Tim Atkinson's Blog, page 49
December 16, 2014
Nine Lessons and Carols
I do love the Nine Lessons. It's really special. The live broadcast on Christmas Eve from King's College chapel always feels like the moment Christmas really begins. Those wonderful opening lines...
Beloved, be it this Christmas Eve our care and delight to prepare ourselves to hear again the message of the angels; in heart and mind to go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, and the Babe lying in a manger.
And then, in the darkness, a lone chorister chosen (at King's) just moments earlier, pipes up with the first verse of Once in Royal David's City. It all seems so timeless, so eternal, immutable and beautiful.
In fact, the service as we know it is less than a century old. Using a sequence first devised at Truro cathedral in 1880, the new Dean of King's College, Cambridge, Eric Milner-White, planned the service for Christmas Eve 1918, having become convinced by his army service that the Church of England needed more imaginative worship. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Anyway, much as I love it there's an awful lot of lovely Christmas music and wonderfully evocative writing that doesn't feature, so I thought in the run-up to the big day I'd share my own 'nine lessons and carols' with the world, a sort of 'Not the Nine Lessons' if you like, but every bit as good. I hope.
Here, to begin at the beginning, and in the dim light of my imagination rather than the darkness of a distant college chapel, is a Christmas song by Michael Head, The Little Road to Bethlehem. My earliest Christmas memory of this beautiful little carol is of my mother singing it. Unfortunately, no recording of her doing so exists, so here's Sarah Walker standing in for her instead:
To follow, here's the first lesson from the Gospel according to one of my favourite authors, Laurie Lee. I challenge anyone to listen to this and not start to feel something of the true meaning of Christmas...
Join me tomorrow for number two!
Beloved, be it this Christmas Eve our care and delight to prepare ourselves to hear again the message of the angels; in heart and mind to go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, and the Babe lying in a manger.
And then, in the darkness, a lone chorister chosen (at King's) just moments earlier, pipes up with the first verse of Once in Royal David's City. It all seems so timeless, so eternal, immutable and beautiful.
In fact, the service as we know it is less than a century old. Using a sequence first devised at Truro cathedral in 1880, the new Dean of King's College, Cambridge, Eric Milner-White, planned the service for Christmas Eve 1918, having become convinced by his army service that the Church of England needed more imaginative worship. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Anyway, much as I love it there's an awful lot of lovely Christmas music and wonderfully evocative writing that doesn't feature, so I thought in the run-up to the big day I'd share my own 'nine lessons and carols' with the world, a sort of 'Not the Nine Lessons' if you like, but every bit as good. I hope.
Here, to begin at the beginning, and in the dim light of my imagination rather than the darkness of a distant college chapel, is a Christmas song by Michael Head, The Little Road to Bethlehem. My earliest Christmas memory of this beautiful little carol is of my mother singing it. Unfortunately, no recording of her doing so exists, so here's Sarah Walker standing in for her instead:
To follow, here's the first lesson from the Gospel according to one of my favourite authors, Laurie Lee. I challenge anyone to listen to this and not start to feel something of the true meaning of Christmas...
Join me tomorrow for number two!
December 14, 2014
TV is Dead, Long Live TV!
Did I tell you we'd moved house? Sorry...
But one more thing that is worth discussing is a complete change to our telly-viewing. Gone are the (three? four?) TVs (I know, shameful isn't it) that used to stand (largely unwatched) in lounge, kitchen and a couple of the bedrooms (well, there were aerial points in every room and a clever distribution system for the signal!) to be replaced with one - yes, one TV plus...
My iPad.
Let me explain. Thanks to Talk Talk inviting me to become an ambassador for nine months, we've done away with Freeview, Sky+ and the rest and relied on their YouView box along with a TV Plus package. The beauty of this is that I can sign up for, say, a month's boost of Sky Sports or similar without having to subscribe for any longer. And it's cheaper. In fact, with what we save, I'm paying for fibre-optic broadband into the bargain. Which is where our telly-viewing comes in.
But not just ours, oh no! Apparently it's becoming more and more common to view TV this way, via PC or laptop or - more likely - tablet or even phone. According to Ofcom almost a million homes now have broadband but no telly, and BBC iPlayer requests from tablets or mobiles have risen from 25% to 47% in the past 18 months alone.
Of course, sitting on the sofa (or reclining in the bath or lying in bed) with you iPad requires a decent broadband connection. And I'm delighted to say that our Talk Talk fibre optic line has been a model of stability and speed. (They're not paying me to say that. I'm paying them for the privilege of having it. The ambassadorial programme doesn't extend to the fibre optic broadband, more's the pity!)
But I digress. Telly is now not so much a shared family activity as a rather fragmented - but much more discriminatory - individual experience. Gone are the days when we all sit round the big (or not so big... our main telly used to be a 28-inch cathode-ray-tube antique that my eldest complained you needed binoculars to see) TV being alternately bored, gripped, annoyed or enthralled by whatever family viewing option had been chosen. We no longer have to sit through stuff we don't want to see or watch what we want to watch when it's being broadcast, if that happens to be inconvenient.
It's a revolution, at least in our household. And - as someone who has often had a love-hate relationship with the telly, I'm a fan. Because I can see the day when we might actually be able to dispense with the box in the corner altogether.
TV is dead. Long live TV!
But one more thing that is worth discussing is a complete change to our telly-viewing. Gone are the (three? four?) TVs (I know, shameful isn't it) that used to stand (largely unwatched) in lounge, kitchen and a couple of the bedrooms (well, there were aerial points in every room and a clever distribution system for the signal!) to be replaced with one - yes, one TV plus...
My iPad.
Let me explain. Thanks to Talk Talk inviting me to become an ambassador for nine months, we've done away with Freeview, Sky+ and the rest and relied on their YouView box along with a TV Plus package. The beauty of this is that I can sign up for, say, a month's boost of Sky Sports or similar without having to subscribe for any longer. And it's cheaper. In fact, with what we save, I'm paying for fibre-optic broadband into the bargain. Which is where our telly-viewing comes in.
But not just ours, oh no! Apparently it's becoming more and more common to view TV this way, via PC or laptop or - more likely - tablet or even phone. According to Ofcom almost a million homes now have broadband but no telly, and BBC iPlayer requests from tablets or mobiles have risen from 25% to 47% in the past 18 months alone.
Of course, sitting on the sofa (or reclining in the bath or lying in bed) with you iPad requires a decent broadband connection. And I'm delighted to say that our Talk Talk fibre optic line has been a model of stability and speed. (They're not paying me to say that. I'm paying them for the privilege of having it. The ambassadorial programme doesn't extend to the fibre optic broadband, more's the pity!)
But I digress. Telly is now not so much a shared family activity as a rather fragmented - but much more discriminatory - individual experience. Gone are the days when we all sit round the big (or not so big... our main telly used to be a 28-inch cathode-ray-tube antique that my eldest complained you needed binoculars to see) TV being alternately bored, gripped, annoyed or enthralled by whatever family viewing option had been chosen. We no longer have to sit through stuff we don't want to see or watch what we want to watch when it's being broadcast, if that happens to be inconvenient.
It's a revolution, at least in our household. And - as someone who has often had a love-hate relationship with the telly, I'm a fan. Because I can see the day when we might actually be able to dispense with the box in the corner altogether.
TV is dead. Long live TV!
December 12, 2014
Pants on Fire!
What do you do when your children tell a fib?
Let's face it, they all do. And it's not always malicious. They're not always covering up for themselves. In fact there's a fine line between childhood fantasy/a healthy imagination and a propensity for porkies.
So what should we do about it? After all, we want our children to grow up as responsible, truth-telling individuals, don't we?
Well a recent study by MacGill University at least tells us what we shouldn't be doing. Don't tell Mary off for her mendacity; don't punish Pete for his perfidy! Because punishing kids for lying makes them lie more. Instead, gently persuade the little Pinnochios that telling the truth really is the best way.
But how?
Kant (Immanuel that is, German philosopher) knew how. He valued truth-telling so highly he argued that we should never, ever tell a lie. Even one, little, teensy, weeny, fib. Because once you did, you could from that moment never be certain of anything again. Ah but, what if...
Knock, knock, open up it's the Gestapo.
Hello Officer, how many I help you?
Are you hiding any Jews in your attic?
Why yes, of course I am you evil NAZI thug, step right thus way...
See? Telling the truth all the time isn't always going to be easy. In fact, it can be downright difficult. Especially at this time of year. And not just for children.
So perhaps we parents should remember, next time we catch the kids out, that we don't always set the best example, do we?
Oh no, no, no!
Let's face it, they all do. And it's not always malicious. They're not always covering up for themselves. In fact there's a fine line between childhood fantasy/a healthy imagination and a propensity for porkies.
So what should we do about it? After all, we want our children to grow up as responsible, truth-telling individuals, don't we?
Well a recent study by MacGill University at least tells us what we shouldn't be doing. Don't tell Mary off for her mendacity; don't punish Pete for his perfidy! Because punishing kids for lying makes them lie more. Instead, gently persuade the little Pinnochios that telling the truth really is the best way.
But how?
Kant (Immanuel that is, German philosopher) knew how. He valued truth-telling so highly he argued that we should never, ever tell a lie. Even one, little, teensy, weeny, fib. Because once you did, you could from that moment never be certain of anything again. Ah but, what if...
Knock, knock, open up it's the Gestapo.
Hello Officer, how many I help you?
Are you hiding any Jews in your attic?
Why yes, of course I am you evil NAZI thug, step right thus way...
See? Telling the truth all the time isn't always going to be easy. In fact, it can be downright difficult. Especially at this time of year. And not just for children.
So perhaps we parents should remember, next time we catch the kids out, that we don't always set the best example, do we?
Oh no, no, no!
December 10, 2014
Cision Jingle-Blogs Advent Calendar 2014
Well, I didn't expect to find YOU in my Cision Advent calendar this morning!
AHA!
No-one expects to find me in their Advent Calendar in the morning! My chief weapon is surprise, surprise and fear, fear and surprise...
My TWO weapons are fear and surprise... and ruthless efficiency!
My THREE weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency and an almost fanatical devotion to sharing social media mentions like this one...
My FOUR... no, AMONGST my weapons... Among my weaponry are such elements as fear, surprise.... Oh never mind. I'll come in again.
And anyway, it wasn't today it was yesterday...
AHA!
No-one expects to find me in their Advent Calendar in the morning! My chief weapon is surprise, surprise and fear, fear and surprise...
My TWO weapons are fear and surprise... and ruthless efficiency!
My THREE weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency and an almost fanatical devotion to sharing social media mentions like this one...
My FOUR... no, AMONGST my weapons... Among my weaponry are such elements as fear, surprise.... Oh never mind. I'll come in again.
And anyway, it wasn't today it was yesterday...
December 8, 2014
Relax! Just do it...
Christmas is wonderful isn't it? The carols, the presents, the tree. But then there's the cooking, the shopping, the traveling too.
Let's face it, it can be pretty stressful.
So if you fancy winning a wonderfully relaxing spa weekend courtesy of Artesian Spas, read on. All it takes is a bit of thinking, and the gift of sharing. Think about your own tried-and-tested way to unwind, then share it with them here and - hey presto! - you're in with a chance to win the boss of all becalming!
Actually, y'know, it's quite tricky. How do you unwind when all about you is stress and chaos and confusion? Is there one sure fire tip you can pass on? Here, to help you, are my top three:
3. Sun (and sea, and sand preferably).
Ok, it's wonderfully relaxing in the summer sun but I love the beach at any time of year. And there's something timeless and impossible to ignore about the sea, in all its moods. Just standing, looking - wearing little or nothing if the sun is shining and the weather's hot or else well wrapped in hats and scarfs if not. It's maritime mollification and music for the soul.
2. And talking of music, that's my number two. Fast or slow, loud or soft, making or listening, I find music one of the most relaxing activities I know. This is me (look closely) in one of the choirs I have the pleasure to participate in at a concert with the lovely Lesley Garrett:
Did you know that singing is top of the stress-busting pops? Singers in groups or choirs actually synchronise their heart beats as well as flooding their brains with endorphins. If you're stressed, sing. And if you think you can't ( - you almost certainly can, btw - just ask Gareth Malone!) then you can at least have a go in the privacy of...
1... my number one all-time (but only recently discovered favourite) relaxation regime - bath time. Not theirs (the kids) but mine.
I don't need candles, mood music or aromatic bath salts either. I just need a tub full of warm water and... oh, bliss! We now have a bath large enough to comfortably accommodate my six foot frame, hence the recent rediscovery of this most watery of ways to unwind. Don't worry, I'm not going to raise your stress levels by showing you a picture of myself actually in the tub. Not in a post that's all about relaxing. No. So here instead is one of me at the Roman baths at Bath.
Now, over to you! To enter the competition and share your top tip simply click the pic below.
Good luck!
Let's face it, it can be pretty stressful.
So if you fancy winning a wonderfully relaxing spa weekend courtesy of Artesian Spas, read on. All it takes is a bit of thinking, and the gift of sharing. Think about your own tried-and-tested way to unwind, then share it with them here and - hey presto! - you're in with a chance to win the boss of all becalming!
Actually, y'know, it's quite tricky. How do you unwind when all about you is stress and chaos and confusion? Is there one sure fire tip you can pass on? Here, to help you, are my top three:
3. Sun (and sea, and sand preferably).
Ok, it's wonderfully relaxing in the summer sun but I love the beach at any time of year. And there's something timeless and impossible to ignore about the sea, in all its moods. Just standing, looking - wearing little or nothing if the sun is shining and the weather's hot or else well wrapped in hats and scarfs if not. It's maritime mollification and music for the soul.
2. And talking of music, that's my number two. Fast or slow, loud or soft, making or listening, I find music one of the most relaxing activities I know. This is me (look closely) in one of the choirs I have the pleasure to participate in at a concert with the lovely Lesley Garrett:
Did you know that singing is top of the stress-busting pops? Singers in groups or choirs actually synchronise their heart beats as well as flooding their brains with endorphins. If you're stressed, sing. And if you think you can't ( - you almost certainly can, btw - just ask Gareth Malone!) then you can at least have a go in the privacy of...
1... my number one all-time (but only recently discovered favourite) relaxation regime - bath time. Not theirs (the kids) but mine.
I don't need candles, mood music or aromatic bath salts either. I just need a tub full of warm water and... oh, bliss! We now have a bath large enough to comfortably accommodate my six foot frame, hence the recent rediscovery of this most watery of ways to unwind. Don't worry, I'm not going to raise your stress levels by showing you a picture of myself actually in the tub. Not in a post that's all about relaxing. No. So here instead is one of me at the Roman baths at Bath.
Now, over to you! To enter the competition and share your top tip simply click the pic below.
Good luck!
Relax! How do you do it?
Christmas is wonderful isn't it? The carols, the presents, the tree. But then there's the cooking, the shopping, the traveling too.
Let's face it, it can be pretty stressful.
So if you fancy winning a wonderfully relaxing spa weekend courtesy of Artesian Spas, read on. All it takes is a bit of thinking, and the gift of sharing. Think about your own tried-and-tested way to unwind, then share it with them here and - hey presto! - you're in with a chance to win the boss of all becalming!
Actually, y'know, it's quite tricky. How do you unwind when all about you is stress and chaos and confusion? Is there one sure fire tip you can pass on? Here, to help you, are my top three:
3. Sun (and sea, and sand preferably).
Ok, it's wonderfully relaxing in the summer sun but I live the beach at any time of year. And there's something timeless and impossible to ignore about the sea, in all its moods. Just standing, looking - wearing little or nothing if the sun is shining and the weather's hot or else well wrapped in hats and scarfs if not. It's maritime mollification and music for the soul.
2. And talking of music, that's my number two. Fast or slow, loud or soft, making or listening, I find music one of the most relaxing activities I know. This is me (look closely) in one of the choirs I have the pleasure to participate in at a concert with the lovely Lesley Garrett:
Did you know that singing is top of the street-busting pops? Singers in groups or choirs actually synchronise their heart beats as well as flood their brains with endorphins. If you're stressed, sing. And if you think you can't (you almost certainly can, btw - just ask Gareth Malone!) then you can at least have a go in the privacy of...
1... my number one all-time (but only recently discovered favourite) relaxation regime - bath time. Not theirs (the kids) but mine.
I don't need candles, mood music or aromatic bath salts either. I just need a tub full of warm water and... oh, bliss! We now have a bath large enough to comfortably accommodate my six foot frame, hence the recent rediscovery of this most watery of ways to unwind. Don't worry, I'm not going to raise your stress levels by showing you a picture of myself actually in the tub. Not in a post that's all about relaxing. No. So here instead is one of me at the Roman baths at Bath.
Now, over to you! To enter the competition and share your top tip simply click the pic below.
Good luck!
Let's face it, it can be pretty stressful.
So if you fancy winning a wonderfully relaxing spa weekend courtesy of Artesian Spas, read on. All it takes is a bit of thinking, and the gift of sharing. Think about your own tried-and-tested way to unwind, then share it with them here and - hey presto! - you're in with a chance to win the boss of all becalming!
Actually, y'know, it's quite tricky. How do you unwind when all about you is stress and chaos and confusion? Is there one sure fire tip you can pass on? Here, to help you, are my top three:
3. Sun (and sea, and sand preferably).
Ok, it's wonderfully relaxing in the summer sun but I live the beach at any time of year. And there's something timeless and impossible to ignore about the sea, in all its moods. Just standing, looking - wearing little or nothing if the sun is shining and the weather's hot or else well wrapped in hats and scarfs if not. It's maritime mollification and music for the soul.
2. And talking of music, that's my number two. Fast or slow, loud or soft, making or listening, I find music one of the most relaxing activities I know. This is me (look closely) in one of the choirs I have the pleasure to participate in at a concert with the lovely Lesley Garrett:
Did you know that singing is top of the street-busting pops? Singers in groups or choirs actually synchronise their heart beats as well as flood their brains with endorphins. If you're stressed, sing. And if you think you can't (you almost certainly can, btw - just ask Gareth Malone!) then you can at least have a go in the privacy of...
1... my number one all-time (but only recently discovered favourite) relaxation regime - bath time. Not theirs (the kids) but mine.
I don't need candles, mood music or aromatic bath salts either. I just need a tub full of warm water and... oh, bliss! We now have a bath large enough to comfortably accommodate my six foot frame, hence the recent rediscovery of this most watery of ways to unwind. Don't worry, I'm not going to raise your stress levels by showing you a picture of myself actually in the tub. Not in a post that's all about relaxing. No. So here instead is one of me at the Roman baths at Bath.
Now, over to you! To enter the competition and share your top tip simply click the pic below.
Good luck!
December 4, 2014
O Christmas Tree!
Believe it or not one of the first questions people asked when they came round to see us in our new house wasn't how may boxes have you still to unpack? or where will you put the piano? but the rather more surprising (we moved in September!) where will the Christmas tree go?
Well, it's gone here:
And it's here courtesy of Pines and Needles and, ladies and gentleman, isn't it a beauty?
Pines and Needles was founded by brothers Josh and Sam Lyle back in 1995 when the (then) teenagers came up with the idea of filling an old horse box with Christmas trees felled from the family farm in Scotland, then making the long journey down to London to sell them. I have a wonderful mental image of a kind of kilted Del Boy and Rodney but that's probably well wide of the mark. Indeed, it is wide of the mark as the company is now among the largest and most prestigious in the UK, providing Christmas trees to many famous locations across London.
They provided us with this rather ingenious stand, too.
It's not only a stand (and a surprisingly stable one) but a pot, too, holding water the better to keep those lovely needles in tip-top condition until Christmas Day.
We don't usually have a real tree so such matters aren't usually of any concern. We have a rather splendid, realistic artificial tree and so we've got into the habit of having it up for the whole of December (and occasionally until the following February!) without worrying about its life-span. So we're hoping this stand-cum-trough does the business.
They supplied us with a rather lovely set of lights too.
All we had to do was decorate it. But they'll even do that for you too if you ask them to. Not that I did any of that myself, mind.
I have a team of little (and not-so-little) helpers to do that kind of thing...
If you'd like to order your tree from Pines and Needles then enter this code A35833R87258 and you'll not only get the tree of your choice (and they provide artificial trees as well) but a rather lovely little living tree like this one, too...
Happy Christmas!
Well, it's gone here:
And it's here courtesy of Pines and Needles and, ladies and gentleman, isn't it a beauty?
Pines and Needles was founded by brothers Josh and Sam Lyle back in 1995 when the (then) teenagers came up with the idea of filling an old horse box with Christmas trees felled from the family farm in Scotland, then making the long journey down to London to sell them. I have a wonderful mental image of a kind of kilted Del Boy and Rodney but that's probably well wide of the mark. Indeed, it is wide of the mark as the company is now among the largest and most prestigious in the UK, providing Christmas trees to many famous locations across London.
They provided us with this rather ingenious stand, too.
It's not only a stand (and a surprisingly stable one) but a pot, too, holding water the better to keep those lovely needles in tip-top condition until Christmas Day.
We don't usually have a real tree so such matters aren't usually of any concern. We have a rather splendid, realistic artificial tree and so we've got into the habit of having it up for the whole of December (and occasionally until the following February!) without worrying about its life-span. So we're hoping this stand-cum-trough does the business.
They supplied us with a rather lovely set of lights too.
All we had to do was decorate it. But they'll even do that for you too if you ask them to. Not that I did any of that myself, mind.
I have a team of little (and not-so-little) helpers to do that kind of thing...
If you'd like to order your tree from Pines and Needles then enter this code A35833R87258 and you'll not only get the tree of your choice (and they provide artificial trees as well) but a rather lovely little living tree like this one, too...
Happy Christmas!
December 1, 2014
Cyber Monday Christmas Gift Guide
Welcome to what has become our annual Christmas gift guide, featuring a range of interesting and original (not to say quirky) gifts to give you inspiration in your Christmas shopping and - this being Cyber Monday - hopefully save you some money into the bargain.
First, a gadget for the technophile in your family. You will know if you read this blog even intermittently, that mobile use whilst driving is a real bête noire of mine. Of course, hands free kits are ten-a-penny. But what about a hands-free kit that also doubles as a wireless bluetooth music player AND an in-car phone charger?
That's what the TaoTronics TT-FT02 promises, packed in the most innovative and compact (and wire-free) design I've seen. It simply plugs into your cigarette lighter from where - by means of the groovy little joystick-style control - everything is literally at your fingertips: your phone, your playlist, your contacts, the lot.
Next, something equally innovative. A hair brush. But not any old hair brush. The Braun Satin Hair 7 works by delivering ions through a uniquely designed jet within the brush’s central core. At the push of a button, it releases charged particles from the central delivery system straight onto the hair, instantly helping to smooth minimise frizz and static and significantly boosting shine and restoring smoothness. A bit, I imagine, like having hair straighteners and a brush combined. I say 'I imagine' because for once I am, by dint of having rather less hair than the target market for this product) unable to offer personal empirical verification of its charms. But I know someone who can...
Amazon.co.uk Widgets
Christmas, of course, is nothing if not a time for singing - as well as giving. So why not combine both with a wonderful new book from DJ, ex-Catatonia lead singer and all-round musical evangelist Cerys Matthews. Hook, Line and Singer - a sing-a-long book for all the family - has been described by Jools Holland as 'maybe the most useful book I've ever read' and comes with an innovative design and exposed binding that allows the book to lie completely flat - on the piano, for example. And as well as the music the book is bursting with anecdotes and information about each of the songs so that even the non-singers can discover something fascinating about what they're hearing. It's wonderful!
But of course, it's not impossible that you're faced with the task of buying gifts for the perennial person with everything. In which case there are an increasing number of opportunities to donate to good causes while gifting something to someone into the bargain.
One of the latest schemes to be launched is the 'sponsor a mile' campaign by sustainable transport charity, Sustrans. You can help keep your favourite cycle routes open by sponsoring a section of the 14,000 mile long National Cycle Network.
Over £1m every year is spent in the upkeep of this UK-wide network of both long distance and shorter routes and and your donation will go towards these costs. Simply pick it - search for your favourite mile on the map - click it - click on the map to choose where you want your mile to start - and sponsor it - sponsor your own mile or give as a gift. It's just £30 for a whole year and you can see how it works in true 'Blue Peter' style because here's one I made earlier:
First, a gadget for the technophile in your family. You will know if you read this blog even intermittently, that mobile use whilst driving is a real bête noire of mine. Of course, hands free kits are ten-a-penny. But what about a hands-free kit that also doubles as a wireless bluetooth music player AND an in-car phone charger?
That's what the TaoTronics TT-FT02 promises, packed in the most innovative and compact (and wire-free) design I've seen. It simply plugs into your cigarette lighter from where - by means of the groovy little joystick-style control - everything is literally at your fingertips: your phone, your playlist, your contacts, the lot.
Next, something equally innovative. A hair brush. But not any old hair brush. The Braun Satin Hair 7 works by delivering ions through a uniquely designed jet within the brush’s central core. At the push of a button, it releases charged particles from the central delivery system straight onto the hair, instantly helping to smooth minimise frizz and static and significantly boosting shine and restoring smoothness. A bit, I imagine, like having hair straighteners and a brush combined. I say 'I imagine' because for once I am, by dint of having rather less hair than the target market for this product) unable to offer personal empirical verification of its charms. But I know someone who can...
Amazon.co.uk Widgets
Christmas, of course, is nothing if not a time for singing - as well as giving. So why not combine both with a wonderful new book from DJ, ex-Catatonia lead singer and all-round musical evangelist Cerys Matthews. Hook, Line and Singer - a sing-a-long book for all the family - has been described by Jools Holland as 'maybe the most useful book I've ever read' and comes with an innovative design and exposed binding that allows the book to lie completely flat - on the piano, for example. And as well as the music the book is bursting with anecdotes and information about each of the songs so that even the non-singers can discover something fascinating about what they're hearing. It's wonderful!
But of course, it's not impossible that you're faced with the task of buying gifts for the perennial person with everything. In which case there are an increasing number of opportunities to donate to good causes while gifting something to someone into the bargain.
One of the latest schemes to be launched is the 'sponsor a mile' campaign by sustainable transport charity, Sustrans. You can help keep your favourite cycle routes open by sponsoring a section of the 14,000 mile long National Cycle Network.
Over £1m every year is spent in the upkeep of this UK-wide network of both long distance and shorter routes and and your donation will go towards these costs. Simply pick it - search for your favourite mile on the map - click it - click on the map to choose where you want your mile to start - and sponsor it - sponsor your own mile or give as a gift. It's just £30 for a whole year and you can see how it works in true 'Blue Peter' style because here's one I made earlier:
November 25, 2014
You'd better watch out!
A press release has just arrived from a company well known to teachers and parents alike. School Stickers was launched in October 2000 (by a teacher) producing a huge selection of personalised stickers, postcards and certificates used to reward good behaviour and achievement.
It saves us (the teachers) writing endlessly and hand-achingly on pupils' work. It gives the children some instant and attractive feedback on what they've done. And as many of the stickers come pre-printed with names (well done Kevin, good work Tarquin or even try a little harder Tabitha)... it allows the company to calculate (for Santa?) the naughtiest and nicest girls and boys names. Or rather, the names of the nicest and naughtiest boys and girls.
Yes! By dint no doubt of some stock-control system or ordering algorithm the company has just announced that Jacob, Daniel, Thomas, James and Adam are the names of the best behaved boys in 2014, whilst Joseph, Cameron, William, Jake and Joshua have a month to improve their behaviour.
Amy, Georgia, Emma, Charlotte and Grace are the names of the best behaved girls but Ella, Bethany, Eleanor, Olivia and Laura all need to be especially good in December.
It is, however, only the ‘draft’ list.
Kids, you still have a month to improve your behaviour!
I wonder where Charlie's name appears..?
Nicest Girls
Naughtiest Girls
Nicest Boys
Naughtiest Boys
Amy
Ella
Jacob
Joseph
Georgia
Bethany
Daniel
Cameron
Emma
Eleanor
Thomas
William
Charlotte
Olivia
James
Jake
Grace
Laura
Adam
Joshua
Sophie
Holly
Harry
Jamie
Abigail
Courtney
Samuel
Lewis
Hannah
Amber
Jack
Benjamin
Emily
Caitlin
Oliver
Ethan
Alice
Jade
Ryan
Luke
It saves us (the teachers) writing endlessly and hand-achingly on pupils' work. It gives the children some instant and attractive feedback on what they've done. And as many of the stickers come pre-printed with names (well done Kevin, good work Tarquin or even try a little harder Tabitha)... it allows the company to calculate (for Santa?) the naughtiest and nicest girls and boys names. Or rather, the names of the nicest and naughtiest boys and girls.
Yes! By dint no doubt of some stock-control system or ordering algorithm the company has just announced that Jacob, Daniel, Thomas, James and Adam are the names of the best behaved boys in 2014, whilst Joseph, Cameron, William, Jake and Joshua have a month to improve their behaviour.
Amy, Georgia, Emma, Charlotte and Grace are the names of the best behaved girls but Ella, Bethany, Eleanor, Olivia and Laura all need to be especially good in December.
It is, however, only the ‘draft’ list.
Kids, you still have a month to improve your behaviour!
I wonder where Charlie's name appears..?
Nicest Girls
Naughtiest Girls
Nicest Boys
Naughtiest Boys
Amy
Ella
Jacob
Joseph
Georgia
Bethany
Daniel
Cameron
Emma
Eleanor
Thomas
William
Charlotte
Olivia
James
Jake
Grace
Laura
Adam
Joshua
Sophie
Holly
Harry
Jamie
Abigail
Courtney
Samuel
Lewis
Hannah
Amber
Jack
Benjamin
Emily
Caitlin
Oliver
Ethan
Alice
Jade
Ryan
Luke
November 19, 2014
On yer bike!
It's Road Safety Week. Timely. I've just this minute come back from the school run and this morning counted three separate occasions when we (on our bicycle made for three) were in danger of being unseated. (And we're not the only ones. Two in five children report a near-miss or worse on roads according to a survey by road-safety charity, Brake. Shocking!)
Our first encounter was a car, desperate to get to school before us, cutting so close as it passed on the corner we could smell the driver's breakfast (or at least, hear the belch!). I apologise if you're still eating yours.
Next - and the one after that and the most commonly dangerous element of our journey - a driver not checking before opening his (or her) door. I leave plenty of clearance, believe me, when passing parked cars. But driver's doors seem to be growing.
As if that wasn't enough, once we arrive there's the dreaded school-gate parking. I'm sure most people must think those pretty yellow zig-zags are there for them to park all over. Well, I say 'park' but that's to distinguish what more often looks like the random abandonment of vehicles.
And I hope no members of staff were later than usual for work this morning. Because this parent was certainly making it difficult for them to get into the staff car park.
And it's not just an occasional occurrence. Every morning we seem to be confronted with parking like you wouldn't think possible, driving that would be more appropriate to a racing circuit and the dreaded game of guess if the car door's opening.
But the pièce de résistance last week was a driver exiting the school car park ...whilst texting. Yes, texting. As we were waiting on the pavement for him to pull out onto the road we had a perfect view. His phone was in his hand. There were kids everywhere, cars kamikaze parking (see above) and he was texting.
Quite honestly it'll take more than a Road Safety week or a Be Bright campaign to remedy matters. We non-drivers: pedestrians, cyclists, scooter-riders, dog walkers or whatever ought to be fitted with sirens and a flashing light.
Except, no. On second thoughts, that'd probably just make things worse. Because then the burden would be placed even more firmly on the innocent non-motorist to make those behind the wheel do what they should be doing anyway - driving carefully.
So come on folks. Do the decent thing. Don't text, don't park on those zig zag lines. Don't open your door without looking and don't speed up as you pass us - slow down.
Better still, get on your bikes. Because - thanks to scenes like this - we still get there before you!
Our first encounter was a car, desperate to get to school before us, cutting so close as it passed on the corner we could smell the driver's breakfast (or at least, hear the belch!). I apologise if you're still eating yours.
Next - and the one after that and the most commonly dangerous element of our journey - a driver not checking before opening his (or her) door. I leave plenty of clearance, believe me, when passing parked cars. But driver's doors seem to be growing.
As if that wasn't enough, once we arrive there's the dreaded school-gate parking. I'm sure most people must think those pretty yellow zig-zags are there for them to park all over. Well, I say 'park' but that's to distinguish what more often looks like the random abandonment of vehicles.
And I hope no members of staff were later than usual for work this morning. Because this parent was certainly making it difficult for them to get into the staff car park.
And it's not just an occasional occurrence. Every morning we seem to be confronted with parking like you wouldn't think possible, driving that would be more appropriate to a racing circuit and the dreaded game of guess if the car door's opening.
But the pièce de résistance last week was a driver exiting the school car park ...whilst texting. Yes, texting. As we were waiting on the pavement for him to pull out onto the road we had a perfect view. His phone was in his hand. There were kids everywhere, cars kamikaze parking (see above) and he was texting.
Quite honestly it'll take more than a Road Safety week or a Be Bright campaign to remedy matters. We non-drivers: pedestrians, cyclists, scooter-riders, dog walkers or whatever ought to be fitted with sirens and a flashing light.
Except, no. On second thoughts, that'd probably just make things worse. Because then the burden would be placed even more firmly on the innocent non-motorist to make those behind the wheel do what they should be doing anyway - driving carefully.
So come on folks. Do the decent thing. Don't text, don't park on those zig zag lines. Don't open your door without looking and don't speed up as you pass us - slow down.
Better still, get on your bikes. Because - thanks to scenes like this - we still get there before you!
