Enjoying life

Creating your own travel journal kit means you can personalise it to the type and length of your trip and you save money by using items you already have and only buy the things you’re…

Why do I keep blogging? I’m not enjoying it like I used to, but feel bad when I don’t do it. I keep going because I’ve done it for 14 years, and it is part…

Can you learn to ski when you’re adult? Yes, I’m proof of that having my first ski holiday in my early 40s. I didn’t find it easy, there were many falls but also achievements such…

Board games are meant to be fun, but it isn’t always easy to learn a new game let alone teach one. Here are 8 steps to help you teach games to children so they want…

Board games are important to our family as a way of spending quality time with each other, and friends. One thing I particularly like is that there are so many different games, so many different…

In Takenoko you establish a garden, grow bamboo and feed the Emperor’s panda. You win by having the most points, which you gain by completing certain garden layouts, growing specific bamboo patterns and feeding different…

I was very excited when my friend told me about the 10×10 game challenge for two reasons 1) it would encourage me (and hopefully the family) to play more games and 2) I could create…

We love playing board games. And we enjoy playing as a family and with friends, at home and out and about. It has been an interesting year for us as we’ve visited a local board…

Playing cards are so versatile that there are games you can play from a young age such as snap. The main limiting factor we’ve experienced is small hands can find it hard to hold a…

Staccups is a dexetity game requiring both hand eye coordination and speed. The aim is to be the quickest at stacking your cups by matching the colour of the bottom of your cup to the…

We are fortunate to have great support from my in-laws and they frequently help out with childcare during the school holidays. When the kids are away it gives us the opportunity to have calmer days,…

Hero Realms* is a fantasy card game for 2-4 players, originally funded through Kickstarter raising over $500,000. It is a deck building game, meaning you buy and discard cards to build a deck of cards…

Earlier this month I passed my 11th anniversary of starting this blog. This anniversary always makes me think about what I’m achieving with my blog and what I want to write about going forward. Currently…

Playing board games is an important part of our family. As well as sitting down to spend time together games help us talk to each other. For the children they also teach fair play and,…

You probably know that I love reading;  I love expanding my knowledge and getting lost in a story. I want my children to love reading as well. It will help them at school and I…

I recently tried my first Big Mac. Yes really, I’m going to be 40 soon and I’ve never had a Big Mac. In fact, I had to ask people to explain what a Big Mac…

It’s my 10th blogging birthday! I’m surprised I’ve been blogging for 10 years, because I often feel like a beginner as there is still so much to learn and implement. But then it is also…

You may have noticed I’ve been quiet recently. In fact I’ve been more than quiet I’ve been absent. This wasn’t a planned summer break, in fact it is the opposite of what I’d planned. During…

I’ve told you before that I take a photograph ever day and want to produce a digital scrapbook layout for each week of the year and have them printed in a book. However, I’m not doing…

Here are some of the posts I’ve enjoyed reading recently on the theme of blogging. I’m trying a new layout with a summary of the article or what I found interesting, and I hope this…

So your answers to my reader survey have been interesting reading; thank you to everyone who responded. I’m certainly feeling a bit challenged by some of the results and directions you’d like me to go….

Back in December, I went to The Three Wine Men Christmas Tasting event; it was a great excuse to meet up with friends and to taste more wines. Three Wine Men The Three Wine Men…

I’ve been reading and listening to lots of good stuff about social media. Several of these are about how people behave online from giving an unrealistic impression, influencing purchases and dealing with trolls. Biz Chix…

Today’s my blogging birthday; my 9th birthday! This time last year I was feeling unsure about this blog; where it was going and how I was approaching writing. So I spent time to think about…

I love the idea of using the a photograph a day as a way to record memories. I feel it compliments my written diary as I often take photos of events, objects or people that…

It shouldn’t come as a surprise I enjoy reading about blogs and blogging, and as the field continues to develop and grow there is always something to read. Here are some of the posts I’ve…

Last year, December especially, was brilliant for me as a blogger, and I’m hoping it is the starting point for even greater things in 2016. Highlights include: being invited to events like Food photography workshop with Nikon and Wine…

As you know I’m on a mission to learn about the type of wine I like at the moment, so I was very excited to be invited to a wine tasting event at The Royal…

Although I felt lucky to be invited to a food photography workshop with Nikon and Currys PCWorld, I also felt out of my comfort zone. I don’t blog about food (in eight years I’ve done…

There is so much information on the internet it can be difficult to find great content, and that is why I like to highlight some of the posts I’ve enjoyed recently. Here is a list…

For the first time in a long time (possibly ever) I’ve been on holiday on my own. That’s not exactly true because I stayed with friends, but I did all the travelling on my own…

April seems a long time ago, although my pictures make me think maybe we had better weather then now in August. Here’s what we were doing in April: spent Easter on the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset…

Some of the stories I’ve been enjoying on environmental issues including water shortages, packaging and food waste. Ranty Friday — Over stuffed plates What a waste: study finds big US brands stuck on disposable packaging…

As I want to keep improving my blog I think it is important to review progress and to decide areas to focus on. Last year I did a review every month, but didn’t feel I…

Periscope is a new social network allowing you to live stream video from your phone, enabling you to respond to comments and questions in real time. The video is saved for replays, but is only accessible…

Okay then, I admit I’m not up to date with my Project 365 layouts, but the key thing is I’m still making progress. Time has been a problem, but also the fact that my laptop…

I’m very pleased to have a new theme for my blog. I installed my last theme almost five years ago; in fact, this is only my third theme in eight years! If you look at…

Blog comments, design and images, events and ethics are some of the topics covered in these posts I’ve enjoyed reading. I hope you enjoy them as well. The role of bloggers in the path to…

I’m currently sat on the beach thinking that in four weeks I’ll be at Britmums Live 2015. Not only will I have the luxury of having me time for two days, but I will be…

BlogCamp UK recognises that blogging is now much more than just blogging; increased internet speeds and online media has expanded the activities of bloggers to cover social media, photography and producing videos. So the conference schedule included sessions…

A mix of tutorials / tips and discussion about social media. Don’t forget if you are interested in chatting on social media to visit the Discuss community on G+. Why it pays to complain via…

I’ve slipped a little bit on my weekly layouts and I’m two weeks behind despite my new Project 365 organisation system. However, it is important with Project 365 to keep going and if I reach the…

A mix of different formats and view points from mainstream media to personal blogs. I hope you find something interesting. Tricky Waste Circular economy to get boost from consumers with first online shop Before and After:…

The term blog niche is frequently used in advice about starting a blog or in tips to improve your blog. I don’t have a niche and consequently have a written on a variety of topics,…

Today is my blog birthday and eight years on I still love blogging. But I don’t love what I’m writing; I’m in a rut. It is not a blogging rut, as I’ve got lots of ideas and…

I attended Blog on Cymru today, the first Blog on event to take place outside of Manchester. It was a great opportunity to learn about new things as well as meet Welsh, West, Southern and…

All future blog event updates are now on BlogEventsUK website. If you are looking to attend a blogging event this year, here are some taking place during the next few months. Alternatively look at a…

Despite enjoying sitting behind a monitor and keyboard, bloggers often like to move offline and meet other bloggers in real life. While the UK maybe behind the USA with regards blogging events, the number and type…

Lots of interesting posts here including the future of blogging, does blogging take too much time and is it better to micro blog? I hope you find something interesting to read. Blogging identities. Who are…

This is the third year I’ve done Project 365 and I love the snapshot of life provided by the scrap layouts I produce. This is the year I’m going to finish my layouts so I…

A mix of good tutorials and photographs I’ve enjoyed over the last few months Overexposed? Camera Phones Could Be Washing Out Our Memories An important lesson about photography Le Tour de Yorkshire. How to REALLY…

Taking a photo a day is a great way of recording big and little moments of life, from family activities to the weather. I’ve taken a photo a day for the last two years and…

2014 was a good blogging year. My main highlight was going to my first blogging conference and meeting other bloggers; in fact once I realised how much I enjoyed them I went to another three…

I know it is a bit late to be posting my #1day12pics photos from the beginning of the month, but they have a festive theme and I’m feeling festive after a attending a Christingle service…

It is strange to look back on my stats for October when I’m at the end of November which has been a tough blogging month for me. I’ve had lots of ideas about posts, but…

Yesterday I discovered that #1day12pics is an interesting exercise to notice the similarities and differences between days. I enjoyed participating last month, but didn’t think I’d join in very often because I wasn’t sure how…

Is this blog moving in the right direction? I think it is staying stationary or maybe even moving backwards especially if you look at the subscriber number (although that could be an issue with Feedburner),…

If you’ve ever thought about water inequality, it is probably in a similar context to this picture; contrasting a resident of an Indian slum carrying water while walking along a large pipe taking water to more affluent…

Here are some of the stories I’ve enjoyed reading recently about blogging, including commenting, planning posts and scrapping posts. 12 Most Freeing Reasons to Scrap a Blog Post Can a lone blogger bring down a…

Yesterday I took part in my first #1day12pics where you take a picture roughly every hour for 12 hours, sharing the pictures on Instagram and Twitter. This is something I’ve wanted to do since reading…

I’ve delayed writing about my August stats because I’ve been wondering if there is any point to them (again). I like having the record of where I am, but are they interesting to anyone other…

Over the last two years I’ve increased the time I’ve spent on my blog, particularly writing posts. By spending more time here and looking at other people’s I’ve noticed there are many opportunities for me…

You may not think it is the most exciting topic, but you should care about waste. We all produce waste, but have you thought much about it; do you know what happens to your waste?…

Here is a round up of the posts I’ve enjoyed reading recently all connected to the environment. This theme is the most relevant to my job so I’ve shared some of these links through LinkedIn instead…

Whether blogging is a hobby or a job there is usually the desire to get quicker at completing tasks to achieve as much as possible around the other demands on your time. The Blogwise ebook…

It is easier to keep up to date with Project 52 / Project 365 when you do them regularly because you remember where to find the files and the order to do things so each one…

July was a strange month for me in terms of writing and communication, I basically didn’t want to do much of either. I’ve written my diary daily for two years, but last month it was…

The internet is about browsing and discovery and I’d hoped to help by sharing posts I’d enjoyed reading through my Goodread posts. However, I felt they were taking over my site as I wrote them…

The aim with Project 52 / Project 365* is to keep up to date with layouts because there is already another week happening. I’m not doing as good as I’d like with this as I’ve…

Comments, followers, visits, likes, retweets; there are many numbers bloggers can use to track progress, but is it actually worth the time to collect and review blog stats?  Being a blogger these days can  mean…

You may not have realised but blogging is a thing. There are thousands of UK bloggers influencing millions of people, but what do you picture when you think of a blogger – the nerd writing…

May was a quiet blogging month as I concentrated on getting tasks done and many of these were offline tasks like tidying and filing. After many years of looking, I think I’ve finally found a…

In a week I’ll be at BritMums Live the biggest blogging and social media event in the UK  with 500 bloggers over two days. It is also the first blogging event I heard about (yes…

A few years ago my now five year old daughter showed an interest in taking photographs. Obviously as I love taking photographs I was keen to encourage this, but not with my camera! So Grandpa…

Lots of environment related links this week and a couple discussing the importance of blog comments and whether we like them too much, what do you think? Environment Earthbound Farm’s founder wants to change the…

I find it interesting that in a week when I haven’t written any blog posts I’ve been reading and sharing lots about blogging during the last week. I shared some posts on LinkedIn for the…

Lots of goodreads from the last week, from Eurovision to Android photography! I hope you find something enjoyable to read over the weekend. Blogging On return from #BlogOnMOSI 5 ways to create original blog imagery…

I started 2014 with a new plan for my Project 52 / Project 365* layouts, having learnt a lot from my first year in 2013 (yes I admit I haven’t quite finished the pages yet)….

I attended my first blogging conference in April and really enjoyed it. It was great to meet people I’ve spoken to online and to hear tips and discuss ideas. It was fascinating how some people…

Here are my Goodreads for the last two weeks, as I was distracted about going to BlogCamp last week; and I was obviously motivated because I have lots of blogging links. I hope you find…

Blogcamp is a day for bloggers to get together, develop their skills and share creative ideas. This year’s was also my first blogging event, and to be honest I think I was more excited about…

A busy month with lots of opportunities to take photographs of the children, and these scrap pages include the reduced number of random shots! I love seeing how they interact and enjoy each other’s company….

I’ve been having fun over the bank holiday weekend so I’m a little late with my goodreads from last week. As it is still the weekend on Monday I hope you find the time to…

In the last week I’ve been mostly reading about parenting, blogging and work an as always there is a wide range of topics ranging from whether you should stop children climbing up slides to a…

I won a competition in March with my post I’m scared of the cloud and I’m currently waiting for the arrival of my new tablet. When it arrives there is likely to be long discussions about who…

I’ve enjoyed posts on the environment, blogging, a quote about your home and a recipe using Nutella (yum yum) during the last week. I hope you find something enjoyable to read over the weekend. Environment…

Just a few goodreads as it has been another quiet week for me and my unread posts in Feedly is very large. I’ve also listed the discussions I’ve started on Google+; come and spend a bit…

There were many opportunities to take pictures of the children in February and I’ve created scrap page compilations of the random every day photos (a mixture of posed, on the sly and at their request)….

My goodreads this week include more Team Honk (can you believe it has almost finished) and cycling. As I’ve had a quiet quiet week for blog reading (and writing), I’ve also included the topics being…

My goodreads this week include blogging and the web, charity, memories and organisation and productivity. I know  I’m sharing these later than normal, but I hope you still find something enjoyable to read. I would…

It is no wonder this blog feels like a major part of my life; I started it 7 years ago, before I had any children, before my mum died and before we moved to our…

This week I’ve enjoyed posts about Team Honk, reading, house decorating, parenting, gardening and a fun version of Let it go. I hope you find something interesting to read. Charity When you read this, we’ll…

Dear Friends, I’m going to come straight out and admit that I’m scared of the cloud. Not the internet, you can probably tell I love the internet and the opportunities to connect, share and browse….

February has been a good blogging month for me, as well as writing 9 posts I took part in the Team Honk relay, a group of bloggers raising money for Sports Relief. Of course, the…

This week I’ve enjoyed posts on forming habits, reaching goals, parenting, flooding, children’s crafts, gardening and the team honk relay. I hope you find something interesting to read. Organisation and Productivity What to Do When…

I’ve enjoyed posts on blogging, flooding, team honk, getting a job, to do list and managing your time on social media during the last week. I hope you find something interesting to read here. Blogging…

Every month I take some every day photographs of the children, a mixture of posed, on the sly and at their request. I think in many ways these pictures capture their true characters so I…

I’ve shared a lot this week so I hope you find something enjoyable to read over the weekend. Charity (or maybe it should just be called Team Honk) Team Honk Oxford #teamhonkrelay Internet blogger Katie…

Here’s a few posts I’ve enjoyed reading during the last week. I hope you find something interesting to read over the weekend. Environment A ‘new’ commons? The rising interest in resource efficiency What does ‘sustainable’…

I’m starting this year as I mean to continue so here are my blog stats for January; even though I’ve only just done my review of 2013. I admit I found it difficult to write…

It’s been a while since I’ve shared what I’ve enjoyed reading and commented on so I’m playing catch up for the last two months (hence a few Christmas links). The list is shorter than I…

My goal for 2013 was to get back into blogging, by posting at least once a month, we may be almost a month into 2014, but I still think there is value in doing a…

Here is a round up of the posts I’ve enjoyed reading or have commented on during the last week. I thought I’d prepared this on Friday evening to be published on Saturday morning, but it…

I almost forgot to post my favourite reads from last week; that would really be a sign that life is busy at the moment. There is just a small number again, but hopefully you’ll find…

A busy real life has led to a fairly boring blog life. My post I’ve forgotten how to be productive also explains why I’ve been finding it difficult to write recently. To be honest, I’m pleased…

Another very quiet week, I’m looking forward to the end of November when things are going to start getting quieter. Anyway, here are the few posts I’ve enjoyed reading during the last week. I hope…

Our first half term holiday including one night with three of B’s friends here for a sleepover, so it is probably not a surprise it has been another quiet week for reading and writing. I…

To me writing a diary, or journal, is about senses; I’m capturing my memories using my senses as well as my thoughts. This is one of the reasons why I handwrite my diary; even though…

A quiet week for both reading and writing, probably because I’ve been out doing things; I’ve been to an adult gymnastic class, B’s first parent’s evening and to the pub with some of the Mum’s…

Here is a round up of the posts I’ve enjoyed reading or have commented on during the last week. I hope you find something enjoyable to read over the weekend. Organisation and Productivity From organised…

Here is a round up of the posts I’ve enjoyed reading or have commented on during the last week; it has been a quiet reading week for me, probably because I’ve been finding it difficult…

Here is a round up of the posts I’ve enjoyed reading or have commented on during the last week. I hope you find something enjoyable to read over the weekend. Reading To e-, or not…

An interesting month because it feels like everything has been difficult and really hard work to accomplish anything. I didn’t think I’d done much writing, so I’m pleased to see I wrote 10 posts, my…

Here is a round up of the posts I’ve enjoyed reading or have commented on during the last week. I hope you find something enjoyable to read over the weekend. Blogging 10 David Ogilvy Quotes…

Here is a round up of the posts I’ve enjoyed reading or have commented on during the last week. I hope you find something enjoyable to read over the weekend. Lifestyle and Health 5 Reasons…

Studland bay  is located between Swanage and Poole (via a chain ferry), and with its beautiful sandy beaches and good facilities everyone from children to naturists will be happy. As the cooler weather comes in I…

Here is a round up of the posts I’ve enjoyed reading or have commented on during the last week. I hope you find something enjoyable to read over the weekend. It has been a fairly…

Here is a round up of the posts I’ve enjoyed reading or have commented on during the last week. I hope you find something enjoyable to read over the weekend. You can now follow this…

I was very focussed in August and published double the number of posts in July. My goal at the start of the year was to publish one post a month and I’m well ahead of…

With school starting this week there are going to be a lot of milestones and memories to capture. As this is our first time at school I don’t know what to expect, but don’t want…

Here is a round up of the posts I’ve enjoyed reading or have commented on during the last week. I hope you find something enjoyable to read over the weekend. Organisation and Productivity Clutter Free…

Here is a round up of the posts I’ve enjoyed reading or have commented on during the last week. I hope you find something enjoyable to read over the weekend. Parenting Discipline – the old…

As we take most of our holidays in the UK, on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, we know you take a risk with the weather. We had better weather than forecast at the beginning…

Here is a round up of the posts I’ve enjoyed reading or have commented on during the last week. I hope you find something enjoyable to read over the weekend. It has obviously been a…

I’m continuing to work on my Project 52 layouts and I’ve now completed the first thirteen weeks, that is a quarter of the year (yes I know we are over half way through). Layouts by…

Here is a round up of the posts I’ve enjoyed reading or have commented on during the last week. I hope you find something enjoyable to read over the weekend. Parenting The sweeping statements mums…

I’m pleased to see my numbers increasing particularly the number of posts I’ve written showing I’m getting back into the habit of blogging. However, I still want to see some of my recent posts  in…

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to capture memories of my children. B is starting school soon, a real milestone, and I’m concerned I’m not capturing as many of M; second child syndrome!…

Here is a round up of the posts I’ve enjoyed enough during the last week and it highlights to me the wide range of subjects I’m interested in. I’ve grouped them by topic and I…

I love reading. In fact I love reading too much and when I start a good book it takes over everything. I skimp on all my other activities so I can fit in more reading…

Since moving house and starting to commute through lots of villages I’ve noticed how many village fairs, fetes and festivals there are. The village I grew up in had an annual fair called the Faffen…

I love number and I love looking for trends, so I am going to start reviewing different numbers connected to my blog again. I hope this will provide an interesting summary of where the blog…

Blogging doesn’t have to be an activity done in isolation. It has been a revelation to me to discover several local bloggers through BritMums network. Of course, by local I don’t mean a short walk down…

I started this year wanting to return to my blog and set myself the realistic resolution of writing one post a month. Okay, I missed March because we didn’t have the internet for eight weeks,…

As well as producing a year book of Project 52 layouts I want one collating my layouts of individual moments. As I usually include journalling and more photographs these layouts tell a fuller story than one…

It has taken a while, but I’ve finished my layouts for February. Unfortunately because of our house move and then getting a chest infection meant I completely ignored our photograph process and let them get…

As I’ve been developing my digital scrapbooking skills over the last year I’ve spent a fair bit of time in forums learning from other people. I’ve been very interested in the Project 52 / Project…

So you write everywhere. You write on the computer, paper and any random paper you come across. You’ve got novels, articles, screen plays, journals and short stories. You’ve got pieces finished, unfinished and barely drafted….

Social media has become part of every day web use for most people, whether it is connecting to friends, playing games or sharing photographs. I believe social media should either be fun or useful, but…

It is easy to say you want to write, but it is much harder to find the time; or find the time when you feel inspired or motivated. Frequently when I feel inspired to write…

With Christmas almost here it means the new year and the traditional time for making resolutions is not far away. I’m not a fan of new year resolutions because I believe it adds too much…

There are some products that become linked to a particular brand name, in some cases the brand replaces the generic term e.g. Blu-tac,  Sellotape, Biro. This appears to be occurring in the electronics market with…

Do you want to write a novel and either can’t find the time or don’t make much progress each time you sit down? If so you may benefit from a writing programme that provides ideas…

As often happens at the start of the new year I’m thinking about my commitments and what I want to achieve during the next twelve months; one activity that has been frequently on my mind…

Blogging has been around since the 1990s, but has become widely accepted and popular over the last few years; from large scale sites to niche and very personal there is something out there for just…

Its the first of November and that means two things; it’s time to grow a mustache and to write a novel in a month. As I’m challenged in the facial hair area, I concentrate on…

I have to admit that I’ve felt sluggish over the last few months and found it difficult to get going. I’ve looked at this from several different angles such as having the wrong tasks or…

UPDATE: I bought a Sony Touch, read my thoughts after six months. Photograph by goXunuReviews An ebook reader is the latest gadget I want and I’ve been offered one for my upcoming birthday; I had…

Kate reading Do reading and writing always go together? Many times I’ve read the advice that if you want to be a good writer you need to read a lot. But does it work the…

It is widely recognised that content is the most important aspect of a blog, however it is the look that is first noticed; and just like with people, first impressions do count. So unless all…

Do you have a place where you’d like to write? Do you have a favourite place to write? How do they match to where you usually write? My fantasy is writing in the middle of…

One of the benefits of web 2.0 is being social and there is an increasing number of sites enabling you to interact with people local to you or with similar interest. Plus with the increased…

It’s the start of a bank holiday weekend and I’m sat in the Chococo cafe drinking a hot chocolate float and testing out my new technology. Yes, I’ve moved with the times and got myself…

You may not be able to tell, but I miss writing my blog. Several times a week I have ideas for posts, but they just don’t get written. About a week a go I had…

You may have noticed there has been a lot of spam comments on my blog recently. I’m sorry I haven’t got into action earlier to deal with it. I have found the spam interesting for…

Almost three weeks ago, I put out a poll asking what you wanted to read on this blog, I’m delighted that some of you spent the time to complete it. As you can see from…

I’ve been writing this blog for over two years and I noticed recently that the topics I’m writing about have changed slightly and I’m interested in your thoughts about the future direction. Please feel free…

Over a year ago I asked for some advice on selecting a hosting company for my blog, but despite a couple of suggestions I have still not transferred my site. I have since been advised…

My notes suggest I read 50 books in 2008 (13 fewer than 200) although like a lot of things towards the end of the year I let my notes slip so it is possible I’ve…

Although I only wrote posts for the first 8 months of 2008 I still thought I would benefit from undertaking a review of what I achieved, particularly in comparison to 2007. I wrote 61, averaging about…

Its been a great month for my rss subscribers as I’ve passed the next milestone and reached the 200 mark. Okay, I admit I’m currently at 188, but in the last 30 days there were…

I have posted slightly more frequently in the last month, but it isn’t up to the level I would like, but you all know my excuse now and hopefully you understand. I am getting back…

Apparently the rss feed for my blog has not been working since the end of May, and despite subscribing to it twice I didn’t notice, so thank you Catherine for telling me. I can think…

Things didn’t really pick up in reference to my post writing in the last month as I had anticipated. I wrote a grand total of 0 posts, not very impressive. I have a long list…

I am still working towards my goal of reading 75 books in a year; in 2007 I made it to 63 books, an average of over 5 a month, which I think is an impressive…

There are many methods of choosing books, but recommendations has been a popular method for a long time. However there are limitations with recommendations because they usually only consider one book and are based on…

One of the reasons I am busy at work is because I am going abroad soon. I am going to visit my sister in Japan and I’ve had the leave booked since November, so I…

Its been a mixed month. I decided it was time to get more serious with my blog so I developed an editorial calendar to help me plan my posts, plus I started writing posts first…

I only started this blog in March 2007 so this isn’t a full year review, but I thought it would still be interesting to do. I wrote 118 posts, averaging almost 12 posts a month. I’ve…

The last month has included Christmas, New Year and going back to work after two weeks on leave. It has certainly been a varied time, but through this I have managed to pick up the…

Stephen at HDBizBlog has suggested working together to help achieve something great in 2008. In fact, its not just Stephen, Phil Gerbyshak and Aaron Potts are at it as well, and that is only the…

Unfortunately I didn’t pick up the writing on my blog last month as I expected. I have a lot of ideas I want to write about, but unfortunately finding the time is the problem, and…

During October I had a slight disagreement with my blog as it appeared to not like my posts and this was followed by a busy time at work. Together this meant my posting rate dropped…

I passed 100 subscribers during the last month, in fact I didn’t just pass it I stormed straight up to 114. Unfortunately I slipped slightly since then, but I am averaging exactly for the last…

Through my job I have learnt how to help businesses reduce their negative environmental impact by minimising their resource use, and through my implementation of concepts from Getting Things Done I have learnt how to…

I got an email this morning from Amazon.co.uk inviting me to join their Amazon Vine program. The same program has existed on Amazon.com for a few months. If you haven’t already read about Amazon Vine,…

Link to Amazon This is the sequel to The Green Rider which I really enjoyed and wanted to read the sequel as soon as I discovered it and luckily was able to request this copy…

The National Novel Writing Month starts on 1st November when thousands of people will aim to complete a 75,000 word novel in 30 days. I participated for the first time in 2006 (I think this…

There comes a time when you have to accept that cheap is not always good and in terms of my hosting it is currently free as it is provided by the ISP (plus.net) as a…

I feel it has been a more positive month for this blog as I am starting to post more regularly, plus I have spent some time to consider the most suitable type of posts and…

As a child we are told practice makes perfect, however I’m starting to wonder if that is true. I have been writing this blog for almost 6 months and have published 82 posts so I…

I have now transferred all my book reviews from my two previous websites and added a few more recent ones. I’m pleased at the number of hits I’ve had on my reviews as I haven’t…

Links to Amazon.com Although I found this book interesting this was despite the writing style. The book for some reason is split into four sections; Lolita, Gatsby, James and Austen, but the section titles are…

Link to Amazon.com The book is set in a London where magic is commonplace; in fact the whole Government is comprised of magicians. Nathaniel is a young apprentice to one of these ministers, Arthur Underwood….

Link to Amazon Amazon recommended this book to me after I read and enjoyed Abhorsen. I bought a copy from a local Oxfam bookshop, but forgot about it and bought a second copy on my…

Link to Amazon Amazon recommended this book to me after reading Dragon Bones by Patricia Briggs. At the start of this year I was enjoying reading fantasy books so I requested this book through BookMooch.com….

Link to Amazon This book came highly recommended by several people, but I’ve had this book so long that I can’t remember where I got it from, however I can tell it is definitely second…

Link to Amazon.com Amazon recommended this book to me as I had read and enjoyed other books from Oprah’s Book Club; I didn’t know anything else about the book, but had the opportunity to pick…

Perhaps even more than reading books I like shopping for books. There is something about an unread book that holds so much potential, particularly a brand new book. However over the last few years I…

It’s been a mixed month for my blog. I’ve transferred all my book reviews from my previous blogger site, and it feels good to reduce the number of sites I need to refer to. I…

Link to Amazon The two main characters are Rory and Maggie. Rory is the youngest son of the Earl and Countess of Bevan who is trying to help his parents keep their house. Maggie is…

Link to Amazon The story is based in the art world of Europe. The most popular art is hyperdramatism, where people are the canvas. The canvases are painted daily and hold their positions, without moving,…

I’ve had a lovely long weekend at my parents and had the opportunity to catch up with lots of family I haven’t seen in a long time, including sisters, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles. A…

Link to this book on Amazon Trevor McKinney undertakes an assignment from his social studies teach to think of an idea to change the world, and put it into action. Trevor’s idea is simple, do…

Link to this book on Amazon This is an intriguing and interesting book. The book is skilfully written in six very different styles, from thriller to sci fi. I found the book very difficult to…

Link to this book on Amazon Rohan becomes prince of the desert earlier than expected when a dragon kills his father. No one is sure how he will do as he so different to his…

Link to this book on Amazon I find this book harsher than Jane Austen’s other books, but that just makes it stand out from her other more popular books. The main character Anne is twenty-seven,…

Link to this book on Amazon This book is similar in content to a children’s essay; it has everything jammed in; murders, war, love, villains, time travel. The difference is that Jasper Fforde has produced…

Link to Amazon I have only recently discovered Jodi Picoult, in fact the last book I read was The Pact written by her. I was so impressed by that book that I didn’t believe this…

Link to Amazon The book opens with the death of one of the main characters and gradually through each chapter adds the information required to understand what really happened. I don’t know normally like books…

Link to Amazon I really enjoyed the worst witch books when I was a child and I am amazed to find out now it was originally published three years before I was born. The story…

Link to Amazon I think this book was given to me for Christmas one year by my mother. I have finally decided to read it. It seems an appropriate time near to the 60th anniversary…

Link to Amazon This book is narrated by Dinah; the first section is about her mother and three aunts and the second section about her own story. Although the story has happy and uplifting moments…

Link to Amazon I found this book difficult to get into at first, but after about 70 pages I was gripped. But then suddenly about half way through the book I realised I didn’t like…

I did enjoy The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency*, but to be honest if I had lost the book mid-read I probably wouldn’t have bothered to buy it again. The style of the book is…

The last month has been a quieter month for me between a combination of being away from home and being ill. I still wrote several posts, but I need to learn to be a bit…

Link to Amazon I am still surprised that I did not enjoy this books as I enjoy Ben Elton as a comedian and thought ‘Dead Famous‘ was a great read.I thought the style was trying…

Reading has been an important part of my life since I was a child. I didn’t go any where without a book (or several books). For instance, in the photograph, we are at a hotel…

Link toAmazon I found myself first interested in Elizabeth George’s books after watching the Inspector Lyndley Mysteries on TV. I have found the books I’ve read as enjoyable as the series if not more so…

Link to Amazon This isn’t my usual type of book, but I persisted with it because it was lent to me by a friend who really enjoyed it. I soon found myself engrossed wanting firstly…

There were two interesting news items on the breakfast news this morning about climate change; obviously the Live Earth concerts and also the plan to educate UK children about climate change. News items on environmental…

… well I have to admit I found it exciting last night. I recently installed a new plugin, Live, which enables you to see the hits on your blog as they happen, including their location…

Last month was an exciting month for me. In my review of April I said I was looking forward to my first comment, so thank you Corrie who wrote it, but also to @Stephen and…

I’ve now been writing this blog for two months and I’ve still got lots of ideas for entries so I will hopefully continue for many more. The biggest thing to happen in the last month…

The two reasons I started this blog were to keep a record of my attempts as I work towards improving my life, and to practice writing in a more structured way than in my livejournal…

I first posted to this blog just over a month ago and how do I think its gone? I had intended to post more frequently, but have found it harder than I’d anticipated considering the…

I’ve just watched The Inconvenient Truth. I first came across Al Gore when I read his book Earth in the balance* at university for one of my assignments. Now, when politicians are trying to out…