Wednesday 30 October 2019

Christmas For A Baby Johnsons Sleep Tight Gift Set

#Ad


Someone I know their daughter has just had a baby and sometimes you really scratch your head what to get them and the new bundle of joy as new born babies don't really play with toys.



The Sleep Tight Gift set is ideal for helping establish a baby in their bed time routine as well as bonding.And reading to a baby promotes a life long love of books and everyone loves a bedtime story.




Included in the Sleep Tight Gift Set is;
  • Handy Storage Bag
  • Useful Baby-friendly Gifts; Book & Bedtime Socks
  • Johnson’s Bedtime Baby Oil 300ml
  • Johnson’s Bedtime Baby Lotion 300ml
  • Johnson’s Bedtime Baby Bath 300ml
  • Johnson’s Bedtime Baby Wash 400ml


Each of the Johnson’s Bedtime Baby product contains NaturalCalm, a patented blend of relaxing aromas. They are all clinically proven mild, and dermatologist tested.

The Johnson’s Sleep Tight Gift Set costs around £12.00 or less as is available from Asda, Ocado, Superdrug, Amazon UK and Boots.

Tuesday 29 October 2019

Hidden Tea Gems Of York

Hidden gems aren’t always hidden but as soon as you step into the world of the hidden gem you feel it’s magical pull.This hidden gem is hidden just behind York Minster , there’s a bank of tea shops with seating outside.Pay your £2.20 each and you’re given the treasure of tea with perhaps a Golden tea pot. This is how I imagine myself in Indiana Jones Raiders Of the lost Ark.I do love to let my feet just take me wherever they want to go and I often find this the best way to explore as it keeps the adventure alive within my heart and soul










Wednesday 23 October 2019

A Book Is Very Much Like A Cat





A book is very much like a cat in such that they’re both gorgeous and demand and they are wonderful to stroke ! there is nothing like the feel and touch of a book and the smell.Though a cat on occasion can not smell as nice as a book they are just as useful sometimes you get what you want out of a book and sometimes you don't.But despite not being in love with a book maybe at the start more often than not you're in love with it at the end.Though sometimes there is that awkward stand off between owner and cat and you never quite understand each other and this is the same for books.There are those books that people rave about the ones that you simply must read the ones that if you haven't read then why did you ever learn to read !

I was really pleased and that is an understatement .. I was ecstatic to receive through a win the shortlist of the Booker prize books and they were all signed ~ how fabulous is this.I immediately ditched a science fiction book that I wasn't getting on with and started with Salmans Rushdie Quichotte and again that describes me a gentle reader grabs my attention immediately.


But a book won't  suddenly dislike the cat food you have just brought a joblot ....


Monday 21 October 2019

Jack The Cat

I haven't written in a while about the cat and I just though I should after all it is the Ninjakilleract blog and even though we no longer have Rollie with us sadly we do still have Jack and he is a unique character in himself.Jack has managed well on is own despite the friendly rivalry with Rollie. We did think about another cat when we lost Rollie but after thinking long and hard about it we decided against it and just had Jack on his own.


Jack is not without his expense like any cat and he now needs a more potent flea treatment than your bog standard one you might get from Amazon or any supermarket.And I was discussing how often he would need worming if i switched over to the worming tablet the vets offer.


“ oh every 3 months if they’re a potent hunter “

“ oh he doesn’t bother much nowadays “

So of course later on I found a mouses liver in my kitchen ..




Friday 11 October 2019

Long Gone

Long have the painted pictures from my son gone from the fridge , long gone are the school projects of yogurt pots , egg boxes and string,Long gone are the party invites , noisy whistles and lego feet traps , long gone is the overflowing laundry basket with its only one minute worn item.Long gone is the wait for the hot water again , long gone is the arrrgh from toilet paper run out or on the wrong way.Long gone is the parents evenings and is this my child I’m hearing about , long gone is the running out of shower gel when you’d just brought it.


Long gone are you now you’re at university ..

But still we keep in touch :-)


Wether it’s blackout blinds or lightbulbs leaving Mr T to wonder if we did too much for you in training you about lightbulbs.Texts fly about lightbulbs and success and we were beginning to wonder how many students it took to change a lightbulb.


How many students does it take to change a lightbulb? 

Six - One to change it and five to campaign to make light bulb changing a new degree subject.


Long gone are you but you’re still there in the corner of your home.









Wednesday 9 October 2019

Coconut Carrot Tomato Shallot Soup

Firstly I think I deserve a medal for using my nutri ninja they scary piece of kitchen kitchen that blends and ninja chops it is lethal and even though it has a lid making it tighter than when One Direction were together ..

I used to have a soup maker but that blew up



Ingredients 

Bag of carrots

shallots or onion chopped

Tomatoes Italian or otherwise maybe a shot of tomato puree as well

can of coconut milk

700 ml of stock

salt and pepper to taste




Method

Firstly get those carrots pureed

then add the coconut milk whizz up a bit more

Fry the onions through

Put everything into a big sauce pan

Add the stock and heat through constantly stirring

for about 15 minutes


you could add a little grated toasted coconut on top for that Michelin star approach.







Monday 7 October 2019

Easy Way To Clean The Mircowave

The inside of my microwave looks like the Valentine Day massacre with splattered sauce and some of these stains do seem to defy the laws of gravity . Every short cut points at the not so humble lemon , oooh but alas I used my last lemon in a Gin and Tonic , such is life. Everyone knows phrase

"If life gives you lemons then first clean your microwave "




All I had was vinegar ! everyone is aware of the cleaning benefits of vinegar .

This cleaning technique was the best 5 minutes of my life except that time when I thought I'd won something on the lottery. Here is the horror scene that was my microwave before I got all domestic and decided to clean , I do apologise if you're getting twitchy looking at this . 


Fill either a microwave bowl or jug with at least 2 cup worth of water

2 Tablespoons of vinegar

A squeeze of lemon juice > the one that's shaped like a lemon ( your lemon juice doesn't have to be contained in a lemon )



Place the bowl / jug in the microwave and shut the door !!

Then microwave for 5 minutes , please be careful when opening the door ! 

You could if you wish let the steam work for a further 2 minutes .

Wash the glass turntable and dry , return the glass turntable to the microwave 

You should then have a sparkling clean microwave .




You Better Believe In Fairies

On my train journey once down to London on a blogging mission me and my son sat in a quiet coach or so we thought. There was the lovely fluffy granny with her two grandsons awwh. My son was quietly playing his electronic device or reading . I was worrying about weather I would  make it through dodge city =London. The little boy came starring over my sons shoulder by standing behind him, this wound J up but he and I were too polite to say anything. And then it all cracked off

Little boy to Granny

Little boy " If you say you there are no fairies then a fairy will die"

Granny " But you just said it"
Little Boy" I said IF you said it" 
Granny"Oh'
Little boy  "Also if you say, you  believe in fairies then a fairy is born"


At this point the little boy's older brother jumped it and swearing my journey, couldn't get any worse  he decided to chip in.

Older brother"I don't believe in fairies!"

Well that  was it wasn't the little boy snapped ....

"Fairies are real . I believe in fairies"
So this continued for an hour with the two brother toing and froing  believe me the mood I was in once I got off the train I would have sorted any rioters out!. The first half  of our journey the little boy as you read earliar was staring over my son's shouder.


The door proof fairies exist especially at the bottom of your garden because she has a door in her tree for them )
 So please for love all things magical fairies do exist it may just save a rail passenger from losing the will to live.

Sunday 6 October 2019

Why My Cats Have Meant So Much To Me

Why My Cats Meant So Much To Me

My pets which are cats come as endless bundles of joy to me , at times I don't always quite realise it as I am live reporting from my kitchen about a mouse that is loose.


Much hilarity is to be had , I do think the cats and mice are in cahoots over this , I can hear the conversation now behind the blue shed in my garden.


"SO Rollie you are second in the leader board of mice in the house  , with Jack in first not forgetting the extra points for making your owner scream "


I have rung my husband at work before now at work before when I have seen a mouse on the stairs of course he didn't come home instead I relied on the teen to do the deed of removing the mouse.

Initially when my son ( J)  was born we had had cats as I had always had cats as a child , my midwife however was very nervous about the cats thinking that they would smother the baby. As my son are he developed eczema which is hereditary , the eczema was very raw and weepy. It broke our hearts to have the cats rehomed but we knew that it was for the best at the time. Fast forward a few years till J was around 10 years old and we got Rollie the 1st, Rollie the 1st was very much like the cat out of Harry Potter sadly he was run over which was heart breaking for J and for the rest of us.

We had though got Jack at this time as we had though Rollie the first had gone missing so got another kitten after a long time of looking till we found him again ( but as mentioned previously he was unfortunately run over ) 

We got another kitten that looked like the first this was Rollie the 2nd who was more mischievous than Rollie the 1st ever was ! While one kitten was climbing up your leg another was sitting on top of the fridge or kitchen cabinets. Oh the fun we have had we they set off the house alarm in the middle of the night !


Rollie as a happy kitten!


The cats are family more than beds and a great comfort to all , like myself recently getting over my depression they are the best medicine for me. Indeed they are how this blog came about with it Rollie was the catalyst for the blog, Rollie and Jack would make great book material James Herriot would have loved them I am sure of it.




Rollie with this chacterful wink.










We Only have Jack now :-)



A Relaxers Guide To Ibiza

Admittedly when I was searching for a family holiday this year in no shape or form did a Ibiza cross my mind. It is not the first place I would have though of for a family holiday but the lure of the free child place was all too good. I had to be told of unbelievable sunsets that simply just melted into the sea and I didn't believe them until......








You can relax in Ibiza but just make sure you research where you're staying we were stopping at the Fiesta  Tannit which is 3 star whilst I'll be honest I'm a 4 star person think Holly Go Lightly on holiday from "Breakfast at Tiffany's " and you're not far off the mark!

Clean and adequate , the room was typically tiled and airy , the beds a little hard but clean and the balcony gave breath taking views over San Antonio bay. Having got up at 3am that morning to get a 6 am flight to Ibiza , we were all tidied , the teen was cranky by the time we got to bed. Now I'm no holiday grinch I understand children are going to bounce their little bouncy ball ( they win oh so joyfully from the bouncy ball machine ) but when it got to 11.40 at night my eye was beginning to twitch.


So I finally cracked I stomped down to reception complete with me in stripy pyjamas looking like an escaped Where's Wally with a hint of Jack Nicholson from the shining. Now I know no Spanish except hello , thank you and 2 beers please, so trying to explain " the bouncy ball bouncing on the floor above me is starting to annoy me " was hard . They did speak English but it got animated and I looked like I was on ' Give us a clue' they came up but guess what it went completely quiet but then the dum dum went off again, off to the offending room and sorted it out. And so peace was restored and we could begin our relax in earnest.

We never ever go to to welcome meetings preferring to do our research before we go and then if necessary asking the happy smiley reps in the hotel.

One of the first places we went being 20 minutes outside the bay of Antonio was the little aquarium which was along a beautiful breathtaking coastal path.



The aquarium is situated in a very picturesque area 5 minutes away from our hotel Fiesta Tanit the aquarium is tucked tucked into the cave on the edge of a cliff, and the walk there along the sea front path was breathtaking. The admission price is just over 4 Euros for adults and less for children ( you can pick a leaflet that gives you a discount at the Fiesta Tanit hotel.

Aquarium Cap Blanc

It is a very small aquarium , I'll be honest you're not going to see the marine life you'd see in a Sea Life centre there, but the ambiance and atmosphere of the place, the setting and the sense of fishing history make it well worth a visit. There is great snorkeling in the bay, and most of the fish you see in the aquarium are the fish you would see in the water around this area. The sea directly enters the cave where the fish are kept; the small bar, more resembling an Australian surf shack immediately outside the cave entrance is very atmospheric, and you can sit outside here with a drink, overlooking the sea is a great place to spend a short visit, also quite spectacularly amazing when the sun goes down and the breeze rustles your hair.


From aquarium Cap Blanc you can a water taxi to San Antonio it's not much 4 Euros one way and cheaper if you have a return. The water taxi is a proper little boat , one that looks like it could have been used in the Dunkirk landings but completely serviceable and safe.

For the ultimate Ibiza beaches visit this blog 


Ibiza old Town

We got a taxi from our hotel and it was about 26 Euros and that took us to the top of the old town where the fort is and a cathedral  and I am glad it did as I am asthmatic ! then we could wistfully wind our way down and oh what a serene and inspiring journey it was.

And being finally tuned to no wifi I was able to look up and see the shimmering beauty of the whitewashed houses than wound their way down to the bottom.The old town is split into distinct areas from restaurants ,bar and hippy clothing. Do wear good shoes as they streets are cobbled , luckily I did ! 



A holiday is what you make it and on the days when we weren't wandering about I were lazing by the pool reading or taking a dip, but a week was just enough for us perhaps long enough there had been more at the hotel but it was enough and sometimes that is all you need.




Me time
You time
We time

Family Time



Wednesday 2 October 2019

Autumn Has Positively Arrived

Autumn has positively arrived and it bears gifts of conkers ( and not honkers as my blog so gracefully wants to put instead blessed is the art of predictive text )

I just popped out to collect some conkers they’re useful as spider repellent s or you can chuck them at spiders the size of aragog from Harry Potter.

Here’s one if the horses who lives in the field ( obviously) of the farm at the end of my road.




With Autumn you can hear me cry :

“ For I am Queen of the thermostat you will not hear me shiver !”

And I did at precisely 12 midnight turn on the heating like Cinderella would have done if she had been cold.I didn’t sleep very well last night either and had to come downstairs for an hour or so because insomnia is a tricky beast demanding attention.

But despite feeling like a tea drinking zombie this morning faced with the apocalypse of housework, I soldiered on tinkering a little with the burden of tidying.Then I ventured out to welcome Autumn here positively.It would have been rude of me not to return the favour of visiting Autumn in return.

Ever Met A Person You know On Holiday ?

Have you ever met a person you know on holiday and I don't mean your family that you're going with I mean unexpectedly even when you're thousands upon thousands of miles away from where you live . You think awwwh peace and quiet until you get a


"COOOOOEEEE oh hello I didn't know you were here as well ....."


Your heart may sink or you might or no bang there goes my quiet holiday !


This has happened to me not once but twice three times if you include my husband seeing someone he knew on a flight who waved from first class us as we did the first class walk of shame all the way down to economy class.


And then there was the time I and my family was smack bang in Washington at subway station called Wooley Park getting our subway tickets for that days adventure.I suddenly heard a very high pictured sound of a child


"MRS Toplis ... OOOOH it's Mrs Toplis "


And there thousands of miles away from home was a pupil from the school where I was a teaching assistant  , I was shocked as you go away for a holiday and end up seeing someone you know ! I thought yes you are perhaps likely to bump into someone you know in Spain perhaps or even Portugal but Washington DC and a Subway station at that.



Washington DC

National Trust Hanbury Hall

Gosh I had a look and it seems like it has been a whole week since I blogged and I thought I had better put this right , well since my amazing recipe last week I have been to a National Trust property which obviously is no surprise and it wasn't even at the weekend .It was on a Thursday so put that in your non smoking pipe it was full of and these are the words of my husband "the blue rinse brigade"
National Trust properties where there is danger and not just because you might get tripped up by a rough Wethers original on the floor left by the older generation but by the fact that their are Scone traps.I have noticed an increasing problem at National Trust properties in that they lay these traps you might just thinking oh it is just a harmless cream tea but ooh no it is a human venus fly trap and it is mortally dangerous.









I think this is my favourite object from Hanbury Hall ( I did leave it behind ! however tempting it was )