Remember Remember the 5th of November

I know it isn't till tomorrow and I don't begrudge any one having fun, but this year it is doing my head in. It is the constant noise that seems to have filled in the darkeness for the last few nights. In fact it started the week before Halloween and seems to be getting louder every night.

Now in the suburban area I live in there are more than enough properly organised displays, and I mean big displays with entertainment, food and glow in the dark sticks. Entry prices are reasonable as most of them are in aid of charity and there is no risk of the neighbours shed going up in smoke. So why oh why are people persisting in having full blown displays in their garden. Not only is it safer to be at an organised display, but it saves the nerves of humans and animals around you.

Having worked in a party shop years back I was taught about the dangers of this objects. So much so that for the ten years after I used to organise the church display as I was afraid of anyone else handling them. Sure the results of a perfect firework are that brief colourful explosion that every one enjoys. But the handling and lighting of them is a dangerous game and one where many people have been very badly hurt.

I am sorry if I am going to upset people, but I truly believe that fireworks should not be on sale to the general public for use in the their gardens. I am not saying no availability to them for charity organisations or proper displays. But they are not some toy to be used at a family gathering. I have read about too many accidents to ever hold a private party display again. As the years go on the fireworks are getting bigger and louder.

What is most annoying is in the days of my youth if someone was to have  fireworks party at home they would have the courtesy to at least inform their neighbours, so animals and children could be keep in safe and warm. But even those manners have gone and people just let these insane amusements off with no warning. Tonight the light had barely gone from the sky and the noise started. I was extracting cats from cupboards and trying to calm dogs from an early coronary before the black ink sky was truly set. No warning nothing, just an explosion worthy of the Gulf invasion from the house opposite. So bad was it that it shook the house and how I wish I was exaggerating.

So evenings in our house till at least mid week are going to be spent with a dog in a muzzle under my duvet, cats hiding in the most original of places and my TV on so loud you can hear it from the street so it drowns out 50% of the noise for the sake of every ones nerves. Yes I wish I had got to enjoy my local display last night, but how I wished that was the only display locally.

Returniing to old faithfuls

If you follow my blog in full you will realise I live a life peppered with illness and medication. This has a problem of the fashionista kind, my skin gets trashed. With a constant stream of pain medication and other tablets enterin my system my skin has more spots than it did in my teens, and its dull and dry.

Over the years I have tried and failed various creams and potions, so much so my collection is endless and a lot gets relegated to the bin after a couple of uses as it physically hurts on my skin. I have finally found my skin basics that don't drive my skin insane and seem to work for me. The price range is varied and probablly unexpected.

For starts I swear by E45 cream for very dry skin anywhere. I was introduced to it by my GP to repair my skin after steriod creams and not looked back. It can be used on any part of my skin from face to cracked heals, nd you will find it hard to over apply. I personally like to apply it straight after a a bath as it locks in the mositure and that doubles it affect. This is a constant on our shelves at home and I also tend to walk around with a tube at the bottom of my hand bag. I know they have extended their range to release difference creams for different parts of the body, but if you buy the general cream as shown here it would cover all.

If you don't have the funds to pay for the label any aquaous cream would provide the same service and most pound shops have an unlabeled brand on their shelves. Just check they are aquaous creams.

My next faithful purchase is Nivea cream. I use this on my face to deeply rehydrate my overly dry skin. If my skin gets to the flaky stage due to a mixture of weather and meication, this cream will clear it up after a couple of nights of application. Although I do look a fright with my face caked in the cream it works, and whats a couple of nights of horror for hydrated skin. The bitter wind and rain can demolish the best of routines so we all have to have our emergency repairs, this is mine. A small hand bag size tin starts at £1 in major supermarkets and is worth every penny plus some. It is low on fragrance with means even the more sensative of skins are safe using it .

My luxury facial brand is the Divine Cream by L'Occitane. It is a costly cream at about £56 a tub, but a little goes a long long way. If you are looking for a cream not just to mositurise, but to revive this is the cream for you. I would love to use this daily but at the moment I am waiting for Santa to replinish my supplies. It never sets my skin into a flare up, instead leaves my skin glowing almost like a primer. I have a couple of samples I am streching out till my next jar as I love it so much. If in doubt on such  big out lay, if you contact L'Occitane directly they usually will send you a sample of their best sellers including this to try. That is how I found this cream havin equired about the ranges suitable for my skin type. Usually I refuse on principle to spend so much on a cream, but when you work out how much you use per day compired to cost it works out very cost effective

This leads me on to my favourite hand cream again it is L'Occitane brand, and this has been a godsend. I hve never found a cream that didn't leave my hands feeling tacky and dirty, until this. Trust me on this I have tried just about every product on the market, especially as I have broken my wrists`on multiple times in the last 10 years and any one who has had a limb in plaster will know what damage those casts do to skin. All I have ever wanted in a hand cream is for it to mositurise with out feeling yucky, I mean that is a hardly a big request, yet only one has totally achieved it, with boy shop coming in second. I don't want to walk around all day with my hands smelling of some synthic fruit either. So I tend to go for a shea or nut frangranced cream, athough having just laid my hands on the date scented one and that is very plesant. The price is £8.50 per tube, but I found this lasted months, and well worth it. If in doubt keep your eyes open for a freebie with a beauty magazine as there is usually at least one a year, and it is a good way to try this out. If like me you love this range look for gift sets as they are often more cost effective and can make great stocking fillers for your friends.

Then there is the ever faithful Vaseline, often used on lips it is a multi purpose little tin of magic. If you ever run out of mascara or like me you find it harsh on a day to day basis, it is great to use a little of the plain product across your lashes and you have  quick fix. Also it can be used to create a gloss on lip sticks. I just can't imagine a handbag with out it. Sure you can buy all the trendy flavours for your lips, but a small tin of the plain product is good enough and serves many purposes.


So these are my old faithfuls I wouldn't be without. I am sure everyone has their own choices and favourites, what are yours?

Bang Bang Bark Bark

It isn't even the 5th of November but most of the local display were tonight. And didn't we know it, Orinoco went mental. Nothing we say or do will calm him over this period.

I love fireworks and am usually at the local display with the best of them, but as I need some one with me at these kind of events I didn't stand a chance of going this year, especially as some one has to stay at home with the animals to keep them calm. So this year it was me on dog duty, and it wasn't pleasant. Normally I enjoy every explosion and love the light it creates. This year it was filling me with dread as every explosion that ripped through the house sent Orinoco bananas. He is getting worse every year, no matter what we try, we have the hormone therapy, the darken curtains, soothing music. You name it we have tried it and this year we have pretty much thrown everything into de stressing the dog and preventing heart attacks all round

The evening ended not in my normal chill from the bitter cold and hearty soup to warm, but instead 3 paracetamol and a darken room for me and a long sleep for said dog. Not to mention two of our cats are so scared of fireworks that they disappear under the stairs and don't venture out till an hour after the final bang. But in all this chaos we have a weird one. Little Cheyenne sits and watch the display from mum bedroom it total awe. He is fascinated with the whole time, I honestly think that cat has his wiring crossed somewhere.

That said the evening ended with me having a migraine and the cats having a very late supper. I love Guy Fawkes Night, but I can reassure you most of our furry friends don't and for some of them are totally petrified.

Happy Weekend Not

Over did it today so currently back under my duvet bored. Having killed 30 mins painting my nails various different colours as an experiment I am now doing the endless competitions knowing will never win.

Last months coffee win was a total fluke. When you consider I won that yet have entered at least a hundred before that. I never win the big stuff like the years supply of tea or the gadgets from the TV competitions. But they do pass the time and some even cause my rotting brain cells to work.

How ever it won't take away from the crushing realisation that tomorrow I could have gone to London with a friend or the local fireworks, but can't go to either due to money and the lack of a chaperon as at either event I could still get damaged. So I lose out every way, and that has crushed me. I have only missed the fireworks twice in my 40 years, once due to mumps and the other because I was away, and the reason it is going to torture me more is it is 5 mins away behind my local church. So I am going to be stuck hearing every bang, and the cheers of the people. but probably not see it because of the direction of it all.

Basically my whole weekend is a blow out due to lack of funds and people to hold me upright. I can't believe my life thanks to illness has been reduced to this. I could be having a total blast watching the cars in Regents Street, followed by display I love to watch annually of firework, and instead I am going to spend it stuck at home with the joke called British television.

Wake me up on Monday I don't want to know the rest of the weekend.

Freebie alert Nails Inc in Glamour

Calling all nail polish junkies, the new glamour magazine is out with a free Nails Inc polish. You have a choice of 4 colours and I don't blame you if like me you buy all four as the cost of the magazine is £2 and each polish is worth £11, you don't need to be a maths expert to work out that's £8 outlay for £44 worth of polish.


Right the run down is  Elizabeth Street, a baby pink colour. Not my normal choice of colour but well worth having for a quiet tone. It would be a good colour for a french manicure and you can make it as light or dark as you wish but adding another coat.. I think it would also be a good base for some more fancy designs and that's what I plan to use mine for. I will admit this colour will need at least two coats to get any depth of colour. After one coat I found the result very pale and see through so take you time with this one.

Then there is St James, a tomato red. This is a strong colour and not for the faint hearted. Although I am a strong believer than every girl should have one good red in her collection for the rebel moments.  After just one coat I have a very vibrant colour, and a high sheen on it. It is perfect for the festive season and would also stand some glitter on it. It is rare to find such a strong colour even on its first coat and I am very please with this one.

Now there is the glamour glitter. Do not expect this to be an colour on it's own unless all you want is a light sparkle. This is more a polish to be applied to other strong colours as that glitter touch. Even then I have found it very sublet, although I feel other will say sparse. I am not disappointed in it as I already have a lot of dominate colours and effects so something a little more delicate is a refreshing change. But bare that in mind if and when you purchase it.






Finally we are to my favourite Motcomb St. A dark ink blue bordering on black, granted not a festive colour and it may not be to every ones taste. But I love it, on the first coat there is almost a teal twinge in it and adding the second coat it deepens the colour. I think it could easily stand any effect on it glitter or even a design. This would make a pleasant change from a black and for those brave enough it could be worn daily.




There are a few other freebies in Glamour magazine, although I was disappointed in the fact they aren't all in every magazine. There is two different perfume samples including my favourite Angel, a bb cream, face moisturiser and a foundation. But across the 4 copies I bought I got two of each perfume, one of the face cream and two each of the BB cream and foundation. The inconsistency of this is rather disappointing as  the magazines are sealed in plastic so its a case of they weren't put in at source, rather than take a detour on route. However having spoken to the mazine themselves it is due to the reason they only get a set number of samples and divide it up as best they can.

Apart from that I would highly recommend Glamour this month, and I hope you find a colour you enjoy.

 

 

It's only a winters cold but it came with faerie help

Today may as well pasted with out the Churchill house hold. It has taken hold! The first winter cold has infected 2 humans 1 cat and a husband.

Mum suffers loudly in a way only an older person can. Its hard to describe but there is a lot of moaning and snuffling, fortunately she is returning to her room soon. The cat is just sneezing on who ever is in his way. But the husband, well he has man flu and no one can understand how bad he feels. Two paracetamols and a hot tea later he has been sent to bed before my already pounding head explodes.

Personally I think this house hold needs to gain sponsorship from Paracetamol, Tetley Tea and Klenex. Although according to the power that be i.e mother it needs a supply of boiled sweets to stop the coughing as well. I am lucky I think because of all the other medication I am on, I have come out the best in all this, apart from a headache (mainly caused by the others whining), a slight temperature all I have is sinus issues. Which translates to me looking after the animals who are their usual sprightly selves.

This wouldn't be much of an issue but for the endless fireworks going on outside and the idiots who think we need a game of knock down ginger. Personally I am growing to hate the autumn half term and if I catch the idiots playing such game I will knock them out. In the last hour I have hopped to the door 5 times to over excited dogs one side of the door and no one the other. Yes it's all very funny but I am in constant pain yet the only member of the house hold able to leave their sick bed. Not to mention I am down stairs so I hear it all.

Then again I am not going to complain about it as the last game of knock down ginger this evening resulted in me opening the door to a delivery of food. We didn't order a delivery nor expect one but after much tracing and phone calls to the shop in question it is meant for us. So on this all souls day some one has been more than generous knowing we were struggling. Until husband gets regular work we aren't even comfortable, but never on earth did I expect to open the porch to a weeks worth of shopping. But to who ever it was I am so grateful. There is even soup for those who are suffering upstairs.

Things that go bump in the night

I m not talking spooks and ghosts, but those sudden real life shocks. The sound that scares us out of our skin. It may only be the over sensed time, being Halloween or the fact its blowing up a storm here, but so far no one apart from husband has got any sleep yet.

Just as everyone was hitting the sack there was a sound that made everyone shoot a foot in the air. Either someone has got their fireworks courtesy of the military or something in hearing distance has exploded. We waited for the usual onslaught of emergency vehicles then tried to get back to sleep.

By which time the wind and rain have got heavier and battering the south side of the house. All goo for most of use but for mum it is so loud it keeps her awake. Then my phone rings, my neighbours have a 12 + foot silver birch tree in  pot on their patio. If you know these trees you will understand how illogical this is, as they are pencil thin tree will little root base and rarely get to 10foot in the wild. Now this thing is swaying like nothing on earth and as I type looks like it is going to make a break for freedom via mum's bedroom window. Time and time again we have told them this tree is dangerous, but they just complain back about our holly tree having prickles.

So we are off to bed again praying either the wind eases or the tree just snaps, because I have a fear that the next sound that makes us go bump in the night is going to be that tree through mum's bedroom window.