Posts tagged uk
Review: Deluxebite
01 month ago
Please note that since writing this review the Deluxebite website and twitter feed have disappeared and I can no longer get hold of the company. Very strange. I will leave the post online for reference but it looks like you can’t actually subscribe to this any more. If they materialise again I’ll let you know.
Deluxebite is a new monthly subscription service that delivers a box of unique artisan and gourmet food samples, made by small independent producers, to members doors and desks on a monthly basis.
But Deluxebite is much more than just a new subscription service. For every box we send out to members they donate a meal to foodbanks in the UK through the Trussell Trust who operate a network of nearly 4000 foodbanks throughout the country.
It was lovely to receive the March box – “The Explorer Box” – so I could try out the service. In it I received…
…a bottle of Cotswold Gold Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil, a bottle of Cornish Orchards Lemonade, some Choccy Munchy Seeds with Chilli and Ginger, some Rossini’s Chicken and Pork Marinade, and a Black Garlic Bulb.
A really lovely selection of products, none of which I have had before – and that is of course the point of this kind of hamper service. There are a couple there that might well get their own blog post once I’ve used them, but for now I wanted to let you know about the hamper.
I love trying new things and discovering new foods, and so I will always be intrigued by this sort of company. And the fact that this box scheme also has a social benefit is even better.
You can join Deluxebite for £20 per month (or get two free boxes if you buy a year’s worth in one go).
Disclaimer: I was sent a Deluxebite box so I could spread the word. I have not been told what to say and have been no less honest as a result of receiving the product for free.
The Graham Homes Memorial Ride
14 months ago
The Graham Homes Memorial Ride will be 2,000+ miles of Great British roads over a week at the end of May 2013, raising money for two cancer charities. It will be our biking tribute to Graham, my father in law, recreating something of our John O’Groats to Land’s End trip in 2009, while hopefully making a difference to someone else (and their family) by fundraising.
LincsGeek and I will be joined by four friends, there will five bikes in total, and all of us are keen to raise a decent sum of money for charity. We have chosen Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support as the beneficiaries of our ride. They say cancer affects everyone in some way. Well it affected us in a massive way last summer, and it seems only right that we use this trip to do at least something to try and make a difference to other people who find themselves going through anything like this.
The challenge will take us to the furthest points east, south, west and north of Great Britain (in that order – we’ve decided to go clockwise). We’ve not set our route quite yet, but we like to think we will be able to see a little of the best scenery Great Britain has to offer on our journey (life is all about the journey, after all) and create some new memories on the way.
I have set up a blog that will include everything associated with the bike trip – updates, photographs, profiles, fundraising, information and so on – it will be the place to go for everything GVH Ride focussed. We would love it if you went over to the Graham Homes Memorial Ride blog, subscribe either by email or by putting us in your reader, and share what we’re doing with your friends and family. There’s a link in my side bar too just in case you need it. And of course, most of all, we would appreciate it an awful lot if you’d get out fundraising off the ground by donating. We’ve set up a page on Virgin Money Giving to make it really easy to give money. Thanks!
The Sea is Still There
2I’m not sure when or how it started, but I remember that when my Grandparents lived in Budleigh Salterton, a gorgeous little village in Devon, that we would often take a drive to the seafront simply “to see if the sea was still there“.
It’s something that has stuck with me. Even before then I knew I loved the sea, I find it stunning. Not living with it on my doorstep (we’re about an hour away) I feel the need every now and again to just go and see it. It has such power, such grace. It reflects whatever is going on around it. It is beautiful to watch in the sunshine and in the rain, when it is still and when it is rough. I could spend hours just watching the waves. I wish I had the time – and I wish I could see it from my lounge window!
Being a fairly mild New Year’s Day we decided to go for ride – my husband asked where I wanted to go – to see the sea I said, of course. So I took my F650GS (and he took his SV) to see the sea (via some fabulous Lincolnshire countryside roads). We went to Sutton on Sea, between Mablethorpe and Skegness, a small seaside village with traditional beach huts lining the promenade. It makes for a lovely walk on a better day – and when you’re not wearing motorbike gear. It was busier than I expected, lots of people just checking the sea was still there.
The sea was pretty rough and very brown – it was churning up the sand. You can kind of see in my quick iPhone snap. And despite getting rather damp on the way home I was so pleased we went.
The bike runs really nicely. This is the first long ride (I guess about 100 miles perhaps) I’ve done since I got the F650GS a few weeks ago. The tall screen I got for Christmas is on it and makes a big difference. The height is just perfect for me – I know the factory lowered version with low seat is too close to the ground for many people, but it’s like it’s been made for me and my size. The 800cc engine doesn’t quite keep up with the 650 in our SV650S my husband rides, but it’s not far off and has plenty of power. It is so easy to ride at slow speeds in town, and is more than happy on Lincolnshire’s national speed limit roads. More about the bike another time though (when I’ve taken some nice pics).
So my first day of getting outside went very well… and my second was also seaside related. I met my sister for an afternoon in Skegness. A well known seaside resort, Skegness draws the crowds even out of season – although there weren’t any families with wind breaks making a day of it today. And I didn’t see anyone swimming (no chance of surfing in Skegness!). We found free parking and some lunch, and then walked along the sand.
We were blessed with a beautiful blue sky today, unlike yesterday, but the wind made the sea a little unsettled. Others were at the seaside too – there was a family scattering flower petals into the waves in what appeared to be a moving tribute to someone, there were children and dogs running up and down the sand, there were couples walking hand in hand along the promenade, there were people sat relaxing on benches eating fish and chips out of the paper, and there were fishermen seeing what would bite. I love how the sea is so many different things to different people. I hope all those people had a great day. I hope that family scattering petals found it helpful. And I hope the fishermen caught something.
Of course being a winter’s day at the seaside we went for the doughnut treat rather than ice cream – mmmm deep fried goodness.
I doubt I’ll get to see the sea tomorrow – I can’t really spend over two hours on the road for a third day in a row to satisfy my want, but hopefully it’ll only be a few weeks before I can breathe in the salty air again. At least I know for now that the sea is still there at Sutton on Sea and Skegness and can sleep easy! I will absolutely be outside doing something, that is my New Year plan after all. If the rest of 2012 is like the last couple of days then things are looking good.
I hope you’ve had a good 1st and 2nd day of the year and that you have so far managed to keep whatever resolutions you made without temptation. Let’s keep it up!
The Royal Wedding
02 years ago
by Splodz
in General Post
It’s stuff made of fairy tales – like Disney himself orchestrated the day. The big day for William and Kate was finally here. And the world watched as they made their way to church, made their vows, exchanged rings (well one anyway) and became Man and Wife. Awwwwwww I hear you say in unison.
I love a good wedding. Weddings by their nature are celebrations of love. And while I didn’t think it would happen, I was totally drawn in to the coverage on the telly as the guests arrived, I couldn’t wait to see “the” dress, and really enjoyed the pomp and ceremony that for some reason us Brits do so well. Yes so this was an expensive day to put on – but look at the tourism and revenue it brought the country as a result. And who can resist an event that makes so many people smile so much?!
Getting married is a personal commitment to each other – and I have to say I do see that deep love in the couple’s eyes. I wish them all the happiness in the world. I hope they can look back on today and smile, remembering all the fine details that were so carefully planned. While they are a Royal couple and therefore their lives are public ones, they are also a modern loving couple who are with any luck doing this for the right reasons.
What was the image of the day for you? Ok so I wasn’t blogging from the wedding (my invite got lost in the post perhaps?!), but these two pictures from the BBC coverage are ones I will remember…
The first shows the pomp and the extravagance of the occasion. The amazing sight of Westminster Abbey – including the trees – as the Bridal party make their way down the aisle.
The second is of a little moment that I think shows that this couple are indeed in love… William says “you look beautiful” to Catherine as she arrives by his side at the Altar. Awww.
So whatever you made of today’s events in London – whether you were drawn into the whole ceremony or not – I hope that you at least join with me in wishing the happy couple all the best for whatever happens next in their lives. A round of applause for them!
Snow from NASAs POV
03 years ago
by Splodz
in General Post
I just got sent this photo and HAD to share it with you…
It’s from the MODIS Rapid Response System (http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/) and shows the snow across Great Britain yesterday (7th January).
Just wow!
Snow across Great Britain
