14 minute read
BOOKS
by localcm
From Here to Maternity by Sinead Moriarty
Motherhood is never easy. Your life and priorities change suddenly and dramatically. But when being a new mother coincides with pregnancy it throws everything up in the air!
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Emma and James have been trying for a few years to get pregnant and with several failed IVF attempts they decide to pursue adoption instead. As the novel starts they are about to board a plane to Russia where they are adopting 10-month-old Yuri, along with a tatty cuddly elephant. However, Emma is in for a shock when she discovers that she is pregnant. In 9 months’, time she will have two under 2s!
Adjusting to life with Yuri is certainly not easy. The book was published in 2006 and there are many familiar moments for anyone who started a family in the ‘noughties’ as Emma turns to all the available parenting books to help her. To make matters worse for Emma she is dealing with a mother who always speaks her mind. Family life is never easy, but it has its moments and is something Emma would never change.
We Wear Underpants by Katie Abey
There are many different styles of books for young children, and I know that when mine were both toddlers, one sort of book that was guaranteed to occupy them every time was a spotting book. We Wear Underpants is this type of book, and the illustrations are wonderful.
Each page is full of animals wearing … well, the sorts of things that you would NOT expect an animal to wear! From the titular item of underpants to t-shirts, scarves, wellies, and pyjamas. Each page asks the reader to look for a different thing. Counting candy floss on a page with animals wearing t-shirts at the fair. Finding the stripy scarf and deciding which scarf you would want to wear. And who is dreaming while wearing pyjamas. The final page asks, ‘What will you wear today?’
A lovely way to get young children thinking about getting dressed – a task that often seems to be low on the list of priorities for a child that age!
There are many types of rugs, from modern classic contemporary to oriental and antique. These maybe made from wool, cotton, man made fibres or silk. Rugs are wonderful at brightening an otherwise plain room and bringing warmth and colour. Like all carpets they lose their lustre over time with daily use. Fortunately, with the right care they can redeem their vibrancy even after many years of use. Here are just some simple tips to help you care for your rug: 1. The most important thing you can do is vacuum it weekly. Rugs fill with dust and grit so turn it over and vacuum the back of your rug, this will vibrate all the grit to the surface. Then follow this by vacuuming the face surface. If it is small enough try beating or shaking it as it all helps. 2. Check the label. There is often a label underneath your rug which will tell you what it is made from and may offer cleaning advice. Cotton, Wool and Silk rugs will need very careful cleaning and you may prefer to use a professional specialist rug cleaner. 3. Spots and stains. Accidental spillages are best dealt with whilst they are still wet so blot them with a white terry cloth. Always apply a tamping motion and never rub as it may damage the pile and spread the spillage. Next dampen a cloth with cold water and blot again, but first test in a corner to make sure the colours don’t run. Rugs are often coloured with natural dyes which are not colour-fast. 4. Move your furniture. Heavy furniture can flatten and damage the pile over time. To prevent this, move your furniture a little every few months to even the wear. 5. Keep out of direct sunlight. Direct sunlight can fade the bright colours of your rug, keep away from windows and if that is not possible then rotate the rug so it has an even fade. Whilst the 5 tips will help keep your rug looking good, eventually it will benefit from a specialist clean. Copper Beech Cleaning are Professional Rug Cleaners and the process is always the same - a free rug survey is provided to offer honest, friendly advice on the likely result and the cost of the clean. Your rugs are picked up from your home, carefully cleaned by hand, dried, returned and placed back in situ. For free honest advice call Copper Beech Cleaning 01934 235855, www.copperbeechcleaning.com
Your Local Specialist Cleaning Service
Your Local Specialist Cleaning Service
Your Local Specialist Cleaning Service • CARPETS & UPHOLSTERY • CLASSIC & ORIENTAL RUGS
CARPETS & UPHOLSTERY • LEATHER RESTORATION • CLASSIC & ORIENTAL RUGS LEATHER RESTORATION• CURTAINS & BLINDS • CURTAINS & BLINDS
• A local company for local people • CURTAINS & BLINDS • A local company for local people • Professionally and reliably cleaned Professionally and reliably cleaned •• Family safe and Eco friendly products Family safe and Eco friendly products All work fully guaranteed and insured • All work fully guaranteed and insured • We take pride in the service we provide A local company for local people• We take pride in the service we provide • A local company for local people
• We take pride in the service we provide • Professionally and reliably cleaned • We take pride in the service we provide • All work fully guaranteed and insured • Family safe and Eco friendly products • All work fully guaranteed and insured • Family safe and Eco friendly products • All work fully guaranteed and insured • Family safe and Eco friendly products • Professionally and reliably cleaned • We take pride in the service we provide • Professionally and reliably cleaned • CURTAINS & BLINDS Call for a free quote today! • A local company for local people • CURTAINS & BLINDS01934 235 855
ColourFence Fencing is a unique product, there’s nothing else like it in the UK
ColourFence is becoming increasingly popular across the UK with homeowners fed up of losing fences to winter storms and the hassle of replacing them. Equally, timber fences decay rapidly and require regular treatment with paint and chemical cleaners. Unlike standard timber fences, ColourFence is designed to resist harsh weather conditions and will withstand wind gusts of up to 130mph! The weatherproof and durable ColourFence range has a number of core benefits that appeal to homeowners, it’s guaranteed not to warp, crack, shrink, rot or peel for the next 25 years. When fencing maintenance costs are high, you want an option that is easy, low maintenance and costeffective; and ColourFence is all those things and more, not least the 25-year guarantee. No painting, preserving, repairs or harsh cleaning chemicals, just an occasional hose down to keep it looking as good as new. There’s a choice of colours available, green, brown, cream and blue – to harmonise and enhance your garden’s design. Choose a trellis in the same shade or contrasting colour. Both sides of the panels are the same colour meaning both you and your neighbour have a stunning fence to look at year after year, helping you build good neighbourly relations. The panels are 2.35 metres wide compared to 1.5 metres wide for standard timber panels (so you need fewer panels like for like) and can be cut on-site to custom fit your garden, whatever the size and the natural contours of your land. For further information and to arrange a free no obligation survey call 01823 792029 or visit
colourfencetaunton.co.uk
Olympic Month: Are you a Bronze, Silver or Gold Chef?! Musings of an OvenGleamer
Bronze Medal (and about my level!) cooking is one of life’s simple pleasures and the skill level is simple too. In my eyes you use the microwave and can cope with a pan of boiling water for pasta and potatoes. I have even managed a 3 course meal with my combi-microwave. I cheated with the starter buying ready made prawn cocktails, then cooked a chicken using the grill function that browned the top and heated the ‘steam in a bag’ vegetables to produce a Roast Dinner. For dessert I “pinged” chocolate sponge puddings with chocolate sauce and my meal was complete…simples! But my microwave now needs a clean as it’s covered in chicken bits on the walls –the chicken partly exploded! Oops!
More budding chefs (most of you) come in at least a Silver Medal standard. You’re great at using a hob and an oven with several pans boiling away on the hob top whilst a delicious joint is roasting away in the oven. You are classic multi-tasker with better time–management skills than me. My partner falls in this category – she does a mean Roast Beef, Yorkshire puddings and mountains of vegetables – all cooked to perfection and appearing on the table at the same time. For dessert she produces an apple pie out of oven with creamy custard. She then expects me, a professional oven cleaner, to clean our cooker? Does she not understand that it’s my day off?
Personally I believe the Gold Medal winners are you BBQ cookers! How anyone can produce an array of succulent steaks, juicy sausages and melt in the mouth burgers as well as foil wrapped salmon from just a metal grid over some heat producing fuel, I’ll never know. Then to serve them with a selection of fresh salads and summer cocktails – that skill level is way beyond my reach. My friends manage this Olympian feat without even breaking into a sweat and I can enjoy the fruits of their labours! Then with a messy BBQ they phone me to clean it – fed and paid – Gold Medal for me on that one!
So where do you fit into my medal parade – are you a bronze, silver or gold medal Chef? I promise you a Gold Medal service, call today: Graeme Robertson OvenGleamers on 01934 440032.
Could a new garage door increase the kerb appeal of your home?
What does your garage door say about your home? Never thought about it? Perhaps you should. As the housing market picks up and people begin to think about upgrading or downsizing the right garage door can significantly increase the kerb appeal and even the price of your house. There are two types of garage door: tilt-up and rollup. Tilt-up garage doors consist of a single panel of material. The door has to be pulled out and then pivoted up so it can slide along the roof of the garage. Roll-up garage doors, on the other hand, are made of a number of horizontal sections which are hinged together for flexibility. Because it rests on rollers, it can be lifted, and rolled into place along the roof of the garage. Sectional roll-up doors are more expensive as a rule but have certain advantages. Since these doors don’t have to be pulled outwards they are a great option if space on your drive is tight. They also take up less room in the garage since they can be placed higher than a tilt-up door. Both types of doors are usually made from wood or steel. Wood is generally cheaper, and some people prefer the look. However, just like wooden patio furniture, a wooden door is more easily damaged by the weather and may warp, split, or blister. Steel is more expensive. It isn’t prone to warping but does need to be properly treated to prevent rust. Garage doors are also available in aluminium or fibreglass. Both of these materials are less expensive than steel or wood, but neither is as strong, and they are more prone to damage with normal wear and tear. Remember a garage door will be exposed to everything the weather can throw at it day in and day out, so will need regular maintenance. Doors should be washed down regularly. Wooden garage doors need to be repainted in alternate years to ensure that the wood stays protected. Steel doors can be painted and treated to an occasional shine with car wax. All moving parts should be lubricated with motor oil whenever the door starts to feel stuck.
Consider…
Remote control - For ease, convenience and even safety you can’t beat a remote-controlled door. Override - Make sure the remote can be manually overridden in case of power failure. You don’t want the kids, or the dog trapped in there, or even yourself. Security - Automatic door locking mechanisms are useful. Safety – This one is my top priority. To ensure that an electric garage door is deemed safe for use, it will have to incorporate at least one sufficient safety feature into its mechanism which will prevent personal injury. Every year children and adults are injured in accidents which involve older style garage doors. New doors should have an automatic reverse function. That way, if the door encounters any object as it is closing it will immediately stop and back-up.
For high-quality, handmade electric Garage Doors look no further than Garolla! Revolutionising the Garage Door industry, Garolla are the UK’s largest Roller Garage Door installers across the country with hundreds of garage doors being installed every single month. A company with nationwide power combined with local know-how, your local Garolla installer is right around the corner. Manufactured from strong aluminium, every electric Garage Door is made from the highest quality materials to ensure a strong, long lasting foundation. From there, skilled craftsmen create bespoke electric Garage Doors to your home’s exact measurements. Once complete, these Garage Doors are rigorously tested and must pass a series of quality control tests before making their way to be fitted by your local installer. From measuring to installation and beyond, you will only ever work with your own local installer. They will be on hand to answer all of your questions and help guide you through the process of updating your garage door. Not only does a Garolla Garage Door improve your home’s aesthetic, it will also help to keep it safe and secure. Utilising a patented auto-locking system and twin-walled slats, Garolla Garage Doors keep the contents of your garage out of the hands of criminals and acts as a powerful deterrent for potential burglars. Gone are the days of heavy, outdated swinging doors. With Garolla, you can access your garage without taking a single step out of your car. Using one of two remotes provided you can quickly and easily open your Garage Door and park. And thanks to Garolla’s ingenious octagonal barrel system you can now park even closer to the door, allowing you to utilise every inch of your floorspace. Low-maintenance, these garage doors just need the occasional wipe down to continue looking as good as the day you bought them. Available in a stunning selection of 18-colours, you can now match your home’s exteriors with your own personal style. Whether you’re looking for Classic White or an adventurous Moss Green, Garolla has the perfect design to suit you. For an instant quote including measuring, fitting and VAT you can call Garolla’s friendly customer care team on 0800 468 1982 or visit their website at www.garolla.co.uk for more details.
