bake.

The croissants proved to be the most disappointing of the products, as they rose very little and the taste was nowhere near as good as others I've tried. They can make a handy standby, but don't expect too much of the croissants.

These products are a great way to cheat at home baking!

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Summer Holidays

Well, here they are, the summer holidays have officially arrived, with many schools having now broken up for the next six weeks or so (my son finished last Friday).

You may now be looking for ways to pass the time and entertain the kids, unless you've signed up for one of the many holiday play schemes around the country. Perhaps you’re going away for at least some of the time, be it near or far, or looking to spend some recreation time nearer to home, in between juggling work and all the other commitments that you may have.

I’m fortunate in that I write to earn a crust and can pick up pen (yes, I do still draft some work in longhand) and head for my happy place (for those of you who aren’t familiar with this, my static caravan on the east coast).

In addition to writing my blog (purely for pleasure), I write for a few businesses, composing copy for their websites, brochures, company blogs and press releases, and inventing slogans. Fortunately, there is no conflict of interest with my own blog writing as the businesses that I write for include an engineering firm, construction company and some double-glazing suppliers, as opposed to High Street retailers or visitor attractions.

I’m also putting the finishing touches to a couple of short stories, and have drafted the synopsis of a book, which I may or may not actually get round to writing.

So this summer I will be combining time at my caravan with trips back home, so that I can keep an eye on my elderly mother (she suffers from dementia) and see my daughters and baby grandson. I may even get to throw in a brief camping trip if I’m lucky.

With a busy schedule ahead, I’ve decided to reduce my blog posts to around three a week (you may already have noticed that they’ve fallen from five to four), to allow time for other projects and to enjoy summer pursuits with my family, especially my son during his school holidays.

Whatever you’re doing this summer, I hope you have a fantastic time, and do continue to look in on my blog when you get the chance.

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Free Bus Passes

As it currently stands, individuals in their 60s are eligible for a free bus pass, allowing them travel on local bus services around the country, regardless of affluence or fitness. Should this really be the case?

With an ever-growing ageing population, many of whom enjoy good health, surely it’s time the age limit for a bus pass was raised. The sheer number of bus passes that are provided must be huge, putting a great strain on funding, which could be diverted to more pressing issues, such as healthcare.

Free bus passes are funded by the Government (Department of Transport), who pass the funds on to local councils, who in turn pay the relevant bus companies. But in some cases funding falls short of what is required, and council taxes may be raised.

Age on its own should possibly not be a qualifying factor, or at least not before the age of 70 or even 75. Individuals younger than this should still qualify if they are on a very low income (it could be related to those receiving pension credits for example) and those whose state of health limits their mobility. Bus passes are already issued to those who have been judged to have a ‘severe disability’ or particular medical condition.

Why should public funds be used to enable really quite wealthy individuals to travel for free? The amount of times recently I have heard well-heeled ‘celebs’ crowing about their free passes is quite sickening. I am certainly of the opinion that this is not right.

Some days I board a bus where I appear to be the only fare-paying passenger. Although many of my fellow travellers appear deserving of their passes, there are others for whom it seems totally inappropriate. Take the group of ladies I see in their designer sportswear heading to a local (expensive) gym on their free passes! Ok, maybe I shouldn’t judge, it just seems pretty inappropriate when so many deserving people are struggling for want of other things that could have received the finance instead.

I really do believe new criteria should be introduced when deciding who should qualify for a free bus pass. What do you think?

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Body Creams

I always make sure that I use some form of body moisturiser on a daily basis. The main all-over product that I use is usually Dove Firming Lotion, which is light, easily absorbed and keeps my skin in good condition. However, for drier areas I apply a richer body cream.

One of my favourite body creams is Nivea Soft a light, yet deep moisturising product with a hint of the classic Nivea scent. However, I was recently tempted by Avon Naturals Cherry Blossom Moisturising Body Whip, as I expected it to have a gorgeous smell. I was somewhat disappointed when I came to use it however, as the product was thinner, verging on watery, and less luxurious than I had imagined, whilst the scent was far too delicate – I could barely smell anything. This product just doesn’t work for me.

Another body product that caught my eye recently was Wilko Mango Body Butter from Wilkinson, which comes in a really eye-catching orange tub and smells absolutely gorgeous. It's rich, without being too heavy and is easily absorbed into the skin. I'd previously avoided buying body butters, believing they would be too greasy, but I actually love this one.

Which products would you recommend?

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