Just moved

Just moved to https://barktime.co.uk/

Weekly Photo Challenge: Scale

Challenge set by The Daily Post

***

How Carbon Monoxide Kills You

 

by Mark

This is a sobering read that I found at the chemistry.about.com website.

How Carbon Monoxide Kills You:

When you breathe in carbon monoxide, it enters your lungs and binds to the hemoglobin in your red blood cells. The problem is that hemoglobin binds to carbon monoxide over oxygen, so as the level of carbon monoxide increases, the amount of oxygen your blood carries to your cells decreases. This leads to oxygen starvation or hypoxia.

At low concentrations, the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning resemble the flu: headache, nausea, fatigue. Continued exposure or higher concentrations can lead to confusion, dizziness, weakness, drowsiness, severe headache, and fainting. If the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen, carbon monoxide exposure can lead to unconsciousness, coma, permanent brain damage, and death. The effects can become deadly within minutes, but long-term low-level exposure is not uncommon and leads to organ damage, disease, and a slower death.

Infants, children, and pets are more susceptible to the effects of carbon monoxide than adults, so they are at greater risk for poisoning and death. Long term exposure can lead to neurological and circulatory system damage, even when the levels aren’t high enough to produce a significant effect in adults.

For the full document click here if you can bear to read more.

Now you may wonder why on earth I found myself on a chemistry website reading how this perfect killer can actually kill you. The reason was a troubling story from my parents that although having a silver lining was still a scary wake up type of call. They are blessed with the joy of living in a place where an open working fireplace is allowed. They enjoy and while their long dark cold winter nights away by snuggling up to a real fire and staring at the dance of the flames, mesmerising as they can be. However unbeknown to them some local birdlife had decided that the chimney pot on my parents’ roof looked like the ideal spot to build their dream nest. This set up the scenario for the potential murder of my parents. It was only by the sheer luck of my sister happening to choose that particular moment to visit my parents. She knocked politely as you do, no response, so ventured inside to find my parents asleep and unresponsive, hit the panic button! Doctors, hospitals and sometime later they are ok, thankfully, but that story was way, way to close for comfort.

Carbon Monoxide is scary stuff, so it is important for every home to have their own CO detector.

There are several warning signs in your home that could mean you have a carbon monoxide issue. Here are a few things to look out for:

• The flame on your cooker should be crisp and blue. Yellow or orange flames mean you need to get your cooker checked
• Dark staining around or on appliances
• Sooty marks on the walls around boilers, stoves or the cover of gas fires
• Pilot lights that frequently go out
• Increased condensation inside windows

If you want to know more about Carbon Monoxide and how to effectively protect your home please visit Corgi HomePlan.

Carbon Monoxide gas is a colourless and odourless silent killer.

Don’t wait.

Protect yourself and your family now.

Giveaway – BBC Good Food Eat Well Show Tickets

The brand new BBC Good Food Eat Well Show will launch at Olympia London on 27 February and will last for three days and showcase 100 exhibitors selling their range of products, including superfoods and delicacies.

This new event, part of the BBC Good Food Show portfolio, is dedicated to showcasing healthy food brands, products and producers, and will demonstrate to visitors how they can achieve a balance between living a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a passion for good food.

One of the highlights of the show is the Healthy Kitchen which will host an impressive line-up of celebrities, chefs and professionals demonstrating how easy it is to prepare healthy and good food. The schedule includes personalities such as Davina McCall, Lorraine Pascale, Hemsley + Hemsley, Marcus Bean and Jenni Falconer.

Another feature, the Eat Well Forum is dedicated to key diet and lifestyle challenges, and will play host to a range of vibrant discussions and informative talks on the relationship between food, health and wellbeing.

Visitors can also enjoy the Eat Well Interview Stage, where they can have their questions answered by dietary specialists such as Natasha Corrett, Renee Maguire, Dale Pinnock and Rachel De Thample. Visitors will also be given the opportunity to have their books signed at the WHSmith stand.

In addition to the interview stage, they’re delighted to be hosting some 1-2-1 sessions with qualified dieticians throughout the show. The sessions offer a range of different advice and guidance, and will be held in a private room on the show floor.

The show will host an excellent line up of chefs, experts and professional nutritionists. Take a look at the Who’s there list to see who’s appearing where and when!

To get your ticket please visit Ticket Info Tab.
Standard Admission is £15.00 – this will allow you a full days entrance to the show on a specific day (10am to 6pm). Children aged 6-15 pay half the adult rate and under 5s are free. Over 65s and full time students with ID save £2 off the adult rate. For 20% discount please use MV11 code.

I have one pair of tickets for Friday (27/02/2015) or Sunday (1/03/2015) to give away to one of my readers. To be in chance of winning those ticket please leave a comment answering the question: Why would you like to visit the BBC Good Food Eat Well Show?

We will be most likely attending on Friday, so I might see you there!

T&C:
1. Open to UK readers only.
2. One entry per person – leave a blog comment answering the question as stated above.
3. There will be 1 winner in total.
4. The winner will receive one pair of Friday or Sunday show tickets. The tickets will be shipped to a UK address as provided by the winner.
5. The winner will be picked at random and informed within 24hours via email.
6. The winner will have 2 working days to claim the prize, after this time, a new winner will be selected.
7. Closing date is Sunday 15/02/2015 at 23:59pm, any entry made after this time will not be counted.

ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions
Loquax – Home of The Lucky Duck
SuperLucky Blog Giveaways Linky

Getting Ready for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is almost upon us, which means it is time to get ready.

I am not planning anything extravagant but some little surprises during the day are very much in order.

First thing first – Setting the scene

Human Touch – Love Pillow Cases sent me one of their lovely pillow case sets. They will be perfect for setting the scene for a romantic evening / night plus I am sure they will put a smile on our faces every morning we wake up and look at them.

There are 12 lovely, cute and extremely adorable designs to pick from. Human Touch – Love Pillow Cases are a great way of extending the magic of Valentine’s Day for longer.

To make a day even more special why not start it with a nice cup of coffee from a Love Mug?

Cook that special breakfast

This part still needs some thinking and planning. I have a few options on the short list. The Valentine Breakfast Pinterest board was very helpful but I still couldn’t decide: sweet or sour.

Hide a little surprise in their lunch box

Did you hear about Joy Maker? The Cadbury website offers an option of making your very own chocolate bar. The process is easy and very straightforward and as a result you get a chocolate bar with a personalised message of your choice (on the wrapper only to be precise). I think that this would be a very nice touch, which would definitely put a smile on Marks face, so I am getting it made.

A special gift which will last a lifetime

I am still stuck for ideas and would consider any help you can offer. I don’t plan on getting anything huge (budget wise) but something special and thoughtful would be ideal. I found a Name A Star kit, which allows you, among other things, to name a star (surprise, surprise…). I think that Mark would really like that.

How is your preparation going in the run up to Valentine’s Day?

Are you planning something special that’s out of the ordinary?

Pet Health Diary – Monthly Check-Up

First of every month marks my monthly pet check-up. Why the first you might ask? Well, it is easy for me to remember. I do my monthly invoices on the first, I pay my credit card bill, the month changes and it is one of those tasks I always do on the first of each month.

All pet owners know that even a low maintenance pets need some care. When it comes to cats and dog they need much more attention than a fish or a turtle for example. There is quite a lot of things which need monitoring and checking up on, on a regular basis.

I have a list (kept safe in my head) which I run through during my monthly pet check-up.

Body mass

This is related mainly to Lilly. She has a weight problem, so my monthly check-up on how she is doing is a must. There is a great body condition tool on the Purina website, which can be a tremendous help for any dog owner.

Skin, coat and nails

This one is especially important for Bunk. He gets hot spots and despite petting him daily sometimes they get missed. A full body check-over of the skin is a necessity for me. This also applies to our cats. They aren’t happy with the check-ups but I simply need to know if they are all ok.
As for nails – I don’t trim nails myself but I monitor them monthly and take the dogs to the groomer or vet if needed.
This is also the best time for some preventing treatments. I treat all my pets with Frontline in order to keep them tick and flea free. The treatment is easy and as long as you have the correct product from your vet, you can easily do it at home. You can read more about fleas and ticks here.

Ears

The first of the month is also the time when my dogs get their ears cleaned. No matter if they are dirty (they shouldn’t be) or not, they get cleaned. Keeping your dogs ears clean is very important as an untreated infection can lead to a hearing loss 😦

Eyes

I buy an eye cleaner for my dogs. In most cases it is used if / when needed. Bunk is a very messy pup and from time to time things get into his eyes, things like his dinner for example. Then he rubs his eyes with his paw, making the irritation even worst. A few drops of eye cleaner and a cotton wool pad and done, shiny healthy eyes.

Mouth

Smelly breath isn’t nice. We have a no kisses policy anyway as standard behaviour in the house but as bad breath can suggest something more serious is going on with your pets health I like to check if their breath is still acceptable. At the same time I have an opportunity to check their teeth and gums; this is how I know that Lilly needs a trip to the vet dentist for some fang cleaning.

This is our standard monthly routine. Every three months I am adding some worming tablets to the mix just to keep things on the safe side.

Do you perform any health check-ups on your pets?

The Alphabet Project | D is for Droplet

Baby #ootd – Comfy at Home for Stripe Lovers

Catch the ball

Nap Time

Ready to go again

Grey Striped All in One – F&F (similar here)
Striped Sleepsuit with Dino – Cool Club
Navy Striped All in One – Jasper J Conran Junior (similar here)
Sippee Cup – Tommee Tippee

90:10 – Tapping into the inner child

Dan is right.

All the men I know have something in their lives that connects to the inner child. Man never completely grow up… they are committed to maturing and “evolving” but they never full grow up. 90% grown up…the other 10% not so much… sums it up just about right.

Anyhow, 90:10 is a men’s clothing line designed specifically to preserve the boyish part of our man. Currently they offer hoodies, T-shirts, sweatshirts and polo’s. Their design is simple yet elegant, childish but still suitable for a full grown man.

Mark was sent a navy blue 90:10 signature embroidered pullover hoodie to review. Features of the hoodie include:

• Made from 100% pure organic cotton
• Double kangaroo front pockets
• A draw string neck line
• Lightweight yet warm
• Close-fitting
• Small logo

The first sensation which grabs you once you have opened your package is the amazing softness of the fabric. We are quite a sporty family (at least when it comes to clothing) so we have our fair share of tracksuits and hoodies but it is really quite a rare thing to have something so soft. It is not possible for me to describe it in words; you will just have to order one to feel it for yourself 😉

But back to the hoodie – The 90:10 signature embroidered pullover hoodie is suitable for being worn all year round, no matter what nature has installed for us. This isn’t one of those mega thick hoodies which make you look like a snow man; this one is manufactured from medium weight cotton, which means that can even be worn as an undergarment if needed.

90:10 is also fairly unique in this modern world of corporate takeover, they are small, young(ish) and above all genuinely enthusiastic about their products and their company and best of all they want to do better. They are still connected to each other in such a way that customer feedback can have a noticeable impact on the way they do business, I know from experience. If they think your idea is an improvement over what they currently do they are only too happy to step it up to a new level of customer service.
So in conclusion 90:10 is a modern company with the quality of foundations that sets it on course to go far in the market place. I appreciate the cutting edge customer service and the absolute top level in quality from their products.

I have their website as a favourite in every browser, need I say more?

Oh, and if you fancy trying the amazing softness of this hoodie for yourself, you can use the discount code CUPID to receive 25% off your order.

What’s Cooking – Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup

I believe I am not the only person in the world who exhibits a particular behaviour when entering a restaurant for a repeat experience. The vast majority of people evidently do exactly the same. On an earlier visit you have a dish from the menu and it turns out to be a smash hit in flavour town and you gastronomically fall in love. Henceforth for time eternal every time you visit that restaurant you end up ordering that dish again in the hope of capturing that moment of true love, sure you may look through the menu, even hum and ha but in the end you will opt for that hope, again.

One such dish for me is served at our local Chinese restaurant, it is their sweetcorn and chicken soup, it is divine, thick, creamy and full of flavour, simply put it is heavenly and thus an inevitable starter no matter whatever else I intend to order. So as I am one of those “foodies” that truly believes that whatever I taste I can make it better myself at home as anything cooked at home has those missing essential ingredients that are rarely if ever found at a restaurant, being passion and love.

So you can imagine how I was fired up the other night when flicking through my cookbooks the other night looking for inspiration when I came across a recipe for my favourite soup, to the kitchen!

Ingredients needed:

• 1 Chicken (with giblets if possible)
• 1 Tin of creamed sweetcorn
• 3 Fresh corn on the cobs
• Couple of onions, carrots and celery stalks
• 1 tsp of whole peppercorns
• Handful of chopped fresh parsley stalks (save leaves for latter)
• Couple of bay leaves
• Olive oil
• Chicken stock or water

Method:

Turn your oven on to 200C

Peel and wash your fresh corn on the cobs and then pat dry with some kitchen roll. Place on a baking tray and drizzle the olive oil over them. Give them a good rub all over to make sure the oil covers them full. Sprinkle some salt over them and pop into the oven for 20 minutes or until looking golden. Remove and allow cooling.

Whilst you corn is cooking wash and quarter you chicken and pop into a large pot. Roughly chop your carrots, onion and celery and throw them in the pot. Next our spices, so add the peppercorns, parsley and bay leaves. Finally add enough chicken stock or water to just submerge the contents of your pot and a good pinch of a nice salt crystal.

Bring to the boil and then gently simmer for an hour. Turn of the heat and leave to cool for half an hour. With some tongs gently extract the chicken form the pot and place into a bowl to drain a bit, the rest of the contents we need to sieve to remove the veggies and herbs we no longer require.

Remove the skin from the chicken and discard (unless you own a hound) and then remove all the meat and shred it into small strips and place back into the draining bowl.

With a sharp knife cut the corns from the cobs and place into a bowl.

Place the stock that is now free from any bits back into you large pot and bring back to the boil. Add one tin of creamed sweetcorn. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the bowl of chicken and any juices collected and carry on cooking for a couple more minutes. Finally add the bowl of roasted corn you have made earlier and season to taste.

Simmer for a couple of minutes and then serve and enjoy the subtle blend of flavours carried over your taste buds by a wonderfully rich chicken stock, bliss.

Now western food tastes would dictate that we should have something to go with this soup, now being a Chinese dish it is usually served on its own or as part of a larger meal. Myself I must admit to liking a nice fresh multigrain roll with lashings of butter as a partner or if you wanted to build on the corn theme of the dish some warm butter chunks of American corn bread works amazingly well! It’s like a ‘Merican and Far East Fusion thing, and it’s a marriage.

Have you ever found a bizarre fusion of different cultural foods?