New home, new name.

Paul met the van from Many Tears Rescue at Bristol to collect Whistle the mini Schnauzer we are adopting. We decided as a family to rename her in honour of a brand new start as a loved family pet. We were deciding between Phoebe and Lulu as names. I was leaning more towards Phoebe, even telling a couple of my friends that Paul had gone to collect Phoebe. when I arrived home from church, Paul was already home with Phoebe, and I heard him calling, "Lulu. Lulu, here Lulu." So that is her new name then, I thought, as I walked in to the dining room to see this little scrap of a thing with a wagging tail (remarkably!) and an inquisitive but nervous little face. Oh my word she absolutely stinks and we can't bath her until her stitches are removed in 6 days time. In an effort to minimise the impact of that dirty dog kennel smell, I have my DoTerra vapouriser going with the lovely Holiday Joy essential oils making a much nicer fragrance. I was fully expecting a lot of accidents in the house while we toilet train Lulu, after all, she has only known a crate and shed type of existence. Apart from three little mishaps in the first two days, she has picked this outdoor toileting thing up really quickly. I encourage her out into the garden with tiny tidbits of cooked sausage and she joyfully followed, tail wagging and trots around the lawn until she finds the perfect spot to 'go' on. Afterwards there is much praise and some more sausage as a reward. Within four days she will take herself out to toilet and seems to have just understood that this is how it is done. Yesterday our dear friend Richard came over for a meal, checking out the cataracts in Lulu's eyes (he's an optician) and said he felt that the right eye is worse than the left, but he thinks she is not missing much in terms of reduced sight, as it is not advanced yet.  I have researched whether there is anything natural that can help regarding cataracts. My research showed a few things and two of them I was already aware of, so I am going to experiment based on a testimonial I read about plant based minerals from Simply Naturals. I already had a bag of the pet life minerals from them, and her dose age is half a scoop each day. I shall be monitoring her health carefully and will photograph her eyes as best I can to show what, if any improvement there is. I have been taking the mineral capsules (human version) for several months myself and have noticed a dramatic difference in a health issue which I was struggling with but which is ok now. I signed up as an affiliate and you can order anything from here.... Www.simplyfizzin.com Today the stitches were removed and our vet checked her over. She was very nervous but a brave little girl. I was so happy when the vet said it's ok to bath her, so that is exactly what I did as we returned home. I used Aleppo soap to wash her because it is exceptionally mild and it makes wiry fur like silk. She wasn't too happy about being bathed but because she is so small, she's easy to manage.  Now she and Poppy are sleeping on freshly laundered blankets and I am happy that my home smells clean again. In just seven short days Lulu has won a big place in our hearts with her plucky but sweet nature.  

We rescue little Whistle.

Today we drove the 3 hours to Many Tears Rescue Centre to meet Whistle the 6 year old ex breeding bitch who has never had a real home, or much kindness or comfort in her life. We were excited to meet her and a little apprehensive as to how we would cope with a very nervous dog.

 

These pictures are of Whistle as she was at the rescue centre. She looks so vulnerable, sad and sweet and I just want to shower her with love and protect her and help her to have a happy life. The centre is very busy and full of rescue dogs. There is a lot of noise and I wondered how our precious little Poppy would cope in a place like this. Thankfully she will never know, but what about the dear little ones for whom this is home? How do they cope?  We had a meet and greet with Whistle in an enclosed yard. Poppy who is normally bouncy and playful with all dogs, was happy but quiet and she seemed to understand that this new 'friend' needed to be treated gently.  whistle seemed a perky, fairly happy little dog and she trotted around the yard sniffing at stuff and coming to us for a quick sniff and off again. The poor little girl has quite the saggy mummy tummy and enlarged, saggy boobs. she is much smaller than a normal, healthy, well fed mini Schnauzer would be because she has had a terrible diet and has been malnourished. Her ears have had infections which have been treated at the rescue centre but left her with some lumpy scarring. The irony hit me, if these selfish, greedy, cruel, neglectful breeders actually bothered to properly feed and care for their dogs, they would have better animals all ways round. I want to say at this point that I struggle to have Christian charity toward these breeders and I feel a great deal of contempt for them. that will be an ongoing struggle for me. Whistle is 6years old and has likely had 5 to 7 litters! She has never worn a collar or been house trained or gone for a walk. Ever.  During our time with her, both Paul and I felt a bond and affection for this dear little girl. Whilst we were doing the paperwork to adopt her, the staff found that she had a large lump in her belly. The vet checked her out and confirmed she has a hernia which will require surgery at the centre. The vet also confirmed the start of cataracts in her eyes.  It was a huge disappointment to us. We took some time out and walked and talked and shed a few tears. The centre apologised for not noticing this sooner, which we appreciated them saying, and they offered for us to take a look at the other Schnauzers there. We felt disloyal looking at the other dogs, it was an emotionally challenging thing for us. We met another of the dogs, another sweet little girl who was very nervous. Her cataracts were easily visible, poor thing. We decided to come home and not make any decision in the emotional state we were in. During the next few days we talked and pondered, and came to the decision that we shall home Whistle as soon as the centre can do the operation and we can meet them to collect her.  

I'll Tell You What I Want, What I Really Really Want.......

I was just having a little search on the Web for a biomass burning stove for our home (just dreaming), and I happened upon a website which when I had a look, blew me away. 
I looked at the videos and the whole site, and I have a severe case of 'I just want one, and NOW!'

I get a real buzz from innovations which are not just amazingly useful to the consumers, but also socially helpful and aware.

The product which I want (and intend to get) is this.....

It's called the Basecamp and is by Biolite.
What is cool about this innovation is that it burns sticks and bits of wood, and from the heat provided for cooking it also generates power to charge your devices via usb.. and has a usb light for when you need it.

How cool is that?!

They also do a lighting system and kettle and a little camping version.

Here's their video on the system and the technology....

I love what this product is and what it can do for so many people around the world. 

Here's the website.. biolite.com
As soon as I get mine, I will review it here. 

**Note** I am in no way affiliated with Biolite, nor do I receive any income or commissions from them. I am an independent and personal blogger.

Duxcoat - my review

A long time ago I was sent a sample of Duxcoat to use and review for the company. I have been using that sample for the last couple of years so that I could give a thorough, well tried and tested review... no half measures here, Oh no... I will go the extra mile to prove something before I give my approval to it.  I have little time or respect for people who don't do things properly.

Duxcoat's product calls itself liquid glass. What the heck is liquid glass? I wondered.

My daughter Chrissy and I experimented together with it and had a great time doing so. We like to do 'geeky' things like this and our husbands mock us a fair bit, but we just can't help ourselves... and if we could run amok in a lab wearing white coatsand looking all scientist like, we'd be even happier.

Along with the product sample I was sent a plain white linen handkerchief which had apparently had the product applied to half of it.
Chrissy and I looked, felt, and sniffed the handkerchief to try and fathom which half of it had been treated. We absolutely couldn't, there was nothing discernibly different in the appearance or feel  at all.
I had a box of Dutch chocolate milk (Chocomel) in my fridge which my son brought back from his recent holiday, and which stains clothing and is nigh on impossible to remove. I poured about quarter of a cup of Chocomel onto the handkerchief, watching eagerly to see what happened. The Chocomel soaked into one half of the hanky and simply rolled over the surface of the treated side and off into the sink. It was incredible to watch.
I rinsed the whole hanky in cold water and was interested to notice that the treated side got wet but not soaking, whereas the untreated side was sopping wet. When it dried, the treated side was clean and the untreated side had a very visible dirty looking stain mark.

Next I thought I'd experiment with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and the results were the same as before.

Ok then, I wanted to try some items of clothing and take a longer approach to this testing. I took one of my husbands white shirts and sprayed the collar area with Duxcoat. I sprayed Duxcoat on the top front of a brand new top of mine.. I have a tendency to spill and drop food on my tops (it's a family joke about me needing an adult bib!!), embarassing, but true.
It is now two years since applying the product Duxcoat to these garments and I want to show you the photo's of them, so you can see the results.

I have accidentally spilled all sorts of stuff on my top including olive oil which hit both the top and bottom of the white material. The white of my top is still brilliant white where it was treated with Duxcoat, but the bottom which was untreated, still has an olive oil stain, and I have tried everything to remove it but with no success.

The two white shirts are of a similar age and the one on the top was left untreated, but the one below was sprayed with Duxcoat. The difference is very plain to see. The untreated collar is dirty looking and scuffy, whereas the treated collar is much whiter and newer looking.

Our son bought some white Vanns trainers, forgot to spray them with Duxcoat and on the second wearing of them he got a muddy stain on one of the shoes which will not come out. It was an expensive mistake because we know that if he had treated them with Duxcoat, that mark would have easily come out.

I am a complete fan of this product and will keep some of both types (both the fabric one and the hard surface one) at home always.  I can honestly, happily and confidently recommend Duxcoat as a 10/10 product to you.

You can get it here.... duxcoat.co.uk

The techie bit: Duxcoat is a nano technology and is non toxic and very long lasting and has an immense amount of possible applications.  Cars, windows, wood, stone, ceramic, textiles, caravans, and many many more.
This is what the company say,

Duxcoat works like the lotus plant, no rain or dirt will stick to its leaves as it is protected by Nano structures that create a hydrophobic affect so that water beads and runs off carrying contaminates from the surface.

Nanotechnology can best be considered as a 'catch-all' description of activities at the level of atoms and molecules that have applications in the real world. A nanometre is a billionth of a metre, that is, about 1/80,000 of the diameter of a human hair, or 10 times the diameter of a hydrogen atom’. What does this mean to you?……………

Duxcoat surfaces are extremely easy to clean, have long lasting protection against environmental contamination and pollution Repels water, oil and dirt Provides for clean shiny surfaces Resistant against scratches Transparent and breathable Easy and chemical free cleaning The Nano particles are so small they are invisible to the naked eye there is no alteration to the appearance of the surface of the treated product."

**Note** I am in no way affiliated with Duxcoat, nor do I receive any compensation or commissions from them. This is an independant, personal review.

What Do These Have In Common - Samsung, Hyundai, Pashley?

A few weeks ago, our son Matt had a frantic worry. He had left his class quickly and as he ran down 16 flights of stairs, he had the feeling that he needed to check his backpack.
When he rifled through the backpack he realised that his new Samsung Note was not in it. He ran back up to the classroom, spoke to the student who was now in his seat, but it was not there..
Panicking that it might have been 'found and claimed by the findee', Matt called me and asked me to log on to his laptop...
Apparently there is a function whereby he can, via his McAfee security, log on and lock his device, and also track it and set an alarm off on it.
I was amazed by this, and as a result of these features, he managed to locate and retrieve his Note. How cool is that?!

Last weekend Paul and I went to Essex to look at a car, which he was hoping to buy.
We hired a car for the drive up, because my car had somehow suddenly gone into theft mode, and was being repaired.
We collected the car from our local Enterprise Hire office. We were given a Hyundai i30. It didn't look that special in my view, but it was really rather nice to drive. It was light and very responsive, had good visibility for a short person like me, and it returned an average of 50.2mpg which I thought was extremely good for a 1.6 engine.
Paul and I were chatting about the Samsung event and how great it was that Matt was able to track, lock and alarm it via the internet. We then wondered why there isn't a security feature which allows any person to track, alarm and lock their car in the same way?
If that were available, and let's be honest, there's no reason why it couldn't be...the technology is already in use! Then, there would not be any need for high speed chases by the police, along with expensive helicopter support... a few clicks of the laptop and boom! Car disabled and unable to be driven, whilst tracked so it could be located and returned.

Why is this not being used?

Seriously, how many police man hours could this save?
How many lives could be saved in the process too?
I would subscribe to it in a heartbeat, and so, I expect would thousands of motorists the whole country over.

So, then, I was remembering how devastated my nephew was recently when scumbag/s stole his beloved and long saved for bicycle.  He has no hope of ever retrieving that either, meanwhile the lowlifes who go around stealing other people's property seem to always have the last laugh.
His bike was not a Pashley by the way, but I can't remember the name of it, and I do love Pashleys, so used their name instead.
What if he was also able to track his bike via the internet, and then when appropriate, set off an alarm to locate it?

Why are savvy entrepreneurs not developing this and presenting it to Dragons sitting eagle eyed in their Den?
Can you imagine if hospitals could also track the items which are commonly stolen from their departments too?
Am I missing something, or am I ahead of the curve?

Please do comment and let me know your thoughts, I would very much like to know...

Getting My Groove Back

I was spending some (far too much) time on Twitter today, when I saw the following Tweet:
Glasgow_Mummy Sarah 

@ 

@PollyBurns2 I've commented on your #groovingmums piece. Such a great idea @netcurtains. Loved your autumn post too - my fav time of year

I went onto the blog link Kate On Thin Ice to have a little looksee, and here I am, joining in the #groovingmums bloghop.

I feel somewhat too old to be joining in with all the lovely young mums, but, I am still a mum, and, I still have some of the same issues, and had most of the same issues when I too was a young mum.

Kate asks two questions to help along the way....

1. What song would be best to play a lot whilst attempting to get your groove back?

2. What can you do to make your body feel better this week?

Well, as for me. the music one has to be cheery and 'up', it wouldn't help me if it were a sad or sappy song, nor one that made me feel melancholy or emotional. So I choose an fairly old one.... Love Today by Mika.   On that note (pun intended) where is Mika these days? 

I tend to be an easy recluse and stay in alone too easily. It seems that all of my friends who I like to go out and spend time with are all working and so I can easily be alone for large chunks of time. While that's OK most of the time, and I do keep busy, it can lead to a feeling of isolation. I'm not great at getting out there and meeting people. I'm quite shy and have poor self esteem a lot of the time.

However, I can make my body feel better this week by going for a walk every day and getting out of the house.

I haven't eaten or drunk chocolate for over a year and that makes me feel very good about myself.

I do push myself out of my comfort zone sometimes with my business, and always feel much more positive afterwards.

Don't forget to join the bloghop if you'd like and Tweet about it too using #groovingmums

Have a great week. x

Health for all?

I consider myself to be a very lucky/blessed person on the whole. That's not to say I've had a charmed, rose petals strewn across my path, cartoon birds and animals coming in to do MY housework, life. No, far from it sometimes, but I have been fortunate to have three lovely healthy (for the most part), happy (for the most part) children.  They had the accidents, bumps, cuts and grazes, Chicken Pox, ear infections, tummy upsets, viruses, same as others. We were sometimes in and out of the Dr's surgery more often than I care to think about.
Matthew was born with a bladder infection and was in hospital at 10 days old and successfully treated for it. It never ever occurred to me that this was anything special, just the norm here....a person is sick, they go to Dr or hospital for treatment and that's that.
Not so for everyone on this planet, unfortunately. When I was in California for a year, I took Dan to get his vaccinations and while we were in the waiting room, a Mother and Grandmother came in with a very tiny baby. They spoke in Spanish to the receptionist and asked for the baby to be seen by a Dr. They were told they had the wrong insurance and should go elsewhere. They were visibly upset, and a bit bewildered as they left the office. The Grandmother soon returned, and, crying and pleading asked for someone to please see the baby. I felt sickened, truly awful and ashamed that this was happening. I wished I had brought cash with me instead of my one cheque folded up and already made out for the sum of $65.00 for Dan's treatment. I would have gladly given them the money to have that poor little child looked at.
Right there in that office, I quite hated the American 'health' system. I told Dan that "This would never happen in England. It just wouldn't."
I came home to England with a whole new appreciation for our health system, where anyone gets treated according to need and not according to insurance of the 'right' kind. I'm proud to belong to a caring society like ours, no matter the critisism it sometimes gets.
But what about the vast amount of children who are in impoverished circumstances around the world?
Save the Children are tackling this very issue, but governments can do more to aid them in this.

1. Please Sign The Petition We can help in such a simple way.

2. If you blog, write 100 words about what healthcare or health workers mean to you. Link up with Mummy from the heart  link to a number of other bloggers, and encourage them to do the same.

3. Tweet about it, Facebook it, Google+ it and talk to people to get more supporters.

I'm passing the baton to:
CraftyMama
MilesMusings