This February I’m Loving …

Tetley Tea Folk Cherry Scones, a tasty, tea-time treat. Great tasting, crumbly scones with yummy cherries, £1 for 6 at Tesco.

Sainsbury’s Live Well For Less magazine, not just because it’s free (pick it up in store), but because it’s packed with useful, healthy, tasty recipes for the whole family.

Asda Extra Special Extra Juicy Lemonade, made with real lemon juice and spring water, 78p for 2 litres. This has a really good flavour and has lower sugar content than some of the big brands.

The Mothers’ Day cross-stitch bookmark kit with the current issue (dated March 2013) of Cross Stitch Crazy magazine (£4.99). Get crafty for Mothers’ Day and show mum you care.

Colgate Sensitive Pro-relief Enamel Repair toothpaste. I found the original pro-relief toothpaste really effective for calming sensitive teeth, but was torn between using that and an enamel repair toothpaste, but now I don’t have that dilemma – this toothpaste does it all!

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Valentine’s Gifts

With Valentine’s Day approaching now’s the time to show your love and appreciation for that special person in your life – although I do hope you let them know you care all year round!

As Valentine’s Day draws nearer the shops become awash with fluffy teddies sporting sentimental messages, socks with corny slogans, rom com DVDs and 101 things that you didn’t even know you needed (and in all honesty probably don’t) emblazoned with pink and red hearts.

Gestures and treats can speak volumes (one of my favourite Valentine’s treats was a trip to the ballet), but a card and a small gift are always much appreciated.

Marks and Spencer always seem to come up with novel cards for any occasion, offering some unique designs you don’t find anywhere else. If you buy any cards from M&S be sure to pick up a greetings card loyalty card, buy 6 cards, get your card stamped for each one and when your loyalty card is full, get a seventh free.

Sainsburys are offering a range of fun and tasty Valentine’s goodies including Love Hearts Valentine's Tube (£1), Mr & Mrs Gingerbread Valentine's Bears (£1) and a bunch of five chocolate roses (£3). They’re also selling single, long-stemmed chocolate roses at £1 each, ideal for popping into a bouquet of fresh roses for an extra treat.

Meanwhile at Tesco you can pick up an 'engraved' chocolate heart for £2 or a Thorntons hollow chocolate devil for £3, amongst their selection of Valentine's treats.

If it's cake you're after, go for a pack of two decadent cupcakes (£2) from M&S to share with your loved one, or for a really sweet tooth plump for a chocolate brownie heart for £3.

More on Valentine's next week.

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Public Transport – A Sorry Tale

With congestion, poor air quality and global warming being poignant issues, the theory is that public transport should be accessible and affordable to all, in order to reduce traffic on the roads.

However, as many of us know, this is not always the reality with services often unreliable and fares costly. Of course, there are some more reasonable transport operators out there, but many of us have public transport related tales of woe to tell.

My local bus operator, Arriva, have been increasing fares at an alarming rate, whilst cutting out buses on a whim. Their latest trend is to take out of service buses that are running late – carry on with that approach and we’ll have no buses left on our roads!

My most recent unfavourable experience of my local buses occurred when I was attempting to get home from a nearby shopping centre, trying to use a supposed ‘every 20 minutes’ service. The bus arrived 15 minutes late and the driver was instructed to return directly to the depot without passengers (although he drove off without explanation at the time). However, the next bus due was also running very late, meaning that no bus ran on that route for about an hour. If only Arriva had allowed to the first bus that arrived (the 3.15pm service) to leave the shopping centre at the time of the next bus due (3.35 service) then passengers would not have been left stranded for so long.

An email of complaint to Arriva resulted in a call from a very unsympathetic, somewhat disinterested individual, who stated that my comments had been noted, but basically ‘tough’. Ok, that’s not exactly what she said, but it certainly was the sentiment.

STOP PRESS!

Since the original incident with Arriva, I have since experienced the same scenario on a larger scale (and spoken to others encountering similar problems) this time involving two differently numbered bus routes and longer waiting times. In Medway, Arriva appear to be struggling to fulfil timetables, some of the drivers are lovely (with a few exceptions) but organisationally the service is a shambles. Come on Arriva, you can do better!

I would welcome any comments from Arriva or fellow disgruntled passengers. We’re paying for a service which just isn’t being delivered.

And the good?

I often find that local journeys can be quite an ordeal, although when I have stayed in different parts of the country, served by different bus companies, I have experienced more reliable, cheaper services.

On a long haul journey, I have had a much better experience with National Express. Travelling from my home to London and then on to Bournemouth (visiting family) I found that services ran to time, were reasonably comfortable and were, with offers often available, more competitively priced.

What are your experiences of public transport? comments@shoppersjoy.co.uk

DS Games: CSI

This series of games is based on the TV series by the same name (which I admit to never watching) and revolves around collecting evidence to solve a series of crimes. You use various forensic tools to connect suspects to the crime scene and are ‘marked’ on your performance.

I’ve played three CSI DS games with each following the format of examining crime scenes, collecting and processing evidence and interviewing suspects, although they all vary somewhat with regard to animation, employment of tools and interviewing technique.

Dark Motives The first game I played and the first chronologically too. The graphics are a bit grainy and not as clear as I would like. To move around the scenes you guide an arrow cursor, which turns green over items of interest. This can be a bit erratic to control, sometimes zooming in on objects that you don’t want it to. I really wasn’t keen on the menu setup on this game either, there are tabs at the bottom of a screen that you click on to reveal subheadings, which just makes the whole screen feel a bit crowded. Usage of tools is basic, just click on the one you want and hold it over the item you want to use it on, without actually doing anything with it – what is a pain is trying to put back a tool you don’t want to use! Another problem I found is that you only get one save file, meaning that only one player can save games at a time, which is a bit annoying. I liked the idea of the game, rather than the game itself.

Deadly Intent, The Hidden Cases I noticed a big improvement in this game, although I found the animation a little ‘cartoony’. You are given three separate save files, allowing more than one player to have a game in progress. The cursor system works better, you move a circular icon, a bit like a gun sight around the scene and it flashes over points of interest. In this game you feel that you actually get to ‘use’ the tools e.g. move the stylus across an object to dust for fingerprints, then blow into the microphone to remove excess powder. Processing evidence in the lab becomes more involved too, performing puzzle-type tasks. The menu setup is clearer, the interview technique better and the game generally has a nicer feel than Dark Motives.

Unsolved! This has all the best features of Deadly Intent, but with nicer graphics. This was by far my favourite version, combining all the best elements – three save files, ability to use tools, interesting tasks to process evidence and taking part in interviews where you can so easily go wrong if you don’t think things through carefully. If I repeat any of them, this will be the one.

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Dementia Debate

I was appalled to hear on the local news for my area that some GPs are refusing to take the necessary steps to diagnose patients with dementia, as they feel it ‘pointless’ due to there being no cure available.

As someone who has had to fight to get a diagnosis of dementia and Alzheimers for an elderly relative I am really shocked by this attitude. Admittedly there is no cure, however medication is available to slow down the process and support services exist, which will often only step in when there is a formal diagnosis.

I fought for a year to get the diagnosis for my relative,which was needed in order to access the right help. We saw different doctors, wrote letters etc and I would encourage others to do the same. Diagnosis, as with many things in the NHS can be a postcode lottery, but perseverance can pay off.

Indeed, television adverts advise that we do seek help as soon as we suspect a loved one is suffering from the condition and GPs and other healthcare professionals need to back this up.

Since receiving a proper diagnosis at a ‘memory clinic’, my relative has started medication, been assigned a nurse to monitor her and generally been given the chance to enjoy living at home independently (be it with a little support) for longer than probably would have been the case without that vital diagnosis.

So do follow the advice of the TV ad, don’t give up or tolerate being turned away by a GP and help your loved one as best you can. Dementia needs to be diagnosed, understood and managed to allow sufferers the best chance of carrying on with their everyday lives for as long as possible.

Let me know your experiences of diagnosis of dementia. comments@shoppersjoy.co.uk

MUA Cosmetics at Superdrug

I’ve recently discovered MUA (Make-Up Academy) cosmetics, a great budget brand, with items starting from just £1 at Superdrug.

The first product to grab my attention was the Pro-Brow Kit, a handy mirrored compact containing tweezers, an applicator, 3 powder shades for brows and a taming gel. This product has certainly proved its worth (I paid £3.50) and is now shaping up (pardon the pun) to be one of my favourite cosmetic buys. A must-have for handbags everywhere!

A couple of weeks back I bought the Pro-Base Conceal & Brighten Kit for just £2.50, a creamy concealer/highlighter trio, which blend easily and glide on to the skin, evening out skin tone and boosting your complexion. This really does look and feel like a much more expensive product.

Most recently, I have bought the MUA Brush-On Concealer Pen with a built-in brush that is very reminiscent of L’Oreal’s Touche Magique product. The concealer itself is not as ‘liquid’ as some that I have tried, but that means coverage of under-eye shadows is more effective. Available in a number of shades to suit all complexions, it’s a great addition to any make-up kit at just £2.

On the basis of these great products, I will be trying, and blogging, some more products from the MUA range at Superdrug very shortly. Watch this space …

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This February Why Not … ?

Toss A Pancake

Pancakes are quick and easy to make and every year when I make them on Shrove Tuesday I say, “ I must make pancakes more often, not just once a year.” Yet every year passes without me making more.

Pancakes can be served with a variety of toppings and fillings, though I favour the traditional sugar and lemon, using the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon, as opposed to that out of a bottle or plastic excuse for a lemon. My son loves strawberry sauce (Tesco Strawberry Dessert Sauce, £1.49, which is lovely and fruity without being too sweet), whilst chocolate sauce or golden syrup (Lyles Pouring Golden Syrup 98p) are other favourites.

Don’t bother buying batter mixes, as pancakes are very quick, easy and cheap to make from scratch. To make 8-10 pancakes you need 275ml (about 1/2pt) batter. Place 100g plain flour in a bowl with a little salt, make a well in the centre and gradually add 2 beaten eggs, mixing well. Stir in about half of 275ml milk, beat, add remainder of milk and beat again. Batter should be smooth and creamy. Use a small omelette pan to heat a little oil, add batter a small amount at a time (I find a ladle a good measuring device), cook until firm, then toss or flip to cook other side. Serve with your chosen topping.

Ditch The Diet …

… in favour of ongoing healthy eating. Many of you may have made a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight, but once you find yourself using that dreaded word ‘diet’, you instantly feel deprived and more prone to give in to temptation. So instead of a rigid diet regime, gradually make some healthy eating additions and swaps to help reduce/maintain your weight.

Remember: eat 5-7 portions of fruit and veg a day; use small amounts of very lean meat, making up the quantity in dishes such as stews with lots of healthy veg; avoid deep fried foods, shallow fry in a little olive oil or ditch the fried stuff altogether; reserve creamy desserts, cakes etc as very occasional treats; serve meals on smaller plates, resulting in smaller portions that you psychologically believe to be the same.

Another tip is to keep a food diary. By writing down everything that you eat, it really makes you think twice about what you reach for and encourages you to choose healthier options that look more ‘respectable’ on your list.

Get Puzzling

Solving a puzzle is a great workout for you brain – I’m a big fan of all kinds including codewords, su-doku, logic problems and quizzes. It has been suggested that puzzle-solving may even help delay or lessen memory problems and dementia. A large number of puzzle magazines are available, ranging from weekly publications featuring prize puzzles that also contain articles such as Chat and Take A Break, to monthly puzzle only editions published by Lovatts, WH Smith etc. So what are you waiting for? Work that brain today!

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