Clare Macnaughton's Blog, page 42
June 5, 2013
Tune into @BBCWiltshire Tomorrow Thursday 6th June at 10am-ish – Mark O’Donnell & Me!
I am chatting to Mark O’Donnell of BBC Radio Wiltshire at 10am-ish about being a finalist in the Brilliance in Blogging Awards.
Please tune in!!
I started the blog amodernmilitarymother.com in 2009 to help explain life from the other side of the British military. She wrote her blog as a reflection of her own experiences in a decade of marriage to a man who serves in the military. This was my truth. In 2010 they separated. Despite my separation I cannot sever from military life completely, my children are still impacted by the continued and prolonged absences of their father. I am still a modern, military mother. My estranged RAF officer husband, a former Chinook pilot is now serving as the Brigade Air Liasion Officer to 12 Mech Brigade, based in Bulford, Wiltshire.
This blog is a finalist for the INNOVATE Brit Mums Brilliance in Blogging Award
The winner will be announced at Brit Mums LIVE on the 21st June to be held at The Brewery, London
BritMums is the UK’s largest parent blogger collective. We offer bloggers the latest support, advice and how-tos as well as feature great content on food, travel, relationships, health, charities, crafting and much more. Our social network is free to join and helps bloggers connect with others; our BritMums Pro programme connects bloggers with brand on our high-quality projects and our annual event is the blogging event of the year.
BUY MY NEW BOOK
A Modern Military Mother – Tales from the Domestic Frontline – Paperback
A Modern Military Mother – Tales from the Domestic Frontline – KINDLE
Watch the Pilot TV show – AMMMTV
Read my column every week in the Salisbury Journal
http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/sj_opinion/modern_military_mother/
Find me on the Huff Post UK
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/clare-macnaughton#
The post Tune into @BBCWiltshire Tomorrow Thursday 6th June at 10am-ish – Mark O’Donnell & Me! appeared first on A Modern Military Mother .
June 4, 2013
You Have to Believe to Achieve
Two years ago, when Hagar and I weren’t separated, we were living in military quarters in Hamworthy, Poole. I met a woman called Lynne Mctaggart and she introduced me to the notion of manifestation. The idea that we create our own luck and in order achieve your dreams you need to state them out loud. This led me to read a book called The Secret and also to watch the DVD. I made Hagar watch it too.
Now our life wasn’t going in the direction we wanted so I suggested that we create a manifestation sheets to summon our dreams – the laminated sheets are stuck on the corridor between the kitchen and the hall of my rented house, t’chateau. We worked backwards and found a magic number. The final sum that we felt could give us all we needed to live a sustainable life, completely self sufficient. We wrote ourselves a cheque for £10,000,000 and it is fixed on the same wall as the manifestation sheets.
What did we have to lose? Nothing. It costs nothing to visualise the sort of life you want to live and lead. Of course, the cost of living the life you visualise - that is a different matter altogether. Now, four years on, and one mother fucker of a roller coaster ride later, including a crown court trial, a media scandal, an internet stalker, some vile trolls, ostracisation, freedom, some chickens, ducks, pigs, rabbits, friends, family, love, laughter, dancing, drinking, eating and great beauty – I am back.
I have a positive posting policy. I am not into dissing other people live online or dwelling on my stress. I am no angel. In my head there sometimes is some serious shit gritting going down. I am looking for solace around every corner; looking for signs that everything is going to be alright. I know it is in my soul even though some days I feel we walk a tight rope but I am still pushing on. I am back to manifesting my dreams again but I can’t do it on my own. I need you to help me. I know that I need to persuade you to get onboard and to stick with me. I know that I have to convince you that I am worth it. You have to buy into me, even invest in me. Trust me.
The new mission is this:
1.) Publish audiobook. I have been in the studio with 80s music producer Ant Clark and we are just putting the finishing touches together but I need to know how to get the book to market. Anyone….?
2.) Publish 2nd edition of A Modern Military Mother – Tales from the Domestic Frontline – do I go with Createspace again? I need to get it into UK retailers.
3.) Grow the blog – hit some serious stats. I have a new guy on my team. I have faith in him.
4.) Make a six part TV show. I need to find relationships with sponsors that are visionary enough to pioneer, think outside the box and set trends.
How can you help me today?
1.) Buy the first edition of (available only on Amazon) A Modern Military Mother – Tales from the Domestic Frontline and review it on Amazon
3.) Watch my pilot TV show AMMMTV
4.) Introduce me to your friends
Thank you – MWAH! xxx
The post You Have to Believe to Achieve appeared first on A Modern Military Mother.
May 29, 2013
Fancy Dress Fest
It’s festie season – let the heavens open and let the rain fall. It’s a British summer after all.
Last year at StockFest I dressed up as a tequila drinking Mexican – well I wore a hat and had some maracas.
At Bestival I was flower powered to the max.
Hmmm – what to choose this year for StockFest and Bestival again maybe?
I’d read this article that someone in the blogosphere sent me, and figured I might as well peruse Fancy Dress Ball to see if I could wet my appetite with some festival fancy dress ideas.
At the village festival this year the village is divided about whether I should be allowed to be the MC or not. Last year, the outrage bus was full of tutting and disapproval to do with the inappropriate nature of my gags. I can’t help if the guitarist couldn’t keep his strap on and we had to wait for him to sort it out. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so amused by the words – strap on. What can I say I have puerile mind. Of course, it could be a good antidote to drunken antics by dressing up instead to create some comic interludes rather than badly told jokes with addled punch lines. Maybe as the hostess with the mostess I should dress up as a ringmaster like Harold Zidler, played by Jim Broadbent in Moulin Rouge – yes, I can, can, can, can. Maybe I should camp it up large and let the good times roll.
Fancy footwear is important too – festivals can be long days and it’s important to wear comfortable shoes. For me wellies make the most sense and you can virtually have any pattern you desire.
I love my liquorice allsorts wellies - they are perfect for festival feet. They look good enough to eat, are super comfy and also great for stomping through the mud – what more can a festival attendee ask for.
The post Fancy Dress Fest appeared first on A Modern Military Mother.
May 22, 2013
Happy Birthday to my blog – we are Brit Mums finalists INNOVATE category
Happy Birthday to AModernMilitaryMother.com, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to AModernMilitaryMother.com, Happy Birthday to you.
My blog is three years old today!
What a fabulous blogging journey we have been on together and long may it continue.
And to celebrate my third blog birthday I was given three gifts:
1.) A new logo by the gorgeous, talented and my bestie, Fiona Macduff of KifiCreative
2.) A wonderful silk scarf by the dashing Vicomte Arthur de Soultrait, the founder of punk ancien regime brand Vicomte A who I met today at his London store on the King’s Road, Chelsea to check out his fab new autumn/winter collection (more on that next week).
3.) But most importantly my blog and I were announced as Finalist in Brit Mums Brilliance in Blogging Awards in the INNOVATE category.
What a fantabulous birthday indeed!! I can’t wait for Brit Mums LIVE now on the 21st June – who wants to be my sponsor? You could be backing a winner – you never know! #bitesnails…...OMG! What am I going to wear? HELP!!!!!!
The post Happy Birthday to my blog – we are Brit Mums finalists INNOVATE category appeared first on A Modern Military Mother.
May 20, 2013
Macnaughty Meets Marco Pierre White
I live in my own head most of the time. It’s a Macnaughty happy place and I have a tendency to operate on a memory retention need to know basis. I am not a foodie per se. I like eating and I like good wines so I am not completely indifferent but I am also not going to have an over indulgent orgasm over an over priced stuffed mushroom. That is a lot of ‘over’ I have just written – I may have over done it. What I am meant to be saying is that I had a fairly limited awareness of Marco Pierre White. I knew he was a celebrity chef, I had seen that he had popped over to Brit Mums recently and they were very excited about it, and I had seen an advert about Knorr stock cubes and that was it. The sum total of my awareness of Marco Pierre White.
I had heard that he’d opened a pub in Wiltshire and so when I got the call asking me if I was interested in meeting Marco and checking out his pub, I knew, as sure as eggs is eggs, that the food would be, at least good, and as I am not one to turn down a free sandwich on a Friday - I thought, ‘why not?’ Then I thought why not drag my photographer chum Christo Nicolle along so that he can drive me home and I can get pissed. Fab – a boozy lunch with Marco Pierre White – what a great way to round off the week. Of course, the poor unsuspecting Marco Pierre White had no idea that a tanked up mummy blogger was about to be unleashed upon him but I did seem to recall that he had this reputation of being a bit of a wild, child himself so on reflection he, without doubt, would be definitely be full of empathy. I read up a bit and discovered that he had three Michelin Stars (I had no idea really what this meant other than I could never afford to eat what he cooked) and that he was from Leeds. A Yorkshire lad – a real life Dick Whittingdon rags to riches fairy tale. Well, I am from Yorkshire originally and so there is always some influence from the motherland that I can tap into somewhere. It’ll be fine.
When we arrived – Mrs P, Christo and me (Mrs P is the Commercial Director from the Blackmore Vale – she lives in the same village. Christo was our chauffeur) Marco Pierre White was resting on the table outside surrounded by a bevy of beauties, or perhaps a gaggle of girls. He was holding court in his rough wollen heavy set waistcoat, white shirt and wellies. His tousled hair was a perfect accoutrement to the lilac wisteria languidly adorning the pub face. He was a bigger, more robust man than I had imagined. I didn’t want to meet him straight away. I wanted to bloodhound round the pub and check out the interior and see the rooms. I wanted to see what soap they had in the loos. I think you can always assess the quality of a place by the type soap in the loos. Molton Brown being my favourite loo hand soap and cream, for the record. It wasn’t Molton Brown; but it wasn’t awful either.
The interior was was strong and robust with big fabrics – stone, wood, steel and bronze. What struck me instantly was the clinical order of the place. I thought, ‘an ordered mind put this together’.
@ChristoNicolle
I wanted to know in advance could I embed at Wheelers The Pear Tree Inn in Whiteley, Wiltshire for a naughty weekend? Once I had eaten and drank mucho Vino Tinto I knew that it was time to meet the big man himself. I sought him out. He was very obliging. He was in full work mode. Charming and informative. The pub was his. He had taken something lesser and made it more. He toured me around like a posh, with a northern twang, heavy set guide – it went along the lines of – ‘the bins were here so I paved the way for a clean run, no litter here, and I added this marvelous estate fencing which I painted black. I found them at a reclamation yard. I gravelled this and we tidied that. Come let me show the pear orchard.’ I skipped behind him, a bit wobbly in my sheepskin clogs and slightly warm and fuzzy from the Rioja that had washed down my medium rare steak. The pear orchard was very young – only a month old. The gardener, (the brother of the manager that manages all of the Wheeler’s venues), who planted the pear trees last month, and also, manages all the gardens of all the venues, told me beforehand that Marco was sure there would be plentiful pears to make pear tarte tartin at picking time. ‘Pear enough’ I thought. It was nice to look at pear trees whilst eating in the conservatory. I was already a convert. I loved it. I could do nowt but agree as he strode me round.
@ChristoNicolle
I mentioned that I had noted that ‘an ordered mind had put the place together’ and to my surprise he replied ‘thank you’. Then he went to qualify where order was and order wasn’t. The lawns were mown but not too mown so the edges, they were meadowlike to encourage wild flowers and wildlife.
@ChristoNicolle
Inside space was important. Everyone must feel relaxed – a table shouldn’t be too crowded. Plenty of elbow room. Every artefact was hand picked, selected by him – all originals. He’s friends with the illustrator, the artist, or he found it in a reclamation yard. It couldn’t be perfect – there were things that he had to live but he thinks he got away with it, or has made the best of it and that it doesn’t matter. The dresser took many men to carry it but it was worth it. (I agree because the dresser is a magnificent piece.) He can’t bear pubs run by accountants.
It’s all personal to Marco and he is passionate about every one of his pubs. He has a rag tag band of merry folk that support him, often trotting between venues – they know him. They don’t feel like he is giving them orders and they feel like they are part of a team, who are delivering his vision. It doesn’t mean he’s not giving them orders – it just means that he’s good at delivering his vision.
The Rioja was making me feel bold so I asked him was the order almost ‘sociopathic‘. His response was not what I expected at all – first of all he analysed out loud the word ‘sociopathic‘ empahsising ‘without emotion’ and then concluded that everything he did was with emotion and passion and therefore, he wasn’t sociopathic. I was quite surprised because I knew that somewhere in Marco’s world the word had been discussed before. He was very relaxed and it was becoming clear that whilst he was a world famous three star Michelin chef now he is a business man – the caretaker of the businesses he manages.
He cooks at home, using his aga, where he lives alone with a bonkers lurcher dog called Clive (which incidentally is the same name as his brother. I think it’s weird when people give their pets human names – I once had a friend who named their cat Tina and another whose Daschund was called Stephen.) I was told later by another journalist that apparently he is dating a Fox – a foxy lady who is part of the Fox acting dynasty but I don’t really care about that. Apparently, according to Marco Pierre White his wild child status is legend and lore and that he is in fact, very boring, ordered and disciplined. But hey, why let the truth get in the way of a good rumour.
Marco Pierre White is a huge fan of the military – he’s been to Iraq and Afghanistan to cook for the troops. He thinks he is civilian who has been militarised by his career. Everything in his life is about discipline and order. His humble beginnings on the Michelin star shop floor were about militaristic perfection. Taking the heads off a 100 artichokes, precisely day in, day out, day in, day out – in uniform – a chef’s uniform. Since he started cheffing - it’s routine, structure, discipline, orders and perfection. In life he wears a uniform. He doesn’t buy his clothes off the peg – he doesn’t shop. He has a tailor and he wears the same thing for the different occasion – suit for this, or suit for that or waistcoat for casual, etc - another uniform. In his mind, Marco Pierre White is the number 1 and it’s true – he is The Godfather of chefs – the Don Juan. He is the First Sea Lord or the Chief of the General Staff. He is in charge and it’s his way or the highway. Even his beer and cider are called The Governor. The Governor was very gracious to me, the drunk mummy blogger – I could tell he was being very tolerant – amused by my impishness. It was a good day and really for him it was about showcasing his pub. In a way I would like to have poured gallons of red wine down his throat and unraveled him because I think unleashed he could be tempestuous and funny.
He did tell me that he loves Bird’s custard – it is his guilty pleasure.
What was interesting to me was that when I asked him a question, he very rarely looked me in the eye – more often than not he would direct his answers to Christo who was taking photos. He was very protective of his personal space (which is not a criticism) and I could sense his tension when I asked for the cheesy grin shot of me and him. He never smiled so when I attempted to pretend to lick him to try and get him to crack smile just a snipsy bit. He nearly jumped out of skin. Fortunately, I was able to get him to shake it out and he did smile at me; but not for the camera.
Apparently, someone told him he shouldn’t smile because it didn’t make him look perfect but I think ‘sod that – if you are happy smile’.
Life’s too short Marco Pierre White.
@ChristoNicolle
The post Macnaughty Meets Marco Pierre White appeared first on A Modern Military Mother.
A Naughty Weekend with Marco Pierre White at Wheelers The Pear Tree Inn Whitley
Just for the record I want Marco Pierre White to buy my local pub and brandish his unique hallmark over it right now please. It’s The Carriers in Stockton in the Wylye Valley – there is still time for him to swoop in like a Golden Eagle, refurb the nest and lay in it golden eggs. Marco Pierre White likes eggs. He definitely likes eggs, rare birds and all things unique. He likes to be original.
I followed my google maps on my i-phone to Wheeler’s The Pear Tree Inn with Marco Pierre White. I stopped short of the pub and had to re-assess – must do more planning in future. I was not far. I pulled into the freshly gravelled car park and looked up and saw the entrance.
@ChristoNicolle
I knew I was going to love it.
@ChristoNicolle
I am a northern southern hybrid with champagne taste and lemonade money but I like a venue with a certain, honesty, robustness, no nonsense but still has flair, style and comfort yet is not over priced. Wheelers The Pear Tree Inn with Marco Pierre White had me at ‘hello’.
@ChristoNicolle
It’s a place where once you enter you don’t want to leave ever.
@ChristoNicolle
It’s the perfect naughty weekend away. Arrive on the Friday early afternoon, head straight to your room, open some bubbles….
@ChristoNicolle
@ChristoNicolle
@ChristoNicolle
Relax, unwind – take a deep, hot bath and get ready to head to to the bar for an aperitif.
@ChristoNicolle
Order from the bar snacks menu or the restaurant menu. All reasonably priced.
@ChristoNicolle
@ChristoNicolle
(For me, for my, The Pear Tree Inn debut – it had to be Eggs Benedict and steak. I am so predictable and I was not disappointed.) We opened with a soft boiled rare egg – a black headed gull from Lymington, served with celery salt and mayonnaise and a wild, light, free, crazy hedonistic parsley (yes, I can’t remember then name of the parsley and I forget to take a pen and the sat nav used all the battery on my phone. Enjoy the post – it’s going to be like my cooking – instinctive!)
@ChristoNicolle
Washed down with a great selection of interesting wines. On this particular occasion I was all about the Rioja – I have spent so much time in Bilbao that Rioja for me is a wine not to be missed.
The steak was divine! Not a salad in sight and don’t ask because you won’t get. You are in the hands of a hallmarked Marco Pierre White establishment – leave your own thoughts at the door. It is his world now, his ideals and you don’t know best. Trust him, let yourself be in his hands and I promise he won’t let you down. He knows best because he is The Governor, The Godfather, the main man and he is – #FACT
I was too full for dessert but I am confident there are puddings, cheese and then of course, liquors at the bar so you can be sufficiently sozzled, warm and cosy as you fall into your reasonably priced room only stone’s throw away. In the morning – there’ll be breakfast – I didn’t try it but I know it’ll be good and as sure as eggs is eggs there’ll be eggs on the menu. If I give it all away then you won’t go and you definitely should. Even if it’s just to check out the puds and let me know what I missed. Anyway, once I had sampled the fayre and adored the venue – it was time to meet the master himself.
The Pear Tree Inn
Top Lane
Whitley, Melksham
Wiltshire
SN12 8QX
Tel: 01225 709131
Email: info@wheelerspeartree.com
Coming soon what happened when Macnaughty met Marco Pierre White – whatever you do don’t try and lick the celebrity!
@ChristoNicolle
The post A Naughty Weekend with Marco Pierre White at Wheelers The Pear Tree Inn Whitley appeared first on A Modern Military Mother.
A Naughty Weekend with Marco Pierre White at Wheelers The Pear Tree Inn Whitely
Just for the record I want Marco Pierre White to buy my local pub and brandish his unique hallmark over it right now please. It’s The Carriers in Stockton in the Wylye Valley – there is still time for him to swoop in like a Golden Eagle, refurb the nest and lay in it golden eggs. Marco Pierre White likes eggs. He definitely likes eggs, rare birds and all things unique. He likes to be original.
I followed my google maps on my i-phone to Wheeler’s The Pear Tree Inn with Marco Pierre White. I stopped short of the pub and had to re-assess – must do more planning in future. I was not far. I pulled into the freshly gravelled car park and looked up and saw the entrance.
@ChristoNicolle
I knew I was going to love it.
@ChristoNicolle
I am a northern southern hybrid with champagne taste and lemonade money but I like a venue with a certain, honesty, robustness, no nonsense but still has flair, style and comfort yet is not over priced. Wheelers The Pear Tree Inn with Marco Pierre White had me at ‘hello’.
@ChristoNicolle
It’s a place where once you enter you don’t want to leave ever.
@ChristoNicolle
It’s the perfect naughty weekend away. Arrive on the Friday early afternoon, head straight to your room, open some bubbles….
@ChristoNicolle
@ChristoNicolle
@ChristoNicolle
Relax, unwind – take a deep, hot bath and get ready to head to to the bar for an aperitif.
@ChristoNicolle
Order from the bar snacks menu or the restaurant menu. All reasonably priced.
@ChristoNicolle
@ChristoNicolle
(For me, for my, The Pear Tree Inn debut – it had to be Eggs Benedict and steak. I am so predictable and I was not disappointed.) We opened with a soft boiled rare egg – a black headed gull from Lymington, served with celery salt and mayonnaise and a wild, light, free, crazy hedonistic parsley (yes, I can’t remember then name of the parsley and I forget to take a pen and the sat nav used all the battery on my phone. Enjoy the post – it’s going to be like my cooking – instinctive!)
@ChristoNicolle
Washed down with a great selection of interesting wines. On this particular occasion I was all about the Rioja – I have spent so much time in Bilbao that Rioja for me is a wine not to be missed.
The steak was divine! Not a salad in sight and don’t ask because you won’t get. You are in the hands of a hallmarked Marco Pierre White establishment – leave your own thoughts at the door. It is his world now, his ideals and you don’t know best. Trust him, let yourself be in his hands and I promise he won’t let you down. He knows best because he is The Governor, The Godfather, the main man and he is – #FACT
I was too full for dessert but I am confident there are puddings, cheese and then of course, liquors at the bar so you can be sufficiently sozzled, warm and cosy as you fall into your reasonably priced room only stone’s throw away. In the morning – there’ll be breakfast – I didn’t try it but I know it’ll be good and as sure as eggs is eggs there’ll be eggs on the menu. If I give it all away then you won’t go and you definitely should. Even if it’s just to check out the puds and let me know what I missed. Anyway, once I had sampled the fayre and adored the venue – it was time to meet the master himself.
The Pear Tree Inn
Top Lane
Whitley, Melksham
Wiltshire
SN12 8QX
Tel: 01225 709131
Email: info@wheelerspeartree.com
Coming soon what happened when Macnaughty met Marco Pierre White – whatever you do don’t try and lick the celebrity!
@ChristoNicolle
The post A Naughty Weekend with Marco Pierre White at Wheelers The Pear Tree Inn Whitely appeared first on A Modern Military Mother.
May 14, 2013
Free on Amazon Kindle Worldwide A Modern Military Mother – Tales from the Domestic Frontline Ends 19th May
You have until the 19th May to download free on Kindle across all Amazon sites worldwide
A Modern Military Mother – Tales from the Domestic Frontline
“This is me – I drink too much, I eat too much, I swear too much. I am outstandingly average, utterly flawed and unashamedly happy to be so.”
As the above quote suggests, this book is incredibly honest, personal and open. It also gives us a look into the world of military personnel and more specifically, the civilian relationships with their families and the effects the demanding lifestyle creates.
I read this from cover to cover, pausing only to fill up my glass of wine. It was an unexpectedly engaging and thought provokingly good read. Highly recommended!”
DOWNLOAD IT FREE UNTIL 19th MAY
A Modern Military Mother UK Kindle
A Modern Military Mother USA Kindle
A Modern Military Mother Canada Kindle
A Modern Military Mother France Kindle
A Modern Military Mother Germany Kindle
A Modern Military Mother Japan Kindle
A Modern Military Mother Italy Kindle
A Modern Military Mother Spain Kindle
A Modern Military Mother Brazil Kindle
Please, please, please, review on Amazon once you have read it
Excerpt:
Hagar’s fantasy family
May 25 2010
It’s been a while since Hagar’s been deployed on ops and as I prepare for it’s coming I think back to the challenges we have previously faced.
The thing about the war in Afghanistan is that it is a violent, feudal battlefield, but, life is ordered and structured. Hagar goes to war and he can focus solely on the job at hand. They eat, sleep, plan, brief, execute, de-brief, eat, sleep and maybe they’ll work out, read and shoot the shit with each other. Life is laid out for them in a structured, co-ordinated manner. Hagar walks into a room to give a brief. The room is silent and listens to what he has to say until he has finished speaking.
He takes with him photos of us, his family, in still, poised poses. Good pictures, where we are happy, beautiful statues of perfections. He pines and aches for us as he remembers fondly the moments he played dinosaur battles on the living room floor with The Grenade, our 6 year-old son. He imagines me cooking up a warm homely, veritable feast like a domestic goddess, keeping the home fires burning, laughing gaily as he speaks and celebrating the Utopian banter of our perfect marriage.
When he returns home, all suntanned, dusty and crunchy from the sand, after the initial moments of euphoria of being re-united are over, normal life kicks in. The memories of his fantasy family are shattered and he is faced with his real family. The Grenade is whining – ear drum shattering whines – because something that he deemed essential to his very being has been denied to him, the house is chaotic, strewn with toys, dinner is not served and the bubba is screaming. He starts to talk to me about something that barely interests me, maybe something mechanical and military like. I start thinking about something else distracted. He looks at me and says; ‘I am talking to you and you are not listening,’ and I reply, ‘yes, I know but it’s not that interesting and I am your wife, not one of your crew and I reserve the right, to be bored, switch off, interrupt and think about something else, entirely irrelevant and disconnected to your conversation.’
Sometimes it’s easier and simpler to go to war. Hagar knows where he is at war. Home is messy, noisy, chaotic and full of hormonal, evolving people who don’t follow the rules. I know he loves us and we love him, but there is more than just distance between war and home. This is why the re-integration back in is always complicated as we all learn how to be around each other again.
The post Free on Amazon Kindle Worldwide A Modern Military Mother – Tales from the Domestic Frontline Ends 19th May appeared first on A Modern Military Mother.
Cocktails at StockFest?
Is the summer here? Are we really only one month away from Midsummers?
For the third year running in our village is organising a music festival which is dedicated to freedom of expression and local musical talent. Last year’s was a hoot and I made Tequila lollies.
Patrón Perfect Margarita
Ingredients (makes 4)
35ml Patrón Silver to taste
15ml Patrón Citrónge
125ml freshly squeezed lime juice
90ml fresh pineapple juice
85ml elderflower cordial
We also made Tequila jelly…..
But the outcome was hilarious
Although I am not sure the neighbours would agree. This year maybe we should drink something a bit more sophisticated like a Cosmopolitan. Mind you, I am not sure drinking a sophisticated cocktail makes you a sophisticated drunk. Of course, there’s only one way to find out. I’ll let you know how I get on.
The post Cocktails at StockFest? appeared first on A Modern Military Mother.
The secret of a success: how to campaign in the modern world
This a guest post submitted by James Hargreaves on behalf of the Army Cadets. Volunteering with the Army Cadets for more than ten years, he uses his plentiful experience to offer advice on how to make your campaign a success.
The most successful volunteering career or campaign is arguably that which rewards you with something unique. Whilst you’re not working for money, that doesn’t mean you aren’t rewarded for your efforts.
I know better than most that volunteering with the Army Cadets provides a whole host of benefits you might not otherwise find; from hands-on skills and experience right through to practical qualifications, but how do you keep the numbers up? Throughout my years I’ve taken various approaches towards campaigning – from hitting the streets the old fashioned way to embracing modern technology and going online – and the results have usually been positive.
I guess the secret is to understand what you’re selling. The army is, in many ways, a lot like a campaign; it has set goals and objectives and the more people you have at your disposal the better the end result. It teaches teamwork and co-operation, requires strategy and forethought and relies on the collective contributions of individuals who must simultaneously take responsibility for themselves and act as part of a wider unit.
Over the years I’ve learnt plenty from my experiences (both campaigning and as an Army Cadets volunteer). For those planning their own campaign – here are a few tricks I picked up along the way:
Be dedicated
Dedication and service are two skills that will prove valuable wherever you go – so why not apply them to your campaign? The passion to see something through and achieve your goals is at the heart of any campaigning venture so make sure you’re in a position to commit yourself 100%. If you’re unable to dedicate the necessary time to your campaign then it’ll almost certainly fail so be realistic with your time management and don’t take on more than you can handle.
In the modern world, if you want a little help staying on task then there are plenty of programmes to help. Online fundraising pages are a great way to track your efforts and keep your target or goal in mind but you can also set yourself reminders on everything from mobile phones to email calendars. Something I always found beneficial was to change desktop backgrounds and other customisable features to include images of my campaign or the ultimate target – it’s a great way to make sure the campaign remains the number one priority in your mind.
Advertise prolifically
The next trick is to make sure your message reaches the widest audience possible. My time with Wiltshire Army Cadet Force has equipped me with many skills and it is these qualifications which I always place at the heart of my campaign.
Did you know that The Duke of Edinburgh Award, public relations skills, first aid and any other number of practical skills can be obtained by volunteering with the Army Cadets and are highly applicable in various real-world situations? It is this sort of information which catches people’s attention but simply telling them is not enough. The best approach I’ve found is to provide demonstrates. Setting up something outside in the general public is always a great way to attract attention but if you want to achieve maximum results then go online.
Capture demonstrations on video and load them onto YouTube before sharing across any social platform you can get your hands on. Facebook and Twitter are the go-to mediums for most campaigners but what about Pinterest and Flickr? These are great for image-based inspiration so make sure you don’t overlook them. Then there’s Google+. Whilst new, it is starting to extend its influence so make sure you’re set up here as well. You can always link all of your profiles together to give your campaign as much strength as possible and to make it easier to manage. After all, as the army has taught us – united we stand, divided we fall.
The post The secret of a success: how to campaign in the modern world appeared first on A Modern Military Mother.
