Do you go on self-catering holidays, or holidays where you have access to a washing machine and don’t want to have to take heavy boxes of washing powder with you, or the hassle of finding it in a foreign country? At the same time you could be doing ‘your bit’ for the environment.
We are all becoming increasingly aware of how vital it is to ‘be green’. With such a large family (see my biog) I don’t want my children and grandchildren blaming my generation for wasting our valuable, limited natural resources so I am now converted to balls (Eco Balls that is).
I found this amazing product by ‘trawling’ the internet…..THEY WORK!!
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Posted by Jill Bowen on Thu 29th March 2007 at 11:31 PM, Filed in November
Morbid, gruesome, weird – maybe, with our ‘up-tight ’English way of behaving and thinking it could be all of these things. But, celebrating ancestors, for the lives they had and what they gave to us, their love, heritage and their genes that make us who we are.
This Spanish holiday is celebrated in countries worldwide and has been since 1800 BC. In Mixiquic, a small town on the southeast fringe of Mexico’s ‘Distrito Federal’ it starts at midnight on 1st November and lasts 24 hours (until midnight 2nd November). The festival kicks off with the people of Mixiquic welcoming back the spirits of their ancestors. Instead of the sombre, emotional affairs that graveside visits become in other parts of the world, this is a celebration, a joyous fiesta, and a reunion to giving thanks for ancestors.
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Posted by Jackie Hewett on Tue 27th March 2007 at 11:28 PM, Filed in Travel Tips
Fortunately I am not a sea-sickness sufferer myself. However as my mother and step-children all are I watched a recent ‘Mythbusters’ program on television with great interest as it exploded the myths behind various remedies….
They started by designing a chair contraption designed to simulate the motion of being at sea, and then identifying potential sea-sickness sufferers. Their guinea-pigs took turns in the ‘chair of torture’, and only those who became really queasy were selected to test various commercial, and other, remedies.
The remedies triailed included special tablets, wrist bands and the old mariners favourite - ginger. The program was very convincing as the poor sufferers were put through their paces and grew increasingly reluctant to participate! I am glad to report (for your pockets) that the only consistently effective remedy was found to be the consumption of ginger. As you can get it in many different forms (pills, candied, raw and powdered) I advise you to ‘go natural’ and not waste your money on fancy products.
If you have any of your own sea sickness tips we’d love to hear from you!
Posted by Jackie Hewett on Sun 25th March 2007 at 11:11 PM, Filed in March
The Iditarod began life in 1973 and has evolved to become the most competitive sledding race in the world. It is now the most popular sporting event in Alaska. As it takes several days (between 8 and 15), to cover the 1,000 mile plus route in seriously sub zero temperatures (wind chill means it can reach -100 °F) only the hardy go to watch, and the even hardier participate!
There is a ceremonial start on the first Saturday every March at Anchorage where spectators (including journalists and TV crews) congregate at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and D Street. The first mushers (human team leaders) with their team of dogs leave at 10.02am local time.
Usually some 50 teams enter and the race accepts only experienced ‘mushers’, who have qualified by participating in at least 3 smaller races. Entering the race isn’t cheap (fees, equipment and supplies cost between $20,000 and $100,000 a race) so the mushers often make / supplement their living from sponsorship, book deals and speaking engagements.
You can participate on the first day by paying for a place as an ‘Idita Rider’ (a fee-paying passenger) for the first (urban) portion of the race. The race starts in earnest on day two (without the Idita Rider). Places for Idita Riders are auctioned on-line in January.
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Yes really!! Every July a bunch of grown adults get together in deepest darkest Sussex (Pulborough) to race through the night against each other on ‘ride-on’ lawnmowers! This 12 hour race is a test of both physical stamina and mechanical know-how. The mowers are hardly a comfortable ride so most riders wear kidney belts to try to stop bruising of internal organs and the race runs from 8pm to 8am. Winning the race can usually be largely attributed to the technical abilities of the team members (most riders become mechanics for half the night). It’s quite an art form to keep these (often ‘veteran’) vehicles going for the whole 12 hours using make-shift parts and brute force.
Rain generally adds to the spectacle with ‘leaky ‘pit’ roofs, and no drainage on the course, which quickly becomes a quagmire.
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