Tim Atkinson's Blog, page 75
December 2, 2012
Great MumsStuff Giveaway
A few weeks ago Nicola Morrow - mum-in-charge of the fabulous online retailer MumsStuff - got in touch. As you'd expect (given the title) MumsStuff is mainly for mums, mums who, as they say, don't want to be 'bombarded with toys, nappies, prams and cots'; mums who have 'spent hours trawling through ‘Baby’ websites to try and find something for [themselves] – only to be disappointed' or those who have 'tried to find a gift for a new mum or mum-to-be that wasn’t baby clothes or flowers'.
It's also got a few things for dads, including the exclusive and wonderful 'Pint & Preparation' box for new dads which includes a copy of my 'Fatherhood' guide. That was one of the things Nicola and I discussing.
But then, disaster struck. There was a fire, next door, and MumStuff was almost no more.
Phoenix-like, however, the family owned/designed website for mums has risen from the ashes not only resuming business-as-usual almost immediately (initially from Nicola's garage) but now, winning a top online award.
To help celebrate the #WOW (Women on Wednesday) Award (as judged by Chief Executive of Ann Summers and Knickerbox, Jacqueline Gold) I'm going to tell you what else (apart from my book) we were discussing - a competition. Nay, giveaway. And with not one, not two, but THREE chances to win.
Being a dad I'm giving away one of the 'specially for dads' items, something guaranteed to raise a smile from even the most olfactory-challenging of parenting duties - nappy-changing. Ok, the kit is called the Do-it-Yourself Diaper Duty Kit but nappy, diaper, no matter. They all smell the same. And with this kit, no dad can ever have an excuse not to change one:
How do you enter? Well, thanks a bit of hand-holding from Laura at Littlestuff I'm trying out Rafflecopter this week, so...
a Rafflecopter giveaway
It's also got a few things for dads, including the exclusive and wonderful 'Pint & Preparation' box for new dads which includes a copy of my 'Fatherhood' guide. That was one of the things Nicola and I discussing.
But then, disaster struck. There was a fire, next door, and MumStuff was almost no more.
Phoenix-like, however, the family owned/designed website for mums has risen from the ashes not only resuming business-as-usual almost immediately (initially from Nicola's garage) but now, winning a top online award.
To help celebrate the #WOW (Women on Wednesday) Award (as judged by Chief Executive of Ann Summers and Knickerbox, Jacqueline Gold) I'm going to tell you what else (apart from my book) we were discussing - a competition. Nay, giveaway. And with not one, not two, but THREE chances to win.
Being a dad I'm giving away one of the 'specially for dads' items, something guaranteed to raise a smile from even the most olfactory-challenging of parenting duties - nappy-changing. Ok, the kit is called the Do-it-Yourself Diaper Duty Kit but nappy, diaper, no matter. They all smell the same. And with this kit, no dad can ever have an excuse not to change one:
How do you enter? Well, thanks a bit of hand-holding from Laura at Littlestuff I'm trying out Rafflecopter this week, so...
a Rafflecopter giveaway
November 30, 2012
Computer games and kids
Today's post is sponsored and written by WordPress blogger and freelance copywriter Heshaam Hague. He mainly writes about all types of technology, music and more but in this piece discusses a question close to the heart of every parent, namely...
Children's interactive computer games
Computer games can provide hours of entertainment and make ideal Christmaspresents. Though if your child is an avid gamer and is hoping for several newreleases, the costs can quickly stack up. Consider making room for the new bygetting rid of the old: it’s easy to sell laptop equipment and pcs and you can evenmake money for mac accessories and computers, using adedicated online site. However, with space cleared for new gifts, are computergames for kids really the best option?
Physical activity is important in kid’s health, though many children will choosestaying indoors playing computer games over outdoor activity. A 2011 report foundthat one third of kids are now obese or overweight by the time they leave primaryschool. Of course, this can’t be linked directly with computer games, yet in buyingthese for kids, are we exacerbating the problem?
The links between violent computer games and children’s behaviour has alsobeen made. Although games like Call of Duty, Gears of War and Medal of Honourhave age-restrictions, there is nothing to stop younger children playing friends’ orsiblings games unsupervised. The Associated of Teachers and Lecturers warnedearlier this year that pupils as young as five were acting out car crashes and graphicinjuries as a result of playing such games.
Choosing the right sort of games and restricting play time means your kids canenjoy a balance between these, and outdoor physical play. Wii games can givekids a taste of sports they may have been reluctant to try, and encourage them toparticipate in reality. There are also a range of fun educational games which candevelop cognition and encourage social activity. Be sure to weigh up the pros andcons of computer games before buying giving into your kids’ Christmas wishlistdemands!
Children's interactive computer games
Computer games can provide hours of entertainment and make ideal Christmaspresents. Though if your child is an avid gamer and is hoping for several newreleases, the costs can quickly stack up. Consider making room for the new bygetting rid of the old: it’s easy to sell laptop equipment and pcs and you can evenmake money for mac accessories and computers, using adedicated online site. However, with space cleared for new gifts, are computergames for kids really the best option?
Physical activity is important in kid’s health, though many children will choosestaying indoors playing computer games over outdoor activity. A 2011 report foundthat one third of kids are now obese or overweight by the time they leave primaryschool. Of course, this can’t be linked directly with computer games, yet in buyingthese for kids, are we exacerbating the problem?
The links between violent computer games and children’s behaviour has alsobeen made. Although games like Call of Duty, Gears of War and Medal of Honourhave age-restrictions, there is nothing to stop younger children playing friends’ orsiblings games unsupervised. The Associated of Teachers and Lecturers warnedearlier this year that pupils as young as five were acting out car crashes and graphicinjuries as a result of playing such games.
Choosing the right sort of games and restricting play time means your kids canenjoy a balance between these, and outdoor physical play. Wii games can givekids a taste of sports they may have been reluctant to try, and encourage them toparticipate in reality. There are also a range of fun educational games which candevelop cognition and encourage social activity. Be sure to weigh up the pros andcons of computer games before buying giving into your kids’ Christmas wishlistdemands!
November 28, 2012
Are you getting enough?
Back in September, Amazon launched a new subscription service especially for families, supplying 'exclusive discounts and offers tailored to customers' interests, delivered straight to their inbox, with savings of up to £50 each month,'
This week they've also announced that sales of baby products at Amazon.co.uk increased by 78 per cent year on year between midnight and 6am. Shop-turnal sales also increased significantly in the Health & Beauty, Clothing and Kindle Stores.
Clearly, someone isn't getting enough. Sleep, that is. So Amazon family has also launched the Amazon Family Night Guide in partnership with some of the UK’s (*cough*) 'best known parent bloggers' (their words) plus family GP Dr Rosemary Leonard.
The guide - free as a download at www.amazon.co.uk/family or as a free Kindle ebook - includes a wealth of personal tips and experiences to help parents maximise their snooze time and minimise the emotional toll of sleepless nights. And, presumably, reduce the amount of shop-turnal activity on Amazon!
Dr Leonard says, 'As a parent, getting through the night in one piece can be hugely challenging, and with so much advice available it’s often difficult to know what’s right and what’s wrong. The study found that over half (51%) of parents like to seek advice from other parents, so with this in mind the Amazon Family Night Guide, created by parents for parents, is a great idea.'
But if it doesn't work, you can also do some online shopping. And with Amazon family offering a free three-month trial you might also save a lot of money on your Christmas shopping.
And that's a thought to induce sweet dreams when your head hits the pillow!
This week they've also announced that sales of baby products at Amazon.co.uk increased by 78 per cent year on year between midnight and 6am. Shop-turnal sales also increased significantly in the Health & Beauty, Clothing and Kindle Stores.
Clearly, someone isn't getting enough. Sleep, that is. So Amazon family has also launched the Amazon Family Night Guide in partnership with some of the UK’s (*cough*) 'best known parent bloggers' (their words) plus family GP Dr Rosemary Leonard.
The guide - free as a download at www.amazon.co.uk/family or as a free Kindle ebook - includes a wealth of personal tips and experiences to help parents maximise their snooze time and minimise the emotional toll of sleepless nights. And, presumably, reduce the amount of shop-turnal activity on Amazon!
Dr Leonard says, 'As a parent, getting through the night in one piece can be hugely challenging, and with so much advice available it’s often difficult to know what’s right and what’s wrong. The study found that over half (51%) of parents like to seek advice from other parents, so with this in mind the Amazon Family Night Guide, created by parents for parents, is a great idea.'
But if it doesn't work, you can also do some online shopping. And with Amazon family offering a free three-month trial you might also save a lot of money on your Christmas shopping.
And that's a thought to induce sweet dreams when your head hits the pillow!
November 26, 2012
November 23, 2012
Win a pulling pack, courtesy of Ariel!
Does the shirt on your back make a difference? Could the colour you choose earn you money and compliments? Do some colours have 'pulling power'?
Ariel recently carried out a survey which found that women find men wearing purple shirts more attractive. They sent me three shirts of varied hue and some Ariel to wash them and asked me to put their findings to the test. Being a happily married man I could hardly go out on the pull (not that I'd have the energy!) but I can confirm that, as far as my wife is concerned, crisp white wins out.
Personally, I prefer pink. And it seems I'm in good company. Even The Daily Mail reported recently on the power of pink claiming that men who wear pink shirts earn £1,000 a year more than those who don’t, that men who wear pink are more confident and get more compliments from female colleagues. All is not lost for white-wearers, however. The same piece reported that men in white are the most punctual; those in purple or lilac, however, would appear to have more office romances!
So we bucked the trend. But if you'd like a go I've got a 'pulling pack' to give away - a 'lucky' purple shirt plus 'not so lucky' pink and white versions plus some trusty Ariel detergent and Ariel Stain Remover to get your outfit looking squeaky clean.
All you have to do to enter is add to this important empirical study by telling me the colour you prefer - on yourself, on your man, on anyone! - in the comment box below and I'll get Charlie to pick a winner next week.
Anyone claiming to like the England Rugby XV's new away strip, though, is banned.
What were they thinking...?
Ariel recently carried out a survey which found that women find men wearing purple shirts more attractive. They sent me three shirts of varied hue and some Ariel to wash them and asked me to put their findings to the test. Being a happily married man I could hardly go out on the pull (not that I'd have the energy!) but I can confirm that, as far as my wife is concerned, crisp white wins out.
Personally, I prefer pink. And it seems I'm in good company. Even The Daily Mail reported recently on the power of pink claiming that men who wear pink shirts earn £1,000 a year more than those who don’t, that men who wear pink are more confident and get more compliments from female colleagues. All is not lost for white-wearers, however. The same piece reported that men in white are the most punctual; those in purple or lilac, however, would appear to have more office romances!
So we bucked the trend. But if you'd like a go I've got a 'pulling pack' to give away - a 'lucky' purple shirt plus 'not so lucky' pink and white versions plus some trusty Ariel detergent and Ariel Stain Remover to get your outfit looking squeaky clean.
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All you have to do to enter is add to this important empirical study by telling me the colour you prefer - on yourself, on your man, on anyone! - in the comment box below and I'll get Charlie to pick a winner next week.
Anyone claiming to like the England Rugby XV's new away strip, though, is banned.
What were they thinking...?
November 21, 2012
Like father like son?
Can you shape your children's taste in music? was the title of an intriguing article (as well as this piece on BBC World Service) earlier this week. Of course, the obvious subtitle should be 'would you want to?' and I suppose that depends on what your taste in music happens to be.
Doesn't it? I mean, if you're 'into' Country and Western you'd surely recognise the need to nip that musical mutation in the bud for the sake of future generations and do the decent thing - destroy your record collection?
Well, maybe. My own taste in music is so catholic it'd almost be impossible for Charlie not to follow it in some way. (Unless, of course, he starts listening to Country...) But quite apart from the question of why you'd want your children to share your musical tastes and whether that's a healthy aspiration, every parent knows that - almost by default - what we like is going to be a source of irritation and embarrassment to our children.
But occasionally, just occasionally, our kids deliver us a ready-made eighteenth-birthday-party embarrassing moment without us asking. And in our case, it was music wot done it. Opera, to be precise.
My wife and I had a night at the opera last year and - next morning - Charlie was keen to know what we'd been doing. In the course of explaining (a) what opera was, (b) what this particular one (Don Giovanni) was about and (c) how, no, La ci darem la mano didn't really bear comparison with 'London Bridge is Falling Down' I stumbled across some YouTube clips of the very opera, the very production, we'd seen the night before. To cut a long story short, we bought the DVD and Charlie must be the only four-year-old in history to come home from school and ask if he can watch Act II of Don Giovanni. Which he does, for this: the Commandatore Scene.
I'm proud my son shares at least some of my taste in music. (As I said, he could like almost anything and I'd probably approve.) But I hope he'll grow up to plough his own musical furrow; I'm confident he will. And above all, I hope he doesn't feel the need - like the loonies listening to their smartphones in the street or the crazy car drivers sharing their CDs with every other motorist for miles - to inflict it on the world in order to feel that it's validated. Because I'm happy in my own tastes whether they're shared or not. And that's the musical mantra I'd want Charlie to share.
Like father, like son.
Doesn't it? I mean, if you're 'into' Country and Western you'd surely recognise the need to nip that musical mutation in the bud for the sake of future generations and do the decent thing - destroy your record collection?
Well, maybe. My own taste in music is so catholic it'd almost be impossible for Charlie not to follow it in some way. (Unless, of course, he starts listening to Country...) But quite apart from the question of why you'd want your children to share your musical tastes and whether that's a healthy aspiration, every parent knows that - almost by default - what we like is going to be a source of irritation and embarrassment to our children.
But occasionally, just occasionally, our kids deliver us a ready-made eighteenth-birthday-party embarrassing moment without us asking. And in our case, it was music wot done it. Opera, to be precise.
My wife and I had a night at the opera last year and - next morning - Charlie was keen to know what we'd been doing. In the course of explaining (a) what opera was, (b) what this particular one (Don Giovanni) was about and (c) how, no, La ci darem la mano didn't really bear comparison with 'London Bridge is Falling Down' I stumbled across some YouTube clips of the very opera, the very production, we'd seen the night before. To cut a long story short, we bought the DVD and Charlie must be the only four-year-old in history to come home from school and ask if he can watch Act II of Don Giovanni. Which he does, for this: the Commandatore Scene.
I'm proud my son shares at least some of my taste in music. (As I said, he could like almost anything and I'd probably approve.) But I hope he'll grow up to plough his own musical furrow; I'm confident he will. And above all, I hope he doesn't feel the need - like the loonies listening to their smartphones in the street or the crazy car drivers sharing their CDs with every other motorist for miles - to inflict it on the world in order to feel that it's validated. Because I'm happy in my own tastes whether they're shared or not. And that's the musical mantra I'd want Charlie to share.
Like father, like son.
November 18, 2012
Christmas Gift Guide
Christmas is coming!
And there's no escape.
But fear not, because help is at hand. And it comes from the comfort of your own armchair (provided you've a laptop on your lap or a tablet or a smartphone in your hand... incidentally, did you know that Royal Mail is opening eight dedicated parcel sorting offices this Christmas - in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Swansea, Bolton, Tamworth, Peterborough, Swindon and Greenford - to handle the major rise in the volume of parcels due to increasing numbers of us shopping online?)
Anyway, if inspiration is wearing rather thin read on. I guarantee that by the end of today's post you'll have gift ideas for someone.
First up is something for the person you can never think of anything to buy for. You know... him! Don't just get socks. Not when there's an entire site called Presents for Men chock full of ideas and gifts for every budget.
There are things on there he never knew he needed. But once he's opened them - from you - on Christmas Day he'll wonder how he ever coped without them. Take this gadget wristband (£9.99) for example. Who'd have thought that this was just the thing to hold your phone while jogging? Or this - a ring that attaches to your phone (£9.99) to stop it falling our of your hand as you take pictures.
If, like me, you use your phone as a camera you'll be only too aware of how vulnerable it is as you hold it between finger and thumb lining up a the best shot. I've tried a variety of cases to increase safety, including a really lovely wallet-style case with wrist strap. The problem with that is the case is so thick it casts a shadow on any photo. This is the solution to the problem... and it's so simple. I want one! Oh hang on, I'm supposed to be searching for inspiration for other people's presents. That's the trouble, I suppose, with Christmas shopping. A morning's idle browsing and I've got a fairly hefty wish-list of my own already!
If the batteries run out on those expensive toys, there's always Pocket Cricket™ to keep the kids amused. (£9.99) and should this winter be cold as forecast, how about a Polar Bear inflatable sledge (£14.99) which has the advantage of being (a) more comfortable to sit on and (b) easier to store.
Ok, so if you still can't think of anything better than socks, at least have some fun with the Sock Exchange weekend selection (£13.50)
And talking of socks (or stockings) - if you're looking for something small to fill them, Weanie Beans might just have the answer. The 'independent award winning coffee company' with innovative and quirky products
including a range of coffees, hot chocolates, confectionery and kits has some great gift ideas at a range of prices including mulled cider and mulled wine spice bouquets.
Ah yes, bouquets. Bouquets always make good gift ideas but did you know that Interflora did a good deal more than flowers. For example, the Merry Christmas Tray (£29.99) contains delicacies such as moist fruit cake, luxury chocolates, crumbly shortbread and a couple of bottles of red or crisp white wine.
And after sampling that lot, how about settling down for an entertaining read? If your man's into Motor Sport BBC Books have just published a spoof biography of The Stig. Award-winning biographer Simon du Beaumarche has spent a year chasing The Stig and talking to those closest to him including Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May and leading figures from Formula 1, music, movies and the military. What he discovered is an explosive story of intrigue, influence and a sensational conspiracy that seeks to hide the truth about one of the 21st century’s greatest icons.
Now you might have read this far without finding anything that takes your fancy; you might have already got the man in your life the thing he wants best (answers on a postcard). Or you might simply want help saving money on the kid's presents. If so, read on just a little bit further. I guaranteed there'd be something for everyone and here it is: idealo.co.uk. If you've not heard of it before I reviewed the site last year: the service is cheap, quick and a one-stop-shop for shopping around. But the interesting thing about last year is this: their research shows that it was actually up to 24% cheaper to buy online through Idealo in the week before Christmas than earlier. So if last year's trend replicates itself this year, it would be considerably more expensive to buy toys now than the week beginning 10th December 2012.
Of course, the risk is getting the presents in time for Christmas. Which is where those new sorting offices might come in. Remember them? Eight new sorting offices specially to handle Christmas parcels.
But if you'd rather not risk it you needn't worry, as you'll still get a good deal from Idealo.
Happy shopping!
And there's no escape.
But fear not, because help is at hand. And it comes from the comfort of your own armchair (provided you've a laptop on your lap or a tablet or a smartphone in your hand... incidentally, did you know that Royal Mail is opening eight dedicated parcel sorting offices this Christmas - in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Swansea, Bolton, Tamworth, Peterborough, Swindon and Greenford - to handle the major rise in the volume of parcels due to increasing numbers of us shopping online?)
Anyway, if inspiration is wearing rather thin read on. I guarantee that by the end of today's post you'll have gift ideas for someone.
First up is something for the person you can never think of anything to buy for. You know... him! Don't just get socks. Not when there's an entire site called Presents for Men chock full of ideas and gifts for every budget.
There are things on there he never knew he needed. But once he's opened them - from you - on Christmas Day he'll wonder how he ever coped without them. Take this gadget wristband (£9.99) for example. Who'd have thought that this was just the thing to hold your phone while jogging? Or this - a ring that attaches to your phone (£9.99) to stop it falling our of your hand as you take pictures.
If, like me, you use your phone as a camera you'll be only too aware of how vulnerable it is as you hold it between finger and thumb lining up a the best shot. I've tried a variety of cases to increase safety, including a really lovely wallet-style case with wrist strap. The problem with that is the case is so thick it casts a shadow on any photo. This is the solution to the problem... and it's so simple. I want one! Oh hang on, I'm supposed to be searching for inspiration for other people's presents. That's the trouble, I suppose, with Christmas shopping. A morning's idle browsing and I've got a fairly hefty wish-list of my own already!
If the batteries run out on those expensive toys, there's always Pocket Cricket™ to keep the kids amused. (£9.99) and should this winter be cold as forecast, how about a Polar Bear inflatable sledge (£14.99) which has the advantage of being (a) more comfortable to sit on and (b) easier to store.
Ok, so if you still can't think of anything better than socks, at least have some fun with the Sock Exchange weekend selection (£13.50)
And talking of socks (or stockings) - if you're looking for something small to fill them, Weanie Beans might just have the answer. The 'independent award winning coffee company' with innovative and quirky products
including a range of coffees, hot chocolates, confectionery and kits has some great gift ideas at a range of prices including mulled cider and mulled wine spice bouquets.
Ah yes, bouquets. Bouquets always make good gift ideas but did you know that Interflora did a good deal more than flowers. For example, the Merry Christmas Tray (£29.99) contains delicacies such as moist fruit cake, luxury chocolates, crumbly shortbread and a couple of bottles of red or crisp white wine.
And after sampling that lot, how about settling down for an entertaining read? If your man's into Motor Sport BBC Books have just published a spoof biography of The Stig. Award-winning biographer Simon du Beaumarche has spent a year chasing The Stig and talking to those closest to him including Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May and leading figures from Formula 1, music, movies and the military. What he discovered is an explosive story of intrigue, influence and a sensational conspiracy that seeks to hide the truth about one of the 21st century’s greatest icons.
Now you might have read this far without finding anything that takes your fancy; you might have already got the man in your life the thing he wants best (answers on a postcard). Or you might simply want help saving money on the kid's presents. If so, read on just a little bit further. I guaranteed there'd be something for everyone and here it is: idealo.co.uk. If you've not heard of it before I reviewed the site last year: the service is cheap, quick and a one-stop-shop for shopping around. But the interesting thing about last year is this: their research shows that it was actually up to 24% cheaper to buy online through Idealo in the week before Christmas than earlier. So if last year's trend replicates itself this year, it would be considerably more expensive to buy toys now than the week beginning 10th December 2012.
Of course, the risk is getting the presents in time for Christmas. Which is where those new sorting offices might come in. Remember them? Eight new sorting offices specially to handle Christmas parcels.
But if you'd rather not risk it you needn't worry, as you'll still get a good deal from Idealo.
Happy shopping!
November 14, 2012
Happy Birthday BBC
It was ninety years ago today...
No-one taught the band to play; I'm not sure if there was a band. But there was a broadcast. The first-ever broadcast. By the BBC. It's their birthday today. And in spite of all the recent troubles, let's remember where we'd be without them. America, that's where. And we don't want that, now do we?
I've had my own small walk-on part in the history of BBC Radio, once or twice. It began some little time ago, when I was 'nobbut a bairn' (as they say in Hull, for it was there). The whole thing can only have happened a year or two after BBC Radio Humberside was launched in 1971 and how it came about (through school? church? cub-scouts?) is a mystery. But one Saturday morning a taxi arrived to take me to the city's old Chapel Street studios (below), there to read a 'Tufty' story as part of the children's programme, 'Playmates' (presenter, Gail Fryer).
There were several more Saturday morning Tufty readings before my involvement ceased as suddenly and as inexplicably as it had started. Maybe my voice broke; maybe they found someone better. I have no idea. I never listened to the show myself. It was bad enough being on it.
But my dad recorded it.
So.
Are you sitting comfortably?
Then I (or my seven or eight-year old self) shall begin:
No-one taught the band to play; I'm not sure if there was a band. But there was a broadcast. The first-ever broadcast. By the BBC. It's their birthday today. And in spite of all the recent troubles, let's remember where we'd be without them. America, that's where. And we don't want that, now do we?
I've had my own small walk-on part in the history of BBC Radio, once or twice. It began some little time ago, when I was 'nobbut a bairn' (as they say in Hull, for it was there). The whole thing can only have happened a year or two after BBC Radio Humberside was launched in 1971 and how it came about (through school? church? cub-scouts?) is a mystery. But one Saturday morning a taxi arrived to take me to the city's old Chapel Street studios (below), there to read a 'Tufty' story as part of the children's programme, 'Playmates' (presenter, Gail Fryer).
There were several more Saturday morning Tufty readings before my involvement ceased as suddenly and as inexplicably as it had started. Maybe my voice broke; maybe they found someone better. I have no idea. I never listened to the show myself. It was bad enough being on it.
But my dad recorded it.
So.
Are you sitting comfortably?
Then I (or my seven or eight-year old self) shall begin:
November 11, 2012
We will remember them
And not only the fallen, but the injured, the damaged, the war weary and the battle scarred. We all know Binyon's words even if we know nothing of him or the fact that he wrote them - his poem 'For the Fallen' in 1914, before there was anything like the monumental loss we've come to associate with the Great War.
Honouring the dead is our duty, of course. They grow in stature, is respect and in the honour and gratitude we increasingly owe. But they 'grow not' old.
But those who survive do age, and age will weary them - all of them - until that 'only end of age' that Philip Larkin writes about. So this Remembrance Sunday let's remember all who have served, continue to serve and will serve - the fallen, the injured and the 'happy' few who remain, but remain with the memory of things we never have to face.
Honouring the dead is our duty, of course. They grow in stature, is respect and in the honour and gratitude we increasingly owe. But they 'grow not' old.
But those who survive do age, and age will weary them - all of them - until that 'only end of age' that Philip Larkin writes about. So this Remembrance Sunday let's remember all who have served, continue to serve and will serve - the fallen, the injured and the 'happy' few who remain, but remain with the memory of things we never have to face.
November 9, 2012
Keep Us Close
Fancy emailing your MP? Go on, give him or her something to do, something important - vital - something to take their mind off the witch-hunts and Westminster gossip.
There are over 800,000 disabled children in the UK, but over half the families with disabled children are unable to get the support they need locally. The Children and Families Bill that is currently making its way through Parliament represents an important opportunity to help these families.
But only if we all do our bit. Scope's Keep Us Close families campaign is asking for a ‘Provide Local Principle’ to be included in the Act in order to guarantee that local authorities provide quality local services for families with disabled children. And that's where they need our help. Which is as easy as sending that email...
There are over 800,000 disabled children in the UK, but over half the families with disabled children are unable to get the support they need locally. The Children and Families Bill that is currently making its way through Parliament represents an important opportunity to help these families.
But only if we all do our bit. Scope's Keep Us Close families campaign is asking for a ‘Provide Local Principle’ to be included in the Act in order to guarantee that local authorities provide quality local services for families with disabled children. And that's where they need our help. Which is as easy as sending that email...
