LIKES & LOVES| SEPTEMBER 2023

 September has flown by and most of this months likes and loves are related to our holiday we had in Filey before B headed back to school. 

 

I've managed to watch a good few things on Netflix this month and one on prime.

Black mirror season 6

I finally managed to watch season 6 of this scfi/dystopian series.

Public enemy: book of revelation 

Freed after 20 years in prison, the child killer Guy Beranger found refuge with the monks in Vielsart, a small village in Belgian's Ardennes.

Dear child

Dear Child tells the grim tale of one woman's escape from captivity – and her connection to an unresolved missing persons case from 13 years ago.

Happiness for beginners 

A year after her divorce, 32-year-old Helen Carpenter lets her brother persuade her to sign up for a wilderness survival course. Through this experience she discovers that you have to get lost to find yourself. 

Daisy Jones and The Six

I watched this one on prime. In 1977, Daisy Jones & The Six were on top of the world; the band had risen from obscurity to fame, and then, after a sold-out show at Chicago's Soldier Field, they called it quits; now, decades later, the band members agree to reveal the truth.

Flying Scotsman model 

B's favourite train is the flying scotsman and I found this model on Vinted for a bargain price of £5 plus postage. 

BOOK TOUR | ONLY FOR CHRISTMAS BY TRACY CORBETT

 Ad – review. I was sent a copy of this book for review purposes and all thoughts are my own.

Today I am involved in the book tour for Only For Christmas by Tracy Corbett. As well as writing novels, Tracy’s written several short stories, pantomime sketches and magazine articles. Tracy describes her writing style as modern tales of romance, with engaging quirky characters, who overcome adversity, grow as people and conclude in satisfying optimistic endings. When she’s not writing, she enjoys amateur dramatics, gardening and sewing. She works part-time for a local charity.

2023 READING CHALLENGE | WHAT I'VE READ IN SEPTEMBER

 I've managed to get through five books this month. I do wish I had got round to reading more of my summer reads but they will be read another time now. 

Operation Sunshine by Jenny Colgan

This was the only book I read whilst on holiday. I was very disappointed as I thought I'd enjoy this one much more than I did. It took me awhile to get through which is why I couldn't get to my other summer reads I'd planned.  

BLOG TOUR | THE HIGHLANDERS UNEXPECTED BRIDE BY NICOLE LOCKE

Ad – review. I was sent a copy of this book for review purposes and all thoughts are my own.

Today I am involved in the book tour for The Highlanders Unexpected Bride by Nicole Locke. Nicole writes exciting Medieval romance where all the first discovered romance novels hidden in her grandmother’s closet. Convinced hidden books must be better, Nicole greedily read them. It was only natural she should start writing them (but now not so secretly). If she isn’t working on the next book in her historical series, she can’t be found. No, seriously. Because she’s always working on the next story!

 About the book

Escape to Medieval Scotland, where a Highlander searches for a bride…

Is the wife the Highlander seeks

…already by his side?

A YEAR OF NATURE WALKS AND GAMES BY BECKY GODDARD-HILL AND CATHERINE HUGHES

 Ad – review. I was sent a copy of this book for review purposes and all thoughts are my own.

Today I'm super excited to share with you a new book from Becky Goddard-Hill and Catherine Hughes. A year of nature walks and games features 52 things to see and do following the seasons.

Filled with activities and games for children aged 7 years and up to do out and about in nature that are budget-friendly and will entertain all year round.

OUR AUTUMN BUCKET LIST 2023

I'm so excited that my favourite season, autumn is officially here! Which of course means it's time to share my autumn bucket list for 2023. I'm so looking forward to ticking off this list of ideas.

MOVING HOME CHECKLIST FOR A SMOOTH TRANSITION

As well being costly moving home is stressful. This is why I've complied a list of things to do to make the next time you move a bit easier. This checklist is to help you to be organised as there is always lots you need to think about and having a list for you to tick off really does help. Whether you are moving to a new home locally or upping sticks and moving to a different county this list should help you to keep things in order.

 

Agree a date

Agreeing a date is definitely your first step. Until you have a date agreed you'll find it tricky to do anything else on your list. If you own your own home than you are most likely to need to move out and into your new property on the same day. If you are renting you maybe able to move over a few days. If you are renting, once you do have a date sorted don't forget to tell your landlord.

Get removal quotes

Unless you are planning to carry out your move yourself than you need to start looking into getting a few removal quotes. A London moving service is ideal if you are moving to or away from the city as the capital is busy. Your budget when it comes to moving will dictate how much support you pay for. I reccomend getting an all-in-one removal packing service if your budget allows as that can help to release some of the stress.

BOOKTOUR| THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE BY VERED NETA

Ad – review. I was sent a copy of this book for review purposes and all thoughts are my own.

Today I am involved in the book tour for Things we do for love by Vered Neta. Vered has lived in three different countries for the last six decades, so trying to trace her origins is a thrilling quest. Nowadays she lives in Tenerife on an off-the-grid finca creating a self-sustained life for her and her partner while writing her novels and scripts.

Her stories are character-driven dramas, giving voice to the untold stories of women and their triumphs in today's society. Her mission? To illuminate the world with kindness and positivity, one story at a time.

Vered's words have touched countless lives through her multiple books on motivation and relationships. Her book "Financial Independence for Women" sold over 50,000 copies. In 2010 Vered was awarded the TIAW World of Difference Award, an award given to women whose efforts have advanced women's economic empowerment locally, regionally or worldwide.

EDUCATIONAL GAMES FOR SEN SUPPORT | WITH ORCHARD TOYS

  * I was sent the Orchard Toys  Wiggly Words and Slimy Rhymes games for the purpose of this post. All views and opinions are 100% my own.

Did you know that just under 1.5 million pupils in England have special educational needs. 13% of children in primary education require SEN support, and the percentage of pupils with SEN is continuing to rise? What SEN children find challenging is vast. For some it’s literacy-based or numeracy-based activities, whilst others struggle with processing and remembering information. SEN pupils often find learning to spell words, telling the time, and solving maths problems much harder than those without SEN needs. 

All children deserve the right support at both school and at home with their learning. This is why we are fans of Orchard Toys as they have a wide range of educational games available for a wide range of ages and abilities. We've had a lot of Orchard Toys games over the years for Blake and we fully recommend the brand.

CAN IDENTIFYING YOUR PERSONALITY TYPE HELP YOU TO FIND YOUR IDEAL CAREER

 *In collaboration with Simply Academy 

Have you thought about doing the Myers-Briggs personality test? Knowing your personality type is actually something that can be really useful for many areas of your life. One question you may be wondering though is can identifying your personality type help you to find your ideal career? The short answer is yes and I'll explain more below about how it can and a bit more about the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types.

Simply Academy have courses for those looking at a career in financial or mortgage advice  to suit various personality types. They have a handy post sharing  the common traits of each personality type and to see which personality is best suited to each course.

When it comes to pursuing your ideal career knowing your personality type is definitely useful. An example is that if you are an introvert then a career in a social and customer-oriented role is unlikely to be a career you'll thrive in. Knowing your personality type means that you can find a role where you can find it more easier to connect with your colleagues, you'll perform better in your role, have higher job satisfaction and be able to establish your strengths and weaknesses. 

REVIEW | THE TRAITORS CARD GAME

  * I was sent The Traitors card game for the purpose of reviewing. All views and opinions are 100% my own.

I recently have heard of the reality show The Traitors which is on the BBC. It's something I have yet to watch but having heard about it and playing this game I'm tempted to. The show is where 22 strangers are moved into a castle in the Scottish Highlands to complete a series of challenges and missions together as a team. The catch, however, is that amongst the loyal contestants hoping to win a cash prize of up to £120,000, three traitors are secretly lurking, sabotaging their efforts and picking off contestants one by one. In the ultimate game of detection, backstabbing and trust, the loyalists must root out the traitors amongst their ranks in order to win or risk losing everything.

Anyway Ginger Fox have released a game based on the show so that you can have lots of fun playing with family and/or friends. This thrilling and suspenseful card game is great for those that love strategy, deception and a dose of healthy competition. The game is played best with 4-8 people so one that's best to get out when you have family or a bunch of friends over. Please note the game is suitable for 8 years and over.

GLEN GARDENS | FILEY, NORTH YORKSHIRE

Glen Gardens is another attraction we chose to go to during our holiday to Filey. Glen Gardens is situated on the south side of Filey, North Yorkshire. Although a small park during the summer months there is plenty to do. It is also a small walk from the beach and has stunning views of the beach near the cliffs.

Glen Gardens were built around the 1830’s and were part of the private estate of Ravine Hall. Although the hall no longer exists, a café stands in its place.

 

FILEY BRIGG | FILEY NORTH YORKSHIRE

Whilst we were away on holiday we headed into Filey and one place we visited one morning was Filey Brigg. Filey Brigg is a long narrow peninsula situated about a mile north of Filey, North Yorkshire. It's steep cliffs are 20 metres high and consist of a variety of material, from pure sandstone to pure limestone. In the early 1970s the fields on top of the Brigg were turned into Filey Brigg Country Park. 

REVIEW | I want my MTV Music Television card game

 * I was sent the I want my MTV Music Television card game for the purpose of reviewing. All views and opinions are 100% my own.

If you are on the look out for a new trivia game then check out the I want my MTV music television card game. It's time to head back to the 80s, 90s and 00s with this MTV music trivia game. Test out your musical knowledge with this nostalgic game and see what you can remember from this music era.

How to play

The game is pretty simple to play.

First of all select a host who reads the category choices to the player on their left. The player must pick a category and answer the question. If they get all four questions right than they get to pick an MTV logo piece to take. The winner is the first person to collect all four puzzle pieces to complete the logo.

 

GUIDE TO MAINTAINING BEAUTIFUL HAIR

Who doesn't want beautiful hair? I don't know about you but having beautiful hair makes me feel more confident. Taking care of your hair by using the right products for your hair type isn't the only way to keep your hair looking beautiful. Having beautiful hair can be a challenge but it is worth it. 

In this post I'm going to share with you what you need to know to have beautiful hair. Following this advice and sticking to it is what will help you to maintain having beautiful hair.

Know your hair type

Knowing your hair type is an important step to having beautiful hair. Your hair can change over time, for example when you're pregnant. My hair has always been fine thanks to medical conditions I have that causes my hair to be not just be fine but brittle too. Knowing your hair type means that you can choose the best products and treatments for your hair.

10 HAVEN ACTIVITIES UNDER £10

*Please note: You will need a Haven play pass to access these activities.

When going on holiday to Haven book activities in advance. There are lots of Haven activities to do at varies prices and booking in advance guarantees that you have a slot especially as some of the activities are popular. They have a range of free activities as well as paid ones. Today I'm sharing 10 Haven activities under £10.

1. Swimming (Free)

No matter what Haven site you go to they all have a swimming pool. The type of pool may differ site to site an example is that Primrose Valley has three pools, two inside and on one outside. For swimming you get 14 slots for the duration of your holiday. Each slot is one per person and your slot lasts for an hour. 

Where to eat at Haven Primrose Valley

Knowing what's available on site when it comes to food when we go away is important to us because of Blake and his limited diet. When we went to Haven Primrose Valley recently we were happy to find lots of family favourites available. So here is a breakdown of the places on site at Haven Primrose Valley.

HAVEN WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A SAVER CARAVAN

During the last week of August/beginning of September we finally headed to Haven Primrose Valley. We have been looking forward to this holiday for what feels like ages. This was our first Haven holiday and our first time we have visited the area. So we had to look into what we needed to pack for a Haven holiday and what we could hire. We absolutely loved the Yorkshire Coast and definitely want to be heading up that way again in the near future. 

We had decided to go with a Saver Caravan as we were on a budget. In general the accommodation types are pretty standard from resort to resort. You are able to see the different caravan grades and specifics over on the Haven website.

REVIEW | TRAVEL WILD GUESS

 * I was sent the Travel Wild Guess game for the purpose of reviewing. All views and opinions are 100% my own.

One of the things my husband and I have been enjoying over the past year for date night is playing games. We're starting to build quite a collection of games now and we recently took the game Travel Wild Guess on holiday with us. We were sent the  Travel Wild Guess game which is really easy to play as it's all about guessing the closest answer to win.

Quick Vegetable Risotto

We love a delicious rissotto and this quick vegetable rissotto is not just filled with a range of delicious vegetables but it's healthy and filling too.

As there is only 2 of us we us we used half of  the ingredients and we did find that we couldn't finish, so ended up using the leftovers to be

warmed in microwave the next day for lunch. 

The Great thing about tgis recipe is that you can swap what veg you use to whatever you fancy, what's in season or in your fridge. 

This is the recipe for 4 : 

Ingredients

Low calorie cooking spray (we use frylight) 

8 spring onions, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

100g cherry tomatoes

1 carrot, peeled and finely diced

2 celery sticks, finely diced

100g green beans, trimmed and cut into 2cm lengths

350g dried risotto rice/ organic arborio rice. 

1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1.5 litres boiling hot vegetable stock

2 courgettes, finely diced

200g fresh or frozen peas

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

A small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method

1.Spray a large saucepan with low calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat.

2.Cook the spring onions and garlic for 1-2 minutes and then add the tomatoes, carrots, celery and green beans and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.

3.Stir in the rice and rosemary leaves and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.

4.Pour in half of the stock and leave to cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the rest of the stock and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Stir in the courgettes and peas and cook for another 5-6 minutes, stirring until the rice is just tender, but the mixture is still a bit saucy.

7. Season well, stir in the parsley and serve immediately.