Tim Atkinson's Blog, page 71

Happy Birthday Herbal

Yes ('...yes, yes!' as the infamous ad campaign had it) Herbal Essences is celebrating its fortieth birthday this year and to mark the event they've launched a special, Limited Edition Herbally Ever After range made with Royal Jasmine and Silky Sea Palm extracts. But that's not all. To spread the birthday joy they're also running a fabulous competition with three hair-tastic prizes:




1st - Cut & Blow Dry with Ben Cooke, Herbal’s celeb stylist, at Lockonego Salon (worth c. £300) in Central London
2nd - a year’s supply of Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner
3rd - a Herbal Essences Hamper



And there's more. As befits a significant anniversary they're doing what time-served rockers do and re-releasing highlights from their 90s back catalogue like the Smooth and Shine Classic Collections. But there's new material too such as the aforementioned Herbally Ever After range shampoo and conditioner, which we've been sent to try:







Personally, I'm eternally grateful to one product in particular: Herbal Essences 2-in-1 because (and I quote, from teenage daughter) 'it saves time in the shower.' She goes on to add that she likes it because it makes her hair nice and shiny too. But it's the first part of this endorsement I'd like to draw to your attention.



Because if Herbal Essences 2-in-1 actually makes her tenure in the bathroom shorter I'd hate to think where we'd be, as a family, without it.



So, thank you Herbal. And here's to another forty years of being in with a fighting chance of getting a few seconds in the bathroom.



To enter the competition, share your own memories or experiences of Herbal Essences below. Winners will be chosen from entries across a number of sites running this competition. 

Get dads reading

You've probably heard about the campaign that reading charity Booktrust has launched in order to get more dads reading with their kids. Their research shows that a mere 13% of fathers can be counted as the main bedtime reader and that just 26% of dads read to their kids on a daily basis. Long working hours seem to be the chief reason but other factors include fatigue and the view of dads that they think they're already doing enough.

It's fairly well established in the educational world that the influence of male reading role models has a huge impact on the educational success of boys and there is further evidence that boys' reading is slipping behind that of girls. So the Booktrust campaign is nothing if not timely.

They began by asking on Twitter for tips to get more #dadsreading and I supplied a couple myself on Friday morning. But on reflection, the best tip of all is the most obvious one and it's simple: read (choose, buy...) engaging books. Which helps, of course, if you're well served by a decent library and/or local bookshop.

But if you're not, then The Green Door Bookshop might be what you need. As they write on their website, 'finding different children’s books can be tricky. Especially if – like us – you don’t have an independent children’s bookshop to pop into. You can either drive to one or drown in search results, losing hours of your life in the process. That’s the reason we opened The Green Door Bookshop in November of 2012... We’re your independent children’s bookshop, online.'

They kindly offered me a book to review just before Christmas and it's a great example of the kind of thing that the Booktrust campaign needs to help give dads a nudge to read a little more. Funny, quirky and appealing in a straightforward (as opposed to gimmicky) way, A Drove of Bullocks by Patrick George is the kind of book to keeps dads as well as kids turning the pages - and that's not easy.

Because if we're brutally honest there's quite a lot of stuff on the children's book market which isn't really up to muster - children don't only like big, bold colourful pictures and they can (in my experience) pick up on even the tiniest inconsistencies in the text. And, as a dad, I have to confess that at times boredom prevents me from reading bedtime stories. Of course, that's not always a bad thing; it's inspired mischievous and simultaneous 'improvements' of several books including time-honoured classics like 'Thomas the Tank Engine' (my bête noire) and Enid Blyton.

In fact, that would probably make a good test for determining the quality of a children's story. If it can't be 'improved' in any way, then it's worth a read and then a re-read. And on that basis, we'll be hunting down several more of Patrick George's 'collective noun' oeuvre (among them 'A Shiver of Sharks' and 'A Filth of Starlings').

Which rather begs the obvious question of what the collective noun for children's books and children's authors should be? I've seen a few suggestions that I like, including an 'entertainment' and an 'imagination'. But my own suggestion is this: a spell. And I'm not talking about the kind of thing you have to search for in a dictionary either.

Think about it: a 'spell' of children's authors. Or a 'spell' of children's books. What better word captures the magic of what a good book can do for children?

 

Video killed the Radio Star

I was watching the Graham Norton Show last week. He was interviewing Delia Smith among others, including gorgeous Gemma Arterton (see gratuitous pic below) and Matt Lucas.







Anyway, talking to Delia about her new online cookery courses Norton rather dismissively opined that the phrase 'online video' made it sound like they'd been made on a mobile phone.



The thing is, it's not the equipment (as every man knows) but what you do with it that makes a difference. The 'production values' as Mr Norton called them can be as high as you like and the equipment as expensive as it is possible to purchase, but if the person behind the camera isn't paying attention to the golden rule of video-ing then the result can literally make you queasy.



Now I'm not one to blow my own trumpet (not often, anyway) but I have in the past been complimented on the standard of the video clips I put on this site (and it's sister YouTube page). And they are quite good. For what they are. And what they are - get this - is clips shot on my mobile phone.



Yes, folks - entirely on an iPhone4 using nothing more than a few added extras like a microphone and some free editing software. And as I've been inundated by at least one request to share my secrets I've decided to do so over the next few weeks.



And the most important of them all is that it isn't fancy cameras, sophisticated software or any of the other things you might sometimes think are necessary. No. It's simple, really. Secret number one is this: videos take moving pictures, so you stay still and what you're filming moves. By and large, that's it. True, there are a few more tips and I'll be sharing those in a couple of future posts.



In the meantime, though, let me show you what I mean. Here's one I (*ahem*) made earlier. And if you can make a two minute video of vacuum-cleaning even vaguely entertaining, imagine what you can do for something really interesting!








Now all we need is a 'Best Video' category in the MADs next year and we're away!



More tips next week, but in the meantime - happy filming!

The Box...

A little while ago I was contacted by LeapFrog with an invitation to contribute a quick tip for keeping toddlers (and older children) amused at half-term. My post appears on their Facebook page today.



But just in case you think it's based on some high falutin' parenting theory let me show you this - empirical proof, in the form of unequivocal video footage, that kids really do prefer the box to what's inside it. For some of the time, at least...







Ah, the joy of a good, big cardboard box. You can't beat it. It costs nothing.



But the fun is priceless.

Pugh, Pugh, Barney MacGrew...

... Cuthbert, Dibble, Charlie!


Amazing what you can find in a pub car park, isn't it? Who'd have thought the Trumpton Fire Engine would still be an attractive proposition (and a means of financial extortion) for modern children?



But then, the old ones - Bill and Ben, Mr Benn, Captain Pugwash, Fingerbobs - are the best. You can hear interviews with their creators in this BBC radio programme - Trumpton Riots - I was inspired to dig out from my own archive in response to the above Madeleine moment (that's Proustian, by the way, rather than Bagpuss-ian).



So, who was Captain Pugwash's arch-enemy? Who lived in Festive Road? And what did Yoffy lift (if you'll pardon the expression!) to enable a mouse, scampi and a whole menagerie of paper puppets to appear?



Listen on, and all will be revealed...

What are you giving up for Lent?

So that period of abstinence is upon us again. Having given up New Year's resolutions (as a bad job!) I'm not sure what still draws me to the idea of a Lenten pledge but here we are again, and alcohol it is (or won't be) for the next forty days.



The trouble (for me) with giving up the booze is simple. The solution to drinking (should it ever be available) would (for me) be easy. But what can you drink if not wine with dinner? And what goes better (while cooking) than a G&T or maybe cider? And afterwards, with coffee maybe, what nobler digestiv than a generous slug of brandy?



It's not (now, although there might once have been a time when it was) the intoxication such beverages bring. In fact, these days, such light-headedness is amply provided by child-induced sleep deprivations.



No, it's the lack of an alternative in Lent that is the problem. I like tea (and coffee too) but only really in the morning. Carbonated sugary drinks are a beverage I could easily give up forever. So what is the alternative?



This year I've been sent some wine and beer (sans alcohol) by Sorelle to try. I'll let you know how I get on with it.







In the meantime, though, don't think me weak-willed or lacking in moral fibre if you see me with a glass of something stronger on a Sunday (or even - in a sundown, 'first of...' sort of way on a Saturday evening). Because Lent is only forty days and - from today - that doesn't include each Sabbath between now and Easter Day itself.



There's a good reason for this (for those who want to know): each Sunday (even in Lent) is a mini-festival (of the resurrection) and therefore excluded from the penitential obligation of the season (Quadragesima, since you ask). Furthermore, between today (Ash Wednesday) and Easter Sunday isn't forty but forty-six days and that's not a biblically-significant number, not like forty.



It rained for forty days and nights as Noah built his ark; Christ fasted in the desert for forty days (and rested in the tomb for forty hours); Moses spent forty days on Mt Sinai getting the Ten Commandments from Jehovah and Ninevah had forty days to repent or be destroyed.



So, forty days of alcohol-free drinking it is. And I'd really appreciate (again) your suggestions for a decent alternative beverage (if you have one). Because staring down this end of the empty barrel, forty days seems an awfully long time.



And I hope, by having a glass of wine or three on the Sabbath (which starts on Saturday evening when the sun goes down - no, really!) you don't think that I'm cheating.



So, what are you giving up for Lent? And are you including Sundays?

Poo!

Yes, poo. The canine kind, to be precise. Nasty stuff, and there seems to be a lot more of it about.



Not being a poo-pedant I had put my awareness of this apparent increase down to the fact that it's more difficult to avoid both with a pushchair and with a child who takes no notice whatsoever on the school run of where his feet are landing. Either that, it was a merely a local phenomena confined to this dark and rather dirty corner of Lincolnshire.



But no. I'm not alone. Countryman and Atlantic oarsman Ben Fogle has noticed more poo, too. And he's demanding his council - Kensington and Chelsea, no less - do more about it.



Now regular readers of this blog will be aware that my faith in local councils isn't great. No. See this post if you don't know what I mean. I'd rather they stick to the basics and get those things right before stretching their resources to breaking point by adding poo patrols to their list of responsibilities. Anyway, who's afraid of the Parkie?



No. I want the POLICE (Daily Fail emphasis) to take it on.



Yes, THE POLICE.



Before I go any further I should point out that I am and always have been a bit of a woolly-minded liberal (small 'l'. Definitely small 'l') for most of my life. I'm not in favour - generally - of giving those in authority more power. Quite the opposite, in fact.



And I know the police are overstretched, underfunded, under-manned (and under-womanned too) so I propose to relieve them of the onerous responsibilities of stopping and searching passers-by on the off-chance they're in possession of a controlled substance (personally I think drugs should be a medical rather than a criminal justice problem anyway) and introduce new powers whereby the Police are required randomly to stop and search DOG WALKERS.



Yes, DOG WALKERS.



And should they find said DOG WALKERS without the requisite means to gather up and dispose of their pooches poisonous poo (did you know dog poo can kill you?) I will empower the Police to take action. Precipitate action. Against the owner, that is. (After all, it isn't the dog's fault is it?)



Ah but, you say, the prisons are full to bursting; the courts choc-a-block with a backlog of cases. Fear not, gentle reader, I have thought of that too.



Because upon being found without said doggy bag or pooper-scoop or similar means of clearing up their dog's mess, said owners will be immediately set upon clearing up the mountain of mess left in the streets, pavements and parks of their neighbourhood.



Most of it'll probably be theirs, anyway.



I call that 'poo-etic justice'.

The true face of Richard III?

Well, I know who my money's on. And while we're on the subject, why - amid the almost endless repeats of Blackadder 2,3,4, (how many were there?) - are there so few airings of the first series? After all, Brian Blessed was fantastic as Richard IV ('Chiswick! Fresh horses!) and no matter how many facial reconstructions or Shakespearian interpretations I see there will never, ever be better King Dickie than this man...

 



 

Mind you, this last bloke reminds me of someone, doesn't he you? But I can't place him for the life of me...

Any ideas?

 

Etch-a-sketch inventor dies

Did you ever have one of these?

I did. And judging by its iconic status and availability as an iPhone/iPad case so did an awful lot of other people.

Apparently it underwent something of a revival too thanks to its appearance in the Toy Story movies.

Anyway, it's inventor is no more. Andre Cassagnes died in Paris on 16 January.

And so did another small piece of my childhood.

 

Money, money, money!

Sponsored Post



One of the most frequent questions about giving up work to be a stay-at-home dad I keep getting asked is how we cope living on one salary. (Are stay-at-home mums asked the same question?)



My answer is always the same: a bit of belt-tightening here, taking care of the pennies and it's surprising how many of life's little paid-for luxuries you can not only do without but never even miss.



My 'luxuries' include being at home having a cuddle with my daughter (yes, even whilst writing this - smartphones are wonderful!) and actually, that's not a luxury at all but a necessity) anyway...



Sorry about that. (Brief pause due to demand to play 'pat-a-cake' and 'row-di-boat' - another of the little luxuries of staying at home with the children.)



Anyway, apart from not drinking smart over-priced beverages and getting inordinate pleasure from simple things like playing pat-a-cake, what else can you do to save money? Being penny-wise won't pay for everything and if you need a loan for larger items make sure that it is a sensible and affordable one.



Clydesdale Bank’s instant decision loan offers an APR representative of 5.1% on all loans between £7,500 and £15,000 (subject to conditions).



http://www.cbonline.co.uk/personal/loans/personal-loan