tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52936788673592338672024-02-07T09:55:52.787+00:00Goodbye MagpieCarriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-63977836280633470732012-09-04T15:28:00.000+01:002012-09-04T15:28:30.853+01:00The End of Project Goodbye MagpieCan you believe it? A year has passed since I started Project Goodbye Magpie back in August 2011! A whole 12 months of budgeting, watching the pennies and trying to find out what life is all about while I was at it. <br />
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Well, the figures are in, the spreadsheets have been calibrated and I am delighted to announce the results are as follows (drum roll please):<br />
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We have spent a whoping <b>£13,715</b> <b>less</b> over the past 12 months <b>and</b> managed to pay off <b>£4,600</b> from our Credit Card leaving a now managable £1,000 left to pay.<br />
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So, how did we do it? <br />
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<b>No. 1 Saving </b>was not having any Car Loan repayments, saving <b>£7,500</b>. We paid off the car loan last year and although a lot of people would take this as an opporunity to upgrade, we're most definitely not, and intend to run our current car until it is scrapped. I used to be the kind of person who would get very excited by a new car, now I can't understand the fuss and would happily not have a car at all if we possibly could, (my sister and brother-in-law just went car-less and are loving it, no more petrol or garage bills!)<br />
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<b>No. 2 Saving</b> was the <a href="http://goodbye-magpie.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Challenge%201%3A%20Coffee" target="_blank">Coffee and Eating Out Challenge</a>. Where we went from regular weekend lunches out and coffees around town, to pretty much cold turkey, with the odd cuppa or two, and dinner out, thrown in. My trusty thermos flask for coffees on the go and just simply not eating out, saved an unbelievable <b>£3,227.87</b> (!!) over the course of a year.<br />
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<b>No. 3 Saving</b> was the <a href="http://goodbye-magpie.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Challenge%204%3A%20Reduce%20the%20Grocery%20Bill" target="_blank">Grocery Bill Challenge</a>. Everyone is moaning about the cost of groceries going up, but by making better use of our bulk buy warehouse, shopping weekly at the local farmers market for our veg, not wasting so much food and just not going to the supermarket as regularly (where you often buy 'off-list' just-in-case stuff you don't actually really need), we saved <b>£1,351.76</b> on our food bill!<br />
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<b>No. 4 Saving</b> was on <a href="http://goodbye-magpie.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Challenge%20Ten%3A%20Holidays" target="_blank">Holidays</a>. We saved <b>£1311.01</b> by going camping for our anniversary rather than a weekend abroad and by bargain hunting our self catering cottage in the highlands for our regular two weeks away. We had just as much fun and saved a packet in the process.<br />
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<b>No. 5 Saving</b> was stopping the useless 'medical' bills caused by visiting a chiropractor who wasn't doing much to help my son's stiff back, but was doing a lot to lighten my wallet! At <b>£1,085.00</b> it was a significant saving. <br />
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<b>Next up at No. 6 </b>was <a href="http://goodbye-magpie.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Challenge%205%3A%20Christmas" target="_blank">Christmas</a>. By making gifts and being a bit more creative I saved nearly <b>£1000.00 </b>on the cost of my season's greetings!<br />
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<b>No. 7 Saving</b> was on Household Bills, where I saved <b>£968.98</b> by swapping all my tarriffs for gas, electricity, internet and insurance policies, with the help of moneysupermarket.com and other such websites. It is amazing how quickly these savings add up.<br />
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<b>No. 8 Saving</b> was <a href="http://goodbye-magpie.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Challenge%207%3A%20Make%20Do%20And%20Mend" target="_blank">Not Buying Any New Clothes</a> for myself or JW (our growing 17 year old was exempt), saving a significant <b>£837.89. </b>This was much, much easier than I anticipated and has been a total revelation about how I like to spend my time. I made outfits, I sewed outfits and I re-jigged stuff I already had, but had never worn! <br />
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<b>No. 9 Saving</b> was <a href="http://goodbye-magpie.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Challenge%202%3A%20Birthday%20Madness" target="_blank">Birthdays</a>. I made, charity shopped and created my way to a <b>£536.67 </b>saving!<br />
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<b>No. 10 Saving</b> was <b></b>on Cinemas and Entertainment, making use of offers and using our Nectar points and other vouchers, while steering well clear of the rip-off that is cinema snacks, <b>we saved £484.40</b>. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPRpZolrLWeO4rvy76tsYIIqlxSf6xaC-AbQh3sCTxYuKT96xGzckoDy-00zBV_AN_NmiY30JCpdaPyt1vOFygNYXgICoaT396tY-lg3nU-boIJPvHro6e10yRxO7UT1yZuV9A2sf4rso/s1600/DSC06389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPRpZolrLWeO4rvy76tsYIIqlxSf6xaC-AbQh3sCTxYuKT96xGzckoDy-00zBV_AN_NmiY30JCpdaPyt1vOFygNYXgICoaT396tY-lg3nU-boIJPvHro6e10yRxO7UT1yZuV9A2sf4rso/s200/DSC06389.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>No. 11 Saving </b>was on <a href="http://goodbye-magpie.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Challenge%203%3A%20Gardening%20for%20Free" target="_blank">Gardening</a>, where I got creative with seeds and propogation instead, and even got given plants by a kindly neighbour, saving <b>£358.85</b> in the process.<br />
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<b>No. 12 Saving</b> was on <a href="http://goodbye-magpie.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/barber-shop.html" target="_blank">Haircuts</a>. By buying a good quality set of clippers and watching some videos on YouTube, I saved <b>£241.94 </b>by setting up my very own barber shop and cutting my families hair!<br />
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All of this work actually saved around <b>£20,000</b> on last year's spend!!!! Can you believe it? This enabled us to pay off a significant amount of credit card debt and make some necessary and urgent repairs to our house (a majorly broken heating system and some costly roof repairs), while still saving money overall. <br />
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It has been a really interesting year and I have learnt a few things about myself. The thought of going clothes shopping makes me yawn with boredom now; although I have discovered a love of treasure hunting in the charity shop I now volunteer in! I've realised that I have plenty of clothes and that I actually only need to replace one or two things each year, (like vest tops with holes in them and that kind of thing).<br />
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Another real revelation is that I really can't be bothered with birthday gifts and christmas presents (for myself or to give to other people) and have decided that I am going to opt out of the whole process. I used to spend a lot of time thinking about birthday presents, shopping for gifts, wrapping them up and so on. But I have realised, that it is just another form of consumerism, but with less perceived guilt, as it isn't for you. The whole thing is just <i>so</i> out of hand, where some months I have five or six gifts to get at once. So I have decided that I will give to my neices and nephews until they are 18 years old, in the form of a £5 note. I will also continue giving to my own son, my husband and my mum and mum-in-law (as I think they would be upset if I missed them out). But that folks is it, everyone else is getting a card!!<br />
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I haven't missed going out for coffees <i>at all</i>. And this was something I was very worried about giving up. Now, I actually much prefer my own cafetiere coffee to the super bitter stuff they like to serve you up in coffee houses. JW and I had coffee out as a treat the other day and I just couldn't drink it, even after I chucked two sugars in!<br />
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I have also really enjoyed making use of the local park benches and getting a different view of the city. Although, it is nice to meet up for a slice of cake with a friend now and again, especially when it is tipping it down and a thermos in the park just isn't an option!<br />
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Not Eating Out hasn't been as tricky to give up as I'd anticipated either. Again, I thought I would really miss it, but I just haven't. We have had lots of lovely picnics and been more organised with food at the weekend. The only downside has been that going out for something to eat was always a good way to get out with No.1 Son and catch up with him. So now, we are going to go out about once a month and that will make it a real treat, rather than just because we haven't got anything nice in the house to eat on a Saturday lunchtime! We also have a weekly heads-together as a family around our dining room table, to catch up with each others activities, which sounds a bit formal, but keeps everyone up to date and stops anyone feeling left out because they didn't know that such-and-such was happening.<br />
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I haven't been a total miser either, by saving up my pennies and selling up things I didn't need, I managed to save up enough money to buy myself a new bike (which I ADORE!) And being able to pay to fix the house roof and the heating without having to use the credit card has been a really great feeling! <br />
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We have set out our budget for next year and with No.1 Son off to University in 12 months time, keeping our belts tightened will become even more important! But I really don't mind, as a lot of the things we were spending money on before, I have just simply got out of the habit of wanting. As a by-product of my less consumer driven outlook, I even
developed a serious dislike of women's magazines, with all their talk of
'colour pop' and the 'must have new season look'. What a load of
drivel! <br />
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If you too would like to save some serious amounts of money and de-magpie your life, really <u><i>the</i></u> best tip I can offer you when it comes to spending less is to <a href="http://goodbye-magpie.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/what-will-your-new-years-resolution-be.html" target="_blank"><u>write everything that you spend down and tally it up each week</u></a>. It may be a tired piece of advice, but how many of us listens to it? Seeing those weekly and monthly figures in black and white really is the best motivation you can get for not buying that new gadget, must have jacket, or indeed anything else that catches your magpie eye! It also gives you motivation to earn more money if that is what is necessary to turn things around, or indeed to downsize things to fit into your real budget (not the budget that you wish you had!)<br />
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So, what am I up to next? Well, I have successfully tackled my outlook about money. I have a new respect for it and for the process of saving up for items. I wouldn't dream of taking out store credit for a new TV or Washing Machine now, or taking out a loan to do-up our house or anything like that. I am firmly of the mind-set that you should save up for things. So, while we may not get our garage conversion done anytime soon, at least we can sleep soundly in our beds at night. Our next financial step over the next 12 months will be to finish paying off the last of our one and only credit card debt and helping to support No. 1 Son's Uni costs (he will be getting a part-time job!) <br />
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For me personally, I am going to concentrate on keeping on discovering the things I really enjoy spending my time doing. Just getting out of old habbits really took up my energy over the past 12 months and now it is really time to start concentrating on the important stuff of life and what makes it worth living. <br />
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If you would like to join me on this journey please hop over to <a href="http://theonelifeproject.com/" target="_blank">The One Life Project</a> and I'll see you there!<br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-83977769285284302352012-08-21T12:16:00.001+01:002012-08-22T12:04:44.834+01:00Entertainment minus the Credit Card<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Free Entertainment: The Mendicant Punk Monks</td></tr>
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The whole point of project Goodbye Magpie is to get my spending under control. So, how was I going to fare spending time at the Edinburgh Festival with all it's temptations of food stalls and pre-show/post-show drinkies?<br />
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Even with the help of some fab free tickets, thanks to the guys at ticketing website <a href="http://clicket.co.uk/" target="_blank">Clicket</a> (dedicated all things Edinburgh, 365 days of the year!), I still knew I was in for a militant few weeks if I wasn't going to blow my budget.<br />
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Well the verdict is in and it's: Could Do Better.<br />
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I slipped up on a couple of areas. Not bringing enough food for JW when he was coming to meet me for a show after work. This resulted in me buying him a pie (£1.50: bargain), him still being hungry and buying a burger (£5.50, hmmm), then having a few pre-show drinks (almost £10 for two drinks, ouch) and then getting a pizza and chips on the way home, because JW is actually still starving (£10, oh dear). Neither frugal nor healthy! But typical behaviour I'm sure.<br />
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I also ended up having a couple of sneaky coffees while meeting up with friends, which is against the rules (not the meeting friends bit, the <a href="http://goodbye-magpie.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/no-coffee-shop-challenge-update.html" target="_blank">coffees bit</a>). Although I have to say that the Toffee Cake from the <a href="http://www.hulajuicebar.co.uk/" target="_blank">Hula Juice Bar</a> is <i>AMAZING</i> and worth every penny!<br />
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We did try a show at the Free Fringe. Thinking that this would be cheaper than stumping up for more tickets. But, the show was in a pretty yucky nightclub, with sticky floors; you know the type. And although the comedian was funny, the venue's drinks prices were extortionate. So by the time we had bought a round and put some money in the comedians bucket, we were no better off and would have been as well paying to go to a decent place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvlIRaJtJS5FE8SgGQKeV-3OLVQ_pgLschn1-CtjzLLtnZhwUGHxPIaGJt_UR_cRG1WMi2Un7hkdFlq18JZ92BrppGV0pdD2Xbnc1Gh2ag276bj4AQIehe7g8tPZ3iNFY1bXHwMhC8ac6/s1600/IMG_0580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvlIRaJtJS5FE8SgGQKeV-3OLVQ_pgLschn1-CtjzLLtnZhwUGHxPIaGJt_UR_cRG1WMi2Un7hkdFlq18JZ92BrppGV0pdD2Xbnc1Gh2ag276bj4AQIehe7g8tPZ3iNFY1bXHwMhC8ac6/s320/IMG_0580.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edinburgh International Book Fest</td></tr>
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But when I did get it right it worked really well. For instance the <a href="http://www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival/whats-on/themes/unbound" target="_blank">Unbound Programme</a> at the Edinburgh International Book Festival is all free and really good quality. No-one hassles you with a bucket at the end. So it genuinely is free! The drinks are reasonably priced (the G&T is very, very good!) and the atmosphere is really quirky. No sticky floors here thank you very much. <br />
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I went to see <a href="http://www.literarydeathmatch.com/" target="_blank">Literary Death Match</a>, which was fast past entertainment with four writers battling it out to become the Literary Death Match Champion. And I even got a £5 book voucher for the festival book shop for my troubles, sweet!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Wn3KWMncUsQ-e9rbRhWK5mjJSVDSUX6NJJYLst7FOzQEjYTVSTfpeC08UI1Gp_IoTHKl77xE7J7CCnrzS8zp4jS83SD3F5uIVDZJes8MA5SJrdqZwPYJzhrMVbGqgklD1VbkUHNIce3v/s1600/IMG_0554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Wn3KWMncUsQ-e9rbRhWK5mjJSVDSUX6NJJYLst7FOzQEjYTVSTfpeC08UI1Gp_IoTHKl77xE7J7CCnrzS8zp4jS83SD3F5uIVDZJes8MA5SJrdqZwPYJzhrMVbGqgklD1VbkUHNIce3v/s320/IMG_0554.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Art Fest Telescope</td></tr>
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I also scored with the <a href="http://www.edinburghartfestival.com/" target="_blank">Edinburgh Art Festival</a> which had a highly entertaining opening night with free wine, a live installation complete with working artist (<a href="http://www.edinburghartfestival.com/commissions/kevin_harman/" target="_blank">Kevin Harman</a>), and a telescope that looked at painted views, which was kind of cool.<br />
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And slopping down The Royal Mile is always fun, you never know what you will come across. Like the Mendicant Punk Monks (pic at top of page, chanting "Let's Do It Like They Do On The Discovery Channel"). <br />
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Sticking with the positives, another way I have saved on cost is to bring my lunch along with me and my refillable water bottle. So on balance, it could have been a whole lot worse!<br />
But it isn't over yet, so I still need to watch my pennies for the next couple of weeks!<br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-37223658342099609252012-08-15T14:11:00.002+01:002012-08-15T14:11:25.713+01:00A Sad Weekend<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBfRyIfIbh4xmm8GBxALB_XFedaiONqxzvsUl2JbAA0WFo6Snm0fsHmVmVFJ_TMAhWVftxi0fmhyphenhyphenZRsawlaYILUBPtbeGI-B00vmhM0e7xTC8lRactV7q0W_dLkOLCAY2nN1KW2UKFDtC/s1600/DSC00566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBfRyIfIbh4xmm8GBxALB_XFedaiONqxzvsUl2JbAA0WFo6Snm0fsHmVmVFJ_TMAhWVftxi0fmhyphenhyphenZRsawlaYILUBPtbeGI-B00vmhM0e7xTC8lRactV7q0W_dLkOLCAY2nN1KW2UKFDtC/s320/DSC00566.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to Right: Spicy, Morgan and Rum</td></tr>
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As those of you who have read my blurb will know, I am a <b>big</b> animal lover. I have been a vegetarian since I was about 11 years old and as a big grown up girl, there is nothing I like better than talking to my own little Guinea Pigs. <br />
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Our Guinea Pigs live in the hall, under a big-old oak side dresser. Every morning they meep hello (and "where's my breakfast") and each time you come in through the front door, they give you happy welcome home (and "did you bring anything back for me") squeaks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morgan and Rum</td></tr>
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They love being outside in their run out in the back garden too and will scamper up to you enthusiastically when you go out to see them.<br />
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They are an affectionate bunch, highly characterful and very soft little creatures. Much more endearing than you might imagine and animals which deserve a lot more care and attention from their owners than they usually get. <br />
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You might be wondering why I have pet Guinea Pigs at all? Well, I was denied a pet as a child (a brief spell of gold fish just doesn't count!); we can't afford a dog (all those vet's bills and insurance costs, never mind the food!); JW hates cats; we weren't sure about a house rabbit; reptiles are a no-go; and I don't think caging birds is acceptable. So, there you have it: Guinea Pigs it is.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rum and Me</td></tr>
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We have had our piggles for nearly six years. And this weekend our little Rum pig died. I haven't had a pet from a baby to the end of their life before, and to be honest, I have just found it heart-breaking. You wouldn't believe you could cry so much over such a small animal. <br />
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It is easy to see why many people feel the need to believe that there is something after death. As the body that is left behind feels so very empty and it is hard to accept that they are gone. It would be much easier to imagine that Rum is running about in a sun warmed meadow, rather than being, well, no-where. But, I take comfort from the happy years we had together and from the fact that he is no longer suffering. He was a super-sweet, super-soft pig and I am so very glad to have known him.<br />
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So to all of you lovely pet-owners out there; do give your animal-friend an extra big hug today if you can, take a video of them when they're happy and healthy and be extra kind to them. You will be so glad of it when the sad day comes and they are no longer with you.<br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-23242452084661821792012-08-09T10:38:00.001+01:002012-08-09T10:38:14.134+01:00Is it just me?<div class="container">
Apparently today is five years since the first day of the global economic crisis. So, this morning the UK radio, newspapers and internet are all full of stories about the need to increase household consumption in order to spend, spend, spend our way out of the ongoing lack of growth in our economy. We simply aren't taking out enough loans, borrowing enough on credit cards or whittling through our savings quickly enough to buy all that junk that we just don't need. Come on people, get the plastic out; your country needs you! <br />
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Well, how very unpatriotic of me, what with my de-spending drive. Here's the thing that bugs me about all of this, we live in a planet with finite resources and we are already using <i><b>way</b> </i>to much of them, threatening our very existence in the process. The short-sightedness of asking people to go out and consume <b><i>more</i></b> is just plain dum. It is just the same as saying "hey guys, we need to create more landfill, waste and pollution in order to consume our way out of this economic mess". If we keep going like this, in a hundred years from now, the economy will be in an even worse state, as we try and deal with the mess and pollution that is left behind. <br />
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In my more extreme moments I do feel like yelling out, "Stop buying all that crap!" to shoppers as I pass Primark, Tourist Tat shops or the 'Seasonal Goods' aisle of the supermarket. "You don't need it and it won't make you happy". <br />
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Personally I feel so much better now that I am not spending all our income on nick-knacks for the house, new clothes or make-up. In fact I couldn't imagine a more boring day out, than traipsing around the shops getting undressed, dressed, then undressed and dressed again, in various small compartments with torturous mirrors, while trying to find new clothes. Oh my god, how frigging dull!!!<br />
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By all means, if you have the money to splash about, then do so. Have a nice coffee and cake at the local cafe, buy a book, spend a few quid in your area's charity shops and what have you. But just don't buy a load of unnecessary rubbish with your cash. Because most of it will end up here:</div>
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Or here, dumped in the environment:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEircq8eP04U_MVky6UPWA-vY7P0Zzx7tqeYbD2Jf5E113lYF2M_5ECfygVWRwORG2ranV__jLAUagtOQWUH8SQkdQamrVS34m0rAYvOCGKIu5lFE1bfktrKXjdTGUKOE70tWLDrhPUoqy1k/s1600/IMG_0199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEircq8eP04U_MVky6UPWA-vY7P0Zzx7tqeYbD2Jf5E113lYF2M_5ECfygVWRwORG2ranV__jLAUagtOQWUH8SQkdQamrVS34m0rAYvOCGKIu5lFE1bfktrKXjdTGUKOE70tWLDrhPUoqy1k/s320/IMG_0199.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Maybe the news coverage of the economic crisis should link back to the ongoing environmental crisis a bit more and suggest people spend any extra money they have on things which are useful, like, I don't know a bicycle, or if you're feeling really flush, maybe invest in green energy or something...<br />
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Meanwhile, I will continue to telepathically scream at idiots buying fridge magnets and tartan teddy bears...<br />
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<br /></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-1727984799381335632012-08-05T12:43:00.001+01:002012-08-22T12:04:44.830+01:00Everything Else Happened<br />
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I have a real soft spot for Jonathan Safran Foer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I send him big karma inducing hearts from
across the Atlantic and hope that he and his family feel the benefits of
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I first came across his work
through his non-fiction book <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eating-Animals-Jonathan-Safran-Foer/dp/0316127167/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1344166890&sr=8-4" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">EatingAnimals</i></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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As Foer searched the American meat industry for the truth
behind his nagging personal hypothesis that Eating Animals is wrong, I willed
him on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt his pain at witnessing scenes
in abattoirs, smelt the horror that is an industrial hog farm and through Foer,
I witnessed the inhumane treatment of farmed animals in all its bleak starkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God that book hit the spot, (go on, read it; I
dare you...)</div>
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So, I was somewhat joyful to see that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.everythingelsehappened.com/" target="_blank">Everything Else Happened</a>,</i> a show based on the writings of Foer, is
being staged as part of the Edinburgh Festival by DreamEpic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went along to one of the first shows, and
boy, is it beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Four actors deliver four separate monologues, which are
believable, mixing painful truths with wry laughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The Grandma who offers you cookies, fresh
sliced tomatoes, fizzy pop; anything to make you happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The middle aged man suffering the pain of
mental health problems, which have led him to a dark place of broken hearts and
loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old, overlooked and
looked-through magician. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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And for me, the
most touching of all, Foer himself (played by Actor/Director Adam Lenson), talking
about the in-between conversations, the ones we hint towards but never say, the
missed opportunities of communication to reach out to our families. The seemingly
unstoppable handing on of issues, of sadness, of pain. And the difficulty of
saying “I love you” in return.</div>
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Big hearts Jonathan, big hearts.</div>
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<br /></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-90892834609061696692012-08-03T10:49:00.000+01:002012-08-22T12:04:44.837+01:00Let the Fringe Fest. Begin<br />
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Yesterday saw the beginnings of my desperate attempt to
throw off the trappings of domesticity and embrace the theatrical and comedic
madness that is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.</div>
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Things didn’t get off to the best start as running late, I
attempted to load the guinea pigs in the dishwasher, feed the dirty dishes some
breakfast, put my 17 year old No.1 Son out on the washing line and get the
laundry out of bed...</div>
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Things didn’t improve as I arrived at the venue, somewhat
flustered, to find that there had been a mix up and my name wasn’t down, so I
wasn’t getting in!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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No.1 Son was now a-grumbling at his lack of breakfast, but
my attempted to pacify him by buying two sausage rolls (for the benefit of our
southern friends, that’s a sausage <u>in</u> a roll, and not the pastryfied bakery
good you may have been thinking of), went pear shaped as I chose the take-away
unwisely and the rolls got binned due to in-edibleness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That didn’t improve the mood, so we headed
back home show-less and down £15.00 on bus fares and sausages!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Thankfully, things did pick up at the Assembly Rooms later
that night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>JW and I were booked in to
see <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One Day in the Life of Lloyd Owen
Langford</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having never heard of
Lloyd before, I was half expecting the usual “is there anyone in from Cardiff
tonight?!” malarkey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, joy of joys, Lloyd
was actually going to tell us a story, and a rather funny one at that, about a
trip to the shops to buy some bread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now,
that perhaps doesn’t sound like the most inspirational of occurrences, but when
I tell you that Lloyd’s landlord is none other than the duvet buying welsh
comic Rhodri Gilbert, you might be persuaded to hang around a bit to
listen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Lloyd’s gentle and humourous storytelling manner means that you
would happily listen to escapades involving text messages and dog doings all
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we finally got to the point
where the bread was at last purchased, the audience were desperate to know
more, “what kind of bread was it?” they asked, “did you enjoy it?”, they were clamouring
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I’ll never listen to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Delilah</i>
by Tom Jones in the same light again...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Go see before he sells out!</div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-23225380808894251352012-08-01T14:26:00.001+01:002012-08-22T12:04:44.832+01:00The Circus is Coming! I Love Edinburgh in August!I am very excited! It is that time of year again. The time of year when Scotland's capital goes mad and a large assortment of weird and wonderful people descend to cheer the grand old lady that is Edina right up!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous Spiegletent Going Up!</td></tr>
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I have just come back from a wee trip into town and found lots of workmen making the final preparations for <a href="http://www.eif.co.uk/" target="_blank">Edinburgh Festival</a> and <a href="http://www.edfringe.com/" target="_blank">Fringe </a>(not to mention the <a href="http://www.edinburghartfestival.com/" target="_blank">Arts Fest</a>., the <a href="http://www.dancebase.co.uk/" target="_blank">DanceBase Fest</a>....) and I am now raring to go for the big kick off on Friday! <br />
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And thanks to the 100% lovely folks at <a href="http://clicket.co.uk/" target="_blank">Clicket.co.uk </a>(a fab one stop shop for tickets and info about events in Edinburgh), I am going to be out and about, experiencing the festival and reporting right back to you on what I have found. From dance, to street films, comedy to cabaret; I am up for just about anything.<br />
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I totally <b>love</b> the festival madness and think it sums up what life is really about; fun, laughs and being interested in the world. I can't wait to shake off my usual chores and all that taking care of visiting relatives, and to start to feel like I am 21 again for a whole month!<br />
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But all of this joie de vivre needn't come at a high price, I am still going to be thrift conscious and intend to negotiate my way around the festival without breaking the bank. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The animals of East Linton Farm Park </td></tr>
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Just look what I found in St. Andrew's Square in Edinburgh already! I'm looking forward to seeing what else turn's up!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quite at home in the middle of the city</td></tr>
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Who wouldn't smile at that! And it didn't cost me a penny!Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-54864554402035257182012-07-24T14:20:00.001+01:002012-08-01T19:15:11.798+01:00Anniversary Celebrations on the Cheap and very Cheerful!It was my second wedding Anniversary the other day, what better excuse for a celebration? But, anniversaries can be expensive occasions. We seem to be influenced more and more by the media, advertisements and shops, to dig deep on significant dates, to show our loved ones just how much we care. After all, how on earth will your partner know how important they are to you, if you don't buy them a watch/silk tie/slap-up dinner/bunch of flowers? Well, I say, bah-humbug to that!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paris: Fabulous, but too Expensive this year</td></tr>
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This time last year I surprised JW with a long weekend in Paris. Now don't get me wrong, Paris was fabulous, but it just wasn't going to fit into our budget this time around. So, this year, we did something a bit different! <br />
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JW got diddly squat as an anniversary present and I got zero in return. Just the way we now like it! Instead of wasteful gifts, we decided that JW would take the Monday off work and we would just spend some time together instead. But as the rain poured down, and having done the local art galleries and indoor activities, I got itchy feet. Inspiration struck when I looked at the weather forecast and saw that the sun was shinning over Fort William.<br />
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I have always wanted to climb Ben Nevis (the highest peak in the UK) and decided that we should just go for it and have an adventure for our anniversary. Shockingly, we have only used our little tent once in the 12 years we've been together! So, I thought it was about time it saw the light of day again.<br />
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I won't bore you with the details but, just to say that we pitched up at <a href="http://www.lochy-holiday-park.co.uk/" target="_blank">Lochy Holiday Park</a> to a very friendly welcome and a great £15.00 a night fee. We also stumbled upon the most delicious Thai restaurant in town called <a href="http://www.thecafemango.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Cafe Mango</a> The food was <i>so </i>good! If you're ever in Fort William, you should check it out!<br />
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Our night at the campsite was spot on. Funnily enough, I have just finished reading <i>Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance</i> by Robert M. Pirsig. If you've read it you'll know that he spends a lot of time tuning his motorbike very early in the morning. So, it was rather fitting that we (and the rest of the campsite I'm sure), got woken up by a group of bikers doing exactly that at 6.30am! But, it was all to the good, as the noise of the engines revving got us up and going and climbing Ben Nevis before we knew where we were.<br />
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The climb up was long, but the path was good, making it much easier than it might have otherwise been. Walking up through the cloud layer was amazing. It's probably the closest thing to heaven that there is. And the views? Well they were spectacular! You can't really get a much better feeling, than being at the top of the very highest point in your country. What else could you want on your wedding anniversary? I don't think a box of chocolates even comes close!<br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-789939944853135592012-06-13T17:24:00.003+01:002012-06-13T17:34:55.574+01:00Re:Made in June<a href="http://www.1010global.org/uk/2012/04/remade-month-learn-fix-your-favourite-things" target="_blank">10:10</a> have been encouraging everyone to re-make and fix things up, rather than dumping things when they get broken or are no longer needed. Being a bit of a squirrel myself, I like this challenge a lot! <br />
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My Jubilee Weekend Project was to fix up a snooker table with JW. We saved it from the jaws of a skip and turned it from this:<br />
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Into this:<br />
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Next up, it was my lovely Grandma's 86th birthday. Yes, that's right, the same age as the Queen, and she still works every day too; amazing! To celebrate Grandma's birthday I turned these dry-cleaning coat hangers (donated by a friend):<br />
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In to these rather fetching padded coat-hangers, using left-over dress-making fabric:<br />
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My final recent re-make was to turn this:<br />
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Into this: An Apple Tree for my Dad on Father's Day.<br />
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Go on, what can you re-make this month!<br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-80825387906359964502012-06-12T15:11:00.000+01:002012-06-12T15:11:44.102+01:00Try OutsHalf of the reason for Goodbye Magpie is to save money. The other 50% share of 'why do it' goes to trying new things and seeing what happens.<br />
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An argument the other night with JW, has spurred me on to keep going with this aspect of the project. The argument went something along the lines of, "don't you feel that life is really boring at the moment?" Poor JW made the man-error of attempting to fix the problem, rather than just listening to the moan. Things were said, exasperated looks were exchanged and I gave up the conversation at the point where we were 'discussing' an umbrella holder. Don't ask...<br />
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Part of the problem is that saving money and doing new stuff, really don't go hand in hand. In order to do things you often need to buy tickets, get equipment or travel somewhere. So hence my feeling a bit like Miss Jean Brodie, in the prime of my life, all the while sweeping floors and doing laundry! I exaggerate, it just feels like that's all I do sometimes!<br />
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So, I have a list of things that I want to do and that won't cost too much money and I intend to get cracking on with them. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Giles Cathedral</td></tr>
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The first new thing I did this week was go and listen to some Organ Music. I know, I know, it's not exactly climbing Everest, but it was new to me. <br />
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St Giles Cathedral, here in Edinburgh, do a series of lunchtime and evening recitals for free (collection at the end). So, I went along and listened to some Bach and some Mendelssohn. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Organ; What a Beast</td></tr>
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Unfortunately, I discovered that I really don't like Organ Music (surprise!) It is very dramatic, but just not my cup of tea. I found that it sounded off key and inharmonious and just not very tuneful. Although I can completely appreciate the technical skill involved; blooming heck it sounded and looked like very hard work! And, in fairness, it did make me jump out of my seat twice, just with the sheer unexpected volume of the beginning sections of some of the pieces.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZlC9dr0Rwoyrdb8aG_JVlYIN95MC5HM7I-_gMCqPUglghSlY3Uche0O291Sv3S4voXb-u7jB7zn8w8H_tZLCYGApHoY4j5gYoCuXGZHuWSvEfDe3BghKlZ27OpOsODNpOSMmHUpaU6io/s1600/IMG_0458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZlC9dr0Rwoyrdb8aG_JVlYIN95MC5HM7I-_gMCqPUglghSlY3Uche0O291Sv3S4voXb-u7jB7zn8w8H_tZLCYGApHoY4j5gYoCuXGZHuWSvEfDe3BghKlZ27OpOsODNpOSMmHUpaU6io/s320/IMG_0458.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rather impressive interior</td></tr>
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On the plus side, I did enjoy being in the church and having a good look around, and it was nice to have a good excuse to sit down and not do anything! So all in all I would say that it was a pleasant way to spend an hour. And if you haven't gone to an Organ Music Recital before, I would say that it is worth 45 minutes of your life, but probably not much longer than that. <br />
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Next up: Cycling to the Scottish Borders. <br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-71121864177282899742012-06-06T17:40:00.002+01:002012-06-06T17:40:48.010+01:00What the heck have I been up to?I've been a bit quiet lately haven't I. You may have been wondering what has happened to me. Well, I have been doing two rather scary things.<br />
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First up, I have been getting organised for meeting a Children's Book Agent. See, told you it was scary! <br />
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I have been writing children's books since I gave up my 'proper' job almost two years ago. I really like my books and ideas (well, I would wouldn't I), but it took me a long time to pluck up the courage to show them to anyone other than my husband, who also really likes them (well, he would wouldn't he). <br />
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But, cheered on by supportive words from a friend-in-the-business, I got in touch with a Children's Book Agent I know and asked them to take a look at my books. This culminated in an informal chat over coffee the other day. And I can tell you, I have never prepared so much for a cup of coffee in my life before! <br />
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The meeting went well and my books are being looked at as I write this. I can't say any more at the moment, apart from that I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that they can see potential in them.<br />
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The other thing that is keeping me busy is that I got a new part-time job. But that isn't going so well. Bouyed up by the fun I have been having in the Charity shop and the lovely Manager and fellow volunteers there, I went for a paid job, really, to keep my hand in, as I was worried about having such a long gap on my C.V. <br />
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However, the job is really below my skill level and I am finding it hard to adjust. It isn't that I mind doing menial tasks, I don't at all. But I do really miss my opinion being taken into account and it is all leaving me rather tired and emotional. I think I may have made an error of judgement by taking the job and now I am torn as to whether to jump off the sinking ship, or to hold on and hope that a lifeboat comes along.<br />
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I would be interested to hear from anyone who has had a similar experience of taking on a low level job after giving up a senior role, maybe after having children or a career break like me. Was it difficult for you? Or did it prove to be the best thing you ever did? <br />
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I will keep you all up to date with progress as it happens! <br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-6709156511870940702012-05-29T19:40:00.000+01:002012-05-29T19:40:32.289+01:00Desire is Fleeting; well almost!Since undertaking to stop spending and start living, my life has changed quite a lot. I have tried lots of different things from blogging, tweeting and photography, to volunteering and meeting new people. My weekends are now packed with picnics and bike rides, and I don't miss shopping one little bit....honest!<br />
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What I have noticed about my old Magpie self is that although I still want new things, the desire is fleeting; well for clothes at any rate.<br />
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While volunteering in the charity shop I find that one piece of clothing calls out to me to try it on and buy it. Each time I run a shift it bugs me to take it home. But, as soon as it is sold to a customer, it doesn't bother me anymore. I am just glad that the charity has raised some funds. The weird thing is that the next shift will find a new piece of clothing which says, 'buy me, buy me, buy me' at me all morning.<br />
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I love raising money for charity and feel great when I have run lots of sales through the till. And if you are going to spend money on clothes, charity shopping is a much better bet than supporting unsustainable knock-down price, high street stores and I will definitely be buying clothes there when I do need to make replacements in the future. But, for me, volunteering at the shop has been a great experience to know that I do have will-power after all!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO65nExt8etaZho2RN7lbFb_X_fXu6vVL1_rfyNnO64Qvay3ffpxO5pwNHcqrwxktbEZ2KSFeMBLDoMMx10JaXdqvtDpHdtwhnPixdhweYD-LNy2sbpQyQMmZkgF2GuwiWSONV_HEeJhbI/s1600/Roomba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO65nExt8etaZho2RN7lbFb_X_fXu6vVL1_rfyNnO64Qvay3ffpxO5pwNHcqrwxktbEZ2KSFeMBLDoMMx10JaXdqvtDpHdtwhnPixdhweYD-LNy2sbpQyQMmZkgF2GuwiWSONV_HEeJhbI/s1600/Roomba.jpg" /></a></div>
That said, my current Magpie Moments are focused on a Roomba, the hoovering robot (pictured). I haven't had a vacuum cleaner, since my previous one died about six years ago. I got a broom instead, due to cupboard space issues. I now spend at least 45 minutes each week sweeping. Which works out at 39 hours per year! Which is the same as spending three 12 hour days, <i>every year</i>, constantly sweeping! Oh how dull!! And, oh, what a waste of my life!! So the desire is very strong and not fleeting at all, for a £300 robot which will do my sweeping for me. My elder sister has a Roomba, and with four kids, she says it is the best thing since sliced bread! <br />
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I have almost cracked a couple of times in recent months and have been hovering (as opposed to hoovering!) over my computer, almost ready to click on the 'add to basket' button. But I have restrained! How unusual and how amazing! <br />
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But with all the money I am saving on coffees, clothes and eating out, I am sure it won't be too long before the bank balance says 'oh, go on, you can get your Roomba now'. Oh how I look forward to that day!<br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-4314801695193816572012-05-14T17:33:00.000+01:002012-05-14T17:33:42.312+01:00Goodbye Magpie: Rubbish UpdateOkay folks, a quick update on the rubbish situation for you! And by that I mean the amount of landfill we are producing here at Magpie central.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wheelie Bin of Rubbish Jan 2012</td></tr>
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At the beginning of the year I pledged that as a family we would only produce one wheelie bin full of rubbish. Well readers, I have to confess that I had to put my wheelie bin out for collection this week, a mere five months into the challenge. We didn't even make it to the half way point!<br />
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The really weird thing was that the wheelie bin, which I would normally have to man-handle and drag down the drive way due to the weight contained, was actually as light as a feather to put out. Basically because all it contained was empty crisp packets and plastic wrapping of one sort or another. <br />
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So, what to do? First up, I am not going to get downhearted. We have still managed to reduce our landfill by around 80%. If every westernised household did the same, it would be an absolute dream result for local authorities across the world. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilx6HgEfzmxBgc3tmXejGnMdPthmP0DAR2TciBzesC6wReVr1TFL8ViZrrFGkbA_Ub33EYBAkQ7ar79MyC-Vj22NaC2Wryef13A2LZlOWwoKqU_KfXsIJ1jrfZgFZHPm0YWO25X-pNe3Oy/s1600/IMG_0273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilx6HgEfzmxBgc3tmXejGnMdPthmP0DAR2TciBzesC6wReVr1TFL8ViZrrFGkbA_Ub33EYBAkQ7ar79MyC-Vj22NaC2Wryef13A2LZlOWwoKqU_KfXsIJ1jrfZgFZHPm0YWO25X-pNe3Oy/s320/IMG_0273.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milk Bottles, Aren't they brilliant!</td></tr>
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Secondly, as well as reducing our landfill, we have also drastically reduced our recycling burden by using far less plastic bottles. We have managed this by not buying bottled water, by getting glass returnable bottles from the milkman, by stopping buying laundry detergent and by getting No. 1 Son to switch to cans instead of plastic bottles for his fizzy drinks (aluminium being far better to recycle than plastic).<br />
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Our thrift drive has also meant we have naturally cut back on booze, so less glass bottles there! And of course, we aren't buying new stuff, so no cardboard boxes and packaging to deal with there. So, rather than putting out the recycling boxes for collection every week, I have found we are down to putting them out once a month. And as every green girl knows Reduce and Reuse are top of the list when it comes to saving the planets resources.<br />
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So, for the coming seven months I am determined that the wheelie bin stays behind the garden gate and doesn't need to be emptied again until December. <br />
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In order to achieve this, the challenge is going to be to further reduce the amount of packaging we buy and to ignore the temptation of the mass produced biscuit, cake and crisp aisle! I hope we can do it!! Does my inner magpie have the willpower?! We shall see..<br />
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What about you? Any top-tips for reducing landfill waste?<br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-57911330425227387862012-05-03T15:59:00.000+01:002012-05-03T16:16:15.679+01:00Guerilla Gardening For FreeI type this blog post with earth under my fingernails and muddy patches on the knees of my jeans. Yes, you've guessed it, I've been gardening! Non-gardeners, don't groan and role your eyes in despair, this blog post is actually about random acts of kindness, so read on!<br />
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As regular readers will know, in my new thrifty life I have set myself the challenge of maintaining and improving my garden using as little cash as possible, and for zero spondoolucks whenever I can. So far I have been propagating seeds and rescuing plants from skips! But this latest garden adventure really takes the biscuit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwWk5gNy3Wtk8HAFKBDrPlkEhlWjriqodqq1ha48pK5-XZC3s99x2klHwh4A5ioM74sJusRDQCHAs2YnWre2PuDM2E9g0YQiCv6VTQS0Me1EEYgUOhT7N9bykF_1-UPkNZ2LE3Zd99Kvt/s1600/DSC06385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwWk5gNy3Wtk8HAFKBDrPlkEhlWjriqodqq1ha48pK5-XZC3s99x2klHwh4A5ioM74sJusRDQCHAs2YnWre2PuDM2E9g0YQiCv6VTQS0Me1EEYgUOhT7N9bykF_1-UPkNZ2LE3Zd99Kvt/s320/DSC06385.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before; Weedy Mess!</td></tr>
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You see, beside my house there is a little thin strip of land which is always covered in weeds and litter. It is no bigger than 5 metres by 1 metre, but it is in a sunny position and has potential to be so much more than the current weedy eyesore that it is.<br />
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I decided to pick up the litter (baby's nappies and all!) and clear off the weeds from this patch of ground. The weeds were mainly Ivy, so there wasn't even any bee or butterfly fodder. My intention was to plant up some lupins that I had grown from seed (I had collected them at the end of last summer from my own lupin plant, pretty good huh). I knew the lupins alone weren't going to be enough to fill the whole area, but I thought it was as well to make a start and then over time, I could gradually fill the space with more and more nectar producing plants.<br />
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Anyway, as I was working away, a man walked past and said "hello" and I said "hi there" back with my best neighbourly smile. The man kept on walking for a step or two and then changed his mind and turned back around. He said to me, "would you like some plants?" I thought I heard what he said, but I was a bit taken aback; was that an offer of <i>free plants</i> from a person I had never even seen before? You know what? It was just that!!! <br />
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The next morning, I found myself, dividing up and picking out some plants from a neighbour's garden a few streets away (along with my sister KitKat, just in case it was some elaborate honey trap, plant style, plan! It <i>so</i> wasn't by the way, I met his partner 'Jim'). I got some crocosmia, geraniums, pretty pink frondy things and two different types of grasses! All for a bottle of wine to say 'thank you!'<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVOAr4uULmm8DE_8mUbd9lQCJlEkiwpRYHm6kFqJujGwuHvpp7fUfSMdkztz29hqs9XxZmJbhXD6ApphK_SIJS96J0tl7P_PRpLAkaRHs3IAZikds8hWN39mCjVFPeqn63-lG1x3Q7Gd8/s1600/DSC06389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVOAr4uULmm8DE_8mUbd9lQCJlEkiwpRYHm6kFqJujGwuHvpp7fUfSMdkztz29hqs9XxZmJbhXD6ApphK_SIJS96J0tl7P_PRpLAkaRHs3IAZikds8hWN39mCjVFPeqn63-lG1x3Q7Gd8/s320/DSC06389.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gardening Complete; now they just need to grow!</td></tr>
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How kind is that? I took away a boxful, with more than enough plants to create my own little nature reserve from the scrub land plot. I tell you, it made my day; my week even. Who would think that a stranger would be so kind? I just hope my neighbour takes as much pleasure from seeing the plants grow up as I will.<br />
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I think that has to be the best random act of kindness I have ever experienced. What about you? What's the best thing a stranger has ever done for you?Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-57558985905844246062012-04-30T16:18:00.002+01:002012-04-30T17:31:14.297+01:00Make Do & MendAs all of you fellow green-beans will know, April was Remade month. So I thought it would be fun to share all of the things that I have fixed up and remade over the last couple of weeks. Here goes:<br />
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No. 1 Son's Jeans (big old hole patched up)<br />
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My front door blinds (a repair to fix a snapped slat - too boring to photograph!)<br />
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A top I haven't worn before, which needed taking up & in (it had been lurking in the wardrobe for 2 years!)<br />
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And the piece de resistance, an old sideboard gifted to me by my in-laws, which got painted up (with a 1/2 tin of paint I had lying around needing used up). <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before, looking a bit outdated and tired.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After, looking cool in Muted Mocha!</td></tr>
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Every month is Remade Month for me. I find myself fixing stuff up all the time. My next project is a snooker table, which I saved from being chucked on a skip.<br />
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I have to thank my Dad for my fixer-upper outlook. A waste-not-want-not attitude was drummed into us kids. If we needed anything in our house, my Dad would probably whip it up from the 'just in case' pile. Need an Electricity Generator for those 70s and 80s power cuts? No problem, Dad'll make one. A Garage needing built? Leave it to Dad, he knew those blocks would come in handy. New kitchen you say? Dad's got a lovely one just here, which Jim down the road is chucking out! <br />
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As a teenager I thought my dad was nuts, what with all the following us around while muttering and switching off lights, combined with his general hoarding tendancies. Now I realise he was just ahead of his time!<br />
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So, it is great to see the idea of fixing things, rather than chucking them out, being championed by 10:10 and others. You can find out more here: <a href="http://www.1010global.org/uk/remade" target="_blank">http://www.1010global.org/uk/remade</a> One thing's for sure, I know my Dad will approve!<br />
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How about you; What have you Remade and saved from the scrap heap this month?<br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-77975705567104221682012-04-25T16:43:00.000+01:002012-04-25T16:43:12.322+01:00Back to the Wild with the John Muir TrustPart of operation Goodbye Magpie is to live a 'feel-good' life. So, although I am being super thrifty at the moment, I am still 100% committed to giving money to charity. One of the charities myself and JW support is the John Muir Trust, which pledges to protect our wild land and places.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqyPAh_E7yFzrdnPSxHozL1YOdgQ76m-QeQvEBeeFq3C_f1QIbIt5d_Nbp9omnVGz4_19VHlI593GTWc06I5cTOCgeNuuhH3Qukue_UKgISMYcXOGIC_fp4WsLkPBy01fLXy6ZFw8gKBP/s1600/IMG_0408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqyPAh_E7yFzrdnPSxHozL1YOdgQ76m-QeQvEBeeFq3C_f1QIbIt5d_Nbp9omnVGz4_19VHlI593GTWc06I5cTOCgeNuuhH3Qukue_UKgISMYcXOGIC_fp4WsLkPBy01fLXy6ZFw8gKBP/s320/IMG_0408.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate Cake Awaits!</td></tr>
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The Trust was recently bequeathed a piece of land near Traquair in the Scottish Borders, called Glenlude. And in order to let folks know what they were up to with this latest project, an offer was made to members to have a day out at Glenlude. Not one to miss out on an adventure, we signed up to see first hand how the Trust was going to return this one-time Forestry Commission land, into a wild haven just one hour from Edinburgh's busy city centre.<br />
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After getting a lift down with David, one of the Trust's new members of staff (saving on petrol and emissions; thanks David!), we ended up in a wooden hut in the middle of a pine plantation. Hot coffee and chocolate cake welcomed us, which made for a very good start to the day!<br />
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A short intro talk from another member of staff, Sandy, and we were off tramping up the hill with Karen, the brand shiny new ranger for Glenlude. We found out that the lady who bequeathed the land was called Sheila and along with the grounds, she had also left Heather the horse to the Trust! I was glad to hear that Heather now has a friend and both roam freely on the land. A happier horse you couldn't find I'm sure.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6yv9vnKK-JlXN4KAGBzai3N-yBPrua-LzJHZn-egXPIAl18yF94n0ApAry0gIwobxPcNi6ybqeAKeDJR3PVCf0AHnSQKboaGxCFOiI-bWQc1rGP1cSRCfwKcBFpMDNKkUIkLWK-Xb3VY/s1600/IMG_0932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6yv9vnKK-JlXN4KAGBzai3N-yBPrua-LzJHZn-egXPIAl18yF94n0ApAry0gIwobxPcNi6ybqeAKeDJR3PVCf0AHnSQKboaGxCFOiI-bWQc1rGP1cSRCfwKcBFpMDNKkUIkLWK-Xb3VY/s320/IMG_0932.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forestry Scar; the Trust will avoid this.</td></tr>
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We also discovered that the pine plantation at Glenlude is going to be worth a lot of money when it matures. So rather than chop it all down in a oner, scarring the landscape for years, the Trust plans to take it out slowly and sensitively and use the cash from the sale of the timber to fund the re-introduction of broadwood trees. The broadwoods will support a much wider range of wildlife and will be 100 times better than the regimented rows of spruce trees which currently line the property.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naturalistic Ponds teaming with life</td></tr>
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A run of naturalistic ponds were already installed by Sheila before she died. They are now teaming with amphibian life and the Trust is able to monitor the frogs, toads and newts that spawn and live there, as well as all the other plants, bugs, butterflies, birds and beasties that inhabit Glenlude.<br />
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The Trust have a 25 year plan for the property, which includes taking down all but the border fences; using natural brash fencing to protect young trees from deer; managing the deer population; replanting areas and allowing other sections, such as the willow section, to regenerate itself. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A clutch of pheasant eggs; undisturbed.</td></tr>
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The plan also includes getting teenagers involved in Glenlude through the John Muir Award. Indeed, as I write this a group of intrepid 1st Year students from Ayr should be camping out on the new 'natural' campsite, complete with an old stone fell (sheep pen) fire circle (I just hope the rain hasn't dampened their spirits and the campfire too much!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Composting Loo!</td></tr>
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The one thing the school kids might find very interesting during their stay, is the composting loo! I know I did. I take all of my prejudices back, composting loos are very hygienic after all!<br />
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It was genuinely fascinating to hear about the plans to return a heavily commercially forested piece of land back into a wild place within 25 years. Our annual membership fee is certainly being well spent! I'll give that a score of 10 on the 'feel-good' factor!<br />
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Find out more about the John Muir Trust here: <a href="http://www.jmt.org/">http://www.jmt.org/</a><br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-78865146577932947242012-04-24T18:19:00.000+01:002012-04-24T18:19:10.115+01:00The Mother of all Thrifty Birthdays!One of the ways I am saying <i>Goodbye Magpie</i>, is by giving myself a strict budget of only £100 to spend on birthday cards and gifts for 12 months. Seven months in, I have very limited funds left, but thankfully I now only have four family birthdays left to cater for, hooray!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mumster Two's Suitably Ironic Card</td></tr>
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Two big birthdays came up this month. Mumster One and Mumster Two (i.e. my mother <i>and</i> my mother-in-law) in very quick succession.<br />
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First, let's get the confession out of the way. I got Mumster Two's birthday wrong and missed her actual birthday by a few days, meaning she didn't even get a 'birthday wishes' phone-call. 'Favourite Daughter-in-Law points' were deducted for that one, whoops!<br />
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None-the-less, a few days behind schedule I did manage to send her down a handmade card with a suitably ironic ink-drawing on it. And I picked up a fab gift from the lovely Mary's Living and Giving, Save the Children charity shop I work in. I chose two lovely wooden painted bangles and a matching necklace. Which are right up Mumster Two's street.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP12yd3YZcTltlAZFKYSuvsEKoUPrvIwxVcme3luZ1NayE4ytRE6G2l8Ll7z_gnqH_8Z8lZZZGDp1x_himFjwjA4MXjGo7CyDCHNA6CQ5Rs3wjgS_OSp5pw_zPJ2bFnYtHPHItah2YO5FN/s1600/IMG_0403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP12yd3YZcTltlAZFKYSuvsEKoUPrvIwxVcme3luZ1NayE4ytRE6G2l8Ll7z_gnqH_8Z8lZZZGDp1x_himFjwjA4MXjGo7CyDCHNA6CQ5Rs3wjgS_OSp5pw_zPJ2bFnYtHPHItah2YO5FN/s320/IMG_0403.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
For Mumster One. I did manage to get the date right! So thumbs up on that one. She also got a handmade card and a gift from Save the Children. This time I selected a Sophie Kinsella book and a really pretty purple necklace (which handily matches a bracelet I bought her last year).<br />
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The presents looked as good as new and I don't think either Mumster actually realised that the gifts were charity shop finds!<br />
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Total cost: £6.00 each. What a Bargain!<br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-20388060579709945932012-04-23T17:14:00.001+01:002012-04-23T17:14:37.878+01:00The Future's Bright; the Future is....Green?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEIojJarRlX7BwP_n_LbxxC29hNFOL3_IEATAxOzSj06KGwbHfqhC0p7k6HpMv6ps2iwn2dnC7BBeNgKWuexIBcW4n8gtLc3WILNkBKVjRkQn3k2lxPmtPBfNTAnUb_80BRMUSXxKVjzY/s1600/An+Optomists+Tour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEIojJarRlX7BwP_n_LbxxC29hNFOL3_IEATAxOzSj06KGwbHfqhC0p7k6HpMv6ps2iwn2dnC7BBeNgKWuexIBcW4n8gtLc3WILNkBKVjRkQn3k2lxPmtPBfNTAnUb_80BRMUSXxKVjzY/s1600/An+Optomists+Tour.jpg" /></a></div>
Having spent the last couple of weeks blogging for Edinburgh Science Festival, I have been having a few Eco-Nightmares, due to the frank predictions and (much needed) dire warnings about climate change from many of the Science Fest. speakers.<br />
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So, it was with a some-what heavy heart that I picked up Mark Stevenson's 'An Optimists Tour of the Future'. Mark (a stand-up comic and writer) set out on a mission to see what the future holds. And he found out some pretty amazing stuff!<br />
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Who would have thought that drought-parched grass pasture in Australia could fully recover, just by installing a few fences and moving cattle around differently?<br />
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Who would have credited the fact that you can print solar panels just like photographs, on giant flexible sheets of plastic and wrap them around anything from buildings to rucksacks?<br />
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Who would believe that nanotechnology allows oil to be produced without having to drill for it (and by the way, it's carbon neutral)?<br />
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And all of this is happening now, not in some way-off Star Trek vision, but right at this moment. This book certainly helped me feel more optimistic about the possibilities that lie ahead.<br />
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The future is indeed bright; it is also smart, efficient and green and it is waiting for us, whenever we're ready!<br />
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Find out more at <a href="http://anoptimiststourofthefuture.com/?page_id=2" target="_blank">An Optimists Tour of the Future</a>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-33825848759103028502012-04-17T12:25:00.000+01:002012-04-17T12:25:39.609+01:00A Thrifty Business: Charity Shop VolunteeringAlthough I spend a lot of time blogging about saving money, <i>Goodbye Magpie</i> isn't just about reducing living costs, it is actually all about finding a better <i>way</i> of living. A way of living that isn't about spending and buying, working and stressing; but is about living a pretty happy and satisfying life.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMUEHnO30XuzHygPj7QTeQ9edO6E20gZ1gvfkbJ5XAl54vGYU5zvThQEjCMM8S7S04XgUhEXPRpvhbHbqnQbzacYYv4jOpXCdH8WmSvN1CFnMHWBe15iqEtshB01lez1mVLwGoOPCTeH9/s1600/IMG_0400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMUEHnO30XuzHygPj7QTeQ9edO6E20gZ1gvfkbJ5XAl54vGYU5zvThQEjCMM8S7S04XgUhEXPRpvhbHbqnQbzacYYv4jOpXCdH8WmSvN1CFnMHWBe15iqEtshB01lez1mVLwGoOPCTeH9/s320/IMG_0400.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>For example: this picture of koalas, sits on my desk and makes me smile everytime I look at it.<br />
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On the other hand, the sound of the washing machine beeping incessantly to tell me to come and empty it makes me go 'grrr' on the inside. (Damn you Hotpoint beep creator!)<br />
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So, in essence, I am looking for more Lovely Koalas and less Annoying Beeps!<br />
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And it is with this thought in mind that Operation <i>Goodbye Magpie</i> has taken a new turn.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7Ziea0f8dJDMvkmfR7iPyZHzA8xBLeOn3aUBojP0GsMoJjG4JU0fhWG6fKTgt2T_ddQW8vHe48jSrYGhyd2EHkEi35QSVzpY8og2emfJMx5cEVj9Ouy0sWXKdJ6IFeXJfiAUvHhw0K6O/s1600/IMG_0320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7Ziea0f8dJDMvkmfR7iPyZHzA8xBLeOn3aUBojP0GsMoJjG4JU0fhWG6fKTgt2T_ddQW8vHe48jSrYGhyd2EHkEi35QSVzpY8og2emfJMx5cEVj9Ouy0sWXKdJ6IFeXJfiAUvHhw0K6O/s320/IMG_0320.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I have decided to take giving back to a whole new personal level. I have taken up post as a Shop Volunteer, at my local Mary's Living and Giving, Save the Children shop!<br />
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I can report that it has been a successful step. The shop is a really nice environment to be in. Other volunteers are friendly and fun and it is all organised by a super-energetic manager who is all up for letting everyone get hands on with the shop.<br />
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As I was getting ready to head down to the shop last week, the Today Programme was reporting from Liberia, one of the poorest countries in Africa. And Save the Children's work to reunite 'lost' children with their families was highlighted. Now, that made me feel good! Koalas all round!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf07WaLMWM8TmO8Tlz7djHkOvuJFsaGog2yddM29Huasw9F7fpvuSY9XdWQAXA1Wp0dPtve1KQ-tEdQhcsvzV8IVj60XJaSocZJ5zbQjXssz7MaaZpe0jm3ybHx4nqPa_MU8BxMq9vc48U/s1600/DSC06376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf07WaLMWM8TmO8Tlz7djHkOvuJFsaGog2yddM29Huasw9F7fpvuSY9XdWQAXA1Wp0dPtve1KQ-tEdQhcsvzV8IVj60XJaSocZJ5zbQjXssz7MaaZpe0jm3ybHx4nqPa_MU8BxMq9vc48U/s320/DSC06376.JPG" width="155" /></a></div>My biggest challenge is going to be keeping to my <i>No Clothes Buying for a Year</i> challenge! I am seven months in to <i>No Clothes Buying</i> and it is going really well, I don't miss clothes shopping AT ALL. <br />
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Temptation is creeping in however, everytime I straighten the clothes out on the rails, or price new donations to go out on the shop floor. But, I see it as an extra challenge. Is it possible for me to wear fun outfits to work in the shop, from my own existing stock of clothes? I think I can! I've just got to get creative.<br />
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This photo is what I wore yesterday (looking a tad crumpled by the end of a long day), I have never put these clothes together as an outfit before. So I reckon I have loads of outfit combos to play with in my cupboards.<br />
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In the meantime, I still always have thrifty birthday presents to buy. So I can support the charity shop in other ways, and thus avoid being a complete hypocrite! Which is always a good move!Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-72235772100882578292012-04-12T15:03:00.000+01:002012-04-12T15:03:01.115+01:00The Whole Tooth and Nothing But the Tooth: A Compostable Toothbrush!I was very excited when the postie arrived this morning with a parcel for me. You would have thought it was my birthday by the 'oohs' and 'aahs' as I opened up the jiffy bag. Inside were three wondrous things: Bamboo toothbrushes for the whole family!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6T6BTDyOHiWSYh_hDnUAIUnA14WKdbtBLjG4m_fyAFqf9IgJMf3oDiVdGZoedtdHzUDPfVqL9IeD5mUbSMigy3vHA6IsszbdCLzt8VkmJAQGyObGyfQsu6o8QXQ4GL6VVhkejYm2o0HiS/s1600/Bamboo+Toothbrush.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6T6BTDyOHiWSYh_hDnUAIUnA14WKdbtBLjG4m_fyAFqf9IgJMf3oDiVdGZoedtdHzUDPfVqL9IeD5mUbSMigy3vHA6IsszbdCLzt8VkmJAQGyObGyfQsu6o8QXQ4GL6VVhkejYm2o0HiS/s320/Bamboo+Toothbrush.JPG" width="320" /></a>I am all for being an active environmentalist, but I also want to be hygienic and clean! So I needed to find a way to replace my plastic toothbrush, (which I bin every three months), with a sustainable alternative. Those toothy-pegs are important!<br />
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Thankfully the good people at <a href="http://environmentaltoothbrush.com.au/" target="_blank">Environmental Toothbrush</a> in Australia were on the case already. <br />
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A toothbrush seems like a pretty small item to get het-up about right? After all, how much landfill can they be creating? Well, did you know that in Australia they dump 30 million toothbrushes every year? And if you bear in mind that Australia's population is roughly a third of the UK's, you can estimate that here in the UK we are sending <b>90 million</b> toothbrushes to landfill each year. Which is roughly <b>3000 tons</b> of landfill! <br />
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What a lot of unnecessary waste, right? Which was why I was so delighted to get my hands on my very own sustainable and compostable bamboo toothbrush!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pdOSg2lxFdUrbzKjv71aR_pl1cXSejbwP9kxC8Yf5s6TKh3KAICg3_HSjy5QVHOBfoKGLLDZME3cx0DZjXYFM2urgqyXVpsHlT3tyYNkiBXvaFDRUVrcW4L4gVGTuSg0QeJzaE9wuS_u/s1600/Panda+&+Brush.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pdOSg2lxFdUrbzKjv71aR_pl1cXSejbwP9kxC8Yf5s6TKh3KAICg3_HSjy5QVHOBfoKGLLDZME3cx0DZjXYFM2urgqyXVpsHlT3tyYNkiBXvaFDRUVrcW4L4gVGTuSg0QeJzaE9wuS_u/s320/Panda+&+Brush.JPG" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the pandas are happy too!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Bamboo grows at a rate of knots (my own bamboo hedge is determined to take over my entire front garden!), needs minimal water (unlike cotton) and don't worry, it isn't harvested from panda habitats! It seems to be a great material and much, much, much better than petrochemicals.<br />
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The only downside is that the brushes aren't made in the UK. But my current plastic toothbrushes aren't made here either. So by my reckoning it is a great alternative. Myself and No.1 Son have both used our new toothbrushes and can report that the are top-notch!<br />
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I ordered mine from <a href="http://www.beneficialhealth.co.uk/shoppingcart/" target="_blank">Beneficial Health</a> at a cost of about £3.30 each (including VAT and postage), or you can bulk buy direct from <a href="http://environmentaltoothbrush.com.au/" target="_blank">Environmental Toothbrush</a> which works out much cheaper per brush.<br />
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I am going to try and get my local Health Food store to stock them and from there they can take over the world!<br />
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If you are interested in reading more, the marvellous Mrs Green over at <a href="http://myzerowaste.com/2010/08/zero-waste-toothbrushes/" target="_blank">My Zero Waste Toothbrushes</a> has done a thorough low-down on eco-toothcare!Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-27897788297617236252012-04-10T17:26:00.000+01:002012-04-10T17:26:50.690+01:00Picture This! Part Two of the Science Festival ChallengeGood Afternoon fellow readers and writers! My second blog post in the Edinburgh International Science Festival Bloggers Challenge is now live.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEith0ByiKb6hNBL59Fe1tlfHka-oEITEA9j46S4NSLyDdKuAmVvU05D7DVWcdh1KQ1cSeq4yg6dCfXkhJMSBXqohORXvtTcNv__u4yt2kE7g9hyphenhyphenaXO5OJK4XzXzbio9gLHOWsBjyEXFZTMu/s1600/DSC06339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEith0ByiKb6hNBL59Fe1tlfHka-oEITEA9j46S4NSLyDdKuAmVvU05D7DVWcdh1KQ1cSeq4yg6dCfXkhJMSBXqohORXvtTcNv__u4yt2kE7g9hyphenhyphenaXO5OJK4XzXzbio9gLHOWsBjyEXFZTMu/s320/DSC06339.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard Rain: Whole Earth? A Tough Picture to View</td></tr>
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Take a look and see what you think:<br />
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<a href="http://clicket.co.uk/blog/science-festival-bloggers-challenge-weekend-was-part-ii" target="_blank">Edinburgh International Science Festival Blog. Part 2</a>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-33986782271436475662012-04-05T13:18:00.000+01:002012-04-05T13:18:44.722+01:00Another Thrifty Birthday; No.1 Son is 17!As you lovely readers will know, I am attempting to stick to a strict birthday present budget of only £100 for 12 months; for everything! End of story: that's it! This represents a cut back of over £600 on last year's spend. With over 30 birthdays throughout the year, I have been having quite a challenge making and charity shop buying all my presents. And the latest birthday was a biggie!<br />
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It's hard to believe it, but at the tender age of 34, my own baby has reached the wondrous age of 17! The age in fact, that I was when he was born, (but you maths' fiends would have worked that one out already!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh764QkVRmrxKk6ha5QtHTCKTJf-NDVakair04JdM9OoLfWM-pOCW1IrsuWoqPF2RIBpYYd8sog1kCVvtaTP1evdoOzfjVj6XTrd1X-RewGT0qmBD6luJhP3_s2FH3K3ICTDk3LYzsdKhTI/s1600/IMG_0244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh764QkVRmrxKk6ha5QtHTCKTJf-NDVakair04JdM9OoLfWM-pOCW1IrsuWoqPF2RIBpYYd8sog1kCVvtaTP1evdoOzfjVj6XTrd1X-RewGT0qmBD6luJhP3_s2FH3K3ICTDk3LYzsdKhTI/s320/IMG_0244.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hat Collection</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Thankfully, No.1 Son is a dream-teen, a real smart cookie and nothing like his rebellious mother was at his age! So, to celebrate his 17th Solar Orbit, I literally put my thinking cap on. <br />
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You see, No.1 Son has a small, but perfectly formed, hat collection, (did I mention he is quite eccentric?) And I couldn't believe my luck, as I was walking through Stockbridge the other day and saw the ideal present in a charity shop window...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHc2bIZmVMQSQuxihN1CN0pP1fz8r8WLXpY-x4pF6YvnHmWs2-YnIe8MOUtcI1aHfNJzBNbcRxzaLl368LAYWhEi0wBaAZb5HNqvdPu8CadpRsU4E8JtkCtKUBoojBDR07pbG4Ljx5LAZ3/s1600/IMG_0243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHc2bIZmVMQSQuxihN1CN0pP1fz8r8WLXpY-x4pF6YvnHmWs2-YnIe8MOUtcI1aHfNJzBNbcRxzaLl368LAYWhEi0wBaAZb5HNqvdPu8CadpRsU4E8JtkCtKUBoojBDR07pbG4Ljx5LAZ3/s320/IMG_0243.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Perfect Present</td></tr>
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.... the perfect addition to the collection!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIV948y8-2w4Fo9Qk0LXl8VPOrPuhzJEUUOwuKgUNq76aorpm3PMobFGp4llNQsEluMSRkhGbachfEg0F5djeJQJ8Dvq8aJSmkH3dwXc5gw_1gPHExheI_mFOtUdX5Vj2afzMXJtjIu0io/s1600/DSC06225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIV948y8-2w4Fo9Qk0LXl8VPOrPuhzJEUUOwuKgUNq76aorpm3PMobFGp4llNQsEluMSRkhGbachfEg0F5djeJQJ8Dvq8aJSmkH3dwXc5gw_1gPHExheI_mFOtUdX5Vj2afzMXJtjIu0io/s320/DSC06225.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncle Al</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Much fun was had on the day, with everyone trying it on (after all, who doesn't love a hat?!)<br />
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All the fun of the fair, for a £10 donation to charity. I don't think you can get better than that!<br />
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And no, he didn't want driving lessons. He is an accidental environmentalist (hooray!), who doesn't see the point in learning to drive ("that's what buses are for").Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-45864121487541552062012-04-03T16:53:00.000+01:002012-04-03T16:53:01.954+01:00Boffin BlogWell, I have done it! My first official blog post for Edinburgh Science Festival is now up. Have a peek and see what I was up to yesterday!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmKIGw9E0zFxMwfB3fotxVDGfZugxrVNNGl8C4aWggHcq_CgPOdgp7av8BtFSdtXb9G8-IkwuLK_gaukhhpV-9Y3vJjOyg6XfRtJnbRSycqVc_-k7vvVblDwb2MnSn8kExV0t9wf7hh-V/s1600/DSC06258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmKIGw9E0zFxMwfB3fotxVDGfZugxrVNNGl8C4aWggHcq_CgPOdgp7av8BtFSdtXb9G8-IkwuLK_gaukhhpV-9Y3vJjOyg6XfRtJnbRSycqVc_-k7vvVblDwb2MnSn8kExV0t9wf7hh-V/s320/DSC06258.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><a href="http://clicket.co.uk/blog/science-festival-bloggers-challenge-weekend-was">http://clicket.co.uk/blog/science-festival-bloggers-challenge-weekend-was</a>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-9927758777082606012012-04-01T17:12:00.000+01:002012-04-01T17:15:30.853+01:00The Big Switch Off For Earth Hour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sQEbAvgnMvjAOsz2QKirD9Qz3rhLuAF5mGrySXSYH2lj-fTP7A8zoznixA0GaJCNDpFlAc_6Dh0IBrzmXmQTcvUaSK7VSIS-bmnuKSzAQehbizuuAVJVa-cood1oTw7RNIGyAxZ-1nFM/s1600/IMG_0338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sQEbAvgnMvjAOsz2QKirD9Qz3rhLuAF5mGrySXSYH2lj-fTP7A8zoznixA0GaJCNDpFlAc_6Dh0IBrzmXmQTcvUaSK7VSIS-bmnuKSzAQehbizuuAVJVa-cood1oTw7RNIGyAxZ-1nFM/s320/IMG_0338.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Well what a weekend so far! Unless you were visiting our nearest planetary neighbour at 8.30pm last night, you will know that it was Earth Hour! Where millions of people in over 140 countries switched off their lights for an hour, as a symbolic act to ask politicians, business and individuals, to do more to protect the world we live in.<br />
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I was one of around 20 or so lucky volunteers to take part in WWF Scotland's big event for Earth Hour, here in Edinburgh. <br />
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Arriving at Edinburgh Castle Esplanade at about 7pm, I was greeted by some very friendly people (Julie and Anna from WWF) and a giant light-switch! A good start!<br />
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On meeting my fellow 'candle lighting' team members we were 'togged-up' by Babs and fed biscuits and chocolate while we waited for some very clever architects to do their stuff, setting out our 'candle plan'. The plan being, a series of dots, which would then be lit by candlelight to spell out CLIMATE ACTION NOW! A tiger, polar bear and panda even joined our gang, so we knew we were in for some fun!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWT5oE51S8kdRMGiH13tdn3gxv8POMKZI20lXRkMgj71GqHexm1a45FfounGE062x2hfXMcdwfkCmDCQ772AJZ0dVavZALX13aeNnJt0TiLOW6dHzkY6Zo7Olr8POpT8xM32JotNr6ay3/s1600/IMG_0341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWT5oE51S8kdRMGiH13tdn3gxv8POMKZI20lXRkMgj71GqHexm1a45FfounGE062x2hfXMcdwfkCmDCQ772AJZ0dVavZALX13aeNnJt0TiLOW6dHzkY6Zo7Olr8POpT8xM32JotNr6ay3/s320/IMG_0341.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>It turned out that we were to be filmed setting out the candles, by a time-lapse camera, so that the whole event could then be sped-up and a neat little video made. <br />
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So, following some "strict" instructions to 'not do anything silly like wiggle our bums at the camera, or dawdle about while on film, looking at the candles and thinking "<i>isn't that pretty</i>" '; we were off!<br />
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It took us 30 minutes to set all our little lights out, and things did get a little bit manic at the end, as we rushed to reach our 8.30pm deadline. Shouts of, 'more candles, more candles', became louder and more screechy, as we got to the 2 minute countdown. And I'm sure The Ceilidh band who were accompanying our efforts, got faster and faster as the time ran out!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MOxVdVqOGw7o26XBc3mtzklWgZuVsn6QSeXxpmG-NpvyM1aFlEs33B1c-6OxQwp3fDEuu7tSwBRymC-HgtsM8u_Js3bNAymPtVs4hko6mIyTJbxImB1KgV8iNYIr9oVVohb1iXfy1kDh/s1600/IMG_0349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MOxVdVqOGw7o26XBc3mtzklWgZuVsn6QSeXxpmG-NpvyM1aFlEs33B1c-6OxQwp3fDEuu7tSwBRymC-HgtsM8u_Js3bNAymPtVs4hko6mIyTJbxImB1KgV8iNYIr9oVVohb1iXfy1kDh/s320/IMG_0349.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>But, in true down to the wire style, we made it! And were gathered round the giant light switch, lanterns in hand, in time for the count down to switching off Edinburgh Castle's lights. <br />
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Unfortunately, our very loud countdown and dramatic turning off of said giant light switch, didn't quite match up with Edinburgh Castle's own switch off. But, hey-ho, you can't have everything!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkgHFMGccXEU64fnmEVi6ezpbtsS_Qa89sDt8GUZ1Fi5FDxoI8yfckiWzzdascD_3E89WkHoj2owcLZQoHT7mlXmGhcyF1UY4FvD5e0ueye9pwxOheHyLqqkbAR7ySzqYCpFC0qvjiFJG/s1600/IMG_0348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkgHFMGccXEU64fnmEVi6ezpbtsS_Qa89sDt8GUZ1Fi5FDxoI8yfckiWzzdascD_3E89WkHoj2owcLZQoHT7mlXmGhcyF1UY4FvD5e0ueye9pwxOheHyLqqkbAR7ySzqYCpFC0qvjiFJG/s320/IMG_0348.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>And isn't the candle panda the coolest thing ever! The pupils from Currie Community High School, did a great job in making sure he was lit up on time.<br />
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And after all of that excitement, it was off to the pub with JW for a well-earned half of Guiness! (Check out the very cool t-shirt too. Some might say that it was worth doing just for that!)<br />
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So, what did you get up to for Earth Hour? And have you made a pledge on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/earthhour" target="_blank">I Will If You Will</a>?<br />
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<span id="goog_1563115760"></span><span id="goog_1563115761"></span>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293678867359233867.post-70134597132862277512012-03-30T11:21:00.000+01:002012-03-30T11:22:20.907+01:00Amazing things come in threes!: Saving the Planet, Screenings and Science<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well good people, I can officially let you know that the old saying is true; good things do indeed come in threes! I have had a whirlwind couple of days containing three fantastic pieces of news. </div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz4waND1tF377My-lm3_YdJArnrJbYFaBvre6XOwnoF-JsunIeZbrlflxCAUwELzEPzLAJtDUpCEdkwKskTJNhi3kekWIkuv50ftFU79Pmi1p6GuC6GWxF4J2hUqxluFo5U7xFlqBp9RAG/s1600/IMG_0321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz4waND1tF377My-lm3_YdJArnrJbYFaBvre6XOwnoF-JsunIeZbrlflxCAUwELzEPzLAJtDUpCEdkwKskTJNhi3kekWIkuv50ftFU79Pmi1p6GuC6GWxF4J2hUqxluFo5U7xFlqBp9RAG/s200/IMG_0321.JPG" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My own panda will have to stay at home!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>First up <a href="http://earthhour.wwf.org.uk/" target="_blank">WWF's Earth Hour</a> is fast approaching, (tomorrow night, Sat 31st March at 8.30pm), and will see millions of people across the globe turn the collective lights out for an hour, to highlight the need to protect our beautiful planet (pardon the pun!)<br />
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After doing my own sit-in and switch-off vigil for the past two years, I fancied doing something more adventurous this year. So, I put my name down to be one of the volunteers with the WWF Scotland team during the filming of Earth Hour at Edinburgh Castle. And, I got picked! Hooray! So, tomorrow night will see me donning a WWF Scotland t-shirt and working on the '<i>candle set-up team</i>', which sounds like fun, (I delicately declined the 'interesting' offer to dress up as a panda!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidAftZAYqHxcYQrhyphenhyphenjC1r0sgARjuWuqegHk7XcLjqMdXpHn04gyiVOtia0u6U_qrcdU84rcyN51eKC2YwlkyDj39TLKfI9Mo2xmMwTbMHxVbmcbDOnQOTYQPQ1S8xsGHe34UwudMgQt4Ae/s1600/Island_widget2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidAftZAYqHxcYQrhyphenhyphenjC1r0sgARjuWuqegHk7XcLjqMdXpHn04gyiVOtia0u6U_qrcdU84rcyN51eKC2YwlkyDj39TLKfI9Mo2xmMwTbMHxVbmcbDOnQOTYQPQ1S8xsGHe34UwudMgQt4Ae/s1600/Island_widget2.jpg" /></a></div>Second up, the brilliant people at <a href="http://www.1010global.org/uk" target="_blank">10:10</a> picked my name out of a virtual-hat to win two free tickets to the Edinburgh showing of <a href="http://theislandpresident.co.uk/screenings" target="_blank">The Island President</a> at The Cameo. I am so pleased! As you know I am counting my pennies, so free cinema tickets are <i>very</i> welcome. Especially when they are for what promises to be an inspirational film, about a country's struggle with the very literal threat of being washed away because of climate change.<br />
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Thirdly, and <b>most fantastically</b> <b>of all</b>, I have been picked to be one of seven official challenge bloggers for the <a href="http://clicket.co.uk/news-and-features/science-festival-bloggers-challenge#.T3MuTHo9N6k.twitter" target="_blank">Edinburgh Science Festival</a>, which starts today. BIG YIPPEE. I honestly did a little jig around my laptop when I got the e-mail, (I should note that No.1 Son sighed and left the room at this point!)<br />
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Being an official blogger means I get £150.00 worth of free tickets to go and see a variety of shows over the course of the festival. In return, I have to soak up the experience (no hardship there!), take some snaps and report back in a weekly blog post over the festival. The seven bloggers will also go head-to-head in a 'best blogger competition', which sees one of us winning a Kindle. But, it is just such a brilliant opportunity, that the fun will all be in the taking part.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT07ikNi_GxmQPmtHWebQ2ttNSuSAhTc8RlDpPC2DrPETcYengEIAgFRxVz5Wk07zsOcFp6lsZ8tjoR6WCF2PZeLHqwZqRBjs7k5LvVjspCz4Y27d2l5jb5_hOvCbjIuZ-wcf67BQ5SGqu/s1600/Sci+Fest.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT07ikNi_GxmQPmtHWebQ2ttNSuSAhTc8RlDpPC2DrPETcYengEIAgFRxVz5Wk07zsOcFp6lsZ8tjoR6WCF2PZeLHqwZqRBjs7k5LvVjspCz4Y27d2l5jb5_hOvCbjIuZ-wcf67BQ5SGqu/s320/Sci+Fest.JPG" width="240" /></a>Now that I am an "Official Edinburgh International Science Festival Challenge Blogger" (!), I do feel like I want to immediately don a pair of geek goggles and get stuck into some discussions about dark matter and the like! <br />
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I have a well thumbed copy of the programme, and what with teenage nieces and young nephews coming to visit over the holidays, we are all going to be well scienced-up. Bring it on!!Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04958186742852464630noreply@blogger.com4