Do You Make the Bed Every Day?

I know it seems like a silly question but trawling round the internet, I’ve found that many people say that they don’t make the bed every day. This seems so strange to me – and I’m talking here about proper grown-up people, not teenagers. Making the bed every morning makes your home more attractive, neater and more comfortable. It’s lovely at the end of the day to sink into a nicely made bed rather than...

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Didier Peroni and Gilles Villeneuve

Team orders in Formula One. At time of writing (July 2016) there’s a lot of mayhem going on about imposing team orders at the Mercedes Formula One HQ.  Now team orders are a subject of a very long article, or even a book, but today I want to talk about motorsport history — and the team orders at the Grand Prix of Imola in 1982. In that year, Didier Pironi of France and Canadian Gilles Villeneuve were team-mates driving for...

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The Dakota Apartments

The Dakota Apartments, New York. Today probably most people who have heard about the Dakota Building know it because it was the place where John Lennon lived – and died. John and Yoko moved there in 1973 and he was gunned down at the entrance to the building in 1980. But the building was well-known a long time before that. It’s true that the Dakota was and is a rather spooky looking building.  That’s probably why Ira...

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Who Was Rolf Stommelen?

Who was Rolf Stommelen? He was a successful Formula One driver whose racing life was dogged by tragedy.He raced in the days when motorsport safety was absolutely non-existent to the standards we are used to seeing today. Those were the days when Jackie Stewart (and the phrase was later borrowed by Ron Howard) said that ‘sex was safe and motorsport was dangerous’. Sadly, he is probably best known today for being involved in...

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Giovanna Amati

The kidnapping of Giovanna Amati. If you were a Formula One fan in the early nineteen nineties then you’ll remember Giovanna as a driver for the doomed Brabham team. The team, which started in the nineteen sixties, had been successful but by the time Giovanna (only the fifth female driver in Formula One) was recruited Brabham was in trouble. It’s thought that Giovanna was signed up by the team not only because she was...

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Castaway Cay: The Murky History

Disney’s Castaway Cay – previously the mysterious Gorda Cay. The very thought of going on a Disney Cruise makes me shudder yet thousands of people enjoy them every day. Their four  ships call regularly at Castaway Cay – Disney’s private island and the company’s idea of paradise. There, cruisers can enjoy the amenities you would expect from the company that specialises in man-made ‘magic’ and...

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Who Was Helle Nice?

The strange story of Helle Nice. Helle Nice: The forgotten story. By 1984 Helle Nice was an old lady. She lived in a rather squalid room in Paris. She knew that she hadn’t got long to live. She’d been born in at the same time as the century. She had her memories and not much more. She kept her mementoes in an old tin trunk under her shabby bed. Nowadays, she survived thanks to charity. But it didn’t seem too long ago...

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Sheila van Damm

Racy Ladies: Sheila van Damm. Sheila van Damm’s career was interesting to say the least. She was known in the nineteen fifties as Britain’s top woman rally driver and by the nineteen sixties she was running ‘naughty’ reviews on the London stage. Yet she arrived at both careers accidentally. You will most probably have heard of the famous Windmill Theatre in London. It shot to fame in the wartime years as it was...

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The Le Mans Disaster 1955

Le Mans, 1955. The prestigious and exciting Twenty Four Hours of Le Mans race, or Les 24 Heures du Mans, is the oldest sportscar race in the world, having been run since 1923. It is also one of the most dangerous. Twenty two drivers have died there in total but this figure doesn’t include serious injury or other personnel such as marshals, track employees and spectators. The worst of these events was the 1955 Le Mans race when a...

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Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel: Naughtier than you might think. What do you know about Coco Chanel? Possibly most people today think of her as a couturier and the person who was responsible for iconic fashion designs – and of course, the famous Chanel N0 5 perfume. But who was she really? Her name instantly conjures up style and sophistication for most of us but she came from humble beginnings. Not only that, she had a string of fascinating...

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The History of Root Beer

Root Beer’s Beginning. One of the first things you notice when you start researching the early history of some of our favorite products is how much innovation was developed because of the product. As interesting as the root beer itself, you’ll find several firsts here in this article, some that became huge trends in our society. Even Shakespeare enjoyed a small beer on occasion, one with alcohol added. Was his flavor root...

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Speed Records at Daytona Beach

Early speed trials at Daytona, Florida. The name of Barney Oldfield was making headlines on March 16th, 1907. They proclaimed that he was the ‘speed king of the world’. At that time, the public – and experts -pondered about that sort of speeds the human body could endure and Oldfield – seen on the right – had just become the fastest human being on earth. He had driven his Benz at over one hundred and...

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Why Is There No Friday At Monaco?

Why don’t they have Friday at Monaco? Of course, they have Fridays. They don’t have a six-day week that goes – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday. That would be daft. But to new fans of Formula One, it’s quite a common question and one that we experienced afficionados are accustomed to. It sounds like a silly question but it makes perfect sense to us. You see, when the Formula One...

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Graham Hill

Graham Hill On December 5th, 1975, racing driver Graham Hill was due to appear at a ceremony at which the British Racing Drivers Club was going to honor his achievements as a racing driver. Hill had won the  Grand Prix Championship, the Indy 500 and the Le Mans 24 Hours race during his racing career. But instead, over two thousand of his friends and colleagues attended his funeral. He had retired from racing just five months...

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Alberto Ascari

Ascari’s lucky racing helmet. Alberto Ascari was born in Italy in 1918. By the time he started motor racing as a young man, it was one of the most dangerous occupations in Europe. He knew this because his own father – also a racing driver – had been killed when Alberto was only seven years old. By the mid nineteen fifties, Alberto had twice won the Formula One World Championship and was looking forward to continuing...

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Formula 1 – A Beginner’s Guide

Top 5 things you should know about F1 With Lewis Hamilton defending his third drivers’ championship win from 2015 and a few new rule changes, there’s a lot of interest in Formula One in 2016 and I thought perhaps for those of you who don’t know the sport, a bit of background might be useful. I’ve been watching Formula One for as long as I can remember, certainly from an early age, as I recall who won the 1976 drivers’ championship...

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Last Chain on Billie

Last Chain on Billie: How One Extraordinary Elephant Escaped the Big Top. Although the title of this book seems to suggest that this is the story of one elephant, it is really a fascinating history of elephants in captivity in the United States. Using the story of Billie’s life as a background author Carol Bradley tells about the earliest days of elephants being brought into the country to appear in circuses, fairs and...

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March 6th is the National Day of Unplugging

Could you do it? Would you be able turn off all the electronic devices for the day?  That is what is called for on March 6th each year since 2003. It’s unfortunate that some years, the day falls on a weekday.  It seems unlikely that many can participate on what is a normal work day.  Still, if you plan ahead, postpone the celebration until Saturday or Sunday, then flip the switch. Every month we become more connected to our devices...

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What Does ‘Dord’ Mean?

What does ‘dord’ mean? Well, it was in the dictionary but nevertheless, ‘dord’ means nothing. I don’t mean by this that it means ‘nil’ or that it means ‘zero’ – it simply isn’t a word. No such word exists. So why was it in Webster’s Dictionary for five years? And what’s more, how did a non-existent word get in there in the first place? It must be a pretty...

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The Man in Black: The Legend of Dale Earnhardt

The Man in Black: The Legend of Dale Earnhardt. It was on the third lap of the 2002 Daytona 500 that the tribute began. Fans stood silently as the NASCAR field thundered on. Fittingly the leading cars, the silver 29 and the NAPA 15 were both owned by Dale Earnhardt Incorporated – and the fans held hands aloft with three fingers high. The intent was to remember friends and heroes but at that moment they had only one man in mind....

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Expensive Operation for Constipated Goldfish

British pet-lover paid £300 for an operation for his constipated goldfish. This is true On 1st January, 2015, a British pet-owner could no longer conceal his concern for his goldfish. He’d noticed (and this is a mystery in itself) that the unfortunate fish was having a problem in the bowel department. Luckily, his local veterinary office, in addition to dealing with the average pet problem, specialised in  more exotic animals...

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Modern Inventions we no Longer Use

Recent innovations – but we no longer use them. Do you realise how many items were invented within living memory that we no longer use today? We live in an age where new technology can be hard to keep up with. No sooner do we buy the latest smartphone than it’s outdated and we need to upgrade. We just get the hang of what the devil Google’s policy is on backlinks and then the whole landscape changes. Just think about...

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Who Was Eugenio Castellotti?

Racing driver Eugenio Castellotti. Eugenio started racing in 1952, an era in which racing drivers didn’t have a long life expectancy. Indeed it was only three years later that his friend, driving legend Alberto Ascari was killed in an accident on track – in Eugenio’s car and wearing Eugenio’s helmet. Although the lack of safety in motorsport in those days seems horrifying to us now, the drivers and teams were...

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Decor: A Palm Tree Palette

Choose accessories and décor colours for your artwork. This is the second article in my series about using artwork to provide an instantly coordinating décor palette for your home. This time, we’re working with an image of palm trees overlooking the ocean. As you can see below the artwork has some wonderfully subtle hues. In this palette Sherwin Williams has picked out paint colours that blend perfectly with the art. These can...

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Brush On Block Sunscreen

Which is the best brush on sunscreen? Remember the days of sticky sunblock creams? Thank goodness that we have brush on sunblocks these days. But which is best? Living in Florida, I’m in the ideal location to evaluate them for you. Without doubt the best is the one you see on the right. I was first attracted to Brush On Block because it’s a mineral powder. But its additional advantages are terrific. It’s so easy to...

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Gifts for Animal Lovers: Dragonflies

It is said that dragonflies bring success, victory, happiness, strength, courage, and adaptability. They have two set of wings but can fly with one if need be. They zip and zoom around flowers, ponds and ever around the world. They are fast. They are known for their ability to hover in one spot for a very long time as well there darting from place to place. They are amazing insects. They have a wonderful ability to adapt to their...

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Succulents: Free Plants

Succulents: Free houseplants that even I can’t kill. About three years ago, I planted a tiny succulent plant in a pot outside my back door. Since that time, it has multiplied like crazy. When I recently undertook my zero-cost bathroom makeover, I decided that the room needed plants, preferably on the south-facing window ledge. But this was a no-cost renovation so there was no budget available to buy plants and anyway, I’m...

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Try this Word Quiz

Try this word quiz The English language is so tricky.I’m glad that it’s my native language – it must be so difficult to learn if it’s not your mother tongue. I do love words though – where they came from, what they mean, what they don’t mean… Try these Click the arrows on the right if you need extra clues. The following words are all anagrams of capital cities. PAIRS, SOLO, LOUSE, ANIMAL,...

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Who Was Luigi Musso?

Racing driver Luigi Musso. Luigi was born in 1924 in Rome and by the time he was thirty years old he had joined the team that was every Italian male’s dream – Scuderia Ferrari. He was following in the footsteps of two Italian drivers who had also driven for the team – Alberto Ascari and Eugenio Castellotti. Neither Ascari or Castellotti had survived the dangerous world of Formula One racing; Ascari was thirty six...

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The Perfect Chaise with Storage

The storage chaise. A perfect solution for small spaces. When space is at a premium in your home, it’s wonderful to find a stylish and chic piece of furniture that is so useful, wonderfully attractive and even gives you extra storage in your room. This comfortable seat will provide you with extra seating for guests, it’s the perfect item for a reading nook and it even makes a convenient spare bed for a child. It’s 63...

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Getting into The Halloween Spirit

Halloween decor Have you started decorating for Halloween?  It isn’t too late to add some unique, adorable, or scary decorations to brighten up your house for the occasion.  Decorations that you will have year after year to bring out for parties or family fun. It is getting closer…All Hallows’ Eve is drawing near.   Whether you are planning a party or simply decorating for fun and scares, you will find some unique and...

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Halloween Safety

Halloween is nearly here and kids big and small are all trying to figure out just what they are going to “dress up” as, or what character they will be for October’s Fright Night. The possibilities are endless, and I’m sure that the young ones will change their minds at least a dozen times or more. What shouldn’t change though, is the need for safety, while our kids are out there having their ghoulishly good times. Safety doesn’t have...

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Halloween Trivia

Fun Tidbits About Halloween. Halloween is one of the oldest celebrations. For everyone it means something different whether it is something superstitious, trick or treating or having a fun dress-up party. Its always fun to learn some fun facts about Halloween. You’ll learn fun trivia facts about the tootsie roll, black cats, creepy spiders, who really believes in “The Great Pumpkin” and even when the first Halloween...

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Brighten Up Your Work Space

Use colour to help you work. Do you remember when office items such as file cabinets, staplers and other necessities of work were incredibly boring? No longer. A truly delightful company named Poppin can brighten up your office, your home workspace or your dorm room with their fabulous work accessories. Of course, we’ve always known that an organised work area helps us to be productive but what has sometimes been overlooked is...

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The Train Whistle Blows

You know what the three most exciting sounds in the world are? Anchor chains, plane motors, and train whistles. George Bailey – It’s A Wonderful Life. It seems quite odd these days to imagine inventing the steam engine but not having any means of signalling a train’s imminence. But when George Stephenson was developing his steam engines, back in 1814, his first engines travelled so slowly and made such a racket...

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Those Loftus Road Nights

Night time matches were the best. Early evening I’d head up into the setting sun to East Acton where my young mate Hiro lived, then we’d walk back down to the Bush and join the gathering crowds. We never missed a home game and took in a few away trips too.  We’d started going to games back when Rangers were really good, “top team in London” under the guidance of coach Gerry Francis and led by the mighty...

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Microwave ovens: Yes or no?

Microwave cooking: Yes or no? It’s quite surprising how divided opinion is about microwave ovens. At one time, a microwave was an essential in my kitchen but I haven’t owned one for years. Some people say this this is food snobbery. Yet although so many people own microwaves (83%of households in the UK) surveys show that they wouldn’t want to think that meals served to them in restaurants are cooked using this...

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All Time Hero: Jack Johnson

We learn and grow, we make heroes of our own. For me, being a child of the 60s there were astronauts and civil rights leaders, soccer stars and Olympic champs. Gran loved her music, so Nat King Cole, Paul Robeson and Ray Charles were high on my list. Dad’s a big sports fan, and Cassius Clay impressed as much by his trash talking as his skills in the ring. The undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World. If someone wanted to...

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Louis de Rougemont

Who was Louis de Rougemont? Louis de Rougemont achieved fame in 1898 when London’s Wide World magazine published a serialised account of his adventures.Readers were electrified. For the magazine told that Rougemont had spent thirty years living with cannibals in Australia –  as their king and leader. It all began in the 1860s when Rougemont was shipwrecked when he was pearl hunting in the Pacific. He and his trusty canine...

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Anthony Bourdain: Five Essential Kitchen Tools

Anthony Bourdain: Five Essential Kitchen Tools Anthony Bourdain is probably one of the best known American chefs today. Having French grandparents, he claims that his love of food and cooking comes from the vacations he spent in France as a child. In his book Kitchen Confidential, he tells a great deal about the life of a restaurateur and the workings of  commercial kitchens. His stories are illuminating and sometimes extremely funny....

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Clutter Control: The Home Lost Property Station

Keep your home tidy – easily and quickly. When your surroundings give you joy and pleasure, life is so much better. This is especially the case in your own domain – your home. And looking round and seeing a neat and tidy environment isn’t just good for your soul – it’s been proved that clutter can damage your well-being. But it’s easier said than done, isn’t it? In fact, it can be so easy and...

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Obsolete Words: Quiz

Test your knowledge: Obsolete words Isn’t it amazing how quickly our language changes? Today, we regularly use words that simply wouldn’t have been understood fifty years ago. Even some words we might think of as relatively ‘modern’ are outdated. Do today’s children understand words and phrases like ‘cassette player ‘, ‘floppy disk’, ‘Netscape’, ‘typewriter’...

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Build a Library of Thought

What we can all learn from Neil deGrasse Tyson. What is it that we can all learn from a man who is an astrophysicist and cosmologist? That is, apart from astrophysics and cosmology. Neil explains why we should all build a ‘library of thought’. He starts by explaining that when he was a child, he’d visit the local library. Everything he needed to know was in there. Every time he had a query, his question would be...

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Eric Jackson: The Chieftain Rally 1973

Eric Jackson: Chieftain Rally 1973 Rally driver Eric Jackson was strictly a Ford man. The only recorded competition car he drove that wasn’t a Ford was a Vauxhall in the 1959 Monte Carlo Rally. So it’s not surprising that when Jacko had ‘the big one’ – the rally accident that nearly finished him off – he was driving a Ford Escort. Here’s a photograph of how he managed to rearrange the car:...

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Britain’s Got Opera!

Britain and opera. In 1990. I still lived in the UK and a friend from America was visiting. I remember him being amazed because the most popular song at the time – it was in the charts, played on the radio and was a favourite on pub jukeboxes – was Nessun Dorma performed by Luciano Pavarotti. ‘Only in England’ he would say ‘could the most popular song be an aria from a Puccini opera’. But was this a...

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Mini Printers, by Debra Schoenberger

On Tour With “Walk With Me” Debra Schoenberger has shared an article with us here at Jaquo, as part of the virtual book tour she is currently on for her new book, Walk With Me. The beautiful book of photographs will be a welcome addition to your home.  The variety, the colors, the black and whites, all will strike you differently each time you look at the photographs included.  ​Enjoy her article here below… I take a...

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Urbio: Designer Wall Storage

Storage plus indoor gardening – perfect for small space living. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to own a Uten.Silo – that wonderful wall storage system designed back in the 1960s. But now I’ve discovered Urbio, I’ve found that it’s far more flexible, so very stylish and it comes at a very reasonable price. What’s more, the Urbio can be bought as modular pieces allowing you to stretch...

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Planning Your Kitchen

 Planning your kitchen If you’re remodeling or reorganising your kitchen, it’s very tempting to design it yourself. After all, you know your kitchen and the habits of your household better than anyone else. You want your kitchen to be gorgeous, you know that the more attractive the room is, the more time you and your family will spend there creating delicious meals … and memories. For many years I was a kitchen...

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Secura’s Anti Theft Convertipack, A Review

Three Bags In One The Secura RFID blocking anti-theft convertipack is much more than a backpack. This well made bag can be worn as a shoulder tote, a cross-body bag, or a backpack. From Lewis N. Clark, with their wonderful products, this one has turned out to be even handier than expected. Three bags in one. You can’t go wrong with that. Useful for all varieties of events from shopping to hiking to travel, it helps you stay organized...

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The Lewis N. Clark Tote

A Versatile Tote For Travel or Every Day With every product I try from Lewis N Clark, I am more and more impressed. High quality materials, well designed for its use, at very affordable prices. This tote is fantastic. It is available in teal or black. It is a perfect size for work, travel, or play, with sections provided for everything from laptop and cords to bottles of water. The bag keeps everything organized—so very handy....

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The Lewis N. Clark Waterproof Magnetic Pouch

Lewis N. Clark Waterseals Magnetic Self-Sealing Waterproof Pouch A “Must Have” to Protect Your Phone From The Elements Summer is coming! Prepare now! If you enjoy the outdoors, you will appreciate this handy and effective waterproof case. Camping, biking, hiking? Those are each occasions where your phone might get wet. Going to the beach or for a swim? Between the sand and the water, this should be an essential. The case...

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Honoring our Military and Police Dogs

Today is National K9 Veteran’s day.  As much as we love our pets, it’s a day we should all honor.  The tasks our military and police dogs take on are some of the worst, and some of the most effective.  Today, I’d like to honor them with some excellent books that feature these K9’s. While they’ve been used, probably throughout time, for various tasks from carting things, patrolling boundaries, etc., today they are honed into such...

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World Cup Heroes: Jimmy Greaves

From the point of view of a ten year old in the thrall of World Cup football it was hard to believe that Jimmy Greaves – that amiable joker on Saturday lunchtime telly, where he presented a football show called ‘On The Ball’ – was a genuine England football legend. Dad was sanguine. “You should have seen him play back in the day. He was amazing. He would have been playing in that 1966 World Cup Final if...

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Omega-3 Supplements for your Dog’s Health

  Dogs need Omega-3 in their diets too We give our little dog a splash of Welactin’s Natural Omega3 Supplement every day with her meal. A veterinarian first suggested it to us as a supplement, and we love it. Actually, so does our dog! It is part of the reason she still looks like a puppy when she is ten years old. We first got it as an overall health supplement. It is made of salmon or fish oil, so we know it is good for...

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Timeless Valentine Roses

Roses For Valentine’s Day. Roses are a timeless gift to receive for Valentine’s Day! Us women love to get them. They look so beautiful on a table and smell so great. One year I received a variety of red and pink roses from my boyfriend. They were so pretty sitting on table. Its even fun to receive roses that you can keep forever like artificial ones or glass roses. They are a forever keepsake you’ll love. First check...

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Valentine Ideas: Unusual & Romantic London Restaurants

Valentine Ideas: Unusual & Romantic London Restaurants Valentines’ Day is very special is the day for romance. We all love to put aside this special evening to be with the person we love – no one else will do. The history of Valentine goes back centuries, and people used to believe that it was in February because that was the start of bird’s mating season – how very romantic. It is a great holiday that many people look forward to...

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An Interview with Shinichi Mine of Tabieats

Shinichi Mine of Tabieats has developed quite a following both for his articles and his YouTube videos.  His articles often feature his travel experiences and those experiences nearly always feature food!    He has a way of writing that make  as you feel like you are right there, traveling along with him, and enjoying every minute. Then he started cooking.  No doubt he has cooked for a long time, but when he started featuring recipes...

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Jenson Button

 Jenson Button – early years Formula One driver Jenson Button might seem to have everything today but his early life was very different. Jenson makes no bones about it- he owes his success to his father, John. At first glance, you might be forgiven for thinking that the photograph on the left is Jenson – but no, it’s his dad taken in 1978. John too was a racing driver. When his son showed interest, it was John who...

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How Much Do You Know About Birds?

How Much Do You Know About Birds? Many of us are fascinated by birds. It’s no wonder when we see wonderful photos in bright colors showing so many varieties of birds. Did you know there are about 10,000 different species? Close to seventy percent of those are found in the rain forests. In the United States, households have 40 million birds as pets these days. I bet you already know the ostrich is the largest bird, but did you know one...

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Get Your Computer Ready for the New Year Too!

Get Your Computer Ready for the New Year Too! Organizing your computer should be as important as organizing your paper records each year. We all will take the time within the next few months to get our paperwork ready for taxes. We go through receipts—or search for them, we collect the W-2’s and 1099’s. We get set up from the beginning for the coming year of record keeping too. We pull out the bills and information from last year and...

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Planning For Getting Your Needs Met In 2017

How To Create New Years Resolutions. Getting Your Needs Met  In 2017. I love spontaneity and having fun don’t you? However, planning is an essential part of achieving success in business and in our personal life. Learning how to create and set goals, prioritizing,and planning for success is important. If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else. You might arrive at a place you had not intended to get...

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Want Your Own Personal Drone?

Now you can own one with this DJI Phantom 3 Professional Quadcopter.   Even though we knew it was coming, I thought it might be a little farther down the line before drones became this accessible, but DJI has made it a reasonably priced reality.  It comes fully ready to fly.  It’s easy to learn with a few test flights. What would you do with it?  Where would you take it?  If you like cutting edge technology, a drone is...

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Wonderful Star Wars Christmas Decorations

The new film, ‘The Force Awakens’ means that everything to do with Star Wars is chic and totally in! Did you know that you can buy amazing Star Wars Christmas decorations? From baubles for the Christmas tree and really funky R2D2 lights, to free standing giant figures of your favorite Star Wars characters ready to decorate your garden. This is a great time to resurrect the Star Wars mania with the new saga on the horizon, so why not...

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Gifts for Cooks

Looking for a great and unusual gift for someone who loves to cook and bake? Not on the High Street offers a wonderful range of fabulous and stylish gifts that are perfect for the cook – amateur or professional. What’s more many of them can be personalised. This makes them so very ideal as a gift because  your recipient will know that you really care and took the time and trouble to choose the perfect gift. A great example...

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Thinking of Others This Christmas

Thinking of Others This Christmas Every year it seems we all rush around shopping, decorating, baking, in the full swing of the Christmas Season. Do you stop to think how many are unable to do the same this year? If I’m honest, it’s too easy to look past the faces of those in need. Thankfully there is still time for me to have an attitude adjustment. Christmas is all about giving. It is my goal to share that fact with those who...

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Gift Ideas: Gadgets You Will Love

The Must Have Gadgets This Year Gifts are a delight no matter what the size! The gift ideas here are handy for any occasion. Put them in a gift basket, use them as a hostess gift, or just think of Christmas.  The colorful wrap, the beautiful bows, lights twinkling on the tree above them, it makes me smile just thinking of it. Most of these gift ideas will fit in one Christmas stocking. At our house Christmas stockings are always saved...

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Christmas Plants and how to care for them

Christmas Plants and how to care for them. Christmas is a wonderful time of year and I’m sure that as your company comes to visit, they may also bring you a gift of flowers or plants. Plants make a beautiful hostess gift and they are certainly a seasonal gift. But once you have it, what do you do next? Well let me help you just a wee bit. First off, you want to take it out of any wrappings of cellophane, get a nice dish to put under...

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The Incredible Luci Solar Powered Lights

We love Luci! The inflatable, waterproof solar lighting system. The internet is a-buzz – the Luci solar lights are getting great reviews everywhere. Increasingly we are all appreciating the value of using nature’s resources such as the sun to harness energy and that’s exactly what the Luci does. You can see more details in the video below but suffice it to say that these incredible naturally-powered lights are...

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Gourmet Gifts: Cooking Classes

The perfect foodie gift: Fun culinary classes. Something I think many of us have in common is that we’d love to improve our cooking skills, knowledge and techniques. How wonderful  it would be to be able to serve new and exciting dishes to our families and guests. The classes provided by Sur la Table are run by expert chefs and take place in many locations. There are lots of themes too.  Choose from seasonal courses, baking, the...

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Formula One: Fathers and Sons

Formula One Trivia. As far as I’m aware, and at time of writing, there have been fifteen Formula One drivers whose sons have driven in Grand Prix races. If you know of more, please let me know in the comment section below. (And see below for the list – before you look though, can you name them all?) Personally, I would love to live long enough to see the daughter of a Grand Prix racer (preferably of a female driver) lining...

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Solving the Mysteries of Choosing a Kindle

Solving the Mysteries of Choosing a Kindle If you’re new to the world of ebooks and ereaders but tempted by the idea of buying a Kindle reader, you might find yourself asking, “Which Kindle should I buy?” or even “Should I buy a Kindle?” or “What’s the difference between a Kindle reader and a Fire tablet anyway? Help!” It’s no wonder you might be confused. When Amazon’s...

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Book Lover’s Reading Journal

A Great Way to Record and Remember What You’ve Read What an excellent idea this is–a book journal for reader!. I just ran across this while looking for something totally different. That’s my favorite kind of shopping. Off the top of my head I can think of six people to get this for as a gift. And it would be a great gift for any occasion. It’s something I wish I had ten or twenty years ago. Thirty years would...

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Gift Ideas for Dinosaur Lovers

What is it about dinosaurs that transcends generations even though they are extinct.  There is nothing especially cute or cuddly about them (I admit to exceptions).  They usually seem to have a lizard like skin.  We so often see them fighting another also extinct species. Perhaps that is the draw right there, or maybe it is that they existed so far in the past. Whatever the reason, kids and many adults love them.  If anything, they...

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Gifts for Music Lovers: The Bose Mini Bluetooth Speaker

Superior Sound in a Mini Speaker from Bose Talk about getting a wonderful sound from a super small speaker, and you will most likely be talking about the Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker. It’s ideal, and it’s tiny. The name Bose is associated with quality sound, and this one performs as such. As you can see in the picture, it’s very attractive as well, with a matte finish on solid aluminum. It feels very sturdy...

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Gift Ideas to Help Those in Need

A Helping Hand for those in need Would you like to do a little something to help the homeless or those in need? Drive around any city these days and you can’t help but notice how many people there are in need of help. Read the paper or watch the news and you grow more aware that plenty of them are families who for one reason or another are homeless or barely getting by. I don’t know about you, but sometimes the numbers...

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Gifts for the Traveler

Easier Travel is The Goal Today’s traveler is looking for ways to make trips go as smoothly as possible.  It isn’t as easy as it once was, especially with the airlines. We’ve seen dramatical changes over the past decade.  Not only with added security, but also with limits on luggage weight and closer quarters aboard many flights. Yet if the traveler doesn’t go that often, he/she might consider it frivolous to...

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The Selfie Stick

Really? Yes.  Selfies have become overwhelmingly popular today, and when you have a new trend, there will be clever people who come up with ideas to make the trend better or easier. This handy little tool, a selfie extender does the job.  On a recent trip to Bouchard Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia, there were so many people using extenders it grew funny.  I should have taken photos of them instead of the beautiful flowers.  It...

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Molkky: A Great Outdoor Game

Molkky: Europe’s most popular outdoor game. Coming from Finland, Molkky is a game that is fun, can be played anywhere and is planet-friendly. It can be enjoyed by all ages, all skill levels and, unlike other games, can be played by small or large groups of people. What’s more, it’s stylish, safe and sustainable – oh, and great fun to play. The fabulous Molkky The game is a cross between skittles and the...

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Decor: A Sunrise Palette

How to pick accessories and décor colours. Did you know that interior designers use a simple trick when they are coordinating décor in the rooms they design? Often, their cues come from artwork. For example, let’s take the gorgeous sunrise artwork below. Designers take a prominent item that will be displayed in the room. This is often a painting, a spectacular photograph or sometimes even a textile such as a tapestry or an...

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Mom’s Outside Pumpkin Decor

Decorating with pumpkins is my favorite when autumn arrives – from inside to outside. I love all the big toothy grins they greet you with. I love the lighted ones the best. There so bright and cheerful. I have a bunch of lighted pumpkins inside as well a special big one outside. It’s fun to sit in the dark with all of them smiling at you; it even makes it a little bit spooky. Traditional Memories My Mom had this big...

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Halloween Harvest Festival

Harvest Festival Activities. Harvest Festivals are lots of fun to attend during the Autumn season. It’s a family fun activity! The Pleasant Valley Tree Farm it located in near Menomonie, Wisconsin. It is a place that decorates for Halloween and Christmas each year; I’ve been to both but featured in this article is the Halloween Festival. Spooky Ridge Trail This is where you can take a fun spooky trail walk where you see...

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Cheryl’s Ghostly Flower Pot Decor

BOO! Ghost Flower Pot. There’s a ghost spooking around in my fall flower pot. It might just say BOO to frighten you. Who you gonna call to help catch this spooky ghost? I know…..Ghostbusters! I found this ghost stake decoration in this photo at my Connections Goodwill Store where I live. It was right up my alley for making a Halloween flower decoration. Its always fun to go shopping at your local Goodwill cause you find...

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American Horror Story: Coven

American Coven Story – Season 3 is for you if you’re looking for a Halloween present, or something to do on Halloween that is way over the top. It’s great if you’re in the mood to be totally spooked out too. I am not one for horror I am so easily terrified! It doesn’t take much to send me running for the bed covers. Images live with me forever. So I didn’t actually watch it – I heard it – and I was...

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Biology for Kids: SmartLab Toys Squishy Human Body

When my son opened this Smartlab Toys Squishy human body on Christmas morning he was so delighted that he laughed out loud! A human biology book with a gooey body to dissect! Just perfect for a 8 year old – it really can’t get better than that! This book/toy was an instant success. It’s great because he learned the names and relative size, shape and function of the major organs of the human body, and where they sit in the...

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Dressing Your Dog for Halloween

Halloween dog costumes that benefit Breast Cancer Research. Does your dog enjoy being dressed up? If so, there are some wonderful articles for you to choose from to make sure that he or she enters into the ‘spirit’ of things for your Halloween parties or festivities. You can choose from the more subtle gesture – such as the cute Halloween-themed bandana you see here – to full and fancy costumes. But the great...

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Procrastinators Unite: A Series About How to Overcome Procrastination and Performance Anxiety

Procrastinators Unite: A Series About How to Overcome Procrastination and Performance Anxiety. By Stacey J Nelson Ph.D. Why People Procrastinate and Experience Performance Anxiety People habitually postpone tasks or procrastinate for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons might be; “the fear of failure” or “the fear of success” or in other words, “the fear and responsibility of being successful”. A chronic procrastinator might be...

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Walking Dead T Shirts and Halloween!

It’s almost time to dress up and scare the living daylights out of your unsuspecting neighbours. Let’s start off with some Walking Dead quotes to get you in the mood: ‘Don’t look back, Carl’ – Rick ‘You can’t think forever. Sooner or later, you gotta make a move’ – The Governor ‘You walk outside, you risk your life. You take a drink of water, you risk your life. Nowadays you...

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Tricks & Treats, The Ultimate Halloween Book

Do-it-Yourself Halloween Ideas Halloween crafts are so much fun to make, even more so when you can do them with your children. Its a wonderful way to play together, a craft your child can enjoy making plus feel pleased with the accomplishment when it’s finished. That’s why I love this book, Tricks & Treats – the ultimate Halloween book, by Deborah Harding, published by Reader’s Digest. Personally I enjoy...

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Cotton Rules for Today’s Baby – Aden + Anais

Swaddles and Blankets You’ll Love For several years now, more and more parents are insisting on cotton. Why? Not only because the natural fabric is safer on their baby’s soft, sensitive skin, but also because cotton is a sustainable product. You find many moms and dads laundering cloth diapers, seeking clothes that are cotton, and purchasing bedding that will breathe. It’s a fairly easy way to be environmentally friendly. With...

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Fire Chief Costume, For Halloween or Anytime

What Child Doesn’t Want to be a Fireman? Little boys and girls can be real-life heroes with this Fire Chief costume. Ever since I saw my friend’s grandson dressed as one, with his hat and boots, while carrying his blankie, it’s been top on my list for dress up days. Kids look up to firemen. Many want to be one when they grow up. They admire not only the uniform they wear, but all the gear they use too–including the...

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Children’s Costumes that Encourage

Heroes. Children love to dress up.  Give them a super hero costume, a princess, or a pair of scrubs with a stethoscope and they can play for hours and weeks.  It is a fun use of their time and excellent for sparking their imagination. Now with Halloween nearing, parents and kids alike are looking for fun ideas for costumes. It’s a fun escape for children, and many adults as well.  These days with the stress in our lives, it seems...

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FitKicks Shoes: Next Best Thing to Barefoot

Fitkicks Footwear: For girls on the go. I have to let you know about my latest discovery. I always prefer not to wear shoes whenever possible, but it’s not always practical. These fabulous FitKicks shoes are the next best thing – they protect your feet, are non-slip and waterproof and are so comfy. They look stylish too and are available in several colours. The comfort quotient is incredible, they are so easy to clean and...

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Need Halloween Ideas? Here’s a Book with 101

Craft Ideas for Any Age   Get a head start on Halloween with this terrific book. Published by Better Homes and Gardens in 2000, Halloween: 101 Frightfully Fun Ideas offers 168 pages of fun and unique ideas. The cover alone attracted my interest. It show a pumpkin decorated with curled soldering wire. I find decorating pumpkins more fun than carving them, though that is mostly because of a lack of carving skill. I am amazed at...

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Halloween Ties

Halloween: Elegant yet spooky ties. Not everyone like to get dressed up in ridiculous garb when Halloween comes around. But nevertheless, you can still show that you’re celebrating the day in a more subtle and stylish way with these speciality ties. Or maybe you’ve got to work on Halloween and your position doesn’t exactly allow you to dress like a gorilla or a pirate?  You can still show that you’re in the...

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Procrastinators Unite

A series of articles about Overcoming Procrastination and Performance Anxiety. By Stacey J Nelson Ph.D. New monthly meetings and Motivational Training in Delray Beach, and Boca Raton starting soon! See if you qualify to attend if you believe in the “Procrastinators Code Of Ethics”. People habitually postpone tasks for various reasons, including the “Fear of Failure” rejection, or the unconscious “Fear and...

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The Carnivore Club, A Review

  For Your Next Charcuterie Board When we first heard of the Carnivore Club, we had to know more about it.   Sure, carnivore is related to meat, but a club?  It didn’t take us long until we had to sample!  We found a high quality product, finely crafted, artisan meats, very unique and flavorful. For fine dining, a cocktail party, wine tasting—any time really—you will want to add this to your shopping list, your planning list and to...

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Gifts for Pizza Lovers

Gourmet pizza gift ideas. If you are looking for gifts for the gourmet pizza cook or pizza eater, then I have found a perfect selection of goods that they will absolutely adore. For the pizza connoisseur  there are some wonderful,practical – and tasty – ideas that will make cooking and eating pizza even more of a delight. Prices start at under ten dollars but there are also some deluxe items such as the specialist mini...

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Gifts For Kids: The Slinky

The Slinky – Over 70 Years Old ! Did you have a Slinky when you were growing up?  Do you still have a Slinky?  The cool little toy is fun for children and adults.  It’s hard to part with something so fun. Since August 30th is Slinky Day, it seemed appropriate to go back and remember… The slinky is a toy that has graced families since the 1940’s.  While it does have new varieties in colors, plastic, and even sizes, the...

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Top Gifts for the Left Handed

Top Gifts for the Left Handed Left Handed Somethings for your Lefties Nope. I’m not kidding. If you think I might be, you are probably right handed. As a card carrying left hander, there have been dozens of times when it has put me in a fix. If you know a Lefty, please consider this. With ten percent of the population left handed, most everyone knows someone who is left handed. But have you ever thought about the inconveniences...

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Formula One: Brothers

Formula One Trivia. How many pairs of brothers have raced in Formula One? Have you read the JAQUO article about fathers and sons who have taken part in F1? Did that make you wonder about brothers who have done the same? At time of writing, there have been six sets of brothers — well, seven, sort of — well, seven and a half, kind of….. But before we get into the details, see how many you can name before scrolling...

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A Tribute to my Father In Law

Fathers-In-Law: A Tribute to Mine. You don’t hear too much about Fathers In Law, but I must say that mine was one of the best! What made him so special in my eyes, was that he was the father of seven children and each one of them looked up to their Father with respect, love, and admiration. That’s not to say that they didn’t look up to their Mother in the same way, but, there was something different about how they...

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The Dutch Grand Prix: 1973

Roger Williamson and David Purley. Motorsport is still very dangerous but in times gone by, racing drivers faced situations that thankfully couldn’t happen today. In the early post-war era, it was almost accepted that half the drivers in Formula One wouldn’t survive the season. But one of the most horrific accidents happened in 1973 at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. Roger Williamson’s crash was the seventh fatal...

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Pokemon Go: Fort Lauderdale Accommodation

Poke Stops in Fort Lauderdale. You may have read our other articles about the wonderful rental apartment we have in beautiful, sunny Fort Lauderdale. The apartment has everything you’ll need for a great vacation but did those of you who are Pokemon players that we also have Poke Stops very nearby? Riverwalk The Riverwalk linear park is a wonderful place for everyone. Walk alongside the water enjoying the tropical foliage while...

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Be All You Can Be. Do All You Can Do

Setting Realistic Priorities. By Stacey J Nelson Ph.D. What would your life be like if you lived today as though it were the last day of your life? What do you think some of the tasks you would like to accomplish would be? Some might call such a list a “Bucket List” What would you call your list of things to do? Every day we are challenged by so many activities, and it’s easy to loose track of time, people, places,...

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In Spite of All the Danger

The Beatles’ first recording. Now that’s not strictly true, I’ll admit, but In Spite of All the Danger was the first recording by Paul McCartney, Jogn Lennon and George Harrison. Ringo Starr was yet to join the group. What’s more, although it was the Lennon McCartney duo that was to become so famous in the songwriting field, In Spite of All the Danger was credited to Lennon & Harrison. The recording was...

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The 2005 US Grand Prix

USA Grand Prix 2005 – Formula One chaos? Many journalists condemned this race as a shambles, a fiasco. They said that it would cause the end of the popularity of the sport in the United States. There are still fans today who, thanks to the media, don’t understand what happened that year at Indianapolis. I’ll refresh your memory. In those days, the sport had two tyre suppliers. After qualifying for the race, an...

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How to Change a Duvet Cover

Changing a duvet cover isn’t difficult! But to read comments on various websites, it seems that so many people ‘hate’ changing the duvet cover. Either that or they say it’s so time consuming or that it takes two people – one of which ends up inside the cover ….. Now this is crazy. It takes about a minute and is simplicity itself. I’ve even heard of people who use a sheet below the duvet so...

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Fort Lauderdale: Paddle Board Vacation

Paddle on the river from your own rental apartment! One of the wonderful aspects of a Fort Lauderdale waterfront apartment is sitting on the dock or balcony watching the water traffic as it goes by. So why not join in? It’s easy. You can make the most of this fun sport directly from our secluded dock. All you need to do is step out of your vacation apartment and everything you need will be right there for you. The paddle boards...

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Gifts for Animal Lovers:  For The Birds

Bird Houses and Feeders for Your Yard Part of the pleasure of having a yard around your home is watching the visiting wildlife. It varies from one home to another. Some might have deer and raccoons, sometimes its bunnies. You’ll find frogs, lizards, insects of all sorts, and a lovely selection of birds. Every area will have a different variety of birds as well. It can be a joy to your entire family to see what birds will visit. If you...

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Sitting is the new Smoking

“Sitting is the new smoking,” is how Kyle Pearce launches into his blog topic in on DIY Genius. Nothing like a sensational opening right! Remember when all the hype for improved health included: losing weight, smoking cessation and far healthier eating habits? Well, they’ve added something else rather than giving the masses a break and letting us have one health contrary vice back. Well, they have allowed eggs back into the...

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Formula One Books You May Not Have Read

Now you may be an F1 fan yourself or perhaps you’re looking for a gift for someone you know who regularly talks about the ‘F1 season’, ‘winter testing’ or ‘this year’s championship’ and I bet it’s getting harder and harder to find something different. Well maybe I can help you out. I’ve been following formula one since I was little – and I mean little. At the age Lewis Hamilton started karting I’d been following the sport for at least...

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Marco Andretti

Marco Andretti: The third generation Marco is an Indycar driver and the latest in the line of the famous Andretti family. Marco, his father Michael and his grandfather Mario, despite their legendary name, are all modest, quite shy and truly delightful people. Their passion is racing. The family originates from Croatia, which at the time of Mario’s birth was part of Italy. Today, the entire family see themselves as American...

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Is it too Early for Spring? Never!

Is it too Early for Spring? Never! What do you do when there is two feet of snow in the yard and it’s February or March? It’s never too early to start thinking about the season that is coming up faster than the snow is melting. Spring with its longer days and slightly warmer temperatures will have most die hard gardeners just chomping at the bit. For some avid gardeners, the end of one season does not mean that the...

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Garden Tools for Women

Garden Tools for Women. Plant your flowers or veggies with tools that are stylish, vibrant and colorful just for women. Get them in colors such as pink, blue, yellow and more. Get them separately or all in a nice stylish set. Sets are handy for keeping all your tools in one place. ​I have garden tools that pink flowered. I use them to plant flowers in pots for my deck and front steps. I love that they are pink because that is my...

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Twenty Safety Tips for Outdoor Exploration

As someone who has loved exploring wilderness areas all my life, mostly in California, here are my safety tips.  Also below are some links to articles I’ve created about how to deal with specific plants and animals that are potentially harmful. Twenty safety tips: Know how to identify and avoid harmful plants and animals in the area you are exploring. Wear sturdy boots that cover ankles, and long pants. This greatly helps...

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Valentine’s Day, or So They Say

Valentine’s Day, or So They Say   When, again, is St. Valentine’s day? February 14, right? Yes … and no. Valentine’s day is celebrated on February 14, July 6, July 30 and June 12. Why so many days on which this holiday is observed? Valentine was a popular name within religious circles back in the days of the Romans. The beginning of this holiday was a liturgical celebration for one or more saints named Valentinus. The Anglicans...

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It’s National Puzzle Day

January 29th Means It’s National Puzzle Day On this day of celebration for puzzles of all kinds, let us remember how good they are for brain health as well. Exercising the mind may be as important as exercising the body. Los Angeles Times Sunday Crossword Omnibus, Volume 4 (The Los Angeles Times) Besides, they are fun. Whatever kind of puzzle you might enjoy, think of the pleasure it provides when you finish a game or a puzzle....

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Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

January 26: Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day What would you say if I told you that bubble wrap didn’t start out as a packing material? What could the original intent for this time-waster come shipping material possibly have been? Wallpaper. Yup, wall paper. In 1957, Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes were trying to create a textured wall covering. Perhaps they were going for the sci-fi look in contemporary interior design? For some...

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Journey from the Middle of Nowhere to BFE

‘I would rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than in any city on earth’. Steve McQueen Where on earth is Bumfuck Egypt? We’ve all been there. So far off the beaten track that the word lost doesn’t even begin to describe it. The middle of nowhere. The back of beyond. Out in the sticks where Jesus lost his sandals. The kind of place that is so dense and confusing that the end of the earth surely can’t...

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Peter Procter

Peter Procter: Motorsport safety. Peter is the chap in the photograph you see on the right. He’s the one wearing glasses. This was taken at some time in the nineteen nineties and to the casual observer, there is nothing remarkable about these two men. He and Eric Jackson – on the right in the photograph – are friends from way back when and both have fascinating stories to tell. Both men are from Yorkshire and in...

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Easy Ways to Organise Your Home

Organise your life and your home By taking just a few minutes every day, you can soon organise your  home and your life. Do you think it’s impossible? Let me tell you what works for me. We have it much easier these days. Think about what our mothers and grandmothers had to put up with if they wanted to keep their homes and their lives in check. Just by spending a few minutes a day, you can make the world of difference....

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Clutter is bad for you

Official: Clutter is bad for your health People have been studying clutter a  lot recently and many of the statistics about just what a clutter-filled society we are can be quite scary – and revealing. Did you know, for example, that the average British woman has twenty two items in her wardrobe that she has never worn? Studies are also being undertaken to help us understand exactly why we accumulate clutter in our homes or...

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Plan a spa weekend – at home

How to have a luxury spa weekend at home Spas are incredibly popular today. Some people love going to day spas to be completely pampered but the ultimate luxury is spending the weekend at a magnificent spa resort where your only goal is to be pampered and to relax. The problem is that this can be terrifically expensive. But with a few careful purchases and a little planning, you can enjoy a luxury weekend at home. Planning is the key....

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Coconut Oil Softgels from Eukonic

My experiment with coconut oil capsules. I’d heard from my colleague Merry about the benefits of coconut oil so I have been using it occasionally in cooking. But when the opportunity came up to try taking coconut oil as a supplement, I decided to give it a try. I liked the fact that these softgels are organic but yes, I was sceptical I admit. There’s been such a lot of hype about coconut oil for quite a while now –...

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Does Your Stuff Slow You Down?

Does Your Stuff Slow You Down? I read an article a week or two ago where the writer said she was so energized after clearing out an area of clutter that she was inspired to make soup stock. What a great feeling that is. Think about how often we get in that situation. We tend to collect and accumulate, from mugs and dishes to small appliances to paper. All of it stacks up, takes up space and can bring us to a full stop. Let’s face it,...

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I Love My Imac Desktop

I love my iMac Desktop. I am in love with my iMac desktop so much that I have two of them! That’s right I have one for me and another for my very, very lucky son. I must admit that his one is quite old and I used to run my business on it, however, he still uses it perfectly well to produce his electronic dance music and videos. So we have had years of use out of it. My son has named it his Apple iPie, and sadly it is on its last legs...

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Just a little musing for the last day of the year

Just a little musing for the last day of the year. Well it has arrived just as expected. We are at the last day of the Old Year and just at the Cusp of the New Year. I was thinking of all those things that we seem to do on the last day of the year, many of them steeped in old traditions that we are really not sure about anymore. We seem to remember the meanings, but not really…. I know my Best Girl Friend has to make sure that...

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Planning your garden

Planning your garden with Grammie Olivia Well Christmas has just passed and now we look forward to the New Year. No one looks forward more than Gardeners… Especially if you live in the North, where everything dies back and nothing is growing except the plants you brought in before the first frosty nights of October and November arrived. What a great time for gardeners, either experienced or not, to sit back and pour over the...

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Card Playing Day

Today is officially “Card Playing Day” and it’s a good thing too. I am worn out from all the visiting, eating, drinking, laughing and just all around merriment of the Christmas season, to need a “day off”. One where I can play cards without feeling guilty or to have that itch to be doing something worthwhile. If you are anything like me, Card Playing Day is just coming around at the right time. It’s a time to sit back, relax, grab...

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Organizing Made Easy: Christmas Decorations Ready for Next Year

Organizing Made Easy: Christmas Decorations Ready for Next Year This week is the time when most of us start disassembling all we did to decorate for Christmas. If you have had everything out since right after Thanksgiving you are probably ready. While most of us are anxious to get the decorations put away soon after Christmas, if takes only a little extra time to have it ready to go next year. That’s the main goal: that you won’t...

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Christmas Card Memories

Christmas Card Memories. Sending out Christmas cards to family and friends is a time to say Happy Holidays. It’s a way of letting them know your thinking of them. I love opening up my mailbox to see I’ve received some cards. I love to hang them up as part of my Christmas decorations. There is always so many designs you can choose to send; even order photo cards. The First Christmas Card Sir Henry Cole was born July 15,...

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Christmas Decorations: Gifts and Memories

Great Gifts for Yourself or Others Every year before a few months before Christmas, the search begins for a new and special Christmas decoration.  It’s been a tradition since I started decorating my own home for the holidays. When my daughter was born, handmade crafts, from stockings to advent Santas became my favorites.  As she got older, treasures she made in school were added to the collection. It is still a special way to...

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Gifts for Animal Lovers:  Hummingbirds

The hummingbird is said to symbolize timeless joy.  Looking at one, it is easy to understand why.  It is hard not to be enchanted by the tiny, fascinating hummingbird.  With over 300 varieties, their exquisite coloring and their humming wings are always attentions getters.  Many appear to glitter as they flit about from flower to flower. They are among the quickest.  They are definitely the smallest, with some weighing as little as a...

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Gifts for Beer and Wine Lovers

‘Do-It-Yourself’ Adult Beverages The trend today—hopefully more than a trend—is away from many of the big brands and towards smaller, artisan businesses that make unique designs and custom products. That doesn’t apply just to jewelry or clothing.  It also applies to beverages, including the delightful alcoholic variety.  Sure you can still get a big name beer on tap, but nearly everywhere you go artisan beer is available...

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Monopoly: The De Luxe Edition

Play Monopoly in style. There’s no doubt that Monopoly is a great game. It’s been around for so many years and it’s lots of fun for all ages. But no-one could ever claim that it’s a stylish game. Most of us care deeply about the looks of the products we use in our homes and that’s why we usually keep the Monopoly box hidden away in a closet until it’s time to play. Until now, that is. Just take a...

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Bathroom Makeover at Zero Cost

My ‘new’ bathroom with no budget. I have to admit that my bathroom was a complete embarrassment. It’s extremely tiny and dates from 1949. In the intervening years, someone had added a rather horrible, cheap wood vanity (which I had NO money to replace) and a completely out-of-period acrylic sink (ditto). Other than that, it has original fittings  — so therefore they are somewhat old, to say the least....

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Laugh and Learn Puppy from Fisher Price

Dance, Sing, and Learn with This Adorable Pup  I recently bought one of these adorable puppies for a baby gift. When I first saw it I thought he was the cutest little fellow. It comes in a few different colors, and responds when a paw is pressed. What surprised me was the singing and talking that comes from the little dog. This guy doesn’t just say things like “I love you,” but goes on to sing the ABC’s,...

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Gifts for Cat Lovers: Cat Design Pillows and Throws

Gifts for Cat Lovers: Cat Design Pillows and Throws. All cat lovers will appreciate these warm, cosy throws and pillows because their designs are truly beautiful. These are quality throws and pillows at very reasonable prices. They are made of luxurious materials designed for utter comfort. Throws: 1. Kitty Korner: The Manual Tapestry with Fringe This is a woven tapestry throw 47 x 60 inches. It is made in the USA. It has 8 panels...

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Bug Jewellery

Bug Jewellery has been fashionable for many years. Everything from bees to dragonflies, cicadas, grasshoppers and bugs of every kind. I personally love butterflies, lady bugs and bees. Bug Jewellery is not for everyone, but I happen to really like it. Red bug bejewelled jewelry box In ancient times, Bug Jewellery was worn not just by women but by the men also. In Egypt, the Scarab Beetle was worn by the army as a talisman of...

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Small Spaces: Surviving a Small Refrigerator

How to live with a tiny fridge. When I first came to live in the States, I was completely astonished by the size of the refrigerators. When I was in the UK (admittedly a lot of years ago) people had fridges that were a fraction of the size. And we managed very well. For my first years in the States I rented homes. Invariably there was a monolith refrigerator and I became very accustomed to them. But then when I bought my tiny...

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Fun, Retro Coca Cola Decor

Retro Coca Cola Accessories for the Home. The Coca Cola brand is surely one of the best known in the world and is certainly recognisable just about anywhere. Particularly popular right now are the funky retro Coke décor items and household goods dating from the fifties, sixties and seventies – the good old rock ‘n’ roll years. They’re such fun and can make an interesting conversation piece in your home in...

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Remember the Electric Knife? It’s Still So Handy!

Fast and Efficient for Slicing Bread and Meat Make carving a whole lot easier Essential for holidays or party times is our electric knife. I am still surprised how effective the Cuisinart CEK is–what an improvement over my old one! I love to roast turkeys. In spite of the last minute rush, it seems one of the easiest meals to prepare. Just stuff the bird and stash him in the oven. No matter what I do, several hours later the...

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Alice in Wonderland Costume for Tweens

Alice in Wonderland is a Perfect Costume for Girls. As of my daughter’s last birthday, I am officially the mom of a tween and I can already tell you this is an awkward age. She definitely isn’t a “little” girl, but she isn’t a teen yet either. With this in mind, we have been talking about Halloween costumes and I already know the princess costumes of yesterday are not what she has in mind this year....

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Gift Ideas That Save On Shipping

Tips and Ideas that will Save on Shipping Shipping shouldn’t have to cost more than the gift you are sending. Don’t you agree? Over the past few years though, it seems to be edging closer and closer. So many of us have family scattered across the country, and even across the ocean. It’s frustrating when the expense of it becomes an issue. So this year and last, I’ve gone on a hunt for gifts that save on...

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Getting Back Into The Workforce:  State Offices

A Great Resource for Your Job Search The local employment office of your state is good for anyone looking for work, whether you are getting back into the workforce after years away or a recent change in employment. I admit, I’ve always avoided it in the past. I thought it was all about unemployment. Since I was trying to avoid the need for unemployment, I passed it by. Many of you will be familiar with them, but I was surprised when I...

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Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays and a Joyous Thanksgiving From Tweedle Pet Products – Natural and Organic – Gourmet Gluten-Grain Free Non GMO treats for Pets and Pet Parents. Tweedle and I are wishing all of our friends a happy and healthy Thanksgiving Holiday. So much food looks so delicious, but I nudge myself to try and taste a variety of foods, but not to overdo it. We can always revisit the fixings table, for a second and third portion…Why...

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Getting Back Into The Workforce: Temping

Looking For Work? More and more I speak with men and women who have not been working for some time. With the economy as it is, it’s been difficult. Often those same people have exhausted unemployment benefits and are among those who don’t show up in the statistics. The growing number has made me look at various ways to find work. In the past, it was easier in some ways to look for work. You would stop in, drop off an application, and...

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Metrokane Lever Corkscrew: My Kitchen Essential

The easiest & most stylish way to open a bottle of wine. If you know me, or are familiar with my articles and recipes, then it will come as no surprise to you that the most essential item in my kitchen is my corkscrew. But not just any old corkscrew. Oh no. This is special. This is known as the Metrokane Rabbit Before we decided to buy this, we relied on the traditional-style corkscrew – the type that wine waiters use...

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How To Keep Half an Avocado Fresh

I love avocado and here in Florida, they are really inexpensive at certain times of year. During those times I love to have half an avocado for lunch or for a snack. But I’ve only recently discovered how to keep the cut half fresh for another day. I was looking for a way to keep the remaining half fresh without resorting to aluminium foil or that plastic wrap stuff – neither of which I wanted to buy. Furthermore, they...

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The Perfect Gift: A Basket full of Favorites

Who doesn’t love a gift basket?  A good friend over at Sam’s Place puts together beautiful baskets filled with goodies for all occasions.  That made me think of a way to share my favorites with friends and family. A basket such as this would work for anything from a wedding gift to a housewarming present to birthday or mother or father’s day.  Its contents are something everyone would appreciate and enjoy using....

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Mickey Mouse Toys Make a Great Gift for a Child in Search of a Role Model!

Mickey Mouse Toys Make a Great Gift for a Child in Search of a Role Model! My son was about three years old when he first watched Steamboat Willy and met Mickey Mouse for the very first time, and he laughed so much that we had to ration how many times he watched it from then on! He was looking at Mickey Mouse through the eyes of a very young child, and related to this cheeky little character completely. He understood him, and I would...

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The Survival Bracelet

The Wazoo survival bracelet: A great gift idea. Whether you’re buying this bracelet for yourself or as a gift, you can be sure that it’s a fabulous idea that can actually save lives in an emergency. Furthermore, I think it looks terrific. Survival bracelets – which contain just about everything you need in emergency situations – have been around for a while but the one made by Wazoo is without doubt the best....

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Baby’s Best Blanket: 100% Cotton from aden + anais

100% Muslin Cotton Equals Super Softness aden + anais Muslin Dream Blankets for babies have been at the top of the last three baby registries I’ve seen. I’m starting to think I should order them by the dozen to have them on hand. Both my niece and my nephew requested them, along with the aden + anais swaddles. Parents prefer natural fabrics and products today. They lean away from man-made fibers which can tend to make a...

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The Panasonic SD-YD250: Bread Making Made Easy.

So Glad I Got This Bread Machine. This bread machine is one of my top ten favorite presents! I won’t go so far as to say it changed my life, but it’s surely made it more fun. It’s been used so much it would have paid for itself in under six months (if it hadn’t been a gift, that is). For years I didn’t think I would use one. How much bread can a family eat…and so on. My brother-in-law bought this...

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Using Pullquote on Twitter

Use Pullquote to add interest and appeal to your Twitter messages. It sometimes seems to me that people either love Twitter or hate it. There seems to be no middle ground. For those who don’t like Twitter, the most common complaint is ‘how can I say everything I want to with just 140 characters?’ Youmight, for instance, have found a great quote on a website that you’d like to share. Or maybe you’d like to...

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Should You Buy a Range with a Glass Ceramic Cooktop?

Electric ranges with smooth cooktops: Perfect for small kitchens. I’m sometimes asked about this because the electric range I have in my small apartment has a smooth ceramic glass hob. Are they easy to clean? Do they work efficiently for cooking? Do they retain their good looks? The range I have is now twelve years old and it looks and works as good as new, despite daily use.  They are excellent for any size of kitchen but are...

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Ahava, Love in Hebrew!

I’m not big into cosmetics that you put on your face and I’m not knocking anyone who is, but for me, I prefer to keep things simple. To that end, you won’t find me wearing a whole lot of makeup on a daily basis. I just don’t have the time or the talent to use some of the millions of products out there. I would rather not wear any make up than wear it incorrectly! There is one thing though, that I cannot do...

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My Childhood: 1949 – 1963

​When my brother, my only sibling, who is two years older than me, had a life threatening severe asthma attack in 1957 in San Francisco. The doctor came out to the house and gave him an adrenaline shot directly into his heart. He was saved from near death. After a month of testing which involved the “scratch” test with common offending allergens, the doctor found that my brother was severely allergic to eggs, milk,...

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Gift Idea: Reusable Water Bottles

Get a Reusable Water Bottle This year, when you are thinking of gift ideas, will you consider adding a reusable water bottle to the list?  If everyone in your family had their own, think how many plastic bottles you would eliminate.  If half the families in your community did the same, imagine how it would help to cut down. It will be a gift that inspires, one that may be used for years (think how many bottles that saves over time!),...

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Prevent Food Waste in your Home

Waste not want not – especially food. I’ve always hated seeing any sort of waste. This is probably because my parents were brought up during the Second World War and at that time, avoiding waste was a big issue and making the most of every scrap of meat, vegetables and fish was very important to the war effort. A report that was recently released has revealed that between thirty and fifty percent of the consumer edibles...

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The Best Travel Accessory: The ScotteVest

Storage and security when travelling, particularly for your tech. When you travel – whether you’re heading for an adventure in India or just to the local park for the afternoon – carrying everything you need securely and safely can be so tricky. When I travel, the important things I need with me in addition to regular packing (at minimum) are my travel documents, ID, iPad, Kindle, phone, my keys, wallet, sunglasses,...

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Good Shoe Choices For Aging Seniors

Good Shoe Choices For Aging Seniors As you age, it is so important to have shoes that are appropriate.  Maybe some are able to wear all kinds of heels still, but probably not too many. One of the most common injuries is a broken hip from a fall. Aging brings with it brittle bones.  Those bones break more easily.  With heels you risk ankle injuries as well as those that may occur from a fall.   Depending on the age of the person, a...

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Willow Tree Figurines

One of my favorite gifts has to be the Willow Tree Figurines! There is a beauty in their faces that makes them universally appealing. So many emotions are played out in their rather simple stances and a little bouquet of flowers in their hands makes one understand right away, that they are appreciated by the sender of the gift. Whether it’s a mother and father, boyfriend, girlfriend, or grandparents with children, the way the figures...

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Gourmet Food: A Great Gift

Is he eating properly? Is she cooking for herself? Chances are that there’s someone whose nutrition concerns you. It might be a son or daughter who is at college and living away from home for the first time. Or maybe you worry about an elderly relative. Whoever you’re concerned about – and whatever their age – healthy and delicious foods are a always a wonderful gift idea. It’s also a lovely way to send...

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10 Hot Frozen Gift Ideas

Girls are GaGa Over Frozen. As soon as I watched Frozen in the theaters, I knew little girls everywhere were going to be gaga over Frozen and the stars of the Disney hit – Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff. While my daughter, who is 10, isn’t involved in the Frozen frenzy, every little girl I know ages 3 to 8 is. In fact, the most popular age group for Frozen fans is girls ages 3 to 8. While babies and young toddlers...

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Living Housewarming Presents

Do you need a fresh idea for a housewarming gift?  Let’s start with some of my favorite gifts that are not only fresh, but will remain alive and growing over the years. Our family moved all too often in years past.  With each new home, we had adjustments.  Some things we no longer needed, some new things were required.  Every time some family members and some dear friends surprised us with little welcoming gifts that made our...

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Look what my Ninja Master Prep Did Now!

Why I Think Everyone Should Have A Ninja Anyone who knows me very well knows how much I love this one little kitchen appliance.  The Ninja Master Prep Professional is the best, most effective appliance I own.  That is competing against the coffee maker and the bread machine.  Those are excellent for their specific tasks, but for versatility and performance, the Ninja wins hands down. The Ninja company makes a variety of...

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Fix Anything with Bondic Liquid Plastic

The throwaway society is really becoming a thing of the past. Today we see that it’s good common sense, a great money saver and good for the planet if we repair broken goods. But it’s not always that easy. That’s why we’re happy to recommend the Bondic system which can see to so many small repair jobs around the home, at work or in the car. You can see exactly how it works in the videos below but you’ll...

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Are you ready to become a vegetarian?

Are you ready to become a vegetarian? Vegetarian Day is officially October 1, but you can become a vegetarian any day of the year. Some people also transition into becoming a vegetarian, perhaps giving up one type of food item at a time. Some transition more quickly; others take months and even a year or more to fully change their eating habits. October is also the first day of Vegetarian Awareness month. Vegetarians eat fruits,...

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Quality Gifts for Men by Victorinox Swiss Army

Victorinox Swiss Army is a company based in Ibach, Switzerland and it has been making the Swiss Army Knife since 1891. This is the ingenious pen knife Schweizer Offiziersmesser, or ‘Swiss Officer Knife’, that US soldiers loved so much that they bought thousands of them after WWII, calling them a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ because they couldn’t pronounce the German words. These amazing knives were originally in made in Switzerland for...

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The Solar Charger, an Essential for Your Cell Phone

Emergency Solar Power When You Need It. Over 21,000 of these small WakaWaka solar chargers were put to good use in the Philippines after the typhoon Yolanda struck in November of 2013. Besides providing solar power to charge their cell phones and tablet, the flashlight also aided them during the dark hours. This solar powered charger was recently featured as one of the highlights at the Consumer Electronics Show. Using a USB cord, It...

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Go Eco-Friendly with BagPodz

Bagpodz Reusable bags are the only way to go today.  It is such a simple thing each of us can do to help protect the environment.  You’ve seen the photos of the plastic trash bags in the ocean and the land fills.  They are not only dangerous to wildlife, but are also bad for the soil. Now that cities are beginning to ban plastic bags, it’s time for a better solution.  Even knowing how damaging plastic can be, many of us have found...

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The Soggy Doggy Super Shammy, Door Mat and Bed

Soggy Doggy Dog owners, do those words cause you to shudder?  Most dogs enjoy being outside, in spite of the weather. Ours used to race through the snow, roll around in it, then run into the house through their dog door, with clumps of snow on their forepaws. But it is the rain—or a bath—when we get the truly drenched dog.  Cute they may be, but wet is messy. Soggy Doggy can help.  First of all, I love the company name.  Second, they...

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Ghostly Pumpkin Decor

Ghostly Friendly Hello – BOO! Ghostly Pumpkin Pumpkin Ghost. A friendly ghostly Hello! My ghost found its way into my pumpkin. Now I have another Halloween decoration for my deck. A ghostly pumpkin! This ghost is used for make a ghostly flower pot. This is a unique ghost stake set and I have never seen it anywhere’s else. I just love that it can be used for a few different decorations. I went out to the pumpkin patch and...

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How to Cook in a Tiny Kitchen

Cooking in a tiny kitchen made easy. This is my kitchen and it’s not the smallest I’ve had. But it’s still pretty tiny, especially when you consider that we work from home, hardly ever eat out and therefore prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner in our kitchen every day. It’s L-shaped, small, and yet is perfect for us.There are a lot of myths about cooking in small spaces, which I’ll be debunking in this...

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This Week’s Young Inventor: Joshua Browder

Joshua Browder’s “DoNotPay.co.uk” Another invention from a teenager has crossed our desk here at Jaquo Lifestyle Magazine. It is always exciting to learn of a new one.  No doubt there are many more to find. Our youth have such a grasp of computers, apps, and technology in general. Just as many of our early inventions were created to solve a problem, so today’s youth are creating their own technological...

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Educational Gift Ideas: The Shopping Cart

An Enduring Toy for Playtime Every child needs a shopping cart! Okay, so maybe that is slightly exaggerated, but not very much! This was one of the most used toys when my daughter was a toddler. Every day she would shop. She had items that went in her little kitchen, but honestly her favorite shopping ‘aisle’ was our pantry. She would unload every item she could reach, either into her cart or onto the floor, then push the...

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Howl at the Moon Day

I know many people who last month waited and waited to see the Blood Moon and some of them were awestruck with the beauty of the moon that night and then the eclipse that followed. Others weren’t so lucky. The clouds came in an ruined the evenings attraction sending many to bed earlier than they had expected. But wait just a minute! Here is another chance to go out and howl at the moon, like you have never howled at it before! Why?...

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Halloween Skeleton Costumes, Shirts, and Accessories

Put together or buy a Complete Skeleton Costume here, for Halloween. Here you will find skeleton costumes, shirts, gloves, masks, leggings, and socks, with skeleton bones on them to compose your own Halloween skeleton costume. Mix and match, or get the whole costume, whatever you need or want. It’s time to get your boo on; or is that bones! Do you know how many bones are in the human skeleton? Is it the same for babies and...

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A Personalized Book Embosser is a Special Gift for Someone Who Loves to Read

A Personalized Book Embosser is a Special Gift for Someone Who Loves to Read. A personalized book embosser is a lovely gift for anyone who loves to read, especially for those who love their hard-copy books. With the digital age, books to hold and made of paper are becoming less and less. Why not keep and protect these books and make a personal library by embossing each book with a seal stating “From the Library of….” It adds a...

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Organise Anything – with Grid-It

A great way to organise almost anything. Although the Grid-It organising system was developed to control tech clutter – phones, earbuds, chargers etc. –  this brilliantly simply yet effective storage system can be used for so many things. Here it is. You can see how it keeps your devices and their accessories safe and organised but because the Grid-It comes in several different sizes, you’ll understand how useful it...

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Roll Up Games for Travel and Small Spaces

Chess, checkers and backgammon – for travelling or for small spaces. We’ve been living in the technological age for a long time now and that’s probably why there’s a huge trend now for playing traditional boardgames. The problem is, that they can take up so much room especially when you’re travelling, camping or if you live in a small apartment. Sondergut have the answer with these fabulous roll up...

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Unusual gift ideas

I don’t know about you, but age and growing up mean two different things to me. The growing up part, I would like to leave right where it belongs…….somewhere back there! The Aging stuff, well, no one really gets away without doing some of that…… The problem is that most of us get caught up in the Growing Up and forget all the fun that could be had along the way. There are so many fun things that should be...

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Gift Ideas for Men: Kiehl’s Skin Care Products

Best Skin Care for Men When it comes to skin care products for the men in our family, we always go to Kiehl’s.  Since we first started using their exceptional hand salve, we have appreciated its effectiveness.  It feels very healing when you use it, so soothing for dry skin. ‘Kiel’s since 1851’ is one of the most respected companies for men’s skin care products.  The year showing in their name certainly should...

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Gifts for Travelers: Waist Bags & Money Belts

If you’re looking for a gift for someone who loves to travel then a money belt or waist bag is a really good idea. When you are on holiday you really don’t need to carry all your valuables with you everyday or have all your credit cards and ID with you especially when you’re staying in one place. But when you’re moving on from place to place then you’re going to be much more vulnerable and that’s when a...

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Maleficent Christening Costume for Kids

Creating the Maleficent-Movie Look. Maleficent has been around for a very long time. However, with the release of Disney’s Maleficent, the evil fairy has had a huge makeover. If your tween or younger daughter is hoping to recreate Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent movie-look, you can do it easily with this costume.   If the movie look isn’t exactly what you were looking for, make sure to continue scrolling as I have...

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Create and Share Social Media Graphics in Seconds

Use Pablo (free) to create and share on social media. We know how important images are for sharing – and getting clicks through to your website. If the image contains a quote or other words, even better. But who has time to spend ages in Photoshop or other graphic program? And then there’s the problem of making different sizes for different social media. It’s all just so time consuming. Or rather, it used to be....

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Stylish Entertaining with Sustainable Serveware

Service with a style. Whether you’re entertaining guests or simply serving family meals, the presentation of your food is always important. Our eyes make our mouths water in anticipation before we even taste the food. Today, I want to introduce you to a fabulous range of serving ware that has objects that are not just useful, they are beautiful, practical and made from sustainable materials. For example, I love the tray you see...

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Gifts for Animal Lovers:  Lambs and Sheep

Little Lambs for Cuddles. There isn’t much cuter than a little lamb. Watching the spring babies frolic in the field always makes me laugh at their undiluted joy. Whether the real animal on the farm or the man-made variety for decoration, a stuffed animal, a design on fabric, they are just so cute. Even the big guys, full and round with wool right before shearing, are hard to resist. Lambs seem to symbolize peace and comfort too,...

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Gift Ideas: Play Tents and Teepees for Children

Tent or Teepee–What’s your Favorite? Who says the adventure has to stop when you can’t be outside? With a clever tent or teepee like one of these, children can camp any day in any weather.  Easy set up for parents, place it in the play room, their bedroom, anywhere you like, and have a camp out. Tents have been popular through the generations, haven’t they?  When we were young, it would be a fort, made from blankets.  We’d...

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10 Tools Every Woman Needs

Start With Some Basics Every woman needs her own tools. Every woman should know how to use them. Man in the house or not, young or older, handy or otherwise, there are a few tools that are essential to make life–and do it yourself projects–easier and fun. Whether you’ve bought your first house or are moving in to your first apartment, they will be used often over the years. Kids nearing independence should know how...

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Gifts for Travellers: Warm Active Winter Clothing

Time for thinking about Christmas presents is fast approaching. Here are some tips and ideas for gifts for travellers or outdoor lovers who need to keep comfortable and warm. These days thousands of people go on winter vacations and very often visit cold countries – snow is a magnet that’s for sure. If you know someone who loves being in the great outdoors here are a few gift ideas that will not only be useful, but will be loved and...

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New Balance Walking Shoes

I have been looking at walking shoes for my son who is going on a school trip. He’ll be out in the countryside doing lots of activities as well as a lot of walking and I have settled on a pair of New Balance walking shoes. I can recommend New Balance walking shoes because I chose them after a lot of research and I am confident you’ll be as happy with them as we are. I am impressed that they have been through a lot of research...

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SunJack: The Portable Solar Charger

Charge your devices anywhere using solar power. These days we can make phone calls, browse the internet or use our e-readers almost anywhere. On the beach, in the countryside, when we’re camping or hiking. But, that is, only if we can charge our various devices. That’s where the SunJack comes in. Powered entirely by the sun, the SunJack will charge your phone, reader or tablet at the same speed as an ordinary home outlet....

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Young Scientists of the Google Science Fair 2015

  Our Youth at Their Best Google recently announced the winners of the Google Science Fair for 2015.  The science awards go to youth between the ages of 13 and 18. Once again, the winners—and all the contestants—amaze. If science is your forte, perhaps it comes as no surprise to you that teens as young as thirteen would have such success.  For me, it surprises me every year.  While some teens are undecided about their futures, to...

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A Gift Idea Your Parent will Cherish

A Gift Idea Your Parent will Cherish Most of us have a number of photo albums, even if they are now more online than actual books. It may seem like something that’s been done already. Still, one book that shows their life in photos, one they can look at over and over would be a treasure. You may know that I write about Alzheimer’s disease quite often. When I look back at the fifteen years we’ve been living with it, the changes I’ve...

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Home Decor: Restful Blues

Restful and relaxing blues and greys. Various shades of blue and grey are known to be the most restful and soothing colours you can chose for your home décor. This is why so many people choose these colours for their bedrooms. But they are a wonderful choice if you’re redecorating your lounge, sitting room or family room. Just take a look at the example below. Just looking at the photograph is calming, isn’t it? Yet...

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Gift Ideas for Kids: Rocking Toys

Rocking Toys You’ll Love. Can you picture your child or grand child rocking about in one of these darling rockers?  Their imaginations taking them to places they may not even be able to speak?  A child loves the idea that they can move themselves on a rocker like this.  Why not do it in softness and comfort? The designs look like even a very young child would be able us use it, once they can sit up, though a parent should be...

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Thanksgiving in Canada

Canadians from coast to coast are gearing up for Thanksgiving 2015 to be held this year on October 12th. While Canadians will celebrate this holiday much earlier than our American Cousins, we will probably be feasting on many of the same food items. After all, that is what Thanksgiving is all about. We are thankful for the great summer months and the produce that farmer’s fields everywhere have grown. We delight in what Mother Nature...

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Personal Alarms Save Lives

Personal alarms: Inexpensive yet essential. I don’t believe that the world is a scary place and I don’t believe in being alarmist but for the price of a bottle of wine, you can buy a personal alarm for yourself or a loved one. And it could be the best purchase you ever made. Everyone – male, female, young or old – should carry one of these at all times. I make no apologies for being so adamant.  Personal alarms...

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